The Dewey Tribe

Blog, Where Are You?

2013-12-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

So, this week I've been doing some cleaning and organizing. Exploring new options for this here blog. I'm making the transition over to Word Press. Scary, I know. I've been here on Blogger for almost 5 years now, yikes! Going to give this Word Press a try and see how it goes. Please come over and read along with us. http://chardewey.wordpress.com. I'll still keep this one active for the time being, until something changes. I will be posting the most current posts over there. So head on over!

Thanks!

Orange BBQ Chicken, Crockpot style

2013-10-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

I love being able to throw a couple ingredients in the crockpot and let it cook for a while. And just like that, dinner is created with little effort on my part. Could this apply to other areas of my life?! Kidding.

Found a recipe on Pinterest and decided to make it. I've made it a few times now and it is a hit. Hubby loves some BBQ so it is an instant hit in this house.

About 4-6 good size chicken breasts, left whole

1/2 a jar of Orange Marmalade (18 oz jar)

1/2 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (18 oz bottle ) {I'm sure any other brand will do}

2-4 tablespoons soy sauce

Some seasoning to taste (I used an all purpose seasoning)

Spray the crockpot pan generously with non-stick spray. I've found it helps so much with clean up the more you spray! (Tip: Coconut oil works well with no coconut taste) Place chicken in and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours. Remove any excess liquid that is produced. Make sauce mix in another bowl and to chicken, while shredding chicken. Allow to cook on low for another 30-45 minutes. Add more sauce mix if you like a more saucy meal.

After making this nearly half a dozen times already in the past 2 months, it is a hit and super easy.

Cheesy Rice, A Birthday & Stinky Socks

2013-10-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

How about a recap of what's been going on in the life of a Dewey this past month?

Lots of fun activities, food making and eating, running, enjoying the outdoors now that it's not 150F degrees outside (hello Arizona). So for your picture viewing pleasure, please enjoy.

Warm tea any time of day is still great. Even if we still have temps in the 90s in October.

Cheesy zucchini rice. I could eat the whole pan. But I didn't.

Oktober Fest at Tempe Town Lake. Had a blast!

Coffee love from my Gal Pal Jess at work. Can't get enough PSL.

Recovering after a 5.5 mile run few weeks ago in my Pro Compression Socks & fueling with Nuun. Addicted, yes.

Someone had a birthday back in September. A 2nd birthday. Oops, I haven't recapped that either?!

Jackson turned 2 in September. When asked how old he is, he's admitted to "Seven".

PSA: Shirt was custom made from a friend. Check out her Etsy shop. Highly recommended!

Now that the summer Monsoon season has come to a halt, I should have more time to ~~do anything I want~~ catch up and write some blog posts. I won't forget the cooking and recipes and I absolutely need to post more pictures of these two guys. Can't get enough of them. Except when they gang up on me :)

Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf {Gluten Free, Paleo}

2013-09-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

Lemon poppy seed muffins make me think of coffee chops, brunch, Sunday get together's with people. I'm trying out new ways to bake, gluten free and paleo, and found this recipe. Using coconut flour to bake has been different, but not a total failure! Everything I make, I end up eating because the hubby doesn't like coconut flavor. So this was a perfect little snack and breakfast go-to for me.

Next time, I'll use lemon zest & maybe some fresh lemon juice. I also want to experiment with almond flour. This wasn't lemon-y enough for my liking. The coconut flour tends to "soak" up all of the moist ingredients but this turned out very moist and did have a slight coconut flavor to it. This recipe was listed as Gluten Free and Paleo.

{Found on my Instagram}

Ingredients
1/3 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp poppy seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Place all dry ingredients except poppy seeds in a bowl and mix to combine. Combine wet ingredients except coconut oil in a separate bowl and add to dry ingredients and mix well with a hand mixer. Pour coconut oil in slowly, and mix by hand. Stir in poppy seeds. Spray pan with non-stick spray. I used coconut oil spray. Bake for 20-25 min, or until golden brown and center springs back when pressed. Let cool and devour slowly.

If making muffins, this makes 6 muffins. I made into 2 small loaves.

Recipe credit goes here

Applesauce Banana Bread Loaf

2013-09-18T07:42:00.002-07:00

Banana bread is good for breakfast and for anytime of day. As we near fall and all the pumpkin goodness that will now start infusing everything in our lives, I still go back to banana bread. This is a bi-monthly thing for me (should be more often) that I like to have around and make. Something about the smell in a house of fresh baked banana bread. And of course that first bite of warm banana flavored bread with hint of chocolate chips.

I'll admit, this isn't my own recipe but a VERY good one that I found. I have used different variations of banana bread recipes over and over again. I usually always sub the oil for applesauce. I find no taste difference and a more moist bread (even if over-baked for a few minutes!). I always sub chocolate chips for nuts, I'm just not a nut-in-the-bread kind of girl. And I usually make banana bread into muffins or mini loaves so they are easier to grab and go for breakfast.

{Found via my Instagram}

Ingredients:

3 ripe medium bananas
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large egg whites (1/3 cup egg whites)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 oz mini chocolate chips
Smart Balance baking spray (I used coconut oil)
Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°. Spray a non-stick loaf pan with cooking spray. Again, I used coconut oil instead of regular. No taste difference.

Mash bananas in a bowl, set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg whites, bananas, apple sauce, vanilla; beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

Add flour mixture, then blend at low speed until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into muffin pan**; bake on the center rack for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

**I used a mini loaf pan. Bake time was about 30-40 min. I monitored to be safe. Still turned out great.

Recipe credit goes here

Summa-Random, Summa-Greatness

2013-09-01T06:18:00.000-07:00

Summer is full of long nights, days spent being lazy (not hardly actually), lots of playing and so much more. In a word: Randomness.

So I share with you, some randomness over the last few months. Part 1, anyway.

Have you found a Girl Scouts Coffee Creamer? You need to!

Decided it was time, and chopped my hair off. New change

I donated my hair to help children in need of hair for wigs.

The sunrises + clouds are so beautiful this time of year.

Even without clouds, still a pretty way to start the day.

Playtime is serious business over here! So is his cuteness :)

Drool. S'mores bars.

Chobani Champions yogurt for breakfast

Pool time playing outside.

The Storm I Didn't Chase

2013-08-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

Every now and then during the Monsoon, I don't work. Surprise, surprise. And on occasion, there is weather going on close by on those days I don't have to work. What are the odds? Balancing home life, being a mommy and all that comes with that, going out to chase storms leaves a pretty small window of opportunity. Luckily for me, sometimes storms come near by and I'm able to witness some pretty cool stuff.

Still learning how to take the right photos of storms and clouds, it's amazing the beauty that can be seen from a distant severe thunderstorm producing strong winds and heavy rain. And paired with a sunset. That's epic!

I did a little post editing, but I'll show the originals too. This storm was south of Avondale, north of Gila Bend, August 27, 2013.

Original

Edited

Original

Edited

Original, black and white

Edited

Original

All photos are mine and were taken by me on a Sony DSLR camera.

Breakfast Anytime {Monkey Bread

2013-08-25T20:18:00.001-07:00

Breakfast happens to be my most favorite meal of the day. Scratch that, it's nearly my favorite meal ever. Of course, spaghetti and Italian is a close second. The point is, I could eat breakfast anytime of the day or night. So, having it for dinner is a pretty good way to end the day!

Sundays, or Saturdays, usually are a big family breakfast day (if I'm not at work, then the boys are fending for themselves. I try to make a pretty special breakfast, even if its just scrambled eggs. Waffles, pancakes and omelets are regular cast members. Monkey bread also makes an appearance from time to time. I didn't have a recipe off hand, so went straight from memory.

Monkey-See-Monkey-Do Bread

2 cans refrigerated biscuits

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

About 1 1/2 cups mixed sugar and cinnamon

A bunt pan, greased

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Cut each biscuit into 6 or 8 pieces (the smaller, the more bite size pieces you'll have). Place sugar and cinnamon mix in a bowl. Coat by rolling each biscuit piece in sugar cinnamon mix and place in bunt pan. Mix butter and brown sugar in microwave bowl and melt butter. Drizzle over cinnamon sugar biscuits. Bake for 30-35 min. Will be crispy on top, but make sure it's not too gooey underneath. Yum! Eat warm.

Easy peasy.

There may not be many leftovers if you live with boys, FYI.

Hey Soul Sister, Meet Virginia

2013-08-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

Summer concert series!

Source

This summer I've been lucky enough to attend a good handful of concerts, and mostly accompanied by the lovely Jessica from work :)

Imagine Dragons, Gavin DeGraw, The Script, Train (saw these guys last fall, too!).

Great concerts here in Phoenix. Too bad they have to come when it's so dang hot. 105F in June for an outdoor concert. 107F in August for an outdoor concert. Luckily, we missed the 119F record heat day. That would have been brutal! The only good thing about that kind of heat, is baking cookies.

This was back on June 29, 2013. The official temperature recorded that day at Sky Harbor was 119F, setting a daily record. This is a capture from my phone. It felt that hot! Yowza!

Imagine Dragons concert at Comerica Theater in June

Gavin DeGraw as an opener at Ak-Chin Pavilion in August

The Script was next in line at Ak-Chin Pavilion in August

Train as a finale at Ak-Chin Pavilion in August

All of these bands were so great to hear live. Imagine Dragons is a new fav group of mine and they have some really great, catchy songs that just make me want to sing as loud as I can. But I won't. You're welcome.

Gavin DeGraw I'd never seen in concert, but now I want to see as much of him as I can. He's got a great voice! The Script I didn't know much about, but some of their songs I'd heard before. They surprised me and were really good. Train, of course, was no disappointment. This was the second time I've seen them in a year and I'm so excited I was able to see them. I'll admit, I'm one of the people singing as loud as I can (who cares?!) to every single song. They are all great!

I'm thankful to have a friend to attend these shows with. Thanks Jessica :)

Baking cookies in 116F degrees, in a car in Phoenix

2013-08-21T13:41:00.001-07:00

Normally when it is hot outside, the last thing anyone wants to do is...anything outside. Forecasting temperatures can be tricky. Trying to figure out just how hot it will get. A degree or two can mean a record is at stake, a Heat Warning could be issued, and the general public don't like to see temperature values go up, up, up. Especially when you approach that 120F degree mark. That's just insane!

So, deciding to bake cookies in a car to see if it could be done, why not? Not something that you hear about people doing everyday. So this was done for a few reasons. One, why not? Try it out, see if it will work. Two, a reminder as to just how hot it can get in a vehicle in the summer. So many PSA's out there about vehicle heat and safety with children and animals, this could have been seen as one of those as well. If it's hot enough to bake food then it is obviously too hot to leave animals or children in a car. Three, just how hot does it get in Phoenix? Well, it was mostly for fun.

This was done back on June 29, 2013. Phoenix Sky Harbor (official observation location) reached 116F degrees. The next day, we reached a record high of 119F degrees.

The LA Times did a great article on this event, and you can read it here.

Our Facebook post went viral, and nearly 100,000 people saw this. That was exciting and hard to believe!

P.S. Have you 'Liked' The National Weather Service Phoenix Arizona page yet? Check it out!

A couple different news agencies caught on and wrote up some stories. Read about them here:

Skye-AOL Weather

LA Times

The Today Show (by the way, it wasn't 2 guys!)

Cookies baking away

Cookies after they were baked. And yes, I did eat them!

Look closely and you can see my reflection!

Did ya miss me?

2013-06-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

Gosh, it's been nearly 2 months since I've posted on here. You'd think life was busy or something. Well, it has been. And this blog has been the lowest on the priority list. Sorry blog. In other news, we've all been doing well. Some quick updates for now, and with pictures of course, and then we'll start paying more attention to you, blog.

Have a great weekend!

Jackson

{Our outing to a splash pad while running errands}

At 21 months old, he amazes us every single day. He's so smart. New words almost every day. He understands so much and can communicate fairly well. We've also hit the tantrums and whiney stages too. Ah, toddler hood. Not every day is like that though. Lots of playing outside in the water, digging in the sand, trying to chase and catch Lucy the Cat and feeding himself with a spoon and fork. Newest words that are funny sounding: "kuck" is stuck, most things are "owie" because we said it once, he says "hi" at very random times, when he says "peeease" = please he usually whispers it or is on repeat until we acknowledge that we heard him. He's such a budding little guy. He loves pouring water from cup to cup and helping Daddy do anything outside, from planting to watering to fixing stuff. Hard to believe he'll be 2 years old in a few months.

Josh

Working so much and Mr. Fix-it around the house. He's our favorite person in the world! We had a beautiful garden this spring in self-watering containers built by Josh. We had some huge zucchini squash produce as well as some cucumber and even some small bell peppers. Not many tomatoes or strawberries, but again the heat came in and I don't think the veggies or fruits are too fond of 102°F and hotter. Looking forward to the fall when we can grow some more. A new grill for Father's Day has inspired some outdoors grilling action going on. Enjoyed our first cedar plank grilled salmon along with grilled corn on the cob a few nights ago. Yum!

Char

Watching the weather. Running races. Cooking up new and exciting (ok, maybe not super exciting) meals. And juggling both of these busy boys. Speaking of racing, since January, I've done a race each month, or close enough. February didn't have any, but March had one in the beginning and one in the end, so I count it as Februarch. I think I'm hooked on running major races. I used to run in middle and high school and am getting back into it. Love it! Weather is getting more exciting to watch here in Arizona as our Monsoon has started, though no Monsoon moisture yet. Patiently waiting for the clouds to arrive. I need to get better about posting more cooking recipes and photos. Some things we've been enjoying a lot of are fresh fruits, avocados, strawberries, bananas and apples daily, steamed rice with steamed veggies, grilled chicken, meatloaf, mashed potatoes. Trying to mix it up and not use so much pasta (gosh, I love me some pasta) and incorporate more veggies (as if I need to incorporate more!). Meal time prep is pretty tough when you have two very demanding boys in your life and a schedule that doesn't have much time for myself, but I try to make use of prep time to prepare things I need. And anything that helps is great!

Lucy the Cat

Gotta have a section for her, right? She's doing well. No changes. She eats, sleeps and repeats. Yes, I may be that crazy cat lady. I'm OK with that.

And, if you couldn't tell, I document a lot on Instagram. Follow me there for more craziness.

Crescent Roll Pan Pizza {recipe}

2013-04-07T15:22:00.002-07:00

What to do when you want pizza but just can't find time to wait around for a yeast crust to rise? Use refrigerated Crescent rolls!

A last minute decision to make pizza meant I had to use what I had on hand. This worked perfectly! In the can of 8 rolls, I used 6 here as the crust forming as solid a crust as possible with very few 'holes'. The other 2 rolls of dough? I put strawberry jelly in and rolled and baked. Desert!

What's it take?

1 can crescent rolls, only 6 needed here
1 round cake pan
pizza/spaghetti sauce
shredded mozzarella cheese
chopped bell peppers
chopped zucchini
sliced, grilled chicken
cooked Italian sausage

I used some left over grilled chicken and left over Italian sausage. Great way to use left overs! I had some chopped peppers and zucchini and threw those on. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray pan with non-stick spray. Cover bottom as best as you can with crescent rolls. Layer pizza sauce, cheese, sausage, chicken, veggies, more cheese. Bake for 15-17 min (or what the crescent roll package says). Perfect crust!

What an easy dinner!

Legos, Trains and Trucks

2013-03-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

Life changes fast. The day you were born, your daddy and I's life changed so much. So much we didn't even realize. You've gone from eating every few hours to a few times a day. Napping the day away (not as often as we'd thought you would) to only napping once or twice a day (some days, none at all!). You used to just lay there and wiggle your arms, trying to find your face or something to hold on to. Now you walk from room to room throughout the house and are gone in 2 seconds, usually chasing the cat around. Making only a coo or squeak before, to now speaking nearly 10-15 words and even some sign language too.

How did you get so smart so quick? Keep learning everyday, Jackson. But your daddy and I have one request. Don't grow up.

We love you! 18 months have flown by.

Egg McBacon with Cheese {recipe}

2013-03-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

On a cooking roll? Trying to fit in where I can and make ahead to plan and organize. Win for everyone!

Another Pinterest creation and a pretty genius one I might add. I am a big breakfast person so anything dealing with breakfast I will usually jump ~~up and down screaming~~ all over. Another thing I'm pretty excited about is planning ahead. Being a busy full time working mom, and shift working at that, anything to help me plan ahead and make easier and cut down on time, I'll give a solid high-five to.

Original idea via Pinterest

What did I use?

8 eggs (plus a splash of egg white I wanted to get rid of)
About 1/2 cup total: chopped red bell pepper and chopped zucchini
Salt and pepper to taste
About 1 tablespoon Wheat Germ (I use this everywhere I can!)
8 pieces of bacon
6 English muffins
5 slices of cheese

(clearly I did not measure to make them all the same. Some have cheese, all had bacon and an extra piece for me to munch on while making!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray. I mixed the eggs with the veggies, wheat germ and salt and pepper in a bowl. Place bacon on a cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes in the oven BEFORE the eggs go in. Scoop egg mix into the muffin pan slots. Once the bacon has been in 10 minutes, flip bacon and put muffin pan in the oven for another 10 minutes. By time, the bacon was done and I found the eggs needed another 1-2 minutes.

I toasted the English muffins in the toaster. Placed a slice of cheese then bacon and then the egg. You could easily add some spinach, remove the cheese, etc. I used wax paper to wrap up the sandwiches. 6 total sandwiches between the Hubby and I, should last about 3 days. I plan to make these again and make some more. Storing in the fridge with just 6 should be fine for the next few days. Take out, pop in microwave for 2-3 minutes. Wah-lah! If I can make a big enough batch, I'll store these in the freezer.

Another Pinterest Win!

*Disclaimer: Egg McBacon is a name I just made up about 25 minutes ago. Not taking credentials from any big chain restaurant. And original idea for this recipe was not my own, I just made it and made my own twist on it. Thanks!

Frozen Yogurt Fruit Smoothie {Recipe}

2013-03-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

Now I'd like a Pina Colada and to place my feet in the sand on a beach.

As requested by popular demand, a post just on fruit smoothies. Let us take a moment and allow the mouth to water. OK, back to reality.

I've always loved making smoothies. And I still haven't perfected it. Let's just say I've had some bad, weird, strange and 'yucky' combinations. I think simple is the way to go. One trick I have learned and I swear by now is: Frozen Yogurt.

This trick allows the chunks of ice to no longer be in your straw for you to suck up into your mouth. No thanks. By using frozen yogurt, this eliminates the need for ice in a smoothie. And, it adds a creaminess and healthy benefit to the smoothie.

Whatever fruit you like, you get to use. I personally like the tart flavor and color blueberries and raspberries give. I've tried pineapple in to, and mango. Those two bring in a sense of tropical. Ah, the beach.......

Anyway, the frozen yogurt trick.

Frozen vanilla yogurt out of the ice cube tray and into the food processor

I have found that filling ice cube trays (silicone is MUCH easier to get out of) with your choice of vanilla yogurt works perfectly as a homemade, inexpensive frozen yogurt. I've done regular and Greek. Next, I'm going to try different flavors other than just vanilla.

Depending how big a smoothie you ~~decide to scarf down~~ want to make, depends on how many 'cubes' of frozen yogurt you want. I've found, about 4-6 cubes for 1 serving works. It also depends on what else you're putting in, fruit and juice wise.

General Fruit & Yogurt Smoothie:

4-6 cubes frozen vanilla yogurt *Tip: take out of freezer ~10 min before using so the blender/food processor can 'blend' easier and not struggle
about 1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) strawberries
about 1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) raspberries
about 1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) blueberries
about 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoon wheat germ (added folic acid & health benefits, no taste)
1/4 - 1/2 cup juice (I've used apple or pineapple)

Can also add in 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped (or frozen) spinach. Very little taste difference and slight green color, added iron benefits.

Can add in ground flax seed (1 tablespoon).

Get creative! This is what I've done and what I've found works. I use a food processor, since my blender is ~~on the downhill side of life~~ not working that great.

#MarchGoal

2013-03-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

Halfway through March already. Spring is nearly here. Of course "spring" in Arizona means 90°F days are coming fast. It was 95 on Thursday.

Halfway through March also means we are halfway done with the #MarchGoal challenge. Did you participate? How is it going for you?

For me, my initial goal was to run/log 30 miles for the month. I got off to a good start with a half marathon on March 2. Bringing my total up to just over 15 miles. I'd say I have some work to do! Another goal I have, but never really "technically" declared it a goal, was to eat healthy every single day. So far, I've done great. Aside from 3 days when we had company, I even did well on those days. I have been doing a combo of push ups, crunches, lunges or squats each day and as always a plank everyday.

Checking out some 'goodies' at the finish line of the Phoenix Marathon

A good handful of people have joined this challenge. Some through twitter, some through facebook and some just have mentioned it to me.

There are no hard rules to this challenge. Pretty cool, huh? So why not join in. There is still half a month to go. Plenty of time to start making a difference NOW.

Not Lasagna Stuffed Shells {Recipe}

2013-03-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

I made a last minute roster change-up and didn't make lasagna last night. Instead, stuffed shells. I don't think anyone was disappointed. I know I certainly wasn't!

So how did I make this?

What ya need:

1lb ground meat (I used hot italian sausage, highly recommend!)
1/2 - full jar of marinara sauce of choice
Garlic salt to taste
Italian seasonings to taste
About 20 large shells, cooked.
8-10 oz ricotta cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup frozen spinach (or fresh)

I cooked the meat the night before, thinking I was going to make lasagna. Last minute change of plans! You can add more spaghetti sauce if you like, and change the amount of spinach depending on how much you like or don't like spinach. I used close to 1/2 cup I'd guess and it wasn't a huge "spinach" flavor, but I like spinach.

Cook shells and rinse in cold water. Spray large casserole dish with non-stick spray. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Mix ricotta and spinach in a bowl. Mix meat and spaghetti sauce in another bowl. Fill each shell with about 1 tablespoon of ricotta-spinach mix and then about 1 tablespoon of meat-sauce mix. You can overfill or under fill, however you want your shells! I used too much ricotta mix so a few shells only had meat-sauce. Still just as yummy. I layered some marinara in the bottom of the casserole dish and set all the filled shells in the dish, then layered some more sauce on top. Just to keep things..saucy! Put dish in oven for about 25-30 minutes. I don't like my stuffed shells 'crispy' so I lean towards the shorter bake time. This was a pretty easy dish and took maybe 15 min prep time, not counting cooking the noodles/shells. Most of this can be done ahead of time.

Give it a try! Essentially the same ingredients in lasagna, minus the cheese. Cheese could easily be added to this, that is more cheese aside from the ricotta. I used the garlic salt and italian seasonings for the meat.

Garlic bread goes with everything. Just so ya know...

If you make this, let me know how it turns out! What did you do differently?

13.1 Miles farther in life

2013-03-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

After running my first ever half marathon in January, I must have been sick in the head to run another less than 6 weeks later. Ok, maybe not sick in the head, but addicted right?

Refueling post race with Nuun. Is this a post race face or what?!

While trying to sign up for the race and finding out it was already capped, a friend offered her bib to me as she had last minute plans change. Sweet! Now, I really had to get my butt in gear and get ready for this race. I think I had it in my head that I was already in "half marathon shape" from the previous one and didn't do much training this time. Oops! I did some, but not as much as I should have.

The Phoenix Marathon series is pretty new and young, and it was a smaller race. Smaller than the PF Chang's Rock 'n Roll Marathon that travels all over the place. A more local race and smaller capacity, this one was fun. Starting super early at 6:30am meant a 3:30am wake up. The beautiful thing about running in late February/early March in Phoenix: the weather is approaching the upper 70s and morning low temperatures are in the upper 40s/low 50s. Could this not be more perfect?! No snow on the ground here. Sorry Colorado people.

Check out those temps this morning. 50s and 60s for race time.

I started off running with a friend from college. We both had about the same time goal in mind, and we actually finished very close to those goals!

The atmosphere for this race was great. Everyone was friendly, so many volunteers and people cheering and bonus, the lines to the port-a-potties were fairly short!

According to my GPS runner app, I finished at 2:35 which would put me the same time as my PF Chang's half. Not too shabby as I was expecting somewhere around 2:45 for my poor training. Hold the watch! Just checked the official results page (yep, I refreshed and waited) and I finished at 2:32! Holy smokes! PR for me while not training very well ?! Alright, I'll take it. However, my knees are sore now, but I do actually feel good.

I wore my green sparkle Bic Bands headband. Super awesome headband! It does not move at all.

From a training run, not the race.

My pink Pro Compression Socks, which helped my legs feel great. Still feeling great after the run.

Again, from a training run, not the race.

My Brooks running shoes, GTS 12's. Haven't let me down so far.

Fueled up with Nuun before and after. Fav flavors including but not limited to: Tri-Berry, Grapefruit Orange, Blueberry Pomegranate, Citrus, Lemon Lime, Grape. I'm limiting myself to how many I drink today, don't worry :)

So, what's next? Not sure. No more half's on the schedule as of now. Looking for a few 5k fun runs up ahead with a pretty snazzy lady. And I'll keep working out, running and eating better.

Anyone see my #MarchGoal post? What is your goal? How will you get there?

Month of Numbers & A Challenge

2013-02-24T13:20:00.000-07:00

As done in previous months, I've tried to keep up with a fitness challenge. The other day while out running, this one came to me.

How about a Numbers Challenge? Being the science geek I am, I know that March is the month of "Pi". In math, the number Pi (pie) is 3.14 (with many other numbers following that decimal, but rounded at .14). So on March 14 (3/14) it is known as Pi Day. In honor of this month being a big math/science number month, my challenge is to set a number goal to achieve. A set number of miles you want to run, bike, walk. A number of pounds you'd like to drop. A number of pushups, situps, lunges, squats you'd like to do each day or week.

Whatever your number goal is, try your hardest to stick to it.

My goal: to run 30 miles for the month of March.

Right now, I'm doing the plankaday challenge. Holding a plank for as long as I can, 1-2 mintues on average, each day. I try to make push ups and lunges a daily routine as well. Every little bit helps!

If you want to participate in this challenge, tag me on Twitter (@charmoon) with your goal and how you're doing. Let's use the hashtag #MarchGoal. If you are on Facebook, write on my wall with your "March Goal" or simply comment on this blog post. Let's be active this month!!

Healthy Eating: A way of life

2013-02-24T10:33:00.001-07:00

Eating healthy is nearly second nature to me, but it doesn't mean that "healthy" food is all bland, gross, boring tasting. There is so much diversity and potential when eating healthy. Small, simple choices and swaps can make your diet/meal choices that much more healthy. And by starting small, you are already making better choices that will lead to more healthy choices. Such deep thoughts, I know.

Making a fruit smoothie at home. Both cost effective and a great way to "fill you up" as a snack or meal replacement. I use frozen yogurt that I froze myself. Vanilla yogurt frozen in ice cube trays and popped into a blender/food processor. Add in whatever fruits & splash of juice you like. I used: Frozen vanilla yogurt (Chobani greek yogurt), raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, mango and pineapple with a splash of apple juice. Blend until smooth. I've also added in frozen chopped spinach, ground flax seed and wheat germ as additional supplements that are only good for you!

Any meal can be made healthy by adding some fresh, steamed veggies. Or by substituting in some steamed brown rice. Brown rice is better than regular pasta because there is the whole grain goodness and also it mixes it up by not always having pasta "carbs". Rice is still a grain and has carbs, but a better carb for you.

Who says ice cream can't be healthy?! This is actually ice cream made solely from 1 ingredient: frozen bananas! I sliced a banana and froze it. Then, took it out and put it in a blender. One tip: take it out of the freezer maybe 5-10 minutes before you want to blend it. This allows it to "soften" up a bit so when you blend it its not so much work on the blender. You can add in peanut butter, chocolate chips or syrup, nuts, fruit...anything! If you like banana flavor, you will love this healthy take on ice cream. 1 frozen banana made a good size cup of ice cream for one person.

And that frozen fruit smoothie from above? Why not use it to make Popsicles! A tasty desert treat too.

Eating healthy doesn't have to be a huge life-altering decision. It can be as simple as substituting your evening desert for a healthier choice or adding in vegetables to your meal.

I hope this helps and that you can start to enjoy the tasty benefits of being healthy!

13.1 Miles. No big deal

2013-01-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

While many people were enjoying their morning coffee, reading up on the news, perhaps going out for breakfast or brunch...I ran 13.1 miles. No big deal. I was done by 10:30am and on with the rest of my day. Which, consisted of ice, stretching and resting.

I ran my first Half Marathon on Jan 20th 2013 at the PF Chang's Rock 'n Roll Marathon. It was a girls weekend get together that had been planned since June 2012. A group of us decided we would run it together, though we all ran different times and distances, all because one of the ladies had a birthday. What a great group of ladies I am now friends with (those didn't already know). It was a great time getting to know each other, training, talking about how we were doing and to accomplish a goal I had always wanted to do. Next on the list? More half marathons and someday a full. Here is the weekend at a glance. Oh yeah, the results. Spoiler: 13.1 miles in 2:35 min. PR for me! Avg 11min/mile. Not bad! I only walked 2.5 total miles and did great. Goal: get the time down to 2:30 and keep going down from there. 2:20 and someday 2:00.

At the Rock 'n Roll Expo, downtown Phoenix.

At the expo. Only 26.2 miles to go!

Carbing it up the night before with some fellow weather nerd ladies.

Best Gal Pal Jessica :) and fellow Weather nerd!

At the start, waiting for that gun to go off.

At the start line. New best buddy Emma!

A quick shot as we head east. Around mile 2.

TOAST! To the finish!

Hydrating with Nuun :) I love.

A bowl of protein goodness: Choc protein goo, PB, coconut cookie dough crumble & cinnamon flatout bowl. All from Stuftmama's recipes. Yum!

Just crossed the finish and was handed a medal and asked to take my picture. Atleast I'm smiling!

And after chugging some water.

Gal Pal ladies from work & Jackson. We are ready to rock!

The whole group of ladies that ran (minus 1). Some ran the full, some ran the half marathon and some ran the half relay. We all accomplished goals and kicked butt!

What a great weekend. Happy Birthday to Miss Leslie. She ran her first ever full Marathon and kicked some serious butt! What's next on the list?

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{Have been MIA from blog world, oops! Life has gotten in the way and blogging has gone to the back burner. Hopefully I can find some time to get back into things.}

Remember that Juneathon stuff?

2013-01-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Try hard to remember back to June.
Lots of running, biking, working out. 100+ degree days. Crazy me running outside. Remember? Well the fun doesn't end there. There is a challenge for January!

Janathon

Why not start the year off with being active? You know I'm down for this! As before, I will probably not be blogging every single day. But I'll post the highlights and weekly updates. It does help that I'm running the P.F. Changs Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon this month. Woot, woot! My first ever half marathon. Actually, my first ever race longer than a 10k. I'm excited!

Anyone else want to join in the Run-Fun that is Janathon?

You know you want to join the fun!

I use RunKeeper as an app on my phone for tracking my workouts/runs. I also double check that with Google maps and make sure to note the time I start. I've been known to have GPS tracking issues and a random 52 mile run is logged for me. Ambitious but not correct!

Anyone have any cool apps they use? GPS wrist watch recommendations? I need one, just don't have the cash for one.

Happy Active-ness Month!

Pinterest Wins: Pancake Muffins

2013-01-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

Instagram'd my Pancake Muffins

Found an idea on Pinterest and BAM...made it work. Pretty tasty. Didn't have anything too crazy for toppings but Chocolate Chips and Blueberries work wonders.

The original Pin:

Source: theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com via Char on Pinterest

And here's how I did it.

Ingredients:

Pancake Mix (yep, I used box mix. Easy)

Toppings of choice (I used chocolate chips and blueberries)

Mix batter in bowl according to directions on box. If using a from-scratch version, it will work just the same. Preheat oven to 350* degrees, or according to box directions. Spray muffin pan with non-stick spray. Spoon batter into muffin tins, about half full. The fuller, the more plump your muffins will be. Add toppings. Also would be good: Nuts, bacon, sausage...Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes, again according to box directions for Muffins. Check with a toothpick. Let cool. Eat up. Eat them all. Ok, maybe not all of them.

These are super easy. Can be made ahead of time and grab 'n go for breakfast.

You'll thank me later. Or thank Pinterest. Same thing.

"Best Of"

2012-12-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

What about a "Best Of" recipes post? I need to get my butt in gear and start coming up with new and exciting things for dinner. In the mean time, here are a few of the "Best Of" selections that are made over and over again and somewhat east to do.

Pizza Bites-- Remember these? A few ingredients you may already have laying around and in less than 30 minutes you have hand-held pizza bites to munch on, take for lunch, or a great appetizer!

Baked Zucchini Sticks-- Ok so maybe not a meal, but another great snack. Better if made & eaten fresh, as they may get soggy as leftovers. Very few ingredients.

Broccoli Chicken Bake-- One of the most requested recipes. Simple, vegetable, pasta, chicken. Dinner in a dish & bake.

Easy Enchiladas-- I realize these are just cheese enchiladas, so adding ground beef would be extra better. EASY!

Potstickers or Dumplings-- I need to make these again! So easy, finger food and can be customized to whatever you want to fill them with!

Now I feel like I need to go make a bunch of food!

What are some of your favorite, easy, go-to meals? What would you like to see me make?

No Mas

2012-12-24T23:55:00.000-07:00

This time of year really gets me thinking. Especially since we are a distance apart from our families. Growing up, both Josh and I valued all the time spent with our families. Sometimes you take for granted what you had, and don't realize it until you don't have it anymore.

A quick trip over to your mom's house.

Watching a movie with your brother/sister on Friday night.

Meeting up with cousins or nieces and nephews.

These are things that are tough to do when you live 900+ miles apart. It becomes even harder during the Holidays to not be together with friends and family.

Visiting Christmas Lights in Greeley, CO

A few years ago, I came up with a tradition or a saying that I wanted to catch on. During a difficult time during the Holidays, my Grandma became sick and had to go to the hospital. It's times like these that bring a family close together, though not a great situation to be getting together. This was just before Christmas. At one point, there was a question as to whether we would even have Christmas that year. So I said, "Let's just have Christ-no-Mas". Meaning, we didn't need to have all the gifts and wrapping paper and "stuff" to get together with everyone. We were all there, we scrambled together to get some food for a meal or two, since we were all there. Why not celebrate us being together as a family? We didn't need the "Mas" or extra stuff. We only need each other, and Christ.

There are a few different meanings of Christmas, depending on what you believe and think, but the bottom line is BELIEVING.

Christmas Lights in Greeley, CO.
Another great display you must see is the Greeley Grizwalds

Whether a young child knows or understands what Christmas is all about, he or she believes that Santa may come to their house while they are sleeping, eat a cookie, drink some milk, leave footprints with soot, and drop off some new toys that they will find when they wake up super early the next day. The magic of having something to believe in is what we should all remember. Whether you get one gift, or ten, the thought of believing someone somewhere thought of you is enough.

So I venture to exercise Christ-no-Mas every year. As our families grow and gain more people and as we also lose some people and loved ones, I strive to believe in the time we have together is enough.

Having a meal with family.
Inviting a friend over to sit and chat over coffee.
Visiting a family you haven't seen for a while.
The once-a-year-get-together should be enjoyed.

We never know when it may be our last day, or holiday, or season together. Gifts are a bonus. But we don't need all that extra "stuff" or Mas to celebrate the holidays.

I hope you all have a very wonderful Holiday Season. Hug your loved ones. Enjoy the atmosphere. Give to others. Make a difference in someone else's life. For whatever you believe in or celebrate, Merry Christmas to you!