Friday, August 30, 2013

Happy Blogiversary!!

Happy Blog-iverasary to me! Ok, Ok I'm one day early but you get the point. One year ago I started down the path of getting myself healthy. One year ago I stopped making excuses for my bad habits and started training for something I had only daydreamed about accomplishing. One year ago I stopped playing the victim and decided to take my health into my own two hands.... and feet.

Where are we now? I'm certainly not at my goal weight but I am down two pants sizes ( sometimes 3 depending on the brand) and wore a bathing suit this summer without freaking out. I am still working on my relationship with food but am coming into my own understanding of what a healthy balance is in my life. And let's talk about the running! One year ago I almost died trying (not completing) to barely jog a mile. Last weekend I kept my body in an upright forward motion for 8 miles! If that isn't progress then I'm not sure what is. We've also had a chance to babble about the ups and downs of forcing your body to do things it never thought it could. All the while sharing some yummy recipes at the same time. Overall my friends, life is good.

This one year mark is a momentous occasion for me. I have never, I mean never stuck with any type of routine for this long. I have a tendency to get really excited about something then the excitement fizzles and I quit. But not this time. We are at the one year mark and I am just as motivated as ever to keep going. I attribute that to two things. 1) The support of my wonderful family and friends. Especially my magnificent, loving, strong, caring husband who has to put up with all my ups and downs and loves me just the way I am, flaws and all.(Even though I'll never understand why) And of course, let's not forget my amazing friend, and fabulous guest blogger, Cindy who is running with me and my sister and her crew who are both running and there for support. 2) All you guys!!! I know some of your may be included in #1 but the support and kinds comments I get from all you readers is invaluable. I never would have kept this going with put your words of encouragement and gentle nudges to keep my behind moving.

So where do we stand at this moment? I'm getting ready to retire my first pair of running shoes I've ever owned in favor of a new model. I'm excited for cooler temperatures so we can use our new to us jogging stroller.  The hotel for the WDW Princess half marathon is booked. I'm not- so silently cursing Delta's high prices on flights only to realize every airline is that expensive and I'm gearing up for a 9.5 mile training run in the next couple of weeks. My, how one year changes things. 175 days until we leave for Florida, 177 days until the race, LET'S DO THIS!!!!


Tuesday, August 13, 2013

UPDATED: Stalled

UPDATE: I did it!! Saturday night I finished my 8 mile training run! At about 12:14am so I guess we can call that Sunday morning. Who cares, I did it! And no, it was not fun, it was not enjoyable, there was no runners high just pain and feet throbbing. But I did it, it's done and now we can go on. :) This week is just a short three mile training run. How funny is it to call three miles short? Six months ago three miles would have killed me but I digress.  Then on to nine and a half, my next challenge. Any suggestions on how to fuel myself on long runs? I still need to get the hang of that. I had absolutely nothing left that last mile. 

We're back on track friends. Can I get a HECK YEA?!?!
P.S. I still highly recommend the peach tart below, easy yummy and oh so summery :)





 
Ever feel like the Universe just really, really doesn't want you to do something? I'll tell ya friends, I am just about at my wits end with this whole eight miles thing. Right as I was finally getting better from the last cold I whined to you about, I was hit with the dreaded Daycare Plague. For those of you who don't know, Daycare Plague is the terrible cold/sickness/disease you get brought home to you from daycare via your precious gift from above. Classic Daycare Plague involves your child having a runny nose and coughing a little bit from a mild- moderate cold which then transforms into all encompassing viral death for the parent. Oh the joys of parenthood... So while MB had a runny nose and a bit of a cough for about 3 days, I was on my behind struggling to breathe and not die for over a week! We're on day 9 of this and I still sound like a 50 year old smoker in the morning.


So I did the only thing that would make me feel better: Bake. (Cold Meds were backfiring and making me feel worse) I lamented a while back that there were no dessert recipes on here and planned to rectify that immediately and then never did. Which was sad, I'm quite the dessert person. Baking makes me happy and I (usually) share the results with other people which also makes me happy. So here I am, righting the sad wrong of no desserts on here.


I really love fresh peaches. Peach season each summer is my greatest love, even more so than strawberry season I think. There is a local orchard, Well's Orchard, that grows some of the most sublime peaches I have ever eaten. I mean seriously I would knock down old ladies* to get these peaches. I generally get one box/quart each week at the market which is 5-7 peaches depending on the size. I love to eat them just straight up but every now and then they all ripen at the same time. While I'm capable of eating 5 peaches in a setting, it does get old.

 I can hardly call this a recipe. It was more I have 5 ripe peaches, a store bought pie crust** in the fridge that isn't going to make it much longer and am in desperate need of something sweet. Hence, the rustic peach tart! Thrown together quickly, baked for 45-50 minutes and voila. If you are wanting the yumminess of a pie without all the fuss this is your dessert!

Even with this being the busiest week of the summer I swear, I'm still plugging along on my maintenance runs during the week. That eight mile training run, however is just staring at me on my training calendar. I cross off every one that I do and am seriously looking forward to being able to cross that b*&$@ off, pardon my language. So check back early next week for an update because I AM getting this distance done with weekend, even if it kills me.... which I hope it doesn't. Send your encouragements, friends. I need them! 190 days!!


Rustic Peach Tart
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
To be honest there are things I would change about this. I baked it on foil to avoid stick-age but without the direct contact to the cookie sheet it just didn't get as brown as I would have liked.  I also might omit the almonds. I had them in the cupboard so I tossed them on but they really didn't add anything to the finished product in my opinion. The cinnamon is optional but I firmly believe that peaches (and blueberries) are so much better with just a smidgen of cinnamon.

1 Refrigerated Pie crust ( or 1 recipe for a single crust pie)
4-5 Ripe peaches, sliced and peeled (or 3 cups frozen peaches, thawed)
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons flour (more if you feel your peaches are super juicy)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cups sliced or slivered almonds
milk(optional)
raw sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Lightly flour surface and roll out pie crust to a 13" circle. Transfer to a baking sheet that has been greased or lined with foil.
In  a bowl, gently stir together peaches, sugar, flour and cinnamon until the peaches are well coated. Mound the fruit in the middle of the crust, leaving a two inch border. Gently fold crust over fruit. This is supposed to be rustic so don't worry about imperfections. See photos above for reference. Sprinkle on almonds if using. Lightly brush the crust with milk and sprinkle with raw sugar before baking (optional)
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the outside and bottom crust has browned and the filling is bubbling. Cover edges with foil to prevent over browning if necessary. Cool on sheet 30 minutes before serving to allow the filling to set. Serve with whip cream or ice cream and enjoy!


* Sorry old lady I swatted with MB in the baby carrier last weekend at the farmer's market in the quest for peaches, I swear it was an accident!

 ** I don't normally use/buy these. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them, Homemade is just so easy that I prefer that. If you would rather not go through the fuss of homemade, by all means grab a store bought with no shame!