FitFeat

Posts Tagged baked kale

Magic Show

Aug 17

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking | 6 Comments

Hi friends!

This morning I turned this:

ABRACADABRA!!! … into this:

Delicious green juice!!!  So you know what that means.  It’s TRAVEL TIME again.  I am getting quite familiar with the inside of Southwest planes as of late.

I also turned this:

into this:

Overnight Mineral Stock.  I do not like to babysit a stockpot on the stove for hours.  There is something about that open flame of my gas stove that wigs me out and makes me scared I’ll burn my house down!  Yet, I’ll leave a crockpot on for 24 hours straight and think nothing of the possibility of an electrical fire!  I’m weird like that.

Making stocks in the crockpot is AWESOME though because you can let it go for 18 to 24 hours and the minerals have a really long time to seep into the liquid.  For this one, I use the leftovers of a rotisserie chicken that I picked up for Cory and a TON  of veggies, plus some seaweed.

One more… turned this:

into this:

Black bean brownie bites!  A colleague provided me with a container of the rice protein meal replacement she sells at her health center so that I can do a little playing with some recipes and see what I might be able to work it into.  I’m liking how it turned out so far, but I want to try another batch to see if I can tweak the texture somewhat.

I also made a batch of Kale Chips this morning to munch on for even more “extra green” before I fly.  Every bite counts, I think! When I flew last week, I was seated next to a very adorable little girl with a NOT SO ADORABLE cold.  I swear I put on 15 applications of hand sanitizer and practically held my breath the entire time!

Which means I’ll turn this:

into this!

Have a WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY blog buds!

– Shari B. =)

** If you have any air travel in your future, check out my post on 5 Things That Can Undermine Your Health When Flying…

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Cooking Out, FitFeat Style

Jun 1

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking | 14 Comments

Good morning blog buds!  I hope that you all had an amazing holiday weekend!

Ours was absolutely gorgeous.  We had PERFECT weather all weekend long.

Saturday morning we got in an hour of Bob’s yoga, followed by a good long dog walk.  Sunday I went on a wonderful hike in the foothills with my good friend Keri of Om of the Rockies.  Monday was another dog walking session in the morning with a long strolling hike in the evening.  We got a ton done around the house and yard and STILL had time to relax.  Every weekend should be a three day weekend, don’t you agree?  I feel refreshed today and ready to take on the new month.

Wahoo it’s finally JUNE!  Love the summer months like you can’t even imagine.

Speaking of June:  in this month’s issue of Women’s Health magazine, they had an article on ‘bikini-friendly burgers’.

I thought the vegetarian Lentil-Quinoa Burger with Sauteed Mushrooms sounded interesting and would be perfect for some outdoor grilling, so I gave it a shot.

Plus the picture was drool-worthy:

So I followed the instructions and busted out six patties:

(it’s not cooking unless you drip stuff on the recipe, right?)

And here is my final product, bunless of course, because I’m already getting plenty of grain/carbs in the burger, so no need to add on a big huge bun.  Just a side of baked kale and a sprinkle of raw goat cheese.

My thoughts on the recipe as it was written:

1.) there was no way that these patties were going to survive the grate of our BBQ grill as they didn’t hold together that well when they were first pressed.  Refrigerating the raw patties helped somewhat but I still ended up ‘grilling’ them on my George Foreman.

2.) there wasn’t a lot of “oomph” to the flavor, even with the cumin and the fresh cilantro.  Add some of your favorite spices if you try this recipe to give it a little pizazz.  I think the burger recipe is a great canvas to play with the flavors – add some Old Bay and dried sea veggies to give it a crab cake feel or some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for some Tex-Mex heat.   I topped my leftovers with spicy hummus and avocado and it was delicious that way too.

3.) the texture reminded me of the Sunshine burgers, if you are a fan of them (I am!) and they reheated nicely without becoming little hockey pucks.

Definitely give these patties a try – just add your own flair to make them your own!

And no “cookout” is complete without a cocktail, right?  How refreshing does this look:

Guess what it was?

Gingerade KOMBUCHA TEA – that’s all!!  Mmmm so good!  And tastes even better when you drink it out of a wine glass!

Did you try any new recipes or healthy foods over the holiday weekend? Drop me a comment!

***

June is a great month to lay off the heavier foods and cleanse the body!  If you feel the need to do some ‘spring cleaning’ of your temple, you could sign up to take Brendan Brazier’s Thrive in 30 Challenge. I’ve done this in the past and really enjoyed watching the video lessons that arrived in my mailbox.

If the idea of a challenge sends you running for the hills, how about making it simple:  get in a green smoothie (blended salad) at least a few times a week as well as a LARGE salad for lunch or dinner.  Up it to doing these two things every day and you’ll be well on your way to a ‘cleaner’, lighter body!

Have a GREAT day friends!

– Shari B.

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Technology Can Drive One Insane

Feb 21

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 8 Comments

Happy Sunday friends!  Sorry I missed you yesterday.  It’s been a weird weekend of TECHNOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES! I feel like I’m back on my RV trip in the Upper Peninsula wilderness, not in the suburbs of Denver, with the way our electronics have been behaving this weekend.

First, unbeknownst to us, our mail server was down most of Thursday, all of Friday and part of Saturday.  So as it turns out Cindy DID send me photos for Flex-It Friday.  We (or I should say MSP) just got it back up and running yesterday and most things bounced instead of storing, so if you did mail me pics please let me know via the comments section.  I will run a “Part TWO” if we have some takers – but you’ll need to resend them to me!  What an inconvenient time for the email to go out!

Next, our internet service has been slow, my IE browser has hung and crashed a couple of times and to top it all off our DVR corrupted all of the files we had stored on it.  Ah well, time in front of the TV is a waste anyway, right?

Which has left plenty of time this weekend for health food store visits.  I think I’ve spent a good 8 hours over the course of the weekend browsing/shopping at Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage and Sprouts.  I was looking for this Artisana Coconut Butter that Cindy raves about and I wanted to see for myself.  On the third stop today I finally found a small jar to try, so I’m very excited to smear some on Ezekial toast soon!

I also had to pick up cashews and avocados so I can try the hummus recipes given to me this week by Joan and Paula.  Thank you ladies for the great ideas!

And I also found a NEW (to me) Kombucha Tea called High Country that is made right here in Colorado!  Always excited when I find something to add to the “buy local” list!

Trips to health food stores also lead to baked kale and pita pizzas loaded with roasted veggies:

It’s been a delightful weekend, in spite of tech glitches.  Nonetheless, I’m taking the bad technology MOJO as a sign from the Universe that I should be getting other things done I guess, so I’ll leave it at that!  I’ll be back tomorrow for MARATHON MONDAY with this weekend’s recap.  Only 12 weeks out now!

Hope that you are enjoying your weekend! See you back here tomorrow!

– Shari B. =)

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16 Weeks Till 26.2

Jan 24

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 4 Comments

Hi friends!

Yes, it’s Sunday and I’m blogging!  :) I’ll use a weekday for ‘blog maintenance day’ sometime this week instead.  I think my list of maintenance/admin items is getting so long that I’m avoiding it somewhat.  Still want to design a custom banner, a logo, a BETTER tagline, a new profile picture, add a few more ‘pages’ and I really want to buy the Headway theme so I can drag and drop things to move them around on the blog.  Ah well.  When I get to it, I get to it!

***

Last night for dinner I broke out my HUMONGOUS salad bowl again.  I used to eat out of this every day for lunch over the summer when I was home during ‘business hours’.  I miss my monster salads!  It takes a long time to chew through an 11″ diameter salad so I don’t eat them as often at the moment.

This one had half a box of spinach, some leftover tofu, spiralized carrots, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, dulse, pepitas and a drizzle of Goddess dressing.  Mmmmm.  Brendan would be proud.

And on the topic of veggies, I found something today that I have been looking for since summer and am SOOO excited to have found it:

Pre-cut organic kale! Now I can make kale chips even faster than before!  Wahooo!  So you know I immediately got busy baking all kinds of veggies.  Eggplant chips, kale chips and a batch of roasted red peppers, mushrooms and zucchini (for use maybe on a pita pizza later!)  My eggplant chips got a little more done than I meant them too, but they were still great and I ate them ALL!


Looks a little weird, but tastes great!  (Much like a green smoothie!)

***

So reader Beth has keen eyes, :) noticing immediately that yesterday’s post was categorized under “Marathon Training” and inquired as to whether I had decided to run another half-marathon.   Yes and no.  :)   A couple of my favorite people to hang out with (and run with) are aiming to run a full marathon in May.  So being the sucker I am for a new challenge here and there, I’ve decided to join them in the training and see where it takes me.

I’ve chosen not to register for the race until after I’ve surpassed about the 15 mile mark in our training.  I’ve done five half-marathons previously so I know I can tackle the 13.1 mile distance.  But I want to see how I feel physically after going beyond that.  If at any time it ceases being somewhat enjoyable  or determine that the rest of my exercise is suffering (or knees aching, etc.), then I’ll know now is not the time.  And since the registration fee isn’t cheap, I don’t want to spend that money and then have to drop out only to have wasted that money.

This will also give me an opportunity to put some of the Thrive Diet principles to good use.  My goal is to do this marathon injury-free and recover as quickly as possible from my long runs so that I can continue with my regular training during the work week.  I love my Physique 57 and Tabata training and yoga enough that I don’t want to miss out on those sessions.

So I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!  The countdown is on:  16 weeks till 26.2.  (eeek!)

– Shari B. =)

P.S. if any of you like to read Runner’s World magazine, I noticed on their website that they are offering their subscription for A DOLLAR an issue, which is 80% off the newsstand price (and a great deal), so thought I’d mention it.

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My Electric Forcefield Breaks Things

Dec 10

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 5 Comments

Ahhhhh… hello blog buds!  It’s good to wake up and see that my blog is still up and running.  I can’t tell you how disheartening it is to be essentially locked out of your own website.  Scary!   MSP said I was emitting some sort of negative electrical aura Wednesday morning, because things I was touching were all freaking out.  When I woke up, I was very much looking forward to an hour of Iron Yoga.  He was down in the gym, so I was going to do my yoga upstairs.  I carried my dumbbells and yoga stuff up to the bedroom, got all set up, and then the DVR wouldn’t play my yoga!  It kept freezing and wouldn’t go past the menu screen.   This was before I’d noticed that my blog was down.  Good thing or I would have scrapped my workout to start trying to figure out what was wrong!  So back downstairs to the gym I went, and while I was down there the radio would turn to static when I was near it!!  I really must have been giving off some sort of negative vibe yesterday!

Plan B Weight Training:

  • TM Warmup 5 minutes
  • High Step-Ups 15R, 15L,15R, 15L, 15R, 15L
  • Slow Bench Pushups 12, 12, 10
  • Chest stretches after first superset completed
  • ValSlide Mountain Climbers  40, 40
  • ValSlide Reverse Lunges 15R, 15l, 15R, 15L
  • Neck/trap stretches after next superset completed
  • 1-Arm KB Overhead Shoulder Press 18R, 18L, 18R, 18L
  • Static Plié Squats 50 seconds, 50 seconds
  • Donkey Kicks 40R, 40L, 40R, 40L
  • Back Extensions on the Ball one set of 15

Monday’s workout was 40 minutes of treadmill intervals.  No workout on Tuesday.

Some of my food highlights from the last few days while the blog was down and while I was posting about rotator cuffs:

Packing for work:  carrots, chia pudding and an organic apple

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I threw together 2 TBSP chia seeds with about 1/2 cup almond milk, some stevia and 1/2 TBSP carob powder and let it sit in the fridge all day at the office.  This one turned out better than my first attempt, but I’m still getting used to the odd texture.  And normally I don’t have any ‘texture’ issues.  I think chia pudding is definitely an acquired taste!

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I finally tried a Peanut Butter & Jelly Larabar.  Only AFTER eating it did I realize it was made with peanuts, and not out of cashews, almonds or walnuts.  This one is at the bottom of my list of Larabars.  While the flavor was really good, I eat Larabars for their healthy tree nuts and this one didn’t have that benefit. I don’t eat peanuts or peanut butter because I’d rather eat almonds and almond butter. 

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Another crazy thing I tried was baking TURNIP GREENS in lieu of kale.  Not too bad, actually!  It turned out very similar to baked kale and was a fun change of pace.  I ate it along side some roasted veggies and butter beans.

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The requisite green smoothies for the daily commute:

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Then for dinner last night, I made a grilled veggie sandwich in much the same way you’d make a grilled cheese.  Served with a side of cooked baby carrots, the sandwich had some sprouts, sliced tomato, 1/4 avocado, zucchini ribbons and a small amount of Manchego (sheep cheese).

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And truly as I sit here, my internet is acting up.  Oh boy it’s gonna be one of THOSE days again.  I better go get a 2nd cup of coffee!

I know this isn’t fitness-related, but does technology ever drive you crazy?  Drop me a comment and let me know about a time when you thought you might have a meltdown due to broken technology.  Like your cell phone not working, car not starting, TV decided to die, etc.!

Have a terrific Thursday friends! 

– Shari B. =)

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Thanksgiving Full of Kale

Nov 27

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 5 Comments

Hello again blog buds!  Hope you have had a productive “Black Friday”!  I have, but I’m still WAY behind in my xmas shopping!

To recap our Thanksgiving, it was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day!  It started a little too early for my taste shortly before 4:00 AM, but sometimes that’s just when my body decides it’s time to get up.  I spent the early (and QUIET) morning hours writing yesterday’s blog post, then catching up on my recorded chick-shows while the rest of the household members were sleeping.

We started the morning with the SOYsage Gravy and Biscuits (recipe in the Build-A-Meal tab if you didn’t see the post).  Then because it was over 60 degrees outside :)  we went out for a hilly power walk.  It was only 3.26 miles, but since the hills were steep we felt like we got a great workout (at least that’s what my glutes and calves told me!)  

I had a green smoothie when I returned.  I’ve been missing these the past week!  Some days when I feel chilly, a green smoothie just doesn’t always sound good because the idea of it makes me feel chillier!  Luckily it was warm enough yesterday to crave one.   Still rockin’ the festive green & red thanks to the cranberries. 

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Later I made a BIG batch of baked kale chips.  Two trays of kale.  And guess what I did?  I ate it ALL!!!  Every last bite of kale!  I didn’t INTEND to eat all of it – I INTENDED to make it for something to snack on during the Broncos game.  When it came time to actually sit down to our Thanksgiving meal, I wasn’t very hungry – I’d eaten THAT much kale!  :)   I guess if you are going to overeat something, nutrient-rich kale would be the food to choose! 

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We each had some time to relax for a bit, then it was time to make phone calls to family members & time for me to get busy in the kitchen (with cooking, that is!) 

Finally time to eat our holiday meal!  Wahooo!

Here is MSP’s Thanksgiving plate:  roast turkey breast and mashed potatoes, both covered with gravy, along with some mac-n-cheese spirals, cornbread and unpictured Crescent rolls (because truly it’s not Thanksgiving without Crescent rolls!)  Oh, and a side of beer!

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And here is my plate (or bowl, I should say):  Heavenly Ginger Curry Squash soup, with a side of 1/2 baked sweet potato.   And a glass of Riesling on the side.  It doesn’t look like much, but it definitely filled me up.

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I had also intended to make a sweet & savory broccoli salad, but to be honest I was so darn full after eating the kale that more greens just didn’t sound appealing at all!  We both had PLENTY to eat and were soon relaxing on the couch to take in some football and a movie.  (FYI “Funny People” with Adam Sandler is anything but FUNNY — just a heads up.)

Even the puppies got a little GREEN action in their bowls for the holiday – here’s Rascal chowing down on chopped organic cucumber and sprouts:

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Overall I had a VERY healthy Thanksgiving.  My only real ‘splurge’ for the day was a piece of apple pie.  It clocked in at 580 calories, so rather than flood my system with more calories in one sitting than it should handle, I cut the pie into two pieces.  I had one-half late afternoon, and the other as an evening snack. 

You know your “Healthy Holiday Eating Plan” was a success when you hop on the scale the day after Thanksgiving to find that your weight is down 3/4 of a pound from what it was the day BEFORE Thanksgiving!  Now that is something for which to be thankful!  ;)  

– Shari B. =)

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Eau du Broccoli

Nov 21

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking | 7 Comments

Happy Saturday!  My favorite day of every week!  I hope you had a fantastic Friday.  Mine was bueno:  it was so nice to get back to my regular eating schedule.  I seems like my eating has been a little erratic this week.  I would miss an afternoon or mid-morning snack and then after dinner I would feel like I hadn’t had enough to eat and was experiencing crazy cravings.

The day started with a trusty old friend:  1/3 cup old fashioned oats (measured dry for those of you wondering), sprinkled with some raisins, unsweetened coconut flakes and cinnamon.  Mmmm.  Coconut was meant for oatmeal.  It seems like such an odd combo, but it is fantastic!

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For lunch I had the leftover veggie enchilada from Thursday’s visit to Three Margaritas, with a side of stinky broccoli.  More on the broccoli later…

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After lunch I needed a “dessert” so I grabbed a medjool date.  Perfect little snack to squelch that sweet tooth!

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And later a beloved Lemon Larabar…  Larabar, it’s been a few days.  I’ve missed you!

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MSP wanted his favorite for dinner (Chipotle) before heading off to poker night with the fellas and my tastebuds just weren’t in the mood for the spice and onion overload.  So while I was out picking up his dinner, I swung through Whole Foods to wander around uninterrupted grab something from the salad bar.  I left with a $26 grocery bill (not bad considering that it’s usually over $40 there, AND $5 went to a donation to the Women’s Crisis Shelter.  But then again, I had just come from Vitamin Cottage, where I spent $21 so see… I’m right back at $40+ for a “quick trip to the store”.)  But if it meant I got to eat these beautiful treats for dinner, then it was well worth it:

 

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Sesame emerald kale, gigande beans, and quinoa pilaf with roasted red peppers.  I should take a picture of these beans next to something to give you a reference of their size next time.  They truly are GIGANDE!  Every once in a while you see one with vericose veins!  I’m not joking!

And because I was feeling a definite lack of greens in my day, I couldn’t resist trying a new BUBBLY flavor, aptly called multi-GREEN.  ;)

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Doesn’t it look tasty?  ;)

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And still I was craving more veggies, so for “dessert” I had a spinach salad with leftover roasted mushrooms and my homegrown crunchy sprouts. 

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Ah, that did that trick.  Full now. 

So back to that stinky broccoli…  the other day I had this idea to bake broccoli, much the same way that I do with kale.  I had about 3/4 bag of florets left in the fridge…

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…so I tossed them with some macadamia nut oil and some nutritional yeast and put them next to the mushrooms I was getting ready to roast.  Cooked ‘em good at 350 degrees until they started to get brown tinges on the edges.

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While I definitely loved the flavor of the baked broccoli (tasted an awful lot like baked kale, who knew?) I most definitely did NOT like the stench that was left hanging around.  It was so BAD!  If we left the house and came back, it smacked us good and hard in the face each and every time we walked back in the door.  Putting the leftovers in the fridge made it exponentially worse.  I wasn’t even really in the mood for broccoli with my leftover enchilada, but I couldn’t take the stanky stink any longer. 

I have never experienced that with broccoli before.  I will have to pay closer attention to how I prepare it.  I want to make a broccoli salad for Thanksgiving, but now I’m thinking I may have to run down to Tokyo Joe’s and just place an order just for steamed broccoli to use in the recipe so that I can keep the house smelling nice that day! 

Another lesson learned: (one that I think I’d read one time about cruciferous veggies and methane, and made the mistake of not committing to memory):  there is a limit to how much broccoli should be consumed in one sitting.  Scarfing down half a bag of baked florets was not a smart idea.  I want to save you poor souls (and the poor souls standing within smelling distance) from this horrible misstep. 

There, I’ve done my good deed for the day.  :)  

Have a SNAZZY Saturday friends!   See you back here on Monday!

– Shari B. =)

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Gotta Getta Garmin

Nov 9

Posted by Shari B. in FitFeature | 6 Comments

Hello blog buds!

Where did the weekend go?  It FLEW by!  I hope yours was wonderful!  I took Sunday off from blogging and enjoy some time with MSP and the pups. 

Exercise highlights from the weekend: 

  • 4 mile hike session with MSP on Saturday. It was a blue sky morning and absolutely gorgeous.  The mountains always look so amazing in the morning light.  Later in the day a haze will often build up and obscure them somewhat.  Seeing them first thing in the morning never gets old to me.  It was a great hike.  We had a fun time chatting about anything and everything.
  • 5k run with MSP on Sunday morning.  It was a chilly and breezy.  We followed the same route that will be used for uur town’s Turkey Day 5K, which has 360 feet of ascent over the first half and then descends that same amount over the second half.  We ran our legs off and still were only able to keep a 9 min mile pace.  It felt like we were working so much harder than that.  I did see sub-7:00 briefly on a downhill portion, so that was exciting.  :)
  • As a follow up to last Friday’s very brief Tabata leg training session, let me just say:  Oh. My. Aching. Legs.   My legs were SO sore still yesterday!  Normally cardio will bring some extra blood flow to sore muscles so they can heal and feel better.  After yesterday’s run and stretching, I was even MORE sore.  YOWZA.  That Tabata training can be ouchie.  MSP did that leg workout this morning while I did upper, so I’ll be interested to see if he’ll be limping around tomorrow like I was this weekend. 

Some food highlights for the weekend:

First I have to tell you about an idea I had for changing up my baked kale over the weekend.  I used Annie’s organic Goddess Dressing (well the generic brand anyway) to coat the kale pieces this time in lieu of olive oil, and it made for another tasty treat.  It gave the kale chips a little extra zip.  I was able to control myself this time and eat it in TWO sittings instead of one.  This is one sitting:

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I’m still using up some of my pumpkin puree, so my weekend oatmeal was looking a little orange.  On top is a sprinkle of unsweetened coconut and some raisins.

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I reached for the cinnamon plus spice bottle to sprinkle on my oatmeal and ended up with the cajun herb bottle.  Thank goodness I took a look before I sprinkled, or I would have been in for a shock to the tastebuds with my first bite!  Cajun oats anyone??  (I suppose it COULD be interesting…)

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I purchased carob powder Friday to make the chocomole recipe, and it has a recipe on the back for a hot carob drink.  It sounded good yesterday when I was feeling chilly post-run so I gave it a try.

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And of course I made substitutions to it:

  • 1 cup unsweetened organic soy milk (and now I have officially finished that jug of soy – they restocked the almond milk at the store, yay!!)
  • 1 tbsp carob powder
  • 1 tbsp agave nectar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

I even made it on the stovetop, since it said to be sure not to boil.

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It wasn’t bad.  I’d say it’s a nice replacement for a packaged hot cocoa mix. 

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(Sundays during football season require the obligatory Broncos mugs…!)

The weekend often calls for a visit to MSP’s favorite place:  Chipotle.  I ordered the veggie bowl with no rice.  So it came with fajita veggies, black beans, corn salsa, pico de gallo and guac.  I added some baked Tostito scoops at home. 

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Late Sunday afternoon meant ‘treat time’ and I was in the mood for a savory treat rather than something sweet.  I ran down to Vitamin Cottage for my favorite raw, unpasteurized version of goat cheddar (that’s the one that doesn’t seem to cause me any digestive trouble) and some almond Nut-Thins.  MSP ran in the other direction to the liquor store to pick up my favorite organic wine, “Our Daily Red”.   Ahh, my elegant afternoon wine and cheese plate!

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It was a wonderful weekend (as they should be, which is why I’m in love with Saturdays!!) 

***

Today’s FitFeature and discussion topic is about fitness gadgets.

I am a gadget gal.  (I somewhat blame MSP for this, because he is a gadget guy and it’s rubbed off onto me.)  :)  Often, I am loaded up with gadgets when I head out for runs.  My hydration pack, my GPS, my iPod, my whistle, pepper spray, etc.  (Safety first, people!!)  If you passed me on the running path, you’d probably think I was all loaded up for a marathon run.  Nope, more likely around 4 miles.  Just like to have my gear!

My favorite fitness gadget by far has to be my Garmin Forerunner GPS 305, which I received for Christmas last year from MSP (he’s such a great gift-giver!)  He got me the newer model to replace my original Garmin 201.  My old one was getting really slow at catching a satellite signal, didn’t offer an option for heart rate and the readings started to become inconsistent. 

I fully credit the Garmin with keeping me interested in running.  I LOVE that I can look down at it and see what pace I’m doing at all times.   I love that it comes with a “virtual trainer” so you can set a specific pace and a little guy on the screen will tell you to run faster if you are getting behind.  I love that it has a “breadcrumb trail” feature to keep you from getting lost.  I love that the newer model has a heart-rate monitor option. 

Above all, I love that I can plug it into my PC, download each run and look at all the stats.  I like to compare pacing from previous runs on the same routes, or see how my heart rate compares on different routes.  There is something about being able to look at these that propels me to want to go out again, and then agai, and again another time.

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I also love that there are so many features left for me to discover.  One of these days I’ll actually look at the manual and see what other cool things it does! 

Do you have a favorite gadget that helps keep you motivated in some way?  Please drop a comment and let us know!  Gift-giving time is coming up and maybe you will inspire a great gift idea!

Have a MARVELOUS MONDAY! 

– Shari B. =)

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All That and a Bag of (Kale) Chips

Nov 4

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking, Product Review | 4 Comments

Hello FitFeat Friends!

Whew, what a busy bee kind of morning it’s been so far, and it’s only 8:47 as I begin to type this.  I’ve had a lot of blog-related catch up to do this morning, emails to reply to, made a pancake b-fast for MSP today, am still in my PJs and have yet to finish my post!  What’s weird is my coffee this morning seemed to be UBER-caffeinated! I used the same single-serve pod brand that I’ve used every day for years, and today it hit me like a truck for some reason.  I am having a hard time sitting still, my fingers are going faster than my brain and I feel almost shaky!  Crazy java!  Maybe the dogs slipped a”wog ruffie” into my mug, in hopes that I’d take them out to burn off this extra energy ;)

Speaking of dogs… yesterday’s exercise included a 30 minute WOG for the pups.  Poor Riley hadn’t been out for a real wog since her cone-inducing incident.  And you could sure tell.  She was a maniac!  I spent most of that 30 minutes snapping her leash, shouting “Riley, BACK”.  I think she has stubborn mule syndrome short term memory problems because she only follows commands now for about a millisecond and then goes right back to whatever she was doing before I corrected her.   She thinks she can get away with anything now that she’s OLD, but I’m on to her little scheme.  :)

Since the wog was more for them than for me, I then hopped on the treadmill afterward, while watching an episode of “Eastwick” on Hulu.  It was 40 minutes of interval fun!  Speedwork this time:  I focused on including intervals of 9+ mph.  It was definitely a sweat-maker!  I might have to do it again today!  :)

Yesterday’s eats included a quick bite before my a.m. client, Ezekial toast (which looks to be drowing in vegan ‘non-butter’ but really it just doesn’t melt well!)

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Later a PUMPKINY green smoothie…

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This one had:

  • 1/2 cucumber
  • sweet clover sprouts
  • 1/2 banana
  • about 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
  • palmful of raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • BIG fist o’spinach
  • 1/2 cantaloupe

I felt like NOT having a salad for lunch, so how ’bout a salad in a can?  Amy’s Organic Minestrone, mmm warm and veggie-ful.

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Late afternoon while I was prepping dinner stuff, I made a little batch of kale chips, this time with a good dash of nutritional yeast… and ate the whole batch.

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We’ve been craving a visit to Garbanzo’s lately and just haven’t made it up there, so I decided we’d make our own homemade version.  I finally tried this box of Falafel mix I had in my pantry.  I wanted to see if it was easier better than the ones I’d made from scratch.  The answer:  NO WAY.  Not that the ones I made at home were all that and a bag of kale chips, but these were SO flipping dry you felt like you needed to load them up on some sort of sauce, which we did not have.

In their defense, I did follow their “broiling” instructions rather than frying them in oil.  They obviously wouldn’t be so dry if they were sopping around in a pan of olive oil before eating.  But that would defeat the purpose of them being a bit healthier than the charred deepfried version we get when eating at Garbanzo.  Sorry “Fantastic World Foods”, this one won’t make it into my grocery basket again anytime soon.

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Here’s how my plate turned out:  smeared with my  homemade hummus, topped with a little rice pilaf, some roasted zucchini & baby bellas,  a rooster tail of romaine and 1/4 whole wheat pita.  Oddly, the broiled falafel look like GINGER COOKIES!!

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And MSP made his into a pita pocket (sadly lacking any veggie action) :)

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I need to make a good cucumber dill sauce to put on our leftovers to combat the dryness, so I’ll be on the hunt for a good (read:  EASY) recipe that I can use MimicCreme in.  :)   If you  have one, please feel free to share in the comments section!  Or if you  have a homemade healthy falafel recipe that you love, please share that too!

OK, fit peeps, I need to get this party started moving on my Wednesday.  Don’t forget to email me a pic of your awesome bicep flexing for FLEX IT FRIDAY before midnight Thursday!  If you have a blog, be sure to include your blog address in the email so that I can mention it!

Have a brilliant day and I’ll see ya next time!

– Shari B. =)

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Look Ma, No Hands!

Oct 26

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 7 Comments

Hi friends!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  I took Sunday “off” from blogging to be with my cousins, since one of them already has to fly home this afternoon.   I’ll rewind way back to Saturday morning for a few updates.

MSP and I wanted to get out for a run before our guests arrived, since we knew it’d be a little tough to break away for a workout after that. We had a BEAUTIFUL run along Willow Creek for 4.4 miles.  The weatherman said it was 55 out… and you’d think by now I’d know better than to trust him!  But I left my mittens at home anyway because I DID trust him!  And boy was I sorry!  We both thought it felt a little more like 25 than 55.  My little hands were red and freezing the whole time.

Have you ever tried to run with your hands stuffed in your pockets?  One word:  AWKWARD!  Imagine someone running with their hands plastered to their sides and think of how funny that looks.  Then put me in that vision.. that was me.  Maybe this was an instance of “you just had to be there” for it to be funny, but for some reason it cracks me up! 

I am a little TOO energetic first thing in the morning...

Sometimes I'm TOO energetic first thing in the morning!

I’ve never been one of those runners who can go outside in shorts when it’s cold out.  I see people wearing tiny running shorts and a long-sleeved shirt with maybe hat and gloves when it’s below freezing.  And then there’s me with insulated running pants, dry-wicking shirt, fleece pullover and down running jacket.  Usually with an earband AND a scarf.  I’d rather tie all those layers around my waist once I get warm than freeze my A$$ off for the first 20 minutes of my run. 

After our run we came home to finish up the remaining items on my housecleaning to-do list, including some Doodie Duty (aka:  squat-n-scoops) so at least I got a little leg training in.  ;)   Then zipped off to the airport.  Later in the afternoon we set up a “snack buffet” of pita chips with hummus, baked tostito scoops with salsa, and carrot sticks with my homemade navy bean dip.  We watched the Cincinnati Bearcats game and just chilled inside while it was chilly outside.

That evening we ordered some gluten-free veggie pizza delivery from Garlic Jim’s so I had a piece of that with my usual extra-large ‘side salad’. 

Sunday brought snow AGAIN, two rounds.  One first thing in the morning then another one at about 2:30.  It’s not even winter yet, and I’m already ready for spring!  ;)   We all bundled up and took the dogs out for a walk… about 3 miles.

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Post-walk nutrients:

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Look what my cousin Lisa brought me from Ohio!  A PLETHORA of PISTACHIO…!

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(Wahooo!  Thank you Lisa!)  You know I had to gobble one up almost immediately.

We had a little “burrito/taco bar” action for lunch:

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Here’s mine (whole wheat tortilla, Tofutti, mashed avocado, homemade blackbean dip, spinach and chunky salsa).  My “burrito” looks suspiciously like a “wrap”.  :)

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We did a little sightseeing at Red Rocks Amphitheater before the snow REALLY kicked in.

Once home again we were feeling “snacky” so I made some baked purple kale:

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I ate almost the whole batch myself!

And some baked sweet potato chips sprinkled with cinnamon – these went over better with my guests than the kale did…

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We played a little Wii and watched a couple of movies while snacking on the above chips (and some Halloween TWIX). 

It is supposed to be sunny today so I’m crossing my fingers that maybe we can get out for a hike before noon when we have to head back to the airport.  I’m hoping that I’ll have a few great scenery shots to share with you in the next post.

Have an excellent Monday, friends! 

– Shari B. =)

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