Tail wind out = head wind back. Also, my butt hurts.

Today was my first time on my bike since last season, and it was (mostly) glorious. Well, the first half was glorious, the second half had some moments of sucking. It's a beautiful spring (finally!) day here in Nebraska, with temps in the 70's, and another part of spring in Nebraska, a good 20 mph south wind. I usually try to factor that into my rides so I end up with the tail wind, but I wasn't so lucky today. At the end, I was thinking what gets me through some tough runs - just one step pedal stroke at a time.

I only rode  a little over 14 miles, but the last half took me a full 11 minutes longer than the first. It could be that I haven't been on a real bike in months, that my biking muscles are definitely not the same ones I use for running, or just that I am out of shape for biking. Or all of the above. And you know what else is not in shape for biking? That's right, my butt. But I'm thankful for the chamois in my shorts; it would be really bad otherwise! (On the plus side, though, I got to wear the pretty jersey that Alex and Aly gave me last summer. No, not the one pictured, although I have that one, but a beautiful art reproduction of a Japanese lady doing calligraphy - they gave it to me at the same time that I was doing the calligraphy for their wedding invitations! I seriously looked for a clip of it but couldn't find it. And I am for sure not putting it back on to take a pic because it is in the hamper and I've showered. And also, no one wants to see me in cycling gear unless I am on my bike. Trust me on that.)

I found a new snack, which I suspect is really baby food. I wanted something quick to eat that wouldn't upset my stomach before working out:

Glad I didn't buy a lot of this. I got 50 easy calories, but not wonderful.

We have been living in a fishbowl - almost literally - since Wednesday. It finally stopped raining so the window guys could replace all our windows - which of course necessitated Dwight taking down all the window coverings. At the same time, the siding guys are here. I tell you, I am glad I have to be somewhere several hours a day because there is a lot of pounding. And not only that, but they are all over our house. There was nowhere to go where they couldn't see in! Dwight had a meeting last week and I ate dinner in the basement with the blinds closed. They'll finish up this week, along with the gutter and downspout guys, but in the meantime, this is our patio:

Yes, the first nice weekend of the year. We just wanted to sit out back and have some wine.

Meals have been fairly uneventful. Last night was taco night at our house, served with a black bean-avocado salad (1 can of black beans, 1 1/2 diced avocados, some cumin, cilantro, red onion, and lime juice.) I used ground chicken instead of beef, and with the taco seasoning, you couldn't even tell.

 I mixed it all together today for lunch and served it over lettuce for a great salad.

Favorite breakfast:

Protein waffle, berries, and coffee

Favorite lo-cal dessert:

Diet root beer, light ice cream. Makes a delicious root beer float.

Favorite dessert involving booze:

Dessert martini made by Stevie: Godiva something, Baileys, some other liquor, and chocolate sauce. I may have licked the glass.

I'm off to the card store - we are going to a good-bye party for the daughter of our good friend. Bailey is leaving to be part of the entertainment on a cruise ship for the Alaska voyages. The party will involve karaoke (fitting, as she is quite the singer.) I will definitely be playing the part of "audience member." But this is the first time I can buy and actual Bon Voyage card for someone who is leaving on a ship!

Have a great week!

Oops I did it again

Yep. I just registered for the Des Moines (Half) Marathon again. It's on October 20th this year - y'all come! It was so much fun last year - seriously. Right, Jeanie?! Although I am planning on actually running more of it this year so it probably won't be as much fun, but still.

I figured it was a fitting time to register for the race (which I had been planning on doing since last October) in light of the events at the Boston Marathon this year. I particularly like this quote that I saw on Pinterest:

I started reading a book last night, Running for Mortals, by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield. After the second page of the introduction, I knew I'd be needing to read it with a highlighter. I am through the first three chapters, and here are several of the lines that spoke to me: "You can be a runner even if running isn't what you do"(p.x), "It doesn't do any good to have the legs of a runner if you have the soul of a nonrunner" (p.xi)," Today's runner understands that the old days of doing what someone else expected of you are long gone....the search for one's own excellence and potential must be undertaken alone." (p. xii).  See what I mean? And these are just from the introduction!

Before I leave the topic of running, just a few more thoughts: there are any number of Facebook groups that dedicate the next 26.2 miles of your running/walking/slow jogging to the memory of those affected by last Monday. (Isn't that everyone?) The distance can be done in a day, a week, a month... For me, it's just something to think about when I feel like quitting. And as I referenced on my FB page, Emmy wrote a wonderful post on running in light of Boston. If you haven't, read it here.

I tried a few new recipes this past week, but first - some breakfasts:

MaryLu's protein waffle and berries (guess who went to Costco?!)

PB English muffin, berries, and coffee

Oatmeal with blueberries and almond-coconut milk, and of course, coffee

 Lunches (AKA the Worst Meal of the Day) this week were a Kind bar, a store-bought Atkins protein shake, a PBJ, and leftovers.

For dinners, I made Kung Pao Chicken Burgers from my favorite recipe blog, Iowa Girl Eats. I was not too impressed since they were a little dry. As a matter of fact, I didn't even save the recipe. (It could be because I might have overcooked them; something about raw poultry makes me nervous...) HOWEVER, Dwight had one for lunch the next day and declared it way better, and I had one yesterday, and it was better yet. I think the sauce had time to soak into the burger. I might just make them again. And decrease the cooking time by a few seconds.

I topped the burger with spinach to get in a few more veggies 

And of course our favorite salad - baby cukes, grape tomatoes, good olive oil and balsamic vinegar

The other new recipe I tried was from this month's Cooking Light - Spring Vegetable Penne. This was fabulous, and will be in the meal rotation. And the serving size is huge - always a plus because I am pretty much starving come dinner time.

I love it when the meal looks like the photo!

My work hours have shifted a bit this week - to noon-3:30. I like these hours a lot, since I can actually get a (kind of) lunch in before I leave. I get up early, eat breakfast, work out, do any chores/errands I need to get done, eat lunch, then head to work. Now if there was just enough time to get everything done while I'm there! I was told that it would take three months to feel comfortable in this position; I am 1/3 of the way there. And still learning new things every single day. For someone who likes to have her checklist complete, it seems there is almost always some carry-over to the next day. I'm trying to breathe through it. If that doesn't work, there is always Xanax.

On that note, heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off to work I go....

TTFN!

I'm baaack. Again.

I have been absent. From writing, working out, and although I have been eating relatively healthily, it hasn't been anything worth writing about. If it ever is.

one of the Story People by Brian Andreas

Time to play catch up, since the last time I wrote I was totally overwhelmed with my new job. I am less overwhelmed now, at least most of the time. And often, I even feel like I have a clue!  I have to tell you, though - it was a rocky start. I am used to being the smart girl who catches on quickly, but there was a steep learning curve here. Emmy and Tony were home during the week the store opened, and Erin came home the next week to do wedding stuff (flowers, invitations, reception details - lots of meetings), and I was still trying to figure out how to be efficient at work. (It included Erin helping in the back room for a few days!) And then to make it all more exciting, I somehow got a UTI - something I have not had since college. Oh well - antibiotics and gummi probiotics...

Tomorrow starts half-marathon training in earnest, instead of just messing around and being casual and running (walking) when I feel like it. Week one is two three-milers and one four-miler, plus a day of cross-training. Since I don't work till 11:00, I have no excuse not to work out in the morning. So it's Monday and Wednesday for a run, Friday for a cross-train (bike) and Saturday or Sunday for the long run. If I can choose, I'm going for the better weather day!

Today's meals were pretty yummy. Breakfast was yogurt with granola and almonds (you'll have to use your powers of imagination since I didn't take a photo.) Lunch was 1/2 cup cottage cheese, a packet of tuna, a few tablespoons of  Greek yogurt, and some capers all mixed up and spread on two pieces of toast. And it was filling - always a plus. I was going to chop up the tomatoes and cucumbers and mix them in with the tuna and cottage cheese on Emmy's recommendation, but they were so pretty and I just felt like eating them plain.

Check out Pete eying the tuna!

I tried a new recipe for dinner: salmon with capers, chives, and sweet chili sauce. SO GOOD! And I don't love salmon! The flavoring was strong enough to cover up any fishy flavor of the salmon,  and since it was baked, the house didn't even get stinky. I have learned to buy wild salmon, and I particularly like sockeye. It seems to be the mildest and the least cat-food-tasting to me.

Roasted peppers were the perfect side

Last week was our annual golf trip to Pinehurst, and it was a perfect time to leave the Midwest. We left early in the morning on Tuesday, and that day there was a huge hail storm in Omaha, which left us wondering what our car looked like at the airport (just fine.) But since were were in North Carolina with our good friends, lots and lots of wine, laughter, and golf, I didn't worry about the state of my car for too long.

View from our deck

Our condo

At Pine Needles

Check out one of the many bunker complexes at Tobacco Road - one of my favorite courses ever

The next few weeks will be exciting expensive here. We are having our house re-sided and having new windows put in, except for those we have already replaced. Our next-door-neighbor said "I can't believe you're doing all that the same year that you're buying a wedding!" Go big or go home.

 Time to go relax with my husband. Even though we had some time off together, there were always other people around. I love quiet time with him.

Old dog, new tricks

Whew. What a couple of weeks it has been! I started my new job on March 11th. When I walked into the store on the first day, it was a huge empty space, full of contractors doing the finishing work. There were boxes all over, and my manager and I spent the week receiving and tagging all the incoming merchandise. We have a beautiful, sunny - and that first week - EMPTY space that needed to be filled with goodies. The fixtures arrived on that Thursday, so we had more boxes to unpack.

Last Sunday, the people from the home office arrived to set up the store. I was amazed at how, after three days, it was absolutely beautiful and looked like a real shop. The transformation was incredible. My real training as an Inventory Specialist was last Monday and Tuesday. O.M.G. Let's just preface by saying that I have been using a Mac since 1985, and now I have a PC at work. Right click? Huh?

Except last Tuesday I wasn't smiling. There were tears. Lots of them. Poor Emily and Tony, who had come home in time for dinner Monday night and were staying till Wednesday. They got me at my worst. Sorry Tony - welcome to our house. And Emmy - thanks for pouring the wine. When I got home from work on Wednesday (w-a-y better day), the kids had already gone back, but there was a lovely bouquet of yellow roses (my fave) on the table to greet me. What a lucky mama.

Wednesday was good (opening day!), Thursday was better, and Friday was great. Either I am getting the hang of it, we didn't get much merchandise in, or I am totally missing something. I think it's a combination of the first two, though. I had time to do some organizing and poking around on the computer so I feel more confident there. Baby steps. Except for me, the past few weeks have been great big huge giant steps!

And I'll tell you what is good for weight loss: starting a new job! My hours are 11-3, and if I want to get done, there isn't much time for a real lunch. I've been taking a bottle of water, a good meal-replacement bar (~200 calories), and some carrot sticks. I drink the water throughout the day, eat the bar when I'm doing receiving, and have the carrots on my drive home. I try to have a normal breakfast,

Like you've never seen this before

a snack before I leave the house, and then something when I get home. String cheese and turkey jerky have been the norm, but as the jerky makes me so thirsty, I am going to have to switch that up. I think maybe some veggies and hummus, or a green monster smoothie. Any other suggestions?

I made the best dinner last night: chicken tamale casserole from Cooking Light. (If you click on the blue link, it will take you to the recipe). Emily has mentioned it on her blog a few times, and since it looked pretty quick and easy, I thought I'd give it a go. It was so good! Dwight mentioned several times that "this is a keeper." I had the exact same meal for lunch today, except subbed out the veggies for an apple. And it was still delicious.

Mmmmmm.....

[Just a quick plug for Emily's blog, The Swallow Flies. She is on the same healthy lifestyle journey that so many of us are, with the added benefit that she is an incredible writer. (You know those English majors....) Anyway, her posts are full of recipes, fitness inspiration, and motivation. I printed out the one titled "Naturally Thin" and pinned it to my bulletin board.]

Erin is coming home tomorrow for her spring break and a week of wedding preparation. This girl is the mellowest bride. So far, her biggest issue is that the red rose "love" stamp looks like a vagina and she doesn't want to put that on her wedding invitations. Luckily, she found a more tasteful one with white roses. Whew. Otherwise it was going to be Pixar stamps.

As I am in my yoga pants and baggy top, it is a snowy afternoon (still - I am SO OVER winter), and basketball is on, I am going to curl up on the couch and undoubtedly fall asleep.

Here's to a good week!

New beginnings

Well, the next stage in my life is about to begin! I met the manager of the shop for the first time on Thursday, and I am pretty excited to work with her. She is young, energetic, and full of enthusiasm. And except for the young part, I think I am too. We will be a good team. I like that the shop is scheduled to open on March 20, which is the date of astronomical spring this year in the northern hemisphere. Spring to me is always the sign of new beginnings and rebirth (hello, spring buds and bulbs!) This will be a new venture into the Omaha market for the store, and a venture into a new position for me.

I've been trying to organize my life since I will be working Monday-Friday for the first time in, well, forever. Even back in my lab days, weekends were involved. I know I'll like having weekends off, but I need to adjust my schedule. For example, no more mid-morning-during-the-week grocery shopping. I am going to try to make our weekly menu and get the shopping done on Sundays. And I know I'll be more organized in my errand-running. And somehow, I need to factor a nap in here and there!

One of my projects was to organize cleaning supplies (I know. Pretty exciting). Well, every time we change out our toothbrushes, I throw the old ones in a container under the sink because you never know when you need to clean small spaces and a toothbrush is just what you need. Well:

I apparently need to clean that cupboard more often. Really - how many scrubby toothbrushes does anyone need?

I went to sleep last night listening to thunder and rain. It sounded like spring - and I can't wait. I was getting my hair cut and colored this week, and Troy and I were talking about the fact that even though it hasn't been a particularly bad winter, it has been so dreary. I am really ready for some sunshine. It was warm this week (in the high 40's and low 50's) so I ran outside, and it was wonderful. I immediately remembered how much I hate the treadmill. I'll do it because I have to, but give me fresh air any day.

And speaking of my hairdresser, he told me about a new recipe: Hummus-Crusted Chicken. It couldn't be easier: take a chicken breast, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and coat it with hummus (he said that sounded too messy so he just put a thick schmear across it, as did I when I made it). Add some rosemary or tarragon if you want. (I didn't, since I used jalapeno hummus; thought that one strong flavor was enough). Then squeeze some lemon juice over the top (no lemons in my fridge, so I used a lime). Troy said to not add a lot of juice because otherwise you wouldn't get a good crust from the hummus. Anyway, bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Easy, healthy, and yummy:

With some roasted peppers

I tried another new recipe that I am already looking forward to making again. And yes, it's from Cooking Light. But it's ABCDelicious: Thai Chicken Saute.

The recipe called for two tablespoons of Sriracha, but I thought that sounded like a lot, so I used 1.5 tablespoons. I might even use less next time; it was pretty spicy, although the coconut milk mellowed it a bit. I used a 90-second Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (basmati) instead of the boil-in-bag called for in the recipe. The chicken was so tender, and the flavors were so good together. I just served it with some baby carrots, but that turned out perfect because they were cold and helped balance out the heat. Make this!

Other dinners:

Went to Costco. Rotisserie chicken, roasted Brussels sprouts and broccoli, summer salad of baby cukes and grape tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

More rotisserie chicken. This time in a salad with cukes, tomatoes, craisins, and olive oil and balsamic for dressing

Breakfasts:

Vitatop, 2 HB eggs, strawberries. And coffee.

PB English muffin, blackberries, 1/2 cran juice / 1/2 Trop 50. And coffee.

Vitatop again. HB eggs again. Mixed berries. And coffee.

I really need to be better about lunches. When I uploaded my photos, I realized I hadn't photographed anything. Blah. Worst meal of the day. I stopped at Panera yesterday and had a cup of chicken noodle soup and half a turkey sandwich. I can't even remember what I had earlier in the week except for Thursday when Emma and I went to Jams and I had my favorite shrimp tostada from the appetizer menu. Now THAT was a good lunch!

On the schedule today is more organizing, watching Creighton play basketball this afternoon in the MVC semi-finals, and then dinner at Oak Hills tonight for their Seafood Buffet. I'm hoping for lots of shrimp, and Dwight's hoping they aren't peel-and-eat. I agree - I just don't want to work that hard for my food. Same thing about crab legs; can't someone clean them for me?! (You just read that in a whiny voice, didn't you?)

Happy weekend!

[Update: I made Aly's bars for knitting, but took some to work on Tuesday morning and some when I got my hair cut on Wednesday - and had recipe requests from everyone. We're calling them Aly's Oh Sweet Jesus bars since that's what Alex said when he first tasted them. If you need a good dessert recipe, click here. The sea salt takes them from merely delicious to Oh Sweet Jesus. They are so addictive that we had to get them out of the house.]

Life is weird

Tomorrow is my last day at the Joslyn, which in itself is bittersweet. Jane, whose Alex played club soccer with OUR Alex (and I feel like I've known forever), is the shop director, and in January of 2006 took a chance on this middle-aged housewife and hired me to work in the shop. Who knew that after getting my BS in medical technology, raising our three kids, and too-numerous-to-count volunteer positions, I would find my calling in retail. Life is weird. 

But to celebrate, Jane and Katherine took me to lunch at an Omaha institution (featured on Diners, Drive-Inns, and Dives) - California Tacos. Or if you're from here, Cali Tacos.

I've been wanting to eat there forever, but as it is out of my usual sphere of travel (i.e., it's east of 72nd Street), and in a somewhat sketchy neighborhood, I have just never made it.  I really meant to take a picture of all the food, but forgot until it was all gone:

Jane had told me that one taco would be enough, and she was so right. But we had rice and bean dip, just to get the whole experience. It was all delicious, and the taco was seriously the best I have ever eaten.

And then my friends gave me some treats:

Do they know me or what?! Jane wonders if my new boss will buy me Peeps?!

Some healthy breakfasts, to balance out Cali Tacos:

Oatmeal with blueberries, brown sugar, and almond-coconut milk

PB toast with bananas, 1/2 cup Trop 50, 1/2 cup diet cranberry juice

PB toast, mixed berries, and the OJ/cran juice again

A way-healthier lunch:

Romaine with fake krab, cherry tomatoes, and an English muffin

And a pretty good dinner:

Cooking Light's pesto and goat cheese pizza

We're having knitting here tomorrow, and in addition to a few snacks, I made some bars that Aly told me about. She said they were kind of like my caramelodie recipe, only better. She said they were so good that she had to wake up Alex (he's on a night rotation) to try one. He just said, "Oh sweet Jesus." I think that's the new name of the bars: Aly's Oh Sweet Jesus Caramelodies. How can anyone not love salted caramel and chocolate? I'll let you know if my knitting friends have the same reaction.

And just to leave you laughing, here's a headline from our paper the other day:

Later!

Hansel and Gretel are Homaha

I have been MIA lately - we have been in Bismarck, North Dakota visiting Dwight's family. Door-to-door is 615 miles of mostly this:

Now, my mother-in-law is a wonderful cook, but she IS from Germany and only cooks German food. She did her best to properly fatten us up before she sent us home:

Oxtail soup with a sandwich of pepperoni, two kinds of cheeses, pickles, and ketchup

Cinnamon rolls

Linzer torte

German "pancakes" with swiss cheese and white asparagus

Rouladen, which as Alex says, is "meat wrapped in meat". Ron Swanson would approve.

Rouladen, red cabbage, and potato balls

Black forest cherry cake

Sauerkraut, spareribs, and spaetzle

Breakfast at the hotel. The orange was for later.

 While we had a really nice visit, it was good to get home and back to eating (relatively) healthy:

Breakfast today was an orange, Greek yogurt, granola, and coffee

Lunch was grilled cheese and Campbell's Tuscan style chicken and white bean soup

Afternoon snack: banana and Justin's chocolate almond butter

Dinner: big salad with shrimp, peppers, and goat cheese and a ciabatta roll with Tuscan artichoke spread. (Hmm...must be Tuscan day at our house. The spread is part of a Napa Style gift box from Jeanie and Tom - so good.)

Not only did we eat healthier, but we both logged some treadmill miles today. FELT SO GOOD!!!