New Recipes

This week I'm trying 2 new recipes for our Menu Plan. I got them from the latest Kraft Food & Family magazine. I broke down and bought the subscription. I think it was $14 for 2 years when I signed up. It used to be free, but I've always loved this magazine, so it was worth it. I've found the best recipes from this magazine.



The first recipe I made was Parmesan-Crusted Stuffed Chicken. We actually had this Sunday night. It was fantastic. Instead of the stuffing on the side, I made mashed potatoes. And we also did not have the asparagus inside the chicken. We had corn on the side instead. But the chicken was fabulous! I would definitely make this again.



The other recipe we're going to try is a Four Cheese Pasta Florentine. With spinach, cheeses and pasta, this one looks very tasty! I'm already excited about the lunch left-overs.



I also made a fun dessert this weekend. The recipe was from my old reliable Betty Crocker cookbook. Good ol' fashioned Banana Bread. The recipe made 2 loaves. I left one plain and the other I added chocolate chips to. Yum!


After all this great food, I better get to gym, asap!

The Week in Review

Whoops! Has it been a whole week since I updated this blog? Sorry!!

I was busy working out every day this past week. Here were my workouts:

Workout 3/21/2010
Bike 30 min / 11 miles
Treadmill 15 min / 1 mile

Workout 3/22/2010
Bike 30 min / 6.5 miles

Workout 3/23/2010
Bike 30 min / 8 miles
Treadmill 25 min / 1.6 miles

Workout 3/24/2010
Jog 1 mile (Outside!)
Walk 15 minutes

Workout 3/25/2010
Treadmill 32 min / 2 miles
Bike 23 min / 5 miles

Workout 3/26/2010
Treadmill 33 min / 2 miles
Bike 20 min / 7.2 miles

This week I start mixing jogging with walking on the Treadmill. The workout we're following has only had us walking so far. And by walking, I mean walking as fast as you can without jogging. So I think I'm ready for the next step. I've also starting doing a lot of arm weight workouts too. To get me stronger for when I dare to start jumping in the pool... which will happen soon. Really.

I've decided to sign up for a couple of 5k road races this summer, before the Triathlon. I even tried unsuccessfully to get my company involved with the Chase Corporate Challenge. Our GM didn't want any more "commitments" for the station, so I was turned down. All I wanted to do was get a team together to run the 3.5 mile race. I personally don't think it was a huge commitment, and it might have encouraged people to get in shape (and to perhaps go along with the weight loss challenge that the station supports?...) but... it wasn't to be. At least I tried. I'll find some other races to run instead. The other 243 companies from Central New York that compete in the race need not worry about us this year.

I've also decided to have a yard sale in April. We have a basement full of potential yard sale treasures. And I know I have a lot of work to do to get ready for it. The neighborhood next to ours has an annual sale, and it's huge. So I'm going to piggy-back on their weekend. I noticed last year that a lot of homes in our neighborhood did just that and they had a lot of success. So here's hoping we lighten our load so we don't become Hoarders. And maybe we'll make a few dollars in the process!

Spring Has Sprung?

Today was a surprise. I thought it was going to be cool and cloudy and rainy. It was none of that. It was sunny and nice and semi-warm. I'll take 60 degrees in March any time! It was perfect day for some much needed yard work.

I got a new decorative flag today. That poor flag post has been bare since the fall. I kept meaning to get a Christmas one... and a winter one... but it sat empty. But now I have a spring/summer one. It goes well with the house. And will look nice once we can put bark mulch down and finish cleaning up after winter. And once the wrinkles come out too. I should probably iron it...

We started the spring clean-up today. We picked up 2 full bags of twigs and leaves. Just from the front/side yard.

And 10 lbs of dog poop from the back. It's amazing how much a dog poops in 4 months.

And Alex picked out a nice new plant for me today too. To replace the one he "broke". He accidentally killed the plant that used to live on top of the microwave. I like the palm tree. And it requires minimal care, just the way I like 'em!

The New Fridge

We had a great experience with Lowe's Home Delivery today when they delivered our new fridge. They were originally supposed to be here between 12-4. But they called at 10:30 and asked if they could bring it early. Of course! I had to quickly get all the food into coolers because I was waiting til the last minute to empty the old fridge.

They were here within a half hour and taking the old fridge out. We chose to have the old one recycled to get the Energy Star Rebate. So the old 25 year old fridge is heading to the trash heap. They were in and out of here in less than a half hour. They were great!

And here is the new one. Looking like it has been here awhile. Cluttered with magnets, menus and schedules already.

This is my new favorite part of the fridge. Fresh cold filtered water and crushed ice. Heavenly... (We're not supposed to drink the water or use the first batch of ice for 24 hours, but I know it will be heavenly once we're able to use it!)

Did I mention that Alex is taller than I am yet? I know I posted it to Facebook last week. Here's proof. He seems to already be towering over me... is that real?? I think he's going to be a tall boy. Unfortunately, he's also a stick. We're already having trouble buying pants that are long enough that don't fall off.

Reading Material

I decided to buy a book about Triathlons. I saw this and thought it would be perfect. So far I really like the advice the author is giving. He's a professional Triathlon coach and has competed in many Triathlons, including the Ironman.

According to my new "coach", I'm doing everything right so far. I've picked the "easy" Triathlon (referred to as a "Sprint Triathlon") for my first one. He also mentions that it's perfectly normal to spend more time on the running and the biking, since those distances are longer than the swimming in the actual race. He says that the goal for the swim leg of the race should be just to finish it. Don't worry about speed or time or even about stopping and catching your breath. The main goal is just to finish. I like that advice! I'm not quite as concerned about it as I was at first. I know how to swim, it's just a matter of working on technique and endurance. But for now, I'll just worry about finishing.

And speaking of finishing, the author also says that the main goal of any one's first Triathlon should be to "finish with a smile on your face". I like that.

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In other news, the much anticipated refrigerator arrives tomorrow. I have 3 coolers ready to house our food until the new fridge is up and running. And you can bet I'll be posting photos of the new arrival.

Tomorrow Alex has a playoff basketball game. If they win tomorrow, they go to the finals on Sunday. I can't go to the game tomorrow because I'll be waiting for the fridge. Eric has to work all day tomorrow, so he won't be home.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Erin Go Bragh

No, this isn't Jenny. She would never allow me to dress her like this! But isn't this Corgi cute?? I found him at The Daily Corgi. A new daily read for me.

Did everyone have a great St. Patrick's Day? We had a nice ham and some boiled cabbage for dinner. The house smells like dirty socks now. After dinner, Alex and I went to get Shamrock Shakes at McDonalds. Yum!

Tonight is my night "off" from working out. I feel the urge to go, but I'm not going. I've been doing very well, so well I think my body needs a day off. These were my workout for the last 4 days:

3/13/2010:
30 min bike /6 miles and 30 min treadmill / 1.8 miles
3/14/2010:
30 min bike / 6 miles and 30 min treadmill / 1.8 miles

3/15/2010:
30 min bike / 6 miles and 15 min treadmill / 1 mile

3/16/2010:
31 min bike / 6.5 miles and 30 min treadmill / 1.9 miles

I've also added some weight training to my arms. Still haven't jumped in the pool yet. But I will... soon... really! Soon.

Monday Menu

I can't do the "official" Menu Plan Monday anymore since my blog is private, but I can still plan and post our menu. This is a photo of the actual menu that is posted on the fridge. Yes, I realize that I put corn on the menu 3 days this week... we're just trying to empty the freezer! Oh and Wednesday is St Patricks' Day, Alex requested a nice Irish dinner, including cabbage.

It's going to be another busy week for us. There's a Track Meeting on Monday, Alex's last basketball practice on Thursday, YMCA workouts almost every night and poor Eric has to work on Saturday. At least there are signs of Spring in the air and the sun is setting later and later...

New Fridge

We thought we were going to have to buy a new refrigerator right when we moved into our house because we thought the owner was taking the old one with her. But she ended up leaving it. Which was nice because we were able to wait on making such a big purchase. So it's been on our "list" of things to get.

We've been looking for a couple of weeks now and today we made the purchase. With the Energy Star rebate (and a 10% off to boot), it helped bring the cost down.

Here is our current fridge. I think the black side-by-side will look sharp! I can't wait. It is being delivered next Saturday... hopefully there will be enough room for what's left of Wilbur!

Happy Days Are Here Again

Today on our morning show, Donny Most was here! He gave a really great interview. He's in town for "Doo Wop Rocks", a fun musical.  You never know who's going to pass through Syracuse!

I tried to post this photo the other day. I took this on my drive home. (I know... distracted driving...) It was so beautiful though. 

This is a Wilbur Update. Sausage sandwiches. Alex and I had this for dinner the other night when Eric was out with Kelsey. It was delicious! Wilbur sure tastes good...

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We've got a busy weekend ahead. Tonight we're heading up to Gary & Paula's for dinner. Greg & Diane are in town so we're going to get to visit with them too. Tomorrow and Sunday I'm going to try to get a couple of good workouts in at the YMCA. And Alex has a Playoff Basketball game on Sunday. And with the usual errand running and house cleaning, we'll be pretty busy. Oh... and my least favorite chore on earth looks like it might have to be done this weekend. The snow is gone from the backyard... and a giant land-mine of Jenny Poop was uncovered. I need to find my haz-mat suit and head out with a shovel! Have a great weekend everyone! 

Training Update

I've managed to get to the YMCA every night this week for workouts. 21 weeks from Saturday is the big Triathlon. I have so much to do!

Here are my workouts so far this week:
Sunday:
20 minutes elliptical, 20 minutes treadmill
Monday:
22 minutes bike (4 miles), 20 minutes treadmill (1.3 miles)
Tuesday:
25 minutes treadmill (1.5 miles), 15 minutes bike. with hills! (2.5 miles)

I'm thinking I will try to start getting in the pool this weekend. I've been hesitant to get in the pool (hesitant as in I don't like to swim....) But it's inevitable. I will need to start soon.

Work has been crazy busy the last few weeks. Well, the last few months really. I can't wait to take a few days off... in April! More on that another time though.

I had a couple of images to upload, but blogger doesn't seem to want me to load them tonight, so I'll save them for another post. So much to look forward to, huh??

Sunday Stuff

We kept very busy today. Eric and I started out our day exercising at the YMCA. We were there by 9am and working out. It felt great to be up and going so early. We spent 20 minutes on the elliptical machines and then 20 minutes on the treadmill. Eric seemed to really enjoy himself. Think I can get him to do the Triathlon with us too??? Heheheheh....

When we got back, I put some of Wilbur's ribs in the crockpot for dinner. The house smelled wonderful all day!

At 2:30, Alex had a basketball game. It was the last "regular season" game and I finally got video of him making a basket. I kept missing them all season. The championships start next weekend. I have a feeling Alex will be glad when basketball season is over... because Track starts 3 weeks from tomorrow!

Miscellaneous

It's a beautiful Spring-like weekend here in Central New York. The sun is shining. The snow is melting. It's not quite 40 degrees, but it feels warmer with the sun shining. We don't have much planned for the weekend, and it's great!

We joined the YMCA the other day. Alex and I went last night. I worked out in the fitness center and Alex played basketball in the Gym. It worked out perfectly. We got there around 8:15pm, the crowds were minimal. There was "open" Gym for kids under 17. The fitness center had about 6 or 7 people working out. It was the perfect time to go. I did 4.7 miles on the stationary bike. (I rode for 30 minutes.) And it felt great. It was a good evening. We're hoping to make this a Friday night tradition. And soon maybe Eric will join us too. He might have agreed to go with me tomorrow morning... I'm going to attempt to get into the pool for the first time in years.

I'm hoping to get to the Y at least 3 days a week to get ready for the Triathlon. During the other days, I can run/walk/ride my bike around the neighborhood. But it will be good to swim and lift weights at the Y, or go on bad-weather days for some exercise equipment usage.

I wanted to tell you all about a great tea I discovered last week. I love it! I drink about 1-2 cups a day. It seems to be keeping me away from the afternoon coffee, which I think is a good thing. I love the flavor. And I bet it would make a delicious iced tea during the summer.

Mall Walker

I've been getting some great walks in during my lunch breaks this week. I've been going to the ShoppingTown Mall in DeWitt. Which is just a few minutes from work. As you can see from the above photo, it's not very crowded...

Not even a little...

Almost sad, isn't it? But it's perfect for walking! The Mall was actually undergoing some renovations when the "recession" hit, then it stopped renovating. Tons of stores cleared out. And then some interesting alternative "stores" moved in. There's a Gymnastic Center, a Fencing Club, a Golf lesson place, a Karate center, a Kung Fu Club, a Dancing center.... and there's even an Indoor Skateboard Park. It's kind of a genius way to re-think the indoor mall concept. It's not as busy during the day when kids are in school and people are working. But I imagine it's busy at other times.

I saw this sign today at the Indoor Skate Park. I was almost tempted to take a Big Wheel for a spin, but it wasn't Saturday...

Swimming, Biking & Running

Guess what I'm going to attempt to do this summer?? A triathlon! My friend Amy talked me into it. I've always wanted to do one, but I'm not a very good swimmer. Not even a little good. So I figured I'd never even attempt to try one. But when she told me about this, with just a 1/4 mile swim, I thought if ever I could do one, this could be it!

Here's the website for the Triathlon. It's in Surry, NH, on August 7th. I've already found a 22-week work-out regime for us to follow. Which means I still have a couple of days of "lounging" (aka: being slug-like) before the fun begins. Well, not really. Today I did a great 20 minute walk during my lunch break. Which I will try to do as often as I can, to help with the training. We're both very excited about our new adventure and plan on keeping each other motivated for the next 5 months so we can complete our goal.

And of course, you'll get to hear all about our progress right here on the blog. First thing we're going to do is register so there's no turning back. That will be tomorrow. Then I'm thinking of joining the YMCA so I can have pool and weight/equipment access. I noticed that our YMCA even offers Triathlon Training. I will most definitely look into that when I join.

Wish us luck... we're going to need it!