Menu Planning - 6/29

So it's Monday again, which means time to start planning those dinners. :) This is a short week and I won't be around on Wed., so it's even shorter for me. We also have a lot of fresh veggies right now, so I plan to make a lot of cut veggies for our sides, which I won't mention below, but I will probably just cut up what I like that night.

Monday - Cottage cheese and noodles

Tuesday - Chicken (Adam) and Ten Minute Brown rice and Asparagus

Wednesday - On your own

Thursday - Chicken of some sort for Adam again and Butternut Squash Risotto

Friday - Holiday, eating at University Yacht Club with my dad

Have a good week everyone!

My Relief for Back Pain

So, I mentioned on Friday, that my back was killing me. I had hurt it during my days as a gymnast, and since then I have tweaked it every so often. Well I injured it a couple of weeks ago at the lake water skiing. Well on Thursday, I did it again at Gymboree (boy it's a tough place). I couldn't arch my back at all. Well, I had planned to go for another long run on Saturday and didn't want to miss out on it, since I rarely get to, so I decided to go, but take it slow. Adam and Hope ended up going with me, so it made it easy for me to take it easy. Well 8 miles later, my back felt 50% better. I guess it was the heat and the blood running through my body to loosen everything up that helped my back. Today, it feels 80% better. I am wondering if my back is still very stiff now, and maybe some yoga would help me out. I really don't have time for yoga on top of running, and taking care of Hope, but maybe even if I can do some moves every other night to keep it loose will help. I used to take a Power Yoga class before I got married and loved it, but now, I just can't leave little Hope. I know that is probably not right, but I hate to be selfish right now. But now I know when my back is killing me, go for a long easy run. Works for me!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 5th wedding anniversary! We are no longer considered newlyweds. Wow, 5 years seems like a long time, but honestly, I can't remember not being married to Adam. It's weird (but good of course). Adam let me open my present this morning. He got me a new running outfit for the Peachtree and a spa massage when we are on vacation next month. I can't wait. My back has been bothering me so I am very excited about the massage. I have a bad lower back from a gymnastics injury and I think I injured it when I was water skiing a couple weeks ago. I took it easy for a couple of days and it was feeling a lot better. Yesterday though, I seemed to have tweaked it again. It is really bothering me today. I am supposed to run another 8 miler tomorrow. I hope I am up for it. You know how I am enjoying my long runs right now. :)

I haven't given Adam his gift yet. He will get it tonight after the Braves game. I got him a "Journey with the Gentle Giants." He will be swimming in the 6.3 million gallon tank at the Georgia Aquarium. Adam and I both love snorkeling when we are on vacation, so I thought this would be really neat for Adam. My dad volunteers at the aquarium and he has done both snorkeling and scuba diving at the aquarium. The cool thing about the snorkeling is that the whale sharks stay at the top, so my dad actually got hit by a dorsel fin. Wow, how cool is that!!! They also provide you with an air tank even if you are snorkeling so you don't have to worry about getting water in your snorkel. I hope he likes it. I'll let you know. ;)

This collage was done by the people who did our wedding. I highly recommend them! They were fabulous and we even got them to do Hope's 6th month portraits at the house. If you need a great photographer, give them a call.


We're married (June 26, 2004)

My family with Adam!

At the reception (Colony Square).

Our cake, I loved it and it tasted so good!!!

Right before Adam put cake all over my face (well the icing mostly).

Our honeymoon, The Big Island, Hawaii. AWESOME!!!

My first "long" run

So I have been "training" for the Peachtree which is only 8 days away. I like training, so even if it's a 10k race, I like to set up an 8 week training program just to keep me going. Well, I wasn't allowed to exercise at all in the 3rd trimester when I was pregnant and then of course recovering from the birth, it was January before I was really running again (had to stop in July). So after such a long hiadas, I started slow. Well my mileage has been improving on the past several weeks. Well last week I had to do 8 miles. It would be my first long run since I was pregnant with Hope. I was so funny. I was really excited about it. I put new music on my iPod and could barely sleep the night before. I love the idea of getting out there and really working up a good sweat. So last week, I had a water bottle in the jogging stroller and Hope and I took off. I waited until it was nap time for Hope so she would just sleep most of the time. So it was 9:00am before we took off. It was warm and pushing the jogging stroller wasn't easy, but man I loved every minute of it. I haven't been able to run as much this week. Adam has wanted to run with us in the mornings before he heads off to work, so I have had to keep the runs short. On Saturday, I plan to do another 8 miler and I can't wait! I am ready to work up a nice sweat! I don't plan to have a PR at the Peachtree (it's a tough 10k), but I am hoping to have a PR at the Peachtree. We will wait and see.

Menu Planning - 6/22

Well it's Monday, so it's time for me to start thinking about dinners for the week. I only have to think about dinner for 4 nights, because we already have plans on Friday.

Monday - Leftovers (Buttermilk pancakes for me, Chicken Burrito for Adam)

Tuesday - "Fried" chicken and fish (I will tweak this recipe to use a lot less butter and sub olive oil) with buttermilk biscuits and broccoli

Wednesday - Chinese Spaghetti and Meatballs

Thursday - Sirloin (for Adam) and Spiced Quinoa with a salad

Friday - Braves Game, dinner at the park

Have a good week and happy menu planning!

Happy Belated Father's Day

I meant to post this yesterday and was even on the computer, and completely forgot. Yesterday was Adam's first Father's Day and I wanted to try to make it special. Of course what I think is special and what Adam thinks is special are 2 different things so I tried to get him to make all the decisions all day. He didn't mention much so for breakfast I made him homemade buttermilk pancakes (recipe from my recent Cook's Illustrated magazine). I also made Adam some bacon. The pancakes were delicious and a big hit! Later on, we hit the pool as a family. I know Adam loved having Hope in the pool with him. Then it was off to church and a quick dinner with Adam's mom and stepfather. Adam's last request was that I not spend a hour in the kitchen making lunches and prepping for the week, and I agreed to that (although today's lunches are lacking somewhat). He was channel surfing while I was doing a little gathering for Monday, and said it was a Jaime Movie Night for sure with some of my favorites on tv (Father of the Bride, Ocean's Eleven, Stick It (I was a gymnast for 16 years), etc.). We had just seen Ocean's Eleven so Adam put in Ocean's Thirteen for us to watch. It was a thank you for the wonderful day he had had. Of course, we were both exhausted and fell asleep on the couch, but it was a nice way to end the weekend. Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there!

Product Review - Garmin Forerunner 405

For my birthday, my father-in-law gave me this new running watch. Now, this is not something I would have ever bought myself, but I have to say I love it! It does so much! It tracks my heartrate, calories burned, average pace for the entire run, my mile times, elevation, distance, etc. It also has GPS so I can see where all I have run to. I know I am not even using all of the tools, but I am slowly learning more about it. I have even been able to do interval training (HIIT) using the watch. It's obviously a little bigger than a normal watch, but I have gotten used to it, even on my small frame. I have the green one and I like that choice. It doesn't stand out as much as the black one does. If anyone has a serious runner in their family, and needs a gift idea, this one is perfect.

Our trip to the Lake

So I finally downloaded the pictures of us at the lake last weekend and thought I would share some of Hope's firsts. This was the first time Hope was in a bathing suit, and I know I am her mother, but boy did she look cute. She hated the PFD (personal flotation device) because it would ride up. We got her the infant one, but it is for anyone less than 30lbs. She was 14lb. 4.5oz. at 6 months, so she will have this PFD for a while. :)

Last summer when we were in FL, Adam saw a baby in a float with a canvas overhang and said we had to get one for Hope for this summer. The little girl in FL had a ladybug one and Adam wanted to exact same one. Luckily we found (after going to 5 different stores).

It was also nice that we were able to go out on the boat because I was dying to waterski. I wasn't able to go last summer because I was pregnant, so I was happy to go this year. I was the first female to get up on the first try with the new boat and skis. Yeah for me!!! If I had better form, I would post a picture. Maybe next time.

Menu Planning Monday - 6/15

So it’s Monday again and it’s time to plan some meals. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to use all the meals I had planned to last week, so that is why you will see them this week. Adam had a crazy week last week with an impromptu Brave’s game and then a couple 13 hour workdays. Hopefully this week, we can get back on track.

Monday - Cottage cheese and noodles (we didn't have this last week)

Tuesday - Pasta with Tomato Pesto (didn't make this either)

Wednesday - Big salads

Thursday - Grilled salmon with sugar snap peas and corn (Pork chop for Adam)

Friday - Grilled pizzas

Have a great week!

Frozen meals - yay or nay?

I believe frozen meals do have a time and place. They are very convenient, fast, and easy. I do not believe they should be used as a daily thing though. The sodium content is EXTREMELY high and half of the ingredients you can’t pronounce. It’s definitely better to make your own meal (whether it be lunch or dinner) most days and nights of the week, but sometimes you have to ask for a little help. Over the weekend, the fam went to my mother-in-law’s lake house. We left Friday after Hope went to sleep and didn’t get back until late Sunday afternoon. Adam had some things to do around the house and I went with my sister (and Hope of course) to look at some Save the Dates for her wedding. The weather was nice so we decided to walk. Well it got late, so we all went out to dinner and by the time we got back home, I was exhausted. After getting Hope ready for bed, Adam said he didn’t want to share me with the kitchen (and I agreed). So I didn’t get to make lunches last night like I had planned. Instead, we watched "He's Just Not that Into You." It was a cute movie, but I digress. So this morning, I was up and thought I wanted something fast, convenient and easy for lunch for both Adam and me. Adam does get a frozen dinner for lunch about once every 2 weeks. I get one once in a blue moon. Adam doesn’t mind them, but I like real food. I really don’t like all the sodium in it either. It can lead to water retention and high blood pressure. If you know me, then you know, I have very low blood pressure (something I get from my mom, at my last appointment my BP was 95/56), but it’s still not good for you. Adam likes the pizzas and the Asian noodle dishes. I buy for myself the Kashi frozen entrees. They are very good, and much better for you than most of the frozen entrees. They are made with whole grains don’t have as much sodium as most. I have only tried one, but I see from their website that they have a new one I would like to try. The Ranchero Beans has a lot of fiber and protein, especially for being a veggie/vegan entrée. I am slowly moving away from meat, so I am looking for ones that have protein in them without chicken. The downside is you do pay a pretty penny for these entrees. I think at Kroger they will normally run you $4.69 for one. Two weeks ago they were on sale for 2 for $7.00 and I had 2 $1 off coupons so I got 2 for $5.00. So I will continue to look for these as they go on sale and when they do, will continue to use these as my convenient, fast, and easy meals when I don’t have time.

Exercise - 6/12

So I typically run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, but due to some crime in the neighborhood, Adam thought it was not a good idea for Hope and me to do our Thursday run. Not that big of deal. It was supposed to be an easy 4 miler, so I figured I would get it in this weekend and not worry too much about it. Well all day Thursday I was jonesing for my run. I did have tennis practice, so that was good, but as many of the runners that read this know, there is nothing like a good run, even if it’s a short one.

So I decided today, I would throw in a quick run. I ran around work and don’t usually do this so I didn’t have a good path to take. Half of my run didn’t have a sidewalk and it is too busy to run in the streets. I was running on grass that came up to my mid-thigh. It was interesting. My first mile is usually my slowest. It takes me a good mile to get warmed up and I usually have a negative split no matter how far I run. Not today! Weird! I blame it on the hills and the running in the grass. It was freeing though. I didn’t have the jogging stroller, which now almost 100% of my runs include (not a bad thing, but it’s very heavy). It was just me and my iPod. As I was running through the tall grasses, I felt like I was running through an open field in Kenya (minus the traffic). It was rather relaxing. Anyway, I got my run in and feel much better. I got my fix for the day, if you will. :)

I had a little extra time so I decided to do some abs. I usually do abs on Tuesdays and Thursdays but since I didn’t run yesterday, I never did my abs (I know, it’s a lame excuse). I have been doing Ab Ripper X, which is very hard, but I know my abs are not as strong as they were pre-pregnancy so I know I need to work on that. Most of the time, after a long run, my abs hurt. I think it’s because my core just isn’t as strong right now as it was before little Hope. Well I didn’t have the DVD with me, so I did my old ab workout. It’s not that difficult, but it was one I did most of the time before I got pregnant. Well the good news is I did it, but it was hard for me today. It didn’t kill me so that’s good. I think my abs are getting stronger. Yeah!

We are headed to my mother-in-law’s lake house tonight so it should be a fun weekend putting Hope into the lake and seeing how she does. Good thing I got that ab routine in since it will be my first time in a bathing suit since Hope was born. :)

Have a good weekend!

You must be Hope's mom

On Monday, I was in the lactation room at work and a woman came in to pump. There are only a handful of us moms that use the room and we have all posted pictures of our children and their names and birthdays. The woman that came in I had never seen before, but that's not unusual. She took one look at me and said, "You must be Hope's mom." I responded yes, but I was taken aback. Wow, I have never been referred as Hope's mom before. It was weird (a nice weird). I have been Adam's wife and Kevin's daughter, but never Hope's mom. I liked the idea of being Hope's mom. It's my new role! I was just surprised to hear it out loud. It's funny how those things happen to you and really make you think. Of course, I have been Hope's mom for almost 8 months now, but never had ever said that to me like that. I have embraced my new role and do truly love it.

Peace,

Hope's Mom

Need to update Wed. Eating and Exercising

Just to be honest, I added a granola bar to my afternoon/pre-dinner snack. I was starving so I had to have it. I did also have the ice cream after dinner too. :) It was yummy!

Eating and Exercise - 6/10

Well even though I did keep my portions small last night, I definitely want to make sure today is a healthy day. Hope and I did go for a run yesterday so that helped too. :)

Today I want to make sure I get lots of healthy veggies in and whole foods, not processed ones.

Breakfast - Small slice of homemade banana nut oat bread and about 3/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt (and my decaf coffee with light soy milk)

Snack - Cottage cheesecake (Got this recipe from the Naturally Thin book, it's basically 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese, 2t semi-sweet chocolate chips and a splash of almond extract)

Lunch - Big salad including (field mixed greens, red bell pepper, roma tomato, cucumber, green olives, real parmesean cheese shavings, and a dollup of spicy hummus). I topped it with a lowfat asian dressing.

Snack - Stoneyfield nonfat yogurt (Black cherry is my favorite right now) and some Mulit-Grain Cheerios mixed in

Dinner - Veggie chili on top of a baked potato and maybe a little cheese on top too and some sugar snap peas

Snack/Dessert - I will try to refrain, but if I am hungry, I will have some ice cream

Exercise - Rest day for me. I am currently "training" for the Peachtree and I ran yesterday.

Last night's dinner

So last night was a treat. I made Bricked Rosemary Chicken and Baked Mac and Cheese. I did not follow these recipes completely; I made it a little healthier. For the chicken, I used less oil, and when I ate it, I didn't eat the skin. For the mac and cheese, I used skim milk instead of whole, less butter than it called for (I only used 2T instead of 6) and some of the cheese was reduced fat (not all though). I also kept my portions small and didn't have an afternoon snack to compensate for this heavier meal. Was it worth it??? Absolutely! Adam said it was the best meal I had ever made. He loved it! It's always night to get those kind of compliments. It keeps me in the kitchen. :) So we have leftovers of both, but I already have plans for the chicken and the mac and cheese will probably get eaten for lunch by one of us.

Banana Nut Oat Bread

So, I almost never buy ingredients to make something like this, but I had some bananas that were getting ready to turn, and I hate to waste food, so I thought I would make some banana bread. I have several variations on this recipe. I usually use half regular flour and half whole wheat flour, but I was all out of whole wheat flour, so I thought I would try it with some oats in it. I try to keep the ingredient list short, natural, and nutritious. Here is the recipe for this one.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 quick cooking oats

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 bananas, ripe

2 eggs

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (these have heart healthy omega 3's in them which is why I chose walnuts instead of pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mash bananas and mix in eggs in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients (flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt).

Combine both bowls and mix all ingredients together.

Fold in walnuts.

Pour into a greased 9x5 inch pan.

Cook for 45-50 minutes.

I keep the portions small and try to get some protein with it like greek yogurt or plain yogurt. I consider this a treat and don't make it that often, but it's nice to change things up every once in a while. Adam is not a fan of banana bread so I plan to give half to my grandmother tomorrow when I see her. They will enjoy it too.

Menu Planning Monday - 6/8

So it's Monday again and it's time to figure out the menus for this week. I actually went to the farmer's market yesterday (Adam was working so I thought I would take Hope and get this job out of the way for the week). Last week, we ended up eating leftovers on Friday, so I plan to have the Cottage cheese and noodles this week instead.

Monday - Leftover pizza from last night (my dad brought it over when he came to see Hope) and a salad
Tuesday - Chicken under a Brick, Baked mac and cheese, and sugar snap peas
Wednesday - Veggie chili over baked potatoes and probably another salad
Thursday - Pasta with Tomato Pesto (Cook's Illustrated recipe new this month) and a salad
Friday - Cottage cheese and noodles

Product Review - Kashi Vive Cereal

So I had a coupon for the new Kashi Vive cereal. I hadn't heard much about it, just that it was new. I read the box at the grocery store and it was already on sale so I thought why not. I eat yogurt almost everyday so I didn't really care much about the probotics, but it actually has more fiber than sugar in a serving(12g fiber and 10g sugar). The serving size is also 1.25 cups so I thought that was nice and generous. It does have a good number of calories (170) per serving, but since the serving size was larger, I thought ok. It only has 4g protein, which is low for Kashi, but most cereals only have 1 or 2g, so still better than most. Well I like the variety in the box. It has bran flakes, rice puffs, and Kashi's signature graham twigs. It was sweet enough for me (rice puffs are vanilla dipped) so it didn't require any sugar, but tasted sweet to me. I have been I have been using light soy milk (another post to come) so it was a nice breakfast. I try to keep my cereal portions small, but it's hard sometimes, so it's nice to know that this serving is larger. I will probably buy it again. It's not my new favorite cereal (Kashi GoLean Crunch has that one), but I like it enough to buy again, especially when Kashi products go on sale.

Change

So this morning, I did my usual. Hope woke us up, I fed her, changed her diaper, and got dressed in my running gear. Then I looked out the window. It was raining, not hard, but hard enough to know I couldn't take Hope out in it. I was bummed! I love training for races, so I came currently training for the Peachtree and even though it's not a long race, I want to do well, so I created a training program for myself. When I have a training program, I am meticulous about doing all the runs, so it's hard for me to not run today. I know it's not the end of the world, but this is different for me. Without Hope, I would have gone running in the rain, but definitely with Hope. It's just something I have to get used to and not beat myself up.

Eating and Exercise - 6/2

Well today ended up being a pretty active day for me. I not only ran my 6 mile tempo run, but I did abs (still working on my abs from my pregnancy) and walked 1.5 miles to the doctors office and back. My eating went well today too.

Breakfast - Kashi Vive and skim milk

Lunch - Homemade Tuna Salad Salad with reduced fat salad dressing

Snack - Baked Cheetos and sparkling water

Dinner - Enchilada Casserole and some broccoli with lowfat cheese sauce

Snack - I bought some new ice cream, so I will probably have to try it tonight. :)

I am exhausted. Hope and I had a very busy and productive day, so I am hoping to get to bed early tonight.

Confessions

Ok, so I have a confession to make. I am 30 years old and I have never seen a dermatologist. Well, until today. I was fortunate that I never had bad skin when I was a teenager, so I never saw one. I have an olive complexion so I don't burn much, so I always thought I would be fine. Well over the years, I have gotten some moles and lately they had been making me nervous. Between running and tennis, I am in the sun a lot and before Hope was born, I would lay out (I know it's so bad for me, but it feels so good). I have skin like my mom and she never had any problems with moles, so I figured I was probably fine, but now that I am a mom, I wanted to make sure. So this afternoon I got Hope into the stroller and we went to see the dermatologist. The office was less than a mile away, so we walked (out in the sun, but conserving energy). Well the visit went well and I had no problem areas. I do have several moles that I need to watch but there were no signs of melanoma. Yeah! I was relieved. I had been putting off going to the dermatologist for years because I didn't want to hear a lecture or they tell me I had melanoma. Well neither happened and I am glad.

Menu Planning Monday

I found this on another blog and have started doing this to be more organized and save money. I plan out my dinner menus for the week, then I know I will have everything, plus I don't have to think about what to make on days when I get home from work late. Also, I grocery shop on Tuesdays, so it helps me get a grocery list. If I am going to Kroger or Publix, then I will check to see what is on sale that week and adjust my menu accordingly. This week the dinner menu is:

Monday - Gnocchi with marinara and rotisserie chicken and salads
Tuesday - Enchilada Casserole
Wednesday - Pepper Jack Chicken (crockpot meal)
Thursday - On your own (I'll be at the NKOTB concert) :)
Friday - Either leftovers (if there are any) or Cottage cheese and noodles

Obviously, I'll have sides with these, but I can pull those together a little easier than the entrees.