Pinterest Workouts

I've joined the Pinterest bandwagon. Tonight I was looking for a workout to get in some cardio so I turned to my new addiction and looked under the Fitness section on Pinterest. Here is what I found and tried out:

The 100 Workout

Found here

Tabata Intervals

Found here

I was still feeling like I needed more cardio so I added 3 more Tabata intervals

Interval #1

step ups x 2 rounds

mountain climbers x 2 rounds

step ups x 2 rounds

mountain climbers x 2 rounds

Interval #2

football run x 4 rounds 

split lunges x 4rounds

Interval #3

side-to-side lunges

side-to-side jumps

Back to Heavy Lifting

I guess it's been awhile since I last posted. Oops. I get lazy sometimes. That's really my only explanation.

In other news, I've started a new weight routine. For the last few years I've been like a lot of females and avoided heavy lifting in the gym. I gravitated towards the using the wee free weights with lots of reps to do more endurance exercise with the goal of toning up. Well this plan worked, for about 6 months, but then I plateaud. 1 and a half years later I'm still doing the same thing and I've still plateaued.....what can I say, I don't like change. Well I finally pulled up my big girl pants and decided it was time for change so I switched up my weitght routine. The plan: heavier weights, less reps.

In my hunt for a new routine, I found this book The New Rules of Lifting for Women which does a great job of introducing women to heavier lifting in the gym. There are 7 stages, with 2 workout routines at each stage. The first stage get you used to using weights and lifting heavier, and then each stage is progressively tougher. Right now I am on Stage 2 and so far this workout seems like the real deal. As with any weight routine, it is as challenging as you make it so I definitely make sure I try to load up on the weight. A good stand by to measure intensity is to make sure the last 2-3 reps are hard to do and make you want to give up easily.

Stay tuned for more updates on this as I work my way through the stages.

Work It Out

Exciting news...my sister moved back to the country!! Selfishly I'm really happy because now I have a workout buddy and someone to try out new workout ideas with. She doesn't have a gym membership yet, so she gets to use my ghetto gym in the basement.

Yesterday was my first chance to try out a new workout idea with her. I have been reading about this Tabata training, where you do 20 second intervals with a 10 second rest for 4 minutes, alternating between 2 exercises (you can do 4 sets of one, then 4 of another; or 2 sets/swtich/2 sets/etc.). Then you rest and do it again with different exercises. The idea is that you try to max out on every interval, increasing your VO2 max. It was first designed with cardio exercises, but you can adapt it to involve weights instead.

After a 5 minute warm up, my sis and I did the following routine:

**Some of the exercise names may be wrong. That is because I made up the names instead of searching for their actual technical names. It helps me remember them more easily.

This was a toughie for sure. I highly recommend buying an interval timer or downloading a free app that has a Tabata clock on it. You will lose track of which interval you are on.

It was quick, super challenging, and got my heart rate up, so overall this will definitely become a staple. Now here's hoping my first customer comes back :)

On The Menu

Well this weekend was an interesting one. I definitely learned a lot that's for sure. I am currently studying to take a fitness theory exam (I took the classes a few weeks ago) but that wasn't all I learned. Here are a few little lessons I learned:

• Don't go too fast with a mandolin. You may slice your thumb...
• Don't pick up a knife from the non-handle side. You may slice your your finger....
• I'm slightly allergic to medical tape.

Fun times. I was sure glad Bill was given free Band-Aids as a give away at the Corporate Challenge events this weekend. 

Weekly Meals

The end of the weekend also means that we figure out our meals for the week. We then put them on the  chalkboard so we don't forget (I am such a project management dork). Trust me, this planning totally helps after a long day of work. Here's what is on the menu for the week:

The key is to plan 4 meals because there is likely one day of leftovers/going out to eat. Tonight I made the Tuna Melts because they were super quick and I didn't feel like cooking much (and I didn't want to risk cutting myself again)

Ingredients:

3 Whole-wheat Dinner Rolls/Portobello Mushroom Caps

1 Tin of Skipjack Tuna, drained

1 tsp light Mayonnaise

1 tsp Red Chili Sauce

1/4 cup grated Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat Broiler

2. Mix Tuna, Mayo and Chili sauce in a small bowl

3. Slice dinner rolls in half

4. Spread tuna mix over each half of the rolls

5. Top with grated Cheese

6. Broil for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted

Serves: 2 

Easy-peasy. No knifes were involved (well barely).

Race Recaps x2

Exciting news...I ran a new 10 km Personal Best, shaving a whopping 2 minutes off my previous time. Then 2 weeks later I beat that PB by 36 seconds! And with that, I'm officially retiring (may as well quite while I'm ahead). Just kidding, I'm not actually giving up on running but I am finished with the races for this year.

Energizer Light Up The Night Race (Photo Source)

This was a unique and fun race. It started at 9:30pm just as the sun was setting and everyone wore headlamps. With over 1,300 runners this looked really cool. The race was 2 loops of a 5km route so you had a few chances to see all the lights bobbing up and down. I must admit that the novelty of running with a headlamp lasted about 2 minutes before the thing kept slipping off my schweaty forehead and knocking me in the nose. I ended up taking off my headlamp and carrying it the rest of the way. I felt great the rest of the run and ran at a steady pace. I was so happy when I saw the finish line and the timmer was at the 45 min. My final time was 45:45.

Pre Race Fuel: This was an odd race to plan for because it was the first one I ever ran at night. I ate how I normally would throughout the day and drank plenty of water. About 2.5 hours before the race I made homemade burgers and salad for dinner. I'm sure this isn't the greatest but I had no inspiration that night to make anything else. I also had one small mouthful of GU in the car to the race but I was too nervous to eat anything else. No matter what, I always get nervous before a race.

Calgary Women's Run (Photo Source)

Last weekend I participated in the Calgary Women's run. I was supposed to run it with my mum but she is nursing a running injury this summer so we couldn't team up for the mother-daughter category. Too bad because we would have killed it (she is faster than me - although I think I'm catching up with these times). Maybe next year.

I ran most of the race all by my lonesome, since the first few girls were super speedy. Well I thought I was by myself but if you look in the pic you see a nice pack behind me to the right (the lady on my left is some random who was running on the path that day). I eyed out that little group behind me at the turnaround point and am pretty sure that's why I ended up running a personal best. My final clock time was 45:09! Nothing like a little competition to push you. Take that previous PB.

Results: Turns out I didn't need my mum on a team to help me place. I was 8th overall and 2nd in my age group! At first I thought I hadn't placed in my age group because the first few finishers were all in my age group, but they actually took the overall winners out of the age category prizes, so I got my little moment of glory (that is a race pet peeve of mine, when the winners get two prizes. Who needs 2 prizes anyway?)

Pre-race fuel: I went with my pre-race staple Oatmeal+PB+Banana. Why change a good thing? Clearly it worked.

And with that, I am officially done all of my races this year. Hockey season is starting up soon! Can't wait.

Race Recap: Rock The House 5km

Last weekend I completed my first 5km race of the year, the Rock The House fun run in support of the Ronald McDonald House. I wasn't planning on running a 5km this year; however, an opportunity came up last minute to do this one, so I jumped on the chance. Overall the race was a casual fun race, with live music and entertainment throughout the course, so I could leave my iPod at home and just enjoy it all.

Planning For The Race

Since it was a last minute decision to run this, there wasn't much planning involved. Basically I decided the night before that I wanted to run a sub-24 minute 5km, which would be a personal best for me (my previous personal best was 24:01). I have been consistently running throughout the summer so I felt like this was do-able. I'm also a bit of a math nerd, so I figured out the exact minute break downs for each kilometer and charged up my Nike+ watch (I'm not cool enough for a Garmin).

The Race

Despite some sore legs from a 10km hike the day before, I actually felt pretty good and energetic during the race. My big fail was spending all that time the night before planning out my pace and timing for each km. As soon as I started, my Nike+ watch switched to miles/hour, not km/hour (damn US factory settings). I gave up on the watch and saw a girl running a few meters in front of me at a decent pace so I decided to keep up with her. This plan worked out really well because she was strong runner and held a steady pace the whole way through. I never did catch her but I did destroy my previous personal best by finishing with a final chip time of 22:19. I was actually quite shocked that I ran it that fast but my Nike + said 3.1 miles exactly so it must be true (my math is so stellar I can convert that to km in no time...)

Race Day Eats

I stuck to my race-day stand by of oatmeal. I find it easy to digest and it gives me enough energy for any distance. Clearly it helped me out with this race.

1/3 c Oats

1 Banana

1 tbsp Natural Peanut Butter

My Thoughts on Beating a Personal Best

Damn it. Now I just want to go faster. Why can't I just be satisfied for once.

Amazing Discoveries: Things That Stick

I had a few amazing discoveries today. Two great ones and one not so much. They were so epic that I had to share.

1. Homemade veggie burges do not make good pre-run fuel

(This was the not so great discovery.) After dinner tonight, Bill and I decided to go for a run. About 15 minutes in I asked if we could walk because I didn't feel so hot. Bill was more than happy to because he wasn't feeling so hot either. I was feeling barfy and the dinner I made was definitely sticking to my stomach too much. No need to worry, I pride myself on having an iron stomach so that dinner did not reappear. Lesson learned: my experiment with homemade veggie burgers was a fail.

2. The headband that finally stays put (for the most part)

I have a head shape that can not hold a headband. I have tried and tried to find one that stays put, ranging from the tiny to the wide to the expensive-no-slip versions, but to no avail, they alway pop right off my head. I have the headband down to an art where I put my hair into a low ponytail and bobbypin the shiz out of them, but they still manage to slip. Le sigh.

Today everything changed. A few weeks ago, I saw across the blog world that everyone was raving about these BIC Bands, claiming they did not slip. Challenge accepted! I ordered two (because that's what you do in Canada, you order multiples of things to justify the shipping and customs charges) and they arrived in the mail last night. Today I put them to the ultimate challenge, high-up ponytail and no bobby pins. I was nervous, but they passed the test. No slippage! Well until I went on my run tonight. I think it was my fault though as I pushed the BIC band too far on it's rookie day out.

3. Nail polish that doesn't chip

Ok I know what you are thinking, this has nothing to do with exercise. Wrong. I have always had chipped-nail-polish nails from all the hockey/skiing/biking/any-sport-that-involves-gloves. All of these sports destroy a fresh manicure in a matter of seconds. I impulsively bought these Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips the other day (the sparkles got to me). I tried them out and so far they have yet to chip. Granted I have only biked twice, but usually by this point my weekend nail polish job is looking a little lack luster. Not this time around. These bad boys hold their own. I highly recommend for those who do a lot of sports but want pretty nails.

Getting Back in to the Groove

After 2 weeks of traveling, 1 of which was at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico, I'm ready to get back into a healthy eating and fitness routine. Even though I was able to use a few of my tricks for working out while on vacation, such as taking advantage of the hotel gym and running along the beach, I still ate like food was going out of style. Dessert with every meal, why not? A few extra Pina Coladas, I'll take them? My philosophy in Mexico was that I may as well enjoy the trip and not worry about anything. One week of indulgence never hurt anyone, but now it's time to get back on track. Since I'm a planner, here is my game plan for the next week:

Workouts

- Bike commuting every day

- Run 2 times this week

- Weights 3 times this week

Eating

I don't like having rules when I eat but this week I'm going to use a few stand-bys:

- Eat 6 meals per day (3 main + 3 mini)

- Up my protein intake with each meal

- Lots and lots of fruits and veggies (I'm aiming for 5-6 per day)

- Drink lots of water (around 6 glasses per day - I need to make up for all of those Pina Coladas somehow)

The first few day back from vacation have been feeling sluggish, so hopefully this plan can get me back into the swing of things.

Keeping Active While Traveling

It seems like I've been traveling a lot lately. A month ago we were in Florida for vacation, then last week I was in Chicago for work, and soon we are off to Mexico. This is odd for me since I barely ever travel and am a bit of a home body. The toughest part for me is that it makes it hard to stick to my workout plan, and as a planner, I get super anxious when I can't stick to a plan.

I'm no expert on staying fit while on the move, but here are a few things I figured out so far:

- See if you hotel has a fitness center - these can sometimes be tiny and consist of only 1 treadmill and a few free weights, but it's better than nothing

- Go for a run to explore the city - I only do this if I feel safe in the city

- Find some no-weights-required workouts - my favorite source is Women's Health Magazine because they have a lot of great workouts that you can put right onto your iPod and do in your hotel room

- Pushups and sit-ups - sometimes you just don't want to workout while traveling. When I'm feeling less motivated, I try to do a few pushups and sit-ups before bed. I usually do 30 reps of each, then 20, then 10

- Walk as much as possible - This is a great way to discover a city. Rather than taking taxi's and transit everywhere, try walking around to different attractions

I hope these tips help.

Staying Motivated

This is a common look for me. Cooking dinner in my workout gear.

It's tough to fit in a workout when you work 8-5 (and lately for me this has been 8- 6 or later). My workouts typically take place in the evenings after I get home and after I make dinner. It's very tough to stay motivated once dinner is done, so my go to trick is to put my workout gear on the second I get home and cook in my gear. It's a weird way to stay motivated but trust me, it works! It does feel weird to sit on the couch in workout gear.

Some other ways to stay motivated are to:

• Plan and schedule your workouts ahead of time
• Switch up your workout plan (weights, workout DVDs, yoga, etc.)
• Take it outside. This is especially good if you work inside all day.
• Use working out to accomplish daily tasks. For example, I bike to work because I have to get there anyway. You could also try walking to the grocery store or go for a run with a friend instead of going out for drinks (or go out for drinks afterwards anyway)

Any other ideas out there? Feel free to let me know.

Race Recap: Bowness Centennial 10KM

Last Sunday I ran the Bowness Centennial 10km! (and yes, it took me a week to write a recap). Here's a pre-race pic of me. Man I look nervous! I was kind of worried that my leg pain would flair up and I really wanted to beat 50 min.

Every time I race, I try to take a lesson out of it and this time the message was pace yourself! It took forever for the race to start once they got us organized at the start line. First they had a few speeches, then a blessing from an aboriginal, and just when you thought that was it, they sang the anthem! It was too much, especially when you have pre-race jitters. So once the race finally started, I was anxious and went out too fast. I was feeling great at that pace, so I decided to keep it up. If I wanted to beat 50 min, I figured I would have to push my comfort zone anyway. The problem was that at about 7km I realized my pace was maybe a bit ambitious and I totally ran out of gas. I thought I was either going to pass out or puke, and the last 3 km was killer. When I rounded the corner saw that I had about 500 meters to go, I have never been happier to see a finish line in my life. Usually I pick up the pace and finish strong but as soon as I saw the time was at 47 minutes, I slowed down, fixed my hair (I had to look good incase there was a photographer at the finish line), and finished in 48 minutes on the dot. (There was no photographer. Major boo) I was so happy that I beat my time but immediately felt like I was going to pass out. I made Bill raid the post-race snack goodies while I walked it out. Once the dizziness passed, I realized I had run my first sub-50 min 10km and was soooo happy. We peaced out on the post-race events and went out for Vietnamese Pho afterwards to celebrate. I'm guessing Pho is probably not the best post-race recovery food but I felt like I had earned it.

In other news, Bill ran his 10 km in 41-something minutes. He also had the same epic fail as me and went out too strong. So lesson learned, next time I'm pacing my self properly right out of the gates and then if I can pick it up around 5km I will do so.

Pre-Race Fuel

Today is race day and it's not snowing! I was a little worried yesterday when it was raining, but today we woke up to a tiny bit of blue sky and no moisture in the air. Fingers crossed it stays this way. You may think it's odd that I'm worried about snow, but since the two races I've completed this spring have been in snow, I think I'm justified.

We are running the 10km in this race, and my goal is to break 50 minutes. In order to fuel up for the race, I made my pre-race go-to meal: oatmeal. Every runner is different in how they fuel up, but we are all the same in that when we find something that works, we stick to it.

In the bowl:

1/2 cup Instant Oats

1 tbsp PB

1 scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

1 tsp Maple Syrup

1/4 cup milk

1 apple on the side

On that note, I better go get ready so I'm not late for the race!

Grill It Up

Today's workout burned and I liked it! I was faced with a head wind on the bike ride home, which always makes for a fun ride. My legs were a burning by the time I got home! Once home, I popped in a workout DVD, Get Ripped and Chiseled, which has a ton of upper-body exercises. This helps to balance out those thunder-thighs that biking and hockey so conveniently give me.

Fitness: 60 min. workout DVD + 40 min. bike

It's no secret that I'm a little obsessed with workout DVDs. I particularly like Ripped & Chiseled because it focuses on one muscle at a time and I can overload on weights. I always feel like it's a solid workout when my muscles are shaking towards the last few reps.

Eats: Grilled Teriyaki Pork with Grilled Pineapple

After my workout I was f-hungry (as per usual). I needed something quick so the BBQ did the trick. We marinated some pork tenderloin all day in a teriyaki sauce, so we threw this onto the grill with some pineapple. Easy peasy.

Magazine Workout

Today was a busy day at work. I ended up working a bit late and had little motivation to workout when I got home. This is the downside to working out after work, but the upside of biking if I do skip the workout. I really didn't want to miss out on my first workout of the week so I decided to try a new routine to motivate me. I also wanted to watch the hockey game (go Bruins!) and I could do this while working out.

Workout: 40 min bike + Bootcamp routine from Women's Health Magazine

I'm generally not a fan of magazine workouts but when I saw the bootcamp workout in the June issue of Women's Health, I thought I'd give the magazine workout a try.

Overview:

The workout consisted of 2 circuits each with 4 exercises. You complete each circuit 4 times before moving on to the next. All you need is a medicine ball and resistance tubing.

Review:

This was definitely one of the tougher magazine workouts that I've tried and I'll probably keep it on hand. My arms and shoulders did get a good burn during the workout, but afterwards I didn't feel that continual burn which I really love and crave from doing weights. I ended up adding a few exercises with some heavier free weights to supplement the workout. It must have worked because now I can barely lift my arms to type.

Eats:

Post workout meal consisted of Chicken Asian Salad

(that bowl was refilled numerous times)

We have been making our own salad dressings lately, mostly because we are too lazy/keep forgetting to pick up some from the store. This one was a soy-ginger-garlic one that was fantastic!

Hooray for May

Goodbye May and hello June! The sun is starting to shine here (well sort of) and the grass is getting green (well ours needs a bit ofwork to get there), but it's starting to feel like summer! Since I nerd out on numbers, here is my recap of the month in numbers:

Running/fitness

- Races: 0
- Weeks off running: 2 (It was a looooong 2 weeks)
- Races signed up for: 3
- Pairs of running shoes bought: 1
- Weeks of cross-training: 4

Food

- Weird dishes made: 3 x 4 weeks= 12 (I made these items over and over and over...)
- Normal recipes made: 0 (it was a lazy month)
- BBQs bought: 1 (hence the lazy month. Pretty much everything was grilled)
- Cups of coffee per day: 2

Life

- Years married: 1 (yay for anniversary month)
- Vacation days taken to celebrate anniversary: 7
- Temperature of anniversary destination place: 90F (that's right, I finally found sun)
- Theme parks visited while on vacation: 5 (can you guess where we went?)
- Dollars spent on outlet mall shopping: $300
- Items bought at outlet mall: 15 (Shopping in the U.S. is seriously awesome)
- Number of times I have added color commentary in this post: 11 (Color commentary = anything in brackets)
- Disney pins collected: 4
- yes that's right we went to the happiest place on earth to celebrate 1 year

Hooray for May! It was a fun one.

Two Weeks With No Running = Sign Up for Races

So 2 weeks ago I decide to take a break from running to heal my legs. After my half marathon I was getting a pain in my calf every time I ran so I bit the bullet and took some time off. What did I do in the meantime? Well I biked more and did some aerobic-body-pump style workout dvds. I also watched other runners on the pathway with extreme jealousy, and oh right, I signed up for three more 10 km races! My justification was that signing up for them will give me the motivation to heal.....sure that makes sense [insert sarcasm]. Truthfully, my legs are feeling much better, so it's probably o.k. to do some races. It all started with me stumbling across information for a night time race:

The Energizer Night Race (link)

It's a night time race and you wear a headlamp. How could I not sign up for it?!

Then I decided I needed to train for this race (which is in August) by signing up for a race in June.

The Bowness Centennial Race (link)

I don't know anything about this race besides that it's 10 km and in June. The course looks neat and it's a part of the city I don't know much about.

And finally I signed up for a race at the end of August, which I was planning to do all along.

The Calgary Women's Run (link)

I'm still trying to convince my mum to run it with me since we can sign up as a team. For those of you who don't know, my mum is a super fast runner, so my plan is to get her on my team so I can actually win some hardware for once.

Here's to hoping I'm healed in time!

I bake weird $hit....but it's healthy!

I like to experiment in the kitchen. This is great except that I pretty much never make anything the "normal" way. As the husband like to say I make weird $hit. Let me explain:

Cookies are not made with butter and flour. These bad boys contain zucchini. Just making sure you get your 5-7.

Pudding from a powder where you just add milk...ummm no way. Try an avocado with a dash of honey and cocoa powder.

And the grand finale, granola bars held together by mounds of honey, yeah that just doesn't fly with me. These use dates, bananas, carrots, and spinach ground to a paste. Told you I make weird $hit. Even the man on the plate thinks so.

Bike Commuting

For 6 months of the year I bike to work. As soon as the snow melts, I give up on the bus and use my bike to get around. My favorite part is that I get in a workout while accomplishing something that I have to do everyday. If you ever want to get into bike commuting, here are a few tips I have picked up so far:

Bike: get a good quality but cheap bike. Your bike should be nice enough to ride but not nice enough to be stolen. I use a Kona city bike which is a light weight commuter. The components are what make it cheap, so it has plastic pedals and the cheapest brakes and de-railers you can get. My plan is to upgrade these parts as they break.

Backpack: join the cool kids and get a backpack. In it I have a spare tire, patch kit and basic bike tools. Plus I haul my clothes, makeup, shoes and lunch for the day in it.

Backpack Raincover: This will make your backpack even cooler but you'll love it on the rainy days.

Helmet: Wear it! You will likely bike on roads and cars are not careful around cyclists.

Pump, spare tire, patch kit: City streets are full of glass and junk that can destroy your tires so be prepared to get a flat. I also recommend taking a basic bike maintenance course.

Bike commuting is quite easy to get into so there really isn't any excuse not to (well unless you live in the boonies). If you do live close enough, I highly recommend you try it out!

Cross Training

My shins are sore. Ever since my half marathon where it snowed, I get a pain in my legs when I run. It's tough to accept but I have decided to tone down the running so I can prevent a long term injury. Since I can't sit still, I have started some cross training to keep me in shape. Here are a some exercises I've substituted for the running, on top of icing every day:

Biking

5 days a week. I started biking to work everyday, which is about 20min each way. I have to get to work somehow, so why not get a workout out of it.

Aerobic DVDs

2-3 times per week. I prefer DVDs that have a good blend of cardio and weight training. My favorite DVDs are from the Get Ripped series. They last around 1 hour and boy do you get a good burn from them.

What We Ate: week of May 2

The slow cooker was my best friend this week! Here is what we ate:

[Monday] Salmon with Rice and Asparagus

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 1 tsp of dill on to the salmon. Put in oven and cook through until salmon flakes (about 15-20 min).

Mix asparagus spears with 1 tsp olive oil and salt and pepper. Place in oven and cook for 10-15 min.

[Tuesday and Thursday] Turkey Rice Soup
Directions:

In the slow cooker add: leftover turkey, 1 cup chicken stock, 2 cups mixed vegetables (we buy the frozen peas, corn and carrots), 1/4 c rice, 1 tsp italian seasoning, 1 tsp thyme, 2 bay leaves. Heat on high for 5-6 hours.

[Wednesday] Chicken Quesadillas
Directions:

In the slow cooker add: 2 chicken breasts, 500g of mixed frozen pepper strips, 3/4 c salsa. Add around 1 c water until the chicken is covered. Cook on high for 6-7 hours.

Preheat oven to 400F. Using a slotted spoon, dish out chicken and pepper mix on to a tortilla shell. Cover with grated cheese. Top with another tortilla shell. Bake until cheese melts, around 5-10 min.

[Friday] Chorizo Stirfry
Same as last Thursday but I used sauteed mushrooms instead of onion and I served it with rice instead of a bun.

What We Ate: week of April 25

Here is what we ate last week:

[Monday] Steak with Caramelized Onions

Directions:

BBQ steak, 4 min per sideOn med heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil, let it heat up, add sliced onion, cook until translucent.

[Tuesday] Penne with homemade pasta sauce

Cook pasta add homemade sauce. Easy Peasy. (That piece of broccoli sure took center stage. Noted: I need photography classes)

[Wednesday] Tortellini Soup

Bill's grandma made this for us, so I don't have a recipe for it. Try cooking your favorite soup and add in some cooked tortellini.

[Thursday] Chorizo and Caramelized Onion Stirfry

* This is an easy dinner for 1

Directions:

Caramelize 1/4 of an onion (instructions above on Monday's meal). Slice a chorizo sausage and add to fry pan with onions in it. Cook through. Add sliced cherry tomatoes and cook until they shrivel up, about 2-3 min. Serve on toast.

[Friday] Chicken with Parmesan and Asparagus, Quinoa side dish

*This is another easy dinner for 1

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Slice 1 chicken breast in half lengthwise. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 min. Take out chicken and flip. Add 2 asparagus spears, 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese and 1 tsp crushed red pepper to one side of chicken. Place other half of chicken on top and cook for another 10 min. Make sure chicken is cooked through.

Quinoa: Boil 1/2c water, add 1/4c quinoa. Cook for 15 min on low-med. Add 1 tsp maple syrup, 1 tsp coconut, a few sliced cherry tomatoes and heat for around 2-3 minutes. (makes enough for 2 servings so I had leftovers for when the hubs came home).

**Disclaimer: if you can't tell by now, I don't really measure, time, or pay attention to temperatures. This is probably a kitchen faux-pas but I don't care. It's how I roll.

April

April is almost over?! I'm trying to figure out where the month went. April is always an interesting month in Western Canada. This year the snow melted enough to start biking to work, but there was still enough snow on April 23rd to go skiing. I was able to graduate from full length tights to crops and a toque/mitts to headband for running, but it snowed buckets for the two races I did this month. Yes in April it can be sunny and shorts weather one day and 20cm of snow the next. Proof: Yesterday's forecast was +15 Celsius, tomorrow is snow and 2 degrees Celsius. Why do I live here? Oh this is why:

Here is what happened in this lovely spring month:

• Moved to our new house (in snow)
• Started bike commuting (in snow, rain and sun)
• Ran my first 10km of the year (in snow)
• Ran my first ever half marathon (in snow, damn I'm sensing a trend)
• Skied on the second last weekend of the month (I got a sun burn)

May is an exciting month, you know why? It will be our 1st anniversary. Hopefully the weather will be nicer

What We Ate: week of April 18

It was a short work week which meant three meals and one night out. Here is what we ate last week:

[Monday] Chicken Enchiladas (Recipe here)

[Tuesday] Breaded Chicken with Acorn Squash

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350 F.

- In a blender, mix 1/4c oatmeal, 5-6 plain soda crackers, 1 tbsp parmesan cheese, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp onion salt. Blend until crackers are completely broken into a powder. Place into a bowl.

- In a separate bowl, mix 1 egg and 1 tsp hot sauce.

- Dip chicken in egg mix, then dip into the cracker/oat mix until well coated.

- Place onto greased baking pan. Cook in oven until chicken had cooked through, turning over half way. About 15 min per side.

- Boil 4 cups of water. Cut acorn squash into 4's and de-seed. Place into boiling water. Simmer for ~20 min, until tender.

[Wednesday] Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauce

Directions for Tomato Sauce:

- Mix together: 1 can tomato paste, 1 can water, 1/2 tbsp basil, 1/2 tbsp oregano, 1/4 tbsp thyme, 1/4 tsp garlic powder.

- Heat on stove over med. Remove once heated through.

- Add cooked ground beef and mixed vegetables if desired.

[Thursday] Eating out - BBQ at friends house

[Friday] Easter dinner