Friday Favorites, 8.10 - I'm baaaack!!!

I’m baaaaaack! 

So much has been going on this week and I have so much to fill you in on!  I do have to say, I MISS my daily blogging therapy and promise to never take such a long break again!  Today is Friday, and I normally do Friday Favorites, but honestly, these are going to be more like tangents since I have so many random things to fill you in on!  Umm, yeah, this is gonna be a bit of a long one! J

Here are my Friday Favorites (a.k.a. tangents).  Let’s start from the beginning!

***

 On Tuesday I had a couple of people who deserved TROPHIES in my book: 

1.     Rachel, the bestie!  She received a HUGE promotion at work, and is going to be a big boss at her school now.  Wooohooo!  So proud of her and I know she is going to do a fantastic job!!!  We went to the school board meeting to watch her get officially announced in her new position and then went out to dinner at PF Chang’s afterward to celebrate.

2.     Javier, the hubby.  He receives a huge trophy for being so thoughtful!  He met us at the restaurant because he was coming straight from an appointment that he had been at all day.  And when he walked in, guess what he had in his hand?  Flowers.  For the bestie on her special day.  That’s one of the things that I love about him, his attention to detail.

3.     Who doesn’t get a trophy?  Me!!  I hurt myself during my workout on Tuesday.  I know this may be a silly question, but do women have groin muscles like men do?  Well if we do, I hurt mine!  I went to an earlier class than I normally do on Tuesday’s because I needed to make it to the board meeting on time to see my friend.  The class that I go to on Wednesday’s with the instructor that totally kicks my butt…well, that same instructor gives the same class on Tuesday’s too, and that’s the one I went to.  When I walked in (about ten minutes late) they were already fully into the workout!  So of course, I did the smart thing and instead of taking a couple of minutes to warm-up off to the side, I jumped right into the workout!  This is the instructor that I told you recently got certified in CrossFit and has since changed the structure of his class to make it straight CF.  I definitely ain’t complaining!!!  We were standing on steps with 3 rizers under each side doing lunges, forward and backward, and I had a 10 pound weight plate in each hand.  On one of the lunges backward, off of the step, I felt a pop in my muscle at the top of my leg where the thigh meets the hip.  The pop was weird; it was so shocking and quick!  That’s when I did smart thing #2 and kept going full-force for the rest of the class instead of stopping.  Oh, and then I ran 2 miles on it later too.  Needless to say, that was noooooot the smartest thing I’ve ever done!  It took me back to my high school days when I continued to play basketball after I had torn my ACL and when it popped out I would just pop it back in and kept going like nothing was wrong.  Ouch!!  #craziness 

***

A quick Run streak update:

RUNstreak: as of tonight, 70 days and counting…

My “groin” or whatever it is that I hurt is feeling much better after taking it easy during my workouts for a couple of days.  I continued with my runs, though so as not to break my run streak.  I have to admit, though, that Tuesday night’s run and Wednesday morning’s run were ROUGH.  I was hurting sooo bad that I had to stop and walk some.  Way more often than I would have liked!  And while I was able to finish the two miles each time, I did end up having to walk quite a bit, and being that I don’t normally do this, my anal-retentive self is having a hard time calling those real “runs.”  My hubs tells me that I should give myself a break and give myself credit for even trying to run while injured.  I guess I’ll listen to him!  I may have  had to stop and walk some but I still did more running than walking so I’ll still count it!  I felt muuuuuch better during yesterday’s run and am feeling almost back to normal today!

***

The “Greatness is ours” Nike commercial.  The Pr and Marketing people at Nike are amazingly good at their jobs!!  They are right on the money. Every. Single. Time.  This latest commercial, in two words?  Inspiring and motivating!  I read a little bit of background about the young man who made the commercial and his story is great!!  You can read about his story here.  What I love most about this campaign is the fact that it lets us believe that there is already greatness within us all.  In a time where we are all inspired yet humbled watching the Olympic greats, Nike tells us that we may not all be Olympic athletes but we all have miracles within us.  It’s beautiful, really!

***

Friday favorites – OLYMPIC edition:

-         Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings win gold – love, love, love them and have been following them since High School!!!  I know I mostly talk about Basketball, which was undoubtedly my favorite, but I played (and loved) Volleyball too.  They were my favs then and they continue to be my favs now…and I WISH they would go for Gold in Rio in 2016 too!

-         Alison Felix – 200m gold FINALLY!!

-         Kenya’s David Rashida setting the World Record in the Men’s 200m race – love his story because he is such a nice, simple man from humble roots…and he runs to make his country and fellow tribesmen proud!

-         Women’s Soccer team wins the gold…and gains redemption from losing the World Cup to the same team last year

-         Ashton Eaton winning gold in the Decathlon – although no one really doubted he could do it, it was nice that he actually did do it.  I love that he’s so down-to-Earth, and in an interview I watched with him and the silver medallist, Trey Hardee, whom he considers a friend, Ashton credited him Hardee with helping him train to be more successful.  Talk about humble, which is an unknown concept for some athletes celebrating their Olympic success.  I don’t wish to take anything away from Usain bolt because his athletic accomplishments are impressive to say the least, but it’s nice when an athlete doesn’t’ feel the need to toot his own horn.

***

And my last favorite and something you GOTTA TRY – I made this crazy simple crockpot Bar-b-que chicken earlier this week and it was thebomb.com!!!!  I can’t take credit for this recipe; I didn’t make it up myself, I actually saw it somewhere, I just can’t remember where!!   Here’s my version of the recipe:

 

“Crazy good” Crockpot Bar-b-que Chicken

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1/2 c diced red onion

1 cup diced pineapple

1 bottle bar-b-que sauce

Preparation:

1.        Place the chicken breasts at the bottom of the crockpot and put the onion, pineapple, and sauce over the top of it.

2.      Put the lid on, turn it to LOW and cook it for 6-8 hours.  Enjoy!

That’s it.  So easy and delicious, my favorite two things!  I made drop biscuits, homemade coleslaw, baked beans, and corn to go along with it.  We had lots of leftovers of the chicken and I froze it for a quick meal sometime next week.  I’m thinking next time we’ll make pulled-chicken bar-b-que sandwiches.  I will definitely be putting this one on the menu rotation!

Five questions for you:

1.     What are some of your favorite things right now?
2.     What was your favorite workout this week?  When you get injured, do you take it easy like you should?
3.     Have you seen the Nike commercial?  What are some of your favorite inspiring commercials being played right now?
4.     What are some of your favorite Olympic moments so far?
5.     What was your favorite meal that you made this week?

Tuesday Tangents, Bloggie Birthday, and Lo Mein

Guess what I missed?!?!?

Yesterday was Running Around Hungry’s one-month birthday!!!

...and I missed it!!   This whole time I’ve been thinking I started the blog on the 19^th of June…only to find out that it was the 16^th.  This month has been such a learning experience and yet so rewarding!  I will definitely be continuing.  I am really starting to get into this blogging stuff! J

 ***

Here are some tangents for today:

1. Dr. Oz

Now that I am off during the day (perks of being a teacher), I get to watch Dr. Oz.  I love this show!  So much useful information!  I love his healthful tips, and the explanations about medical things that he provides.  A lot of the topics he covers are about things I might have never known about if not for his show.  I have started writing down all of his tips especially on supplements and things I should be eating/drinking.  The problem is that my list of teas-and-supplements-to-buy is growing way too long! 

2. Instagram

I am new to Instagram as I have only recently installed the app.  I’m loving it, though, and am slowly building my list of who-to-follow.  I need your suggestions on “must-follow-people”, and would love a few followers of my own!  Please follow me – my username is letiortdur.  Leave me your username in the comments and I’ll follow you too!

3. the Olympics are coming!

The countdown is officially at T-10 days…and I can’t wait!!!!  I have always loved watching Gymnastics, Basketball, Volleyball, Swimming and Track and Field.  However, this will be my first Olympics since I became a runner and am so excited to see our marathon teams (male and female) kick some long-distance butt!!!!  #London2012

4. President Obama was in Texas today!

President Obama attended some fund-raising events in San Antonio and Austin today.  Totally wish I could have been there!  Whatever your views on who should win the election in November, you have to admit knowing that the POTUS is in your state…in a city only 2 hrs away…is still pretty cool!  Or maybe I’m just #cheesylikethat!  By the way, and I’m almost embarrassed to admit this but, I just today figured out what the heck POTUS meant!  I’ve seen President Obama referred to as POTUS on Twitter before but until today did not put two and two together.  Embarrassing! #imalittleslowsometimes

5. I collect quotes

…and I have since I was in 6^th grade!  I started a binder when I was in 6^th grade and started putting poems and quotes that I liked in it…and I still have it to this day!  The binder and the habit of collecting quotes, that is.  I have always loved motivational phrases that inspire you to do better and be better, and even collect Spanish ones!  Honestly, this is part of what drew me to Pinterest.  I love all of the inspirational pictures, and find myself pinning the motivational quotes and fitness motivation all the time!  Anytime I hear (or see) a quote I like, I jot it down – on napkins, in my phone, in my notebooks…whatever I happen to have on hand!

6. "Letters to God"

Last night the fam and I watched “Letters to God.”  I had heard a lot about the movie when it first came out but we never got around to seeing it.  When I was at Dollar General last week I picked up the movie out of the $3.99 previously viewed bin.  We – all three – enjoyed the movie!!  I cried way too much a few times throughout the movie…and my daughter did too.  It really hit home for her, I guess because it was based on a little boy close to her age.  She was so into the movie and afterwards, we had a long talk about cancer, and her own health scare at the age of two.  It felt good to discuss these things.  In my opinion, sometimes the best thing you can do, instead of shielding your child from scary/disturbing things, is face them together because it gives you a chance to talk about it and clear up any confusions/misconceptions.  My mother was always very open and honest with me – some would even say too open and honest – but it always kept the lines of communication and truth open between us…and besides, I didn’t turn out so bad! ;-)  I highly recommend seeing this movie as a family.  It’s one of those feel-good, heart-warming tales that we just don’t get that often in Hollywood anymore!

7. Dinner success (again!)

For dinner tonight I tried my hand at making LoMein, one of our favorite Chinese dishes.  My version was loosely based on a Quick-and-easy Rachel Ray one, only hers was a Veggie LoMein recipe and I added meat.  Three kinds of meat, in fact!  I added thin beef steak (which I cut into strips and marinated in soy sauce and Sriracha), chicken, and shrimp. 

It was really good, and had excellent flavor from all of the fresh garlic, ginger root, green onions, soy sauce and oyster sauce.  It was a lot easier than I thought; the secret was having all of the ingredients ready to throw into the hot wok.  Here is a quick summary of how I made it. 

Leti’s Delectable Lo-Mein

1.         First I put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta.  I used whole grain (of course), thin spaghetti and cooked it according to the package directions.

2.      Next, I got out my wok and heated it with some dark sesame seed oil.  Then I tossed in the freshly chopped garlic, ginger root, and green onion in to sautee. 

3.      Then I added in the beef and chicken, along with some Oyster sauce, Sriracha, and Low-Sodium Soy Sauce and cooked it a bit.

4.     The chopped cabbage was added next, and I cooked the mixture a bit more.

5.      Next I added the shrimp, which I added last so they wouldn’t over cook and get tough.

6.     Last, I added in the pasta, which I had drained after it finished cooking and set aside.  Along with the pasta, I added in a little bit more soy sauce and sautéed it all together a little bit more.  The LoMein is now ready to enjoy!!!

Although super delicious, it did not have that wonderful smoky flavoring that my favorite restaurant LoMein has.  Anyone know what that secret smoky seasoning is?  If you do know what it is, puh-leeeez leave me a comment and clue me in!  I definitely want to add it to future LoMeins that I make.  My family and I thank you in advance!! J

Those are my Tuesday Tangents.  I hope you enjoyed them!  What are some of your tangents today?

SERIOUSLY good!

Just wanted to write a short post because I have to tell you about our dinner tonight!

***
But first, I want to send a big SHOUT OUT to the USA and Brazilian National Basketball teams for playing against each other tonight.  Because of you, I was able to stay on the treadmill and did 4.5 miles instead of the 2 miles I had planned to do. 

Does anyone know who won?!  When I stepped off the treadmill it was the end of the 1st quarter and the score was 27 (Brazil) - 17 (USA).  It was an exciting game!

***


Okay, now on to what I REALLY wanted to talk about:

This dinner was "SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!!!" delicious!

Omigoodness!  When we went grocery shopping yesterday the hubs got a wild hair and decided we needed to buy salmon steaks.  For the record, I LOOOOOOOVES me some salmon!  I could probably eat it everyday with spinach and be happy.  But I had never had salmon steaks.  Nor did I know how to cook one.


Nevertheless, I used my common sense and cooked it like I do any steak: lots of coarse Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (for some nice crusting action) and a hot, searing pan...and then into the oven to finish cooking. 

Searing the salmon steaks in a hot skillet.

Now I realize that this cut of meat is not the leanest, being that it has the skin still on.  But let me tell you, the few extra calories is totally worth the taste pay-off!!!  There really is something to be said for meat with a bone in it.  Normally I prefer no bones, but in this case I was completely sold!


To go along with the steaks, I made a baby-Penne pasta in a light alfredo sauce (out of a jar, nothing fancy!) with some steamed peas mixed in.  I had originally planned to have brown rice but I never got around to making it earlier today and needed something quick and easy.  I think this simple pasta was definitely the way to go!  I also had a tiny bit of spinach that I steamed just to give myself a second veggie, since I always try my best to have two.

Simple and easy pasta dish.

It was delish and we've decided to add this to our monthly menu!



What did you have for dinner tonight?  What are your favorite Salmon recipes?!  Please share, I need some more ideas!!

Tangent Tuesday, 7/10/12

Today was yet another day of relaxation, napping, and working out.  Today, however, I actually got dressed (real clothes…and real shoes rather than slippers!) and ventured out to one of my favorite stores ever: Dollar General. Big spender, I know.  

Let get right to the tangents. 

***

I went to Dollar General today.  I loooves me some DG!!  Proof #34,781 that I am turning into my mother: my love for dollar stores, knick-knacks that I don’t need, and bargains that I can’t pass up.  (Love you Mom!)  It’s okay; I’ve come to terms with it and consider myself a lucky woman.  If I grow up to be half the woman that my mother is, I’ll be a lucky lady! J  Anyway – oh look, I just went off on a tangent from a tangent! – back to DG.

I originally went in to buy a mop and some cleaning supplies.  It always starts out like that, doesn’t it?  You go into a store for one or two things and come out with a dozen?  And sometimes you have good intentions, and take your list with you and everything, but still come out with way more than you intended to buy.  And inevitably, there will be times when you will come out with everything else in the store except for what you came for! 

Anyway, I went in for a mop – and came out $80 later.  For real?!  $80?!?!?  Only I can go into a DOLLAR store and come out with $80 worth of stuff.  The irony.  Go to a dollar store to save money and end up spending way too much.

***

This morning I finally started reading Andy Cohen’s new book, Most Talkative.  Unfortunately, I only downloaded a sample of it so I was left hanging, dying for more!  You can trust and believe (my friend Rachel always says that phrase and I love it!) that I will be downloading that bad boy tomorrow.  Based on the 30 pages I read, and the fact that I laughed out loud at least five times (and it was my ugly, almost-a-snort laugh, too) I know the $11.99 will be well spent! 
 

***

I’m feenin’ for a Jasmine Cream Tea with a double shot of boba.  Feenin’ baaaaaad!  It’s going on a month now that I’ve been craving it and still haven’t gotten one.  I may have to put on real clothes and venture out again tomorrow, just to get one.  Adding that to my to do list now.

TO – DO (7/11/12)

1. run 4 miles
2. get dressed in real people clothes
3. get a tapioca
4. take a nap
5. Body Pump and Step
6. cook. eat. repeat.

***
New favorite (cheap) workout gear: Hanes Her Way V-neck t-shirts.  I found a package of three shirts (pink, gray, periwinkle) in the clearance bin at Dollar General and, of course, bought them.  I mean, hello? at $3.25 it was too good to pass up.  Even if I just wear them around the house, I will have gotten my money’s worth. 
 

Anyway, I wore the pink one to the gym tonight…and it definitely passed the test!  It was comfy and I loved the way it fit!  The only drawback is that it has no kind of sweat-wicking or dri-fit absorbing action so when we left I was drenched with sweat.  Then again, there’s probably not many fancier, more high-tech material that can contain the amount of sweat that I was working with after having done Zumba, running three miles on the treadmill (intervals), and lifting (legs).  I’ll definitely be picking up some more of these!  I will make sure, however, to stay away from the white ones.  You know why.

***  

Dinner tonight was one of my favorites!  It’s my go-to meal when I’m not in the mood to cook. 
 

“Mama-ain’t-cookin-tonight” Quick and Easy Dinner

- 1 Rotisserie chicken (ready made from Wal-Mart)
- 1 bag of Green Giant steamed broccoli with cheese sauce
- 1 package of Uncle Ben’s ready-rice – Whole Grain Wild Rice flavor (90 seconds in the microwave, in the bag)
- hummus (Saabra’s roasted garlic one, although I usually make my own)
- sliced tomatoes 

It’s quick, easy, and pretty darn healthy too!  I never tire of this meal and sometimes we substitute the rice for a nice loaf of freshly baked, thick, crusty Italian or French bread. DELISH!  Dessert will be the other half of my chocolate chip cookie from last night’s visit to Subway (aren’t their cookies the best?!) and maybe some grapes.

 

***

I hope you enjoyed the tangents.  Please feel free to share some of your own!

Five questions for you:

1. What’s your favorite bargain store?  How often do you shop there?
2. What books are on your summer reading list?  What’s your favorite genre of books?
3. Do you like Jasmine green tea?  Ever had a Tapioca?  What’s your favorite flavor?
4. What’s on your to-do list for today?
5.  What is your favorite “I-aint-cooking-tonight” meal?

Positive feedback and a yummy recipe

I feel so loved!  Being featured as a “Real Fit Mom” on Skinnymom.com today goes on my LifeList as being one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me!  I am so incredibly humbled and honored by the all of the positive feedback!  I received so many words of encouragement from friends, family, and (even) people I have never even met through Facebook,Twitter, and even on Pinterest.  The best part about it is that I have had the chance to connect with so many others who have struggled through, or are still in the midst of, their own weight loss journey.  Thanks again, SkinnyMom, for the awe-inspiring opportunity!

I promised I would let you know how the pasta from last night turned out.   Let’s just say, it was so good, we ate it for dinner last night and breakfast and lunch today!  That whole concoction is definitely a keeper!  Since it did turn out so tasty, I’d like to share the recipe with you. 

Pesto-stuffed Tortellini with Italian Sausage and Spinach

Ingredients: Three-cheese Italian sausage, Trader Joe’s Pesto-stuffed Tortellini, spaghetti sauce, spinach, red pepper flakes, onion, garlic (no such thing as too much garlic!), parsley, oregano, and basil (I used dried but prefer using fresh herbs.)

These are the ingredients you will need.

Preparation:

1.    For pasta: fill a large pot full of water, drizzle of oil and large dash of salt, bring to a boil.

2.    Once water is boiling, add in pasta and boil for the required time.

3.    Meanwhile, dice the onion and mince garlic.  Add to another pan with a drizzle of olive oil and a couple of dashes of red pepper flakes.  Sautee until translucent. Add in sliced sausage. 

4.    Once the sausage is nice and cooked (I like mine slightly crispy around the edges), add in a couple of large handfuls of spinach.  Move around the pan until the spinach has a chance to wilt.

5.    After the spinach wilts, pour in spaghetti sauce and your seasonings and herbs.  Turn heat on low and let simmer so that all the seasonings and flavors will meld.

6.    By now the pasta should be ready so you can drain it, saving about a ½ cup of the pasta water (this, when added to the sauce, will help it thicken).

7.    Once the mixture has simmered, pour it on top of the pasta and carefully mix it up, so as not to rip open the tortellini.

8.    Your finished product will look like this:

9.    Top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, or whichever cheese tickles you fancy and enjoy! J

Five Favs Friday

I want to take a moment to gush about the five things that I am loving right now. 

1. Summer fruit

…because it is so readily available, so fresh, and it’s all of my favorites, in season at the same time!  Strawberries, cantaloupe, mangos, pineapple, honeydew, watermelon.  I am obsessed with these right now and keep a constant supply of them in my kitchen.  I also incorporate them into every meal and snack.  My favorite breakfast right now:

Fruity Summer Breakfast

1 cup cottage cheese (or greek yogurt)
½ c diced strawberries
½ c diced pineapple
handful of blueberries
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
drizzle of honey

**to kick the nutrition aspect up a notch (and make it even more heart-healthy), sometimes I sprinkle Chia seeds or ground up flax seed on it**

Talk about DELISH!!  And what makes it even better is that it’s healthy and filling!

2. Blogs

…because I love to read them and even have a list of them that I blog-stalk (read) every day.  Starting a blog was something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while and finally got up the courage to start one!  There were so many reasons why I wanted to start a blog…as well as reasons why I just hadn’t gotten around to doing it yet.  There was the issue of time, I couldn’t find the right name for it, and didn’t know where or how to get started.  I finally took the plunge and am happy that my blog will turn two weeks old tomorrow!  I enjoy writing my posts, and have found that my favorite part is that I get to keep a written (and visual) account of my crazy, eclectic life.  As a bonus: it’s therapeutic.  Instead of retail therapy, this is my blog therapy. J

3. My RUNstreak

…because it is forcing me to find at least 25-30 minutes a day to work out.  The truth is, that we are never too busy to work out, although we often come up with a ton of excuses.  My philosophy is that in life there is always time for what we MAKE time for.  There are 1,440 minutes in a day; it’s not impossible to find 30 of them to exercise.  Do something…anything!  Run, bike ride, walk around the neighborhood.  The more active we get, the better!  In my family, we make it a family affair so we can get our daughter involved too because I think it’s important to teach her healthy habits and making exercise a daily activity is one of them!  It’s good for the body and good for the mind! Endorphins rock! J

With my run last night I completed Day 27, and June’s almost over which means one month down, two to go.  And so Leti’s Summer RUNstreak continues…

4. Free time – and sleep (sometimes)

…because I actually have time to DO SOME STUFF!!!  Being a teacher, I look forward to this time of the year because it’s my time to rest, relax, and (most importantly) rejuvenate.  In the summer everything is better simply because I have more time to DISFRUTAR (Spanish for ENJOY…although I don’t think the English word captures it quite like the Spanish word does).  During the summer I’m not in such a rush to get home and grade papers or work on lesson plans so I have more time to enjoy the places we go, the food we eat (and the restaurants we eat at), and the family activities we love to do.   I get to stay up late, which is great for me because I’m a night owl, and I even have time to go have coffee and go on dinner dates with the hubs occasionally! 

Everyone always talks about how “lucky” us teachers are to have so much time off and how good we have it to get three months off for the summer.  Let me be frank for a moment, if I may, and I think most teachers I know would agree with me when I say this: Trust me, by the time May rolls around, IT IS TIME.  The children are tired, we are tired, and we have all had enough together time to last us a good while.  We NEED that time off!  If it weren’t for the summer, I’m not sure we would be as effective…or sane!  Trust me, it’s better for everyone involved for us to have that time off.  Otherwise, as one of my crazy teacher friends so hillariously put it, “someone somewhere would probably get hurt.”

As of yesterday at 3:15pm, I am officially off for the summer.  With that being said, I’m the kind of person that has to stay busy.  Therefore, being the good nerd with OCD (or CDO - have you seen that pin on Pinterest?) tendencies that I am, I have created a “Summer Projects” list.  Lucky for me, as soon as I scratch one thing off I usually add one or two new ones.  I can’t wait to get started!  But first I think I’ll take the weekend off (and start my projects on Monday) because I have my big Mexico City Girls reunion this weekend in Austin!

5. June 30 – July 1

…because I get to see MY GIRLS!!!!  This weekend I get to spend time with Rachel, Cristina, Ashley, Dianne, and Jenny (we'll miss you Rosie)!  You know those movies/shows/books where the main character has a group of friends that she meets, bonds, and fall in love with…and then reunites with once a year for the rest of their lives?  Well that’s us!!!  I met this beautiful group of girls when we all did an International Public Relations Study Abroad in Mexico City, México in the summer of 2000.  We hung out, worked in International PR internships, and traveled all over México that summer.  We came back to the states, graduated (from Texas A&M University – WHOOP!!!) and have remained friends with each other, and the friends we met there, ever since.

In about 24 hours from now we are going to meet in Austin to hang out, eat some good food, drink a little vino, relax, and catch up…and I CANNOT WAIT!!!

I’m off to do some laundry, a little shopping, and to pack.  Get ready, Austin, because here we come!!! J

5 ?’s for you:

1. What things are you loving right now?
2. What are some of your favorite blogs that I absolutely have to check out?
3.  What are your favorite fruits and how do you incorporate them into your meals?
4.  How often do you work out?
5. Do you have a “girlfriends” group? How often do you get together and what kinds of activities do you do when you see each other?

Blazing hot run, weights and dough-y goodness!

I accidentally slept in late this morning and started my morning run about an hour later than I normally do.  I think I must have forgotten that I live in Houston, Texas. And I think I must have also forgotten that in Houston by 7:00 a.m. it is 75 degrees, with 70 percent humidity, and feels like it’s 84 degrees.  Lesson learned!  It was blazing hot by the time I walked out the door!  The sun was up high in the sky and shining brightly.  I think I might have even started sweating during my two-minute warm-up stretch.  I ran a quick 2 miles…and I do mean quick; the heat motivated me to run faster than I normally run in the mornings.  J  Plus I didn’t want to be late for work. 

By lunchtime, which for Summer School is pretty early, it was raining cats and dogs.  It was a sunny rain at first but then for the next couple of hours it got a little more serious with thick clouds and blackened sky.  When I was little my grandmother used to tell me that when it rained while it was sunny out it meant that somewhere someone was crying because someone they loved had died. 

My workout this afternoon was a total body weights class, which I topped off by working chest and back. I wanted to do shoulders too but by the time I was finished with this, I was tired! 

I was in a cooking mood when we got home (when am I not?) and for dinner I made Lentils with Italian chicken sausage and pizza.  It was my first time ever making Lentils and I was impressed by how easy they were to make!  I also made some pizza using the Whole Wheat pizza crust that I got from Trader Joe’s Saturday.  Here’s how I made the pizza, it was so easy to do! 

 Leti’s Easy-Peasy Pizza

I kneaded out the dough into two rectanglish 12”-ish size pizzas. Gotta love Trader Joe’s! $1.25 for two pizzas worth of whole-wheat dough!   I lightly drizzled the dough with evoo, and then sprinkled with dried parsley and dried oregano and Leti’s Season-All (I make it by combining parsley/salt/garlic powder/pepper in a shaker).  Then I topped with pizza sauce (I normally use jarred spaghetti sauce) and mozzarella cheese.  I spread around some sliced Portobello mushrooms, and torn, fresh basil leaves from my TJ’s basil plant that I have managed to keep alive for almost a full week now!  I topped the whole thing with a little more cheese (mozzarella and some thinly sliced Swiss that I had in the fridge and put it in a 450-degree oven for about 10 minutes.  Viola!   It was so good!

 Now that I’ve eaten some lentils and dough-y goodness my belly is full, my body is achy, and this girl is ready for some zzzzzzzzzz’s!