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7 Reservations in 7 Days

January 16, 2010 by

Evening everyone! Hope you’re Saturday was fun. My day was pretty lazy. I did not end up going to yoga this morning – blah!. After running 6 days this week, plus adding weights, lunges/squats, and an office yoga session, I was pretty tired this morning. But, I did have a fantastic breakfast…

This is my second day of oats in a bowl – although today it was in a ramekin = paired with Tazo Awake tea…

Check out my new tea/coffee cup from Anthropologie! It has my initial, of course, which I absolutely love, and it looks so French. Plus, it was only $6! I could have spelled out my whole name for that price, but I really did not need 8 more cups.

Lunch wound up being a sandwich again, although this time I actually slowed down enough to enjoy it…

Much of the day was spent lounging but also doing a little vacation planning. We’re heading out the Disney World in a few weeks and we’re anxiously planning/making all of our dining reservations ahead of time. I’ve actually been making reservations for the last 3 weeks, so today when I called the dining hotline, the customer service rep told me I had over 20 reservations made under my name. Yikes! I better cancel some of those. And so, I spent over an hour trying to reconcile the reservations, deciding which ones to keep and which ones to give up. As of now, we have reservations at:

  1. Le Cellier (Epcot)
  2. Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge)
  3. 1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian)
  4. Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom)
  5. Chef Mickey’s (Contemporary)
  6. Whispering Canyon (Wilderness Lodge)
  7. Wolfgang Puck Cafe (Downtown Disney)

I seriously can NOT believe we will be eating at all of these restaurants – 7 top restaurant reservations in 7 days! We will definitely be making up for our Restaurant Diet!

And, except for Boma, all of these restaurants will be NEW for me – and that’s saying a lot considering I used to work for Disney. If it isn’t obvious by the reservations, we are doing the Disney Dining plan – for the first time. I’m really not sure how much money we are saving by doing this, if we’re even saving any at all. But, since we go to Disney once a year, we thought we’d give it a try.

Anyway, dinner was a brand new creation – a recipe/serving suggestion taken from the February issue of Real Simple magazine…

The magazine featured 10 ways on how to doctor up plain cheese ravioli. ALL of the serving suggestions sounded delicious, which prompted me to try one tonight. I started with Trader Joe’s mini cheese ravioli..

Which I cooked according to the directions. Then I added a mixture of cream and Trader Joe’s pesto…

I mixed the sauce and noodles together then put that into a glass baking pan. It was topped off with parmesan cheese and baked for about 20 minutes, until browned on top.

This was a great dish to make on the fly, although I’m not sure how healthy it was. I’m eager to try more of the serving suggestions the article suggested.

OK, I’m starting to fall asleep. Take care everyone and chat with you all tomorrow.

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$5 Homemade Pizza

January 15, 2010 by

Happy Friday everyone! I’m going to make this quick because my head is hurting right now. I had a great 30-minute interval run (ranging from 7.0 to 7.6) on the treadmill, followed by lunges and squats. I know I’m going to feel that tomorrow! 

BREAKFAST

After seeing many of you starting your day with oatmeal, I’ve been craving it for days. I usually can’t find time to make it on a true workday, so I saved all of my oatmeal wishes and cashed them in today…

I actually made TWO bowls of these because Miss M quickly spied my yummy oats and wanted some. How could I say no to her big blue eyes?

As I mentioned yesterday, I had a very important call today about an upcoming, nationwide project for my company. Well, that one phone call turned into three phone calls and several emails. Taking calls on my day off can be a little tricky, especially when I’m watching the kids. Thankfully, my mother-in-law drove a hour to stay at our house while the kids napped. I was really afraid the kids would wake up while I was on the call which would make the situation very awkward. They ended up sleeping through all of the calls!

LUNCH

Lunch was not very healthy today for two reasons…1) I didn’t have time to make a decent lunch because I was on the phone (or prepping for the call) from 12:30- nearly 2:30 and 2) I ate my lunch super fast because I was starving after the calls…

  • Veggies? NO
  • Fruit? NO
  • A big cheesy roll with salami? YES

Again, not so healthy.

DINNER

I made up for it at dinner though. Earlier this morning I picked up some fresh whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joe’s and all of the pizza fixins’…

Could I have made pizza dough myself? Probably. Do I have time to do this? Take a guess at that answer. Trader Joe’s pizza dough is actually quite good – it IS Trader Joe’s after all. And, it’s only 99 cents. Why would I want to make my own???

Since we were splitting the pizza four ways, I had to be very careful of the ingredients. I like all types of pizza (when it’s good pizza) but tonight, I topped my portion with sauteed bell peppers, spinach, red onions, turkey pepperoni, and cheese. Sauteing the peppers, onions, spinach, and pepperoni ahead of time really helps bring out the flavors.

I think the whole pizza – which all of its ingredients, only cost about $5. Not bad for a family of four – healthy and cheap!

Almost forgot to mention…prior to pizza, we all grazed on some Trader Joe’s spinach dip…

I can seriously eat a whole bowl of this stuff by myself (but of course I would never do that ;-)). I took a few bites and then pushed it aside to save room for pizza — thankfully.

Gotta run for now. I’m going to try to make it into the gym for the 8 AM yoga session – we’ll see about that!

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In a Carb Funk…

January 14, 2010 by

Exercise Schedule Thursday:

  • 4-mile interval run on the treadmill
  • 15 ab workout
  • 50-minute yoga session

Hello All!

Today, I learned that we are getting closer to signing a major deal that would fund a huge project – a project that I would be leading! I am so thrilled to be heading up such a major initiative (sorry, I can’t reveal what it is just yet) but I’m really nervous as well. If and when this deal gets signed, I could very well be traveling all over the country throughout the entire year! Yikes, I’m already traveling a ton this Spring – my kids and husband are going to forget what I look like 🙁 I hope to reveal a few more details as they unfold in the coming weeks.

After my anxiety-filled day at work, I stopped to pick up the kids and dinner on the way home. I did NOT get take-out – which would clearly be breaking the self-inflicted rules of the restaurant diet – but rather picked up a rotisserie chicken from The Fresh Market…

I paired the chicken with roasted potatoes and sweet carrots. It was actually a very light meal which is perfect for me because I hate eating a ton when dinner is at 7 PM. However, no one else at the table seemed to like the food – Scott turned down the chicken because it was lemon flavor (come on – who doesn’t like lemon chicken?) and the kids didn’t like anything I gave them. Oh well, more leftovers for me.

I think I may have jumped the gun a little when I said this was a light meal. What I should have said was that this could have been a very light meal…until I added some major carb action. Along with the chicken, we had some awesome cheddar cheese rolls from the bakery…hmmm, so good, even without butter. I admit, I had two of these and quickly fell into a weird carb funk that just about left me in a coma.

Despite my carb overload, I was eager to try another little goodie I picked up from the bakery…

Ahh, yeah! Now, that’s what I’m talkin’ about! If you’re going to do sugar and carbs, do it right and enjoy it! This cupcake may look normal size, but it was actually quite large. I ended up having 1/3 of it and repackaging the rest. I’m also dying to try a little somethin’ somethin’ I picked up for Scott…

It’s a chocolate chip cookie sandwich with buttercream frosting in the middle – OMG – can this get any better? Haven’t tried it yet, but I am getting very close….

Ok, gotta run so I can review a few documents for top-secret call tomorrow. Stay tuned….

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Toes Are Free To Run

January 13, 2010 by

Hi All! Glad to see you’re all intrigued by the concept of barefoot running. One reader, Neal, mentioned a very unique type of running shoe/sock that is supposed to allow the foot to move in a more natural way but still gives you protection from the road/trail and related elements. Neal wrote…

I’m a big proponent of the Vibram Five Fingers. You should give them a try if you are serious about exploring the barefoot running thing. 

I have to admit, when I saw this “shoe” it kind of creeped me out a bit. But then it also reminded me of the toesie socks that were so popular a few years back! It really makes sense though – having all of your toes “free” allows them to flex and grab the ground, hence making it easier to balance and putting less stress on the ankle and legs.

I’m sure we could talk for hours and hours about this, but let’s move on for now. My morning started off with a quick treadmill run. Wednesday is usually my day off, but after last weekend’s indulgences, I felt like I needed an extra day of calorie burning! Running was following by a little Cheerios for breakfast…

1.13.10 Cheerios and blueberries

Ahh…so healthy and colorful! On my way to work, I was really wanting a Starbucks but resisted the urge and temptation (after all, I am into Week #2 of the restaurant diet!). Instead, I tried out my office’s coffee/hot chocolate machine for a little frothy, chocolaty milk…

1.13.10 Hot Chocolate

Adequate, but not Starbucks quality. I had back-to-back meetings this morning (you haven’t heard me say that in a while!) so, on a break, I managed to snack on a lemon Luna bar…

1.13.10 Lemon Luna bar

I LOVE lemon cookies, cakes, etc, so I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of this bar. It’s also a nice change from chocolate and peanut butter – whoaa, did I just say that?

Lunch happened to be an unpictured bowl of Trader Joe’s shells and white cheddar followed by TJ’s vanilla Greek yogurt in the late afternoon…

1.13.10 Greek Yogur and Tazo Tea

I mixed in some homemade granola and blueberries for an tasty and protein-filled treat. Plus, a little Tazo Awake tea to keep me going. I’ve discovered another new feature of my office’s gourmet coffee maker. It has a frothed milk option! So, I fill up a mug about 1/4 way with frothy milk then fill up the rest with hot water. I add my Tazo and voila – instant Tazo Awake Latte – not bad for spending no cashola!

Dinner was quickie because I was not in the mood to cook…

1.13.10 Minestrone soup

I’m so thankful we had minestrone soup still left in the freezer, otherwise I would have probably resorted to peanuts.

We are nearly out of all things chocolate in our house, except for the chocolate/peanut butter Cliff bar that I put in Scott’s Christmas stocking. He was not very willing to share his treats, even though he ate most of the chocolate truffles from my stocking – blah! He needs to go back to kindergarten. 

Ok friends, I must be off to bed. I have a date with the treadmill in the AM as well as a yoga session at noon. Have a great night!

Filed Under: Running Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Barefoot Running Debate

January 13, 2010 by

Hey everyone!

I had server/host issues last night so I was MIA. I’d like to start this post with a question for all runners… 

Have you ever run barefoot or thought about running barefoot? And not just running barefoot across a pool deck or while playing on the beach – I mean, truly running barefoot? No? Me either…until now.

barefoot running: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14922165@N00/150800432

The New Facts

A new study from PM&R: The Journal of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, shows that shoeless running may actually be better for you than running with shoes. The study showed that the force placed on the joints caused by running is greater than when walking in high heels.

The Big Debate

Although the study is new, the idea of barefoot running being good for you is far from novel. There has been a long-standing debate over the benefits of barefoot running, with advocates saying it encourages a more natural style of running, placing less stress on the joints. On the flip-side, running with shoes was shown to increase the torque (twisting force) at the hip, knee, and ankle, compared with barefoot running. Furthermore, the researched showed that the padding under the heel and arch may cause increased stress on the leg joints. 

But, just as there are runners claiming barefoot is best, there are equal numbers of runners who say barefoot running is not a wise option. I agree with the latter and whole-heartedly admit that I do NOT embrace this barefoot running. Who really wants to run on the road or trails with rocks, sticks, glass, and other potential hazards? I’d rather have a little more stress on my legs than a hundred tiny (and not so tiny) cuts on my feet. Besides, can you imagine what your feet would look like after years of barefoot running – like one huge callus! Eeeww!!! Not even a pedicure could help you with that!

How do all of you feel about barefoot running?

If you’re interested in learning more about the pros and cons of barefoot running, Runner’s World has a great article in the February 2010 issue. The magazine also published a very humorous opposing view of barefoot running last year. 

I can’t say whether barefoot running is good or bad, but I’m not ready to give up my shoes just yet.

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Dreaming of Palm Trees

January 11, 2010 by

Hey all! Is anyone else out there cold to the bone! After a taste of warmer weather in Phoenix (and I say that cautiously because it really wasn’t that warm there) it was hard to come back to gloomy, cloudy, and cold Chicago. But I hear it’s supposed to get better this week – 40 degrees on Wednesday – yeah! You know you live in the North when you consider 40 degrees a warming trend.

I am sooo looking forward to Chicago’s BIG THAW! That’s when I start to run outside on a consistent basis. The treadmill does a nice job keeping me conditioned over the winter months, but there’s nothing like running outdoors. The next time will probably be when we head to Disney World next month – yes I DO run on my vacations! And, speaking of Florida…

Scottsdale palm tree

To prepare for my upcoming trip, I’ve started to add two days of lower body strength exercises – lunges, squats, etc. and upper body exercises to my weekly routine. I’m always surprised at how toned I look after a few weeks of weight training. I really does do the body good! In addition, I’ve slowly been adding to my cardio each week – 5 minutes here, higher intensity there, intervals, etc. Now, if I could just find time to sleep 😉

Next week, I’ll be in Washington for a couple days for a meeting (trip #2 out of 6). I’ll be staying in the Penn Quarter area and am looking for a good place to eat…

Capitol Hill: http://www.flickr.com/photos/86338841@N00/3311016810

I’ve been to Washington, DC, nearly a dozen times, but usually don’t have the time to venture off to non-hotel restaurants. But, in keeping with my New Year’s goals, I am determined to do something fun on my business trips – like walk around the city a bit and eat at a nice restaurant. If you have any suggestions for DC restaurants, let me know! 

You’ll have to excuse my randomness. After working over the weekend, I’m exhausted today! OK, I’m off to study for a little before bed. See you all tomorrow!

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: , ,

Dinner for Two = $142

January 10, 2010 by

Last night, after my work-related event was finished, a colleague and I ventured off to downtown Scottsdale for a bite to eat. My colleague had been to Scottsdale several times before and had been raving about a restaurant there. Given that she is a foodie and somewhat of a wine snob, I was pretty sure the restaurant would be a good one – and I was NOT disappointed.

Cowboy Ciao Scottsdale

We ate at Cowboy Ciao, a very eclectic restaurant, with a mix of Southwest meets LA meets NY kind of menu. Plus, they had a HUGE wine menu, probably 3x the size of the food menu. It was easily the largest wine menu I’ve ever seen -and I’ve seen quite a few on business trips.

My colleague wasted no time devouring all of the listed wines and decided on a French white wine. I can’t tell you the name but I can tell you that it was an aged wine – 10 years old – and about $45 a bottle! Yikes – I was glad I was not buying.

1.9.10 Stetson Salad

We both ordered the restaurant’s signature salad – the Stetson Salad, which is a mix of all sorts of goodies. I can’t remember all of the ingredients, but I know there were corn nibbles, couscous, tomatoes, and chicken thrown in there. The mix of flavors was outstanding! And, because I opted for chicken instead of salmon, this salad could have easily been my meal.

But oh no, it didn’t stop there. Next, we ordered our entrees…

1.9.10 butternut squash and bacon quesadilla

By this time, I was feeling pretty full, so I wanted to keep my entree on the lighter side. I had the butternut squash and bacon quesadilla. OMG – bacon and butternut squash – come ON! Why didn’t I think of that sooner! This quesadilla was fantastic! I only wish that I wasn’t so full when I ordered this. I ended up eating two pieces and leaving the rest.

As I mentioned last night, a piece of red velvet birthday cake was the grand finale of the meal.

1.9.10 red velvet birthday cake

I know, I know, I’ve already said I was full. I should have thrown in my napkin after the entree. But, when our waiter said those magic words – Red Velvet – all reasoning went out the window.

If you are ever in Phoenix or Scottsdale, I highly recommend this restaurant. It really is a restaurant for foodies, wine lovers, and anyone looking for something fun and different. However, it is NOT cheap. Our bill came to $142 with tip – again, so glad someone else was buying!

I was so incredibly full after the meal that I had to walk around the hotel for 40 minutes when we got back. I’m so glad I did or else that food would have been laying in my stomach like a big lump all night.

Alright, I’m back in the office tomorrow so must head to bed.

Next trip – Wash, DC, in two weeks!

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Chocolate Beginnings and Endings

January 9, 2010 by

I am officially on the first trip of 6 or seven trips that I have planned for the next 5 months. I have already eaten more food in two days than I normally do in about 4!! And yes, I am truthful when I say that my day began with chocolate and ended with chocolate. I really have to start pacing myself or I’m going to gain 10 pounds by May.

To give you an example of my less than ideal food selections, breakfast was a carb-loading buffet…

1.9.10 Scottsdale breakfast buffet

And so, my day started with a chocolate muffin pictured in the center. Yes, there was a fruit options, but the chocolate muffin seemed to be calling my name. 

My day ended with a piece of red velvet chocolate birthday cake…

1.9.10 red velvet birthday cake

And if you think that’s rich, you should see the rest of the food I had in between!! But you’ll have to wait for those details tomorrow. I’m tired and must leave for the airport at 5:45 Am.

Have a great night!

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From Snow to Sun in 3 Hours

January 8, 2010 by

Hello everyone!

Well, I’m here in sunny Scottsdale! I guess it’s not really sunny right now but it was definitely sunny when I landed at the Phoenix airport earlier today. Anything is better than the 20 degrees and 8 inches of snow I left in Chicago! It’s amazing that in just 3 hours, I went from SNOW to complete SUN – and 70 degree weather.

I’m here in Arizona for the first of 5 meetings that I will be attending in the next 5 months (all in different locations). I’m so busy that I will most likely NOT get to enjoy the gorgeous weather 🙁 But, I did manage to snag one of these babies from the pool bar…

1.8.10 banana mango smoothie

As you can tell, I didn’t waste any time sucking down this banana mango smoothie. It tasted soooo good but I’m sure it was loaded with calories from all of the sugar. Oh well, I just off set the calories by having something very healthy at lunch…

1.8.10 grilled chicken salad

A fantastic dinner salad with hearts of palm and grilled chicken – OMG – it tasted soo good. That is where my healthy eating stopped for the day. I won’t get into details on dinner/snacks, but let’s just say that it was a two dessert kind of a night! 

I wasn’t able to fit my running shoes or workout clothes in my VERY small carry on (good thing I ran before I left this morning!), but I’m hoping to get up early tomorrow and walk around the resort for a bit before my meeting. Oh yeah, there’s a Starbucks just up the road – a perfect walking destination! And, actually buying a Starbucks wouldn’t even break my restaurant diet rule because my company is buying – woo hoo! I can see a tall skinny mocha in my very near future….

Night all 😉

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Green Tea Living

January 7, 2010 by

Hey there!

Today was our first session of beginner yoga at work. The class, which was a complimentary session, was held in our small auditorium onsite. I have been so excited for so long about this class that it pains to me to say…the class was extremely underwhelming. It was so basic that I felt like I didn’t receive any benefit other than a break from work. Granted, some of the 10 women who attend were complete yoga novices, but it still left me disappointed. However, I have committed myself to 4 more weeks (or sessions) of the class. I really hope it gets better or I will be totally bummed.

When I came home from work, my day got a little better when I saw that a new book had arrived in the mail…Green Tea Living 2

Green Tea Living is a Japan-inspired guide to eco-friendly health, habits, and happiness. Although it focuses much of the book on the healing (and other) properties of green tea, it also offers insight into how we can live greener lives, similar to how they live in Japan. The book is super cute and is a quick read – I read or scanned most of the book in just an hour. It is also easy to navigate with specific chapters dedicated to eco-friendly beauty, eating, cleaning, healing, and much more. It even has references to the practice of yoga which was nice surprise.

This book totally inspires me to drink green tea…

Yogi Green Tea

But it also made me think about how wasteful people can be, including myself. That’s one thing I really want to improve on this year is cutting down on unnecessary waste – reusing shopping bags, recycling water bottles and cans, and trying to fix things around the house before buying something new. Holly, you’d be so proud of my new outlook on green living! 

Gotta finish packing for my trip to Phoenix tomorrow. Hope you’re staying warm and dry wherever you are!

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