ROJ Running

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T06:30:00.000-05:00

OK not the most original post title, but hey a cliche day needs a cliche title, right? Normally my Valentine's weekend is spent at the JCC doing an indoor triathlon. However, due to my recent health issues that wasn't in the cards this year, much to my extreme disappointment. I thought about volunteering, but I was such a mess leading up to my appointment yesterday I could barely stand or sit or concentrate for more than 15 minutes without freaking out. Luckily, that was all relieved....which I will write about in another post...today is about love and happiness!

Today I want to share the love from my own gift exchange, as well as the card exchange I did from Runner's Luck.

First, the wonderful gift(s) I was sent by Hannah from Hannah Violin!

Chocolate the way to this girl's heart for sure!

LOVE this towel. It's the one I wanted from Xmas so I was super psyched

I don't have pictures of everyone's goodies, but here are two shots I found on Facebook via being tagged. Thanks ladies for your enthusiasm!

How cute are those heart and stripe socks?

More cute socks! And a great inspirational magnet.

Now about the card swap. Here are some of the cards I've received along with cards from other sources. Is is not awesome the cheer being spread through blogs?

A special thanks to the following bloggers for taking the time to send me a Valentine:

gRegorLove.com made the giraffe holding a sonic screw driver. Awesome.
Zaneta sent the country patchwork looking card with a lovely handwritten message inside
Hannah sent the owls
Erica sent the puppy w/ a chocolate GU-like packet (but it exploded)
Whitney sent the hilarious fish and some gum

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I hope your day is full of love and happiness in any form.

Say It with Fruit! The Emergen-C Giveaway

2012-02-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

As many of you know I am a HUGE fan of Emergen-C. Throughout my internship I would drink it warm in the morning instead of traditional tea, or I'd drink it cold when regular water wasn't enough. I swear by it to keep my from getting sick when I travel and when I participate in gift exchanges I usually throw some in the goodie bag to spread the love. Which is why I was so excited when Lisa sent me an email to tell me about a cute promotion available on Facebook through Emergen-C. Click on the graphic to check it out, but first scroll down to read more.

You can send a personalized video message (a Fruit-O-Gram, if you will) sung by a cast of fruit, including an orange MC and a robotic pomegranate. By filling out a few short questions about your chosen recipient, you can create a Fruit-O-Gram for any of the following six occasions:

Hooray, You Were Born

Something Awesome Happened, Congrats

Baby, I'm Thinking of You, Baby

I Owe You One

You Can Do It

Just Because We're Facebook Friends

If this all sounds a tad strange (why is the pomegranate a robot?), that's because it is. And that's just what people have come to expect from Emergen-C's digital offerings -- quirky, lighthearted fun.

How Does It Work?

Choose one of six occasions.
Fill in a few blanks about the recipient to personalize your message.
Preview the instantly created Fruit-O-Gram.
Post the video on your friend's Facebook Wall or send it to them via email.
Wait impatiently at your phone or computer (or maybe you're cool enough to have a tablet?) for them to send a Fruit-O-Gram in return.

Visit facebook.com/emergenc to try it for yourself

Want to know more about Emergen-C over all? Well according to their Facebook fan page:

Emergen-C® fizzy vitamin drink mixes offer a fast, fun and fruity way to help you Feel the Good®! Each packet of the health and energy enhancing* formula fizzes in water to provide 24 nutrients, including 1,000 mg of immune supporting vitamin C,* 7 B vitamins to enhance energy naturally* (no caffeine, no crash), electrolytes to refuel and replenish post-workout,*and more.

Click the logo to go to the main website

And just for fun here is an at home commercial my sister and I made to promote the good taste and effects of Emergen-C. Pay special attention to the Emergen-C cameo.

How can you get some of your own? Well, one way is to head to your local retail location and buy a supply of your favorite flavor(s). Another way is to enter my giveaway to win one of two sets of four awesome combinations! You paid attention to the commercial, right? Well good because that "wall of immunity" is what you're trying to win! The flavors include 3 specially designed kidz versions, grape, fruit punch and orange, and an immunity plus blueberry acai! With 30 packets each that is 120 servings of Emergen-C. HOLY COW!

How do you enter? Simply scroll down and leave me a comment. Yep, that is all! Of course I would LOVE if you followed me here, on Twitter or on Facebook, but we all know I can't require you to do so in order to get an entry.

If you do feel like going above and beyond though, feel free to follow Emergen-C on Facebook and let 'em know how sent you. Or follow them on Twitter and punch out a sweet 140 character or less note letting 'em know you're trying to win some of their goodies from me. Such as "I'm hoping to win some delicious @Emergenc from @ROJRunning. To keep me going strong!" Again, not required, but appreciated.

Read below for the fun legal disclaimer, including but not limited to

I was provided with the giveaway items free of charge in exchange for writing about Emergen-C and the "Say It with Fruit" promotion. Opinions are my own.
2 winners will be chosen using random.org
Open to US residents only
Giveaway closes 2/19/12 at midnight

1. Eligibility. Giveaway is open to readers with US shipping addresses only, unless otherwise stated.
2. How to Enter. Entry is made by leaving a comment on the giveaway post. A limit of one entry is allowed per e-mail address. You may not enter more than once, whether or not you use a different e-mail address.
3. Disclaimer. I was provided with the products for the giveaway free of charge in exchange for blogging about the "Say It with Fruit" promotion.
4. Entry Deadline Date. All entries for the giveaway must be received on or before February 19, 2012 midnight EST to be eligible to win a prize.
5. Winner Selection. A prize number will be assigned to your entry upon receipt of your entry. A winning number will be generated using Random.org on or shortly after the Entry Deadline Date. If your Prize Number matches the Winning Number, and you meet the eligibility requirements and otherwise comply with these Official Giveaway Rules, you win the prize.
6. Winner Notification. You will be notified within three (3) days after the Entry Deadline Date if you win the prize.
7. Claiming Your Prize. Winner must respond within three (3) days of notification or forfeit the prize, in which case an alternate winner will be selected.
8. Taxes. ALL FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL TAXES ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECEIPT OF ANY PRIZE ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.
9. Prize Substitution. Winner may not substitute the prize for any other prize or for cash.
10. Publicity. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission to use winner’s name and prize information for promotional purposes in any medium, except where prohibited by law, without further payment or other consideration.
11. General Release. By entering the giveaway through this website, you release ROJ Running from any liability whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, related to any claims, costs, injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the giveaway or delivery, misdelivery or acceptance of any prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or other theory.

Friday Food : Conversation Hearts

2012-02-09T22:50:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day brings up a lot of memories for me, both good and bad. One thing I always make a point to tell everyone though, and I mean this in all sincerity, I am OBSESSED with conversation hearts. I made Emme wear a conversation hearts dress in a picture when she was a puppy, I love getting pillows or other decorative items of them, if anyone ever finds a convo heart rubber ducky I HAVE TO HAVE it for my bathroom theme. Every boyfriend I have ever had I have told to get me ONE thing for Vday...a box of convo hearts. They always think I'm kidding. I have had all out fights with guys who have bought me jewelry or other pricey items, but no box 'o hearts. It's about listening fellas! So if you love these little sugar delights as much as I do, you might want to try making your own, based on the recipe I found over on About.com.

Conversation Hearts <3

What you will need:

1 packet (1/4 oz, or 2 tsp) unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoon light corn syrup
2 lbs powdered sugar, plus additional for dusting
Assorted flavoring extracts
Assorted food colors
Heart-shaped cutters
Food coloring markers

Directions:

Place the corn syrup, gelatin, and water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the gelatin is well-distributed. Microwave the mixture for 30 seconds, so the gelatin dissolves, and stir well.
Pour the gelatin mixture into the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Alternately, if you are using a hand mixer, pour the gelatin mixture into a large bowl. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and turn the mixer to low, mixing until the sugar is incorporated.
Once the sugar is mixed in, add another cup of sugar, again mixing on low until it liquefies. Continue to add the remaining powdered sugar, one cup at a time, pausing in between additions to allow the sugar to mix in, until the full two pounds of powdered sugar is added. Periodically, stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. The candy will progress from a thin, watery liquid to a very stiff dough.
Once all of the sugar is incorporated, dust a work surface (counter or large cutting board) with powdered sugar and scrape the candy out onto the work surface. The candy will be very sticky and stiff. Generously dust the top of the ball of candy with powdered sugar, and begin to knead the candy like bread dough: fold the ball of dough over onto itself, then use the heel of your hand to push it down. Give the candy a quarter-turn, and repeat the process, dusting it with more powdered sugar as often as necessary to prevent it from sticking to the board or your hands. Knead until the candy is satiny and not sticky.
Decide how many colors/flavors of conversation hearts you want to make, and divide the candy dough into that many portions. To flavor and color the candy, take one of the balls and flatten it into a palm-sized disc. Add a few drops of food coloring and flavoring extract to the center of the disc, and fold it over on itself. (It is a good idea to wear disposable plastic gloves during this step to keep your hands free of colors and odors.) Knead the dough ball, just as you did before, until the color is evenly dispersed throughout the candy, and all streaks have disappeared. Repeat this process with remaining candy balls and colors/flavors, until all of your candy is colored and flavored.
Dust your work surface and a rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out one of the candy balls to your desired thickness. Small store-bought conversation hearts tend to be fairly thick, generally over 1/4” thick. I find that this thickness works well for small hearts (under 1”), but it makes larger heart sizes very substantial and a little overwhelming. However, the thickness is entirely a matter of personal preference and does not affect the taste of the final candy.
Use heart-shaped cutters to cut hearts out of the rolled candy, and transfer the hearts to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Smaller hearts are more realistic, but larger hearts are easier to write messages on. Once you have cut out your hearts, you can re-roll the scraps to get more shapes out of the candy. Repeat with remaining candy balls.
Allow your hearts to air-dry for at least 24 hours before you write on them. This step is VERY important, because the extra moisture in the hearts will cause the ink to run if you do not let them dry properly.
After the hearts have dried for a day, use the food writing markers to write messages or draw designs on the hearts. Store your conversation hearts in an airtight container at room temperature.

Photos & Comments

The cookie cutters and pens were the hardest things for me to find, because I wasn't sure where to look. I found mine in the cake/baking section of a craft store. The pens were with various food colorings and decoration sprinkles. The cutters were actually with fondant cutters, not the normal cookie cutters.

The thicker you cut the hearts the longer it will take for them to dry. If you pile them on the cookie sheet like I did, they WILL stick together and crumble.

The cutting took over two hours. The writing took over two hours. TOTALLY worth it, but if you can get a group of friends together or have a collection of small children it would be a much easier project.

I mostly used the smallest sized cutter, but the larger hearts were done with the medium. The larger hearts were easier to work with and when I passed out my treats, they were a bigger hit.

I think if I took the time to set them out more nicely the tops and edges would have been smoother and looked better.

The main advantage to making your own is using your own words and flavors. I thought about making a batch with fitness words and running distances. Work thought I should make some with recovery influences for group.

As with many recipes this made a HUGE batch. I threw out some of the "dough" and a ton of my hearts broke and I STILL have quite the supply. Since powdered sugar is sold in 2lb bags a lot of times, I'd say you could halve the recipe and get a nice batch from it, plus not have to buy more the for "dusting" stage.

If candy hearts aren't your thing this holiday, don't forget about my post on making your own fortune cookies.

Do you have a favorite Valentine's Candy? Do you have any special "requirements" on Valentine's Day for your significant others?

Getting Muddy, Stair Climbs and 5K's : A Guest Post from Liz C

2012-02-07T19:07:00.001-05:00

Today I am very excited to have one of my good friends tell her tale of how she found her love of running again and the accomplishments she has only started to rack up!

Hey Everyone, I'm Liz, a friend of Julie's. I've known her since way back in our high school working at McDonald's days and we both attended college together and have managed to stay in touch over the years. She truly is one of those friends that if we lose touch we just pick right back up and chat each others ears off like no time has gone by at all!

I wanted to do a guest blog post for you guys about my experience with running and an active lifestyle and trying to keep a balance of this while also living with Crohn's disease. What is Crohn's you may ask? Well it is a digestive health disease that can affect your large or small intestine or colon. Mine is in my small intestine. I will get into some symptoms and how this affects my running and newly found active lifestyle later but I wanted to give you some more background on me first.

Basically I started running back in high school. I was always interested in running but not really in distances and my best friend at the time, well her dad coached cross country so they convinced me to try it and I loved it. I ran on my own through college and then life caught up to me. Trying to balance work, school and a social life, I kind of fell out of the habit for many years. I always meant to get back into it, buying running shoes, promising I would but never did.

It dawned on me this year, what is stopping me except me? I wanted to get in better shape, I wanted the stress relief and honestly I just missed running. My friends had been doing warrior dash and there was one closer to us in September so I was dying to do it! I talked some friends into it and started training last July. I have been running and swimming since then. After the warrior dash I made a promise to myself to sign up for one event a month to stay motivated. I did the Jack-o-lantern Jog 5k in october. My first real 5k (not counting warrior dash since there were the obstacles so didn't get to see my real time.) I have to say I was very frustrated with the time. No where near what I used to do back in the day but at least I was doing it! So I signed up for a turkey day trot in kent and then the nye 5k in stow. I counted that one for Dec and Jan since it was hard to find ones to do during winter and the date fell perfectly to count it as either.

With Julie before the Jack-o-lantern Jog 5K

Recently I completed Tackle the Tower for Ronald McDonald House in Cleveland. I have to say that was quite a challenge, 38 flights of stairs! You definitely work a whole different set of muscles and experience a whole different kind of fatigue. It is challenging both physically and mentally for this reason but because it was outside of my comfort zone there was a certain level of pride that accompanied its completion. I had friends do the fun walk but I opted for the run because it would keep me more motivated to workout and keep up with my fitness. It was nice meeting up with my friends on top of the tower and talking, laughing and enjoying the view as well as the fact that we completed it.

All three of us girls from work at the top of the tower!

This is a coworker and I enjoying the view from the top of the tower after finally completing it!

This pic was kind of a must since it was for Ronald McDonald house and I used to work there as a teen

I will say that one advantage to me doing Tackle the Tower was it forced me to switch up my routine a bit while getting ready for it. This was most helpful to me as running is a struggle with Crohn's disease. I was diagnosed back in 09. This is a challenge I did not have to deal with in high school. I will get extreme abdominal/stomach pain, nausea and fatigue for no good reason and be down and out for 3 days straight about once a month. When I am like this I can't run, I can hardly move and I can barley even eat. I usually sleep for 3 days straight trying to deal with the extreme pain and fatigue. This can really mess with your training. That said while training for the tower I found that while running would sometimes irritate my stomach if it was already slightly upset, swimming and stairs did not. So I found that swimming on those days and then doing a stair climb followed by a mile walk was a good way to still keep up endurance but not over do it. I have to pay special attention to my body more so than most other runners because of the crohns and the added fatigue so now knowing that I have options of other workouts to do on days where it is mildly acting up was a wonderful discovery. I also found that hitting the sauna after my workout was therapeutic for my crohns and would help the workout not to affect me as much. I very much want to maintain the active lifestyle that I started last year. It just takes great dedication and extra care to do so. I am signed up for some future 5ks in March and april and am currently looking forward to another warrior dash in august.Maybe I will see you guys all there! Here are some pics from the warrior dash last September and from the stair climb last sat. I highly suggest doing both events! It is fun to shake things up and gain new experiences and accomplishments!

In closing, here are a couple pics from the warrior dash! Again I can't stress enough that is definitely an experience that you should try!

Group shot after we completed it and had to crawl through the mud under the barbed wire at the end

Me basically being a goof and showing off my viking helmet and the I survived the warrior dash metal

More pics from Tackle the Tower. I was glad to be inside with how ugly out it was that day. Perfect day for an indoor event

Thank you for taking the time to read my guest post. I hope to see you all at future events!-Liz C.

Redefining Carb Loading

2012-02-05T23:33:00.000-05:00

Saturday evening I had the great honor of attending a cookie demo and tasting put on my the great Chef Bill Bailey who runs Playing with Knives and Fire. You can also find him via his blog, which is where the recipes from the demo are listed. Cleveland West Road Runners set up the extravaganza, with one of them loaning their beautiful home for the event. The focus of the night was cooking with different grains and helping runners get away from the typical "pasta loading" style of pre-race eating.

The following were on the agenda:
Risotto Milanese
Barley, Feta & Pear Salad
Chicken and Couscous with Dried Fruit
Slow-cooker Risotto
Toasted Garlic Quinoa

Personally I was most interested in the two risotto dishes. There is a Healthy Choice meal I used to eat a few times a month which was a risotto and mushroom mix. However, I am trying to stay away from boxed frozen meals, but I wasn't sure how hard it would be to create my own. This was my chance to see the grain in action! The pear salad also caught my eye since I am trying to find good salad ideas. Honestly, I have never had quinoa despite it being such a power item and the same with couscous. Which meant I had mixed emotions. I wanted to try it, but if I didn't like it, would the guests sense my displeasure and disown me?! OK obviously I'm kidding about that last statement.

The party was set to start at 630, but as with most social events we weren't up and running until 700. I was fine with this since I saw Pati and we were able to catch up a lil. One thing I am looking forward to is spending time on the trails with her once I am cleared with the doctors. When things started I was pleased to have a front row seat, but wasn't sure if photos were allowed since he does get paid to do these shows. By the time I realized people were taking pictures, I felt it was too late to start myself. Besides, I'd be blocking those behind me from seeing the cooking.

Something I am always amazed by with professional chef/cooks whatever is how they don't need to measure their ingredients. I may not ever be able to get to that level, but one level I hope to achieve is knowing what items are in the same family. For example being able to switch out certain oils with each other, when to use various spices or herbs, even what citrus fruits can be switched up. It also was cool to see someone else cooking and talking and making it seem easy to use items we may not always incorporate into our cooking.

The funniest part of the night was when someone asked "How do you toast almonds?" Without thinking I said out loud "Like this. You raise your glass and say 'To the almonds'". As I made a toasting gesture with my glass. Only about half the of the people thought I was funny though.

Here is a shot of my personal plate of wonderful and the community table. I couldn't even finish it, that is how filling these items were for me!!

Afterward I chatted with some other team members and swapped business cards with a nice lady. I even snagged myself an invite to a fabulous biking adventure in July, where we will tour an island, drink wine and hang out on the "beach" of this Canadian island. I don't know the exact details, but it sounds like a great weekend getaway.

What recipes have you used to switch up your grains? Have you had issues with pasta-loading your carbs in the past? Do you plan to try any of Chef Bill's ideas?

Friday Food : Make Your Own Pasta!

2012-02-02T23:03:00.000-05:00

Today I am going to save you a lot of money when you want to head to Olive Garden or The Macaroni Grill or your other favorite local pasta joint. Making your own pasta is fun and "easy". I saw easy because there are not many ingredients and not many tools involved. It can become more complicated as you try to make fancier versions and as you opt to buy products to produce certain shapes. MY post will show you how to make my version of fettuccine and ravioli. The fettuccine did not last long as I also made more of my own Alfredo sauce, but the ravioli is still safely tucked away in my fridge. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you will probably see a picture of aforementioned treat when I devour it this weekend.

Make your own pasta!

What you will need:

2 cups flour (I used all purpose, but for baking you may want to try Semolina)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon olive oil

optional : spinach; fresh or frozen thawed and drained.
optional: ground beef for ravioli filling

Directions:

Mix flour and salt on a large, flat surface. Form a well in the center.
Combined eggs, milk and olive oil. Blend well.
Slowly add the egg mixture to the flour and salt, forming dough into a ball.
Move dough to lightly floured surface and kneed for 5 minutes.
Add spinach if desired.
Wrap dough in plastic and allow to stand for 15 minutes.
Unwrap dough and kneed on lightly floured surface.
Using a lightly floured rolling pin, spread the dough out into a flat thin layer.
Cut dough into strips or squares as needed using a knife or other device.
For fettuccine, place on towel or rack and allow to dry for at least 3 hours.
For ravioli, place a small amount of filling in the center of a square. Place another square on top and pinch along the outer edge.
Move ravioli square to the side and allow to dry for at least 3 hours.

Photos & Comments

I was surprised at how easy making the pasta turned out to be over all. The ravioli thing came to me in the process as did blending the spinach. These are the things I tell people to get creative in the kitchen about!

Truth, I do now have a pasta machine from my wonderful grandmother. I plan to make my own macaroni and various other goodies in the future.

I usually eat wheat pasta, so using the all purpose flour I could taste a difference. However, I could also pick up on how fresh everything was which far outweighed the difference in flavor I may have been imagining. Ha.

Much cheaper than going out to eat, but I have to say I'm not sure if it's cheaper than eating in at times. I can buy a box of pasta for $1 and get about 3-5 meals from it. A jar of sauce? Around $2.50 for at least 3 of those meals if I do not drown my food in goo. What you save in convenience you lose in freshness though. Also, if you have any flavor combo you're dying to try out, this is your chance!

OK, now, raise your hand if you're tempted to make your own pasta this weekend! Well, maybe not, it's the super bowl....but soon?!

The Stress Test

2012-02-02T17:29:00.000-05:00

Today was the big day! I was set to go to my stress test with echo bright and early at 900 am, I was prepared to be told I have been worried about nothing this whole time and wanted a printed and signed document saying it was time to get back to running. If you are unsure what a stress test or echo is, check out this site for an easy description or a video.

Sigh. For most of the day I continued to live in a world where all that and more was possible. The test itself went swimmingly. I knew I needed to show up in loose pants, I knew my top and bra didn't matter because I'd take them off, and I was prepared for the red itchy marks from the adhesive and my allergies.

Getting ready for the test

Immediately after the test...irritation sets in ) ;

7+ hours later I'm still marked and itchy

As I said, the test itself was awesome. I ran the treadmill. It felt SO FRICKIN AMAZING to be running. I was in bliss. However it was a short lived 10 minute bliss. Watching mu heart on the ultrasound was oddly soothing. The sound portion amazed me. Technology is fascinating and so is the human body.

Backtracking...after doing paperwork I was lead to a room where I locked up the top half of my clothes and my purse. In a gown and pants I went into another room and did more paperwork. They hooked me up to all the electrodes and wires. Then I was to lay on my side while they took baseline photos of my heart, and did blood pressure and EKG readings. Next I was lead to a treadmill where we started off walking around 1.5 at a 5% incline or something to that effect. Easy. Every few minutes the incline went up up up and away as did the speed, until I was full on running. I was a happy camper. They laughed at how low my ratings where to begin with and how hard it was to get them to be high enough for the test because of my "great" fitness level. After I was able to get my heart rate up to 190 I was basically thrown back onto the bed for more pictures and readings. Really the echo was beyond words amazing to see my heart in action. It went from "I'm..a...heart" all casual pumping to "IMAHEARTIMAHEARTIMAHEART". While on the "bed" the lady told me to relax and picture the beach. The other tech said "That won't work for her...she's a runner. She should be on her trail enjoying nature". I almost cried it was so personal and so frustrating to be so far from my current reality.

Then I washed off, was able to dress and was on my way back to work with a smile and hope.

Not too long after my primary doctor's office called. They had spoken with the cardiologist and while the heart appears to be functioning as it should and the echo looked great, the EKG and stress test was showing electrical disturbances or some crap and now I have to go to a specialist. I asked when I could run again. The laughed in a sweet way and said "We were just talking about that for you", see how well they know me? Apparently the electrocardiologist will tell me when I'm allowed to run again. I have to have a consult to talk about what could be wrong and possible (if any) treatments. I'll be honest. I'm beyond ready for all of this to be over.

Valentine's Exchange info is sent!

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

OK all the names have been sent to the gift givers, I am happy to report everyone who signed up was willing to exchange not only cards, but gifts as well. I can't wait to see what everyone sends/receives!

As a reminder here are the outlines for the gift exchange:

I will pair you with one other person. The person you send to will not necessarily be the person sending to you.
The gift exchange limit will be set at $15.Please send your gifts by the 7th, that will give them 1 week to arrive. Don't forget about flat rate shipping!
PLEASE send pictures, post a blog, do something to let us all know about the great stuff you were sent!

Below are those playing along and the blogs you should check out. #1 If you do not see your name listed and you think you should be listed...send me an email ASAP Julie@ROJRunning.com. It means I did not get an email with your contact information.#2 If you see your name listed and you did not receive an email from me with your "send to" info, let me know! Thanks!

Suz @ Cows And Lasers And Everything In Between
Hannah @ Hannaviolin
Whitney @ Running with Whit
Erica @ I Run Because...I Can
Blue @ Blue's UnBashful Blog
Christie @ Changing from Fat to Fit!!
And myself!

January Foodie Penpals

2012-01-30T22:08:00.000-05:00

Last month I came across a post (sorry I forgot where) and discovered this great exchange program called Foodie Penpals. I was nervous at first, it seems all the exchanges have weird guidelines or expectations. Imagine how delighted I was when I found one for food, where I didn't have to be all "in the know". Nope, all I had to do was be willing to ship a package. Something I made, something local I bought, or just something fun. In fact aside from the deadlines the only major requirement is to include something handwritten with the package...and c'mon is that so hard? No, in fact I think it makes it sweet!

Thus I signed up and excitedly gathered my package for my penpal, Miranda. You can visit her blog at Twenty-Something and Broke to read her reactions to her gift. My package arrived from Nicole of applesandarteries and I loved it! My treats traveled all the way from Madison, WI.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Apple Vinegar

Spices for chili and one for veggies (or other things)

Brochures included so I can order more! And a lovely hand written card w/ a recipe!

I haven't used the oils yet, they're just too pretty to mess with, haha, but I will. The spices I did get into last week. I used Mural of Flavor in my pork stir-fry. It was a bunch of veggies (snow peas, carrots, mushrooms, red & green peppers) and mixed them with the spices and olive oil. SO GOOD! A perfect adjustment in flavor without killing the natural goodness of the veggies. The brochures are very tempting too and I hope to order some more goodies. According to her card, the oil and vinegar are from a local shop and the bottles are obviously hand detailed and include their own usage ideas.

Seem fun? Want your own package? Well here are the details for next month!

-On the 5th of every month, you receive your penpal pairing via email. It is your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need (allergies or dietary restrictions).

-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received!

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something handwritten.

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers.

If you want in, email Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:

-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
-WHETHER YOU ARE A US RESIDENT OR CANADIAN RESIDENT.

She will need to hear from you by February 4th as pairings will be emailed on February 5th!

Please consider joining in on the fun! It really isn't too much money (I spent maybe $20 with shipping) and you get something fun, unique or personal in exchange. If you don't really cook or bake, tell your penpal and they can send you things to just eat! Don't be nervous, I promise it'll be worth it when you see your package in the mail or at your doorstep. Plus, you could meet new blog friends. Side note: I am insanely excited about the February & April packages. My penpals are going to LOVE me.

A Day Late and A Dollar Short

2012-01-29T23:38:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I feel anxious when I realize I'm the last to adopt a new trend or the last to express a well established idea. Most will recall I didn't post any New year's Resolutions. Now as we close out January I am left wondering why I was not inclined to jump on the bandwagon. It occurred to me this weekend, I was struggling with where I was in life and where I wanted to be by the end of 2012. No, I am not questioning my job or my personal life. Shock of all shocks, I was struggling with the SOTFU, State of the fitness union. Err. Yeah.

It's hard to set goals, when for the last several years so much of one's life revolved around fitness. Most trips, nearly all important decisions, all tied into races or training. It was a lifestyle for me in every sense of the word and more than I grasped. Looking into the future, not knowing if what I want can still be mine, made me not want to look out into the future. Thursday is the big day though, and after the whole ER trip, I am ready for answers and ready to put this behind me and hopeful it is all just one big hiccup.

What are goals for the new year then? Some of these have already been expressed, but I feel the need to talk about them today.

Ideally, I want to complete a 50 mile or greater race. Yes, I still believe I can do it. I completed Buckeye 50K after only 3-4 months of "serious" training. And that was serious by my standards, which are not too high. If I set my sights on Oil Creek 100K in October, I think it will happen for me.

I'd also like to do a half iron-man. SAY WHAT?! Yes, I want to do 70.3. I loved multisport when I first started working out, but I cut back due to the huge demand on time it requires and the little time and money I had as a grad student. My hopes are on REV3 at Cedar Point. 1) It's local 2) I hear wonderful things about it 3) It's less expensive than the other 70.3 series 4) The Grunt Girls always have people there so I will have my team!

Speaking of teams. It's time I did more than write their name on a profile and wear their colors proudly. Time I did more than post pictures and send tweets and write stunning reviews on my blog. That's been fun and that will still happen. However, I want friendships, I want connections. I want to travel and meet people and know who I am meeting. I want to say "Hello and good-day" to friends from afar. When teams are local I want to go to trainings and go to parties and get to know the amazing men and women who share my passion. There's a whole world out there and it's not fair for me to want the attention, but not return it equally, or at least with an honest attempt.

I want to take this opportunity as a rest, not a set back. Sure, I've been doing this for several years and each year I find my own style. This is my chance to do it all "right" though. My chance to take everything I've learned from doing it "wrong" over the years. I get to take every piece of advice I'd give to someone just starting out and use it on myself. How lucky am I in that aspect? If I do this properly I will never know I was in this place come summer. Well at least come end of summer, huh?

And a final reminder: Sign up for the Valentine's gift or card exchange. Names will go out on the first.

Friday Food : Stuffed Shells

2012-01-27T07:10:00.000-05:00

Have you ever experienced deja vu, where you find out about a new product or buy a new item and suddenly it seems like that thing is everywhere? And it was probably already everywhere, you simply were not tuned into it? Well, those thoughts and feelings are exactly what is going on with me and cottage cheese lately.

Last weekend I had a cooking extravaganza in my kitchen. Which lead to a very happy tummy all week long. One item I made was stuffed shells. I was apprehensive since I was going to use cottage cheese instead of ricotta, and thought the flavor would be off. Since then I've read up on it and found they are basically very similar cheeses. The difference? When cheese is seperated, the whey is ricotta while the curds are cottage. Interesting huh? They can be interchanged easily, but it is texture one should be cautious of if important in presentation. Cottage results in a runnier recipe and since I like my Italian dishes gooey, I had nothing to fear. FYI, for those wondering, I am pleased to report, I did not taste a difference at all.

Stuffed Shells

What you will need:

1container (16 oz.) Cottage Cheese
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
15-20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained
1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce

Directions:

Heat oven to 400°F.
Mix cottage cheese, spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella and Parmesan.
Spoon into shells.
Spread half the sauce into 13x9-inch baking dish. Add filled shells; top with remaining sauce.
Cover and bake for 25 min. or until heated through.
Top with remaining mozzarella; bake, uncovered, 2 min. or until melted.

Photos & Comments

I can't attest to how well these freeze because I ate them before I needed to learn! Ha! OK really I traded 4 with my Mom for something she made. My total was 15 shells, because as you can see I stuff 'em to the brim. If you're not as generous with your filling you will need closer to 20 shells.

Do you you like the orange Rachel Ray spatula my sister gave me for Christmas? I think it brings out the green of the spinach.

If you need more kick in your version, try adding Italian species to the stuffing.

If you can't decide between cottage and ricotta, why not do a mix? I say go with whatever is on sale that week.

My cottage cheese was also 4% milk fat if anyone is curious. When it comes to milk and diary products I go all out, oddly I have found this is easier on my stomach than the lower fat or skim versions.

Oh, and my pasta sauce? Thick and full of "garden veggies" feel free to cut up your own veggies for even more pizazz and added flavor.

CEP and Tommie Copper Sleeves

2012-01-26T19:59:00.000-05:00

Raise your hand if you own and love compression sleeves! Well this girl here certainly has her arms up in the air, but I'll bring them back down to finish this post. Tonight I want to share with you my experience with CEP Compression and Tommie Copper. I am sharing them together because they are not "competitors" if you look at them my way. Instead they are wonderful partners in the fight against pain and suffering.

Please note, neither of these companies have reached out to me to have me do this, I am simply sharing products I love for my own fun.

Let's start off with CEP Compression Sportswear

Several years ago I bought my first pair of compression sleeves, I chose CEP because it was the most recognizable brand for me at the time. I liked how they came in different sizes and although at the time I had never had shin splints, I was having issues with my calf muscles and read/heard wearing sleeves for performance or recovery would help.

What is compression wear anyway?

In a nut shell, compression works by effectively delivering increased oxygen rich blood through your veins/arteries. The medical compression where it is tighter at the ankles than up through the calf, means your muscles are going to take longer to fatigue meaning you're going to have less stress and injury. CEP's claim to fame is being medically graduated. They add details on how when wet it can decrease temperature by 7 degrees. Some reports also state wearing the sleeves can decrease running time by 5%, increase blood circulation by 30% and decrease exertion by 6%.

Here is a vlog for a lil review on CEP and how I manage to get in and out of them comfortably.

For those skipping the vlog or looking for more info: I started wearing my sleeves over night after long runs or races. Truthfully I did feel a difference. I was walking and moving more easily and more comfortably much sooner than I had in the past. It also occurred to me, my feet were swelling if I left them on too long AKA over night. Because of this I decided to try wearing them while running and only as recovery if I was going somewhere where I needed to walk. This second part happens A LOT in the summer. Thanks to my sleeves I no longer had to cancel or modify plans because I had an important race the same weekend! Although, I did find when I ran roads it seemed my legs were too warm in the sleeves . CEP sent out a tweet to me once, saying they actually do something where they keep your legs cooler in performance (I did not know about wetting them).

Eventually I found wearing them on the trails was my calling. They keep me protected from the elements and nature, while keeping any pains away while I try to fly over the terrain. This is still the main reason I go to my CEPs, as I now attempt to do ice baths after a long run and that seems to help when I need to get up and walk around. After all, short or skirts + sleeves isn't always a socially fashionable and acceptable choice. Boo.

Here is a photo of my sleeves:

To get your own pair, visit the website, where you can find socks, leg sleeves, arm sleeves, various clothing and recovery specific designs. Personally I'm thinking I may get a few others in the bright pink or green.

CEP is also on Twitter and Facebook.

Next we'll talk about Tommie Copper

Tommie Copper caught my attention through fellow bloggers and Facebook. I have yet to meet anyone in person who uses the sleeves, but many fellow local runners have heard about the line. I finally acquired my pair after winning a giveaway on Megan's blog at On the Road Again.

TC's claim to fame is using copper infused yarn in their products. Why is this fabulous? Well instead of having the full compression quality, they are in the recovery market. TC's are not aimed at aiding performance by wearing them during an event. No, instead performance will improve by having quicker recovery and being at a better baseline when you begin your workout.

The following excerpts from the website better explain why copper is important.

How is copper used in medicine?

Copper has been used in medicine for thousands of years, one of the world's oldest medical texts, the Ebers Papyrus states, "Treat inflammation with pulverized copper". Copper also stimulates the immune system to fight infections, to repair injured tissues, and to promote healing. Copper has been shown to neutralize "free-radicals" which can cause severe damage to cells. Symptoms of copper deficiency include osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

How does the body use copper?

Copper is necessary for the growth, development, and maintenance of bone, connective tissue, brain, heart, and many other body organs. It is involved in the formation of red blood cells, the absorption and utilization of iron, and the synthesis and release of life-sustaining proteins and enzymes. These enzymes in turn produce cellular energy and regulate nerve transmission, blood clotting, and oxygen transport.

Copper stimulates the immune system to fight infections, repair injured tissues, and promote healing. Copper also helps to neutralize "free-radicals" which can cause severe damage to cells.
Symptoms of copper deficiency include osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Although it is not suggested, I have worn mine during performance, as stated in the vlog. I noticed I did not get the cramps or fatigue I normally feel when out on the trails. Now, after doing research for this post though, I am more convinced than ever to use them for recovery only. They are not as noticeable to wear as the CEPs (IMO) due to the different compression styles, so together they make a dynamic duo.

If you want your own pair, you can visit Tommie Copper online, on Facebook or via Twitter. They carry shirts, gloves, arm sleeves, calf sleeves, knee sleeves and ankle specific sleeves. I also love their colors. I own black, but want to get blue or the unusual olive green type color.

One more thing about Tommie Copper, they are VERY customer oriented. They followed me on Twitter when I was barely getting started. They sent me a Christmas card, even though I technically haven't given them any money. It is gestures like these that make me feel important and makes me more comfortable in supporting a company financially.

For the record here are my Tommie Copper sleeves:

And if you're curious. Here are the CEP's and Tommie Copper's next to each other.

What do you all think? Do you own and wear compression products? Do you prefer to wear them for performance, recovery or both? What brands do you cherish?

Diamond Candles: Call for Bloggers

2012-01-25T20:27:00.003-05:00

Diamond Candles is looking for bloggers for a review/giveaway. I came across this from a fellow FitFluential member. If you're one of the first 100 you're in, seems great, huh?

From the site:

Soy Candles by Diamond Candles
We are so glad you are here! If you don't know much about us yet we have real rings worth $10, $100, $1,000, or $5,000 in every single earth friendly, all natural soy candle that we make.

The combination of highly fragrant premium quality soy candles, an exciting and fun 'ring reveal' experience (what ring will you find?), and a ring to wear for months and years to come means making something as boring as burning candles in your home something to look forward to.

You can take a tour and learn more about us here, watch some 'ring reveal' videos, or go ahead and take the plunge and get your first soy candle!

-The Diamond Candles Team

p.s.- Questions, comments, or want to chat? Connect here.

My trip to the ER

2012-01-25T07:25:00.001-05:00

Monday was my first experience with going to the ER unexpectedly. Not that anyone should have to lay claim to that sort of thing, but I now can. While it was happening I was very scared and very convinced it was the end of the world. Looking back after being discharged I felt silly, but then I remembered fellow blogging friends who have also gone to the ER only to learn they were essentially "OK" and so I share my tale.

For the past few months/weeks I've had various episodes of feeling like my heart was out of sync and general illness which would pass a minute or two after onset. I've been ignoring these things thinking it was not a big deal or not wanting them to be a big deal while I waited for the stress test (Feb 2nd). The past few weeks I have been unable to stand for long periods of time. Oddly sitting is fine, and walking is wonderful, but the moment I'm not moving I become overwhelming disoriented.

On Friday I started feeling these issues on a much greater scale, but tried to stay calm. I even went to bed massively early, thinking I was simply tired and stressed. Saturday more of the same, which ended in having dinner with Tom while I Googled things about heart attacks, thinking I was in the process of having one. My chest felt heavy, my head was fuzzy and my arm was tingling. Again I decided I would live and went to bed. Sunday was really terrible, I couldn't even eat without feeling ill, but I didn't want it to be serious so I tried to ignore it. I know so many people think I'm a dumby at this point...and I probably am? Sooo when I went to work Monday I just wanted to do my job, I just wanted to be OK. I sat through a few sessions, but I couldn't focus on what the client was saying and I kept feeling like my whole body was a giant heart beat. I finally knew something was wrong when I started dry heaving in the bathroom. One of the my coworkers took my pulse and blood pressure, which was in the "normal" range, but incredibly high for my baseline. At this point I left work and drove to the ER which was less than a mile away.

I called my Mom crying and freaking out, convinced I was going to die or wake up post-op with a missing heart or something. After being admitted/looked at...I spoke with nurses and a doctor and another attending doctor. They ran another EKG on me. I love how the EKG tech just handles boobs like they're no big thing. Finally after much waiting and feeling ill and not knowing I was able to speak with a doctor on what had happened.

I had a vagal response. Which looks sexual when written and sounds silly when pronounced (it's like "bagel") but apparently is a real thing. The vagal response is usually what makes someone faint, only mine didn't, and it's only dangerous if you faint and land on something. Other than that, a-ok.

Per the Mayo Clinic:

"Vasovagal syncope (vay-zo-VAY-gul SING-cuh-pee) is the most common cause of fainting. Vasovagal syncope occurs when your body overreacts to triggers, such as the sight of blood or extreme emotional distress. The trigger results in vasovagal syncope — a brief loss of consciousness caused by a sudden drop in your heart rate and blood pressure, which reduces blood flow to your brain.

Vasovagal syncope is usually harmless and requires no treatment. However, you can injure yourself during a vasovagal syncope episode. Also, your doctor may recommend tests to rule out more serious causes of fainting, such as heart disorders."

Per Wikipedia the following are sometimes triggers:

Prolonged standing or upright sitting
Standing up very quickly
Stress
Any painful or unpleasant stimuli, such as:
- Watching or experiencing medical procedures
Sudden onset of extreme emotions
Lack of Sleep
Dehydration
Random onsets due to nerve malfunctions

Since there isn't treatment for it, I can only try to learn to control it if it happens again. The doctor thinks it's probably related to what is going on with my testing and being overly aware of my body and it will fade with time once I have answers. It was NOT an anxiety attack. To me they sound similar, but the doctor was very stern in my understanding it was different. The EKG they ran also came back abnormal. So the good news is I'm not doing all of this for nothing, there is something "off" we just don't know what or to what degree. Oh and she doesn't think it was a heart attack. The other good news is the new EKG shows no new damage or risk of impending heart attack.The bad news? Once someone has one of these episodes it's more likely to have another and more likely it will be severe. I'm hoping the Fri-Mon was my serious cycle through.

See image for where the heck the nerve is located. Hint, look at the top in the yellow...notice how it associates with the heart, lungs and down into the stomach. Fun thing to have go haywire, huh?

Tuesday at work was much smoother. My appetite was back (didn't even realize it was gone until I noticed how hungry I was). Sessions were productive and I didn't feel ill mostly all day. A few moments here and there, but I kept it in check.

You turn...what embarrassing and stressful experiences have you had with the ER?

Memories

2012-01-23T07:20:00.002-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

This weekend I spent a lot of time on Saturday going over my site. I am back tracking and adding tags to many of my posts and fixing spelling errors as I catch them. Oops. I also added the little social media buttons I have such a tech crush on and cleaned up some other odds and ends from the sidebar. Sunday was a cooking extravaganza! I made pork stir fry, stuffed shells, chicken enchiladas, granola bars and peppermint bark! Yikes! None of the dishes made too much of a mess though and it's sooo nice to have a fridge and freezer full of options to take with me to work.

Now, over the past few weeks there has been a substantial amount of new traffic to my site. Between coming across good material myself in my reviews and thinking it would be a good idea to take a moment and share with you, I've come up with various posts you may want to review in order to get to know me better and to catch up with things. In no particular order...

1. You may have noticed me talking about not being able to work out right now and needing some tests done on my heart. Please visit "the heart of the matter" to read up on the whole story. I am so glad it's only a little more than a week before I can put all of this behind me!

2. Do you find yourself craving certain foods and you don't know why? Did you know it could be your bodies way of signaling it's missing something? Or your emotions way? Did you know there are often easy ways to stop the cravings?

3. While at internship I made an inspiration book full of fitness, food, home all areas of my life.

4. As I've mentioned I'm more than "just a runner" although no shame in that either! I am also trying to become a better cyclist. I created a post to help people gain a basic understanding when trying to get involved with the sport.

5. Way back when there was the night I fell in love with ultra running...as a volunteer. Last year I repeated the experience.

6. Which lead to the report from my first ultra (a 50k)

7. What review wouldn't be complete without the top 10 reasons running is better than sex.

8. Two days my strength was pushed to the limits...my first counseling client and my first DNF

Obviously after 2 and half years these pages are filled with various and a lot more than 8 links of information, these were just the tip of the ice burg. Feel free to ask a question, I won't be offended it its been answered. In fact it may prompt me to revisit things in my past and I love to look back and see how I've changed. Oh, and since every post should have visual appeal, here is my beautiful puppy Emme, begging you to play with her.

DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR THE VALENTINE'S EXCHANGE. LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE ALREADY IN ON IT, THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT!

ROJ in Kansas City

2012-01-21T13:07:00.000-05:00

It's difficult to believe, as I sit here in my 72 degree house (don't judge) looking out on the accumulation of nightly snow, it was only a week ago I was sitting at lunch with my friend Jen, catching up after nearly 10 years. Oh and of course walking around outside without a coat, in short sleeves. Hmpf.

Our day began with her picking me up at the airport. Note to self, I suck at catching planes in 2012. Normally I'm there early and sitting quietly, waiting to board. 3 out of 4 times I was running for the gate hearing "last call for passenger Curtis".

Her timing with picking me up was perfect and it wasn't long before we were settled in at a local pizza place enjoying our specialty made creations. She had a thin crust with pepperoni and I think light cheese? Something to that effect. I tried to be fancy and had honey wheat crust with sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and black olives.

After lunch we headed to her place to drop my things off. Let me tell you a little about my friend...She came to my school our junior year and left shortly after we began college at Kent State. I've always admired her because she went to school for something she loved and was lucky enough to get a job in her field at a real newspaper (OK they're ALL real) but hers was the Kansas City Star. She was always what I wanted to be "when I grew up". Employed in a career, living outside of her parents house...with her boyfriend, a great attitude and fun clothes.

Next we headed over to get coffee and have girl talk, but first the manicures! Truth, I have never had my nails done professionally. In middle school I was obsessed with doing nails. I would spend hours making detailed designs with colors and brushes and toothpicks. Even if my nails wouldn't grow longer, they were at least interesting. I stopped in high school for whatever reason and recently it just seems pointless when I will get them scraped off on the trees as I go running past. However, I loved the experience of the salon.

At the coffee shop she orders some delicious cold chai tea combination (to die for) and I had some chocolate cherry hot coffee. Mine was good too, but I am obsessed w/ chai, I wanted to try something different though since I was "on vacation". We had some high school girls take our photo, it was funny to see how they looked at us, like we were so old and strange talking to them. Especially since they were probably near the age when Jen and I met.

Later, we went over to Maryam's house and then out on the town. Maryam and I have known each other online through Jen since around 2006. This was our first meeting. She made me laugh when she told me I was cuter in person. Yep, that's right folks, it's amazing how unphotogenic I am! Proof, I am a pretty girl, but only if you see me face to face. LOL.

The three of us girls ended up at 8 different nightclubs, but none had the right "feel" to them. We still had a BLAST though and at the end when Rian (Jen's BF) was driving us around I was given a nice tour of downtown.

Sunday was a little more casual. We woke up and had lunch at a great sub place. Stopped at a road side girl scout cookie table (where I laughed at the name changes on some of the cookies and found delicious treats I haven't seen in Ohio. Did you know GSC are regional and each area has its own flavors and names?) Then went shopping with her friend Jonathan (hope I spelled that correctly), over to the college and park to look at some ducks on ice, a quick walk through the art museum and to her parents' to watch the Golden Globes and take part in local (famous) BBQ. It was a tad hot for me, I prefer a sweet BBQ, but it was still good.

Monday it was back on the plane after stopping at a McDonald's to try what we thought was a local item, "Chicken McBites". They were good. I love finding new things at McDonald's...it's a part of my roots after all. I say that since I worked there all through HS and my first semester of college.

All in all it was a fabulous weekend and if you get a chance you should follow her blog, I know, right? She always has wonderful tales to tell.

Friday Food : Chicken Cacciatore w/ Creamy Mashed Potatoes

2012-01-20T20:11:00.000-05:00

Greetings! I won't lie to you, this is another find from Kraftrecipes.com, part of their Healthy Living collection. I made this dish a few weeks back and wish I had made about 10x the amount. My only issue is the potatoes do not freeze/reheat very well. As you can tell it is another bright and colorful dish, which is a not-so-secret food crush of mine.

Chicken Cacciatore w/ Creamy Mashed Potatoes

What you will need:

3/4 lb. red potatoes (about 2), cut into 1-inch chunks
1-1/2 cups small fresh cauliflower florets
1/2 cup (1/2 of 8-oz. tub) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1/2 cup KRAFT Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1 pkg. (8 oz.) sliced fresh mushrooms
1 each green and yellow pepper, chopped
1 can (14.5 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

Directions:

Cook potatoes and cauliflower in boiling water in large saucepan 20 min. or until tender.
Drain potato mixture; return to pan.
Add reduced-fat cream cheese; mash until potato mixture is fluffy.
Serve topped with chicken, vegetables and basil.

Cook chicken in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat 3 to 4 min. on each side or until golden brown. Or on a George Foreman type grill as I prefer. Or in the toaster oven. Transfer to plate; cover to keep warm.
Add dressing, mushrooms and peppers to skillet; cook and stir 6 min.
Add tomatoes; simmer 8 min.
Return chicken to skillet; spoon sauce over chicken. Simmer 3 min. or until chicken is done.

Photos & Comments

As mentioned above, the potatoes do not freeze and reheat very well. They taste fine (IMO) but become watery.

I listed the potato and chicken directions separately, but obviously given the time it takes the potatoes to boil, you can start on the chick and/or veggies while you wait. BE CAUTIOUS, boiling them too long will cause them to fall apart and ooze through the strainer.

If you are not keen on the cream cheese, you can always use your own version of potatoes or skip them all together and just do the veggie sauce/mix and chicken.

Very easy to make, and I think it's fun to watch as the food change its forms and colors as new things are added to the mix.

Ohio Blogging Association January Meetup!

2012-01-19T21:02:00.001-05:00

Last night I attended my first Ohio Blogging Association Meet up. I signed up to be a part of OBA last year, and would look forward to the emails from Alicia @ Poise in Parma, but I never drug myself out of the house to attend a function. Instead, I would look longingly at the happy photos fellow bloggers posted in the days following an event and kick myself for not going.

When I saw the email as I left the office yesterday, inviting me to Whole Foods, I knew I did not have a reason to stay home. Sure, I had been away all weekend and still felt "off" from flying. Sure, I went out Tuesday night and would go out again Thursday night, but this was different. This was OBA and this is 2012 the year I stop wondering when my life will become the one I imagine. I am a single career gal with no one but herself to worry about, I can go where I want, when I want with whom I want and last night I wanted to go meet some new blogging friends through OBA at Whole Foods!

I didn't know what to expect when I arrived, but I was warmly welcomed by Alicia, who either actually recognized my name/blog or is a wonderful actress/hostess. Wearing my name tag I sheepishly made my way to the tables, noticing how I did not know a single face.

After setting my coat on a chair I cozied up to a table of friendly faces. One of the members is a girl I became friends with for the evening, she runs a lovely crafting blog over at Nidhizzle. We had similar takes on life and the night, which made it very fun. She even offered me a blender, although it may have just been the moment talking.

Aside from networking the point of the event was also to get to know Whole Foods. Considering I have never been inside a Whole Foods this task was easy for me. Lisa, the marketing lady (who it turns out lives in the neighboring city to me and felt my commute pain of the night, appx 45 minutes) told us all about the various drinks we could sample and how we would be designing our own pizzas, which they would be cooking in the fire brick oven. Fancy.

I chatted with several other people for the few hours I was there and took our free gift to the back for a fill up. I found myself a nice fruity-flavored item to do the trick. Anyone need to come visit and help me with it?

At the end of the night I was SO pleased I made the journey and got over my fear of not knowing anyone! I had a blast and look forward to the meet up in February. And not just because I should be back to running and don't have to feel like a "fake" running blogger. Want to join in the fun next time? It'll be a wine tasting. Follow on facebook for all the details.

Ps. Don't forget to sign up for my Valentine's Exchange

Valentine's Day Blogger Exchange

2012-01-17T17:44:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is approximately one month away. Meaning, we all have plenty of time to get our butts in gear and share the love! After Christmas I really wanted to do another fun exchange and thought sending valentine's would be sweet and inexpensive. However, I arrived home from my mini vacation to see Zaneta has beaten me to the punch! Just like Christmas though, I'm hoping there's holiday spirit to share. Meaning, feel free to sign up for her card exchange and mine to get the most pink and red and white.

I am going to keep this a rather easy going exchange, we will be doing either small gifts or cards.

Basically, comment here letting everyone know you're interested so others see how popular this is getting. ( ; And also so I know if I've missed your email. Then email me at Julie@rojrunning.com with your mailing and applicable blog/twitter/etc information. Either in the comment or email, let me know if you want to exchange cards only or if you are willing to do a gift exchange. Please sign up by January 31st. On February 1st I will give the list of exchange partners. This will give everyone time to shop for items/cards or to get to know your blogger buddy better.

Gift Exchange people:

I will pair you with one other person. The person you send to will not necessarily be the person sending to you.
The gift exchange limit will be set at $15.Please send your gifts by the 7th, that will give them 1 week to arrive.
PLEASE send pictures, post a blog, do something to let us all know about the great stuff you were sent!
Grab my button and post it on your blog, Facebook, Tweet it, Pin it, whatever (if you want).

Cards Only people:

Depending on the number of people who sign up I will break you into groups, with no more than 5 to a grouping.
Try to get your cards out as soon as possible so people may enjoy them leading up to the holiday, try to send no later than the 10th.
Please also send pictures, write a post and thank everyone for their kinds thoughts.
You may also grab my button and post it on your blog, Facebook, Tweet it, Pin it, whatever (if you want).

OK all my little cupids and cupidettes let's make Valentine's Day 2012 one to be remembered!

Friday Food : Crock Pot Turkey Pot Pie

2012-01-13T07:18:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday the 13th!

I came across a few different recipes for pot pie as I was trying to use some leftover turkey from a 1/2 roast I bought last weekend. True, it could have stayed in the freezer, but I was in a turkey mood and since I'm traveling I didn't want to have too much "fresh" stuff in the refrigerator. In my own way I combined a few and here is what I think is a very easy version.

Turkey Pot Pie

What you will need:

3-4 cups cooked turkey, diced.
1 package (32 oz) turkey broth
3 cups potatoes, peeled & cubed
1lb (16oz) frozen veggies (carrot, pea, corn and green bean mix)
2 celery stalk, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf

1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

9inch Pie crust (up to 2)

Directions:

In a bowl or directly in slow cooker, place meat, broth, veggies, celery, potatoes, salt, pepper and bay leaf
Allow to cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6
When ready to finish...Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Or set toaster oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove bay leaf...Mix in milk, flour, salt and pepper gradually
Pour mixture into casserole dish (or two depending on how many pies you want/need)
Place pie crust over the casserole dish
Bake for 15 minutes. (Regular oven you may need to add more time).

Photos & Comments

All ingredients sitting in the slow cooker

Fully cooked, the next morning

Adding the milk and flour

Two pies, waiting to be baked

Toaster oven @ 375 F for 15 mins

Regular oven @ 400 F for 15 mins

I much prefer the toaster oven version at 375 degree F for 12-15 mins over the regular oven version of 400 degree F for 15 mins. Perhaps if I left it in longer it would have turned out OK, but the filling was boiling out of the sides and top.

My favorite part of a pot pit is the crust. I love to mash it and blend it with the other pieces parts. With this recipe there is only a top pie, no side crusts or bottom. This makes me sad and I would find a way to change it in the future.

As you can tell this makes A LOT of food. Make it for a family or social gathering or be ready to freeze!

Three Things Thursday

2012-01-12T18:58:00.001-05:00

1. My wrist is falling apart. It started feeling funny last Friday, each day it has grown progressively worse. This only happened this terribly back when I was an undergrad. At the time I was diagnosed with a ganglion cyst. OUCH! I was given a wrist brace and put in physical therapy, and it kept getting WORSE! I was set up to look at possibly having surgery or cortisone shots. Then my work hours switched and the hospital I was using threw a big hissy and wouldn't see me anymore because I wasn't available the ONE day the doctor I was working with was willing to come in. RUDE. So magically the pain went away. Every once in a while it will hurt for 1-2 days, but nothing like this! Frick. I can't open doors, I can't hold things, I can't squeeze my fingers together or I cry, which makes paperwork super fun. I'm wearing one of these and hoping it just heals itself. BTW one thing that doesn't hurt is typing...so I dunno what's up with that. Looks like it's a HULU night though and pain killers just to be safe.

2. I went to the World Market tonight on a secret mission. You'll find out on the 31st. While there I acquired something wonderful. Chocolate and Banana spread. I may or may not have opened it and started eating it with my fingers out of the jar on the way home. They knew my type when they designed a jar that fits so perfectly in a cup holder.

3. I don't understand Klout. Does anyone else? Does it even matter? Should I stop trying to do whatever it is they are wanting me to do for whatever results? Seriously, I'm confused by it on so many levels.

Why can't I figure out what day it is?

2012-01-11T21:30:00.000-05:00

I'm totally stealing Cely's layout formula. Sue me. Or please don't. Take it as a compliment.

So I keep thinking it's Thursday and then I relax because I realize it's only Tuesday and then I get annoyed I am too dumb to just know from the start it's Wednesday. What is wrong with me?

I'm working on a delicious recipe. Or so I hope it will be when it is finished. It's in my crock pot. Let's hope my house doesn't burn down while I sleep. At least I'll die warm.

If I don't die I have TWO races lined up for the spring. See I can't die, right? RACES! I'd have more, but I'm still waiting on heart testing. Good news folks! I get my benefits on the 22nd, so I will be getting tested shortly after.

On April Fools Day I will be running the 25K Fools Run. I have been head over heels for the idea of this race since I learned the date would be on actual April Fool's Day.

Not far after I will be headed down to Mohican State Park for the Forget the PR 25K. I'll be lodging with a few lady friends from Grunt Girls and Cleveland West Road Runners. I am so excited to be around my friends and out in the woods that weekend. And I have heard such marvelous things about the waist deep water crossing.

In other news...I deleted my dating profile today. Apparently all people within my range of contact are only looking for sex. Sex is lovely. I like me some sex. I also like hearing from you the next day. I like exchanging birthday and Christmas gifts. I like not being invisible to your friends and family. Sorry, this isn't directed at anyone. Honest. I think part of it is directed at the fact that one of my ex's recently became engaged. The high school sweetheart ex. We haven't been a part of each other's lives for a long long time. I've been in love with many other men since him. In fact thinking I loved Mr B is a major reason the ex is no longer in my life. It's still strange though...13 years later and this is how it turns out. I won't lie we both always thought I'd be the first one to settle down. I also used to think 25 was old. Ohhh the logic of a 14 year old...

Letting my roots show

2012-01-09T07:13:00.000-05:00

Here is the second part of the information I promised in my last video. How and why did I start this website.

It's good to remember your roots. Especially after this weekend! It certainly was a busy weekend of networking! I must have found 50+ new sites to follow from teammates. I'd be willing to bet closer to 100 between FitFluential and Tough Chiks. Now don't get me wrong, I will be giving plenty of love to all my local teams and clubs too as the season moves forward and I have more to say about each and every one of them. I plan to do a series on everything I am a part of to highlight each and explain why I want to be a part of it so much.

Something I learned this weekend and my reactions.

Many people are concerned about the number of comments they see on their postings. MANY people replied that it matters deeply how interactive you are with other bloggers. If you're commenting on everything under the sun, you will get more replies. I felt relieved reading this and thinking I am "guilty" of not commenting. I read through a reader on my phone or Google reader online...I can't always comment. So, to save time and space I only comment when I think I have something important to contribute. Apparently page views and Alexa score matter more. I have NO IDEA what Alexa is? Anyone else? However, my page views have been going up and up. I'm thankful. And about to stop worrying. I mean maybe 10,000 views can get me a free jar of PB, but as long as I'm loving my sport and staying healthy I can buy my own PB. No disrespect intended.

On the topic of being "popular".

Now I'm going to say something unrelated to my teams, but it's something that came up this weekend. A list of the Top 100 running blogs for 2012 was posted, most of you have probably caught wind of it. Several of the blogs I follow made the list. I took the time to look at the top 10 though, and no offense, none were my cup of tea. It makes me wonder what criteria is being used? See, I get jealous when I want to be with the cool kids, but then I wonder if it's worth it. The top 10 blogs are very informative, very up to date and newsworthy. They also seem so impersonal. I didn't get a sense for the writer at all. For me, I'd much prefer feeling like I'm taking a journey with someone over only ever be exposed to racing tips and news clips. That's just me though...

Next up...

I can't wait for this week to be over...not because I don't like my job or because it's a 5 day week. It's because on Saturday morning I will be on a jet plane headed to Kansas City to see my friend Jennifer Fabulous of I Know, Right? Fame! It's going to be amazing. I have not seen her for about 10 years. How did we get old enough to make that statement? Well, for your viewing pleasure...she'll probably hate me for doing this...photos from our youth.The first picture doesn't even look like her...I have this fear it isn't her and I've had my picture captioned wrong all these years. HAHA.

I'm dressed up for a play, she's probably between costumes?

Another play...trust me I didn't wear suits& pearls to school. She looks good though!

These Boots

2012-01-08T14:09:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I went to Amish Country with my family. I don't know if this is really the official term for the area or if I just sounded incredibly racist, but it's what I grew up knowing it as. This area in Ohio has a high concentration of Amish families, where the food is all down home and deep fried and the furniture is various types of wood and hand crafted. We like to go for the food and shopping. While there I came across a pair of boots. Normally I'm not a boots girl, or a shoes girl at all. I have two of the same style of Merrell basic shoes for work and don't consider anything else. I wear a size 6.5 to 7 and I am picky as sin. I don't like any type of heel, because it stresses my calves and then I can't run as well. I'm clumsy so something slippery is also out. I hate buckles and tassels and ribbons and bows. My calf muscles are thicker than they should be for my foot size so most tall boots won't fit, especially if they don't have zipper. Oh and the front of my foot is wide, but my heel isn't, if anything it's narrow. Like I said...picky. Thus when I tried on a pair of beautiful tan boots and they fit and they were super comfortable I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT THE DAMN THINGS!

Unfortunately, I was being "fiscally responsible" as the Christmas season was approaching so I left them. I figured if they were 45.00 originally, marked down to 35.00 I should be able to find them back home no problem and full price wasn't too bad. Again, I don't know fashion so when I tell you the brand you might freak. They were LAMO boots and from what I gather those suckers are not cheap! Anywhere I find on-line or near to my house the tall boots are approaching or well over 100 dollars! Everything I find is pull on too, not the zippered version I was trying on. I'm traumatized I didn't buy them. Forever depressed this girl right here.

Yesterday, I was planning ALL WEEK to go back to Amish Country with my Mom to buy the boots of my dreams. When I asked her Friday night what was going on she told me she accidentally forgot and made plans with my sister. THE TRAGEDY! So I found myself agreeing to go a local mall with them instead.

Spoiler alert: I still don't have boots. But here is what my day involved...

The three of us arrived at the mall just after lunch time. We started at Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale where I acquired a new bra for 50% off the original price. I'm also super picky about my bras so this is exciting. I own about 10-12 bras, I like 1 of them. Now I like 2.

Next we popped into a Kitchen Store, after my sister jokingly asked if I wanted to go in. Girl don't joke about my kitchen! I left with a set of wooden spoons compliments of my llama, salt and pepper shakers and a slicer/scrapper (but one safe to use on my stoneware!) At the store I ran into my friends Samm and Scott, and they told me some very exciting news! Can't wait for this summer, so many great things are happening with so many people!

Another store we went to was Forever 21. A hit or miss store. Well my depression of not having boots was only made worse when I found this jacket. And it was only 20 bucks! AND IT WASN'T IN MY SIZE. WHYYYYYYY? Please don't exist if I can't have you. This rule now applies to food, clothing, and men.

We also made our way into the Body Shop. Body Shop wins over Bath & Body EVERY TIME. I have terrible perfume allergies both in general and for my asthma. I can barely walk past B&B without a reaction. BS is so much more gentle. Mom bought a ginger shampoo since I was raving about it. (Note, I am a scalp scratch-er. Gross I know. Head & Shoulders doesn't help, top of the line medicated stuff doesn't help. I started using the ginger shampoo and it made a major difference). They were also having a great sale on a few other things, so for 9 bucks, yep 9 bucks, I now own the following. Green Apple body wash (amazing) Raspberry body wash and Watermelon lotion. I also have a watermelon and mint body wash so the lotion makes a great set.

After we were all done with the mall. Curse you Macy's, Sears, Payless and everyone else who doesn't have equivalent boots. We found our way to El Ricon, a local Mexican place. YUM YUM. I chowed down on a platter of various beans and rice and cheese in flour related casings. Prior to this we all shared a pitcher of daiquiris and chips & salsa. HOW much more AMAZING is chips and salsa sans braces?

Needless to say yesterday wasn't too active, but it was good for my family and mental wellness. I did clean my house. Sweep/Mop/Scrub/Dishes/Laundry. That's active! Right? Tomorrow I go for my 1 month follow up for retainers. ONE MONTH already?! Only 5 more until I'm only wearing them at night and this is all just a memory.

Friday Food : Make Your Own Fortune Cookies

2012-01-06T18:08:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the first Friday Food of 2012. I am excited to share this recipe with you, although many of you may think it's a tad dated given the New Year recently passed. However, feel free to use these with your own invented fortunes. Have a company? Slip a logo and ph# inside and watch people respond to how clever you can be! Use them for birthdays, Valentine's Day or your next movie night in with your sweetie.

Not feeling the paper route? May I suggest filling the cookies with something? Say Nutella or Peanut Butter? Perhaps dip the outside in chocolate and use sprinkles or powdered sugar? Hmm how about tea and honey?

I found the great idea for this on Pinterest (naturally) which lead me to Alpha Mom for the official post. This is also where you will get links for the fortune slips.

Fortune Cookies

What you will need:

2 egg whites
1/2 cup flour (sifted)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
In a bowl mix egg whites with an electric mixer until they appear frothy and seem to form peaks
Add flour and mix
Mix in sugar, almond, and vanilla
To thin the batter, stir in 2 tablespoons of water
Spoon the mixture onto a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Do not use a greased pan as the grease will make the mixture spread and lose its shape. The original baker noted the parchment paper will wrinkle, but works. My wax paper did NOT work, the batter joined to the wax. However, my stoneware baking dishes worked fine
From the center spoon the mixture out into a circle. I made my circles using both 1 table spoon (3 teaspoons) and 2/3 tablespoons (2 teaspoons). Note the size differences above
Bake until edges start to brown. It should take between 6-10 minutes, keep an eye on them! (You will probably only want to bake about 2 cookies at a time
Remove cookie with a thin spatula and working quickly place a strip of paper in the center. (This whole ending process should take 10-20 seconds, the cookie will start to cool and become fragile)
Fold the cookie and pinch the edges together then quickly bend to form over the edge of a bowl
Place in a muffin tin to hold shape

Photos & Comments

The things you'll need

Beat egg whites to frothy state

Mix in flour, then sugar and extracts

Pour and spread into thin circles

Wait for edges to brown

Wax paper = ruined cookies

"Fortune" papers

Place fortune on the cookie. I have no idea why it's speckled

Meet the edges and pinch

Fold over the edge of a bowl

Set in a muffin tin to hold shape

Waiting to be enjoyed!

I would highly recommend wearing a pair of gloves when molding the cookies. They can be very warm (hot) upon removal.

When I made the cookies smaller I was able to bake more at a time, but found when removing them I needed to remove them one at a time or they would cool too quickly.

My cookies never became crispy all the way through. I'm not sure if cooking them longer would help, or trying to make the circles thinner. Allowing them to sit out a few days did not do anything. This wasn't an issue for me because I think a lot of FC are too hard anyway, but it should be noted for those searching for a specific texture.

Video: Intro to My Running History

2012-01-05T18:04:00.001-05:00

My first purposeful video. I thought it would be nice for the newer followers to learn how I got started with my running. Yes, I mention I'll talk about my blog too, but it was getting long so I cut it for next time.

What's new so far?

2012-01-05T13:29:00.001-05:00

Well so far the following things are going on in 2012. I downloaded a Blogger app for my phone...which is what posted this entry. I also started to make videos. The one I worked on last night failed to upload so I have to investigate that situation. Lately I've been trying to be more active on Twitter. It's quicker and easier to read and chat than Facebook statuses and it is fun to create or follow hashtags. To think this time last year I knew NOTHING about Twitter.

I have majorly failed at 30 for 100 days. Can you majorly fail in 5 days? I missed two days in a row. Between getting a virus off my computer system and other obligations I just wasn't motivated. #excuses, huh? I am sitting at 600 cals for the past week with Cardio Trainer, which is cool to see again. Maybe the pup and I will walk tonight.

Short & sweet, just like me. Time for lunch break to end.

100 Days Challenge

2012-01-02T12:02:00.000-05:00

I decided to do this challenge, because it doesn't involve miles or running. I've been invited to countless things for January, none of which I can safely take part in. With the 100 days challenge though, it is simply 30 minutes of intentional movement. As it says on the page, it can be 3 sets of 10 minutes, 2 sets of 15, 1 set of 30 or go above and beyond.

Yesterday I walked with my dog for 2 miles, which took us about 41 minutes. We could have gone longer, but it started to sleet and she's so tiny I worry about her paws.

I also have this brilliant plan of doing sit-ups and curls or squats every day. However, given I did not do it yesterday we all know how seriously I'm taking that goal. As seriously as I've taken it every year and every month I've ever dreamt it up.

So, do you want to take part in it too? You don't get anything other than the satisfaction of a job well done. Isn't that enough?

There is an official webpage, where you can download and print a chart to track your progress.

And of course there is the Facebook page for the 100 days challenge where you can brag about what you did, meet other people doing the challenge, and get ideas on what else you can be doing to get your body moving.

Not sure if you have missed the memo...but it's 2012...let's make it count.

Race Report : GNYER 5K

2012-01-01T12:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I completed my final event of 2011with my sister and several friends. Gale and I have done this event I believe every year since I began racing, my sister has joined us at many of them too. The year I had my wisdom teeth pulled and did not want to run she was there with the pups for an icy adventure where I carried Em nearly 1.5 miles back when her tiny paws were nothing more than ice cubes.

On a side note, a minor tragedy happened last night shortly before the ball dropped. A virus hit my computer and began eating away at all my files and programs. Luckily I caught it in enough time to get a system restore going, as I was watching icon after icon blip into the blackness...unfortunately I have lost all my personal files. Anything Word, Excel, or picture is gone. Thus if the pictures below seem less than quality, it's because I swiped them from my FB account and they are not the high quality full sized versions.

The Great New Years Eve Race 5K

I left for the race about 30 minutes prior to the start. This is because if it wasn't cold I could walk to the high school from my place. I parked in BFE, which I don't care and walked inside with Gale's gift. One of the losses from yesterday...no image. But it was a set of breast cancer awareness coasters I made for her and a sock moneky jogger ornament. Imagine a sock monkey wearing swooshy shorts, a sweat band and an ipod.

We chatted for a while with my sister and saw a few familiar faces. I was able to talk to Paula for a tad, who also had her Turkey Day race gloves. She apparently took a spill on a bike rider earlier that day. Ouch! Be careful lady! We saw Niall who I think always looks like he is up to something, but in a good way. I saw Katrina, but she didn't hear me call her name (or she was pretending - haha) and I couldn't reach her for a shoulder tap. And we met up with my friend Liz before the start outside.

The course has always been the same out and back. We start behind the HS and run a little more than a mile down the same road, we go left into a housing development, run down to a turnaround cone, make a right back onto the main street and book it for the HS. The catch in all of this is that there are some nasty hills along the way. I often wonder if these hills would be as nasty in nicer weather. AKA when people are in shape and not living on various forms of refined carbs.

I can only speak for myself, but I had a great time with my sister. It's still hard for me to not run and in fact we were doing a slow jog the whole time. Mostly running in place with some movement. We hit mile 1 a little over 16 minutes. Eeeip. I really enjoy getting to spend time with her lately. I'll miss it when I'm back to running if we don't stay together at races.

Coming into the finish I saw Mickey and he gave me a hard time about not smiling. So I gave him a big cheesy grin with my eyes shut and he gave me a hard time for that! Apparently you need to OPEN YOUR EYES and enjoy your finish line. Sorry if I'm still hung up and not being allowed to run. Although it did occur to me more than once how wonderful it was to even be out there with everyone. And now it is Jan 1, meaning this is the month I get benefits, this is the month for testing, this is the month I come back!

After the race we saw a guy who I keep forgetting his name and I feel terribly about it, but I wanted to mention we saw him. Remember over the summer when I did the hill training for Buckeye? It was the guy I ran with then...and he's been at CRTR a few times too. Ugg I'm such a jerk. Anyway Gale and I talked to him after we finished and he related to the whole injury = not running and how much it sucks. I guess everyone can to a degree. We also ran into Catherine and who I assume was her fiance? I never did catch for sure. There was also Sheila and Shelby and Kirstie and Kevin to say hello to! We devoured the soup and raisin bread, bananas and apples.

Team Freebie (my favorite team) walked away with a bunch of soup and fruit. I came home and tossed it in the crock pot with my left over veggies from last week and some more water, chicken and soup base. This morning I had amazing soup with plenty of left overs!

The only thing left to do after I arrived at home was snap some shots for the virtual races I took part in...

There was the virtual run for Amanda at Run to the Finish (Home of HBBC).

There was also the New years Eve 5K for Riley at Daily Vitamin F.

I hope everyone else had an amazing new year's eve too!

The official recap/resolution/whatever of ROJ for 2011

2011-12-31T12:59:00.000-05:00

For me resolutions are an indicator of where you are versus where you want to be this time next year. I am proud to say I made it to where I want to be as I close out 2011. Less than 6 months ago I was ashamed to show my face to the world. My one piece of perfection was a passion for running. Currently I love my life and I'm excited to meet new people at any opportunity, yet I'm banished from my sport (for now). It's amazing how complex and wonderful our lives can be, with or without planning.

In 2012 One resolution is to judge less and listen more. Nothing is black and white anymore. There is never such a thing as an easy choice. Friends don't always stop talking to you out of a lack of love, but sometimes as a self preservation tool. I vow to close my lips and hold hands more often and to speak up instead of walking away when needed.

That is my serious effort.
For my fun effort?

I want to try something new every week. Maybe it's a new class at a gym? Maybe it's a new recipe? Maybe it's a new city? I want to explore and learn and feel wonder for all that is around me. School isn't a life suck anymore, but that is no excuse to stop asking questions and seeking answers.

And now for the highlights of 2011

January

I started my internship and struggled with a new sense of "self"
My blog underwent a name change
My winter half marathon became a very slow and cold 8 miles at Run for Regis

February

Had a wonderful time at the indoor tri with a few friends

Wrote my 2nd most popular post, about doing triple time at the gym

March

The Shamrock 15K became a 5K and my report was published on FitBlogger
I competed at a local speech competition .

I complained about not going to New Orleans, but hung out with this cute girl...

And announced I would be running my 2nd 50K in July

April

My lovely friend Jen did a guest post for me, the #1 most popular to this day
I raced every weekend.

Towpath Half Marathon

Spring Classic 5K

Cleveland 10 Miler

April RAINN (4.5 Trail)

"I Can't Afford the Actual Race" Virtual Marathon

My friend Nicole (Heather) came to town with her small children and I realized they are not scary and actually can be fun (all kids, not just her offspring)

May

I completed the Vulture's Knob 15K
Posted one of my favorite entries: helping you get into biking
I was almost caught in a tornado
My butt was pinched by a crawfish

Oh yeah and I kinda sorta...graduated with my Master's Degree

June

On the racing front we had both the Morgana Run! 5K and the Jackson Night Glow 5K
I rode my bike in my PJs

My Marathon Bars kit for 2011 arrived

I attended a great conference in Toledo
And there was the near encounter with a bear...

July

Buckeye Trail 50K (taking over 2 hours off my previous 50K time) and Muddy Paws

Plus, there was a situation where I volunteered for 15 hours straight, while others ran 100 miles

August

I ran A LOT in this month. Achieving my current PR in the 1/2 marathon by an astounding amount of time. I went from 2:33 to 2:17.

Whiskey Island 6K Relay

Salem Night Trax 5K
Twilight Trail 8K

Rock N Roll Chicago 1/2

Buckeye 1/2

While riding w/ some friends I took a nasty spill...I still have a scar

September

I scaled back a little, but qualified for Half Fanatics at the 3 moon level. It took me until Dec to have the $$ for it!

Rock N Roll VA Beach 1/2

YUT-C 25K
Akron Road Runner Marathon Relay

My teeth were pulled as I said good bye to some baby molars
I was offered a position at my current company

October

It was the month of my favorite 5K Jack-o-Lantern Jog 5K
I moved! What more does there need to be?
I made you all a great meatloaf hand, when I started a new weekly feature

November

The sister and I walked a very fun 4 miler for Turkey Day . Home Run for the Homeless 4 miler
I was named a FitFluential Ambassador
There was some unsettling medical news
There was a post every day as I took part in the NaBloPoMo challenge

December

My braces came off
There was a great gift exchange
My sister became a "fan" of ROJ on Facebook!
Sis and I walked the Christmas Light Run (you were able to hear me sing)
Today we walk the Great New Years Eve 5k

I hope you all enjoyed reflecting on 2011, let us all stay happy and healthy in the new year and make lots of new friends too!

Friday Food : Pork, Snow Pea & Mushroom Stir-Fry

2011-12-30T20:13:00.000-05:00

Well look at us all learning about food where the primary ingredients are not sugar or food coloring. Better yet, you will not need sour cream OR butter!

I love this recipe, because it is yummy, healthy and easily adapted to even more delicious veggies!

Pork, Snow Pea & Mushroom Stir-Fry

What You Need

1 Tbsp. oil
1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups quartered fresh mushrooms
1 cup fresh snow peas
1 small yellow pepper, cut into strips
1 Tbsp. minced ginger root
1/4 cup Catalina dressing
1 Tbsp. lite soy sauce
3 cups hot cooked long-grain brown rice

The original recipe also calls for the following items, I chose not to use them. Either due to personal preference or budget reasons.

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup PLANTERS Cashews
2 green onions, chopped

Directions:

Heat oil in wok or large skillet on high heat. Add meat; stir-fry 1 min.
Add next 5 ingredients (mushrooms, snow peas, pepper, ginger root, garlic if using); stir-fry on medium-high heat 3 to 5 min. or until meat is lightly browned. Stir in dressing and soy sauce; stir-fry 2 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender and meat is done.
Top with nuts and onions. Serve with rice.

Comments & Photos:

I don't like to stir-fry my meat. Instead I cooked the pork in my toaster oven (Foreman type grill would also work) at 350 degree F for about 20-30 minutes, while preparing everything else. Because of this I did not need the oil when cooking the veggies.

Adding other pepper colors or additional colorful veggies would spruce up this meal.

Mincing your own ginger root is not difficult. Peel the outer layer away with a paring knife. Cut into strips following the natural separation. Using a chopping knife, cut the pieces until they are tiny and thin and fun things of that nature.

In the future I would scale back on the sauce. It was good, but it would obviously be healthier with less.

It freezes very well and holds its flavor. I did not feel I was missing out by not using the garlic, the onions or nuts. I saved a lot of money and probably my coworkers thanked me too.

Pile of simple ingredients

Raw veggies

All finished, waiting on pork and rice

Ready for storage & consumption!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-28T19:13:00.001-05:00

The 12 Exercises of (Post) Christmas

2011-12-27T07:25:00.001-05:00

Now that we've all enjoyed our various forms of food, beverage and general gluttony how do we get back on track?

May I suggest the following 12 moves, in classic sing-song style! Do them once each day to build up to a finale, or try 'em all at once. I chose moves where you do not need equipment, but feel free to include it to take it up a notch. ( ;

On the First day after Christmas, I gave my body...A One minute plank.

Looking for ways to spice up your plank? Check out this article from fitsugar.com.

On the 2nd day after Christmas, I gave my body...two windmill toe touches.

Source

Remember, add weights (kettle ball if you have it) for extra oomph.

On the 3rd day after Christmas, I gave my body...three basic crunches.

Source

Crunches are one of the easiest moves to make advanced. Try doing a reverse crunch, lifting your legs and knees to yours chest. Perform them on a stability ball. Do a reverse crunch while hanging from a chin up bar. Crunch while holding your legs at a 45 or 90 degree angle.

On the 4th day after Christmas, I gave my body...four pushups.

Many of you already know about the site and app to help you reach 100 pushups, so why not make that a New Year's Resolution? Yes, it's OK to start with pushups on your knees, make sure you keep your back straight though! Try doing them against a wall, or on a stability ball or a bench. Try them one handed?

On the 5th day after Christmas, I gave my body...fiiiiiive burpees!

Source

Technically, you can up these by holding weights, but do you need to mess with the burpee?

On the 6th day after Christmas, I gave my body...six leg lifts.

Once you feel you have the hang of this, try lifting your leg to the side too, I think of these as hydrant presses. I'll let you guess why.

On the 7th day after Christmas, I gave my body...seven mountain climbers.

Each day see how quickly you can do the MCs, Start slowly to learn the form.

On the 8th day after Christmas, I gave my body...eight chair dips.

Source

Yes, it's true this involves a piece of equipment, but I went out on a limb here and assumed everyone owns something they sit on and can be used for this purpose.

On the 9th day after Christmas, I gave my body...nine glute bridges.

Seems easy enough, but try doing it with one leg extended. Or with both ankles on a stability ball.

On the 10th day after Christmas, I gave my body...ten forward lunges.

Source

Ready to add something other than weights to your workout? If you're in a safe location, try lunging with your eyes closed. You will feel your balance shift and it will force you to become more in-tune with your body.

On the 11th day after Christmas, I gave my body...eleven squats.

Is this your favorite move? Why not try to work your way up to 200? There's even a phone app. If you have a stability ball, place it between yourself and the wall as you move up and down. Or hold weights (soup cans) at your sides.

On the 12th day after Christmas, I gave my body...a dozen jumping jacks.

Getting bored? Need to laugh at yourself? Try seal jumping jacks, pictured above from Women's Health magazine.

I hope you all enjoyed the 12 exercises of post Christmas! Stay fit and let's go into 2012 with endless possibilities.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T21:57:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend regardless of how you chose to spend your time. Personally, my Christmas was wonderful. My top two gifts were given to me (slow cooker and Skyrim) which makes me a very happy camper. Tomorrow will be full of virtual battles and the sweet smells of new recipes waiting for me by the end of it all. Perhaps seeing a few friends in town too?

Here are a few pictures to share from my family to yours.

My contribution to the gift pile

I made fruit and veggie tress for Christmas dinner

Passed out at my grandma's by the fire

Sis, with the Disney princess coasters I made her

Me, spazing about Skyrim, my dog being very worried

Sis, with the Steeler's scarf I made for her

And of course, my Mom's Christmas tree.

Friday Food : Peppermint Bark and Gumdrops

2011-12-23T11:13:00.000-05:00

Happy almost Christmas to everyone celebrating this weekend and a happy in progress Hanukkah for those who have already started.

Who is still looking for that quick, easy and yummy treat for their next party? Or maybe you're just always on the look out.

May I suggest making a seasonal favorite of peppermint bark? Or a treat with a multi-season availability? Homemade gumdrops.

Peppermint Bark

To make this treat there are two versions. Both I enjoyed. First the more traditional version.

You will need:

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz). Or 8 oz of other baking chocolate
2 bars Ghirardelli white chocolate baking bar (4 oz each) Or 8 oz of other white chocolate. Check ingredients, make sure it's made with cocoa
4-5 candy canes, peppermint flavor

Directions:

Place the candy canes in a bag (Ziploc freezer works well) and using a rolling pin or other hard object, crush the candy canes. Make sure you do not crush them too much or you will end up with powder. Set aside.

On the stove top or in the microwave, melt the semi-sweet or other brown chocolate.

Pour mixture into your dish of choice. Allow to cool and place in refrigerator. Allow chocolate base to begin to harden. If it is not cool enough, the white and brown will mix together in a later step.

Again, using the stove or microwave, melt the white chocolate. I would suggest using the microwave if you're uncertain about proper melting temperatures. The lighter color is not as forgiving to burns.

Pour mixture into a mixing bowl. Mix about 1/2 of your candy cane pieces into the melted white chocolate.

Remove the base from the fridge and pour the white chocolate mix on top. Be cautious not to swirl the colors. Once everything is evenly spread, sprinkle the remaining candy canes over the top. Press them gently into the mix to prevent flaking after setting.

Cover and allow to chill over night.

To complete, removed from fridge, gently dump out of the contained and using hands break the bark into various sizes. Place on a dish or in a container and watch people enjoy!

Comments and Photos:

I totally burned some of my white chocolate...and it tasted exactly like a toasted marshmallow! I would also use fewer semi-sweet chocolate chips in my future versions. Many people like the 50/50 split. I think I'd rather have a 35/65 or 25/75 instead.

For a quick, easy and essentially less expensive version try this...skip the semi-sweet all together and instead of the white chocolate use Nestle premier white chips. About 1 cup will make a sizable batch for 1 person for a few days. IMO. For the candy canes you would only need 2 or 3. To keep things from tasting too bland (if you think the chips are too bland) add a drop or two of peppermint extract to the mix when stirring in the candy cane pieces.

*****************************************************

Gumdrops

I must give credit where credit it due, I found this on Pinterest and it lead me to Bakerella. Please visit her site for a more pictorial write up. When I started to make these I didn't realize 1) how quickly some of the steps would go and 2) they would actually come out!

Many reviews mentioned how their attempts failed, and I didn't feel like taking photos if it wasn't going to work. Boy do I regret that choice! They came out fabulously and were so fun to make.

You will need:

4 Tbsp gelatin (6 envelopes)
1 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups boiling water
4 cups sugar
1/4 tsp flavored extract like lemon or peppermint
food coloring
extra sugar for coating

Directions:

In a large pot, soften gelatin in cold water for five minutes.

Stir in boiling water until gelatin dissolves.

Stir in sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 25 minutes. Stir constantly.

Add 1/4 tsp extract and 1-2 drops food color to each pan. 4 - 3x5 or any other size combinations.

Pour mixture into pans and stir until thoroughly combined.

Cover pan and chill overnight in the fridge.

The next day, remove gelatin from pans. It may help to wet a knife in hot water.

Cut gelatin mixture into cubes using a knife dipped in hot water. Suggested size 3/4 inch.

Separate cubes and roll in sugar until coated on all sides.

Place gumdrops on wax paper and leave at room temperature for two days to crystallize.

Comments and Photos:

When I did this I only used 4 envelopes since they sell in packs of 4. I also crossed my wires and used a lil more cold water in step one and a lil less boiling water later. When my mixture was boiling I cut the heat back a tad (I use gas) and continued to stir constantly. I moved my TV so I could watch while stirring...uber boring and tedious!

For some colors I might use more than 2 drops in the future, my red came out a bit pink. It was fun to mix colors though.

I wasn't worried about perfect cubes, but if you are it can be very frustrating to cut the cubes.

HOLY STICKY. Make sure you scrub things down as soon as possible or you will end up with a hard ugly mess.

They don't taste quite like store bought drops. Maybe I used too much sugar on the outside? But mine were not as chewy as expected. I had one girl tell me (at work) it was more a jell-o than chewy texture you'd expect from the spiced drops. I was also told my version was better.

For my batch I used orange, lemon and peppermint extract. I think these are great for any season. At Easter or in the summer use different extracts such as Strawberry or Raspberry instead of the peppermint. Switch up the colors too. They sell neon coloring where I live, think of the possibilities?! Not a very expensive project either.

Holy hidden gift Batman!

2011-12-22T20:45:00.000-05:00

As I was putting my socks and candy away I noticed one of my socks felt a little stiff. (TWSS) Upon further investigation I found a beautiful handcrafted necklace from my secret sock buddy. I love it so much, it's adorable and it doesn't have to be an official Anne Franklin design because taking your time to make something can be more meaningful. Here is a picture...on the back is written ROJ.

What do you think?

You all knock my socks off!

2011-12-22T17:05:00.000-05:00

...luckily this seems to be the year to give socks as gifts, and I now have SEVEN new socks to replace all you have knocked off in 2011 with your tales of success, perseverance and just general mischief.

This year I signed up for 3 different blogger exchanges, as well as hosting my own. I know, remember the FOMO situation?

In no particular order...

I signed up for Courtney's blogger sock swap over at Third Time's A Charm Runner

I don't want to assume anything...since both swaps I was sent socks, however this pair was holiday themed, so I think this is what I was sent for that exchange.

Seriously, I dunno if this SS is just a great guesser or a professional blog stalker, but I LOVE Cadbury eggs. The past 2 Easters I was devastated because they were just a little too tricky to eat with braces (for me). These little babies cure bad days, bad moods, and create world peace. Ha. Anyway, I almost bought some the other night as I am no braces free, but did not...so THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOUUUU SS for sending me something so wonderful! I also LOVE the giant softee mints. I don't know what they're called, but they're fun to suck until they collapse in your mouth. And the socks are super cute too. I love how everything matches.

Another exchange I signed up for was from Jill with Run with Jill. Again I am assuming this is the gift which went with this exchange...both of my boxes simply came from SS.

A pack of funky multi colored socks...which is great because when I moved I threw out a lot of my "fun" socks since they were old and nasty and taking up room. It's good to have some socks with personality. I also was sent a multi pack of drink mixes. If you can't read the tiny print, and who could, they're pomegranate, blueberry, peppermint, raspberry and cranberry. Yum! Right? I'm not a HUGE drinker, but they're non-alcoholic so what I will probably do is mix Sprite or 7up for a fizzy thrilling drink.

The last exchange I signed up for, was a card exchange from Zaneta at Runner's Luck

We were placed in groups, and I was assigned group Snowflake with 5 other people. So far I've only received 4 of my cards, but that's OK.

Which are from my group?

The bottom left Inspi(RED) card, the left top corner with the tree and deer, the bottom right brown with the quilted star and the the green with cute boxes right above it. The others are friends or family or businesses. Aren't I popular? Haha. Inspi(RED) also came with a smile pin, the deer came with a crochet star and the quilted star came with a letter (I think I matched the gifts correctly, if not, please forgive).

And on a final note, the exchange I personally hosted, where I have not been sent images yet so I can't share with you what others have received, but here is what I was sent, by the wonderful Suz of Cows and Lasers and Everything In Between. Ps..she also sent the cute card with the Santa puppies!

It is HUGE and it is GORGEOUS I took so many pictures trying to capture it's color and sparkle! It makes me feel sad I didn't get around to putting up a tree this year. Ugg!

Did anyone else do an exchange? Do you think they're fun? I certainly learned a valuable lesson...ship with flat rate boxes!

Diagnosis : FOMO

2011-12-20T18:57:00.000-05:00

How many others suffer from FOMO? fear of missing out. I've have found over the years I never experienced symptoms of FOMO in school or my social life. Others have sang their sorrowful tales of pain and suffering and lack of sleep. Where I carelessly did as I pleased and cared little for large busy scenes. My fear was having to attend a function and come up with something useful to say or do if around people I don't know well.

As luck would have it though! There is an area if my life where I have something to give. And when others get to be a part of something related to it, I become incredibly jealous. Yes, boys and girls, when it comes to fitness I want it all and I want it now!

Hmm wait a minute. That isn't FOMO so much as it's a bratty temper tantrum...so let's back up

When others join a team, I want in on it. When they do a product review, I want to do it too. Please don't get me wrong, I never think they don't deserve it and I rarely think " I'd do it better". We are about love and support! Still, I have FOMO and I wonder if I'd enjoy it as much as they do and I wonder how I can do it for myself.

Over the years I have been blessed with being a part of various teams, local, virtual or national. Even clubs have helped shaped who I am today.

Team Marathon Bar
Grunt Girl Racing
Summit athletic running club
Cleveland west road runners
Neo trail club

Just to name a few. However, with race requirements and uniforms and costs, when is enough enough?

So far for 2012 I have been accepted as a Clever Girl Collective member and a Fitfluential Ambassador. I look forward to being a part of any team for Active Ambassadors. Which leads to the question local clubs do I pay for? Which virtual teams do I help represent? I've also applied to be an Athleta featured athlete, and today I was asking Cleveland Marathon about being an official blogger. Where do I draw the line? And when I find things out from friends or other bloggers, do I try to do it too? Or should I let it be their thing and their thing alone?

As my blog and I continue to grow and find our niche in this wonderful world of fitness, do I HAVE to make choices? Do I ever have to let go for the cost of money or time? I think not. I created this site with the intention of being the every day woman. I wanted to show what the girl next door can do.

So if it seems like I'm a part of too many things, then it probably would be too many for you. However, I believe I take on only what I truly support and honestly believe I can handle. I also take on what I feel is a good return on my time and money. Meaning over time you will see certain teams, clubs or sites drop off my radar and lisitng. Usually it is no hard feelings.

That being said...anyone else suffer from FOMO? Or are you more exclusive with your inclusions?

Christmas Lights Run 2011

2011-12-17T10:53:00.001-05:00

Thursday night I left work and found myself in a semi-mad rush to get ready for the 3rd Annual Christmas Lights Run! I missed it last year, but Becky (sister) and I managed to go in 2009 for the first one.

Happy family from 2009

This year there were A LOT more people, and they had a designated start time for walkers. We lined up with the fellow walkers and readied ourselves for a night of laughter, fitness and caroling. There isn't much of a story to tell, but the pictures should be entertaining. Plus there's a ROJ exclusive, first time ever surprise half way into the post.

The first few miles were easy and we only had the walkers together. We were able to see our song books from street lights or battery powered packs others were wearing. We stopped at a few houses or predetermined corners for an official carol or two. One woman had a harmonica, which made "Joy to the World" much much prettier.

At the half way point Becky and I were about out of songs we knew and we were feeling the miles. LoL. We also started to sing quietly our own versions of songs. Such as "The 12 Days of Christmas" replacing all other items with "French Hens". This is when the runners caught up to the group. We all waited outside of Stan Hywet for the full group to appear. Becky and I called out warnings to passing cars like "Wear your seat-belt" "Don't drink and Drive" "Give a Hoot Don't Pollute". I also took the opportunity to snap a few pictures, apparently featuring Gale. ( ;

And for the first time in ROJ history...I have a video for you!

Yes, that is my sideways face. Yes, that is me you hear singing...the voice that joins in is my sister's. Yes, there is a reason I don't get paid for singing.

Here are some photos from inside Stan Hywet since the video wasn't the best idea.

Back along the last few miles wasn't as festive. I think people were mostly depleted of singing-spirit and a lot of the walkers must have decided to run it in with the other half of the pack. Becky and I chatted with each other about everything under the sun and once in a while start shouting out a Christmas themed song...although sadly many of the songs we know, we only know the Bob Rivers version.

Back at the ~~ranch~~ start we all gathered around and sang in front of a large tree a final carol and had some group shots (photos).

AFTER that some people had other forms of group shots, but the sis and I retreated to Metro Burger where we partook in deliciousness!

Another successful evening And 4 HBBC points

Friday Food : Elf Doughnuts

2011-12-16T07:19:00.000-05:00

Today's Friday Food is also a PSA. I'm sure many of you have seen pictures of these cute little "mini" doughnuts on Facebook or Pinterest and thought "How adorable" or "How easy!" I am here to tell you, the second thought could be questionable.

Maybe it's because I tried to make them later at night? (Most likely) But these little babies were a royal pain in the ol elf hole.

There's a reason I couldn't find any images showing how you make them.

Basically, in order to make them, one takes Cheerios and spreads melted chocolate (I read Nutella works wonders) and then spreads sprinkles, powdered sugar, cinnamon, or whatever topping of choice on top.

In my experience the chocolate was difficult to work with, either it was too runny and I couldn't get a good base or it was too thick and the top became lumpy. User error? Different sprinkles looked terrible too (IMHO) I can't even justify showing you the pictures. The chocolate with the tiny dots looked the best (middle row), followed by white c. chips and dipped in cinnamon (top two on the left), then the white chips with powdered sugar (top two on the right) and finally the regular c chips with cinnamon (bottom row). I didn't make any "plain" chocolate doughnuts, although I read that's an option. I grew tired of dipping and wiping and using a toothpick to grab excess!

I do think if you have kids this is a great idea for them. It should keep them busy for a while if they each make their own dozen. They'll probably love getting dirty and cleaning their fingers by licking (if you allow that sort of thing, and if you don't, booooo). Aside from the semi melted chips nothing is warm or sharp. They'll probably get a kick out of leaving them for Santa's elves too.

Oh, that's another thing. It was a major pain to find a small container. I couldn't find small match sticks or the mini Altoids.) :

Please don't take this as being overly negative, only as I said a PSA for those who think because they have all the ingredients as leftovers from other recipes this will be "easy", it may not be as easy as you imagine. True, it didn't take me much time to make my dozen, perhaps just under a half hour? However, if you're thinking of making a bunch for a gathering or to give out, you may want to rethink the investment of your time.

I will add, the next morning when I saw them, they looked ADORABLE and I was so glad I made them. I'll probably try again before Christmas, going in with different expectations of needed patience.

Semi Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T07:21:00.000-05:00

February 2010

December 2011 (22 months later)

Girls with Sole

2011-12-12T07:20:00.000-05:00

Today I want to introduce you to a wonderful organization near to me both in spirit and geography.

GWS was started by Liz Ferro in August of 2009. It is beyond impressive what Liz has done in the past two years. She is a woman I have admired for a long time in my local running community and should be a inspiration to females young and old, near and far.

Liz's Story
As a foster child herself, Liz Ferro, founder and Executive Director, was adopted at the age of two and personally experienced sexual abuse as a child. Liz credits athletics and fitness for giving her the self-esteem and inner strength needed throughout her life to overcome difficult times and view herself and her body as purposeful and important.

More about GWS

Girls with Sole provides programs not just about running, but about all over wellness: physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and everything else. Programs are free for the girls, and each gest a pair of running shoes and a jog bra. Ladies should be between the ages of 11 and 18 to take part, but if there is a girl as young as 8, special arrangements can be made and a program geared toward her age and abilities will be created.

Our Goal
Girls With Sole will offer a large variety of fitness and wellness programs, including yoga, dance and traditional team sports to girls who need someone to believe in them so that they may believe in themselves. Many of these girls who have experienced abuse would otherwise have no place to participate in sports or group exercise in a safe environment, or have access to group athletics. Focusing on healthy living, good nutrition, exercise and wellness will help girls make healthier choices in other parts of their lives - making a positive impact on our community as a whole.

Recently Liz was honored with the Classic Woman Award 2011 by Traditional Home Magazine. While watching her clip I was nearly brought to tears by the sincerity and passion in her voice.

Running for me has been a wonderful healing tool, recreation and identity builder in my adult life. In my younger years I also experienced abuse and trauma of varying degrees. I often think if I had discovered running at an earlier age I would have had an easier time of things.

Ignoring all the formal statistics and speaking from the heart for a moment I would say running is a perfect activity for someone who has too much for one person to process on their own, but believes they have no where and no one to turn to or trust. It's an activity where I learned to be self-reliant. It allows a baseline and and progression only I could touch. Races and organized events set up a gateway into socialization and a sense of community and safety. Seeing the same faces week after week, overhearing the same struggles, has help me to not feel alone. I never had many close girlfriends and those I did I didn't open up to, my closest girlfriends now are other runners or fitness enthusiasts and there are zero secrets. There is something bonding about the experience of running, especially long distance. If I could give any if not all the gifts running has given me to another little girl I would do so without hesitation.

Let us take a moment and review some facts and figures taken from the GWS website. Please visit for additional information.

Prepared for “Girls & Juvenile Justice: A Developmental Framework” by Marty Beyer, PhD and presented at Case Western Reserve University Schubert Center for Child Studies:

73% of girls in juvenile justice have experienced sexual or physical victimization.

In juvenile detention, 85% of girls report one or more traumatic events; 15% met PTSD criteria; 27% have attempted suicide; 23% have a history of self-harm; 20% were in foster care.

Abuse history in girls is linked to higher incidence of internalizing and externalizing disorders, including depression, anxiety and aggression; depression and anxiety predict delinquency proneness.

Sexually abused girls are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors, which can lead to substance abuse and running away (and juvenile justice involvement).

Fact sheet prepared by Dr. Lyle Micheli and the faculty of the Division of Sports Medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston:

Girls who play high school sports significantly outperform non-athletic girls in academic subjects such as science and math that tend to be dominated by boys. This suggests participating in sports gives girls the confidence to participate on a more equal footing in the classroom with boys.

Girls who are active also tend to be more optimistic, which has a direct bearing on motivation, and therefore achievement.

In a recent study, 80 percent of female Fortune 500 executives identified themselves as former “tomboys.”

Experts believe that it is not just enhanced fitness that improves girls’ emotional and psychological health, but also the very act of participating in sports that is empowering.

Girls who are athletes are also less likely to smoke or to have eating disorders.

Facts about sexual abuse and trauma

About 1 in 4 teens reports verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse each year.

About 1 in 5 High School girls has been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.

38% of girls are sexually abused before the age of 18.

90-95% of sexual abuse cases go unreported to the police.

In most sexual abuse cases, the child knows the abuser.

Nearly 80% of girls who have been physically abused in their dating relationships continue to date their abuser.

About 1 in 5 teens reports being a victim of emotional abuse.

Honestly, how can you read those statistics and not think, "What can I do to make a difference?" Even if you question the source or the totals, how can you know there are these situations and not want to improve life for these kids?

It's true Girls with Sole isn't the only organization focusing on young girls. This organization is home-base for me though. I've run next to their founder on our trails and I can't express how proud I am of her for doing this and to have seen it grow over the years. Two of my teams support her too, Grunt Girl Racing and Cleveland West Road Runners Club, showing again the ties they have to the community.

Which is why when I saw a challenge on Swanson Vitamin's blog I knew immediately the organization I wanted to promote.

Regardless of any contest, I hope those in my area consider supporting the organization, the girls, and the events they put on each year. Make sure to ask to join their Facebook group for any new information and in the meantime ... there are many, many ways you can help, for example:

If you go to the donation page, you can make a direct one time donation, using PayPal, MasterCard, VISA, Discover, American Express or your bank account!

You can join Team LULA (Lacing Up for a Lifetime of Achievement) and have your activities be fundraisers. You can bike, swim, run or whatever.

Does your company do an annual charity drive or take part in United Way? Consider designating GWS as your featured group.

Donate a new pair of running shoes or volunteer as a coach.

Hey! You can even send a charity gift card in honor of someone in your life as their holiday gift.

With all the options and information out there, I am sure everyone can find something good about this organization and a way to help Liz continue the amazing work she started.

Friday Food : Product Review : McCormick Recipe Inspirations Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Potatoes

2011-12-09T07:24:00.000-05:00

I'm doing something a little different with this week's food fun. I'm combining it with a product review. Before I go any further let me state for the record McCormick did not ask me to write about this and I am not being compensated in any way, other than your visit.

Raise your hand if you have seen the McCormick spice kits in your local grocer. Technically they're called Recipe Inspirations and they were voted Product of the Year 2011 by a consumer survey of product innovation. Impressed? Intrigued? Well I was too, so I put the simplest version I could find to the test.

On the website there are 14 various kits listed, including chicken, steak, pork and seafood combinations. On the back of each package it is listed what you will need and the directions. The package cleverly checks off the spices you will be using to show how close you are to a delicious home cooked meal!

The version I picked required the purchase of chicken thighs (about 2 pounds) and small red potatoes (about 1.5 pounds). It also required olive oil and salt, but I had both at home. The spice kit ran me a little over $2.00, the chicken was on sale for around $3.00 to $4.00 and the potatoes were under $2.00 as well.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Potatoes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed (about 2 pounds)(I used boneless)
1.5 pounds small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Mix the oil, spices and salt in a large bowl.
Add chicken and potatoes.
Toss to coat well.
Arrange chicken and potatoes in a single layer in a baking dish lined with foil or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (15x10x1-inch).
Roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, turn potatoes occasionally. (I did not stir the potatoes and my chicken took 40-45 minutes to cook)

Pictures

All the ingredients you'll need

The spices don't look like much

As you can see though, a little goes a long way

All coated and ready to bake!

Time to eat up! (Honesty moment...so fulling I only had 1 thigh!)

Comments

I could not have asked for an easier recipe and kit. This product deserves every point of Product of the Year. I changed the order of things because honestly in the time it took to preheat my oven I was able to mix all the ingredients, including cutting the potatoes and mixing all the spices. 10-15 minutes from the start I was sitting back in front of my movie waiting for the aromas.

That being said...in the future I would adapt if for my own usage. 6 chicken thighs is A LOT for a single gal. All week long I've been eating chicken. Which means I made a week's worth of food for about 10 dollars. I would think about mixing all the dry spices together and then saving some for another time. OR what I would like more is to increase the amount of potatoes used and only coat them in the spices. Maybe throw in some veggies near the end to get in on the action. I would prepare my chicken on its own, using a foreman or something? Then I could have chicken breast instead which I like more and only make 1 piece at a time. Just a few thoughts.

Another plus is how the card removes from the spice packaging. Now I will always have the guide for making this meal. I can go to the store and buy my own paprika, rosemary, garlic and black pepper. And to be honest, I probably will buy rosemary, I have the black pepper and I'm not huge on garlic or paprika...looks like I may try making it without those two spices and see what I think? Because after all, that is the point of the kitchen. Learn what you like, find something you can easily make and HAVE FUN!

Running Wishlist

2011-12-07T23:59:00.000-05:00

I suppose a person can't survive the holidays with a wish list of utensils and towels. Or maybe they can?

Part of me was avoiding putting anything sporty on my list since I am so bummed about being on the sidelines still...for now. However, let's get into the spirit of things. If Santa were to bring me running related gifts what would I want? Or if any of the many gift exchanges I signed up for were looking for an idea...I suppose these ideas would kick things off right! Obviously some of these are way out of the exchange range...those are the Santa gifts! Haha

What I want more than anything and I may have to go ahead and order it myself after the new year, is a personalized necklace from Anne Franklin Designs. I want to submit the logo to my site and have one of her darling redesigned scrabble piece necklaces made from it. Black or purple ribbon. Probably purple. ( ;

If you click on it, you'll get a larger version (you probably knew that)

I recently discovered ToughChic.com and love both of these shirts

Source

There's a great site for fitness towels. I have a thing for dragons so this red dragon towel from Inperspire is awesome! Not to mention it has my favorite distance on it.

To my utmost horror and sadness, RunningSkirts.com is no longer selling the sparklehearts athletic skirt. That's OK though, because I really want this patriotic skirt just as much!

Stocking stuffer idea? BodyGlide or TriSlide. You can read about my love of both of these products under one of my reviews. Too bad I can't stomach GUs yet, they're a totally easy stocking stuffer!

I don't need or want shoes. Socks are always welcome as long as they're not wool. In fact I read a suggestion of knee high fun prints for different races and liked it! I enjoy running related jewelry, but I don't wear it often. And I'm allergic to perfume so most body stuff and candles are out.

Last, but not least on the objects...a Road ID bracelet. I think if I ever fall off a trail, having important address and phone numbers on my person would be a great move.

Here are two things I want more than anything:

1) I want a clean bill of health next month. I want my heart to be OK so I can get back to doing what I love. I will try not to take it for granted. I will try not to get caught up on looks, and just appreciate moving my feet forward.

2) I want a larger interactive fan base. Yes, I write for me and I enjoy every moment of it. OK 99% of the moments. Yet, I would LOVE to have more frequent visitors who comment and I can comment back to them. I want to be a more interactive portion of this community.

Happy Holidays.

Last Call

2011-12-05T07:17:00.000-05:00

Folks, today is the last day you can sign up for what I'd like to make an annual event...the Ornament Exchange!

Remember you don't need a blog to partake, only a love of ornaments and the ability to send one to a new friend.

It is also the final countdown for braces. Next Monday I will be taking an early lunch in order to have my braces removed! Sure, I'll be in retainers, but those things come out!! And they don't look nearly as overwhelming. So if anyone has a strange fetish they need to get out of their system...now would be the time to make your move. Ha!

And that is all. Yesterday I went to Mom's to do laundry and was sucked into Harry Potter. I had seen all of them except the Half Blood Prince, which is why I was up until Midnight. Oy. At least I brought crafts to keep me occupied. Also...why this is a coffee kinda morning. ( ;

Apartment Warming weekend

2011-12-04T12:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I held my official apartment-warming adventure. I was very pleased with the number of people who came to the event. It seemed from 2-7 I had people constantly streaming in and out. Which is what I wanted, but I guess I didn't realize how tiring it would be for me at the end of the day.

In ultimate fail news, I forgot to take pictures of all my friends and family. Oops.

That morning I sent a lot of pictures from Facebook and Picasa to Walgreens to have prints made. When I got there they were all "Your photos are grainy, do you want to see them before you pay"? Which surprised me a lot. Not because I thoughts they wouldn't be grainy, but for an employee to care and give me the chance to back out. I knew many of them wouldn't be perfect, but I wanted to hang my frame before the party and didn't care too much. I was getting a crap ton of photos for under 3 bucks or something like that, yea I can afford to replace them later.

After Walgreens it was over to Giant Eagle for food/snacks. My party was also a Tastefully Simple event and I needed to prep. It was UBER easy to make everything and really not too costly at all. The veggie dip was gone within a few hours and everyone raved about the bread and chocolate pound cake. Mom saved the day by loaning me a beer for the beer bread since I don't keep that in the house. She also saved the day by helping me load the pictures, level them on the wall and hang my candles in the kitchen. +1 for helpful Mothers!!

So who all showed up? Well, first was my friend Abby. Who I haven't seen in an insanely long time. You've heard her name before. She bikes, we've been friends since HS and we were involved with Speech and Debate together.

Next one of my newest friends, Katrina came by. She is a fellow runner and she had an injury that pulled her from a lot of event this year. Now as soon as my heart works again we can train together.

Then it was Liz, who you have heard much about too. We became friends back in HS too, while working at McDonald's. Ha. We ran the Jack-o-Lantern 5K together this year.

And then there was Heather. I was very excited to see her, since she had some wonderful news to share. She has lost 100 pounds! Amazing, right? I almost didn't recognize her at my door. I am very proud and happy for her, and yes she is doing it in a healthy way. She is a former supervisor from a previous job I held.

My grandma made an appearance too, feeding Emme all the cheese she could stomach.

(I may be getting out of order here)

Gale came by with Michael, who I have not seen since I think Feb 2011 or it may have been Feb 2010! He used to run with us all the time when I first started. Then he became busy with work and trying to change careers. It was nice to see him. And of course we all know and love Gale, a woman who needs no introduction! ( : I was pleased to be able to give her the 2010 Xmas ornament (oops tardy) a hiker girl with the phrase "Oil Creek 50K" written on the bottom. The hiker girl wears a blue bandana around her neck, just like Gale did on all our training runs. Exactly as pictured, other than the "Victoria".

My sister stopped over with her dog Howie. Howie was entertained investigating my place, it was his first time over. The pups liked having each other I think. Although both spent most of their time rotating to new laps and being petted.

Alannah came over, which I was happy about too! She's finishing up in the MA program this semester, so it was hard to keep in touch while she was wrapping things up in Internship, taking classes and working! I'm hoping now that all is said and done we can spend more time together.

Jason came by and brought a fun cranberry wreath. I hung it on the back door and I think it wants to live there for the season. He also exploded chai tea in my microwave. haha. And gave me some pointers on my kitchen layout. Very helpful!

Tom came over and I was pleased to show him what it looks like now that I'm decorated. He helped move me in, so he saw the shell, but he hasn't seen it as "home". After the party Tom and I went to Longhorn where I stuffed my face with a cheese and bacon filled filet, a sweet potato, onion peels, a salad and pear margaritas. I hadn't eaten much for 24 hours, I was eating like it was my job. I have the bill to prove it too! Ouch!

Sam & Scott came over and brought Addy. Addy, who is about 2 and 1/2 was a riot! She was playing with the dogs, and hugging people. When she had a "stinky diaper" and no one knew it yet, Howie was chasing her around, nipping at her diaper. When they figured out why it was even funnier! Of course it was also hilarious when she (Addy) dropped some water on my carpet and tried to clean it up by licking it. (No jokes about my friends' kid please).

Again it was a wonderful day and I look forward to the many more adventures I'll be having while living here.

Remember to stop over at the ornament exchange page and sign up if you have not. Sign ups close tomorrow.

Oh and as for as HBBC updates go....

I'm not gonna lie. It was a big fat ZERO last week. I don't even know how I managed that...unless walking up and down stairs giving a tour all day yesterday counts for anything?

Friday Food : Homemade Goldfish Crackers

2011-12-02T07:12:00.001-05:00

I actually did a lot of cooking this week. I made two different types of chili, my own Alfredo sauce and these wonderful little goldfish crackers. It was difficult to chose which to feature! My logic is as follows : The Alfredo was amazing and I can't wait to share it, however I want to learn how to make my own pasta. When I do, then I will post both as a combined feature. For the two types of chili...well, I was making those until midnight this last Tuesday. During the process I was hot, tired and sore. Needless to say, taking pictures of the process was not a priority and thus it's a little hard to showcase. Plus while both were wonderful, I want to tweak and add my own touches...they too will be featured in the future. FORGIVE!

I digress. These little cuties completely stand alone though! I first noticed the concept over on Pinterest and followed it through to Miss Anthropist's Kitchen. Many people have posted this tutorial, and I love her pictures of how to make the cookie cutter. For those who have not seen it, here is what you do...

Homemade Goldfish Crackers with self-made cookie cutter

What you will need:

1 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces (If you use sated butter, you can skip adding additional salt)
8 ounces grated cheese. (I used cheddar, but feel free to get creative)
3/4 teaspoon salt (again skip this if you use salted butter - I did)
1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

dough:

Pulse flour, salt (if needed), pepper and baking powder in a food processor.
Add butter and cheese, pulsing until it resembles coarse meal.
Pulse 3 to 4 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture forms a ball and rides the blade. Remove, form into a ball and wrap in plastic. Note: My food processor is tiny. I mixed mine in two batches. When I combined the two batches it formed into a ball without any needed water.
Chill for at least 20 minutes, up to 24 hours.

baking:

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, spray, or use non-stick trays.
Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch or thicker if you prefer a larger cracker. Use cookie cutters to cut out as many crackers as desired.
Optional: Using a toothpick, add "eyes" and "smiles" to your crackers.
Place on sheets and bake for 13-18 minutes (until golden).
Cool and enjoy! Many people state the crackers are more crispy a day later. I did not notice a huge difference in my batch.
Store in an air tight container for up to 1 week.

Images of dough & baking. Note: I made a trial batch using my toaster over set at 325 degrees, your cookie tray will have many more fish on it.

To make the cookie cutter:

You will need an empty and clean aluminum can, a pair of scissors and some tape. Again I am sorry I do not have better images of my process. If you need please visit any of the following pages for other details and pictures.

Version 1

Version 2

Version 3

Take the can and cut it circumference-wise to get a long, somewhat curved strip. Using the natural curve in the strip, form the head of the fish. Pinch and bench the strip where you want the tail to start. Fold the edges to connect the base of the tail, trimming the extra material. Use a piece of tape to hold the fish together. Also tape the side you will be pressing against for safety. **If you need, trace the shape/outline of your goldfish as reference for when you are folding.

Let me know how they turn out for you! And don't forget about the Holiday Ornament Exchange. You have through the weekend to claim your spot.

FitFluential Ambassador

2011-11-30T20:31:00.000-05:00

I am THRILLED to announce on this final day of NationalBlogPostingMonth, I have been accepted as a FitFluential Ambassador!

What's FitFluential? Well, according to their homepage...

FitFluential is a growing family of fitness fanatics spreading a positive healthy message year-round. Fitfluential is Fitness Found.

What does that mean? It means I am joining the ranks of other influential fitness enthusiasts. Together we'll promote an active lifestyle and the best brands to help you on your journey. I've always admired when other friends, bloggers or Team Marathon teammies were a part of this organization and now I am too.

Actually, I applied a few months back, never heard anything, and assumed acceptance for the year was over. The Twitter blew up with people being accepted and I was confused, so I applied again. In return I was sent the nicest email, saying there was an oversight and I should have been welcomed long ago! Phew here I was thinking I was nothing more than chopped liver! Ha!

In fact some of my favorite people on Twitter and as Bloggers are a part of FitFluential. Perhaps you're familiar with some of them?

Amanda @ 5 Miles Past Empty
Amanda @ Run to the Finish. Home of the HBBC
Hank Hanna of @loosing100lbs fame on Twitter
Heather @ Running with Sass
Beth @ Shut Up And Run (SUAR)

If you have a chance, stop of over to their website, Facebook or Twitter account and give them a follow. There are ambassadors in just about every state, and they're always looking to expand their team, maybe YOU could be next?!

PS. Don't forget about the awesome ornament exchange I am hosting!

Tuesday Temper Tantrum?

2011-11-29T22:52:00.000-05:00

I am tired, but having fun. I am in the process of creating two different batches of chili for my work's cook-off tomorrow.

One type is "Sweet & Smoky 3 Meat Chili" it's something I am creating totally on my own and time will tell if anyone enjoys it or not. The second is "Sweet Potato Chili" a mesh of recipes I've seen around when simply doing a Google Search for the same title. At first I was worried because I almost bought yams by mistake, then it wasn't boiling down and making the s.potatoes soft!! Yikes. Rest assured, hours later I figured it out and it's simmering on my stove as we speak. Next to a skillet of bacon for the final meat of my special baby. Oy.

My back hurts, I wish I had someone here to massage it for me. But then I'd feel too happy and my house would burn down because I wouldn't finish my project.

Let's face facts shall we? I spent how much money to create batches of chili other people will eat without paying me (fundraiser) with the hopes of maybe wining a $50 gift certificate? I'm crazy. Good thing I work with a bunch of therapists.

Tomorrow is the last day of NaBloPoMo, aren't you happy there won't be daily posts? I'm actually a tad sad, I enjoyed blogging just for the sake of it. My readership numbers jumped a lot, too bad the interactive level didn't increase. I love making new friends. ( ;

OK back to the kitchen I go.

I can't express enough how much my new kitchen island is amazing! It's cutting board on top. How cool is that??

Holiday Ornament Exchange

2011-11-28T08:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome back from your food comas!

I know many of us are already taking part in a few exchanges. There's the 2nd annual holiday blogger gift exchange from Jill at Run with Jill. And there is also the sock swap from Courtney at Third Time's A Charm Runner. If neither of those strike your fancy, or if you simply love getting and giving gifts I am hosting one of my own.

Introducing the Holiday Ornament Exchange!

After doing a Google search, I was saddened to find most exchanges have already closed their virtual doors to new participants. Yes, it is getting nearer to the season, but many people put off holiday shopping and talking until after Thanksgiving. In honor of those people I want to give a chance to kick start your excitement, while still having a chance to hang your gift on your tree if you so see fit.

The guidelines are simple.

Leave me a comment or send me a message (JULIE@ROJRUNNING.COM) with your name & email, letting me know you're interested. It doesn't matter if 2 or 200 people sign up, everyone will be assigned a partner.
If you want, feel free to leave details such as favorite color, interests, theme of your decorations, etc.
I am willing to allow US and Canadian sign ups, please feel free to indicate if you would prefer to ship w/in your own country.
Spending cap is $10 US. If you feel the need to spend more, I can't stop you, but please do not get upset if in return you get something less than what you spent. Also please do not send the cheapest gift you can find in hopes of getting one better...it's your reputation after all.
That being said...be creative! If you have a talent for hand crafting, make some decorations. If you see a deal on a cute set, scoop it up!
Spread the word! We want to make this as much of a success as possible.
When you get your package, show it off! Take pictures and post to your blog with a link back. Leave a comment letting me know it's up, I'll create a post showcasing everyone's exchanges.
Finally, please let me know by Dec 4th if you want to take part. I will be swapping names on the 5th, please try to get your items out by the 10th. If you come across this post after the 5th, and you know you can shop and ship by the 10th, let me know and I'll see what I can do for you.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I may have left out a detail you're dying to know.

Ps. You do not need a blog to take part in this exchange, but if your partner has one, please take a moment to stop over and read/comment. I would also ask you send me a picture via email when your ornament arrives so I can share it with everyone still.

Happy Holidays!

Feel free to scoop up this image for the link back. And post it to your sidebar if you have one.

Nature vs Nurture

2011-11-27T18:21:00.000-05:00

This is going to be a quick post, mostly because I want to encourage all of you to share your thoughts.

What do you think influences our development and outcome more, biology or environment?

Personally, I think it's a mix of both. Spending time with my family this weekend is what made me start to wonder about the mix.

Most of my life I have identified with certain relatives. Partially based on my own observations, partially based on what I've been told. One of my relatives I always liked, but I considered her to be closer to my sister. Many family members even commented how similar my sister is to when my aunt was younger. I always thought I was more like my other aunt.

While serving food my aunt started singing "Age of Aquarius" only using asparagus instead. This prompted a conversation with her and her wife about how she is always singing about stuff randomly. I do the same thing. Seriously I am always saying, spend any time with me and it's like "my life: the musical". For example, shopping for beans I will starting saying/singing "If I were beans, where would I be? I wish someone would find me and cook some delicious foooood". No other family members seem to do this to the degree I do and I always wondered where I got it from. Now I'm not saying I inherited things from my aunt...genetics doesn't work that way...what I am saying it's nice to know it's elsewhere in my gene pool.

That is only one example, but like I said...I want to hear all of YOUR stories. Tell me the odd things your blood shares. Or people have taught you.

Are we doomed to have certain traits, no matter the location and resources available to us? Can we overcome the odds no matter the location and resources available to us?

PS. Make sure you stop back tomorrow for a BIG! FUN! ANNOUNCEMENT!

Black Friday and HBBC

2011-11-26T10:27:00.000-05:00

I went shopping yesterday. It happens every year. One of these years I am going to be the little girl in this card:

Until then I hope and pray someone in my life has the time and finances to come out and play with me. It hasn't happened in a long long time. The sis and I used to get up at all hours of the morning, it was so much fun. We'd set our phones to do the "wake up call" from various stores or characters. We'd have our list and backup list and plotted routes. At first I would drop her off to go get inside while I looked for parking, when she was able to drive it helped move things along. Then sadly, we got older and things required our time and money. I still go out, but more often than not I go out in the later morning and in hopes of getting a sale, but not a door-buster.

Fri I woke up around 8? Decided I should wonder over to Kohl's just to get a few pairs of pants for work. They didn't have my size so I wondered over to Target to get a TV stand. I almost bought one too, then I realized it was a mounted TV stand and I really want the ability to swivel. I left empty handed from there as well.

As I was leaving I remembered something about Office Depot having a TV sale. I went in and couldn't find it. Then while looking at the planners I noticed them in the main aisle. Haha. Unfortunately, a woman bought the last one! I asked the guy about them and he told me they were 40" 1080p and 120hz. I wanted that 120hz so badly! I decided to go to the OD by the mall just to check, besides if they didn't have it I was going to Best Buy and getting a TV anyway.

To Office Depot I went, and they DID have them in stock! Only this location told me it was only 60hz refresh rate. Ugg WHICH is it? The box didn't say. Well, I decided for almost 400 dollars I could get something similar at Best Buy and across the street I traveled.

From the time I walked into BB to check out let's just fast forward about 2 hours and let's not judge me. It took me forever to find a TV with the specs I wanted.

40" or more
LED-LCD
1080p
120HZ
As near "a certain price" as possible. (This was a graduation gift, and out of respect for my Mom I won't reveal the value).

Once I found TVs in that range I realized not all pictures are created equal. I fell in love with SHARP and SAMSUNG. There was NO WAY I could afford a SHARP unless I went with a very small screen. I also questioned the SAMSUNG at times. I had it narrowed down to 3 different Sam's. A 40" and 2 46". One of the 46" didn't have a PC outlet, any USBs and it only had 2 HDMI. THIS is why is was reasonably priced. The 40" was decked out, but it was "only" 40 inches. The other 46" was decked out too. 4 HDMI, 3 USB, 1 PC and everything else I wanted...oh and it's a smart TV. Why didn't I go with the 40"? Well, for about $150 I was able to get an extra 6 inches. (TWSS)

The 46" was $400 off the original price, so with the money Mom was giving me also taken off, I couldn't pass it up. I have to pay the rest of it, but because of the original price I qualified for 36 month zero interest financing. I couldn't pass it up!

So home my new baby came. Where she is hooked up to my XBOX and I watched copious amounts of HULU once I set up wireless internet in my house. An adventure in and of itself. Go me. The TV shows are so magnificent. It was like watching home movies. The definition made me want to cry. I can't wait to play games. Anyone want to send me SKYRIM to review? Haha.

Did anyone else get an amazing deal on what they wanted?

Now for my weekly check-in with Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge.

Between Nov 19 and Nov 25th I earned very few points. I didn't eat my veggies and as I ~~can't~~ shouldn't run I barley earned working out points. That isn't the point though! I did walk the dog and I did do the Turkey Trot. And it's about staying active this season any way possible. I'll have to up my game this week though.

Sat - 1/2 mile walked with dog 1/2 pt

Sun - 1/2 mile w/ dog 1/2 pt

Mon - 1 mile walk, 1 pt

Tue - 1 pt for another walk

Wed - zero points.

Thurs - 4 pts for 4 miles walked

Fri - 1 pt for all the walking I did while shopping. Ha.! It was a LOT. And walking the dog

Total 8. Little points.

Race Report : Home Run For The Homeless & Virtual Races

2011-11-25T18:13:00.000-05:00

Normally I wouldn't post more than once in a day. However 1) I need to get this info up for the various Turkey Day virtual runs 2) I am attempting to turn my house wireless tonight...if it does not go well I won't have a working computer.

Anyway. Yes Becky and I did go to the 4 mile race yesterday. No, I did not run.

We arrived around 8:20-8:30 and despite getting momentarily lost we found the parking deck. This was a Thanksgiving miracle. We rode the shuttle to the start and I was massively nervous we were too late because the 1 mile run had already started. Becky was not worried though and we kept walking along.

She was looking for a place to throw her apple core and asked "Do you know of any public trash cans?"

I replied "I'm pretty sure Akron IS a public trash can".

Yea, I'm not funny. Anyway, we eventually found a giant banner that said "START" which we decided meant we weren't lost. We went inside to get our numbers and "free gift". We honestly could have done this race without paying easily there were minimal steps in place to check for bandits. In a way I wasn't worried if we couldn't find check-in, but I was in another way because I was using this race as one for Team Marathon. Below you will see how some people can't follow directions...nope not me this time!

Our free gift was a pair of gloves, not even worth showing. They were so cheap. Instead of gushing over the swag we sipped water and checked the map. We also scoped out the fruit and all the donations.

Out on the course it was cold at first, but we quickly warmed up. We did jog for a large part of the beginning, but it was a sloooooow jog. My friend John passed me, as did Paula, it was nice to see friends on the holiday.

Before we got to mile one, the lead runner was passing on the other side, having just been to mile 3. Nice.

Most of the route involved Glendale Cemetery which is my favorite place to run each year at the Jack-o-lantern jog. It was a different perspective walking through it and chatting. I was glad I got to spend so much time with my sister, just hanging out. Not watching TV or doing something important, just being there.

At the finish line I ate two doughnuts and took 2 bananas an orange and an apple. I think I embarrassed Becky with my race day grocery shopping.

Official results aren't posted and I didn't wear a Garmin, but the clock read about 1:02:xx when I finished. I'm cool with that. Not a PR by a long shot, but I'm learning to appreciate what I can do when I can do it and knowing it could be worse.

*****

So what about these virtual races?

Well one was from Kiley at Daily Vitamin F.

Because I didn't have time to print the bib, here is my attractive camera phone shot with the bib...

The second I mentioned yesterday, A Journey to Thin, set up the Thankful Healthy Blogger virtual 5K.

Friday Food : Turkey Popcorn Balls

2011-11-25T17:35:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great day yesterday full or food, fitness and/or fun!

Today I am going to show you how to make Turkey Popcorn Balls

Yesterday I brought this fun and crafty snack to our family dinner and they were a huge hit! Everyone wanted to know where I got the idea, what they were made from and when they could eat one! To answer some of those questions

1) I came up with the idea myself. Truly, 100% my own idea.

2) The bodies are popcorn balls, the heads are doughnut holes, the waddle is a piece of Swedish fish, the eyes are mini chocolate chips and the tail is two pretzels.

To make the popcorn balls you need the following. Increase the amount for more balls or larger "bodies". You can see in the image mine made 1 dozen small turkeys. They are hanging out in a muffin tin since the heads were a tad too heavy for the small bodies, I would suggest increasing the size to try and stabilize the weight.

Ingredients

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 sticks butter
1/4 c. white Karo syrup
1/3 tsp. vanilla
1 bag instant popcorn *

Directions

Heat sugar, butter and Karo syrup in a sauce pan on medium heat until a slight boil. Stir in vanilla. Pour over 3-4 cups of prepared popcorn. * You will have left over popcorn if you do not increase the rest of the recipe.

Now, form the mixture into balls and place on wax paper. It may help to run your hands under cold water in between balls. Do not let the mixture cool too greatly or it will not easily form. I found I needed to squeeze a little to get the ball to form, not just scooping or rolling.

Now to decorate the turkeys you may feel free to use your own ideas, but here is how I made mine.

Ingredients

Toothpicks
Mini Chocolate Chips
Swedish Fish
Pretzels
Doughnut Holes

Directions

To attach the "tail" use the left over sticky mixture from the popcorn balls. I found I needed to occasionally reheat the leftovers as they began to harden.

Prepare the "waddle" for your turkeys. Take the Swedish fish and stretch them out. Place a piece on a toothpick. You may need to break the tooth picks depending on how large you make your turkeys. Insert the other end of the tooth pick into a doughnut hole to attach the "waddle" to the "head".

Take the mini chocolate chips and gently press two into the doughnuts to create "eyes".

Now, using the toothpicks, place the stick into the ball leaving a portion exposed for placing the "head".

Once the head is placed you will have wonderful sweet and salty Thanksgiving treats!

My images are a bit out of order, since I was testing things as I went and found what worked and what didn't. The eyes were a secondary addition, as was the syrup tails. Originally I tried peanut butter, but the pretzels were too heavy. I also decided to reduce the size of the Swedish fish, at first using a whole, but the size was off and it was so heavy it pulled the toothpick from the doughnut hole.

TURKEY DAY

2011-11-24T11:07:00.000-05:00

The sis and I are off to see the wizard.

OK we're off to walk 4 miles at the Home Run for the Homeless in Akron

If you have your own race today or you're willing to walk or use a machine for 3.1 miles or as we know it often as a 5K, then you're taking part in the Thankful Healthy Blogger Virtual 5K! Head on over to A Journey to Thin's page and let her know. You could possibly win some great prizes.

Then it's time to finish my treats (which you'll get the How-to for on Friday) and it's off to Grandma's for a food coma. YES!

Here is a hand turkey I drew for you in MS Paint.

I know you love it.

Be safe today...don't drink and drive. Wear a seat belt. Apparently Cely has similar thoughts.

Thankful

2011-11-23T23:30:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is American Thanksgiving and people have been sharing what they are thankful for throughout the week.

It isn't that I am not thankful, I just haven't had a moment to share yet.

Tonight I left work early (with permission, I had my hours logged) and headed straight to the craft store. I took my time looking for things I needed and things I could come up with a need for in the future.

After, I went to more craft related stores and stocked up on various goodies. I am now covered in various forms of art work and food and life is GOOD.

Tonight I will share with you some of the various blessings I have in my life, despite any annoyances as they arise.

I am thankful to have a loving and caring family. My Mom and sister are very special people. We may not always agree or get along, but I wouldn't be the same without them. My Mom is always willing to help me out, be it with food, dog sitting, or the occasional person to listen to me vent. My sister is always good for a story or inside joke. She'd beat up anyone up who messed with me if I really needed her to do it.

I am thankful for my dog. She is my companion and I am a better person because of her. She has taught me patience and understanding. She has given me perspective and forces me to put something other than myself first. Not to mention how insanely cute she is when she wants to cuddle in the blankets.

I am thankful for my job. I am beyond lucky to have a job in my field. I am even more fortunate to have coworkers I respect and enjoy as people. I know no matter what is going on in my world, personal or professional, I am not alone.

I am thankful for my friends. Although it may seem many friends are only a part of my life through one activity or another...most of them have proven to be a staple beyond a title. Through Facebook, phone calls, or the occasional text message I am made aware of how often I touch someone's life and what they do in return for mine.

I am thankful for my health. Even though I am going through things right now and I have other things requiring medicine, I am not bad off. I can wake in the morning, I can sleep throughout the night and generally I can function in a way that allows me to do the things I want to do. Not everyone can say those things.

I am thankful for the financial security to provide for myself and donate to charity or provide gifts to others this season. While I think everyone would prefer their own debts to be lower, I know how fortunate I am to not struggle or wonder where my next meal is coming from or if I'll freeze this winter.

Lastly, I am thankful for happiness. I am very satisfied with my life right now. I feared I would freak out when I moved, but instead I am finding ways to grow as a person. Taking on leadership roles, rediscovering cooking and creative arts, pulling away from too much TV and fantasy.

All jokes aside I really do have a lot going for me and I try not to take those things for granted.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy day tomorrow, even if you're not celebrating a holiday.

Top 10 Reasons Running Is Better Than Sex

2011-11-22T23:13:00.000-05:00

I posted this list in April 2010, but I thought it was a good time to share it again. Enjoy.

The Top 10 Reasons Running Is Better Than Sex.

10. No one judges you for having multiple partners

9. Everyone is willing to talk about new techniques
8. You don't need to click "I'm 18" to get into the websites
7. You won't get arrested for involving your pet
6. It's impressive when older people stay involved
5. It's considered better to finish faster
4. A group of strangers gather around to cheer you on for a strong finish

3. Finisher medals
2. I don't have to live in WV to run with my Mom

and the # 1 reason running is better than sex...

1. No one ever became pregnant after running without protection


Source

What items would you add to the list?

The Too Early To Be Talking About Christmas Post

2011-11-21T17:25:00.000-05:00

Sorry kids, but I am going to talk about Christmas. I understand how annoying it is to hear about snow and santa and trees before the turkey and stuffing is even purchased, let alone consumed, but I am excited!

I love the Christmas Season! I love the pretty music, the lights, the smells, the stories and the spirit. I love to buy gifts or make gifts for people. Really, I enjoy the expression on someone's face when they get a "great" gift more than anything. Knowing I am connected to someone well enough to bring about such a moment of pure happiness is the best gift of all.

If you love buying and getting gifts as much as I do, consider going to Run with Jill's page and signing up for the 2nd annual holiday blogger gift exchange!

Along the same note of giving, I would encourage everyone to buy one gift this season and donate it to a worthy cause. I can't say if that cause for you is a company sponsored family, a church, the giving tree or any other variation, but I can say if you're spending money on "wants" for those you love, consider spending it on "needs" for those without a chance. If you can't afford to buy extra gifts, consider donating your time...and not just in the winter, but all year round.

Back to more "festive" feelings. Who wants to buy me some gifts?

Here are 3 suggestions, I will add more as I see fit.

1) I have very limited counter space. I would LOVE a kitchen island. However, it is over $1,000. I suppose the one below it is more my speed at the moment and is only $300.

2) I am also in need of a jersey to support my man MoMass

3) As I will be sans braces in 21 days. Please feel free to pay me in gum.

This week is a short/long/short week at work. Today I left at 2 and yes it was awesome. Tomorrow I work from 8-730. No seriously I do. Then I have to go to a meeting right after. Wednesday though I leave at 2 again! Then it's getting fat on Turkey time and busting a hole in my pants from the friction of using my wallet too much on Friday! Look out economy I have a job!!

Browns Win!

2011-11-20T20:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went over to my Mom's after cleaning my place and watching some TV. I caught episode 4 of Pan Am, yes I am hella far behind. I loved it from the pilot, helloooo Christina Ricci?!?! But for some reason allowed it to back up in my queue. WHY I did that I don't know because that show is fabulous.

I also fixed my outlet...sorta. My microwave decided to stop working. Huh? I checked the outlet with other appliances...nothing. So I travel downstairs and check the fuse box. Everything in order. HUH. Eventually I decided "oh screw it" since nothing is labeled in the box anyway and I unplug important items (computer) and I flip all my fuses off and back on again. I walk back upstairs and the outlet works. Here is hoping this doesn't become a routine occurrence.

Mom's didn't have food, but she does have laundry services. I was also dropping off Emily since I was to get up early on Sunday and be out all day.

While there Mom and Becky made Scrabble...which I believe other people call party chex mix or something? It's made with pretzels, butter, various chex mix and peanuts. Since she had the supplies for other treats I decided to try my hand at some cute breakfast looking candies and was pleasantly surprised. I call them "Sunny-side ups". I found them through Pinterest, but this was before I knew I should credit and save pins I discover.

You start with white chocolate chips, pretzel sticks and M&Ms.

Melt the chips just enough to make them blend and soft, not enough to make them overly runny.

Place a blob (technical terms) of white chocolate on the wax paper. Next place a M&M in the blob, making sure to place it logo side down.Finally break a pretzel stick into the length you want and place two on the other side of the chocolate.

Ta-Da, bacon & egg candied treat! Super fun and easy to make. Wonderful to eat. If you're not a dog.

This morning I woke up and my sinus issue had become a throat and chest issue. Back to bed I went, saddened I was missing the Fall Classic, but knowing I shouldn't push myself.

Shortly after I woke up anyway to drive up to Brian's to meet him for the Browns Game. I was sick, but not too sick to go to my once a year game!

Unfortunately, I forgot my phone in the car, so I don't have any pictures to share. I am pleased to have seen a rare win. And I was able to watch my man Massaquoi do his thing!

On the way home we bought Chinese...I was excited for that and I stopped to pick up Emme and Mom gave me more food. Score! I acquired ham salad, ground beef and sloppy joe mix. Hey there's several meals right there.

Hope everyone else had a great weekend too!

The heart of the matter

2011-11-19T11:12:00.001-05:00

I realized this morning, not talking about something doesn't make it any less real.

As many of you know I went to qualify for the Gatorade study last Friday 11/11/11 and walked out with a reading of an abnormal EKG. I was pulled from the 50K and reported to my doctor Monday morning. The news she gave me was something it took a few days to process.

Before I tell you let me explain a little about my doctor. She's awesome. She does not over diagnose and she will do everything she can to keep you off meds and without a label. When I needed to have my gallbladder removed we started with the idea the pain was indigestion, then acid reflux, perhaps stress and a slight panic attack? We took baby steps and minimally invasive testing until we found the issue. When I learned I have exercise induced asthma we tried just an inhaler as needed or breathing techniques before moving onto a pill and inhaler. When I was given a pill, we tried to make it so I could stop my allergy meds.

She is very caring and understanding. She never questions me when I say I want to switch a med, she helps me when I say I struggle with taking a certain brand or variation (I hate nasal sprays for example). Soooo when she gave me the news, I had no choice but to believe her and know it was not coming from a negative place.

Sitting there I was thinking I would be told I'm baseline abnormal and to go live life. Sure my ovaries are questionable. Sure I lost a gallbladder. Sure my eye sight sucks, my lungs don't work, my vertebrae collapse and pinch my SI, and probably every other part of my body is moody. My heart though. I have always been confident in my heart. My blood pressure is normally something like 97/58. My pulse is in the low to mid 60s. All signs point to perfection with that sucker.

Imaginewhat I felt when she said ...my EKG report reads the textbook example of someone who has had a heart-attack.

Everyone who is rolling their eyes and saying it was an equipment glitch or it's hereditary or something...it isn't. Those types of issues read differently on the report. Now, this doesn't mean I have had a heart-attack, it might mean that, but there are other options too.

Basically she's not a cardiologist and doesn't know what is going on, but the fact that my heart is sending out rhythms saying it might be damaged means I need to go for additional testing. The next step in the process is a stress test with echo on the treadmill. Easy, right?

WRONG

My current insurance has a $2,500 deductible. I have a slew of pre-exisiting conditions that blocked me from coverage while I was unemployed. OK not a slew. Essentially they don't care my PCOS is mild and I have no issues aside from cysts. And they don't care my asthma only exists every once in a while on trails. They see two potentially complicated conditions and me as a money suck.

My new insurance kicks in at the end of January. If I get the tests done now it will be at least $1,600, no that isn't a typo. If I wait until January (essentially Feb) I will pay around $500-$600. Much better, still a pain in the ass.

What might they say? Well, it may be yes at some point in time I had a heart-attack. Perhaps it was at birth when I was 1 month early, cord around the neck x2 and 50% chance of living? Perhaps it was during one of the gallstone attacks and it was brushed off as nothing. I may just have a strange heart that sends out those types of readings as normal...but it's not too common. Maybe it's because of the long distances I've run and now the reading is off, but the structure of my heart is fine. That is what we're trying to find out with the stress & echo. 1) What does my heart look like? Is there any damage we should care about? 2) How does it function? Does it do what it needs to with or without the damage?

I won't lie, I an terrified. I am scared I have a heart condition and I didn't know it. I am worried there is something wrong and I should be on meds and I won't know until 2-3 months from now. I am also struggling with the idea I may never be allowed to run again. It's such a massive part of my identity I don't know what I would do. But people recover from things all the time. And people push through things all the time. Who is to say I can't be a success story? A story of overcoming the odds? A story of those few months everything was scary, but it turned out to be nothing.

Until I get the testing I am not supposed to run or do anything to stress my heart (just in case). I am allowed to volunteer, I am allowed to walk. And if I can't stand it, then I can run "jog" a 5K. Nothing more.

Sister and I will do the Turkey Trot (I will walk with her) the following Saturday I will do a local event where I will walk with a friend who is recovering from her own issues. In December I will volunteer and walk events and we'll conquer January when we get there.

Thank you everyone for your support and concern. I hope everything will blow over and I'll be back to "normal" soon.

Until then I am finding all the other things life has to offer. Tomorrow I am going to the Brown's game. Last night I attended a Tastefully Simple party where I was sat on by a St Bernard and was able to pet a baby horse. There's TV and books and games and ... PEOPLE who can fill my life over the next while.

Friday Food : Homemade Granola Bars

2011-11-18T07:13:00.000-05:00

Despite keeping my stock of Marathon Bars plentiful and in variety, I have always wanted to try to make my own.

Not because I wanted to make them healthy or because I wanted to put anything too unusual in them. I simply wanted to know I could do it, if it was easy, and if it was cost effective.

After searching through several recipes over numerous sites I discovered a woman after my own heart when it comes to recipe preferences. I discovered Andrea of Simple Organized Living. Here are her requirements :

not too sweet — but still sweet enough
easy to make with simple ingredients I always have on hand
makes at least a 9×13″ pan
they stick together very well and can easily be cut into bars
ability to customize based on individual taste

I would add another preference her instructions lend themselves to as well. Not having to turn on my oven!

Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 c. honey or corn syrup {I used 1/4 c. of each}
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
2 cups quick oats
2 cups crispy rice cereal
1/4 c. ground flax seed {I used chia seed}
1 or 2 T wheat germ {optional -- and I did not add this}
1 cup total of your favorite mix-ins

Directions:

Prepare a 9" x 13" baking dish, either by greasing it or lining with wax paper.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, cereal, seed and optional wheat germ.

Prepare your peanut butter and set aside.

In a small sauce pan, mix honey {and/or corn syrup} and brown sugar. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar is completely dissolved - stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and quickly stir in peanut butter.

Pour syrup mixture over dry ingredients - mix well.

Stir in chosen mix-ins.

Press mixture into baking dish. Let cool and "firm up" - similar to Rice Krispy Bars. Cut into bars and store in an air-tight container for up to a week, or freeze for a longer shelf life.

Makes about 18 bars when cut into 1" x 4" pieces. Although it's supposed to make 24.

(Directions repeated with images)

Prepare a 9" x 13" baking dish, either by greasing it or lining with wax paper.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, cereal, seed and optional wheat germ.

Prepare your peanut butter and set aside.

In a small sauce pan, mix honey {and/or corn syrup} and brown sugar. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar is completely dissolved - stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and quickly stir in peanut butter.

Pour syrup mixture over dry ingredients - mix well.

Stir in chosen mix-ins.

Press mixture into baking dish. Let cool and "firm up" - similar to Rice Krispy Bars. Cut into bars and store in an air-tight container for up to a week, or freeze for a longer shelf life.

They were prettier before coworkers were breaking pieces off "for a taste"

Notes:

I changed the order of the original recipe, because I found having my dry items, PB and pan prepared in advance helped to keep things running smoothly. For me if I had to scoop the PB or prepare the dry items after I mixed the syrup it would have thickened too much to blend well.

In my first batch (the primary photos) I used cherry flavored craisins and mini chocolate chips as my mix-ins. My bars broke very easily as I was trying to cut them and when I served them. Not crumbed, but broke in half. I think having the larger items inside caused them to be less stable.

In my second batch, I used only c. chips and I skipped the chia seeds. I waited longer to cut them into bars. I think having smaller items helped keep them together better. However I noticed the mix did not fill the dish as well. I also think the chia seeds add to the look of the bars, but not to the taste. If on a budget they probably could be skipped.

What remains after hungry Toastmasters

The whole process took under an hour, including washing the dishes. When I made my second batch, I came in the door at 6:10 and was walking out the door with the tray at 6:40.

I loved both versions of the bars! My office mates ate up the first batch, my Toastmaster members ate up the second. I look forward to trying other variations, such as raisins, white chocolate chips or other seasonal mix-ins.

Do not try to cut the bars with a pizza cutter. ( ;

I bought all ingredients other than the brown sugar and chia seeds. My total was under 20 dollars, and I had items to spare to make future batches.

When do you become an adult?

2011-11-17T07:17:00.000-05:00

I'll admit it, I was at a loss for what to write about today. Since I am on exercise hiatus until further testing on my heart...no I don't want to talk about it...I am lacking in the "accomplishments" department. However, I do plan to stick by my NaBloPoMo commitment, thus I headed on over for a writing prompt!

What is the moment that you leave childhood and enter adulthood? (Guest Post by Catherine Gildiner, author of After the Falls)

I would have to argue, there is not an "exact" moment. It isn't the first time aunt flo comes to town. It doesn't happen with the flip of a high school tassel, nor the flip of a college version. My thinking is, for everyone over the age of 18 who can start claiming adulthood, they would say it was a slow and steady transition.

Becoming an adult happens when you find yourself faced with a bowl, a spoon, the milk and a cereal box. Also the permission and expectation you can prepare aforementioned items for yourself before crashing out in front of Saturday morning cartoons.

It happens when you look at a member of the opposite sex (or same sex for some) and think "They make my tummy feel funny".

Perhaps it was getting your temps or moving into a dorm? For me a lot happened when I lived away from home for the first time. No, not at my aunt's, but when I stayed with my friend Crystal's for a very short time. I enjoyed coming and going as I pleased. I enjoyed having my then boyfriend over at all hours (shhh), I enjoyed learning the heat really shouldn't be set at 80-some degrees.

There is a comic I love to follow, Hyperbole and a Half. In one strip she wrote about the process of being an adult and why she'll never be one. I relate to so many of the things in that particular strip. Being an adult is more than paying the bills, keeping laundry off the floor and having some stuff to show off. Although those are all part of the package. It's more than a fancy degree or spiffy job. Being an adult is a life long process. At 18 you should improve while aging toward 28. At 30 you should learn while moving toward 40. When you stop learning, even about yourself, you stop living. You stop being an adult.

Picking up information about the world around us and finding ways to adapt it in the future...that's what adults do. So while part of being an adult might have been learning not to eat paste, learning how to open an IRA is just as important when you reach that stage of life.

Personally, I've always felt happy knowing a part of me was adult-like to those I interacted with daily. I hope to continue feeling happiness as I embrace and renew the child-like aspects of myself as I move through life.

Although, there is a part of me grasping to the famous quote from Grey's Anatomy:

We're adults. How did this happen? And how do we make it stop?

Displaying medals

2011-11-16T07:16:00.000-05:00

I've struggled with ways to display my medals over the years, and as more and more events are under my belt I am faced with updating my ideas. A typical metal design hanger only holds around 10-20 medals. I would need several of those to hold all of mine, and I'd still have to figure out the trophy situation.

I suppose some people would argue not to display anything that isn't a "place" or perhaps a marathon.

While the medals for the 10-milers don't seem as impressive as the one for the 50K or the 21 I have for half marathons...I still love them.

Thanks to my friend Brittany I found a solution!

It isn't everything, but it's most of them. Need to find the rest and my other stickers. Nothing too fancy, but they're all together and I can easily decorate the board/wall around them.

Here are the trophies.

Again, not many, but you get the point. See the bibs next to the doll? Those are all the bibs from my 1st year of racing, I want to pin them up at some point.

The best part? This is the view from my elliptical!

22 months

2011-11-15T07:18:00.000-05:00

For 22 months I was/am unable to enjoy a whole apple, carrots, taffy, chewing gum, caramel, popcorn and several other items.

Luckily on December 12, 2011 all of that will change.

By noon on that special, wonderful, magnificent day I will be braces free!

In less than a month I will have regular mouth, with shiny, straight teeth! A girl couldn't be happier. The last thing of my former "in transition" life.

I will be PERFECTION.

To everyone else...sorry about your luck. Maybe next lifetime!

L - Feb 2010. R - Oct 2011

I can't wait to show the after picture!! And, sigh, I must admit, now the end is in sight. Despite ALL the complaining I've done and how much it really did suck. I won't lie it sucked hard core! It was worth it.

ROJ Running

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The Stress Test

Valentine's Exchange info is sent!

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Memories

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Ohio Blogging Association January Meetup!

Valentine's Day Blogger Exchange

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These Boots

Friday Food : Make Your Own Fortune Cookies

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The official recap/resolution/whatever of ROJ for 2011

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Holy hidden gift Batman!

You all knock my socks off!

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Christmas Lights Run 2011

Friday Food : Elf Doughnuts

Semi Wordless Wednesday

Girls with Sole

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Last Call

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Friday Food : Homemade Goldfish Crackers

FitFluential Ambassador

Tuesday Temper Tantrum?

Holiday Ornament Exchange

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Race Report : Home Run For The Homeless & Virtual Races

Friday Food : Turkey Popcorn Balls

TURKEY DAY

Thankful

Top 10 Reasons Running Is Better Than Sex

The Too Early To Be Talking About Christmas Post

Browns Win!

The heart of the matter

Friday Food : Homemade Granola Bars

When do you become an adult?

Displaying medals

22 months