Runs for Cookies

May 14, 2013

Homemade food

Yesterday, I said I was going to do hill repeats today; if I hadn't stated that, I most certainly would have opted for an easy 4-miler instead ;) But because I said that's what I was going to do, that's what I did.

Hill repeats are miserable, but they're very effective! Since I've been heart rate training recently, I was curious to see how the hill workout would affect my heart rate. The goal was to get my heart rate up to 90-100% of my maximum for a short period of time (Zone 5).

My plan was to do a short warm-up, then set the treadmill at 5% incline and 7.5 mph (8:00/mi pace). I would run 1/2 mile, and then hop off and rest while the treadmill continued to go for 1/4 mile. Repeat for a total of four times. I did this workout before, but it's been about a month. (I know 5% doesn't sound that difficult, considering my treadmill goes up to 12% incline--but after a quarter mile or so, it feels like it might as well be 12%!)

Today was TOUGH. The first interval was hard, but my heart rate stayed in Zone 4. Same with the second. But each interval got my heart rate higher than the previous. By the fourth interval, my heart rate finally got into Zone 5 for about 1/4 mile. I was gasping for breath after that interval, so I just walked at 2.0 mph for about 5 minutes until my heart rate got below 100. I had "runner's lungs" for the rest of the day--I love that feeling!

Since I am giving up peanut butter for six weeks, I decided to do something different for breakfast today (usually I have oatmeal with peanut butter and other stuff on top), and it ended up being really good! I chopped up an apple, and added a little water, cornstarch, cinnamon, and stevia. I microwaved it for a couple of minutes, and then stirred in 1/4 cup of muesli (this is the Muesli Fusion Athlete Fuel):

It was surprisingly really filling, and only 4 PointsPlus.

This whole no-grocery-shopping-in-May thing is getting pretty difficult. I still find it fun to have to be creative with meals, but the kids aren't happy with some of their choices. They want to bring CANNED soup to school for lunch instead of homemade soup. We're out of canned soup, so they just have to make do with homemade. I know, poor kids! ;)

The whole family is loving the homemade bread, though. I had a huge bag of bread flour in the pantry, so I've been making bread just about every other day. Today, for dinner, I made French toast with the homemade bread, and it was fantastic!

Jerry and I spent the afternoon cleaning out our cars. I have no idea how my boys make such a mess in the back of my Jeep. I took the vacuum out there and spent a long time vacuuming it out. Give my boys a couple of days, and it will look like I never cleaned it, I'm sure. But it always feels so nice to get into a clean car! (Kind of like getting into bed with freshly cleaned sheets--love that!).

May 13, 2013

Motivational Monday #15

I was so excited that it was finally feeling like spring in Michigan, and then this morning when I woke up, it was 29 degrees outside. A cold run today! I was feeling extremely tired while running for some reason--not mentally tired, but my body felt exhausted; so I just ran three miles (in heart rate Zone 3) and called it quits. Tomorrow I'm going to do hill intervals, because I haven't done those since before my half-marathon last month.

Anyway, I was having a really great week as far as my food goes--until today. I ate 21 PP worth of peanut butter this afternoon! When I talked to Jerry about it, I decided to challenge myself to give up peanut butter again for six weeks. When I first started WW in September, I gave it up for six weeks and it worked wonders for my cravings. I really felt in control again after the six weeks were up.

I've been eating way too much peanut butter lately, and can't seem to practice portion control with it anymore, so I think giving it up for a little while will help. Starting tomorrow, I will not eat peanut butter until June 25th. Jerry is challenging himself to eat only the foods that he brings to work; he has a hard time with eating foods that his friends bring in. Giving ourselves little challenges like that seem to keep us motivated.

Speaking of motivation, this will be a short and sweet Motivational Monday post, because I didn't get many e-mails for today. But they are inspiring, none the less. Enjoy!

Stephanie has been working hard at losing weight, and she just hit a HUGE milestone of 100-pounds lost!

Carole and Kat just ran the Race for Hope for the second year in a row. In 2010, Carole was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and had her first brain surgery; in 2011, she had her second brain surgery. Last year, she decided to do the Race for Hope to support finding a cure for brain tumors instead of having (yet another) surgery. The two women walked the race together last year, and this year, they ran--improving their time by 30 minutes! They've also lost a collective 60 pounds. Carole is living with an inoperable brain tumor, but it's benign and hasn't grown at all, which is promising. Kat says that Carole has an amazing spirit!

Carole and Kat

Ivayla ran a Mother's Day 5K and improved her previous 5K time by 2 1/2 minutes, finishing in 34:25! She is signed up to run a 10K next month. This picture is with her son after the finish--he gave her a rose at the finish line :)

Rachel is on a journey to lose 220 pounds, and has lost 47 so far. Six weeks ago, she started running and could only run 15 seconds at a time. She says she's loving running now, and is up to 1:15 at a time! To reward herself for her efforts, she decided to buy a good pair of running shoes. The shoe store owner told her she was too heavy to run and should stick to walking, but she listened to her gut and has already put 10 miles on her new shoes--with plans for many more! (I have to say, shame on that store clerk! It's not his decision or his business to tell you what you what exercise is best for you. Assuming your doctor gave you the okay to run, I'm glad that you didn't let him scare you off!)

And of course, here is a snippet from the Motivational Monday Facebook post:

Remember, you can send me Motivational Monday e-mail anytime during the week--just make the subject "RfCMM" or "Motivational Monday" so that I know I have your permission to post it on the blog. Keep up the awesome work!

May 12, 2013

Just a bit windy

Happy Mother's Day to all of my mom-readers!

My boys gave me handmade cards this morning. Both of them had drawn running shoes on the cards, and inside was money (from Jerry, obviously) to buy new running shoes. I've been overdue for new shoes for about 50 miles now, and I've been avoiding buying them because they're so expensive. I made Jerry promise not to get me a Mother's Day gift, so he figured that he'd just make me get the shoes I need ;)

I really didn't want the kids to make me breakfast this morning (they wanted me make me a TON of food, and I just wanted my oatmeal), so I asked that they make my tea instead. Jerry helped them with the boiling water, but they thought it was a lot of fun using the tea infuser. Jerry read off all the teas to Eli, and he chose Cookie Dough. Definitely a mama's boy!

There is a local 5K race that takes place on Mother's Day each year, and I've been wanting to go for a couple of years now, but it STILL didn't work out. A lot of my friends went with their families, but Jerry worked all night, so he needed to sleep when he got home. I hope that next year we'll be able to go.

Instead, my dad called and asked if I wanted to go to church with them, since it's Mother's Day. I know it means a lot to my mom when I go, so I went. After church, I stopped at Kohl's to return that lace top. I found it very humorous to see a bunch of teenage boys in there, looking at jewelry (no doubt for a last minute Mother's Day gift!)

When I got home, I did my run outside. I haven't chosen a show yet for the treadmill, but thanks for all the suggestions! I'm going to check them out and hopefully find one that I like. I forgot to mention that The Walking Dead was one that I loved. I watched the entire series in an embarrassingly short amount of time. ;)

It was SUPER windy today (21 mph winds, but the gusts almost knocked me over a few times). My AccuWeather app made me laugh:

"A BIT windier"? At what point is it "A LOT windier"?!

I decided to do a tempo run, and keep my heart rate in Zone 4 today. I had no idea just how hard that was going to feel! It took about 1/2 mile to get to Zone 4, and by then, I was running really hard. I had a headwind going out (of course), and the wind kept taking my breath away. I have no idea how I managed a sub-8:00 pace for my 10K in March! I just kept reminding myself that it would feel easier once I turned around, because then I'd have a tailwind.

I finally turned around after two miles, and it was definitely a little easier on my lungs (the wind blowing in my face on the way out had made it hard to breathe), but my legs felt like Jello. My heart rate was in the middle of Zone 4; I have no idea how I'll ever get to Zone 5 during my interval runs. I managed a sub-8 mile for the last mile. I was SO relieved to be done with that run!

In the afternoon, the boys wanted to go for a run again. Even though I was exhausted from my tempo run, I didn't want to tell them no, so I said sure. They wanted to run to the corner store and back (one mile exactly, round trip). And of course, they wanted to buy a treat at the corner store while we were there. I told them if it fit in their pocket, they could get one thing.

Jerry came with us, too, and I'm sure we looked pretty silly, the four of us running to the corner store. But the kids had fun, and Noah really pushed himself harder today than yesterday. Yesterday, his mile time was 13:30; today, we did most of it at 11:30 pace. When we got back to our street, I told them they could sprint home if they wanted, and Noah decided to go for it. He ran so fast that I was running my hardest to keep up with him at the end. For the last tenth of a mile, he ran a 6:00/mi pace! I felt like my legs were going to fall off.

His overall time ended up being 10:53, shaving more than 2:30 off of yesterday's mile. He was really proud of himself (after he was done gasping for breath from his sprint). I'm just glad that he's excited about running!

Stephanie sent me a few pictures from yesterday's shoot, and I LOVE them. I cannot wait to see the rest! Here is one of Jerry and me--I love this. I didn't even know she took it; Jerry was just goofing around, and I was rolling my eyes, and it turned out so cute!

May 11, 2013

The first mile

Today was a rest day, my kids spent the night with my parents, and Jerry was at work this morning; so naturally, I would be wide awake at 5:00 AM! Whenever I have the perfect opportunity to sleep in, I wind getting up super early. Oh, well, at least I got some reading in.

Yesterday, after my long run, I only had two episodes left in Season 4 of Sons of Anarchy. Season 5 isn't on Netflix yet, so I really should have saved those episodes for a rainy day (literally), but I really wanted to see what happened. So last night, I walked on the treadmill for 45 minutes and watched one of the episodes.

This morning, with just one episode left, I finished the season. I wasn't crazy about the way it ended, but now I'm really disappointed that I don't have anything to watch when I'm on the treadmill. It has to be a show that REALLY sucks me in, like Sons of Anarchy. Breaking Bad was another one that I really liked. Any suggestions? For reference, some other shows that sucked me in like that are The Shield, Nip/Tuck, 24, and Prison Break.

At noon, I had a date with "That Loud Redhead" friend of mine, Stephanie. When I reached goal (on 12-12-12... easy to remember!), I asked her if she might want to take some goal photos for me. She did such a great job with the photos I needed for Fitness magazine that I was hoping she'd be willing to do more. She was thrilled that I asked, and suggested we wait for warmer weather.

Over the past week or so, we've had some really great days--in the 60's and 70's with full sun. Today, however, it was in the 40's and overcast. But Steph assured me that the pictures would look just fine.

I wanted to get some pictures with Jerry and the boys, too, so I cut the boys' hair this morning and got myself ready to go. I wore the lace shirt and dark blue jeans I just bought at Kohl's with my gift card. As I was walking out the door, I noticed that my shirt was ripped. Bummer! I was in a rush to meet Stephanie, so I just hoped it wouldn't show in the pictures. I'm going to try and bring it back tomorrow--I just took the tags off this morning, and I know I didn't rip it.

We met at my parents' house, because they live on the lake, and that would make a good backdrop for the pictures. We got a bunch of my family, a few of Jerry and I, and just the boys. Then Jerry took the kids home and Stephanie and I went to a couple other spots for pictures. I wore my red dress for some, and jeans and a red top that I really like for others. I'm excited to see them!

When Eli got home from school yesterday, he was SO excited to give me a Mother's Day present that he made for me. He didn't want me to wait until Sunday, so I opened it right away. It was homemade strawberry jam that his class had made at school. So cute!

I told him we would use it today for dinner, on a childhood favorite of mine: grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! (I make it just like a grilled cheese, only with PB&J instead of cheese). On homemade bread today, they were even better than I remembered.

I don't make them very often, because they're a lot of PointsPlus. This one was 10 PP. It was really filling, though, despite its size.

I am so glad to have made it through Saturday without going into the negative on my PointsPlus this week. For the past few weeks, Saturday has been my big downfall day. It's been really hard to stay on track. I almost caved tonight (to eat peanut butter right out of the jar), but I just made a cup of tea to hold me over until my wine and chocolate before bed. I'm going to do my best not to go into negative PointsPlus this week!

At around 8:00 tonight, Noah got really tearful and said to me, "I really wish I could run better, like you." He's been having a rough time lately at school when they do the mile run. He's always in last place, and he can't do it without walk breaks. I keep telling him that to get better, he has to practice, and that I'll go run with him ANY time he wants. He never takes me up on it.

After he cried about it for a couple of minutes tonight, I said, "Do you guys want to go for a run right now?" It had just gotten done raining, and it was getting dark, but I wanted to boost Noah's confidence. I told them they would have to stay with me, and we were going to go very slow. Noah was really nervous, and said we should just do around the block.

I knew he could go farther than that, but I just said we'd take it easy and see how it goes. So we headed out (I was wearing my pajama pants!) and ran very slowly down the street. It was SO awesome--I could see Noah's confidence growing with each stride. About a quarter mile in, he said he thinks we should walk, that it feels hard. I told him, "Noah, I KNOW you can do a whole mile today. We're going nice and slow, let's get to a half-mile at least." So we kept running.

A couple more times, he suggested we stop, but I kept encouraging him. When I told him we'd gone 3/4 of a mile, he was really excited. And then with just a tenth to go, I pointed to a telephone pole ahead and said, "That will be one mile--there's your finish line!"

When we got to the telephone pole, I heard the Garmin beep--HE DID IT! He ran his very first mile without stopping, without walking. He was so excited and proud. Eli was excited too, but it didn't mean much to him; not like it did to Noah. Now both of the boys are talking about running a 5K with me ;) When we got home, we took a picture to remember the occasion:

Noah, me, and Eli

May 10, 2013

Palmolive brownie

Last night, I asked Jerry if he would mind getting the kids off to school this morning when he got home from work, so that I could head out for my long run first thing at 6:30. He, of course, said that was fine, so I planned to get up early and be ready when he got home.

Normally, getting up early is no problem for me--I'm always such a light sleeper. But today, I actually slept until 6:00, and I just wasn't feeling like hopping out of bed and out the door to run. So I changed my plans, and decided to just run when the kids left for school.

The weather app on my phone said 70% chance of rain. I was debating in my head whether to run outside or on the treadmill. It was like I was making the biggest decision of my lifetime, the way I was going over all the positives and negatives of each choice. Kind of ridiculous. I looked one more time at the weather, and saw that it was already 65 degrees. That swayed me toward the treadmill more than the rain did.

Since my next race over a 10K isn't until October, there is no real reason to run more than 8 miles or so. I figured I'd do 8-10, depending on how long the episodes of Sons of Anarchy were ;) My main goal for the run was to keep my heart rate in Zone 3 again, regardless of pace. After yesterday's run, I figured that I'd be running 9:30 miles by the end of my run.

I set the incline at 1%, how I always do, and started at 6.7 mph. My heart rate wasn't going up much, so I increased it to 6.9 mph, and after about a mile, I was at the low end of Zone 3. I just decided to leave it there until my heart rate got too high, and then I'd start decreasing the pace.

As I ran, I thought about my sister, because today, she had her last long run before her half-marathon next weekend. She was going to be running 12 miles on the treadmill, and it made me feel like a slacker for doing "just" 8, so I changed my mind and decided to go for 12 instead. ;)

The first episode of SoA that I watched happened to be 60 minutes, which was unusual (usually, they are about 42-45 minutes). The timing ended up being perfect for 12 miles--I watched 2 full episodes and had time for a 2 minute walk at the end when I finished.

My heart rate actually stayed right in Zone 3 the entire time while running 6.9 mph (that was about an 8:40 mile); I had to decrease it to 6.8 for the very last mile. I was really surprised by the numbers! It confirmed what I've always thought, that (to me) it feels easier to run on the treadmill than it does outside. So based on that, I should be running faster on the treadmill than I do outside.

If I hadn't been focused on my heart rate, I would never have started my long run at 6.9 mph--logically, I feel like that's too fast. But using my heart rate helps me to see what I'm capable of, despite what my mind may tell me.

I had no idea what I was going to eat for my long run treat today. I wasn't sure if I was "allowed" to get something because of the no-grocery-shopping-in-May challenge that we're doing. Jerry said I'd better get something, or else I'll be sure to binge, and he was probably right. I could have made cookies, but then I would have eaten them ALL, so it was better off that I just buy one item, like I usually do.

I had to go weigh in at Weight Watchers, which is right next to the mall, so I decided to get something from Mrs. Fields. Jerry had to weigh in at WW also, and he came with me. He's been doing he Insanity workouts, so he asked me to get him a bar, too. I ordered our bars, and the girl working there said, "Those are Buy 2, Get 1 Free!".

Dammit! I thanked her for the (three) bars, and I should have offered the third one to the person behind me in line, but I didn't think. I just took it. It bugged me all the way home, thinking of what to do with the third bar. My kids don't need it--they get enough junk, and I've been trying not to bring anything like that home for them if I can help it. I could have put it in the freezer, but I know I would have pulled it out (probably tonight) and ate it. So, I did the only thing I could think of that would help me get it out of my mind--I poured dish soap on it. (Throwing it away doesn't work for me, unless it's destroyed)

That was VERY hard to do, but I felt strong when I did it. There is nothing wrong with eating one Dream Bar on my long run day, but I certainly didn't need two--and I most likely would have eaten it if it was still around. Dish soap has saved me from many situations like this! ;)

Today was Pizza Friday, and when I looked for the stuff to make pizza, I realized we were out of mozzarella cheese. And this since we're not allowed to buy groceries this month, I had to get creative. We had lots of cheddar cheese, so I decided to make BBQ Chicken Pizza--and it turned out really good. ~~Two slices of it were only 7 PointsPlus, too--a bargain!~~ Crap! I knew that it was too good to be true. When I was putting the ingredients into the Recipe Builder on the WW site, I realized I only accounted for half of the dough. So it actually has 5 PointsPlus per slice. I wish I'd realized this before I had a third slice!

I was in a rush to make the crust, and usually I make a yeast crust which takes a little time. Today, I made a quick crust out of Bisquick. It was really soft and bread-like, rather than chewy; different, but very good! I wrote out the recipe for the BBQ Chicken Pizza on my recipes blog, if you're interested. I'm definitely going to use that crust recipe again.

May 10, 2013

RECIPE: Barbecue Chicken Pizza

My family eats pizza for dinner every Friday, and I found myself short on the usual ingredients. I had to throw something together really quickly, and I made this BBQ Chicken Pizza on the fly. It turned out really good! Next time, I think I would add some pineapple tidbits, too. If you're a pineapple on pizza person, you would really like that!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Crust:
2 cups of Heart Smart Bisquick
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup very hot water

Toppings:
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's)
6 oz. cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup Hormel crumbled bacon

To make the crust, just combine the Bisquick, sour cream, and water. It will look dry, but if you use your hands to knead it, it will come together. Roll it out onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Spread the sauce evenly over the crust. Top with chicken, cheese, onions, and bacon. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until crust is light brown and cheese is melted.

May 09, 2013

National Weight Control Registry

Lately, I've been doing my runs later and later in the day. I used to practically roll out of bed and into my running shoes. I always liked to get it done first thing in the morning. Recently, I've been waking up, getting the kids ready for school and on the bus, then I eat breakfast, drink some tea, read e-mail, and eventually get in my run.

It actually makes the day pass really quickly when I run in the late morning, and I'm starting to feel like I don't have enough time to get everything done. I'm going to try and start running first thing in the morning again, so my day feels longer.

Today, I headed out for a four-miler at around 9:00 this morning. The high today was supposed to be 79, so I really wanted to get out there before it got too hot. I was actually really in the mood to run this morning, and I was considering doing my long run today instead of tomorrow. When I walked out the door, I wasn't sure if I was going to run 4 or 12 miles.

My goal (again) today was to keep my heart rate in Zone 3--70-80% of my maximum, 141-156 beats per minute. I ran at what felt like a very comfortable pace (just in case I decided to do my long run), and I was surprised at how quickly my heart rate went up. My first mile split was 9:07, and I was a little disappointed to see that. I had been doing my long runs at about an 8:45 pace, so 9:07 seemed slow for a short run.

But I really want to give this heart rate training a fair chance, just to experiment. My second mile was 9:06. That was the point where I had to decide whether to keep running or turn around. I realized at that moment that I forgot to put on sunscreen, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, so I decided to turn around. If I'd remembered the sunscreen, I probably would have done 12 today, because I felt really good.

During the third mile, it was actually pretty hard to keep my heart rate down. My mind would wander, so I'd forget and run faster; then I'd notice my heart rate was approaching Zone 4, so I would slow down again. My pace was going up and down the whole time. It's kind of interesting, because about a week ago, I was surprised how hard it was to get my heart rate up to Zone 4.

I really do think that the heat and sun make a difference in my effort. When it's hot out, or full-sun, my pace is always slower, even if I push just the same as usual. The further I ran, the higher my heart rate went, so I had to slow down to compensate. I'm curious to see what happens tomorrow on my long run.

Anyway, I felt fantastic throughout the whole run, and I'm guessing that's because I kept my heart rate in the right zone. Tomorrow, I'm going to set my Garmin to show only my heart rate zone, and not my pace, so it doesn't mess with my mind. It will be fun to look at the data when I get home. (Yes, I used "fun" and "data" in the same sentence--I love this geeky stuff!)

After my run, I went to the fruit/veggie market for some fresh produce. Jerry and I agreed that during our no-grocery-shopping-in-May challenge, we could still buy fresh fruit, vegetables, and milk (nothing else). We were down to onions and a couple of oranges this morning, so it was time to get some fresh stuff.

I was amazed at how much stuff I got for just $26! A bag of potatoes, 1 stalk of celery, 12 apples, 2 red bell peppers, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1 lb. baby carrots, 1 seedless cucumber, 2 zucchinis, 3 pounds of strawberries, 8 bananas, 5 pounds of grapes, and 1 seedless watermelon. At Kroger, my grapes alone are usually $10-$15.

The grapes were still the most expensive part. If I hadn't gotten those, my total would have only been $18. But I love keeping a big bag of grapes in the freezer for snacking. Now we just have to make sure that none of it goes to waste! ;)

This afternoon, I took a survey for the National Weight Control Registry. I'd been wanting to join ever since I technically qualified, but I've been scared to, because I was afraid that as soon as I submitted the paperwork, I'd gain back all the weight.

If you're not familiar, the NWCR is a long-term study of successful weight loss/maintenance. They study real people that have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for at least a year to find out their habits and see what makes them successful.

I always kind of had it in my mind that I would join when I was SURE that I was going to keep the weight off. And last month, I finally filled out the paperwork. I had to submit some basic info and proof of the weight loss (either doctor's records or photos). Today was the first survey I took, and it was interesting. It asked a lot about my eating habits and exercise habits, both now and when I was losing weight. You can read some cool facts about the study findings here.

So, I've made it "official"... which means I'm feeling very confident in keeping the weight off. Even if I wind up 10-15 pounds or so heavier over the years, I don't ever see myself getting back up to 253 pounds again.

May 08, 2013

Tea flavors

I'm so glad it's the start of a new Weight Watchers week for me. My weeks start on Wednesday (my weigh-in day), and I like starting a fresh week with a clean slate. After three days of being back on track, I hoped that the scale wouldn't reflect Saturday's binge. I was pretty happy when I stepped on!

I didn't post a weigh in last week because I posted Katie W.'s guest post. Two weeks ago, I was at 132, so I'm down half a pound from then. I'm very happy with that, because I had a couple of BAD eating days.

I'm almost back down to my "happy weight" of 131, so I'm going to stay in weight loss mode on Weight Watchers until I hit 131, then I'll switch back to maintenance. My main focus this week is just to stay binge-free. The first few weeks after a binge are really hard to stay on track.

This past week, I earned more activity PointsPlus than I've ever earned before--82! My goal was to reach 10 per day.

That gray line is my goal line (8 PP per day), and I reached it almost every day. On the days I run, it's not too hard to reach that line, but on my rest days, I have to find all kinds of reasons to move.

Today was a rest day as far as running, but I definitely got in a workout.We had three yards of dirt delivered this morning to fill in the tire marks in our yard. The neighbors keep parking in our yard, which is SO annoying; so I passive-aggressively spread out the dirt and planted grass seed, and then staked it out so they get the hint that it's not a parking lot. And by "I", I mean Jerry.

I spent the entire morning pulling weeds, and picking up random sticks in the yard. I have a big blister on my palm from using the dandelion puller, but it kept me super busy. In the afternoon, I went to Kohl's to use up a gift card from Christmas. I got a pair of jeans for $8, and a cute lace top and cami for $12.

A few people have asked recently what flavors of David's Tea I really like. I'm always saying how much I love their tea, and I've ordered it three times now, so I've tried quite a few of them. Here is a list of what I've tried (all are black tea unless noted):

Red Velvet Cake
Glitter & Gold
Toasted Marshmallow
Movie Night (green tea)
Cookie Dough (white tea)
Toasted Walnut (green tea)
Read My Lips
Bollywood Chai
Banana Dream Pie
Buttered Rum
Salted Caramel
Ceylon Star
Coffee Pu'erh (pu'erh tea--no idea what that is, or how to pronounce it)

Other than the green teas, I always drink my tea with 1/2 tsp. sugar and 1 Tbsp. fat-free half & half per cup. I think the cream and sugar make it taste more indulgent, and it only adds 17 calories per cup, so it's worth it to me.

What can I say? I like variety!

My very favorite flavor is the Red Velvet Cake. I wish I had a candle that smelled like that tea, because it's heavenly. It really does have the flavor of cake.

Also in my top ~~three~~ four would be Toasted Marshmallow, Glitter & Gold, and Read My Lips. If you like cloves, you will love Glitter & Gold. Read My Lips is perfect if you like mint and chocolate together. It's hard to describe the Toasted Marshmallow one, other than that I love it!

Movie Night sounded very strange to me when I read the ingredients, but it's really yummy. It kind of reminds me of buttered popcorn. Cookie Dough really does smell and taste like cookie dough, although it's a more subtle flavor than some of the others. I like strong flavor, so that's why it's not in my top four. Toasted Walnut was another subtle-flavored one. I enjoyed it, but I don't think I'd order it again.

Bollywood Chai is very fragrant and strong, like pretty much any chai. It would be delicious with lots of sugar and cream, like a typical chai would be served, but I thought it was pretty good how I drank it. If you like chai, you will enjoy this one.

Banana Dream Pie really does taste like I imagined it to. I'm normally not a banana-person, but I do like this one a lot. Buttered Rum is good; I can't think of much to say about that one. I thought I would love the Salted Caramel tea, but I didn't care too much for it. I was kind of turned off by the smell of it, but the tea itself is milder than the smell.

Ceylon Star is kind of a subtle flavor, but it's good. I have no idea what "Ceylon" means, so I don't know if the name describes the taste ;) Star Anise is one of the ingredients, so that could be it. It reminds me a little of the Toasted Marshmallow flavor.

The only one that I really disliked, and has been sitting in my cupboard unused since, is the Coffee Pu'erh. The description says that even die-hard coffee people will like this tea, so I thought maybe it would be a nice one to have when I crave coffee. I really disliked the smell of it, and it tastes exactly like it smells.

David's Tea sends free samples with each order, and those always suck me in! I taste it, love it, and then order it (which I'm sure they're betting on when they send samples).

I'm not affiliated with David's Tea in any way, and I don't get commission or anything if anyone buys it (unfortunately, because I talk it up all the time!). I did e-mail them to ask if they would let me give my readers a discount code, and they said no :( Bummer. Sorry! I tried.

If any of you have tried any of David's Teas, feel free to weigh in with your thoughts on favorite flavors. I just saw that there is a Birthday Cake flavor, which you know is going in my cart next time!

May 07, 2013

Must keep busy

I've had a great couple of back-on-track days, mainly thanks to my sister (Jeanie) and brother-in-law (Shawn) being in town. On Sunday, Shawn and I drove to the running store, which is about 35 minutes away. He and Jeanie are running their first half-marathon on the 19th, so it was a good chance to chat about running.

When we got there, the store was closed! I guess I should have checked the hours, but it didn't even occur to me. Shawn needed a couple other things while we were out, so went to Best Buy and Dunham's before heading home. Spending the entire afternoon out and away from the house was just what I needed to stay on track. The afternoons are the worst time of day for me as far as binge triggers.

I got home later than planned, and was preparing to hurry up and make dinner before Jerry had to leave for work; but when I walked in the house, I smelled chili. Jerry had cooked lentil chili, so dinner was done already. I managed to make it through the evening without problems, and felt really good when I woke up that I had gotten right back on track after the binge on Saturday.

Yesterday, after I got the kids off to school and ate breakfast, I went out for a four-mile run. About a mile in, I stopped at my parents' house to see if Jeanie wanted to run with me, but she was still sleeping, so I finished out the run. As soon as I got home, I saw that she had sent me a text about 15 minutes prior, asking if I wanted to run three miles with her.

I was already sweaty and in my running clothes, so I said sure. We went to the State Park and ran the three-mile loop. It was a really nice run, and it made me think that I would probably actually enjoy running more if I wasn't focused on getting faster. We ran about a 12-minute/mile pace, and it was very comfortable and easy to have a conversation. I wouldn't mind doing that more often!

I came home and showered, and then Shawn and I went to the running store for his shoes. This time, we went to one in Toledo (about a 45 minute drive). As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, Shawn realized he forgot his wallet! Hahaha, thankfully, I had mine, so I lent him the money for his shoes.

We came back to my house and chatted for a while, and by that time, it was nearly 5:30--so again, I stayed so busy that I managed to make it through another binge-free afternoon. Jeanie and Shawn went home to Illinois last night, so I was on my own today.

I set up my Garmin to display my heart rate zone along with the beats per minute, so it's easier to see at a glance if my heart rate is where it should be while I'm running. My goal today was to keep it in Zone 3 for the whole run. It took about 1/4 mile to get it in the zone (I was going to write, "It didn't take long to get it up..." but then I re-read that and changed it for obvious reasons, haha).

About a mile in, I got a really sharp muscle cramp in my abdomen. I so badly wanted to walk, but I kept running, hoping it would go away. It lasted for the next two miles, which made for a miserable run. But finally, at mile three, it went away. The last mile was a little harder to stay consistent with my pace. I naturally tend to start running faster the closer I get to home, but that brought my heart rate up too high. Anyway, I was glad to be done.

The no-grocery-shopping-in-May thing is going well so far, but we're starting to have to get creative. Some of our "usual" foods have run out, so we have to make do with what we have. I made a loaf of bread today, and it turned out SO good. We used it to make BLT's for dinner. Can you believe that Jerry had never eaten a BLT before?! He really liked it.

I've been using my homemade English muffins to make mini pizzas for lunch, which has worked well to use up the feta cheese in the fridge. Last night, for a bedtime snack, the kids and I made Cook & Serve chocolate pudding. Eli had the idea to top it with peanut butter (my habits are definitely rubbing off on him!). Warm pudding with peanut butter was the perfect way to spend 5 PointsPlus.

I have a ton of pudding in the pantry, so I'll probably be eating that a lot this month. I'm thankful that I always have a stockpile of wine, so there is no chance I'll be running out of that for a while ;) This no-shopping challenge has been fun so far! But we're only 7 days in, so we'll see how I feel about it at the end of the month when we're down to the bare bones of our pantry...

OH! This was in my daily Buzzfeed e-mail yesterday, and it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I burst out laughing with every one of these photos--if you have a cat, you MUST check out this post, The Best Of "First World Cat Problems". Here is one of them...

So true.

May 06, 2013

Motivational Monday #14

Happy Motivational Monday! Thank you all so much for your nice comments on my last post. As hard as it was to write about, I knew you would make me feel better, and I do. I stayed extremely busy yesterday and today, which has helped me get right back on track and not dwell on it anymore.

And of course, reading all the Motivational Monday accomplishments always makes me feel ready to take on anything! ;)

Alison was spring cleaning when she came across this shirt she used to wear 80 pounds ago. You can see on the right how tight it was, and now it just hangs on her! She's training for a 5K, and has stuck with her goal of walking a mile every single day until her race.

Andrea ran her first 10K (and is now registered for a 15K!) after losing 90 pounds over the last year!

Bethany ran a 5K with her (5-year old!) daughter, finishing in 50 minutes! (Don't they look adorable in their tutus?)

Briana ran her first half-marathon! She had her husband at her side, and finished in 2:11. She's down 65 pounds and counting!

Recently, I asked if any of my readers would like my race bib for the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon, since I wasn't able to go. I got an e-mail from Carolyn, who said she was a little nervous about it, but that she would love to do it. Her friend was already registered, so she thought it would be fun to meet up with her. And she did it! She finished in 2:16. (Carolyn is on the left)

Christina rode her bike 100 miles as part of a fundraiser for Camp Kesem and World Bicycle Relief! She says, "The trick to riding that far? Just keep going. When I struggle, I say, 'Just keep spinning, just keep spinning,' like Dory from Finding Nemo."

In March 2012, Julie Anna made a goal to run a 5K with her mom and sister. They all ran together, and then this year, she and her mother made a goal to run a 10K together (her sister became pregnant, and had to stop running). They just ran their 10K, after Julie Anna's mom lost 33 pounds and became quite a strong runner throughout the past year! (Here is the race report) Julie Anna is super proud of her mom.

Julie ran a 5K, and then accompanied her three-year old daughter on her first race--a kids fun run!

Kelly started running last summer by following the Couch to 5K program, and she just ran her first half-marathon! She was very worried about not finishing in the allotted time frame, and the race shutting down, but she surprised herself with just how well she did. She finished in 3:13:43. She says, "Running has become this amazing outlet for me to help calm my stress level, lose weight, increase myself esteem all of which makes me a better wife, mother, and employee"

Linda started running almost a year ago to keep off the 25 pounds she'd lost. She ran her first 5K in October and has run one or two a month since then. Saturday, she ran the Komen for the Cure 5K, and it was a very rainy, cold race. She is proud that she powered through the first mile that was all uphill--she does all of her training on the treadmill, so she wasn't used to that. She ran the whole way, and felt great!

After losing a collective 175 pounds, Lindsay and her husband ran the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon! She met her goal of sub-2:30, and her her husband finished in 2:01. Here is a before pic and a pic from the race:

Marcia (left) recently reconnected with high school friend Rosa via Facebook, after not seeing each other for 20 years. They discovered that they had each lost a lot of weight (Rosa lost 93 pounds, Maria lost 70). They also discovered that they had each signed up for the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon, and were planning to go alone; so they decided to drive there together, and felt as if no time had passed. They both ran a great race and reached their goals!