The Starter Chicken

Hey blod buds!

It’s FRIDAY-EVE!  Wahoo!  This week has been a whirlwind!  (When isn’t it, right?)  I had one of those nights last night where I kept dreaming that I was going to oversleep and miss my first morning client appointment.  So of course I was waking up every hour thinking I’d overslept – with a big rush of adrenaline to boot!  Fortunately my eyelids are cooperating so far today – no napping mishaps.  I think it will be an early night for me.

Workouts this week have been awesome.  Monday morning I decided to let Cathe Friedrich give me a great burn in her “Legs & Glutes” workout video.  That thing is SO old and yet it is always a killer workout.  Love to mix this DVD in every once in a while.  What I really like about her workouts is she combines heavier weight lifting with bodyweight work.  She’s very good about showing you how you can get an incredibly intense workout without needing to touch a dumbbell.  That’s something I really try to impress upon my clients.  YOU DO NOT NEED A GYM MEMBERSHIP TO GET A GYM BODY!  Then, yesterday MSP and I did a killer Tabata upper body workout (plank holds, side plank holds, rows, side raises, biceps curls, triceps dips).  And today we are both “ouching” about our tender arms!  This morning’s cardio was a visit to my favorite hilly trail for 4 miles of fun (this time in the daylight!)

Besides school, here are some of the things keeping my busy this week:

Random Pantry Organizing

Before

After

I’ve had “Pantry and Refrigerator” anxiety since starting school.  The stuff there is all labeled beautifully and so incredibly organized that I started to get a complex about how my cabinets are the exact opposite!  So slowly I’m working on getting them in better shape.  I also did a little fridge work as well.

Getting Spices Filled & Labeled

Bottling More Kombucha

I can’t bring myself to touch the scoby with my bare fingers yet!

Feeding my Brain for School

Green smoothie, with a Rascal eyeing it from afar!

Mocha Protein Shake … mmmmm!

Practicing My Roasting Skills

This picture was taken just as I put it in the oven, because it’s roasting as I type this post.  I’ll let you know how it turns out next time, after MSP has it for dinner tonight.  I honestly can’t recall that I have ever roasted a whole chicken – in my entire life.  (Sad, isn’t it?)  I made a whole turkey ONCE for Thanksgiving (epic fail!) back in my early 20s and since then I think I have always purchased just the pieces of poultry, rather than the whole birds.  But – I know this is something I’ll need to perfect for all of my future personal chef meat-eating clients!  I obviously chose the best organic brand I could find available at our local Sprouts (there was only ONE organic option) and it was more than double the cost of the non-organic ones sitting next to it.  However, if we want to have more options for QUALITY food (and hopefully at reasonable prices) we have to create the demand for the good stuff by leaving the bad stuff at the store!

I think MSP will be pleasantly surprised to have a whole roast chicken for dinner (rather than a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken I usually bring home for him).

I’m just looking forward to getting the bones when he’s done so that I can make some homemade chicken stock!  With the cost of this bird, not a bit will be wasted.  I even cooked up the chicken liver to give to the dogs as a small treat.

Any big plans for the weekend, friends? I’ll be doing a lot of school reading and getting started on my next homework project.  Plus I REALLY want to get in a good run in my Five Finger shoes!  Snow will be here before we know it and then my Vibrams will be reserved for treadmill use only until next spring!

– Shari B. =)