RunnnnnbrrrRUN?

Hubs and I have been discussing running more since Christmas. With the uber present of the Garmin, which needs to be named eventually since I name my electronics, it makes sense that we are focusing on fitness even more so this year. Yesterday he let me know about a radio program discussing winter running. I caught part of it and am planning to listen to the podcast version of it in the near future.

Then he surprised me with discussing running next month. Next month is February. Febrrrrrrarary! While I will have more time in the evening since the home bound transit method is changing, I don't know if running in the cold at night will be detrimental to my excitement about running. The plan, if it sticks, is to stay small and around 20 mins or so. I get cold pretty quickly especially my feet and my shoes are pretty well vented. It is the question of is is worth wearing an old pair of shoes or will that ruin my running/step later?

On a better note though, with all the discussion of negative influence caused by a spouse in various media outlets here and there, I'm happy that we are being a positive influence on each other in terms of health. When I started paying more attention to the sodium levels in boxed food, he did too. He was the one who noticed I was downing a full bottle of Coke in a day and a half Now with Eat in Month in progress, we are working together so that if one of us falls a bit behind, the other is right there playing catch up.

Speaking of Eat in Month, dinner was chicken fajitas and tamales. Lunch was leftover veggies & BBQ chicken with a roll from dinner last night. Snack was blueberry pie yogurt. Breakfast was toast with almond butter.

Back from my trip to NYYAAHH NYAAAHH land

I was a serious cranky angrypants last night. In the grand scheme of things the stuff that was going wrong or that was annoying me wasn't that big of a deal. Plus I had had a good day prior to getting on my homebound bus. I just couldn't fully shake the grrrr. Tonight is going so much better. I managed to catch a fast moving train which then let me catch the earlier bus that I usually miss. No being stuck waiting 40 minutes in the cold and the snow today! (Being a high of 23 today made that a super great deal.) Molly is not limping and hopefully the puppy injury scare is over or at least on the way to being healed. No boxed stuff on a trial run for dinner as well. The leftovers that I had as part of my lunch actually ended up better today than yesterday too.

I had forgotten to set up the coffeemaker last night and Hubs was just starting the coffee when I was almost ready to leave this morning. It was cold this morning and I really wanted a small cup so I went to DDonuts since it is cheap. $1.48 = small hazelnut w skim milk & sugar. One dollar bill and two quarters always worked when it was more of a morning routine. While it does add up, it was not as expensive as Starbucks. This morning I was lucky to have an extra quarter since the price increased to $1.75. It's yet another sign that I should have just brought something from home!

Otherwise, Eat in Month went well for today everything but dinner. Tonight is date night with Italian take-out and Inception which I have heard mixed reviews about but overall good ones.

Breakfast = the earlier mentioned price jumping coffee, oatmeal, and Mixed Berries Fruit Naturals which Hubs found on sale this week (Yay to good new easy fruit addition and to saving money at the same time!)

Morning snack = key lime pie - the thick n creamy version that is still my current fav

Lunch = leftover couscous/mushroom/onion adventure, chicken and rice soup, juice and one of the chocolate thingys

Dinner = italian beef sandwich w mozzarella, fries and pasta salad from a local place that we both like (We had significantly cut down out most eating out for dinners prior to the challenge so this ends up more like a treat during the week.)

Super Hubs & EIM

Hubs was up way before me today and managed to surprise me this morning. I included "managed" on purpose because I am a hard person to surprise. I can no longer count the times I have ruined breakfast in bed because I'm dragged halfway down the stairs by the smell of breakfast esp bacon (which we rarely eat so it is more of a treat.) His being up also meant I had one more alarm adjustment that could be made resulting in about 12 more minutes of sleep. Since I am one of the lucky ones who can wake up/fall back asleep generally, this works. This morning I especially needed it since I wasn't feeling that great lately. On a normal day, the extra time would result in a mad dash out of the house fueled by the fear of missing my bus. Today he gave me a ride which rocked since it was probably about 10 degrees out this morning. If not, it sure felt like it.

The actual surprise was that there was an egg/mushroom/sausage sandwich on toast waiting for me. I ended up taking it with me to eat later. PLUS my lunch was packed. Packed, as in completely packed in my lunch bag, zipped up, ready to go. Gumbo, bread/butter, key lime pie yogurt - whipped this time & not as good as the thick n creamy but still good, Odwalla strawberry C - to help w getting rid of this cold, cheddar cheese & black pepper Triscuits, mixed berry fruit bowl - which I didn't eat but will tomorrow since it looks super good, and those chocolate things I adore and am not looking forward to being gone. The blogger in me wanted to line it all up and take a picture or of my lunch bag but the realistic part of me knew it was time to get to the bus stop.

Dinner was a couscous mix that Hubs found for me. While I have had plain couscous before I don't think he has.... yet. We've had bulgar before. Ditto w quinoa. I like both. He just needs more exposure to them in different recipes but I know eventually he will like it too. He just needs to stop calling quinoa "spider eggs."

The mix was in a box and pretty simple - boil water w oil or margarine, add spice packet, add couscous, take off heat and cover.

I got this which wasn't very promising.



This was mushroom and herb. I could smell the herbs but the dried mushroom pieces got lost.


That's fine though since I had planned for this ahead of time.


Extra prep/cooking time means mini snack so I don't end up chewing on the mixing spoons or raiding the pantry for some sort of chips or the fridge for something that would cause a stomach ache.



Black pepper Triscuits and red pepper hummus
(This photo does not do the bowl justice - blue is more aqua. I have three of these that were my great aunt's.)


This was perfect and just enough to tide me over while this cooked.




Mushrooms, garlic, onions, paprika, and cumin cooked in olive oil and a touch of margarine (usually not mixed oil/marg but it was almost burning even on the lowest setting = nonstick pan needed help)


That mix-in saved dinner.



Will I make it again? Yes, since we have a different flavor box already. Will I add some sort of protein to it? Definitely. I can see chicken working well but that is more so since I've made something similar with bulgar and chicken with veggies.

I didn't have the most relaxing dinner though since Molly managed to hurt one of her front paws. There is a good chance it was from playing with Cosmo since they doggie roughhouse play but I can't say for sure. She is moving around and puts some weight on it. I tried seeing what was wrong earlier and she got freaked out and actually peed on me. (Good thing is was my aroudn the house jeans and not my work ones.)Hubs and I figured out it is the side of her outside toe that is hurt. Nothing seems to be stuck in it but she's still not happy. I, being the pet momma, of course is a bit worried. She is dozing on the pet pillow below me now (in the living room to rest on the "doc orders" of the BFF.) She did this once before and it was more so she pulled it/stepped funny. I'm just hoping it is that and nothing more serious. If she was wailing/crying all the time, I would have her at the emergency vet right now.

Please send Molly happy healing vibes!

Eat in Challenge #3

I was good again today. The donuts, yogurt, and juice were bought but it was technically a grocery style run since I planned this ahead of time.

Breakfast:Choco mini-donuts (lovingly called "the plastic donuts" due to the waxy chocolate), hot chocoffee (my new word for my coffee/hot chocolate mix, cherry yogurt

Lunch:chicken soup (awesome food when you aren't feeling well), juice juice and more juice,

Afternoon snack: popcorn - and not the light butter stuff = wow I haven't had this in ages = fake butter stuck to the roof of my mouth. I still inhaled it though.

Dinner: brie/apple chicken kiev (boxed but will definitely be the basis of a future recipe adventure), mashed potatoes, corn

Post dinner snack: Sixlets, twizzler, ginger peach tea

Eat in Challenge #2

Today was a total success for the eat in challenge!

Oatmeal, super dark roast coffee/hot chocolate mix/caramel macchiato creamer = cheap foo foo mocha!

Leftover pasta & taco w salsa, cheddar, black olives & corn, tea, chocolate thingy

Edamame

Turkey sausage, french bread & country crock, double baked potato, spinach/broccoli pasta - mix/pouch thing that will not be repeated = yuck, green tea



We are currently out of fresh fruit and yogurt. While we have canned, it is not the same. Need to go to the grocery store!

Eat in Month: Actual day 1

So when Diana tweeted me about taking part of Eat In Month it was kind of iffy. Hubs and I had already cut back eating out to save money. When we did/do eat out it was usually more as a date night in than a fast dinner. Takeout + movie = much cheaper than dinner out + movie tickets.

I decided to do a modified version - no eating out for breakfast/lunch during the work week. I know this will save money and save food since leftovers won't get lost in the back of the fridge as easily. During the weekends I usually eat breakfast/lunch at home so that won't be too much of a challenge.

I don't usually post all that I've eaten in a day so this is new to me.

Today was so so. I planned ahead and packed most of my food ahead of time.

My usual breakfast is oatmeal w cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar (microwaved with water.) My oatmeal always looks like goop so I never thought to take a picture. I did not sleep well at all last night (too warm, too caught in blankets, too covered in cats/being purred in my face by Bond) and thought a Red Bull would help. I forgot mine on the kitchen table so I grudgingly bought one. I should have saved part of that money and just gotten a small cup of DDonuts hazelnut coffee because I ended up later with a caffeine headache. It was like a dull ache that kept saying "told ya so told ya so, told ya told ya TOLD YA SO!

Morning snack was key lime pie low fat yogurt.

Lunch was whole wheat rigatoni w California medley veggies and turkey meatballs topped w a bit of Country Crock, parm cheese and about two shakes of garlic/herb medley; a small bag of popcorn (popped at home), and a chocolate thing similar to a Lindt. Adding to the caffeine headache was not even a third of a Diet Coke. I usually don't drink diet soda but it was an attempt to not crack open the remaining fridgepack of Coke. (I should have just opened the box.)

Snack was a mini caramel Santa.

Not bad for first day since all but the Red Bull was from home.

Dinner tonight was chicken tacos that Hubs had ready when I got home.