As Kel said better than me, POM + Fish (I used tilapia) = Happy! The reduced pomegranate-mint sauce was delicious, but I have to say, I think it would be even better over ice cream. It got sweet and sticky and ohhhhh so good.
Also so good? My recipe for Chocolate Popcorn Brittle, kicked up with the addition of some Naturally Nutty Vanilla Cinnamon Sunflower butter. I’d show you a picture, but I didn’t wait to dig in!
It’s been a very busy, very stressful week…nothing too bad, just lots of busy work! So you KNOW this made my day:
I cracked up — one of those gut-busting, feel sick afterwards laughs. How funny is that?
And a less funny, but still important video…I implore you to follow this link for a clip from Jessica Simpson’s new show. Now, yes, I am a Jessica fan girl (confession: I even bought her clip-in hair extensions) BUT, I think her message is one that’s so important when it comes to media, women and body image. Men too!
Housekeeping: I’ve been updating the blog — there’s a new look to the Recipes page as well as my Videos page. Let me know what you think!
I don’t have a lot of fears — off the top of my head, I can only name:
Birds
Flying (more like a fear of turbulence)
Losing loved ones (duh)
People that look like animals
Shudder.
But back to my point — I don’t like birds. Especially small, screeching, sharp-clawed birds. I don’t like them near me and I CERTAINLY don’t like them on me. (Sidenote: is it just me or does the woman in the background of this photo look astonishingly similar to CatWoman above?)
But I found myself feeling brave when the man at Gatorland’s aviary asked me if I wanted to feed the birds. After Lucas stopped laughing, he grabbed the video camera and started shooting. Even I admit…it’s an instant classic.
I didn’t realize until I watched the video that I was repeating some mantra most of the time and closing my eyes for at least half of the experience. It was a lot of fun, and even though one pooped on my hat (must have been a Yankees fan), I was thrilled to have done it.
Gatorland is definitely a tourist trap, but it was a lot of fun:
And although it’s not that close to our house, it is close to the store where I get my wedding rings inspected. It turns out, they’re due for a dip, so I kissed them goodbye and am now ring-free for a couple of weeks! Sniff.
I was craving french fries for dinner, so we decided to go all college-like and made hot dogs and french fries. Except these hot dogs were organic and grass-fed:
And served with caramelized onions and crusty multi-grain bread.
And also unlike college, dessert was not a six-pack of beer — instead, I whipped up some Almond-Maple-Coconut Macaroons to satisfy our sweet tooth while watching Syracuse basketball WHOOP those dang Villanova Wildcats.
Next weekend, on March 6th at noon, I’m hanging out with lots of healthy bloggers at Orlando’s Pizza Fusion. Some of them are running Walt Disney World’s half marathon, and if you’d like to come hang out, email Lindsey from Sound Eats (Lindsey AT soundeats DOT com). You don’t have to be a blogger, and we’d LOVE to see you!
Speaking of meetups, Lucas just co-hosted his first Tweetup, and it was a big success! It featured beer, beer lovers and some other cool stuff, so you can learn more here.
Whole lotta bacon cake fans in the house, huh? I can’t wait to hear how all of your versions turn out. The cake, btw, has left my building. 2 days and Lucas polished it off.
Speaking of Lucas, if you want to hang out with both of us AND drink free beer — check out this Beer Tweetup tonight (Thursday) at the Celebration Town Tavern in Celebration, Florida. I’m @kwidrick and he’s @nighthops.
Also speaking of Lucas — for his birthday, I bought him a new pocket video camera and I came home from work to find this video playing on the TV…so cute to see what they do all day!
The bacon cake was a big hit, but I prefer a more subtle, refined OH WHO AM I KIDDING I love chocolate!
So for a sweet treat this week, I made what I can only call Popped Heaven:
That’s chocolate popcorn brittle with a side of riesling. Want some of your own?
Chocolate Popcorn Brittle (adapted from Mark Bittman’s “How To Cook Everything Vegetarian”)
2T neutral oil
1/2C popcorn kernels
1/4C sugar (I used organic cane sugar)
1/8C cocoa powder (I used raw with maca)
1/3C water
Heat the oil in a deep, wide pot. I use a pasta pat or a big stockpot for this.
Place three popcorn kernels in the pot and cover.
Once the three kernels pop (should take about 4-5 minutes) put the rest of the kernels in, shake to coat in oil, and return the cover.
While you’re waiting for the kernels to pop, mix the sugar and the cocoa powder.
I prefer to run this mix through a food processor so it’s super-fine, but this is optional.
Place the sugar and cocoa mix in a small pot and add 1/3C water. Stir to combine then put on low heat.
Let sugar and cocoa combine — don’t stir! — until it caramelizes and turns a nice dark, silky color.
When the kernels finish popping, place into a heatproof bowl. Pour the caramelized sugar-cocoa mix over the popcorn and toss gently to cover.
Pour the popcorn into a greased baking or cake pan and gently press down with your fingers, packing the popcorn together.
Let cool for at least 5 minutes then EAT!
A 1/2 C of popcorn makes a TON of finished popped product, so if you want to cut the recipe in half you may.
Random photo on my camera that I had to share — I found these on clearance and almost bought them! I am a Syracuse grad, you know. Go Orange!
And finally, I wanted to pass on a video to Jamie Oliver’s TED talk on childhood obesity. It really struck a chord with me, and it’s a really well presented argument. Check it out here and sign his petition here!
That’s right — vegans, beware. Because below, I am proving my awesome wife status with pictures of the Bacon Birthday Cake that made Lucas drool.
But first, an NKOTB throwback video for my baby on his 30th birthday:
Don’t even hate on my for the NKOTB love (which, BTW, I haveprofessed before). I still think Joey looks slammin’.
Ever since we went to Portland and Seattle a few years ago, Lucas has been reminiscing about the Maple Bacon donut he had at Voodoo Doughnut:
So, when I brainstormed ideas for a unique birthday cake (he’s not really a buttercream frosting kind of guy), I turned to Google, which presented me with this gem: Bacon Gets Its Just Desserts.
I knew it could be a winner, and I was right.
I know, I know. I don’t eat a lot of meat, and the sight of this much bacon is a little off-putting for me, too. But you know what? The salty bacon with the sweet maple icing was incredible — and since this was more like a coffee cake than a cake cake, each bite was a mouthful of pecan-y, apple-y, bacon-y goodness.
But first, we had to eat a balanced meal, hand-picked by the birthday boy and right out of “Gordon Ramsay’s Healthy Appetite” cookbook. Burgers, beers and cucumber raita.
Good, but we’re a little biased because of the incredible meal we shared with friends over the weekend. I rocked the Bumpit and got my Snooki on.
We had an adorable eating partner.
And open minds — so when we saw these meats listed as taco fillings at the Mexican hole-in-the-wall restaurant our friends took us to, we said “one of each, please!”
So good — I even tried the head and the chicharonnes, although they were not my favorites. The food was super fresh and when we added grilled onions, cilantro relish and hot sauce…YUM!
And in case I haven’t scared all of you off with the meat-tastic post, I’ll leave you with this gem. Lucas loves to share his homebrew, but he asks his friends to return the bottles so he may reuse them. We got this package on our doorstep over the weekend — a lovely joke from one of his pals.
My 30th birthday is next month, and we’ll be celebrating it with a trip to Baltimore and Fitbloggin‘! Will you be there?
If it didn’t have a sign telling me that this ugly thing was a “water coconut,” I never would have believed it. This is, after all, the same store that would post something like this:
Grammar. You failz it.
Anyway, the Internet confirmed that this was, in fact, a coconut. Now — how to open it? YouTube was a big help, but my honey of a house husband had his own ideas:
Like anything in life, we (he) had to work hard; cracking the hard outer shelf and gently pulling aside some unattractive but supportive layers:
And when we did, we gloried in the goodness:
We poured the lovely coconut water into a bowl and then scraped the white yumminess out with a spoon:
Victorious.
I’m still plotting what to do with the fresh coconut, but I had a taste for it and after a run to Whole Foods, I gave into the craving. Meet Coconut-Almond Macaroons a la Joggers Life.
I did make a few changes, substituting oat flour for the almond meal and halving the recipe. That was a mistake, since I’ve already eaten quite a few. I also made a second type of macaroon, from Everyday Raw.
They’re both amazing (and raw, since I stuck ‘em in the dehydrator — what do you think, Patti?) Ahhhhhh macaroon.
So y’all know I love my job, right? This week, I got to meet a man who blows me away with his bravery, his kindness and his SLAMMIN’ body! Would you believe this guy is about to turn 70?
Sandy Scott broke his neck during a horrific cycling time trial — he might have died, and probably should have stopped competing. But he didn’t, and he’s looking to set MORE records for his age group at several national events! I had an amazing day, field producing a video with him, and that will be posted on our site soon.
I’ll leave you with a picture of Travers — aka “Best Cat.” He loves wearing my medal from the OUC Half Marathon and Lucas gave him the nickname.
I definitely want kids someday but moments like this:
make it easy to wait…because I have friends with babies who need spoiling! That’s miss Elizabeth Ava, less than a day old. Fast forward two years and she’s an amazing little PERSON — who walks, talks and visits us at work!
What a great Valentine:
And a perfect gift during a week that looked like this:
Luckily, it ended with some less weighty reading material — which I found in the car with my sexy chauffeur!
For those who don’t know my story, I am married to Lucas. Lucas is a registered, LEED-certified architect who decided he didn’t like where his career was headed. So, he took a HUGE leap of faith and quit his job to focus more time on his true love — brewing, drinking and writing about beer.
As part of a project with Celebration Town Tavern — a very cool Boston-themed seafood restaurant and bar — Lucas is helping review the beers that are included in the Tavern’s 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall Club.
Since he’ll have to review them all eventually, I got to help pick his beers last night — the random number selection ended in Mickey’s, a malt liquor that came with a puzzle in the cap!
I still don’t know what the answer is. (Sorry for the photos — I took many of these with my iPhone for easier tweeting!) And, since I was driving, I decided to pound a few hot drinks of my own:
Woke up this morning to do another P90X workout, although someone wanted us to quit early:
We pushed through, then decided to follow the animals’ leads:
And snuggle up with blankets, quinoa and oatmeal and frothy lattes:
Now we’re on the couch, watching the Olympics and reading. Love lazy weekends!
Do you have kids? When do you plan on having them? How many? Have you picked out names?
Let’s back up, so I can catch you up on the last few days. On Friday night, Lucas and I hit up a local bar known for its craft beers. A beer blogger’s gotta see what people are drinking, right?
It was a special release party for Brooklyn Brewery, which I normally love. But after a few sips of Luke’s beer:
I decided I was more interested in playing a few games:
And talking to a bunch of friends that showed up. It was a blast! We even managed to record a quick video, using my iPhone:
On Saturday, I worked up an appetite cleaning the inside of my stove. We had an, ahem, incident with some overflowing custard, and no amount of elbow grease was getting it clean. Then we found a natural cleaner recipe online — just a mix of baking soda, vinegar and dish soap and VOILA:
Just like the day we bought the stove! Ahh, happiness…
I celebrated with a POM martini, made with pomegranate-mango juice, Absolut Boston and triple sec, in a martini glass that I rimmed with organic cane sugar and lime juice. More happiness…
Gotta support Pom, since it’s a sponsor of Fitbloggin‘, and I’m going in March! Will you be there?
I’ve also had a weekend of awesome food. Saturday night, I made curried tilapia, broiled until crispy and served over the most amazing spinach and tomato paella:
And tonight, for the superbowl, I made (unpictured) chipotle beef and carmelized onion tacos, from Rick Bayless’ Everyday Mexican. Awesome!
It’s very possible that I’m the last to know this, but did you know that you can pop popcorn right on your stovetop, using kernels and a little bit of butter or oil?
It’s so much cheaper and easier (duh) than buying the microwave popcorn, and better for you. I’ve been topping mine with coconut-lime salt:
And eating by the faceful:
Off to watch the rest of the Superbowl. The commercials have been very disappointing — hello, sexist much? — but the Puppy Bowl made my night.
LOOK WHAT ONE OF THE DOGS WAS NAMED!Tater Tot!
Tater Tot the Puppy Bowl star
OK, off to get in PJs. I am going to a big social media conference in the morning, and I will be tweeting while I’m there. So be sure to follow me!
P.S. I updated my Google Reader with all the Fitbloggin’ bloggers — if you want to add it to your own reader, click here!
But here’s why the title was so appropriate. Cue the yum:
And the oh, yeah…
Add a dash of deeeelish:
And you get my dinner. Maybe not the most picture-worthy, but pretty freaking awesome. The brown balls (that’s what she…oh, no, I won’t) are a mashup of two recipes; chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon (thanks, Rose!) and a recipe from Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.” I’m calling them falawesome falafel.
I’m getting pretty excited for this weekend’s half marathon at Walt Disney World for the following reasons:
It’s the culmination of a goal I set a year ago — when I signed up and told myself “you can do this.” After completing one half marathon already, I know I can do it.
Seeing good friends. My buddy Carolyn is going to run with me (she’s down from Buffalo!) and I’m meeting with lots of great bloggers for lunch!
Because of the frigid weather that has descended on Florida, I am borrowing clothes to stay warm. I also purchased this beauty from the thrift shop (50% off!):
It will not only help me channel my inner Sue Sylvester,
It’s HAWT and something that I can wear on the long, cold walk from the parking lot to the starting line before ditching. Ashley gave me this tip — wear clothes that you don’t mind going to charity (in this case, back to charity), because crews pick up discarded clothes and donate them after the race.
It’s funny — I actually covered this same race two years ago, for GrowingBolder.com. Here’s a picture my boss took of me that day:
And the video I produced/reported that day. Not to toot my own horn, but I think it’s a pretty good example of why this event is so popular, and what drew me to it! (If you can’t watch it below, here’s the link)
I am keeping my expectations low for this race. If I want to stop and take a picture with Mickey, I will! If I need to rest a little or stop for water, I will! But I promise to give it my all and smile the whole 13.1 miles.
Other things that make me smile? Blogging buddies:
And Ivy Leaguers.
Oh, and my husband. I really like him. Despite the fact that I didn’t pick up any Glee-inspired gear for him, he will be going to the half marathon this weekend — a 4:30am arrival — and may even tweet about it! Check his blog out here and follow him on Twitter here. Follow me here.
2009 was a year of highs and lows — all documented on the blog! It’s so much fun to look back at what I did, especially because from a fitness perspective, this was one of the most successful years of my life.
Overall, I’m very proud to have continued to succeed at a job I love, moved my blog to its own domain, marked three years of marriage with my lovey, helped him launch a blog, visited friends and family, traveled and continued my healthy lifestyle.
Indulge me, would you, in a look back? I’m highlighting the fitness achievements in red. Because they make me especially proud and happy.
chopped my hair and did a triathlon at Walt Disney World, organized my pantry, hosted a visit from Mom, celebrated a friend’s birthday, took an amazing ride
I’m planning a secret Saturday fun day. We need to leave at 7:30am. Wear sneakers and jeans and eat some breakfast before we go.
Just nod your head and agree. I know, I know…fellow A Type personalities, it’s against my nature, too! But if you don’t let go and just have faith every once in a while, you miss some of the most amazing adventures.
We hit the road this morning, coffees in hand, and only one of us knew where we were headed.
Stop #1: Blue Springs State Park in Volusia County, Florida, which has been on my “must see” list for years.
Blue Springs is where manatees come during the winter months — and you can get THISCLOSE to them!
Don’t believe me? Watch this (if for nothing else than to see Lucas’s interpretation of manatee noises):
I took 172 pictures and three videos today, so feel lucky that I am showing restraint.
We spent about 90 minutes at the park, looking at the manatees and embracing our inner children:
One of our favorite things to do is meander…so instead of taking the highway home, we pointed our car in a random direction and decided to stop at whatever struck our fancy.
Stop #2: Random Flea Market.
Goodies galore.
We got
fresh chick peas (in their pods)
hot peppers (lots and lots and lots, for hot sauce and salsa)
prickly pear
limes (local)
sweet potatoes
garlic
dried hot peppers
chayote squash (in its prickly skin)
and were tempted by (but did not buy) sugar cane, tomatillos, tamarind, cactus, coconut candy, pineapple, dried fruits and much, much more.
Lucas is a sucker for street food of any kind, so when we saw this sign:
We knew he needed to stop for a snack. A homemade, fresh and amazing snack. I’ll let him tell you. Keep watching for more details on this random market.
The rambling trip home continued, and with nothing more than an iPhone and a healthy sense of adventure, we stumbled upon
Stop #3: Downtown DeLand, Florida
Where I spent a ridiculous amount of time poking in and out of shops. I think I spent an hour in an antique shop that had these amazing old magazine and newspaper ads — I bought a few…merry Christmas to me! Again!
But, the tacos didn’t hold Lucas and I was STARVING, so it was time for
Beer, sausage, sauerkraut, more beer and two happy people.
Don’t be fooled by that massive plate of food. We couldn’t decide between all the authentic and homemade German food, so we got a sampler plate, and I took a bite of everything, Lucas ate a huge plate and has enough in a doggie bag to eat for dinner tonight! It was good, but not great. I think it would be more fun during one of their sing-along nights, so we will be going back!
We walked down the street for
Stop #5: Farmers’ Market
We didn’t buy anything, but I did meet a couple of horses dogs:
Gentle giants.
And as we headed home, we decided to make one more stop. For years, I’ve been saying that we need to visit the world’s largest Cypress tree. It’s in a state park near our house, and we’ve never taken the time to visit.
What a day! My full race recap is below, but I wanted to say a BIG thanks to everyone who supported me today on Facebook and Twitter, as well as in real life.
The husband supplied me with a sweet I’ve been craving for weeks:
And my Vegan Week partner in crime, Michelle, sent me the SWEETEST flowers and a note wishing me luck!
I have to tell you, thinking about all the people who were wishing me luck really powered me through the day!
It was pretty dreary when we woke up and headed to Downtown Orlando for today’s OUC Half Marathon, so I dressed in layers.
But as the morning went on, the rain let up and I decided to ditch the rain jacket, passing it off to the unofficial photographer.
Seriously, what a guy, right? We met up with Caitlin and Megan for some pre-race hugs and advice (Caitlin’s tip to hug the corners really paid off!)
And before I knew it — the race director was counting down…5 minutes. 4 minutes. 3 minutes. I put my headphones in, got my Garmin ready and took off!
I wasn’t sure how I’d be feeling, or how fast to go out, so I lined up at the back of the 9:00/mile starters, and it was perfect. My goal for the race was to try and maintain a 10:00/mile average, and I was THRILLED to see that I got it! (click the image for a bigger view)
My official finishing time, according to the chip, was 2:11:01. Not too bad!
Confession: I don’t know how to get my mile splits off the Garmin yet. I hit the lap button halfway through the run, and I wonder if that screwed things up?
Lucas sat by the finish line to get shots of everyone coming in. He found my friend Jamie by accident — look at her go!
Speedy gonzalez…she is amazing. Then Megan came in, followed by Caitlin, and finally I turned the corner to see them cheering! Lucas tried to take a picture but hit the video button instead (you can hear him say “oh come on!”), which turned out to be even better — he caught me giving Megan a high five!
And after I hit the finish line, I was thrilled to see their smiling faces giving me hugs and high-fives for finishing my VERY FIRST HALF MARATHON!
We all headed to the beer garden where I posed with my medal:
And Lucas got his payment for a job well done — nice cold beer.
Here are my overall thoughts on the race:
A beautiful course! I got to run through some great neighborhoods, and could see several lakes along the way. People were sitting on their front steps and lawns cheering us on and it made a huge difference.
It really does pay off to hug the corners. My Garmin says I ran 13.19 miles — not bad, because both Caitlin and Megan ended up running longer than that.
I took a Pineapple Rocktane about halfway through the race. This is the best flavor I’ve tried!
Because no matter what happened, I’d be setting a PR today (and a Personal Distance Record), I tried to set small goals along the way.
Miles 1-3: Get settled into a groove…find a clear space for running and set a decent pace. I ran at about 9:30/mile for those first miles.
Miles 3-6: Keep it under 10:00/mile, keep my shoulders down, try not to stop unless I had to.
Miles 6-9: Keep it under 10:00/mile but have short bursts of speed every once in a while. Find a rabbit and try not to let him/her out of my sight.
Miles 9-10: Keep it under 10:00/mile, take a walking break if needed (it wasn’t).
Miles 10-12: Since each mile after number 10 was a personal distance record, I just wanted to do my best. Nebulous, but it helped.
Mile 13: Leave it all on the course. Run as fast as I could and smile for the cameras!
I am very proud to say that I accomplished all those goals — and I never walked, even for one step! Having that 10:00/mile reminder, and a Garmin to let me know how I was doing, really helped. I did hit a bit of a wall at about 11.5 miles in, when I just wanted to start walking. But I knew that if I could get to the 12-mile mark, the last mile would just be a race to the finish line, so I kept running! I also didn’t take any water or bathroom breaks. I know that’s kind of against running philosophy, but I really don’t like running with anything in my stomach, so I didn’t want to risk it. I did chug two big bottles of water once I was done!
My mom is so cute — I called to tell her about the race and she asked how my “girly bits” held up (I have a groin injury). They held up just fine.
All in all, a great day — I am so proud of myself and truly can’t believe that just a short time ago, I couldn’t run a mile. Now I have run a 5K, several sprint triathlons, an Olympic triathlon and now a half marathon. Go me!
And Carolyn — I am PSYCHED for the Disney half in a month…it’s ON, girl!
Time for a nap…Lucas and the dogs have a head start…
Who was very happy with his breakfast this morning. We met a friend before work (or in his case, before house husbanding) and he got a plate full of goodness.
I got the carrot cake pancake, which I will be attempting on my own.
I passed up the pumpkin pancake, but luckily my friend shared.
All pictures courtesy my iPhone.
So, tomorrow is my first half marathon, and I’m facing a few challenges. But I’m choosing to spin them, so they’re positives. Examples:
Lemon:
I’m undertrained for this distance, and have only done one “long” run — 10 miles — in the last month. I’m battling a groin injury and have seen my training pace drop way off.
Lemonade:
I would be doing a long run tomorrow anyway — why not do it with 3,500 other runners? I’m always faster during competitions, and even if I don’t feel great, I’m sure I’ll be inpsired by someone along the way.
Lemon:
Lemonade:
An excuse to buy a new running hat so the torrential rain doesn’t drip into my eyes! Junior chewed mine up a while back, so I’ve been hatless. The hat will also cover up my sweaty, stanky self and allow me to truly smile from within when it’s time to cross the finish line.
Lemon:
I’m feeling the effects of two years of training. My groin hurts, my back hurts, my shins hurt…everything hurts.
Lemonade:
As a reward, Lucas has told me I can not only pick ANY place for dinner after the race, I can also get a massage and ice cream! Triple awesome!
Lemon:
Well, there isn’t one, I just wanted a chance to share…
Lemonade:
Carbing up. The afore-mentioned carrot cake was an indulgence, since I normally go with an egg white omelette. Then at lunch, I got my carbs in another way (below) and we’re having black bean pasta for dinner. Nom nom nom.
Lemon:
Out of all the people I know competing in tomorrow’s event, I am by far the slowest. If they wanted, they could finish their half marathons, go home and shower, get massages and come back to high-five me at the finish line.
Lemonade:
I’ve already arranged to see some of my friends before the race starts, so we can hug and high-five for luck. Plus, I keep telling myself that by 10am, I’ll have done more than more people will do all month.
And, if I may be so bold as to volunteer a lemon/lemonade scenario for Lucas…
Lemon:
Wife’s crazy running addiction once again has me up way before the sun, fighting traffic and bad weather.
Lemonade:
Beer garden for participants after the race. Wife won’t drink her beer. Score.
He was a red-meat eating hunter, a beer-drinking, no-exercising, study-around-the-clock archicture student. My experiments started back then, when I would try and wean him off of Miracle Whip, switch his coffee to bottled water and introduce fruits and vegetables into his diet.
And he never complained.
Just like he never complained during Vegan Week, even thought it went against everything in his nature!
In fact, when Michelle and I came up with this crazy adventure, I hesitantly asked Lucas if he’d be willing to let me cook vegan dinners through the week.
He shocked me — in an amazing way — when he almost immediately told me he was not only OK with vegan dinners, but he wanted to give the entire Vegan Week a shot! He traded his cereal and milk for oatmeal; bologna sandwiches with cheese for salads and soup and let me run wild when it came to dinner.
So, what are the takeaways from the husband’s perspective? (He wrote me notes!)
It was not that difficult to go a week, though Katy did a great job of having the proper foods in the house and planning dinners (which often was lunch the next day)
It would have been much more of a problem if we did not already eat a lot of vegetables
No dairy was the hardest part for me since I am a ‘cereal for breakfast’ guy. Not having yogurt or cheese options at lunch was rough.
The worst foods of the week (for me) were the fake meat — “bologna” and yogurt (soy and/or coconut milk). Maybe if it was a long-term change I would learn to like them, but it would take a long time. The texture of both were a bit off-putting to me and the “bologna” had really no flavor on its own, serving as nothing but a filler in a sandwich.
It was certainly a good exercise to refine label reading skills, knowing what you are putting into your body is important whether vegan, vegetarian or other.
Cute, huh?
I agree with Lucas about the processed foods. To tell you the truth, we don’t eat much processed food at all, whether we’re following a specific diet (vegan) or not. I bought him some vegan “bologna” to see how it compares to the bologna and lunch meats that he normally has. Almost all of our meals through the week were homemade, with fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and more.
We should also note…Lucas had, um, some tummy troubles this week. As he says: “It was a good thing I was home alone a lot.”
So what do you think of his notes? Would your significant other or family members consider changing their diet?
I hope you’re not sick of hearing how overwhelmed I am with gratitude to those who have followed the #VeganWeek…hard to believe this started as a random conversation between me and Michelle — miles apart — and became a blogging sensation.
Today, we asked you to consider making one meal or all your meals vegan, to see what it’s like.
Here are just SOME of the people who posted:
sarahghostworld:I will be participating!! i’m a total omnivore with no plans of putting labels or restrictions on my diet, but i do have have ethical qualms about the environmental and economic impact of meat-eating. so i figured . . . .why not! i linked to both of you in my post today (here) and will be photographing my eats all day to show tomorrow! i have a 20 mile run planned, so . . . there will be a lot of them
Kristen:I’m participating in vegan for a day: http://inspiredbydooce.blogspot.com/2009/11/blo… So far the hardest part is the pictures…I’m taking pictures of what I eat for the day and it is hard to remember to put all of the ingredients in the shot.
nutritionista: Yay for Vegan Week/Day!! I just posted my list of 10 Reasons to Go Vegan, and I plan to post a summary of my day’s vegan eats later today. http://yournutritionista.com/post/249757081/10-…
Megan @ Healthy Hoggin: I just put up my first post about being Vegan 4 A Day: http://wp.me/pB1yI-5q So far so good, although the second I tell myself I “can’t” have something, I seem to want it more than ever!! Isn’t it funny how that works?? I have a feeling some cheese is in my future… but not today.
@dysterious: Back to the gym tomorrow I hope! Been since monday and I’m itching to go but must clean all night. + drink Stickelback vegan wine #veganweek
If you follow me on Twitter, you noticed that I talked about moving today. We packed up our current offices, and moved to some swanky new digs that afford me an incredible view. And this hunky husband wasn’t too bad to look at, either — he helped us lug some of the heavy stuff around!
Luckily, I’d fueled up with some Kitchen Sink Granola and oatmeal, served with a splash of almond milk:
Because the moving took all morning and part of the afternoon…while on a key-copying run, I got a caffeine boost with a soy, 4-pump sugar-free hazelnut coffee:
Then finally tucked into these beauties…a salad with veggies and tahini dressing:
And a juicy grapefruit:
Ran around some more, then headed home to catch up on #VeganWeek tweets (and soothe my pacrhed throat):
While my pre-made Yuca Shepherd’s Pie casserole (Veganomicon, again) cooked, along with some Cornmeal-crusted masala brussels sprouts:
So, so good. I stuck it under the broiler for 2 minutes after baking, and the yuca topping got crispy and crunchy. And the sprouts…heaven. By the way, heaven is spicy. Just like me.
I already have plans for cooling my mouth down:
And, since I have some work to catch up on, this guy gets remote control (which is good, because Syracuse is on TV!) This means I’ll be DVR’ing Project Runway, so heaven help the person that spoils it for me.
Evil dog in the background.
So, what can you look forward to when it comes to #VeganWeek?
Can you read his shirt? It says I Love Tater Tots. Awww…
We followed Caitlin’s lead and had a bowling date night! It was supposed to be a double date, but those plans fell through. We decided to go anyway — and it was a blast! It was great to do something different on a weeknight.
But let’s start at the very beginning…a very good place to start. Breakfast was my take on Katie’s fudge babies: banana bread balls. Joke away.
If I were a true culinary rockstar, I might have noticed that breakfast and lunch had the same frightening color and texture. But I didn’t, so I packed this carrot ginger soup:
Followed by an orange:
and leftovers…delicious leftovers:
After getting my butt kicked in bowling, we came home for my first #fail meal of Vegan Week. The flavor was great, but the broccoli-millet croquettes fell apart in the pan, and the garlic yams didn’t get as crispy as I wanted.
Tasted good, though:
And who knew peeling potatoes was such a dangerous job?
Don’t worry — I’ve already started to self-medicate, with Dr. Lucas. It’s good to be married to a beer blogger.
And to fully ease the pain, here is my dessert: vegan chocolate chips in peanut butter.
So, when I say I’m bowled over…I mean it. Between the responses on Angela’s guest post (y’all REALLY want those Glo bars, huh?) to the overwhelming tweets about #VeganWeek:
I have to say thank you, thank you, thank you. Together, we bloggers (and beloved readers) can do amazing things!
So let’s keep it up!
On Thursday, November 19, we are asking that you devote one or all of your meals to being vegan. We just kindly ask if you could link back to either my blog or Michelle’s when you make your posts about Vegan Week. We will be compiling a list of all who participate throughout the day, on our blogs under the ‘VeganWeek’ tabs. If you could make sure to either send us the link and/or leave it in the comment section of the ‘Vegan 4-A- Day’ official post on Thursday then we can give you proper accolades.
If you know of any other friends, bloggers or not, who are up for the challenge…spread it around! Everyone who takes part will have a chance at a really cool prize — details of that to come soon!
There will be chances at giveaways for those who take part. AND if you don’t have a blog — don’t worry! You can just leave us a comment telling us you went vegan for a meal or for the day.
AND REMEMBER:
Tomorrow, I’ll have an interview with vegan triathlete (and super-hottie) Brendan Brazier, who makes the Vega products we all know and love so much.
Use the hashtag #VeganWeek in your tweets about this adventure, or your own vegan-minded thoughts!
Check out my page of Vegan Week stories here and Michelle’s here.
The giveaway of Glo Bakery bars is open until 7pmET on Friday. ENTER HERE!
P.S. For the first time since my injury, I ran 4 miles straight. That’s a big accomplishment for a girl who has been forced to walk and ralk for so long! I missed you, running, but I’m back.
We’ll get to the meaning of the post title in a moment…but first — THREE CHEERS FOR LUCAS!
I’ve been moaning about my injured leg and my inability to run for weeks, but it has really opened my mind to other workouts, like long walks, bike rides and now, hiking!
Well, hiking is a stretch…in Florida, we don’t have hills, so it’s more like halking. Cousin of ralking. Lucas planned the whole morning and it awas great to get outside and enjoy the cooler weather.
We saw a deer, but he (she?) was too quick for us to get a picture. We did see some other creatures, including this guy:
Pretty cool, huh?
Toward the end, I was getting a little tired, and needed a game to push through the 2-hour hike. I started following in Luke’s footsteps
But he caught on and started messing with me, taking HUGE leaping steps and walking in a circle:
Good thing he stopped, or else it could have been:
That’s one of his favorite shirts. Luckily, he also has one that says “I Love Tater Tots,” so it all balances out.
Speaking of balancing…that’s something my checkbook might not do for a while, since I decided to stock up for #VeganWeek at my home away from home, Whole Foods.
First, I had to have a delicious lunch (grilled, open-faced pumpkin, apple and cheddar cheese sammies with chicken noodle and veggie soup):
It helped me fight through a very busy grocery store to get these goodies:
I’ll be getting into the how and why of #VeganWeek in tomorrow’s post, as well as laying out some VERY exciting giveaway news (!!!), but I will say that so far, the shopping didn’t involve much more than normal. Lots of fresh, organic veggies and fruit, some organic grains, etc. The only things that aren’t normally in my cart are nutritional yeast flakes, tahini and soy yogurts. And I didn’t even need to get those. I guess Lucas and I are just so far on the vegetarian side already that it will be an easier transition.
Once I got everything unpacked, I decided to make some Kitchen Sink Granola to have ready for breakfasts this week. Here’s the recipe — enjoy!
Kitchen Sink Granola
(note: This recipe should be used as a guide, not a bible. It would work just as well with different grains, dried fruits, etc. In fact, I plan to make this with wheatberries, dried coconut and cranberries for holiday-inspired granola)
1C quinoa (rinsed)
1C rolled oats
1C ground flaxseed
3/4C bulgur wheat (I had SO MUCH leftover from my Vulgar Bread!)
3T vegetable or canola oil (I may try using hemp or coconut oil next time)
1C maple syrup or agave nectar
2tsp vanilla
2tsp cinnamon extract OR 2T ground cinnamon
dash salt
diced fruits (I used prunes and figs but next time would add more kinds)
chopped nuts (I used a mix of “Oh Nuts!” pepitas, cashews and almonds left over from the Healthy Living Summit)
Mix everything — everything! — together and spread onto a cookie sheet in a thin layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Once you smell it, it’s done…just give it a taste and make sure it’s the right texture.
Thank you ALL so much for the support you’re giving me and Michelle as we prepare for #VeganWeek, which starts on Monday.
If you’re interested in taking part, we’ll be revealing some details — along with guest bloggers, prizes and more — so be sure to check out my special page:
When I first told Lucas about the vegan challenge, I told him that he didn’t need to take part. I was pleasantly surprised when he said he’d like to try for dinners, which I’d be in charge of organizing.
I was even more surprised — and thrilled — when he told me yesterday that he’s going to try and do a completely vegan diet for the week!
Of course, his first question was…is beer vegan?
Notes of pumpkin spice...
It's good to be a brewer's wife...
That was quickly followed by this statement:
“I guess we’d better get our meat on this weekend.”
So, we’ve all been stuffing our faces:
Is that not the laziest dog you’ve ever seen?
We have big plans today. For my sanity, I am going to plan my meals for next week, then we are going shopping for our vegan pantry. We’re also going back to one of our favorite places — a “hiking” trail.
I used quotation marks because in Florida, there are no hills, so hiking is more like walking, but after doing THIS in Maine:
We’re desperate to get outside and enjoy the weather and views offered by the Sunshine State!
What is your favorite way to embrace and celebrate nature?
I’m a lean organic chicken and sauteed greens girl, living with a meat and potatoes man. I grew up eating meat, and while I’m more veggie-friendly than most, I’m not a vegan, and it would be tough for me to become a vegetarian.
Lucas grew up hunting and eating deer, deep-frying turkeys and grilling big fat steaks for most of his meals.
But next week — for 7 days — we’re going Vegan.
Well, sort of. Lucas will be sucked in taking part for dinners, which I will be in charge of cooking.
This first came about when I floated the idea of going vegan out on my blog — I got some great comments, including:
I totally know what you mean. I wont eat any more meat anywhere unless I know exactly where it came from–and it has to be humane. I don’t feel deprived. Although, it’s hard to go out sometimes. Otherwise, I feel like I am doing my part.
That comment from Michelle, mixed in with some of you who wholly endorse a vegan diet and some who say (nicely) that it’s a bad idea, sparked a plan. (You can see her version of the aha moment on her blog post today!)
That plan, my friends, is #VeganWeek.
Starting on Monday, and running for a week, Michelle and I are going to follow a vegan diet, as much as possible. We’ll post what works, what doesn’t; what we like and what we don’t.
So what’s in it for you? We have some amazing guest bloggers lined up as well as some super giveaways and some more surprises that should make it fun, whether you’re just following along, or you want to get involved.
**I am also VERY excited to reveal that I will be interviewing vegan triathlete and best-selling author Brendan Brazier, so be sure to check that out next week!
Be patient, my sweets, because we’ll both be posting more details on our blogs on Monday morning. This weekend, I think I’ll be indulging in some meaty goodness. And getting to know Veganomicon as well as possible.
I miss you. In the days since we last spent time together, I have found in myself a sense of loss and longing — and I wonder…do you miss me? I’ve been spending more time with your cousin, Ralking, as well as some time with your distant relation, Walking. We all know it’s best, for now, to separate me from Running. At least until our unforseen enemy, Injury, leaves forever. Unfortunately, Injury is an uninvited visitor who has not revealed his travel plans.
On the bright side, Walking has shown me some beautiful things; things I never noticed while with you, Running.
And today, just as I was really feeling sorry for myself, Walking showed me something that made me realize…I am lucky to be able to do anything at all.
What a beautiful tribute…that’s how I’d like to be remembered someday. As a girl who loved to dance.
Thank you, Running, for giving me the space to come back to you a healthy, happy and ambitious person. I hope we can get back together before our planned events in December and January. But I know that no matter what — no matter how long I go away or how badly I talk about you in your absence, you will greet my return, unconditionally.
Love,
Katy
As you can tell, I’m really struggling with the emotional side effects of being forced to the sideline. My injury is getting better — I think. I wake up some days with no pain and some days in terrible pain. I’m doing my best to stay optimistic and not get overwhelmed by the fact that every day I can’t run is a major setback in my half marathon plans.
Walking really has been great. I’ve been listening to Dan Brown’s “A Lost Symbol” on audiobook, which has made it possible to pass 90 minutes easily and quickly.
On the non-fitness front, No Nonsense November is going pretty well. I’m doing much better with portion control and am shocked at how little food I truly need. I have been taking a lot more time to breathe — I have finshed two books in two weeks, have walked almost every day and have been much better about taking some “me” time.
Lucas is like a little kid with his brewing, and it’s fun to watch. He just posted a video of himself explaining the brewing process for his Pumpkin Ale.
While he was getting set up, he got two great videos of my crazy cats: Travers the trouble-maker and Laila, who is my shy girl. Watch her go into a total kitty trance in her “safe spot” on top of the fridge.
(I almost called this post “crimped hair is cool” — you’ll see why if you read on!)
Wow, it seems like a lot of people have either tried a vegan lifestyle or think I should try one…surprisingly, the one person I thought might be apprehensive — Lucas — just shrugged his shoulders when I asked him what he thought, and said “we’re practically vegetarian already!”
I think he knows he wouldn’t have to give up his most prized possession:
Oops, I mean:
I’ve never asked Lucas whether he’d save me or his beer if the house caught on fire. I don’t think I want to know the answer. I’ve asked him whether he’d choose me or the dogs and he’s told me, “you have hands, you can open the door — the puppies can’t!”
Harumph.
So, when life gives you lemons green monster messes inside your bag:
You say, “screw you, Amazing Grass, I’m going back to my true love” and then you make this:
Foamy goodness. High on caffeine, you go outside to watch a rocket launch. Ho-hum.
Then you create a heavenly lunch dessert. Yeah, it’s the new course and all the cool kids are eatin’ it.
Apples + chocolate pudding = happy girl.
I thought my braid looked pretty cute today…until I took it out. I actually have a better (?) picture than this, but I love how weird Junior looks in the background.
Hey, if ya have a moment…check out this video that Lucas submitted for a dream job contest. If you follow his blog, you know that he recently resigned from the architecture firm that he’s worked at for more than five years, to try and figure out what he really wants to do in life. He’s either brave or crazy, but since we’re both approaching the (ahem) big 3-0, we agree he needs to take some time to chase his dreams now, right?
I’m feeling incrementally better — I am supposed to run tomorrow, and it would be my last hard workout before the triathlon this weekend. But I’m going to see how I’m feeling when I wake up. The last thing I want to do is hurt myself more, so I may just do some gentle yoga instead.
Any Jillian Michaels fans? I heart The Biggest Loser. Well, since I’m stalking her following her on Facebook and Twitter, I saw her big announcement today:
She’s starting a new NBC show, all about helping families get healthy! After a brief scare, in which I thought she was leaving TBL, she cleared it up — this is in addition to the show.
I know there has been a lot of concernaboutJillian’srecent move into the supplement world, and I’m not going to wade into that. At least, not now. And for some, I know she’s too intense, too in-your-face, too darn mean!
But whatever gets American families moving, re-considering their eating habits and developing new, healthy lifestyles…well, I’m all for.
Off the soap box. Who wants to talk weddings? I’m currently obsessed with TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress.” If I could get married every year — to Lucas every time, of course — I totally would.
Sure, I love him, and I definitely loved spending quality time with my besties:
I mean…these guys!
But I realllllly loved dress shopping. I tried on lots of dresses — strapless and straps. Short and long. Poofy and streamlined. I ended up with my dream dress:
It let me get my groove on:
And still makes me smile when I see it. Plus, it was wicked cheap. I’m a bargain bride, and ordered it over the Internet! (Tip: I found my perfect dress at a wedding boutique, then looked for it on eBay, craigslist and other online sites. I ended up ordering it from here. $550 for a designer knockoff. Yeah, baby).
So what does one do with the dream dress? She trashes it. If you’ve seen Caitlin’s recent re-do of her wedding photos, you know that she’s working with an Orlando photographer (who is also a cyclist and triathlete!). He’s also going to help me to a Trash the Dress shoot, triathlon-themed! We are still working out our schedules, so stay tuned for that.
What does this have to do with healthy living? Nothing. Your regularly-scheduled food and fitness blogger will be back tomorrow. Thanks for indulging my walk down memory wedding aisle.
I’ll leave you with two of my favorite pictures of my favorite people: mom and dad.
Note to self: if you are going to attempt something named “Taste of the Nation,” do NOT wear your cutest purple high heels, even if they are fabulous. I got up in the middle of the night, after last night’s festivities and WOWZA! The balls of my feet are so sore! That’s because I took many, many, many laps around the room. More details below.
After yesterday’s big workout, I wanted to keep the rest of the day’s eats as light as possible to make room for the eat-stravaganza I had planned. And since we still have tons of pesto left, Lucas volunteered to make something amazing:
Grilled cheese, made with pesto, parmesan and romano, sharp cheddar, spinach and roasted red peppers. Served on a football plate, because it’s almost that time!
Frittered away the rest of the day:
Then got all dolled up — with the help of Twitter. I asked my followers to pick my earrings, and despite a close vote, there was one favorite:
And I added some special bling to the back of my dress — the pin that once lived on my wedding bouquets:
Sappy, but it was a nice moment … Lucas and I have been married for 3 1/2 years and I still feel so in love with him and grateful that he picked me!
After a brief pit stop at IKEA, to return some recalled blinds:
We headed over to Taste of the Nation, where we got our eat and drink on like Donkey Kong.
This night would have been fun no matter what, especially because all the money raised goes to two very important causes: helping the homeless, and ending childhood hunger.
But it was especially awesome because we spent the night hanging out with Caitlin and her AMAZING husband (who stunned Lucas with his knowledge of everything from snooker to American college football to medicine and more).
We all got our swag on, big time — somehow Lucas and I ended up with two bags of beer-related gear (which will be a major centerpiece of a giveaway he’ll be announcing on http://nighthops.com tomorrow!) as well as a bag of bread and baked goods (thanks, Caitlin — very stealthy). There were some food hits, some disappointing misses from big name chefs and restaurants, and two standout stars for me:
Chocolate stout cupcakes with caramel-mocha buttercream, with a chaser of freeze-dried ice cream. It’s not just for astronauts anymore, baby.
After a night like that we needed some a.m. refueling for the spirit:
And the stomach, in the way of flax-banana waffles:
And now, we need to go deal with the gaping hole that aforementioned IKEA recall has left us with.
It’s nearly impossible to fit 54″ windows X 2, so I may be channeling my inner Martha and making my own roman shades. Stay tuned.
It’s the Lebert Equalizer I won in the MizFit giveaway. Can’t wait to get Lucas to set it up!
It’s been a busy 24 hours. When last we left, I was headed to a Slow Food/Sustainable Seafood chat. It was fun! It was packed, which was nice to see:
And I think it was only partly due to the fact that it was held at an organic brewery! Something Lucas certainly enjoyed, as did I:
The chat was all about knowing where your food comes from, and in this case — buying from local fishmongers and fisheries, to prevent over-fishing and to support local workers. The crew from Wild Ocean Seafood Market brought some yummy appetizers, including rock shrimp, white shrimp and brown shrimp:
Nom, nom, goodness. After the chat, we headed home to something else that made my mouth water. Homemade pesto from the massive amounts of thai basil that’s been taking over the garden:
Mmmmm so good! It made a full cup of pesto, so I’ll be putting it on everything … wonder what pesto oats would taste like?
Needed a kickstart this morning, so instead of tea I succumbed to the pull of my favorite friend — caffeine:
Had a busy day at work and came home to some smiling faces:
I had all these big plans for my night at home last night … Lucas was out of town and I relished in the idea that I had the whole dang place to myself! Originally, I was supposed to have dinner with a friend, but she ended up having to work late.
So my mind turned to the new possibilities: Yoga … baking … chick flicks … a nice long run … dinner in bed …
Got home, and the only thing I truly wanted to do was snuggle up with the pups and watch some trashy TV.
So I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, put my pajamas on and watched a Top Chef Marathon, followed by “Teddy: In His Own Words” on CNN. So, not trashy TV, but enjoyable anyway!
The Ted Kennedy documentary was amazing — I enjoyed it on many levels. As a journalist, I appreciated the storytelling and the fantastic archival video. As a New Englander, I loved seeing a tribute to our long-serving Senator. And as a person who is concerned about where our country is headed, the documentary helped me to remember all of the things we have overcome as Americans in the past.
After that, I took advantage of the quiet and went to bed super early!
This morning, I woke up for a really refreshing 8-mile run, Angela/Jeff Galloway-style. I ran a mile, walked for a minute. Ran a while, walked for a minute. Repeat X 4.
Grabbed a quick brekkie:
That’s one of the Amazing Grass bars from the Healthy Living Summit. It was … okay. Grassy. Which is to be expected. But I still prefer the powder, which I can mix into my Green Monsters.
I had a meeting at one of my favorite tea places — Infusion Tea — and grabbed a mint chocolate yerba mate. The client I was meeting had french press coffee which looked and smelled amazing:
A big day at work called for a big salad. A Hugh Jass, if you will.
My boss has a salad every day, and I promised him I’d show it off on the blog:
And, while I wanted a caffeine boost, I went with my brain and had this to wash down the goodness:
Lucas is now on his way home, and we have big plans tonight — a Slow Food talk at Orlando Brewing, which brews organic, local beer! We’re both pretty excited.
This weekend, we’re going to Taste of the Nation, which is an amazing lineup of local chefs and brewers, sharing their goodies, and ALL of the proceeds from tickets goes to a charity that’s very close to my heart:
I volunteer at the Second Harvest Food Bank (see a story I did here) and anything that combines food, fun, and charity is good in my book. I know Caitlin is going — is anyone else?
And it feels so decadent! Lucas has a very early wakeup time, because he has to be on a job site before sunrise! I hate it when we don’t go to bed together, so he’s on his way to dreamland and I’m watching trashy TV. And busting out a quick blog post.
A big day of food for me, starting with Cascadian Farms kids cinnamon crunch cereal, which although delicious did NOT keep me full for very long:
So I broke my normal no-coffee-on-weekdays rule:
And that held me over for an amazing lunch — an egg sandwich on leftover focaccia bread:
Mmmmm, toasty. I also had a bunch of veggies and some kettle corn.
I had thawed some salmon for dinner, but didn’t feel like the same ol’ grilled preparation. So, I stopped by an Asian grocery store on the way home from work and did homemade sushi!
This was pretty good — I need a sharper knife and a real bamboo roller thing. I used saran wrap and a flexible cutting board and made do, but the rolls started to fall apart when I cut them.
I had a ton of leftovers, so I’ll be munching on these rolls for lunch and dinner tomorrow, most likely.
Time for blogger truth? I went a little nuts after dinner. I was listless, a little bored and basically unfulfilled by dinner — so I hit the pantry pretty hard. Cookies, an apple with barney butter, some cereal and almond milk … ouch. When the binge monster comes on, it’s like I know what’s happening, I just don’t have the power to stop it. I eat way past a comfortable feeling, and basically have to wait until the monster is done.
I notice it most on days when I work out, which is … well, almost every day. This morning, I got up and did a 4-mile run before work. I’m not sure if I should just eat a bigger breakfast on my workout days, or just force myself to stop eating at 9pm? I’d love to hear any advice you have.
Tomorrow’s another day, and I refuse to feel defeated. Here’s to a WONDERFUL Wednesday!
(Note: I started to call this post “Smack My Sweet A$$” but I just didn’t have the guts! When you read on, you’ll get the joke.)
Thank you for all your nice tweets and comments about my triathlon post! Before I started training and competing for the sport, I didn’t know anything about it — but I had an aunt and a friend/co-worker who did Ironman distance, so they helped answer a lot of questions you all have.
The biggest thing that seems to concern people is the swim.
I am biased, because I was a middle and high school swimmer. The swimming portion didn’t scare me nearly as much as the bike or run portions when I was getting started. But I truly believe anyone can learn to get through the swim with a minimum of work. I am lucky, because I live in Florida, where you can swim outside nearly year-round.
This is where I train (click play to watch the video)
My boss (who is an awesome swimmer) and I really like to do Lucky’s Lake Swim — triathletes come from all over the world to take on the open water swim. Lucky opens up his gorgeous house to strangers, six days a week. And once you make your first crossing, you get to sign the wall of fame and you even get a patch. It’s pretty mind-blowing.
But if you have a nearby pool, you can train pretty easily there, too. In ALL the triathlons I’ve been a part of, there have been extremely strong swimmers, and people who can barely float. If you’re in the latter category, don’t get discouraged. Start at the back of the pack, stay out of the way so you don’t get pulled into the mess, and swim at your own pace. Take a break and tread water. There are even some races that will let you swim with floats or assistance! Especially if it’s your first tri, don’t worry about your time … just worry about finishing. I promise, you’ll have your Disney moment, just like I did.
It’s been a pretty fantastic weekend, filled with some of my favorite foods:
And my favorite people:
Don’t mind the crazy eyes from Lucas, he was just excited about bringing beers into “Inglorious Basterds,” which turned out to be an amazing movie. Very violent, which is not my normal style. But hysterically funny, and pure-Quentin Tarantino. Brad Pitt and his supporting cast took one of the most somber times in world history (1940s Nazi Germany and France) and somehow, made it human and bizarre. I watched most of the movie through my fingers, but I made it through.
After the movie, we were starving, so we went for a rare treat. Tijuana Flats, one of our fave restaurants! I especially love their Smack My Sweet Ass and Smack My Sweet Ass and Call Me Sally hot sauces.
Oh my:
Oh, my my my:
Everything here is fresh, and I always get it “Power Light,” which means it’s fat-free cheese, sour cream, etc. And I slather it in hot sauce. Drooooollllll…..
Made up for the madness with a 5-mile run this morning and some Exercise on Demand yoga. That is such a great resource, and it’s free for anyone with digital cable. It’s great if you’re on the road, too — when I was home visiting Mom for the Healthy Living Summit, I got to do yoga in the living room, and I didn’t have to bring any equipment. It’s also great when it’s too hot out to run or do anything else outside. NO EXCUSES!
Shameless husband plug — remember to visit his blog for great updates on beer reviews, news and more:
Luke's Blogging Central
Plus, is he not so stinking cute? He’s so cute, I’m going to go join him and my other favorite boys at the pool to catch up on my reading. I have four in-progress books and three magazines waiting for me!
I work out almost every day. Whether it’s running, biking, swimming or hitting the weights, I try and get a good 40-90 minute sweat session in. The routine depends on the season, whether I’m training for a specific event and what my interests are on any given day.
About three months ago, Lucas and I decided to quit our long-standing gym membership and try and find ways to work out at home. I had recently completed 30 Day Shred (review on that to come soon) and was looking for a similar program that would give me specific direction.
I’d seen this on TV and on blogs and I decided it was time for me and Lucas to bring it:
Did you see how ripped all those people got? With some supportive words from Eating Bender, I got on the phone and sweet-talked the Beachbody people into a decent deal. (Truthfully, I’m sure I got ripped off, but I also ordered the pull-up bar, so I was pretty happy with the final package price).
Four days later, it was time to commit to 90 days of hell muscle-building. 86 days after that, we completed the P90X program and now it’s time for a review.
Note: The program has you do an initial fitness test and take before pictures. I did both. I have decided not to share the specifics of my results, because I’m just not comfortable making the pictures or numbers public. I will consider sharing some of the information over email — so contact me if you want. My husband Lucas is willing to share his pictures (brave man) so you’ll see some of his pictures and results below.
The Program:
P90X is a revolutionary system of 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts, designed to transform your body from regular to ripped in just 90 days. You’ll also receive a comprehensive 3-phase nutrition plan, specially designed supplement options, a detailed fitness guide, a calendar to track your progress, online peer support, and much more. Your personal trainer, Tony Horton, will keep you engaged every step of the way, and you won’t believe your results!
So says the Beachbody Web site. And it’s pretty accurate! All 12 of the workouts were difficult, but I’ll rate each one on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being easy and 5 being extremely challenging.
The Workouts:
Chest & Back (Intensity Level 4)
This is the first workout that you’ll do after the initial fitness test and it will let you know — very quickly — whether you’re really ready for an advanced program like P90X. It’s push-ups and pull-ups followed by … well, more push-ups and pull-ups. When you’re not pushing or pulling up, you’re lifting weights. The circuit is quick, intense and will make you sweaty and sore.
For the first 30 days of P90X, I used resistance bands for the push-ups and pull-ups. I just could not manage even a half pull-up when I started, and the bands made it possible for me to really feel it. Lucas did the regular push-ups and pull-ups throughout the program.
Plyometrics (Intensity Level 4)
This is also called jump-training and is the same type of exercise used in Jillian Michaels’ workouts. It’s TOUGH. It’s jump squats and jump lunges and jumping jacks and more, just like that. I started sweating in the warmup, and found myself dripping and disgusting at the end. But that’s the sign of a good workout. I really enjoyed Plyo, but this was the exercise that left me more sore than any other.
Shoulders & Arms (Intensity Level 3)
Weights, weights and more weights. I used all my dumbbells here, from the 5-pounders on up to 15-pounders. Lucas used free weights and the resistance bands. This is a series of bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, rows, flys and more. It was less intense than some of the other weight-focused workouts, but because it forces you to use the same muscles for 60 minutes with no rest, it was very painful.
Yoga X (Intensity Level 4)
This one was a controversial workout in my house! When we started, I was a yoga nut and Lucas was a yoga virgin. The Yoga X program is 90 minutes, broken down into moving ashtangas (45 minutes) and balance poses (45 minutes). I loved the yoga a lot at the beginning, but started to get bored with it at the end. Lucas was overwhelmed at the beginning, and by the end, was rocking the advanced Crane pose:
Legs & Back (Intensity Level 3)
A mix of squats, lunges and pull-ups. This was a toughie, but one of my favorites … perhaps because I have pretty strong legs from running. I did find myself fast-forwarding through some of the moves toward the end of the program, because I just didn’t think they were doing anything for me (three-way lunge with two-kick option; toe rolls).
Kenpo X (Intensity Level 2)
This was one of the more disappointing workouts in the program, and to be honest — after the first few weeks, I started skipping Kenpo and did my own cardio workout (run, bike, etc). Kenpo is a watered down version of Tae Bo — a circuit of kickboxing, punches and more. It felt out of place in the P90X program, and while it was advertised as “high intensity,” I found it to be one of the easiest sections of the program.
X Stretch (Intensity Level 1)
This one is optional — you can choose between a rest day and stretch, and I almost always chose a rest day. When I did do the Stretch, I thought it was pretty good. Lots of neck and arm stretches, shoulder rolls, etc. Lucas was a big fan of this workout.
Core Synergistics (Intensity Level 4)
If you don’t find yourself saying “Superman! Banana! Superman! Banana!” after this one … well, you’re a better person than I am. Core Syn is a circuit of lunges, squats push-ups and cardio. It’s a decent little workout, but don’t actually do it that much over the 90 days.
Chest, Shoulders & Triceps (Intensity Level 4)
Ow. Ow. Ow. This one will make you sore the next day, because just like Shoulders & Arms, it’s the same muscles worked over and over and over again. Triceps extensions, should flys, chair dips and more. Push-ups, weighted arm circles. Once again, I used all my free weights but was able to build up the weights over the 90 days.
Back & Biceps (Intensity Level 3)
Get your heavy weights out! This one will have you doing curls, pull-ups, curls and … you guessed it … pull-ups. Because I used the resistance bands and later a chair for assistance on the pull-ups, I didn’t find this one terribly intense. However, poor Lucas did real, big-boy pull-ups and he was hurting.
Cardio X (Intensity Level 3)
I only did this workout once, because it’s optional. You can do it instead of Plyometrics, if Plyo is too intense, or in addition to the P90X program if you’re doing Doubles. It’s basically an easier version of Plyo mixed with Kenpo. Again, if I were to do Doubles, I’d probably go for a run or bike for a more intense cardio workout than Cardio X provided.
Ab Ripper X (Intensity Level 4)
Yup. Ab Ripper is the workout you’ll do most often and have the most conflicting feelings about. It’s also the only workout that made me cry. You do Ab Ripper X after many of the workouts, so you basically do it every other day. When I first started the program, I could not make it through even one of the individual exercises in the workout. When it ended, I could do more than the workout called for. It’s BY FAR the most frustrating workout, because it’s so difficult and it comes at the end of challenging exercises. It’s also the most fulfilling (for me, at least) because you can really see and feel the difference in your fitness level over the 90 days.
The Nutrition: Don’t look to either me or Lucas on this one. To be fair, the P90X nutrition plan is both sensible and easy to follow. You can choose from a very strict menu plan that tells you what to eat and when, and a flexible “eat from this list” plan. Lucas decided to stick with his regular eating habits. I gave both plans a shot, and failed at both. The exercise made me SO hungry, and I really struggled with balancing the hunger pains with trying not to throw away all my hard work. I binged more during this 90-day period than I did in the six months before. I finally gave it up and tried to go back to a mix of Clean Eating and calorie-counting, but in the end, I actually put on weight through P90X.
The Good:
I personally liked having a schedule laid out. I knew what workout I’d be doing every single day, and could plan ahead for it. While doing the program, I was working two jobs, and getting the exercise in was a challenge, but doable.
If you’re looking for an intense, challenging workout, this is it. Lucas and I both came into the program in decent shape, and P90X kicked our butts.
Great diversity — yoga, weights, cardio and more. I definitely felt like the program worked all my muscles, which was evident by the 90 days of soreness that I experienced!
You don’t need a lot of equipment. We bought the pull-up bar, which I recommend. We also needed free weights and yoga mats, but we had those already. The resistance bands came free with our package, but that’s not necessarily the norm — you may have to sweet-talk your sales person.
Empowerment! This will make you feel strong, both physically and mentally. If you can conquer 90 days of P90X, you will feel pretty awesome.
The Bad:
Remember when I said I liked having the workouts scheduled for me? I disliked it, too. There’s very little flexibility with the schedule, so you’ll need to find a way to get the 60-90 minute workouts in. You’ll have to do some workouts when you’re really not in the mood for them. You’ll be sore from the previous day and have to push through the pain.
Tony Horton is a great guy, and his characters are fun. The first time through. By the time you’re on Week 3 of the program, you’ll be screaming “SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP” at the TV, and grabbing the remote to hit mute. There is an option to limit the audio to cues only, so you don’t have to hear the incessant chatter, and I used that option a lot.
The expense. By the time you get your DVDs, you’ll be out about $200. Maybe more, if you buy the supplements and bars (I did not). We justified it because it was about the same as our 3-month gym membership would have been, and because we plan to do at least two rounds of P90X.
And, drumroll please … are you ready for…
The Results:
Me
I would call my P90X experience a success. An 8 on a 1-10 scale. I went from being able to do a quarter of a pull-up to one full pull-up, and 10 assisted pull-ups. I feel much stronger, and can see a lot more definition in my arms and lower legs, in particular. I also know my abs are much stronger, based on the progression I made through Ab Ripper X.
I gained weight. I’d say I’m about 8 pounds heavier now than when I started. 8 pounds. Not exactly the result I was hoping for. As I stated above, I struggled with the nutrition, and found myself really overcompensating. When I started, I was following the P90X nutrition plan, which called for daily protein bars and shakes. When I stopped following the plan, I kept eating bars and shakes. But I didn’t watch my overall calorie intake. I’d love to say that some of the weight I put on was muscle, but I don’t see a major difference in my tone. I chalk some of this up to a decrease in the intense cardio I was doing before P90x. If I’d had time, I would have done Doubles, which is the regular program plus added cardio.
I would definitely recommend this program to other women. I’d advise women to really push themselves on the push-ups and pull-ups, because that’s where you’ll see the most dramatic improvement.
Brave boy. He’s willing to share his Before and After photos:
Before P90X
After P90X
Yeah, he was pretty hot before we started. But we can see a lot more definition in his arms and back in particular. He went from being able to do about 5 pull-ups to 10, easily. He increased the amount of weight he could lift, and the number of reps he could complete. His muscles are more defined than they were, and when we re-did his measurements, he’d gotten bigger where he wanted and smaller where he wanted.
Final Takeaways: We’re both really glad that we did P90X, and can take a lot of positives away from the experience. We’re also both planning on doing Round 2 of the program, to see what happens. I’ll be taking a short break before jumping back in, and my Round 2 will be more flexible, because I’m training for a half-marathon and will need to get back to running. I think we’ll both continue to do weekly Yoga, because we really enjoyed the 90 minutes together.
Questions? Email me at kwidrick@sillytatertot.com. I’d be happy to expand upon this review, and maybe even share some more details of my results.
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