FitFeat

Archive for March, 2010

Now That Was Better

Mar 31

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 5 Comments

Hi everyone!

Just a quick post to say that the Day 9 Spring Slimdown has been posted.   Now THAT is how I should be eating to aim for some weight loss.  :)   It was a much better day.  Sunshine does wonders for everything!  We had a new record high temp in Denver yesterday:  82 degrees!  Weeeeee!

Also, swing on over to Joan’s blog, I’m In The Garden Today, where she is hosting a fun contest to name a new item in her garden!  There’s a prize involved!

Have a WONDERFUL Wednesday!  Today is my “Friday” and you KNOW that makes me happy!

– Shari B. =)

A Kombucha Only Its ‘Mother’ Could Love

Mar 30

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 3 Comments

Hi friends!

I hope you had a great kick-off to your week.  My Monday didn’t go as planned on the food front (see Day 8 in the Spring Slimdown) and while I started off feeling great, as the day wore on I felt completely fatigued and lackluster.  I had wanted to take the pups out for a good long walk after work since the temperature was in the high 60s but by the time I got home all I wanted to do was put on PJs and snooze.

I’ve already put it behind me and am moving on.  :)   Today the forecast is 78.  WAHOOOOOO!!!  Just hearing the forecast energizes me!  I have a TON of computer work to get done today, so I’m going to be as efficient as I can in hopes of getting an opportunity to enjoy some outside time later on.

Reader Joan (I’m in the Garden Today) has commented in the past on my beloved Kombucha tea and wondered if I drank the “mother” that you often find in the bottle (she’s not a fan of the stringy things!) ;)    You know, I don’t even NOTICE them… usually.

This morning, however, was a different story completely.  I think someone snuck a jellyfish into my Kombucha tea.  Even I couldn’t drink this one.

Looks like something straight out of the lab.  I had to fish it out.  Yeah, I know I threw out what was probably all the good bacteria that I drink these teas for anyway.  I’m still not sorry!  :D

Maybe it’s a good thing the High Country brand of Kombucha tea comes in a DARK BROWN BOTTLE - I better buy those next time instead!

Have a TERRIFIC Tuesday!!

– Shari B. =)

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Barefoot Sunday

Mar 29

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 6 Comments

Hi Fit Friends!

Hope you had a fantastic weekend – Monday came quickly, didn’t it?  We had a warmer springlike day on Sunday finally so it was great to get out and enjoy it a bit.  And extra bonus: it’s a short week, since we have Good Friday off at my office!  (Wahooo!)

In case you were out enjoying the spring weather this weekend and weren’t online, check out my post about the crazy Cadbury DREAM eggs!  As well as updates to the Spring Slimdown.

Sunday morning was amazing.  We finally got to get outside for a wonderful run in our FiveFinger unshoes.

It was 35 degrees and very sunny.  35 with no snow right now feels like a tropical vacation!  :)

And things were melting down on the dirt trail.  Our “bare feet” were pretty dirty by the end.

We ran 6 miles at just over a 10 min mile pace and the slow-down I’ve been doing over the previous weeks seems to be working  – my average heart rate for the full run was only 161 this time.   It felt great.  I had ZERO KNEE PAIN.  I felt energized at the end and ready to tackle the day.  Which is exactly how I want to feel after a run, rather than completely spent.  I am LOVING these Vibram FiveFingers and very excited about continuing to add distance in them.  If I can keep adding distance without knee pain, then maybe I can get back on track with some race goals!

My calves are lightly sore today but nothing like they’ve been on past VFF runs, so I’m hoping that my lower legs are finally conditioned for barefoot running.

The best part is you can hose these shoes off and then pop them in the washing machine!  Now they are clean and ready for the next run.

Off to start Monday at the office!  Have a wonderful day everyone!

– Shari B. =)

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Cadbury DREAM Eggs

Mar 28

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 3 Comments

Hi friends!

Happy Sunday!  Wanted to let you know that Day 5 and Day 6 of the Spring Slimdown are posted.  Weight it doing it’s thing – down 1.6 lbs after 6 days.

So last night because it was the weekend and I tend to ease up on the nutrition a bit on weekends, I had a Cadbury caramel cream egg.  One of my favorite ‘treat’ foods that I am thankful is only on the shelves during the Easter Candy season.  (Skwigg loves them too, check out her stockpile!  I don’t know how she does that.  I don’t have enough discipline to keep a drawerful around – I might devour them all in a moment of insanity — or PMS!) I eat a few during the season, then they are gone again until the next year.

Apparently I had this Cadbury egg a little too close to bedtime because I had a night filled with BIZARRE dreams.  I mean BIZARRE.  There was a high school reunion involved, in an outdoor setting, with a jump-jump house:

And Lady GaGa was there:

(image source)

And a little girl who was dressed up just like GaGa but too nervous to go say hi.  A few of my coworkers were there too, and then somehow it all moved into a parking garage.  It had a whole story line, and much like Lady GaGa’s videos, it was OUT THERE.

I woke up feeling like I had partied the night away!

I always have kooky dreams when I eat refined sugar before bedtime – does it happen to you too?  Do you find certain foods affect your dream patterns?

– Shari B. =)

TGIF & Birthday Shoes

Mar 26

Posted by Shari B. in Lose Weight, Spring Slimdown 2010 | 4 Comments

I am so glad Friday is here.  Not sure why – it’s not like it’s been a hard week of work, what with Wednesday as a snow day.  But I LIVE FOR WEEKENDS, to be sure!

Just wanted to put a note out here today that Day 4 of Spring Slimdown is posted – for those of you getting RSS feeds and email subscriptions, I wanted to give you a heads up in case you are following along. Today’s weight was down a bit from yesterday, so overall I’m sitting at a one pound loss from Monday.  Right on track.

I’m heading off to work – but wanted to share a link to a fun site about Vibram FiveFingers and barefoot running, called Birthday Shoes.  If you are interested in starting barefoot running and/or wanting to learning more about the topic, this is THE site to visit.  Great minds think alike, Justin tells me – we have a similar banner for our blog headers.  :)   This site will show you just how popular this trend is!

Have a FABULOUS Friday everyone!

– Shari B. =)

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Holy Hamstrings!

Mar 25

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 5 Comments

Hi everyone!

Thanks for sending the warm vibes my way yesterday!  The sun was shining by the afternoon and the roads are already clear.  It’s melting fast.  Luckily we did not get 2 feet, but we did get somewhere between 12.5″ and 15″ of the heavy wet stuff.

Look at all the people out on the street yesterday digging out:

MSP did all the snowblowing and shoveling yesterday (thank you MSP!!!) so I can’t even take any exercise credit for that.  So I took Wednesday as my usual rest day.  Let me tell you, those explosive lunges from Tuesday are STILL talking to me today.  OW OW!!!  (love that kind of OW!)  Holy hamstrings!

Thanks to the snow yesterday it was NOT a day for salads and green smoothies.  It was a grilled cheese and soup kind of day. :D   Today’s weight is up .6 from yesterday, so overall down .6 from the starting weigh-in.  :)   The Day 3 food log is posted, for those of you keeping an eye on the Spring Slimdown.  I made one of the leftover salmon cakes into a little sandwich last night – SO GOOD!  I put the rest in the freezer so I don’t get stuck in a food rut and just show you pic after pic of salmon cakes!  ;)

Have a TERRIFIC Thursday friends!  The weekend is almost here!  Wahoo!  (Even if they ARE forecasting MORE snow for us… boo!)  March is Colorado’s snowiest month typically – and it’s definitely living up this year!  The good news is that March is ALMOST OVER!!

– Shari B. =)

Summoning Summer with Salmon Cakes

Mar 24

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes | 7 Comments

Good morning friends!

Welcome to Wednesday, where winter is in full swing in Colorado.

Crab cakes make me think of beachy, summery weather – which I am DEFINITELY CRAVING at the moment.  I adore crab cakes, especially crab cake benedicts for breakfast when we eat out.  When I saw this photo and recipe in this month’s House Beautiful it inspired me to get bring some summer into my kitchen.

The original recipe is by Dawn Welch (Dollars to Donuts). These are the salmon version of crab cakes and I just happened to have two cans of salmon in my pantry that have been there forever.

Here is my adapted version, which has been substantially changed from the original.

Ingredient gathering mission:

Summoning Summer Salmon Cakes

  • (2) 7.5 oz cans Whole Foods Wild Alaska salmon (remove bones before mixing)
  • 1 cup sprouted grain bread crumbs (dry your Ezekial heels and store till needed, then grind in blender or food processor) divided into 1/2 c and 1/2 c
  • 1/4 cup fat free Nayonaise
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 to 3/4 tsp (or to taste) seafood seasoning – I used Phillips
  • 1 egg white
  • sprinkle of sea salt & pepper to taste
  • extra virgin coconut oil for pan frying

Put salmon, 1/2 c bread crumbs, Nayonaise, onion powder, egg white, S & P together in a bowl and mix with large fork or fingers until all ingredients are well distributed and almost ‘creamy’.

Shape into small patties (my batch made 7).

Pour 1/2 c bread crumbs onto plate and press each side of patty onto crumbs to coat.

Heat a generous amount of coconut oil over medium to medium-high heat and fry your salmon cakes on each side until crispy.  You may need to add additional oil even when you flip them in order to get a good brown crisping effect.  Fry 4-5 minutes per side.

I plated mine with a side spinach salad with Goddess dressing.  If I’d had lemon wedges I’d have plated with those too.  But Realemon squeezes would have to do.

These ROCKED!!  I ate two and can’t wait to eat the leftovers today for lunch or dinner.  It felt like SUMMER inside even if it was blizzarding like mad outside.

***

Today’s weigh-in for the Spring Slimdown was unchanged from yesterday so still sitting a a loss of 1.2 lbs from the starting weight.  Feats and Eats from Day 2 have been posted.

Guess what else today is?

The 200th post on FitFeat.  Holy blog posts, Batman, I’ve practically written a book!

Thanks for making this such a great community!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading!

Today’s question:  what food summons SUMMER for you?

Have a SUPER day!  Make it great!

– Shari B. =)

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Slimmin’ for Spring

Mar 23

Posted by Shari B. in Lose Weight, Spring Slimdown 2010 | 4 Comments

Hi FitFeat friends!

Wow, two posts in one day – that never happens!  :)   If you missed the earlier post today, it’s about Vindaloo Veggies in the crockpot – check it out!

When I started the FitFeat blog last August, my primary intention was to show clients and readers how I personally fit fitness and healthy eating into my daily life, with tips along the way.  I used to write about (and take pictures of) all the food that crossed my lips plus all of my exercise, which ultimately added an additional layer of accountability to keep me on-track because I knew whatever I did would be listed online the next day.

FitFeat has morphed somewhat from ‘day-in-the-fit-life journal’ to more of what I like to think is thoughtful content with articles and topics for discussion.  While I definitely want to continue with those types of blog posts, I do also want to get back to the journaling side too.

Here’s why…

My mentoring clients are required to send me their food plans every day.  This not only holds them accountable, but it also keeps their fitness journey front and center in their daily focus.  

That which you focus on, you move toward.

I feel that I could benefit from that same daily focus now.

I’d mentioned recently that I wanted to hit a target weight for the marathon.  Even though I won’t be running the full marathon on May 16, I’d still like to drop a few lbs to increase my overall speed for the summer because I do intend to run in an event of some sort.  Plus I am female after all – which means it’s a prerequisite in my genes to want to slim down for bathing suit season, right?  ;)

The first goal is to get back to last summer’s ‘comfy maintenance weight’ which is somewhere in the vicinity of four pounds down from what my Monday morning weigh-in was.   The Monday weight will be considered “Weight Zero” and then I’ll post any gains or losses against that number as it relates to the starting weight.

Now please know that I do not ‘live and die’ by the number on the scale.  It’s simply a tool through which I can measure progress.  I know I won’t be packing on muscle to skew the numbers anytime soon, so this will give me a fairly accurate representation of whether I’m eating and/or exercising in the right ratio.

I know that recently I’ve been consuming more than I’ve been burning off.  When I gain, it’s from the waist down.  And my pants have been telling me there have been more calories in the “IN” column than the “OUT” column.

I recently read in the comments area of another blog that some people are a little over the whole food journal blogging schtick.  Rather than place all of that info on the main page of the blog (and possibly bore you to tears in the process), I’ve added a tab on the navigation bar called Spring Slimdown and then each day will have a subpage below it.

Click on Monday Recap (Day 1) for the first day of Feats & Eats.  :)   Today’s weight was down 1.2 lbs from yesterday.  (See what happens when I keep my hands out of the candy jar at the office?)  :D

If anyone out there needs to drop a few pounds, you can follow along with what I am doing as well.  I’d love the company!  If you do, let me know how it’s going!

– Shari B. =)

P.S. I also read that people are bothered by RSS feeds in summary form (i.e. Google Reader or your email subscription) so I have changed that setting back to FULL view in all feeds.

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Crockpot Veggies Make Good Blizzard Food

Mar 23

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking, vegan, Vegetarian | 6 Comments

Hey there blog buds!

Happy Tuesday!  As I write this, the sun is shining, the sky is blue and it’s a crisp 36 degrees.  That’s all going to change shortly.

Check out our forecast:

A Winter Storm Warning goes into effect at 3 PM Tuesday afternoon for the Denver Area as well as adjacent communities and the foothills. This storm may drop eight to sixteen inches of snow in the Denver area, with the main snow coming between 3 AM and 9 AM on Wednesday. The foothills and higher terrain south of Denver may see closer to 2 feet of snow.

Here’s me:

Guess where I’m at – yep, that “higher terrain south of Denver.”   Two feet of snow.  Are you guys tired of my whining about winter yet?  Normally I LOVE Colorado.  But this has been the worst winter in my book in the 19 years I’ve lived here.

Please Mother Nature, I beg you:  More warmth.  Less snow. (Or at the very least snow on the days I don’t have to commute.  I only have to commute 3 days out of the week – can’t you wait till Thursday when I don’t have to BE anywhere?)  :)

Good thing I have a TON of leftover food from the crockpot meal I made yesterday!

As I mentioned I tried a new recipe that I was very excited about.  I usually use the crockpot for MSP’s meals that contain meat rather than for my veggie-only ones.  So when I came across this Vindaloo Veggie recipe, I had to give it a try.  Because it’s not my recipe (and because her recipe is adapted from a published & copyrighted recipe) I’m providing the link rather than reprinting it.

If you have trouble getting your veggies in each day, this recipe is for you.  It’s got cauliflower, carrots, onion, bell pepper, zucchini, peas and some fun things like cayenne, turmeric, brown sugar, garlic, ginger.  The list goes on.  Normally I am intimidated by anything with more than 3-5 ingredients.  But I had to give this one a shot because it looked so flavorful.

I made a few substitutions:

  • Used raw agave in place of brown sugar
  • Used liquid dijon mustard in place of dry mustard
  • Used apple cider vinegar in place of white wine vinegar (because that’s all I had)
  • Did not add peas (nothing against peas, was just HUNGRY when I got home and didn’t want to wait 10 more minutes to eat!)

The night before, I did the prep work so I could throw it all together quickly in the morning before work.

I  made the “spicy sauce” in my ThunderStick mixer.

Chopped the carrots and onions and sauteed until tender (in water).

Cut up the zucchini, cauliflower and green bell pepper then put it all in a bag in the fridge.

Had the can of beans at the ready.

Then Monday morning I mixed the spicy sauce, the veggies, the tomato paste and organic kidney beans into the crockpot.

This goes in the crockpot for only 6 hours, so I asked MSP if he would grab the crock out of the fridge and turn it on low when he got home for lunch.  That way it would be ready when I got home around 5:45.

The house smelled amazing!  I served it over brown rice with a sprinkle of cinnamon and it made a very tasty and satisfying dinner (with a TON of leftovers.)

It would also work well with chicken for those of you that eat meat.  I think it would go well with fish too but I wouldn’t put fish in my crockpot.  I’d add it afterward.  It packs a lot of heat from the cayenne, so if you like milder flavor you might want to cut down on that.

I’d tasted the spicy sauce before mixing it with the tomato paste and it had a really wonderful sweet & spicy flavor.  I think I might play around with using that sauce alone as a stir-fry sauce, without the tomato paste.  I think I was expecting this dish to have a sweeter flavor because of it, but the tomato really cut the sweet out.

Well friends, I have more to say as usual but I better check out the grocery situation just in case we really do get snowed in.

Today’s questions:  What foods do you like to stock up before a blizzard?  Do you find that you eat more “comfort” foods during snowstorms? I have a tendency to crave starchier, heartier (and sometimes sweeter) foods when I’m stuck in the house.  I’ll be making sure I have enough Ezekial bread and almond milk,  and probably some Amy’s Organic Soups.  I’m all stocked up on produce from Sunday’s regular shopping trip.

I have another post that I’m working on that I’ll hope to have published later today, so check back by again tonight.  And hopefully for dinner I’ll be trying ANOTHER new recipe, so if it turns out well I’ll be sharing my thoughts on it too.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

– Shari B. =)

Showing That Bully Basil Who’s Boss

Mar 22

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 5 Comments

Hi friends!  Happy Monday!

Remember when my basil was bullying the other herbs in the AeroGarden?

It started out as this tiny little sproutling back in January (left far side of pic):

And it grew tall enough that the leaves kept burning on the UV bulb:

And now it’s doing so well that I had to plant it in its own pot recently:

And it hasn’t died!

Wow over the course of the last year, I’ve grown my own sprouts AND some basil!  Maybe my thumb is getting a green tint after all!  ;)   I’m so excited!

I’m trying out a new recipe in the crockpot today that has about a week’s worth of veggies in it: onion, carrots, zucchini, green pepper, cauliflower, and more!  Come by tomorrow where I’ll let you know how it turned out and share the link to the recipe if its good!

Have a MAGNIFICENT day friends!

– Shari B. =)

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