Groundhog Day is a fun day for a kindergarten teacher. We watched the video of this morning’s festivities in Punxsutawney, PA when Phil came out and indeed saw his shadow. I’m not really sure how that worked since the weather on TV looked grey and cloudy, but I’m not one to argue with a bunch of men in top hats. Since he did see his shadow, count on 6 more weeks of winter. Or, if you live in the Southeast USofA, maybe we might actually get a winter over the next 6 weeks. This winter has been non-existent. I’ve had my air conditioner on more than my heat. And the power bill shows it.

Some news organizations were blasting poor Phil by saying he’s only been accurate 40% of the time.  But, hey, it’s just for fun. Everybody knows that if you want to know about the severity and length of winter, you have to look at just how wooly the Wooly Bear Caterpillar has become. If he’s really wooly, grab the skis. If he’s just run of the mill wooly, get the garden ready to plant in February.

The National Weather Service isn’t saying much on when the pattern will tilt and bring in some arctic air. I’m sure if and when it happens, we will all go a little..or a lot…crazy in the head and do some dastardly deeds like this.

That, my friends, was done based on the prediction that we might get a dusting of snow, therefore bringing a complete collapse of all major infrastructure and way of life. Martial law is declared over a dusting. As far as that creepy thing peeking from the shelf, I have no idea.

My predictions? I usually don’t predict, I just anticipate with the giddiness like a champ on Christmas morning. But if one held a beet to my mouth, I will say that we will have some winter mischief around V-day. I would much rather celebrate snow than a holiday with a mascot of creepy nekkid angels.  If not then, I’m hanging up the snow hope and hitting the spray tan booth.

Now I’m off to make a new snow dance. I’m leaning towards the “get low” version of Betty White in the Proposal.

I bailed this morning. Why?

2 reasons

1) kidney issues. The headache and stomach crankiness from this morning went to turbo drive kidney pain by lunch. I’m currently patchworking old antibiotics (Kids, don’t try this at home.) and the magical orange pills to get me through until I go see the dr. tomorrow. Fun times.

and the second reason?

tire flipping at 5:35 am…yikes.

• Tire flips
• Tire hammer hits
• Waking lunges
• Hill runs
• Hill bear crawls
• Stone ground to shoulder
• Wall balls
• Log flips

I call this one the “Rocky IV” workout. Remember when he worked in the snow using random farm equipment in Russia?

This is eerily similar, except for the wheelbarrow full of people.

And when I watch that movie, I’m always thinking “I would rather do the rocky workout than the russian tech workout”. I had my chance this morning, and I blew it. Sitting here at 8:20 pm, I wish I had done it. I wish I had tried. I wish I could proudly wear the shirt that reads “better than yesterday”.  So basically, I feel like crap because I didn’t try the stupid workout. No..I’m stupid. Not the workout.

So, as my father says, “live and learn”. I had no real good reason to skip. I could have at least gone and if I felt sick, backed off. But I could have shown up.

Tomorrow’s WOD has been posted and it’s ugly but it a good way. I need the squats. The IT band was cranky yesterday for my short interval run.

1200m row

24 front squats

48 pull ups

One thing I’ve learned is that I RARELY regret going to workout, especially a crossfit workout.  I’m going to pack my bags now and get some sleep. Tuesday wasn’t kind, but it couldn’t do much damage.

I’m ready for it. It’s going to be a good day, no matter what the calendar reads.

It’s payday. It’s professional devp. day which means we get to eat lunch with ADULTS!!!! It’s Biggest Loser day. It’s manicure day. And clinique day (I go twice a year to replenish my face gunk). Oh, and I am going to register for 3 races today, all half-marathons. And line up hotels for those races. It’s the day before National Signing Day for college football (ahem….roll tide). And, I’m wearing pants that don’t fit. . . . a little loose. I also saw some cuts in my arms that signal I have muscles somewhere under that skin.

It’s also the day I woke up with a raging headache and rumbling stomach. The day after the faculty meeting that set all our hair on fire about the upcoming state dept. visit. The day after I resorted to lasagna in a box for dinner. The shame, I know.

BUT, then again, it’s 2 days after I got a phone call from mom that my small camera has been at their house and not thrown away in Christmas wrapping trash like I feared.

I think when I tally all that up, it’s still going to be a good day. I better get to it.

I’m not a fan, but it’s better than tuesday.

I overslept but I’m not surprised since I didn’t get to bed until midnight. Today’s crossfit was a 4 rounds of 400m and some double unders. I can do that one at the track this afternoon so the extra 2 hours of sleep were more important. I woke up at 3 with some sinus gunk and sore throat so I popped some vit c and went back to sleep. Now I feel slightly better than warmed over liver.

I had all my meals planned and ready last night.

soup, squash/zucchini, berries, carrots/hummus. I’ve been plowing through the carrots and berries since I’ve been packing everything in one container.

Long day including faculty meeting, I must have snacks. Not pictured…extra protein shake with lots of oranges, mangos, and raspberries. I’ll add a packet of Amazing Grass to it. I need the vitamins to do a full Nelson on whatever is attacking me right now (please be just a cold..please be just a cold). I’m thinking I’m going to take that with me right now to drink on the way to school and I’ll throw my chocolate one together for the meeting this afternoon. Chocolate, coffee, and pb at 3pm…..sounds perfect.

Nuts, cheese, turkey.   Cucumbers, Laughing Cow   Grapes

Last night I made the most delicious pan of vegetables that I didn’t do a lot to shine them up. Olive oil, vegetables, and a sprinkle of parm and that was all!

• sliced squash, zucchini, red onion.
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a med-hot pan
• 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan.

1. Heat the pan, add the oil.

2. Add the vegetables, salt and pepper.

3. Stir fry until desired tenderness. I like mine a little more done and less crunchy, but not slimy. I cooked these approximately 8-10 minutes.

4. Top with cheese.

Laundry is sort of done.

Groceries are waiting until payday.

Dishes are done.

Menus not planned yet.

Nap…in a couple of hours.

Blog maintenance and posting the drafts from Wed-Sat are about to begin. If you’re reading me in Google reader, I sincerely apologize for posting the drafts late. I hope to be back up to date in the next couple of hours. I have no idea where January went, but apparently, I didn’t take the time to enjoy it. I feel like the common denominator has been stress BUT I have not had a bad sinus infection since Christmas….and I bet I just jinxed myself.

Enjoy this little gem of hilarity.

Happy Saturday! It seems like it’s been years since the last one went by. I slept in way too long, but I guess I needed it. Even Frankie let me sleep later than normal. Every time I rolled over and saw the clock, I would check the end of the bed. The big fuzzy butt was either asleep or rolling around on his back purring.

After my favorite Southern breakfast, eggs with cheese grits, I got busy checking over some financial stuff. We are refinancing the house and getting a fantastic interest rate, moving a student loan a new bank (Just say NEVER AGAIN to Sallie Mae), and changing banks. We are putting all 3 things in a new bank and I had to go through several months of statements to make sure I change account numbers when we move everything this week.

After that, a couple of Lifetime movies and a nap demanded my attention. Why do some of those movies just seem so ridiculous? Seriously, if you hear something outside, don’t be the girl who is TSTL—Too Stupid To Live. If you must go outside to investigate, carry a weapon. Preferably one in which you have registration and training and can use many feet away from crazy killer person.

I did my second tempo run for my spring half marathons.  The schedule was a 5k at 85% of my pace. I don’t want to admit how long it took me to figure out how to calculate that pace. I’ve never done any kind of training where I needed to figure out a pace. I just ran until I was done. This new way of training is a definite learning curve but I needed to step up my training. Time to get serious if I’m going to reach some of those finish lines.

I have no idea why they are called sweet peppers. There is nothing sweet about them. I never could figure out what people were talking about when they said peppers are sweet. I just don’t get it. But, whether or not I could taste the sweet, I made a batch of stuffed peppers in the Crock Pot. I’ve never slow cooked them. I saw a recipe for this in a magazine and wanted to see how it worked.

Stuffed Peppers

• 4 green bell peppers
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 can of petite diced tomatoes, divided
• 1 cup whole kernel corn, (fresh, frozen, or can)
• 1/2 cup of cooked rice
• 1/2 cup of black beans
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 cup + 1/4 cup of shredded jack, colby, or sharp cheddar
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• salt/pepper

1. In a large pan, brown beef.
2. Drain tomatoes, RESERVE JUICE. Pour half the tomatoes in the pan with the beef.
3. Add corn, rice, beans, spices, cilantro, and 1 cup of cheese.
4. Mix, heat through.
5. Cut tops off peppers and remove core.
6. Pack the meat mixture into each pepper.
7. Pour the remaining tomatoes and juice into the bottom of the crock pot. Place the peppers in the pot. Cook low for 6 hours.
8. Top with 1/4 cup of cheese. Cover and let melt.

What is it about potatoes that makes me feel good?

And when I saw these cute little things in the store, I got two bags. Yes, two.

I didn’t need that “easy recipe on the back” because I already had a good substantial German dish planned for these little guys.

Sausage and Potatoes.

• 1lb of potatoes, unpeeled, quartered or halved depending on size
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup of water
• Sliced sausage. I used light smoked sausage. I package.
• 1/2 cup of chopped red onions
• 1/2 cup of chopped green onions (scallions to those not in the South)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme

Heat a large deep pan with oil.

Add potatoes and coat. Stir fry on med heat for about 10 minutes until they develop a deep golden color.

Add water, sausage, onions, scallions, and thyme. Stir to mix and turn heat to med-low. Stir occasionally.

Cook until potatoes are done, approximately 20 minutes. Garnish with thyme.

Old MacDonald had a farm. S-L-I-M-E. And on this farm he had some cows. With a moo moo here, and some ammonia there. Here a moo, there a moo, every where some pink slime, Old MacDonald had a farm. And now he has to stop.

So, well, I never claimed to be a great music person. Due to Jamie Oliver showing the world the fantastical world of pink slime and how yummy it can be fried on a bun or mixed in your kids’ meatloaf at school, McDonald’s has now claimed they are stopping the practice. I’m just amazed they admitted they ever used the nourishing process that guarantees the customer a truly enlightening culinary experience…..like eroded stomach lining.

I knew something was going on a few weeks ago when I saw a commercial that looked so peaceful and serene. It shows a beef supplier for Mc.Donalds with his family, his details of their cattle, the quality of their feed, etc.

I wondered then if someone in Mickey D’s PR firm finally decided to jump on the local and humane foods bandwagon and start shedding some better light on the fast food giant instead of the shiny fluorescent sheen of mutilated cow parts and ammonia bottles.

The article also claims that Burger King and Taco Bell are eliminating ammonia rinsed beef from their menu, too. So, what does this mean? For me, not much. I never was a huge fan of their burgers. When I crave a burger, I go find a big cheesy one from a local restaurant. I have been known to question the owner and even look at the packaging of the beef. And the same goes for my favorite local taco chain. I’m not the beef police, but I am trying to make changes where I can. I realize that fast food is just that..fast. It’s there for those nights when parents are shuttling from practice to meeting to dinner and need something to eat quick. For all of us, McDonalds is making a great stand against a horrendous practice. Let me know if the beef tastes better!

And I wish I could same the same thing about the chicken nuggets in many fast food places…..

By Thursday, I’m tired. Usually, it’s been a long week and I’m ready to crash by 9. Honestly, I should aim to be asleep by 9 every night before I get up early to workout. But it just doesn’t happen.

I’ve read all the studies that tell us lack of sleep can cause everything from obesity to forgetfulness to hairy ears. What’s the big deal about getting sleep? One provocative study of 1400 participants revealed a high occurrence of diabetes. Since I’ve already got a check mark in that column, I kept reading. Lack of physical growth, emotional instability, inability to heal wounds/injuries, inability to perform routine duties, and lack of concentration all can be caused by little sleep. What really speaks to me is the link between weight gain and inefficient sleep. Who knew that cupcakes and 4 hour sleeps could pile on the pounds?

I know I need more sleep. I also know I’m asleep within 5 minutes of turning off the light so I don’t usually lay awake at night. It’s just getting that light out early enough to get a good long restful sleep. It doesn’t happen as often as I wish, but I’m working on it. One thing I’m doing is laying out my workout clothes and work clothes as soon as I get home in the afternoon. Then, all I have to do is make dinner and prepare lunches/snacks for the next day. However, this week was a big fail in that department. I was 15 minutes late to class one morning. If my trainer is reading this, I promise to do better next week! If not, tack on some burpees to my workout.

One thing that has gone well today is my planning good food.

Second breakfast

Lunch: fajita rice bowl, sweet potatoes (ate 1 slice), carrots/hummus, berries.

Afternoon snack

Obviously, I needed a lot more protein. It’s very hard to get it as much protein as I need with the workouts that I do. I get a lot through my morning shake, but midday meals need more.

Dinner was a very quick lean pork stir fry.

Pork Stir Fry

• thinly sliced pork loin, marinated for 30 minutes in Newman’s Own Asian dressing.
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/3 cup chopped red onions
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• Juice of one orange or 1/2 cup of orange juice
• 1 cup of water or broth

1. Heat pan and quickly cook the sliced pork 2-3 minutes until done. Remove and keep warm. Cook rice if not already cooked.
2. Add oil to pan and get it hot, but not smoking. Add vegetables and cook until tender, 5-8 minutes.
3. Turn heat to low. Add soy sauce, broth, and juice.
4. Add rice and pork. Mix together and warm through.

Finally, the day arrived. After a long week with school, home refinancing issues, other banking issues, it’s finally the end of the week and I’m staring at a great weekend.

A few of my favorite NON-FOOD related things I used this week.

1. Busy Body Book. I write everything down in here that I plan. I use another workout book to record actual food/glucose levels/morning basal temp/workouts. This book is my planning book for everything-home, school, to-do lists, meals, groceries, blog topics, picture project details, etc. I try to get everything down on Sunday so I can quickly look throughout the week. Without this, I’m a big mess of stacks of notes written on receipts or whatever scrap paper I can find. This one is based on the Academic year which works very well for me.

2. Clinique Redness Solutions. I am scraping the bottom of almost all my makeup, creams, and moisturizers for my face. The one thing I will NOT go without is this green stuff. I use it every morning that I’m getting ready at the gym. My face is always red after working out and after the shower. A little of this stuff and tinted moisturizer and no redness. It’s just a green moisturizer that counteracts the flaming red, but I love it. This and the lip protect stuff will be in my bag as long as they make it.

3. New Balance Trail Shoes….ie….Crossfit shoes

I never thought I would buy shoes for Crossfit. I was perfectly happy using old running shoes until the day I almost blew my knees out because I kept rolling forward under heavy weight. Running shoes have a higher heel to help the foot roll forward and toe off. But when I’m doing heavy Olympic style lifting, I don’t need to roll forward. My trainer told me to take off my shoes and try again. What a difference. And I could do the wall ball squats more efficiently, too. I kept rolling forward before.

These are part of the minimus trail line and I’m happy to say that due to my gradual move to minimal forefoot landing, these work great on the TM. I’m not sure if they can stand up to the real trails, though. I wore them to work one day and the gravel in the parking lot really chewed up my feet. I will keep my regular trail shoes for running.

4. Gillette Venus. Little sister knows what she is talking about. She showed me this piece of plastic perfection about 2 years ago. The blades are expensive, but I can get a lot of use out of one. The best part is the soapy strips. Whatever you do, DON’T leave this on the tub or shower corner where water can get to it. It will melt off the moisturizing stuff.

That’s it for this weeks’ Friday Favorites. Hello weekend!!