The Weather Made Me Wimpy

I wimped out today. I admit it. I have seen posts of people with snow and icicles forming on their eyelashes and in their beards, but I just couldn't do it. No, it didn't snow here in Florida. The weather was actually in the low 50's at 5:00 am this morning, however, the winds were 25-30 mph! Tomorrow is not going to be much better. It's predicted to be in the lower 30's and still a brutal wind. 

Instead, I snuggled in my cozy bed until about 8:00 am. I really didn't think I could sleep that late any more since I am so used to getting up bright and early. The training plan called for 13 miles this morning but I did 2 hours on the elliptical. I know it sounds like the ultimate in boredom, but Chris set me up so that I could watch The Biggest Loser on my iPad and I was off and "running". Thanks to the fitbit, I am able to post the proof. I'm wondering now how it all equates. Regardless, I worked up a good sweat and burned some calories. 

Tonight's dinner was the last of this week's boxes from Hello Fresh. The picture shows the Greek Salad Flatbread with Olives, Artichokes, and Feta. I just turned it into a pizza shape. Hello Fresh truly is a good product. We have been eating at home more often and I am really enjoying making the recipes. Every single item has been delicious! 

An Extra Day

It was nice to have a three day weekend. That extra day meant extra accomplishments around the house. Finally, all the Christmas things are packed and put away. There was also plenty of laundry to be done, and the living room and kitchen are pretty clean. I even got a jump start on the bedroom. Can you tell I've been behind (read: unmotivated) for quite some time?

I started the day with a 4.5 mile run. I decided to up the interval this morning to 4:1. I'm still building endurance to try to run a 5K straight for my shorter runs, but taking it extremely slow. There will be no more injuries for this running girl. This week I plan to add an extra day of running to try to increase my mileage a bit. It was perfect timing with the holiday although it was only 47 degrees and a bit blustery. Ah, to be able to run at 7:00 am every day!

Dinner tonight was another (oh no, the last of this week's boxes!) Hello Fresh recipe: Crispy Chickpea and Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Quinoa and Roasted Garlic Viaigrette. I must admit I wasn't overly thrilled when looking at this recipe initially but I'm excited to report that with one bite I was regretting that I ever had any doubt at all. Wow, such a delicious warm winter salad.  

I ended up having the last chocolate chip chickpea blondie for dessert. Yes, I just made them yesterday. I awoke to find half the pan had disappeared. Of course, the teenager had a mighty difficult time admitting that she ate and LIKED something so healthy! 

And, she asked me to French braid her hair for work today. Things that make you go hmmmmm!! 

Savory Sunday #4

Now that I've returned from three days of eating crap, it was time to get back on track. Breakfast was a poached egg on sesame Ezekiel bread with an orange.

I got in a 40 minute elliptical workout and refueled with a shrimp salad with pear gorgonzola dressing.

Dinner tonight was another Hello Fresh recipe by Jamie Oliver. Jamie's Baked Sweet Potatoes with Grated Salad and Sticky Seeds was much more prep work than some of the other recipes but the taste combination was truly unique. What you can't see in the picture is the bottom layer which is actually the sweet potato. Spread on top of the sweet potato was yogurt seasoned with lemon zest, turmeric and cumin. Another layer included the shaved salad consisting of red onion, carrot, radishes, a beet and an apple. The final ingredient besides the arugula you see was the sticky seeds: pumpkin and sunflower seeds mixed with some maple syrup.

And who can forget dessert? Tonight's treat was Chocolate Chip Chickpea Brownies from the Cleanfoodcrush website. Wow, a super moist brownie with just enough sweetness to curb the cravings. Even the teenage daughter had to admit she liked them!!

Sunday Summary

I ended the week with 14.81 running miles, a 3 mile walk and 40 minutes on the elliptical. It was not as good a training week as I would have liked, but being away at a conference for three days took a toll. We will hope for better next week, especially getting back to incorporating some strength workouts into the routine. 

This weeks's accomplishments:

1. I recorded a .6 pound weight loss. 

2. I met my personal goal of meeting the 10,000 Fitbit steps four times this week.

3. The Christmas decorations are just about put away!

Time to Train

It's Saturday...time for the long training run. Today was bridge repeats. Over and back and over and back for 7.5 miles. But, it felt good! All in training for this at the Austin Half Marathon:

The next few Saturdays will include another set of bridge repeats, and then, depending upon the weather, Kristine and I may do the Publix Half Marathon. After that, it's on to Austin! Time goes by quickly when you are training.

This week I will try to get back on track with some more healthy eating after indulging in total crap at a conference for the last three days. It's frustrating to me that there are so few decent options sometimes! I stuck to steel cut oatmeal at Panera's this morning after my run and then we just snacked through the day. 

I made dinner during half time of the Patriots game. Chris loves his tortellini. This Hello Fresh recipe is Tortellini en Brodo with Shredded Brussels Sprouts, Kale and Parmesan. I often make tortellini in broth, but the added vegetables made it very satisfying.