Overcoming the weather

I have lived in Massachusetts for 15 years. I still haven't gotten used to the long, snowy, cold winters. My husband on the other hand waxes poetically about the Blizzard of '78 and complains the "winters just aren't cold enough any more". I'm not sure I will ever love winter, but I am making an effort to live symbiotically with it while counting down the days until it finally gets warm again in New England. 

I do enjoy watching my two little ones in the snow and look forward to sledding with them because walking up and down the hill is good exercise and helps me forget how uncomfortable my fingers and toes get despite the warm gloves and wool socks. 

Snow Monkeys

Today was our first real snow of the winter with enough accumulation to enjoy spending time in it - but not so much that we broke our backs shoveling all day. 

Despite finding some enjoyment in playing out in the snow with the kids,  I'm pretty much a snow wimp. I have never embraced real exercise in the snow. I don't ski, board, snow shoe, ice skate and definitely do not run outside in the snow or temperatures below 40 degrees. Well at least the last item on the list was true until this winter.  I am really trying to put in some miles outside this winter. 

My goal is 1-2 days/week through February. It could be tough because the roughest part of winter here is usually mid-January through early March. I have added to my "gear" a weather proof jacket (though not one warm enough for running when it is really cold - that is why treadmills exist), some wool running socks and a pair of Yak Trax. I already had some running gloves, a gaiter and fleece lined running tights. 

The neighborhood pond never looked so beautiful!

Today, I celebrated the snow and broke in my Yak Traks and had a blast. I ran through the neighborhood behind the snow plow and waved to everyone digging out their cars and shoveling their driveways. Smartwool socks are worth every stinking penny they cost - my feet have never felt so toasty before.

YakTrax Tracks!

Just so we are clear, the winter and I aren't best buds yet, but I'm willing to try to make a go of a cordial relationship and take it one winter run at a time.

Kim

In My Kitchen - January 11, 2015 and January 17, 2015

I have been spending more time in the kitchen and cooked up a few more recipes from my Pinterest boards that have caught my eye.

On January 11, we made two recipes. The first was Skinny Thai Chicken Meatballs by Jo Cooks and the second was Carrot Ginger Dressing for Everything by the Nutrition Twins. We pretty much had all of the pantry ingredients needed for both of these recipes and just had to pick up the ground chicken, greens and a fresh ginger root (I wasn't sure the frozen one we had would work with the dressing).

The meatballs came together quickly. I used my #70 disher to make sure they were all the same size and ended up having enough to fit on two baking sheets. The recipe calls for 30 minutes banking time and I think this could be reduced by a 1/3. 

Before

After

The sauce was very easy to make - next time I would use a bit less (or perhaps no) brown sugar because I think that the coconut milk added plenty of sweetness. I added almost double the called for peanut butter and it was perfect for us. We served the meatballs and sauce over rice and had enough left-overs for me to take to work a couple of times the following week. 

Yummy!

We were less enthusiastic about the dressing - I was hoping for that great Japanese steakhouse dressing but didn't really get that taste/texture with this recipe. It didn't taste bad, it just didn't meet my expectation. 

From Thai to Cheesy Quinoa

This past weekend my parents visited from PA so we could have a delayed Christmas celebration. I decided to try Cheddar Chicken Quinoa Bake by Running to the Kitchen. It was too hectic to take pictures while trying to serve hungry company so I pulled one from Running to the Kitchen (which I will happily remove if you object, Gina!). Clearly it isn't mine - it is so much more professional than the photos I take - someone in our family is always to hangry for me to compose a decent food shot. 

Photo Source

I didn't really make any changes except to increase the recipe to serve 6 and added extra scallions - because I love scallions. This could easily be done meet free with added veggies and perhaps beans. I plan to add corn next time we make it - no doubt this recipe goes into the regular rotation. Seriously - try it!

My parents gave us a Vitamix - so I see some smoothie experimentation in our future.

Cheers! Kim

Daily Yoga in January

I have practiced yoga off and on for more than 10 years. In the beginning, I never really stuck with a regular practice, style or studio for more than a year at a time and would easily fall off the yoga wagon all together when life got crazy.

About 3 years ago, when my youngest was about 15 months old, I returned to regular classes at a local yoga studio taking a once per week Kripalu class. It quickly became the one bit of me time that was non-negotiable. It is the single lifestyle/exercise choice that has led me to where I am today - exercising 5-6 days a week and getting back to a level of fitness I haven't had since before we moved out of Boston to the suburbs 9 years ago. 

After almost a year of weekly Kripalu classes, I added Vinyasa to my schedule and eventually settled into a routine of mostly Vinyasa classes. A few times/month I start or end my day with a brief practice at home and I do a specific series of poses after all of my runs - though I don't really consider those post-run poses to be a formal yoga practice. 

When two of the instructors at the studio teamed up to offer a M-F daily practice for the month of January, I was very excited to take part and start my day on the mat. I made it to each 6 a.m. - 7 a.m. class this week (even the morning that was -4 degrees F). I will be skipping the regular Saturday class (reluctantly) for the next 3-4 weekends and pick it back up in February. 

The schedule is:

Monday: Vinyasa 

Tuesday: Restorative

Wednesday: Asthanga

Thursday: Vinyasa

Friday: Kripalu

What have I learned after starting the past 5 days on the mat?

Surprisingly I'm sore - especially in my chest and shoulders. Probably from all of the chaturanga in the Ashtanga and Vinyasa classes. I was too stubborn to try one of the suggested alternates offered by the Asthanga teacher this week (because chaturanga makes me feel bad a$$)- but I won't be next time. I have never had DOMS after yoga before. I guess there is a first time for everything. Brian says it is a consequence of being almost -ahem - 40. "Face it babe, your old". That is true love. 

Poor T-Rex - photo credit 

And tired. Could be the dark, cold, early mornings or perhaps I'm fighting something. Maybe it is just hard to practice 5 days in a row? 

What would Violet have to say about that?

I miss running. During the past couple of months , I have enjoyed running 4-5 days a week. This week, I haven't run since Sunday. I thought I would run in the evenings after the kids went to bed - but each night I've been going to sleep not long after they have by 8:30 (except Sunday night - for that I blame the Dowager Countess).  

Running and yoga need to co-exist in my schedule - they both work together to keep me sane and healthy. But I also need to listen to my body and trust that all of this morning yoga is going to have a positive impact on my body and teach me a lesson of some sort. I will get a at least a couple of runs in this weekend and get creative with my schedule next week.

For now, I'll take it one workout at a time and aim for getting to all five 6 a.m. yoga classes but realistically, I think my schedule will end up tolerating only three/week. Perhaps the weekend, a couple of runs and some extra sleep will improve my perspective and help me find a way to fit it all in somewhere. 

Kim

Week 6 #HolidaySweat Recap

Well those 6 weeks flew by!

Holiday Sweat is the first challenge group I have joined and I had such a positive experience, that I will certainly give other challenge groups a try and will be signing up for Holiday Sweat in 2015. 

What I liked about this challenge:

• Simple parameters - track your workouts, water intake and fruits/vegetables
• Healthy habit focus - no diet overhauls or punitive* consequences (*for me punitive = cutting out chocolate/toast)
• Accountability - regular check-ins via social media and a shared spreadsheet
• Thoughtful, quality content - workouts, recipes and opportunities to reflect on healthy ideas were offered via email and through social media
• Connecting with others - it was really nice to connect with others walking a similar path

Amanda and the Sweat Guru team were great cheerleaders and role-models!

I also learned a bit about myself.

Yes, I can eat more vegetables! I have always eaten quite a bit of fruit (at least 2-3 servings a day) but was concerned that I would have trouble meeting my #freggie target by dedicating 70% of my intake to vegetables . Once I started planning it became easier. I hit the target more often than not and the days I missed the goal of 7, I consistently ate 5-6 servings of #freggies (with at least 3-4 being a vegetable and not a fruit). I'm going to count that as a success. More importantly, now I seek out ways to add more vegetables to a recipe and we have instituted a 2-vegetable policy at dinner for the kids (age 4 and 5). 

I was able to stay consistent with my running schedule and my yoga practice at the studio over the holidays. I had a harder time squeezing in home yoga practice and the extra workouts I was hoping to complete. I'm not sure if I will have more luck now without the added holiday mayhem or if I have squeezed of the time that I can out of my hectic schedule for exercise. I'm going to keep trying to make more time for exercise - especially for home yoga practices and strength training.

#HolidaySweat Week 6

Day	Water	Freggies	Workout & Check in	Notes
Monday	1	1	1	social media check-in
Tuesday	1	1	4.5	Ran 4.5 miles on TM, stretched for 15 minutes, social media check-in
Wednesday	1	0	1	social media check-in
Thursday Happy New Year!	1	0	6	Ran 4 miles on outside, stretched for 15 minutes, social media check-in
Friday	1	1	7.8	Walked 1.8 miles, Ran 4 miles on TM, stretched for 15 minutes, social media check-in
Saturday	1	1	0	Busy planning for reentry!
Sunday	1	1	7	Ran 5 miles on the TM, stretching social media check-in

What now?

• Daily Yoga - yes, seriously! I am starting of 2015 with a one hour yoga session Monday- Friday for the month of January. I'll write more about that later this week.
• Figuring out how I am going to fit daily yoga and 3-4 runs into my schedule this week.
• Slogging away on the treadmill, slowly as I continue low heart rate training.
• Shoveling snow - I don't know when and how much, but I do know that after a month reprieve, I will get my fair share this month (and probably the next two as well).

Wishing you a smooth, post holiday re-entry in to reality.

Kim

Productive day in the kitchen

Before my husband and I had kids, we loved cooking together. Saturdays and Sundays we usually entertained friends with yummy meals. Our speciality was good foods lovingly prepared - mostly healthy but sometimes indulgent. We love our veggies and lean protein - but we also love the pork ribs that fall off of the bones after spending 8 hours in the smoker.  

Now that the kids are a bit older and often like to be part of the food prep, I have enjoyed spending more time in the kitchen on the weekends - making good use of my recipe Pinterest boards (Hi, my name is Kim and I'm addicted to Pinterest and 60% Cacao Ghiardelli chocolate chips). Baking is still my favorite thing to do in the kitchen (mmm chocolate cup cakes), but lately I have been sourcing more soups, salad (thanks #HolidaySweat) and simple vegetable laden main dishes to make for the family on Saturdays and Sundays (or leave for my loving husband to find for a weeknight meal).

Today I made Almond Cherry Pie Oat bars from the book I just finished: Build Your Running Body by Pete Magill, Thomas Schwartz and Melissa Breyer. 

These bars include oats, almonds, dried cherries and enough chocolate chips to make them decadent. They are sweetened with a bit of apple sauce, brown sugar and honey. 

They crumbled a bit when I cut them so half are nice bars and the other half is more like granola (which will be so yummy on Greek yogurt for breakfast). Next time I make them, I will use a deeper baking dish (8x8) and bake them a bit longer. 

These are seriously yummy!

For dinner, I made a slightly modified Israeli Couscous with Chicken and Peas by a Family Feast. This meal came together very quickly and like the author suggests, could be made even quicker with a store bought, pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. I had time to bake a couple of skinless beasts in the oven. Rotisserie chickens from the market are great - but a little salty for our family's taste and something we reserve for when we really don't have time. 

My modifications: 

• Sauteed a leek while the cous cous browned in the olive oil. Ever since I put leeks in the stuffing on Thanksgiving this year, I have been obsessed and put them in anything I can.
• Used my own turkey stock from Thanksgiving (we roasted a fresh, pastured turkey and I used every bit of it!)
• Substituted frozen mixed vegetables for the peas and doubled the amount. 
• Topped it with toasted pine nuts

The best way to describe this dish is a cross between a deconstructed pot pie and a loaded risotto. Cooking the couscous in the broth (and the cheese) made it creamy and the lemon really brightened up the flavor. I wish I took a picture - but our bowls didn't stay filled for too long. 

Check out the recipe at a Family Feast and let me know if you try it!

I hope you are having fun in the kitchen this weekend!

Kim