It's a Cauliflower Stir-Fry Kind of Night

I intended my next post to be about my meal prepping, but decided I may as well save it for later in the week. So on the menu tonight was baked chicken seasoned with Mrs. Dash onion and herb, steamed brocoli, and of course: Cauliflower Stir-fry!! Even my five year old son liked it...if this doesn't scream out try me at dinner time I dont know what will. Its relatively easy to make and of course you can add what every else you may want to it, like peas or diced carrots. I just wanted to show you the most simplistic way to create it.

All you need is:

~ a food processor or a blender; I just used my blender.

~ head of cauliflower

~ light soy sauce

~ 2 eggs

~ Mrs. Dash onion and herb

How I made it:

~ Rinse and cut the florets off into pieces (I used about half of the whole head of cauliflower)

~ Place a few pieces at a time into the blender to make the process easier. By using the blender it gives it a more "rice" like consistency.

~ Once you have done this, spray a little bit of olive oil in your pan ( I use the PAM olive oil brand) and pour all of the cauilflower in on high.

~ This is now where you will stir in 3 tbp of the light soy sauce and sprinkle in a little bit of the Mrs. Dash ( optional).

~ Push the cauliflower rice to the surrounding edges and crack the 2 eggs into the pan. Once they start to cook you can scramble them up while mixing it in with the cauliflower. 

~ I stir this off and on for about 15 mins.

~ Measure out your correct portions on your plate and you are finished!

Let me know in the comments below if you enjoyed making this as much as I did. I hope everyone had a wonderful Monday!

Enjoy Today and Happy Running!!

Hot Chocolate 15K

This morning my alarm went off at 6 a.m. I got dressed, kissed my sleeping husband and son, and headed out to pick up one of my best friends, Alli. When I arrived she informed me the race info online stated we should get there at 6:30; this was at 6:45. So naturally I go into panic mode. And of course my ding-bat self forgot to fill up my car the night before, so we had to make a stop before we could officially hit the road. Thank goodness there was zero traffic and as luck would have it we were able to get in a parking lot across the street from our corral line up. This is with 45 minutes to spare, might I add.

The whole experince was both challenging and thrilling. Once I past the 10K mark I was overwhelmed with excitement. For those who dont know, this was my first race where I lengthened my distance. Every fellow racer we came in contact with was very nice and encouraging. All the volunteers where great; they were enthusiastic which kept us smiling through the miles. When I crossed the finish line, while a little fatgued I was proud. I was proud of myself for having the courage to do more. Now I can cross it off my New Year Resolution's list!

I don't think this run would have been the same with out my Alli girl! Running not only brings happiness to the soul, but it also deepens friendships. We came closer as we encouraged each other and laughed about the craziest things along the way. So thankful for her.

Here are some pictures from this morning's race. I hope everyone has had an amazing weekend and remember to Enjoy Today!

Saturday Grocery Shopping!

Oh Saturdays, how I adore you. You are always filled with cleaning duties and a wonderful trips to the store! Thought I would share with you guys my grocery list for a week's worth of food for my meal preps and dinner menu. I have meal prepped before, but never took it too seriously. Now that I am actually training and staying active, I can tell my body is lacking in nutrition and could use a better eating schedule. Everything listed below I was able to purchase with fifty dollars! Not too shabby for a week's worth of meals!

Whole Grain Brown Rice
Quinoa
Pam Olive oil spray
Light soy sauce
Mrs. Dash onion and herb
Bag of frozen chicken breast
Mixed Greens
Cherry tomatoes
Bag of lemons
Organic Brocoli
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Sweet potatoes
Assorted Bell peppers
Green Bell pepper
Asparagus

That pretty much sums it up! Check in with the blog later in the week on how I will prep my meals!

Enjoy Today and Happy Running!

Lone Survivor- Amazing movie!!

Just finished watching Lone Survivor. I encourage everyone to go see it. For all those who decide to do so, Gentleman please show some respect and remove your hats during last few minutes of the movie as they show the memorial photos of The Fallen. I am in tears on the way home knowing that those brave men fought for my freedom and for the people sitting near me did not have the decency to remove their hats out of respect. I know It's a small gesture but each one of them were a son or father or someone's brother. Thank you.

Rest Days!

If you have a true passion and love for running as I and many others do, then you find yourself wanting to run everyday and when you aren't running you are thinking about it. This is one and the same for loving a great workout at the gym...It's a addition I'm okay with. Having said this, it is so important to have a rest day!
Even though I ran Monday through Wednesday, I had planned to go out this morning with a friend. She called this a.m. stating she was sick and going to see her doctor. As much as feel bad for her being under the weather, I was happy to have a rest day. I spent an hour just walking and then went home and did some deep stretching on my mat. My muscles are thanking me already.
So don't forget to have a good rest day and drink lots of water!

Enjoy today and happy running! 

My Current Running Playlist

I typically run with friends and we chat or just enjoy each other's company in peaceful silence. On the days I do run solo, I like having something to occupy my mind and also keep me motivated through each mile. There is no set sequence, I mainly put mine on shuffle, however if I need to slow my heart rate I will switch to a slower song or if I'm on my last mile, I will crank up a high energy song to push me to the end. 

1.Sail- AWOLNATION

2. Roar- Katy Perry

3. Burn- Ellie Goulding

4. Wake Me Up- Avicii

5. Timber feat. Ke$ha- Pitbull

6. TKO- Justin Timberlake

7. Started From the Bottom- Drake

8. We Can't Stop- Miley Cyrus

9.Brave-Sara Bareilles

10. Infamous- Abandon All Ships

11. Sex on Fire- Kings of Leon

12. Light Em Up- Fall Out Boy

13. Let Her Go- Passenger

14. Phresh Out the Runway- Rihanna

15. Let the Rain Fall Down- Hilary Duff

16. Unconditionally- Katy Perry

~Enjoy today and Happy Running!

TGIF!!

Happy Friday everyone! ! Today was my first day back running from a knee injury and there was no way a little rain was going to keep me from it. Got to love my running partner who never ceases to amaze me. She's always ready to get out there and get it done. She keeps me motivated and smiling the whole way. Everyone needs that one person you can count on in rain or shine to run by your side. Thanks Amanda!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Wednesday Morning Inspiration

Good Morning and happy Wednesday! I know it's the middle of the week and often times we need a boost to push us through. I remind myself each morning is precious and something to not take for granted. It's never too late to wake up and lace up. Or just start a new chapter in your life today! My husband made a couragous choice to go back to school and get his degree. When he came home after his first day of classes, the excitment on his face was infectious and all I wanted to do was listen to his dreams as he makes them a reality. So make this day anew.

Happy running!

2014 New Year's Resolutions

                

Now that we have entered a new year it is time to start setting new goals for myself. 2013 was filled with many changes that paved the way for self discovery as I found a new passion in my life for better health and fitness. I began with taking on the Insanity challenge which was then followed with my first 5k. I instantly fell in love with running and became addicted to the happiness it brings when I complete a run. Now I am onto new challenges and self improvements. With that being said here are my resolutions for 2014:

1. Start a blog. I have always enjoyed journaling and writing so I wanted a place to share my thoughts and passions with the others.  I hope this blog is something I can be proud of and a place for others to get tips as I continue to learn or just be entertained.

2. Run a 10k & 15k. I am able to run a 10k comfortably but I'm still working up the last few miles to complete a 15k. I need to find a 10k to register for but I am currently registered for the Hot Chocolate 15k January 26th.

3. Improve my 5k time. It's very important to never settle with a certain time just because I am training for longer distances. Improvement in my time will help me in all future races. My goal is to shave off at least 1-2 minutes off my avg pace by the end of the year.

4. Half Marathon. Goals 2 and 3 are in preparation to finish 13.1 miles with a decent time by spring. 

5. Complete a Spartan Race. This is more as a family goal. My 5 year old son loves running and being outdoors so what better way to have some fun as a family. My husband and I will race the sprint in March and later in the day our son will run in the kids race. My personal goal is to complete more obstacles on the course than having to do burpees for not be able to. Either way we will enjoy getting muddy and earning those finishing metals together.

6. Obtain my Personal Training Certification. Last year I finally figured out what I wanted to do in life as a career. For 5 years I worked in advertising for a couple of agencies but always felt stressed and unhappy at the end of the day. After some friends sought me out to help them with their fitness goals and diet plans, I quickly realized it was something I would be happy to do for a living. Helping others feel better about themselves and creating a path for them to follow while guiding them along the way would bring me joy. I am currently studying and completing my course work. In 8 weeks I will take my test to get certified.

7. Complete a Triathlon (Sprint distance). Did I mention I started riding bikes as well? One of my close and dear friends has a passion for cycling and begged me to go for one ride with her while she trained for an upcoming goal she had set for herself. Yep...I enjoyed that too. So, my hubs and I bought some inexpensive bikes just to make sure we were up for even training for something like this. We started training this past August and our event date is our One year Anniversary weekend in April. With the help of my stepdad we began the swimming portion of the training. (I guess it doesn't hurt he used to swim for UGA.) So in short I don't care if my time is embarassing, I only want to complete this with my husband by my side.

8. Become a Spartan Trifecta member. By the end of the year I would like to have completed the sprint, super and beast Spartan races. In doing so I will be a Trifecta member!

9. Become more flexible and advance in my Yoga moves. I enjoy this time to myself or with a few close friends in a class setting. I want to improve on my breathing and positions.

10. Volunteer for a charity. I want my time to also be about helping others towards a common goal to better the lives of others. I also want my child to grow up understanding there is joy in doing good not for selfish reasons but to see others in a better state. I found a cool website createthegood.org I plan to find a charity our family can asist with our time.

11. Gain new friendships/ Strengthen Old ones. I believe we are all put on this earth to learn from one another and to better ourselves in understanding how we should interact with each other. I have many wonderful friends but I love meeting new people and hearing their story. I want to aslo take the close friendships that I do have and remember to listen more and talk less; to make sure I am a positive person in their life not someone who drags them down.

12. Worry less. No need to expand on this we all know what it means to worry. I need remember to give everything in my day to day life up to God and know I as long as I follow the path He sets for me, He will give the tools and strength I need to get where I am meant to be.

13. Enjoy this Life I was given. Last but not least on my baker's dozen resolution list, I want to just enjoy each moment in the moment with my huband, my son, family and friends. Making it count and making memories we can charish. Be a better wife, better mother, better friend. This life is precious and was graciously given, I want to live a life I can be proud of and more importantly a life lived in Christ.