This Monday has already been filled with lots of wishes. I wish I had…

1. A straw to drink my morning protein shake with.

any straw would do!!

My shake was thick, icy and delicious, but not especially easy to drink without one of these little utensils. Might need to get me some…

2. A food processor, for making delicious homemade nut butters and other fun treats!

Any food processor would do!!

Crossing my fingers that I win KERF’s contest!!!

3. A VITAMIX BLENDER!!!!!!!

Only a Vitamix will do!!

I have a little Oster blender that currently resides in my small kitchen. It does just fine for most things, but I deeply envy my parents Vitamix. Maybe some Christmas or birthday in the near future…

4. A full sized indoor track at my disposal.

No more treadmill, please!

There is an indoor track in my gym at school, but you have to run nearly twice as many laps to equal a mile. Training for a half marathon on a tiny track or treadmill is boring business!

5. An unlimited supply of FroYo and dark chocolate.

I <3 froyo!

FroYo + Dark Chocolate = PERFECTION.

Well trust me, there are PLENTY of other I wishes that I could add to this list…but I’m going to stop being greedy for the day. I need to compile of list of “I’m grateful for’s” !!

Stop by later. Maybe I’ll be able to figure some stuff out

Happy Monday!

Wow…I haven’t blogged in ages! I have to apologize for my lack of posts in the past week or so. I am back to school in Chicago and have been busy getting my classes figured out and my life back in order. Half marathon training is still under way and going great. I ran 7 miles today and felt awesome. Training has without a doubt increased my appetite. I have been FAMISHED! I’ve had like 5 meals already today

Alright, so I consider myself a “running purist.” Why? Because I prefer to run outdoors, devoid of music or noises. Just me, my shoes, my breath, and the sound of my feet rhythmically hitting the pavement. When I started running more often a couple summers ago, I almost always had my iPod strapped to my arm, jamming out my favorite tunes. But sometime last summer, I reached for my music before a run only to discover that my iPod was out of batteries. I was totally bummed and really considered not running, but decided that if I didn’t do it then, it wouldn’t happen. While I pounded out my miles, I realized how nice it was to not have the noise; to not have someone else’s voice in my head. I’ve never gone back to using my iPod on outdoor runs. Here are ten reasons why you should become a running purist, too!

10. Focus on your breathing. I never realized how little I paid attention to the rhythm of my breathing going in through my nose and out through my mouth. I often suffered from side aches or muscle cramps and realized that they were a direct result from poor breathing practices. When I don’t have music in my ears on my runs, I can think a lot more clearly about my breathing techniques.

9. Safety. I tend to run on more secluded dirt roads and random paths when I am at home in Colorado. I love the more intimate feeling that this slight seclusion brings to my runs. I love not having to worry about cars driving by or people watching me. But my mom often gets worried about me out there running alone. And she’s right. With music as a distraction, it would be very easy for someone to sneak up without me noticing. Running in silence allows me to stay aware of my surroundings.

8. Friendliness! So now that I’ve talked about scary people coming up behind you while you run (sorry if I made you paranoid!) I have to discuss that fact that there are MANY friendly runners out there. Sometimes the brightest part of my day and of my run is seeing another runner out there sharing my love for the sport and my love for nature. A smile and a wave, sometimes a quick hello, are great things to share with each other. I never want to miss the chance to talk to someone on a run, and I know that music as a loud distraction might make that happen.

7. Pace control. Often, when a really fast song was pounding in my ears, I matched the pace of my legs to the beat of the music. This would sometimes cause me to wear myself out near the beginning of a run and not have the endurance to finish my run as strongly as I would like. I find that I am more likely to keep a constant pace when I don’t have music influencing my steps.

6. Reflection. My outdoor runs have become one of my favorite times to really think about myself and my goals. It’s a time when I can focus on what’s going on in my life, reflect on problems and discover solutions. It’s also a great time for me to think about my running goals. I love knowing while I run that I am doing something good for my heart, lungs and muscles and that it will be well worth it in the end. It keeps me motivated and prompts me to make more goals for myself.

5. Posture. This kind of goes along with consciousness of breath, but focusing on posture while you are running is very important. When I am free of music and other distractions, I can focus on holding my body upright and swinging my arms correctly – not across my body.

4. Companionship. In the past, when people would want to run with me (my mom, my sister, etc) I would feel a little hesitant about agreeing because I was so accustomed to my routine of running to music. However, as I started to run more with my mom this past summer, I realized how much I truly love having a running buddy. Having someone to chat with, to help you with your pace, and to encourage you along the way is awesome. I know that talking to someone is definitely not a “noiseless” environment, so you may miss out on some of the focus and reflection time I spoke of earlier, but I think that it is valuable nonetheless. Sometimes you just need a buddy!

3. Avoiding injury. Okay, maybe I am the only one who struggles with this, but when I am listening to music while I run, I tend to pay WAY less attention to my surroundings. I may miss a crack in the sidewalk, a large rock, or a change in surface and in turn end up falling flat on my face. Once again, just running in silence and focusing on my run is the most effective way that I have found to get a good, safe, and comfortable run.

2. Appreciating nature. Well, I live in Colorado…so if you have to run on the busy streets of New York City, we may not share this advantage…but running outside [especially in the summer] in CO is gorgeous! After doing a couple of silent runs that used to be accompanied with music, I realized that I was looking around a lot more, enjoying nature and experiencing my surroundings in a much deeper way. I observe more of the beauty of the outdoors when I’m focusing on my run and not the beat in my ears.

1. God time. Believe it or not, my runs have unleashed some of my best quiet time with the Lord. While running, I sometimes pray, sing worship songs in my head, or just reflect on some areas in my life that may need His help. I have to admit that I am bad at setting aside quiet time for God on a daily basis, so runs have turned into a perfect time for that. I feel so close to him while I’m enjoying his creation and thanking him for my healthy and equipped body. Running is such a blessing!

During the winter I am forced to run on the treadmill (and I am regrettably currently training for my half on the treadmill – GROSS!) and I have to admit that I almost always listen to music or watch TV while running. Running inside makes it much harder to practice pure running techniques. But I will never again bring music into my outdoor runs. Once a purist, always a purist!

Any thoughts on the matter?

I hope you all are having  a LOVELY weekend! I promise I will post again soon.

P.S. I bought this today…

Designer Whey Chocolate Protein!

Can’t wait to try it!

I think about food ALL.THE.TIME.

It’s true! Generally, while I’m eating one meal…I’m dreaming up in the next in my mind. I almost always go to bed wondering what I’ll feel like for breakfast. I spend most of my free time browsing food blogs and finding new recipes that I can’t wait to try.

I am proud to be a foodie.

For the past few days, while I’ve enjoyed some pretty awesome breakfasts, I’ve come up with what I want to make for dinner. But before I share last night’s dinner creation with you, I have some documentation of my early morning treats!

my original protein shake

Yesterday morning started out with a protein shake. My shakes usually consist of about a scoop of EAS chocolate protein powder, a handful of frozen blueberries, a heaping scoop of PB, and 1/3 to 1/2 of a banana. Simple, but heavenly!! It’s like dessert for breakfast.

icy goodness

Sooo good! I highly recommend you try this combo.

Today’s breakfast was lots different but just as satisfying. I woke up this morning to find that although I was home alone, my parents had left me a pumpkin spice latte in the microwave. I have such great parents! I made myself a little bowl of yogurty messy satisfaction that consisted of 1 container of vanilla chai CarbMaster yogurt, a handful of Cinnamon Life, a handful of Kashi Go Lean Crunch, 1/2 of a banana, and about 5 cherries.

I love breakfast

Let me tell you, after cutting up the cherries to get the pits out, I looked like I had committed a serious murder. They were so juicey and red!

so tasty!

I devoured it in approximately 2 minutes while watching Sex and the City on E. I love break I don’t want it to be over!!

So anyways…on to dinner! Last night, I was inspired to recreate this fabulous recipe that I found on Kristin’s blog…Mozzarella Stuffed Bruschetta Burgers!

I started with this…

lean ground turkey with parmesan, basil, salt and pepper

Turned it into these…

my patties stuffed with a pinch of mozzarella

And eventually got here…

turkey burger, green cauliflower, and jicama slaw

My turkey burgers puffed up on the grill and ended up looking kind of like meatballs. But they were SO good! I didn’t put as much mozzarella as the recipe called for, and they were definitely cheesy enough. We steamed some green cauliflower and made jicama slaw to eat on the side.

Wow.

Seriously.

Wow.

Find this recipe on Kristin’s website and try it.

Well, I am off to jog to Starbucks to meet a friend for coffee! Tomorrow is my first long(ish) run for training (5 miles) so I’m going to take it kind of easy today.

Happy Friday!!

So I’m aware that this is a little late, since we are now about 12 days into 2011, but while I was lying in bed last night, I started thinking about what I want this year to be all about. I honestly don’t think that I have ever made a new years resolution, because I am pretty spontaneous and have never had any major goals. Although the ones that came to mind may not be huge, measurable goals, I really would like to strive to achieve them not only in this year, but in the years to come. As I mulled over these resolutions in bed, I realized that every single one that was important to me went along with one of my many favorite bible verses. It looks like God wants me to make some changes, too

1. Be confident and assertive. Too many times I let people make me feel like I am a lesser person. I tend to be pretty insecure and definitely listen to negative comments more than positive ones. In the future, I want to be more secure in exactly who I am; exactly who God made me.

Deuteronomy 31:6  – Be brave and strong!  Don’t be afraid of the nations on the other side of the Jordan.  The Lord your God will always be at your side, and he will never abandon you.

2. Discover direction and make decisions. I am an awful decision maker! Whether it’s deciding what to have for lunch or what to choose as my major…I can hardly make little decisions, let alone huge ones!! With a lot of major decisions coming up in my life, I want to start taking responsibility and listening to my heart when it comes to making plans. I need to trust that the Lord has a plan and he will guide me to the best choices.

Psalm 138:8 – The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.

3. Love yourself and your body. Like I said, I have pretty low self-esteem most of the time. I need to start being more thankful for my body and for my HEALTH! I am so thankful to have strong, healthy lungs, a pumping heart, and working legs. I must always remember that I was made in His image.

Psalm 139:14 – I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

4. Love the way that He loves. Whether it’s my wonderful boyfriend, my caring parents, my amazing sister, or my closest friends, I hope that I can always shine with the kind of love that Jesus bestows upon me every single day. I sometimes take the people closest to me for granted because I know that they will always be there. But I want to never forget to show them what they mean to me.

1 Corinthians 13:4 – Love is patient, love is kind…

5. Kill with kindness. I tend to have a sharp tongue; too often, I speak before I think of the consequences that my words may have. When approached by harsh words or cruel actions, I hope that I can turn the other cheek and shine the light and love of God upon all that I meet…regardless of the circumstance.

Romans 12:21 – Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.

Those are my top 5! Obviously there are many other things that I think could change…but I will start slowly…

Today I am going to continue training for my upcoming half marathon! I fueled up with a protein shake for breakfast, a fried egg and english muffin for lunch, and am gonna snack on a carbmaster yogurt before heading to the gym! I did a little yoga this morning to stretch out, and a 3.5 mile run on the treadmill awaits me.

I hope you’re having a blessed Wednesday!! xoxo

While I’m on the topic of food…I thought I’d fill you guys in on just a few of the many delicious meals and snacks that I have been enjoying over the past few days. With my sister being in town and lots of activities going on around my house, there has been very little time to blog. But here’s a peek at what my belly has been enjoying!

These Harvest PowerBars are the BEST.

newfound obsession with granny smith apples. perfect with PB!!

amazing turkey flatbread sandwich and hot lemon water

seriously. look at this baby.

if you have a kroger store near by...rush there NOW and buy these. they are uh-maze-ing.

my obsession with lattes continues.

huge chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and spinach!

biscotti and various other sweet treats!

authentically green

<3 mmm soybeans

love when food comes out on a skillet!

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Bailey liked the chicken terriyaki

gotta love raw fish

About 2 minutes, lots of soy sauce, ginger and wasabi later…that entire plate was absolutely clean. It’s kind of impossible to pace yourself when it comes to sushi…I had one of each and was thoroughly satisfied! And, I am very proud to say, my skills with chop sticks have improved astronomically.

showin off our skills

What a wonderful week my  handsome boy and I had together!!

Dinner at the Bent Fork

Before a great run!

Photo opportunity

Before heading to the airport

The week absolutely flew, but I was so glad to have him here. We spent lots of time with my parents and sister talking, chilling, exercising, eating TONS of good food, playing games and laughing. I miss him already! But I’ll be back to school in a week to see him

Having my sister here from Florida has been such a blessing! I haven’t seen her since she and her hubby visited in July, so we’ve had some much needed family time.

Bailey and I

the original 4 together again

We’ve done lots of baking and lots of eating! Having family here is always a great excuse to do that! A few days ago, we devoted a day to baking some of our favorite treats. We baked cranberry almond biscotti, pumpkin bread, and Kringla! Kringla is a Norwegian sweet bread that is formed into the shape of a pretzel. It’s fabulous!

Bailey and I baking away

Kringla, Biscotti and Pumpkin Bread!

Goodness gracious…I REALLY don’t want winter break to end! I’m still trying to enjoy as many treats as possible before school starts and I have to start being good again!

Speaking of being good…I have some news to share with you all! My mom, sister and I were discussing when we will see each other next and were looking into the possibility of a trip to Florida to visit Bailey over spring break this year. If you’ve read my “about” section, you know that my mom and I have been wanting to run a half marathon sometime soon. Originally, we had planned on running one in the summer but I have not been able to track down a date or location that works well with the times that I am home. So I hopped on my computer and started searching for races in Florida over the week of spring break. After a bit of searching, I tracked down the Sarasota half marathon! It falls on March 13th which is the first Sunday of spring break. My sister lives only about an hour away from Sarasota so it would be perfect! My mom and I decided to start training this week. We haven’t registered yet, because we need to make sure we get tickets to FL first. But it seems like a great possibility! I’m sooo excited.

As far as training goes…does anyone have any specific plans that they have found very successful? I found this one online
http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm
and I also found one in Runners Magazine a few weeks ago that I may follow. I only have about 9 weeks, so I will have to start on week 3 of the first one, which I think should be fine.

I can’t wait to keep you all posted! Wish me luck!!!

Flew in from Chicago to spend new years eve with me. And though I sadly did not document that night at all…I have taken quite a few photos of the activities of the past few days.

The highlight being…

Snowshoeing!

A heart pumping day of snowshoeing!

Ryan, my parents and I drove up to Estes Park to enjoy a glorious trek up to Beirstad lake.

I was cold

But we had such a blast.

It was definitely a good work out.

We were rewarded by a beautiful view that could only be found in the Rockies.

And we were later rewarded with some tasty Mexican grub at Ed’s Cantina when we made it down the mountain.

I’ve been a VERY naughty blogger and have photographed VERY little food…but my lovely sister gets into town tomorrow so I’m sure we will be making lots of yummy eats in the next few days. I will try to keep you posted.

I hope you are all having a blessed start to 2011!