It's NEVER a good time.

On December 26th, I made the decision to food journal for the next 10 weeks.  Was it good timing...absolutely NOT!  However, when is a good time?  I still had my mom's amazing Christmas feast, a funeral dinner, and food out and about galore for a good part of my long weekend home in Iowa.

I could've waited until New Year's Day to make this decision and tell all of you about it, but then I guess you'll all see how human I really am.  Trust me...my family in Iowa has amazing food.  My husband quite frequently says (insert farmer voice), "YYYYep, I married myself a good Iowa corn fed girl for sure."  Whatev...

Wednesday, December 26th

Breakfast:  Kellog's Special K with Red Berries, frozen blueberries (serves double duty for keeping the milk cold and super healthy too); almond milk (double the calcium and more than 1/2 the calories of skim milk); coffee with York peppermint patty creamer

Lunch:  Seafood 'n Crab Salad from Subway; I mix iced tea and lemonade at Subway to make an Arnold Palmer, and I dove into the rest of my daughter's Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips.  That was a "crap, I forgot I was journaling" moment.  Gotta love it!

Dinner:  I made Sweet 'n Sour Chicken that was amazing, and so easy.  I didn't have any Sweet 'n Sour sauce in the fridge, but I just happened to have all of the ingredients in the house.  I also had a piece of banana bread and skim milk.

Sweet 'n Sour Chicken
1 T. olive oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces(I used 3 chicken breasts from Costco)
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple chunks in juice, undrained (I had a fresh pineapple that I cubed)
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) low sodium Chicken Broth
2 cups Minute White Rice, uncooked (I would've used brown, but accidentally opened the white)
1/2 cup sweet 'n sour sauce

Homemade sweet 'n sour sauce (makes too much so you can reduce accordingly)
      3/4 cup white sugar
      1/3 cup white vinegar
      2/3 cup water
      1/4 cup soy sauce
      1 T. ketchup
      2 T. cornstarch

Place the sugar, vinegar, water, soy sauce, ketchup and cornstarch in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil.  Stir continuously until the mixture has thickened.  You will only use a half cup in the meal.
      
1.  Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat.  Add chicken; cook and stir 5 min. or until cooked through.
2.  Add vegetables and pineapple with juice; mix well.  Stir in chicken broth.  Bring to boil.
3.  Stir in Rice; cover.  Remove from heat.  Let stand 5 minutes or until almost all of the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.  Stir in sweet 'n sour sauce.
4.  Makes 4 servings.  Enjoy!

Evening snack:  I had a piece of gum after dinner and made some microwave popcorn later in the evening with water.

Thursday, December 27th

Breakfast:  Kellog's Special K with Red Berries; frozen blueberries; almond milk

Lunch:  Leftover sweet 'n sour chicken (I ate cold because reheated chicken is disgusting)

Afternoon Snack:  Apple with peanut butter; Sabra Supremely Spicy Hummus (they are not kidding, this is super spicy hot) and 1/2 of a pita.

Dinner:  We drove back to Iowa this evening and we stopped at Wendy's along the way.  I had a Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich.  I love these...a lot.  Since I was journaling, I refrained from fries and I'm very proud of myself:)

Evening Drinks and Treat:  We are at my mom's house and this is the beginning of the end.  I say this is the nicest way possible, because it was so worth it.  On our way home, we bought this Egg Nog liquor.  When we arrived my parents and I had 2 drinks.  All you do is put the liquor over ice and it's so divine.  No kidding.  AND, yes, my mom makes the most awesome sugar cookies.  BUT, not only are they delish, they are decorated beautifully.  I ONLY had one.

Cookies we came home with.  There were a few more, but they were not eaten by me!



Friday, December 28th

Breakfast:  Frosted Mini Wheats, fresh blueberries; skim milk; coffee; sweet cream creamer.  My mom makes this amazing coffee cake, but I opted to stick with the cereal instead.

Lunch: BBQ Pork (I skipped the bun); jello salad that I can't describe, but I do know it's green and has cottage cheese in it; raw carrots; a handful of Bugles (I don't buy these, because if I did, I'd turn into a bugle); Chocolate cookie (look at picture above); pinwheel cookie; water

I do need to stop here and discuss self-control.  This is VERY important.  I don't need to go into detail, however our family did have a death in the family last week.  With the wake and funeral comes a lot of food.  During the wake, food was brought in and I didn't have any.  I know if I wasn't journaling, I would've totally ate sweets and probably a sandwich too.

Dinner:  Anyone from Iowa knows Happy Joe's pizza.  Especially the taco pizza.  All those who live far away, come home, and get there fix whenever possible.  Seriously, I love this stuff.  SOOOOO...I had 3 1/2 pieces.  I washed every single bite down with water.

After dinner, we attempted to go to a Dubuque Fighting Saints hockey game.  Holy crap, these games sell out!  As we got closer to the rink, we saw a long string of cars heading that way.  I called to see if tickets were available, and the only 7 together available were along the glass for $21 a piece.  Otherwise, it was standing room only for $11.  With 2 kids and 5 adults, we just couldn't spend $147 to sit, or $77 to stand for a game.  If we go to a Steel game in Bensenville, the tickets are general admission, and they cost $8 a pop.  OH, and by the way, the Fighting Saints lost to the Chicago Steel in overtime the very next evening!  Go Steel!

Evening Drinks and Treats:
We saved some cash and skipped the game to go home for some free beers.  I had 3 Leine's Lemon Berry Shandys (I have a friend who'd be proud I stick with Miller/Coors products).  As far as treats, and there were plenty to choose from, I had homemade chocolates....a mini almond joy, peanut butter cup, and a Butterfinger.  All smaller, and so good!  Lastly, I had a few pieces of cheddar cheese with triscuit crackers.

Saturday, December 29th

Breakfast:  Frosted Mini Wheats; fresh blueberries; skim milk; coffee; York Peppermint Patty creamer

Lunch:  The funeral was in the morning and after the burial it is customary to go to the local hall for lunch.  The community gets together and makes food for family and friends to enjoy and celebrate the life of the person who's passed.  These ladies make a mean lunch, and I say this like it's very good.  I had roast beef, mashed potatoes (I took a much smaller portion that I'd usually take), and green beans.  The dessert table was to die for.  I stared at red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, blueberry dessert; pumpkin pie, chocolate cake, white cake, pecan pie, and the list goes on and on.  I did not, I repeat, did not take any dessert, because I knew the our families Christmas celebration was just a few hours away.  Now, I did get to watch my Grandpa partake in 2 desserts, but he's 90 and he's totally allowed:)

Grandpa Charlie and the family



Snacks:  Snacks is an understatement.  Before dinner, I had almonds, cashews, mm's, a couple slices of cheddar cheese, 2 crackers, graham cracker pretzels that went with this fantastic Tastefully Simple Key Lime ball, a couple Bloody Mary's, and 2 Leine's Lemon Berry Shandys.  I'm full...

Dinner:  But there's still dinner!  Pork loin (a piece the size of a deck of cards), mashed potatoes (1/2 the amount I normally would take), green bean casserole, and a salad that consisted of spinach, blueberries, blue cheese crumbles and raspberry walnut vinaigrette.  Mom made 2 desserts and usually I love all desserts so it just makes sense to have a small piece of each.  Am I wrong????  The first dessert was an Eu Claire dessert and the second was a pumpkin dessert.  YUMMY!

After dinner snacks and drink:  I had a chocolate cookie (see above picture) and 4 dark chocolate crisps.  The crisps look like pringles and they are awesome.  I did enjoy one last Egg Nog Liquor on ice.

Sunday, December 30th

Breakfast:  1/4 of a bagel with cream cheese; strawberries with fruit dip; a piece of sausage breakfast pizza

Late Morning Snack:  Almonds and Cashews; My mom makes this fantastic chex mix.  It's mixed with dried apricots, walnuts, brown sugar, butter, and whatever other yummy ingredients are in there.  I had 2 small bowls of it...probably the worst thing thus far not including all of the pizza from Friday night.

Lunch:  A small piece of pork loin, the green jello I described above, cranberry jello, and good 'ol Iowa corn.

Afternoon Snack:  More of the chex mix (ugh!), a piece of homemade chocolate, and a couple bites of BBQ pork as I was packing leftovers to take back to Iowa.  My mom asked me to take back cookies, but I immediately said no, because I have NO self control.  However, I do have a family who likes the cookies too, so yes I took about a dozen cookies.  I will not eat one of them as they are for my kids and husband if they'd like one.  NOT FOR ME!

Dinner:  I literally felt like I ate all day and was not even a tinge hungry at dinner time.  We stopped in Rockford to feed the family, but I couldn't even think about food.  When we got home, I had an apple.  Drank water throughout the night.

Monday, December 31 - Happy New Year's Eve!

Breakfast:  Today at FITT-RX, we had 3 Holiday $5 classes.  I organized 5:40am boot camp, and when I got home I had Kellogg's Special K with Red Berries; frozen blueberries; almond milk.  After breakfast, I hopped in the shower - wait I lied - I played that stupid CANDY CRUSH game that I'm so addicted to first (I'm on level 41, take that fellow candy crushers!), and then I hopped in the shower.

I headed to the studio where we had 8am Total Core, then 9am Boot Camp Poker.  All in all, a fantastic morning!  Thanks to Jen for her 2 minute plank, her 2 sets of 90 second Burpee Jacks, the 20 second push up hold, and the dreaded 45 seconds of split squats while holding dumbbells overhead.  I worked off most of the chex mix from yesterday!  I loved it and sweated nicely:)  OH, had a coffee when I got there at 8am.

Lunch:  1/2 Pita with the super spicy hummus; an apple; mozzarella ball; and a grape tomato.  I think I'm still full from the weekend! 

We have a New Year's Eve Party tonight and I consciously chose to make healthy appetizers to share.  The first is a skewer with 2 grape tomatoes, 2 basil leaves, and a ball of mozzarella.  The second is crab meat that can be dipped in a red cocktail sauce.  PLUS, we're making it a slumber party because I don't want my entire family on the road after midnight.  Not to mention, that if someone doesn't drink, it'd be me, so I say we STAY OVER!  For the morning, I'm bringing bagels, cream cheese, pineapple, and a cherry Kringle.  Not super healthy, but not super terrible:)

Have a safe New Year's Eve.  I promise to be sure to develop a better eating schedule like I did the last time I blogged my food journal.  Like I said, this was probably not the best time to start, but you gotta do whatcha gotta do.  I welcome anyone to join me, and ask questions whenever you have one.

Jill

PS - Can't get this picture below to delete.  It's a subliminal message and I don't like it one iota!

Thanksgiving Day Food Intake!

Happy Black Friday!  Or is it so "HAPPY"?

So it's Black Friday, and yes, I stay as far away from the stores as possible.  I've got my Christmas list all written out in my head and will probably do a little online shopping later today.  I just cannot imagine waiting in line for hours to get a deal.  On the other hand, maybe Wade would like me to get a deal every now and then!

Thanksgiving Day Food Journal

Breakfast:  Kashi Go Lean Cereal with frozen mixed fruit (blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries); almond milk; coffee with the fixin's.  The cereal is not very tasty so it definitely needs to be doctored up with berries.  I splurged at Costco and bought the frozen mixed fruit instead of my typical frozen blueberries, and it is sooo good.

 

Dan Gibbons Turkey Trot

Our family ran our first turkey trot together.  My trots have been sporadic over the years due to just giving birth, having a 1 year old when it's freezing, or getting a turkey in the oven on time.  Well this year, I hosted Thanksgiving for the 3rd year in a row, BUT nothing was going to stop me from a family turkey trot!  Wade followed Marco and the other boys and dads, and Talia and I trot/walked the 5k.  I was super proud of the kids!  My daughter made to sure to stop at all the donut hole stops and water stops.  She was well hydrated and thought it was so cool that it was her "first race" ever.  The kids kept their bib numbers and we'll be sure to get them in a scrapbook someday.  Yeah, those and the other years of memorabilia that's been piling up.  Thank goodness, Grandma and Grandpa bought the kids the file cabinets to help organize the papers and projects!

Lunch:  Ham and co-jack cheese on wheat bread with a bit of light miracle whip dressing

Pre-Dinner:  I made this super easy appetizer that is so good.  It's a block of light cream cheese topped with fancy jam.  For this one I chose the Hot Jalapeno Jelly from Jewel.  You can dip all kinds of cracker into it...I chose Triscuits.  Oh, and I had a beer while food preparation was happening.

Dinner:  Turkey, mashed potatoes (potatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, chives, butter, and sprinkled with paprika), asparagus (cooked in brown sugar, margarine, and chicken broth), salad (kiwi, raspberries, mixed greens, green onions, and poppy seed dressing); dinner roll; stuffing (carrots, celery, stuffing bread cut into cubes, chicken broth); green bean casserole; cranberry jelly in a can; water.  I should've taken a picture of my plate.  Most were small servings except the potatoes, and I did have a small second helping of stuffing.  Speaking of stuffing...I was stuffed!

Clean-up:  Yes, during clean up, I did enjoy a couple crackers with the jelly/cream cheese spread.  I didn't get much to enjoy due to meal preparation earlier.

Dessert:  3 desserts were brought by Wade's aunt:  a pumpkin pie, minced meat pie (last year I found out that it really has no meat in it!), and apple slices (more like apple pie, but in a bar kind of form instead).  In typical Jill fashion, I took a small slice of all 3.  Now I am officially full!  Oy vey!

Black Friday

Breakfast:  Kashi Go Lean Cereal with frozen berries; coffee with the fixin's (fixin's include only the sugar free french vanilla creamer)

$5 Holiday Special Class:  This morning at FITT-RX, we had 2 classes at the holiday special rate.  We are in the process of planning our December calendar, so be sure to keep an eye out for these great classes at an awesome price!

Lunch:  A few pieces of leftover turkey, and yes, I do not heat it up in the microwave.  Microwaved poultry grosses me out.  It takes on a completely different taste that is disgusting.

Enjoy the rest of your Holiday weekend!  Take a moment and think about all that you are thankful for if you haven't already done so!

Electrocution + Marathons = FUN, right?

Long time!  WOW, a lot has happened since September, so I won't bog you down with everything, but will give you some highlights.

Jen and I have this thing called NEVER SAY NEVER...yes, it's cliche, yes, I stole her next FITT-RX Newsletter theme, and yes, IT'S TRUE! As a testament to my 2012, I truly believe that if you set your mind to something, you can do it! For example...I ran with Jen as she completed her first 1/2 marathon on September 3rd! It was a horribly humid Labor Day morning and this Half comes with hills and trails. I certainly did not expect that for a course, and it was really beautiful. BUT...did I mention it was hot. For her first half, I told her that it was my hardest half. No shittin' caboodle...

Finishers! Congrats, Jen!

Can't wait to do 6 more with you, and be sure to flip me off at Mile 9 again.

On September 9th, the TOUGH MUDDER was overcome, and our team of Elmhurst Mudders finished it with smiles on our faces...even the one's who were electrocuted.  Yes, the boys did not fare well during those obstacles, but I have to admit that it was fun seeing the guys get shocked even though they would not like me saying that.  I will never think of an "electric eel" the same way again.

The scariest part of the race for me were 3 things...
1.  Swimming under barrels in a pond.  Ignoring the fact that there are 2 scuba divers ready to save a life, I was more nervous about losing a contact, plus even if I could open my eyes, I was in a dirty pond where God knows what happens in there on a typical day.  Oh yes, and the fact that I was afraid that the person in front of me would kick me in the face, which is what I did to the person behind me because they wouldn't wait a milli-second for me to get under!

2.  Tearing my arms off my body.  My left shoulder is sensitive.  I call it Breast Feeding shoulder, which is defined as hours holding your arm overhead while laying in bed nursing.  You nursing mothers should understand.  So monkey bars and the rings were out.  I opted to jump in the water instead.  Plus, on the Mt. Everest obstacle, I almost did have my arm torn off by a guy trying to pull me up.  I'm sure I left a lasting impression to those waiting for their turn.

3.  Breaking an ankle 6 weeks before my first marathon.

Here is a great video that eased my reservations about doing such a great race...

Tough Mudder Video with Obstacles Tips

and...

Tough Mudder - official website.  I heard a rumor one will be within 60 miles of Chicago in May!  Who's in!?

Before...

After...clean because we couldn't clear the monkey bars!  Only Tough Mudders get head bands!

October 21st - Detroit Marathon

Common questions/comments I received before I ran the marathon.

• Why Detroit?  My friend was going to do it too.
• Why not Chicago?  Chicago was full.
• I can't imagine where in Detroit you'd want to run!  Well, don't know Detroit so I guess I'll get a running tour of it.
• I bet you'll run faster in Detroit!  Maybe...why?  Just kidding!
• Cool!  You get to run into Canada?  Yep!

Up until 5 months ago, I swore I would NEVER, EVER run a marathon.  Ask anyone.  Really.  Why would anyone do that to themselves?  Who would ever WANT to run for 4 or more hours?  Who cares about this so called wall people hit.  The training takes FOREVER!  Nobody could've given me a good reason to do it.  BUT...here's what happened during an evening in June.

I just ran the RAGNAR race with RMFAO and clocked 18 miles in 24 hours and ran the Inaugural Chicago Women's Half Marathon.  On one of my final half marathon training runs, I saw my friend, Rachel, on the prairie path and she said she was training for her first marathon and it was going to be in Detroit.  Remember... she told me this and it went right over my head....0 interest...nada...zilch...

Until one night, I was home alone (kids in bed) and I texted Rachel...

Texting got me again!!!

 

So after this brief text exchange, I went to the marathon's website to look at the course, and also surfed Hal Higdon's marathon training programs.  After my quick research, I told myself that I was already halfway there in my training, and what the heck????  I'm turning 40 soon, we run into Canada, and my passport expires in April.  So why not???  Before I knew it, I was registering...and before clicking "SUBMIT", I just sat there....sitting....sitting....then I closed my eyes and clicked "SUBMIT".  What the hell did I just do?  Crickets...

 

The next day, I had to tell someone, and that someone was somebody who's clocked 28 (I think???) in her lifetime, and has goals to hit many, many more.  Here's our text exchange...

 

I didn't share this with the world, definitely was not going to share on Facebook (and, yes, I like Facebook), and I surely wasn't going to get cocky about it.  In fact, I was still in shock because I've suffered from knee tendinitis in each knee in the recent past, so I wasn't sure what was going to be in store.  We shall see...

I'm going to skip over all the training stuff.  4 words...I ENJOYED THE TRAINING.

Day of Marathon:

I was as ready as I was gonna be.  It was cold.  It was dark.  It was early...especially because we lost an hour driving there.  But all of that didn't matter because I had Rachel there with me at the start line.  We were lucky enough to be in the same start corral.  The race started and we were off.  We hugged, wished each other good luck, and off we went.

A runner's view at mile 3 as we ran over to Windsor, Canada.

Passport pinned to the inside of my number in case I got pulled over by border patrol.

 

Yep, there was about a mile climb from the road leading up to the top of the bridge until it proceeded to go back down to the other side.  Happy that bridge was early on!  Before I move on, I need to share my glove story.  So, before we leave for Detroit, I'm looking for "throw away" gloves.  YES!  I find a pair folded together like a pair of socks.  Little did I know, that one was a normal size glove, and the other Rachel decided to call the "Hamburger Helper" glove.  Yep, one adult size...one child size.  A perfect Jill story...pretty much sums up my lack of winter gear organization skills.

 

At mile 7, we headed back to the US via underground tunnel which was a mile long.  I met a women in the tunnel from the Detroit area who shared her story with me.  She was about to turn 50, her husband left her a week before Christmas last year, and she had a decision to make.  Either sink, or swim.  She swam, and hasn't looked back even for a second.  It wasn't her first marathon...her first was Chicago 10 years ago, but she also decided that it wasn't going to be her last.  She joined a running group, made some new friends, and shared with me that she is happier than she's been in years.  Good for her...she chose to swim.

 

OK, so we get out of the tunnel and the US crowd is crazy!  My family is here somewhere.  Where?  I HAVE GOT TO SEE THEM!  SHOOT!  UGH!  I'm looking!!!  There!  I see my parents!  They see me and I wave like a crazy women.  OK, now where's Wade and the kids?  Oh geez...ok, keep running.  There!  I see them.  I pass off my t-shirt, say "hi", and I'm off.  The same thing happens at mile 13, and I'm feeling like a champ!  Wade tells me he's going to run to 19 to see me, and I'm thrilled!  I continue on and I run through Indian Village.  Imagine Detroit when the going was good...big, huge, beautiful homes.  The scenery was really pretty.  I get to 18, and I'm still feeling fantastic.  I see Wade at 19 as I'm heading over another bridge to Belle Isle.  He tells me he'll run 22 to the finish with me.  OK, sounds great!  I'm feeling good.

 

 

I get to 20...start to feel it...but tell myself that it's just normal.  The guy tells me that I'm at 3:11.  YESSSSSS!!!!!  6.2 more miles...I'll give myself 10 minute miles to the end and I'll finish around 4:15.  That sounds feasible.

"Pre-wall" according to Wade.

UNTIL 21...

 

My legs start to get into a heated argument with each other.  My right leg says, "Hold on sista!  It's time to stop!"  My left leg replies, "I'm doing alright.  Getting tough, but it's gonna be ok."  My right leg snaps back, "Watch this!!!"  Right there my right leg buckles, and I think "oh shit".  This must be the beginning of my "wall".  I thought the wall was in your mind...I thought it was when your mind starts playing tricks on you.  I didn't think it was physical...sounds stupid to say...but I really thought it was a mental wall.  I mean I ran two 20 milers, why is this beginning to happen at 21?  And where the hell is that damn bridge I'm supposed to run back over to meet Wade?

"Wall"

 

Wade meets me at 22, and is happy, cheery, chipper - fresh...  He is my rock holding me up while I finish the last 4.2 miles.  I  turn to him at 23 and say, "If I have to walk, I'm not going to lose my pride."  I have NEVER walked ever during a training run or a race before.  THIS IS WEIRD.  He made it ok that if I had to walk, it was fine.  He did during his marathon.  So I ran/walked from 23 to 25.  Then at 25, he's all happy and shit and says, "How excited are you!!!???  You only have one more mile!!!!"  His chipperness was wearing thin...If I could've beat him, I would.  I was NOT happy or excited that I had one more mile to go.  I had 1 more f'ing mile to go yet!  And then to top it off there was a hill!  Kill me now.

 

BUT...I see my parents and my kids.  This thing called a smile comes across my face as my son runs out into the street to give me a hug...I'll call it an energy hug.  Trust me...that kid has some to spare!  I give my mom a weak hug, let her know I'm hurting, give me dad an "I'm going to finish this!" look, and pass them still thinking that one way or the other, I'm crossing that finish line.  Just not sure how pretty it's going to look.  I turn a corner and see the finish line about 400 yards away...it could've been 200 for all I know.  Wade is encouraging me to keep going and it's probably the happiest I'd been since mile 20.  I cross the finish line and cannot believe I actually did it.  And just 5 months ago I said I'd never, ever run a marathon.  Well, looky here...

 

The Hardware!

 

 

 



  Go GREEN BIB FIRST TIMERS!!!  We did it! 

Thanks, Rachel for getting the crazy thought into my head...it was supposed to be "hypothetical"!



A little inspiration from the one and only, Jen!

 

Tough Mudder Anxiety & a NEW OVEN!

Finishing up Thursday, August 21st

Dinner:  Turkey burger on a bun and 2 dark chocolate granola thins

Evening Run:  4 miles and the last mile was with heartburn that hurt like heck.  Sidelined me at the end and have never had that happen before.  I blame it on the above meal.  After the run, we met at Tannin's for a glass of red wine.

Wednesday, August 22nd

Breakfast:  Frosted Mini Wheats; frozen blueberries; almond milk

Lunch:  Green Monster smoothie

Snack:  Blueberry Muffin LaraBar and an apple

Dinner:  Tilapia; spinach salad with tomatoes, feta cheese, cranberries, candied walnuts, and strawberry vinaigrette dressing.  A few pieces of veggie booty and also a few pieces of pirate's booty.  For dessert, I had 2 granola thins, but also had a couple spoonfuls of my kid's ice cream.  One likes peppermint ice cream and the other is Caribou Caramel.

Thursday, August 23rd

Breakfast:  Oatfit Oatmeal (Cinnamon Roll) and a banana; coffee

Snack:  Apple and a Peanut Butter Gu Gel

Run:  8.5 miles in 91 degree heat...NOT fun.

Post-run snack:  Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich

Dinner:  WE BOUGHT AN OVEN...but it's not hooked up yet.  But when it is...I'll have other foods to make and I'm so excited.  My son is most excited about baking cookies and so am I!  So last night we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and I had 4 hot bbq wings and buffalo chips with cheese.  I also polished off the rest of my daughter's fries.  Iced Tea

Friday, August 24th

Breakfast:  Kashi GoLean; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee

Lunch:  Ham and Cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread; veggie booty

Snack:  Blueberry Muffin LaraBar

Dinner:  We went to Pazzi di Pizza in Elmhurst.  I had a 2 beers at dinner, split an Orto salad 4 ways, and also split a pizza 4 ways.  I had one piece of bread before dinner and had some fried calamari.  We went to Pints afterwards and I had a Summer Shandy and water.

Late night snack:  I had a piece of leftover pizza.  Whoops!

Saturday, August 25th

Breakfast:  Kashi GoLean Cereal, frozen blueberries; almond milk

Lunch:  Ham and Cheese sandwich; pirate booty; apple; milk

Dinner:  We went to a really fun Luau and had Hawaiian food.  A chicken and rice dish and a meatball and rice dish.  We also had ramen noodle salad.  For drinks I had 2 mixers and 3 beers.  Before we left we heard a rumor that there were awesome cheeseburgers so I ate one of those along with a couple awesome desserts and a 1/2 brownie.  Stick a fork in me!

Sunday, August 26th

Breakfast:  OatFit Oatmeal

LONG RUN and it FELT GREAT! - 17 miles; It rained probably 15 of the 17 miles...no joke.

Yep, I'm a dork and had my pic taken.  I was a wet mess.

 

Lunch:  PB&J, peaches mixed with cottage cheese, and milk

 

Dinner:  We had the Tough Mudder crew over for a pre-race pow wow.  We checked out the ridiculously hard obstacles we will overcome during the 11 miles of torture (I mean, fun!)  Later that night, I read a review and the guy talked about a surprise obstacle they had on the course.  Check this out...so obviously during this race we will have scrapes and cuts on ourselves.  Well, apparently, during his race the surprise obstacle was a pit of habanero peppers that people have to jump in.  Add that to cuts and scrapes and holy wowza!  That's gonna sting and burn like a mutha!  I believe that sounds worse than the electric shock therapy obstacle we may also endure.  This is gonna be interesting!  That will be a great blog to post for sure!

 

I had 3 pieces of pizza; tomato salad; pita chips and hummus; a few tortilla chips and salsa; 1 piece of zucchini bread, and some great Trader Joe's desserts.  I drank 1 Leine's Summer Shandy.

 

The Girls who will be Tough Mudding in a couple weeks!

 

Monday, August 27th

 

Breakfast:  OatFit Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal; coffee with the fixin's

 

Workout:  I taught Tabata Boot Camp today and did the workout with a friend (and client)!

 

Lunch:  A seafood 'n crab salad with veggies, spices, and a bit of oil and vinegar; green tea

 

Snack:  Apple

 

Dinner:  Have I mentioned that I got a new oven!!!!  Yes, Halleluia!  I made a pork 'n pasta dish this evening that was great.  I found the recipe in a comfort food cookbook I own.  I was born and raised in Iowa, so comfort food is must in this house:)

 

Here you go...it's got some great recipes!

 

So I ate the pork dish, made a lettuce, spinach, and kale salad (cranberries, candied walnuts, golden tomato slices, mango chipotle dressing) and had a glass of milk.  The darn desserts were leftover from last night, so of course, I had dessert and a couple bites of Caramel Caribou ice cream.

 

Alrighty, I went over the 4 weeks I promised.  I'll continue to post a few days here and there and will also include a few more of my workouts as well!  Keep journaling if it's working for you!

 

Jill





Zumba, Vomit, and Clutches

I cannot tell a lie...I have absolutely no idea what I ate last Tuesday.

Except Breakfast:  Yes, I know this.  Special K with Berries, frozen blueberries, almond milk and coffee with the fixin's.

Short run:  4 miles

Wednesday, August 15th

Breakfast:  Frosted Mini Wheats, frozen blueberries, almond milk

Snack:  Apple

Lunch:  Back Alley Burger - I enjoyed the Waldorf Burger which was a turkey burger with feta cheese, apples, and walnuts.  VERY GOOD!  I purposely did not order fries because the kids fries are huge and I stole a few of Marco's.  I brought water in with me.

Dinner:  We went to my friend, Erin's, house for a visit.  We went to their neighborhood pool and afterwards she treated us to dinner.  She had carrots, broccoli, and cucumbers with this awesome light artichoke/spinach dip.  It was very good!  I ate a chicken burger with the fixin's on a bun and 3 beers; 2 Miller Lite's and 1 Supper Club.  The Supper Club is from Wisconsin and EXCELLENT!  Oh, and I had tomatoes with mozzarella drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette and sprinkled with basil.  Thanks, Erin and family!  The Giorno's had an excellent time:)  Lastly, Erin had this awesome hard shell ice cream topping she put on vanilla ice cream.  She gave me a nice small serving.

Thursday, August 16

Breakfast:  Kashi GoLean Cereal; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with fixin's

Lunch:  1 whole egg and 2 egg whites with spinach, yellow peppers, and cheese.

Short run:  6.5 miles

Snack:  Apple with peanut butter

We had a special event at Lululemon in Oak Brook Mall.  Jen and I led a fantastic group of 18 men and women in a boot camp.  They all did fantastic!  Afterwards, we invited everyone to Pints in Elmhurst for some post workout cheer.

A great group of Lululemon Boot Campers!  A free boot camp class every Thursday at 6:30.  Different studios and instructors lead the workouts.  This time it was our turn!

Dinner:  We ordered and shared (Yes, I had a nice amount) pork roast nachos (WOW), 2 312 beers, and 1 hot wing.  All was great!

Friday, August 17th

Breakfast:  OatFit Oatmeal (cinnamon roll) and a banana

I have to say eating oatmeal in the morning with that banana did hold me over until lunch time very well.

Lunch:  Tuna Lettuce Wrap - I mixed tuna with Greek yogurt and chopped up a red pepper in it.  I also had some pirate booty and an apple.

Family Zumba with Michelle!

Like her on facebook! 

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zumba-with-Mish/207098472672036

So, my friend, Michelle, is a fantastic Zumba instructor.  She has the moves, and the attitude to match, to choreograph the perfect mix of  hour long booty shakin'.  I am a terrible Zumba dancer, but I had the best time watching my kids cut a rug on the dance floor.  I smiled the entire time:)

Here is a clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uAtHKdXco8&feature=youtube_gdata_player
 

Dinner aka. Snacks and appetizers:  My friend, Tracey, had a 31 party.  31 is a fantastic line of totes, purses, sports gear, etc...  I like to say that I DID NOT make an impulse buy.  Rather, I bought something I needed...a casual dark denim clutch with a silver wrist band.  See here's the story...if you know me, I typically am struggling with keys on a neck lanyard, an iPhone, wristlet bag for cash (or lack of), credit cards, ID, etc...  I'm usually juggling them.  I seem to think that since I exited the diaper bag era, I feel like I can carry the smallest thing possible.  Only problem is that if I just put it all in a damn bag, I'd have one thing to carry and not 3 things.  I mean who looks cool with a set of keys around my neck like a necklace.  I blame this on Wade.  He is the KING of lanyards and somehow this weird habit has slithered it's way onto my neck.  So, here's my solution:  I bought a clutch that is still small, but can hold everything in a more fashionable way...I repeat, not an impulse buy:)

Ok, so I have crackers with a spinach/artichoke dip thingy, a piece of chocolate, turtle cookies (or something like them) and these fantastic other chocolate thingys I can't for the life of me think of their real name.  So good...  I also had a few blue chip crumbs and a couple beers.

Then for the after party we went to Pints and I had 1 more beer.

Saturday, August 18th

Breakfast:  Kashi GoLean Cereal; frozen blueberries; almond milk

We drove down to the city to enjoy the air and water show on Lake Michigan.  I truly believe this is the first time I've seen the water show on the water from start to finish.  The weather was perfect and the waves were tolerable.  I've been a boater for years, and yes, one year I got seasick and vomited in the cuddy waiting to lock back into the Chicago River.  Wade was busy taking pictures of the airplanes while I looked like death.  "Does he love me?"  "Will he survive setting the anchor, because I think the waves are going to throw him over the edge?"  Those thoughts quickly turned into, "Get me the F*&^ off this water!"  After 45 minutes, Wade said, "you really don't look good."  I think, "No shit, Sherlock."

Snacks and Drinks on the Lake:  My friend, Raj (aka the boat captain), made me a Bloody Mary, and I enjoyed tortilla pinwheels, strawberries, fruit salsa dipped in Stacy's Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips, and a ham sandwich with co jack cheese.  I also had a Leine's Berry Weis beer, 2 coconut La Croix's, and a Miller Lite and a half.

Liz 'n I

V-sitting for Jen

It was a fantastic day!  Afterwards, I took my daughter to the Chicago Bears game and I had a pretzel with cheese and a Diet Dr. Pepper.  That was my second diet pop since January.  Not bad...I will admit it was pretty damn good.  The game was great and my daughter lasted the entire game!  I was shocked!  We had the best time...and a long fun day:)

Bear Game Fun!

Sunday, August 19th

Breakfast:  Frosted Mini Wheats; frozen blueberries; almond milk

Long Run-13 miles

Lunch:  2 Tuna lettuce wraps and pirate booty; water

Dinner:  Kashi GoLean Cereal; fro.

Evening snack:  Moose Tracks ice cream and some cinnamon sugar pita chips with fake Nutella.

Monday, August 20th (first day of school!)

Breakfast:  Kashi GoLean; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with the fixin's

Lunch:  1 whole egg and 2 egg whites; spinach; yellow pepper; 2 slices turkey bacon mixed for scrambled eggs

Dinner:  1/2 tuna salad sandwich; apple with peanut butter

Evening Snack:  Frosted Mini Wheats; frozen blueberries; almond milk

Tuesday, August 21st

Breakfast:  Kashi GoLean Cereal; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee

Snack:  Apple

Lunch:  Salad with spinach, cranberries, candied walnuts, feta cheese, and chicken.  Dressing was pomegranate vinegar mixed with a bit of olive oil.

Later, everyone!

Adele, Train, and fantastic restaurant recs!

Finishing off Saturday, August 11th

So, I must share my texting story.  It's hilarious to me and the parties involved, so I hope you can at least chuckle along with us because it made my cheeks hurt and jokes to follow for over 24 hours post texting.

OK, so Jen and I haven't had a chance to go out and celebrate FITT-RX with our husbands until this past weekend.  We were looking into finding a great restaurant without having to drive.  We are responsible people and opted to riding the train, instead of making someone be the designated driver.  Or I guess you could look at it as, "what a bunch of lushes.  Not one person is willing to drive?"  The answer..."no."  We are celebrating and our husbands are a huge part of FITT-RX...a HUGE part of it:)

Our friend, Rachel, I would say is a restaurant connoisseur in my opinion.  She always knows the hot spots in the Chicago area so I sent her on a goose chase to give us her "professional" recommendations.  She did not disappoint.  Here's what she came up with and to be nice, I'll include links in case any of you are interested.

And, yes, I've gone off on yet another tangent, but thought some of you may enjoy.

Glen Prairie, Glen Ellyn, IL
Topaz, Burr Ridge, IL
Salpicon, Chicago, IL
Chicago q, Chicago, IL
West Town Tavern, Chicago, IL
Adelle's, Wheaton, IL
Davanti Enoteca, Chicago, IL (been here and it's fabulous!)
Sable Kitchen, Chicago, IL
RPM Italian, Chicago, IL (Bill and Giuliana Rancic's place)
The Roof Top at The Wit, Chicago, IL

OK, obviously I need to get out more, because I've only been to one of these places.  So here's the texting debacle.

Jill:  Adelle's in Wheaton at 8:00.  We can take the 7:12 train.  My sitter's coming at 6:30.  Maybe catch a quick drink at 100 South first?  Then after dinner we can catch the 10:54 train back to Elmhurst.  How's that sound?  No driving.

Jen:  Great!  Do we need tickets?

Jill:  We can get them in the train.

Jen:  No the concert u dork!  Ha

Jill:  What concert?  Adelle's is a restaurant.

Jill:  Omg...that is so funny!

Jill:  3:00 run still good for u tmoro?  How many u need to do?

Jen:  Omg!! I am so stupid!  I am dying laughing right now.

Jen:  Ended up running 10 miles.  Never ran that in my life.  First 45 min were awful!  Ran with my K Swiss today.  Only a little shin pin.  Yay!

Jill:  Oh good!  Glad u got it in.  thought u did a shorty today.  So no long run for you tmoro:)  Lucky dog.  Yes, I've been laughing about you going to see Adele tmoro night.  Seriously...too funny!

Jen:  Shut up!  I am so dumb!  I couldn't decide between 4 and 10.  Said f$$$ it and did 10.

Jen:  So I just told Ken about my misunderstanding.  He said, "shut up!  Are you kidding me?!?  She is playing at the Olympics during the closing ceremonies."

Jill:  But we heard she's warming up in Wheaton!

Jen:  Ha ha!!!

Jill:  Thank Wade for that one.  I'm still laughing at you.  Plus, I love how I answered about the train tix and you called me a dork.  LOLOLOL!

Jen:  that's what makes it funnier!  I totally was thinking, "why would she assume I didn't know how to get train tickets?" in my face.

Jill:  And I thought, "Geesh, has she never been on a train?"

And the jokes went on and on that entire evening.  Jen is a sport!  She got me that evening though at Adelle's.  We were talking about finding our "Chi" which I can't do, and instead of me saying "Chi" (pronounced Chee), I said "Chai" (like the tea).  Now I'm the DORK!

OK...enough said.  Onto to the dinner and drinks.

Pre-dinner drinks:  100 South Extra Dirty Ketel One Martini with 1 blue cheese olive; Adelle's Pomegranate Martini

Dinner:  We split our appetizers between the 4 of us.  Risotto; Tempura Green Beans; For dinner, I had the Red and Golden Beet salad, and for the main course I devoured the Andouille Crusted Scallops.  For dessert, we split the taffy apple bread pudding between 3 of us.  I believe I probably had most of it.  The entire meal was simply fantastic!  I also had a couple vodka drinks at dinner as well, and can't remember the name of it.  Basically, you give them a type of vodka then they make the drink.  It's muddled with mint, etc...sort of like a mojito and so delicious.

After dinner, we enjoyed a private concert by train as we headed back to Elmhurst.  HA!

Sunday, August 12

Breakfast:  A couple pieces of French toast with a bit of margarine and syrup.  A handful of Frosted Mini Wheats and orange juice

Long Run:  I entered the unchartered territory of my marathon training and finished 15 miles.  By the way, as you enter Glen Ellyn, the prairie path is absolutely beautiful.  A pretty run.

When I got home from my run, I NEEDED to go to Costco and Jewel.  My cupboards were bare and mama had to fill them back up.  At Costco, I sampled this Oat Fit Oatmeal.  It was good and I bought a box.  My son is an oatmeal eater and so are Wade and I.  You wouldn't know that after reading my posts though.

2g of fat, 100 calories, 0 sugar, 4g protein, 18g carbs

Dinner:  Banana with fake Nutella and I found a Kale salad recipe that was just ok.  Glass of Tru Moo chocolate milk that was diluted down with skim milk.

Evening snack:  Popcorn

Monday, August 13th

Breakfast:  Special K Red Berries Cereal; frozen blueberries; almond milk; handful of raspberries

Morning snack:  Oatmeal Raisin granola bar

Lunch:  Finished off the Kale Salad, raspberries, and a chicken burrito.  I found these burritos at Costco.  I think I looked at everything, but the calories.  One burrito is 320 calories.  Note to self...you're afternoon snack must be light!

OK, their marketing dept. had me at SKINNY.  I'm not a big organic guru, but didn't even think to look at the nutrition facts.  Now look below.

Check out the carbs!  59g which is 20% of an average person's daily allowance.  That's a lot of carbs in a 6oz. burrito.  The 320 calories I wasn't thrilled with either since I'd like to eat more than just a 6oz. burrito for lunch.  

Snack:  apple

Dinner:  Tilapia on the George Foreman grill, roasted zucchini and jalapenos, 1/2 cup Chicken Fajita Rice a Roni (not a big fan of) which is another high sodium, high carb dish.  For dessert, I ate about a cup of frozen kefir.  This is tart, tangy, and soooo good!  Oh, and I had 2 dark chocolate granola crisps. Oh, and before I put the Moose Tracks ice cream back in the fridge, I had a couple spoonfuls of that.  Oh goodness, need to eat better during the day.  I'll blame it on the 15 miles yesterday.

Need to drink more water tonight.

Enjoy your evening with your families.  We've got kids baths next! 

Chuckwalla Lizards to Reality TV Addictions

Finishing off August 9th

The Bears pre-season opener was this night and my husband took our son to the game.  Lucky boy:)  Mommy gave up her ticket, but of course, I wasn't going to watch the game at home.  I met my friends in Naperville and we went to a place called "Bottom's Up" for dinner and drinks.  Sounds like my kinda place with the way this blog is turning out to be.  Seriously...if you read from January thru March you know I don't drink this much beer.  I'm telling you...it's summer people!

Dinner:  A "lightly breaded" (whatever...they say this so it sounds like it's healthy) chicken sandwich and fries (I did not finish...rare!)  2 1/2 drafts of Coors Lite.  The food was good, atmosphere was great, and the company was fantastic.

Late evening snack:  1/2 cup Frozen Kefir - I was introduced to this after the half marathon I ran in June.  This stuff costs an arm and a leg, but it's very, very good.  I buy it when it's on sale.  Low in calories and very healthy.

Friday, August 10th

Breakfast:  Kashi Blueberry Cluster cereal, blueberries, almond milk, and coffee with non-fat hazelnut creamer

Lunch:  We went to the Brookfield Zoo for the first time in 2 years.  Finally, renewed our zoo pass, because it's worth it:)  I ALWAYS pack a lunch when we go to the zoo.  We each had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread; sliced apples; string cheese; and a granola thin with dark chocolate (80 calories of yum yums).  If you buy your food there, you'll end up eating pizza, hot dogs, fries, pretzels, nachos, or sandwiches that costs too much.  In fact, I CHOSE to buy our drinks there and for a Gatorade and a water I spent $6.00 - highway robbery!  Plus, just a note to all you zoo members...if you buy anything that is on an outside cart, you DO NOT get your food discount.

At the zoo, my kid's favorite exhibits were Stingray Bay and the Chuckwalla Lizards.  We spent almost an hour in Stingray Bay, because we FINALLY found a spot where the stingrays swam up to you.  The mama Chuckwalla Lizard had babies in March.  We had THE best time watching the comedy these lizards put on.  Seriously, they are way better than watching any of those ridiculous shows my husband watches (he knows I think they are ridiculous) like Swamp People, American Hot Rod, Jersey Shore, Ice Road Truckers (has anyone ever seen an accident yet?), Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, American Pickers (OK, I'll watch this only because they are based in Iowa.  GO HAWKS!), American Choppers, Myth Busters (I will watch this at times), COPS, Pimp My Ride, Monster Garage, Bikini Barbers (train wreck), American Hot Rod, Deadliest Catch, Miami Ink (yes, I watch too), LA Ink (I also watch), Survivor (agree!), The Amazing Race (agree), Fear Factor (agree!), Rock Star INXS (we both liked), Wipeout (agree), Cake Boss (I will watch with him),  and Rob and Big.

But now that I've gone to Wikipedia for the reality show list, I will make this a fair game and will unveil what shows I have watched (then and now).  The Real World, Road Rules, Laguna Beach, The Hills, Blind Date, Temptation Island (hey, we knew one of the girls!), The Bachelor (I don't watch every show), The Bachelorette (I don't watch the entire season), Biggest Loser, Extreme Makeover - house edition, Extreme Makeover - weight loss edition, Joe Millionaire, Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?, Who Wants to Marry My Dad?, Parental Control, A Shot of Love with Tila Tequila, Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, Trading Spaces, Clean Sweep, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Dr. 90210, Celebrity Fit Club, Wife Swap, Super Nanny, Newlyweds - Nick and Jessica, Blow Out (DUMB), The Girls Next Door, Meet the Barkers, The Gastineau Girls, Hogan Knows Best, Keeping up with the Kardashian's, Kimora, Life in the Fab Lane, The City, TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes, Big Brother, Survivor, Fear Factor, The Amazing Race, The Apprentice, Wipeout, American Idol, America's Got Talent, Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway, The Voice, America's Next Top Model (If I said ANTM, who would've know what I was talking about?).

For a way to waste a half hour, click here.

OH MY GOD...DID I JUST GO ON A TANGENT ABOUT REALITY TV!?  I WENT FROM CHUCKWALLA LIZARDS TO REALITY TV.

DISCLAIMER:  PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE SHOWS WERE NOT A SERIES I WATCHED TO THE FINISH.  THESE ARE SHOWS I MAY HAVE WATCHED ONE OR MORE EPISODES OF.  I WILL NEVER, EVER COMPLAIN OF MY HUSBANDS REALITY TV ADDICTION.  IT APPEARS THAT I MAY HAVE ONE OF MY OWN.  I HIGHLY SUGGEST THAT IF YOU DON'T THINK YOU HAVE A PROBLEM TO DO WHAT I JUST DID.  HOLY CRAP!



A Chuckwalla Lizard - Feather and Scales exhibit at the Brookfield Zoo

Go see them!

Dinner:  Peppered Pork Roast; veggies, quinoa and brown rice, chocolate chip cookies dipped in moose tracks ice cream.  This dessert should've been highly avoided.  Thank goodness, I'm running this weekend.  BTW...my Saturday afternoon run has quickly turned into a Sunday afternoon run.  You'll understand this if you read my post about texting.

Saturday, August 11th

Breakfast:  Special K Red Berries Cereal, blueberries, almond milk, coffee with non-fat hazelnut creamer

Workout:  I instructed 2 TRX workouts this morning and did the first one.  The second one I instructed but did not participate as much.

Lunch:  1/2 Sandwich with ham, cojack cheese, and margarine spread.

Heading off on a family bike ride in a bit, and then will be going out to dinner in Wheaton this evening.  I will share a hysterical texting story if I get permission from the victim.  OMG...funny.

Stay tuned...

Wisconsin and Iowa fun! Summer drinking:)

I left you with after dinner on Tuesday, July 31st!  Whoa...I've been busy, and lucky enough I've been keeping track on my phones notes.  Writing this out now is going to look like a lot!

So, I had dinner on the 31st, then ran with some friends.  Afterwards, we went out for a couple beers.  I had 2 Leine's Summer Shandys.

Wednesday, August 1st

Breakfast:  Kashi Blueberry Cluster cereal; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee

Lunch:  We ate at Potbelly.  I had a Hammie and Swiss Sandwich and salt and vinegar potato chips.  The Hammie's have less bread in them which lowers the calories.  Ice water

Snack:  Our new neighbors surprised me with two humongous cucumbers, and ginormous zucchini, and a jalapeno pepper.  All won't go wasted here!  I sliced one of the cucumbers and mixed it with vinegar, water, a bit of sugar, and pepper.  You let them sit in the fridge, and voila!, you have a great snack.  So, snack was cucumbers and a banana.  After writing this, the combo does not sound appetizing.  It was still good!

Workout:  Jen kicked my ass in TRX class.  Thanks, Jen!

Dinner:  Turkey burger with a whole wheat bun a sweet potato fries at Pint's.  I drank a 1/2 of an iced tea, and my son decided to take the other half and make it disgusting by adding pickle juice.  He "said" it was good, but I think he just didn't want to admit that it was gross.

Thursday, August 2nd

Breakfast:  Kashi GoLean Triple Berry Crumble cereal; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with non-fat creamer

Lunch:  A friend of mine went to Chow and bought 3 amazing salads.  One was chicken salad, another kale salad, and the third was just simply fantastic too.  She had these Skinny Girl Pina Colada's so I had one of those, plus a Leine's Berry Weis.

Dinner:  A friend of mine from out of town came in with her kids, so we had friends over to see them.  We had pizza (3 square pieces for me), ramen noodle salad that is to die for!, blueberries and raspberries.  I enjoyed a Sweet Tea Vodka with Lemonade and a couple Summer Shandy's.  Yikes, I'm sounding like quite the social drinker on this post!

Friday, August 3rd

Breakfast:  Kashi GoLean Triple Berry Crumble cereal; frozen blueberries; almonmilk

Lunch:  Carrot Cake LaraBar and a piece of pizza; water (OK, good THEN bad!)

Snacks:  We went up to Wisconsin to visit friends and she always has fantastic snacks.  When we got there, I had cantaloupe, strawberries, cheese and crackers.

Dinner:  I brought up dinner to share with everyone.  It was Baked Spaghetti (recipe on an earlier post); garlic bread; and a lite Cesaer salad.

Drinks:  Summer Shandys

Saturday, August 4th

Breakfast:  I made Monkey Bread that ended up spilling all over the bottom of my friend's oven.  Yes, I'm a fantastic house guest.  BUT, it was a blessing in disguise, because she learned how to clean her oven and it sparkled after the cleaning...HA and PHEW all at the same time.  Yes, it stunk like burnt food for a while, but I was so relieved that it cleaned up.  So, I ate way too much monkey bread and had some cantaloupe.

BUT, I must say that a lot of the mixture you put on the top of the biscuits found its way to the bottom of the oven (ummmm, hellooooo less calories!), but it was still moist and tasted good - even though some of the biscuits needed to be microwaved to finish the cooking process.  It was completely eaten, however, I'd still consider this a fail...ugh!

Snacks:  Cheese; crackers; hummus

Drinks:  1 Miller Lite, water, and 3 Summer Shandy's (THIS IS SUMMER PEOPLE, and I WAS ON A LAKE!)

More snacks before dinner:  Chips and Guacamole; cheese and crackers

Dinner:  This dinner was fabulous!  I had 1 slice of a pork tenderloin; brussel sprouts; corn on the cob; cheesy potatoes; grilled potatoes; ramen noodle salad; and a chocolate chip cookie.  I was DONE!

Drinks:  We went to a couple bars to have some drinks.  The first bar I had a shot (no arm twisting) and I can't remember what it was called.  I also had 2 Coors Lights. 

The second bar we had the honor of watching a bachelorette/bachelor party which was a complete train wreck.  These people were ridiculously intoxicated and could barely look at you in the eye when they talked to you.  The bride and groom were smashed so you certainly could not get an idea of who they were in real life.  However, I will admit the groom hit on me while we were there, and my husband was laughing so hard.  He knows I can handle myself, and I certainly didn't need the "wall of Wade" to get in the way.  God knows what would've ensued.  HA!

My girlfriend asked the groom if it was a good idea to get married in a couple weeks.  He didn't answer her, but WOW, we were glad they left and I can't believe their party was heading elsewhere...you'd think they were done, BUT we are in Wisconsin after all.  I had a couple Coors Lights at this bar too.

Just in case you were wondering...

Late Dinner Snack:  CRAP I decided to have an Oatmeal Raisin cookie and a 1/2 chocolate chip cookie.

Sunday, August 5th

Breakfast:  The firemen in the town we were at had a breakfast.  I had one pancake, one piece of french toast, and one sausage.

Dinner:  We went to Culver's on our way home and I had a Garden Fresco salad with a little raspberry vinaigrette dressing and since I had a light salad, I treated myself to a Turtle Cheesecake ice cream cone.  Now that I'm typing this...I think I had enough "treats" the night before.

LONG RUN:  Yes, I got home and I ran 12 miles.  OK, that ice cream cone was not so bad after all.

Dinner:  A piece of string cheese, Kashi GoLean Triple Berry Crumble Cereal; frozen blueberries; almond milk; water

Monday, August 6th

Breakfast:  Look at dinner from last night and omit the string cheese

Snack:  I had a meeting at Elijah's and instead of a coffee I had this Blueberry Pomegranate smoothie with antioxidants.  The color of the smoothie was black...looked gross...but it is so good!

Lunch:  2 egg whites; 1 whole egg; skim milk; veggies; ham; cheese - all mixed together in scrambles eggs.

Snack:  I treated myself to a banana with chocolate hazelnut butter.  It wasn't nutella and not as good as Nutella, but still good.

Dinner:  Marco's last summer hockey session was this evening and we went to Mama Maria's (the one on North York Rd.) for dinner as a celebration.  This place DOES NOT get the credit it deserves!  WOW - so fantastic!  I had a couple pieces of bread with olive oil and Parmesan; I shared a antipasti salad with a friend as well as split a plate of stuffed gnocchi.  AMAZING!  Lastly, my husband was talking about how spicy the jalapenos were on his pizza, so I had to try a piece.  HOLY SMOKES - steam was going out my ears.  It was so hot and the ice tea I was drinking was not helping the situation.  I had a small corner piece of pizza without those damn peppers to help cool me down.  If you like super hot jalapenos - then Mamma Maria's is the place you should go.

Tuesday, August 7th (This is teaching me to blog more often as I feel like I've been typing forever, plus it's harder to write all this food down!)

Breakfast:  Same as breakfast yesterday...yada, yada, yada...

Workout:  4 mile run

Lunch:  Marinated Cucumbers (recipe above); a banana with that fake Nutella

Snack:  I drove to Iowa to visit a great friend in from Australia.  It was so awesome seeing her!  She looked fabulous, hasn't changed a bit, and our conversation at our table of 5 was incredible.  But, before I talk about that, I did have a snack at my parent's place before I headed out to meet her.  I had some cashews and almonds with chocolate covered raisin.  Just enough to get me through to dinner.

Dinner: We went to Champp's in Dubuque. They did not have Summer Shandy, but had Shock Top. This beer is so good! In fact, I had 2 big ones and a small one at dinner. I also ordered this great chopped salad with chicken, lettuce, feta cheese, walnuts, cranberries, and apples. No need for dressing. This salad was perfect AS IS!

A post dinner picture.

Wednesday, August 8th

Breakfast:   I was still at my parent's house and I had Special K Red Berries cereal with skim milk.

Lunch:  The kids and I went to Subway and I had a 6 inch on wheat turkey with a ton of veggies and yellow mustard.  I also had harvest chedder sun chips and an iced tea.

Snack:  I had a few spoonfuls of that damn fake Nutella!

Dinner:  2 pieces of leftover pizza followed by a 6 mile run.

Thursday, August 9th

Breakfast:  Mixed both Kashi cereals together with frozen blueberries and almond milk.

Lunch:  2 egg white and 1 egg scrambled eggs with red pepper, yellow pepper, mushrooms, onions, spinach, and cheese.  So good!  While my eggs were cooking, I had a piece of celery with peanut butter.

Note to self:  After writing this out, maybe I should eat more fruit.

All caught up!  Bears pre-season opener tonight!  Get ready for fall, cooler temps, and football!!!



Summer is harder to journal...just sayin'.

Friday, July 27th

Breakfast:  Kashi blueberry cluster cereal; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with the fixin's

Lunch:  Tuna lettuce wraps (I mix light tuna in water with greek yogurt and pickle relish); pretzels; apple; water

Dinner:  The neighbors had a happy hour and I had 2 pieces of pepperoni pizza; blueberries and strawberries; this awesome ramen noodle cabbage salad with cashews; 2 s'mores bars (Yum!  Need the recipe!); water

Saturday, July 28th

Breakfast:  Kashi Go Lean triple berry crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with the Cinnabon creamer

Morning Snack:  Apple and an Iced Coffee with Cinnabon creamer

I hit the road to Iowa to pick up my husband and kids.  Wade finished RAGBRAI which stands for the Register's Annual Great Bide Ride Across Iowa.  Over 500 miles of fun, hot, and humid bike riding.  Doesn't sound fun to me, but he SWEARS I'd have a blast.  I also swore I'd never run a marathon, and I see where that's got me.  Detroit October 2012!  I will not get cocky about it until I successfully finish it.

Snack and Lunch:  While waiting for him, I hit McDonald's for a Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait.  Don't knock'em til you try one.  They are 160 calories worth of pure yumminess.  He arrives and we celebrate with 2 Miller Lites, followed by a trip back to Dubuque and we stopped at Culver's.  I planned out Culver's so I could partake in a Butterfinger short concrete.  Think of a DQ Blizzard - good!  Anyway, before the concrete I had the Garden Fresco Salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing.  On the salad was tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, croutons, and red onions.  Salad + Dressing = 240 calories.

Today was also my family reunion where my parents had my kids.  We were late due to the RAGBRAI finisher, but we still made it to see family.  My mom had a Leine's Summer Shandy waiting for me.  Another good beer.

Dinner:  After the reunion, we went out for pizza at the Shot Tower in Dubuque.  I had 1 piece of pizza with everything, and 2 pieces of one that had chicken and other veggies on it.  My kids were being a pain in the butt, and ordered chicken tenders and fries.  After they saw the pizza, they opted for the pizza.  AAAHHHHH!!!!  Of course, my son's chicken tenders look so good, so I eat one with barbeque sauce.  It was as good as it looked.

Sunday, July 29th (not as bad as I had originally thought)

Breakfast:  Today started with my mom's AMAZING coffee cake.  I ate way too much of it, and I also had coffee, blueberries and watermelon.

Lunch:  Seafood and Crab Salad from Subway; Iced Tea

Gorgefest: I mean graduation party/dinner.  Awesome fried chicken; great mac 'n cheese; cole slaw; chips/salsa, pita chips with this fantastic dip (asked for the recipe); pecan tarts (2); m&m's (too many to count); one cookie dipped in chocolate; Arnold Palmer Iced Tea

The post before this describes my run after this feeding frenzy.  I could've gotten more graphic, but thought to spare people details.  Too put it mildly, my belly had cramps and oh god, did it slow me down!  But FINISHED it!

Monday, July 30th (I haven't been writing this, but I am drinking lots of water.)

Breakfast:  Kashi Go Lean Triple Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk; coffee with fixin's

Lunch:  Green Monster (look for old post titles for the recipe)

Snack:  Cherry Pie Lara Bar; Apple

Dinner:  Turkey Burger on a wheat bun and edamame.

Tuesday, July 31st

Breakfast:  Kashi go Lean Triple Berry Crumble; frozen blueberries; almond milk, coffee with fixin's.

Lunch:  1 egg and 2 egg white scrambled eggs with ham, onion, and cheddar cheese; 2 pieces of wheat toast with margarine and cinnamon and sugar.

Snack:  Peanut Butter Cookie Lara Bar;  Have I ever mentioned how good these are?

Dinner:  From Costco I bought these Chickpea patties of some sort.  I threw the box away to save room in my freezer so I have absolutely no idea on the nutritional value.  I know they weren't bad since I read the label before purchasing them.  I eat 2.  I make a spinach salad with tomatoes, onion, and peppers topped with Strawberry Balsamic dressing.

I'm off to teach a Tabata Boot Camp, run with some Run 'n Wine girls, then have a couple beers.

Later!





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