There's no place like home

After a few days of indulging and dining out in Vegas, we were ready for a nice home cooked meal. I always get that way after road trips. I have another trip planned for this Tuesday but luckily this time I'll be with family. Meaning more food from a home will be consumed!



This hummus is addicting. I went to Trader Joe's to buy another container and it was GONE! Sold out!



In a pinch, this will suffice.



Both hummus and salsa accompanied by addictive corn chips of course. Organic means they are healthy right? I have a
hard time portioning these out.



Do you have a Great Harvest in your area? We don't--really. I drove 15 miles in the morning to grab one of these strawberry and cream scones. It's delicious but huge. I shared with Andy. I love that it's made with whole wheat flour and isn't super dry like most scones. (I realize they are supposed to be this way.)



Finally after all my snacking, it was time for a home cooked meal. Foodbuzz sent me 3 varieties of buns to try out (FOR FREE as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program) and we went with the whole wheat first.



Dinner was bbq pulled pork, baked beans and watermelon. The most delicious watermelon I have EVER tasted.



Droolworthy. After this blog post, I have a date with this watermelon. So luscious.



Andy had some Full Sail Pale Ale with his. I stole a few sips. This is my favorite pale ale.



And while the baked beans are from a can, I wouldn't discount them. They are delicious and smoky. Trader Joe's can do no wrong in my eyes. I do intend on trying my hand at some homemade baked beans though.



We went out looking for running shoes after dinner and ended up with Pinkberry. Typical. I ordered a mini mango with strawberries, dark chocolate crunch balls and captain crunch.



Andy always gets original with strawberries and kiwi. Always. He is a loyal man. I'm a flirt when it comes to frozen yogurt. Always trying new things.

Kauai in 12 days! I have a ton planned before then so Kauai will feel like a vacation from my vacation. I'm going to Arizona with my mom and brother to visit family. It's over 100 degrees there too. I still intend on running and strength training and I'm slightly nervous about the heat. I think getting up before the sun will be key.

Do you workout in high temperatures? Any advice for me?

Thanks to everyone who commented and gave me their blog addresses. I am slowly building my reader back up. Blog reader update

Ramblings and such

Raw veggies and a 140 calorie tub of plain SABRA hummus is the best snack on earth. I'm glad these hummus containers are individual sizes because I would like to eat way more hummus. This keeps the portion size down. Lately I've been eating raw veggies and hummus after working out. I suppose I should eat something with protein though? I'm going to look into protein shakes.



I also love these grapefruit jars for days when I just need a little sweet and sour in my life. But again, is this really the best thing to eat immediately after running?

Onto my big, BURNING question for you all....



So I woke up at 9am today. (I usually get up at 6:30am-7am) I almost skipped breakfast and went straight to the gym to complete my third day of Week One C25k but I remembered Gina's Fueling for Exercise post and decided to eat.

Bananas and dry Crunchy Maple Sunrise. (Nature's Path cereal found in the gluten free aisle of Whole Foods.)



a dab of White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter



And a whole wheat frozen waffle.

I plan on letting this digest and then running at 11ish. My running goal today is 2.5 miles in 30 minutes while listening and participating in the Couch to 5k podcast that I posted about the other day.

So my question to all of you is; how do you fuel before and after exercising?

Keep in mind, I run Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. I strength train (And elliptical) Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I occasionally switch it up but not too often.

Wow. Just wow

Before heading out to my sub job yesterday, I made myself a cereal bowl.



With a whole banana because I enjoy partying with potassium.



And the last of our new favorite cereal, Nature's Path Crunchy Maple Sunrise. Thanks for sending it to us to sample Nature's Path! Andy and I will definitely be restocking this after we eat down the pantry a bit.

So the sub job...I got kissed, hugged, sneezed on and licked by eight different students. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised. I didn't realize kissing was such a thing! But the kids were sweet and the other teachers and aides in the class made the day easier for me. My shift was super short which was a nice way to start a job.



I grabbed lunch at Starbucks with Sam. I got a huevos rancheros wrap which was surprisingly delicious and had decent nutritional stats.



And a non-fat cappucino. Which I drank after 10am, the Italians would totally laugh at me for doing this.

After Sam and I parted ways, I headed to the grocery store to try something completely new to me. I wanted to make shredded beef in the crockpot but had no idea how.

Thank God for google. I came across Kat's blog and her recipe! I had the pleasure of meeting Kat at the foodbuzz festival and knew her recipe would be solid.



I used this maple bbq sauce that we got in our swagbags at Foodbuzz.



Poured some Dos Equis Amber over the top.



And proceeded to drink the remaining half despite it being 2pm.



Then I chopped up a head of napa cabbage for coleslaw. (Something else I have never made in my life.)



And put a scoop of both the shredded beef and the cabbage on a whole wheat bun. The meat was tender and easy to shred after about 5 hours on high for me. I think it depends on your crockpot. The coleslaw was a blend of reduced-fat mayo, dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and tapatio. I used less than most coleslaw recipes ask for because mayo is gross.



This sandwich was great. Full of flavor without being overloaded with fat and calories.



I ate mine with mashed potatoes but I bet baked beans would be even better!

What is your favorite crockpot recipe? This was easily a favorite for me. We have tons of leftovers!

Everybody's working for the weekend

Hi! How was your friday night? Andy and I went out for dinner and a movie with our friends Tiffany and Gary. We saw "Up in the Air" with George Clooney. I really enjoyed it!

Dinner was slightly rushed and went unphotographed. We went to a chain greek place Daphne's. Despite it being a chain, I really enjoy Daphne's! The pita bread is so soft and doughy.



Rewinding back to yesterday. I ran 2 miles in 30 minutes. I walked half and ran half. I WISH I could do 3 miles in 30 minutes. That's actually one of my goals! I get upset about my slow pace all the time.

Then I remind myself;

1. Rome wasn't built in a day
2. I had an extra 20-30 pounds on me.
3. There was a time in my life when even half a mile was a struggle!

So instead of whining and crying, I celebrate my slowness! Man, my heart rate got high. I can't believe it.



I ran about two hours after having breakfast with Sam at Starbucks. But the running made me STARVING! So a raw veggie plate with hummus was in order.



And some peanut butter/flax toast. And some leftover Potato Kale Soup



This morning, I sampled some cereal that Nature's Path was kind enough to send us to sample. Andy raved about this cereal so I knew I had to try it out before it was all gone.



I made a yogurt bowl with blueberry oikos, strawberries (from Oxnard, Ca which is a walk, skip and a jump away from our apartment!) and Nature's Path. The maple flavor in this cereal is fantastic! I loved that the cereal stayed crunchy in my yogurt. Nothing is worse than soggy cereal.



After my yogurt bowl, Andy and I went to the gym. Andy ran 2 miles on the treadmill and I did an easy 4 miles on the elliptical. I wish 4 miles on the treadmill was that easy!

And I burned 414 calories. NICEEEE. I immediately ate a tangerine when I got home. ("So sweet & juicy!" I hope someone gets that.)

We are going to pack for our night in Anaheim now! I'll be sure to take pictures. Hope you enjoy your weekend!