Happy New Year!!

It is that time of year again, the time of year when networks countdown the most popular news stories, radio stations countdown the most popular songs, and individuals reminisce about the biggest moments of the year gone by.

I can truly say 2010 has been an amazing year for me. I am at a job I enjoy working with people I truly like. I have reconnected with old friends, made some new friends, and am closer than ever with the people I love. I have a little home with my husband and two sweet pups. Maybe most importantly, I am content and very thankful for the life I have.

Since this is just the right time of year for countdowns I give you my 10 favorite moments of 2010! (You can click any of the bold links to read more!)

10. Running In Pink Project was born.  One little post in March of 2010 started my blog, which has grown tremendously over the last year. I love having this creative outlet, which I hope will grow into something really great in 2011!

9. Happy Birthday to Me-Turning 30 at Disney World. Even though this was pre-blog it still had to make the list. I turned 30 in the happiest place on earth, finally got a photo with Alice, had ice cream for breakfast, and generally spent one the happiest days I’ve ever had at Disney with the hubs.

8. Getting my PR during a local 5K. The hubs and I attended a local 5k where I felt “free” to just run for the very first time!

7.  Wicked (and Wicked Again). You all know I love a musical. Wicked is pretty much my favorite. I was lucky enough to see the touring production twice this year. Once on a nice date night with the hubs and once for a fantastic girls day out!

6. Family Time. The hubs and I took a road trip to WV to get in some serious family bonding time!

5. Finishing the Wine and Dine ½ Marathon. While this experience had its bumps (the hubs dropping out, getting permission to run his leg of the relay along with mine, finishing after nearly getting swept) it was a bittersweet experience. However, I think it is an experience that made me a better person and so it is on my list of favorites for 2010.

4. Attending the Healthy Living Summit in Chicago. This experience was pretty amazing. I got to meet some really great girls, including online pal Andrea. I learned a ton and had a wonderful time visiting “The Windy City” for the very first time.

3. Fit for a Princess-Disney Princess ½ Marathon Weekend. Even though this ½ marathon did not go exactly how I had hoped it still introduced me to the joys of organized endurance events (Disney Style), prepared me for future races, and put a drive in my soul to “try harder” and “be better” Later in the year (see #5) I did just that! (On a side note-I am somewhat sad, yet resolved, in reporting I am not participating in the ½ this year. We will be there on vacation to cheer you girls on and I will be doing the Royal Family 5k so I can participate in the Princess weekend but weight loss, not training, is my focus this year. I hope to cap off my year of fitness and weight loss by participating again next year. But, I can’t wait to see everyone!!)

2. Visiting New York for the very first time. There is not much I can say here other than “WOW!”. This was an experience with three of my great girlfriends that I will never ever forget.

1. God Bless Texas! The hubs and I took a trip to Dallas Texas and see the Cowboys play. This might seem like a strange thing to take the top spot. However, the hubs and I had an amazing week in Dallas bonding, ate great food, saw my most favorite team of all time play football, toured the stadium, and made some really cool memories. It definitely meets the criteria for an amazing moment.

What are some of your favorite moments of 2010?

Wishing you and yours a Happy, Healthy, and Beautiful 2011!!!!

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Blog Love

It has been exactly one month since I created my little blog and I have to say I’m glad I did. It has been a great way to keep up with my weight loss, eating plan, and workouts. It has also been a cool way to get recipes and ideas from other people. My little blog came to be when I started reading Andrea’s blog soon followed by Melissa’s soon followed by Leslie’s. I added another and another and another etc to my daily/weekly reading until I decided I needed a blog of my very own. So The Running In Pink Project was born. Hopefully this creative outlet will continue to grow while I continue to shrink! 😉

I was in a huge rush to get to the office today. Tuesdays are already no fun and I had back-to-back appointments all morning. I grabbed a Cranbran Vita-top and V8 fusion on the way out. I also made sure I had my giant to-go cup of Hazelnut coffee with splenda and fat free ½ and ½.

Recognize that travel coffee cup? It was one of my purchases at the Princess ½ marathon. Truthfully this cup just reminds me that I am bitter about what happened in March and spurs me on with this Disney Wine and Dine ½. No sprained ankle this go around!!

Can I also just say I love my K-cup coffee maker? I HATE cleaning a coffee pot so problem solved with this little gem! Making coffee has never been my best skill so luckily my house has been crappy coffee free since Christmas!

Work was busy and I was actually very very productive all morning and afternoon. I was starved by lunch and really excited to try this new Spinach salad kit I picked up yesterday. It contained Spinach, feta, dried cranberry and pears and spicy pecans. YUM! I added some left over grilled chicken and a balsamic vinaigrette. Maybe I was just hungry but I swear this was the best spinach salad ever (well this week anyway).

After work I was all geared up to hit the trail but sorry I am not hardcore enough to run in the rain. (Never mind that it NEVER ACTUALLY RAINED. It was supposed to!)  Sooo me and my trusty Alice in Wonderland water bottle went over to the gym.

I did a warm up on the track runner elliptical on “cardio train” and some running on the treadmill.

Mile 1 – 13.46 minutes
Mile 2 – 14.14 minutes
Mile 3 – 14.33 minutes

This might look meager and sad to some but it’s not bad for me especially since I hate running indoors. My goal for now is running consistent 12 minute miles. 10 is my long term goal but one step at a time. I am still a beginner. 🙂

After the gym the pups and I were excited that I got to partake in some of my fabulous cupcake from Friday.

Speaking of cupcakes the confectionary I talked about earlier in the week emailed me back and they are a go in and buy a cupcake type place. Twelve flavors daily. I will of course stay away from said cupcake haven but at least I know its here.

Continuing on the week of Bryan’s faves for dinner I made cashew chicken with whole grain rice. This is another modified Rachel Ray masterpiece. Did I mention this week how I LOVE her? Basically my version of the recipe goes like this..

Rice: finely chop ½ small onion, place onion in a drizzle of olive oil, add the desired amount of whole grain 10 minute rice, toast rice slightly, add chicken or veggie stock and bring to a boil. This TOTALLY changed the taste of the rice. Its really good. What is your favorite way to make rice?

Cashew Chicken: Heat a large skillet, add olive oil, add chopped boneless skinless chicken breast (salt and pepper liberally), slightly brown, add in veggies (large sliced onion, sliced bell peppers, mushrooms, grated carrot and whatever else you like), cook up for 5-6 minutes, add soy sauce to taste and let cook out slightly, add chipolte chilli powder and red pepper flake, drizzle in some honey and sugar free pancake syrup, after this has a few minutes to cook
together, reduce heat and allow the sauce to thicken, toss in some frozen organic peas and nonsalted cashews. Once the peas are heated serve over brown rice. YUM!

Tonight I am catching up on blogs and TIVO, doing 20 minutes of organization in the bedroom and trying to find a decent hotel in DC near the Kennedy Center that I don’t have to sell a kidney to stay at. The hubs is taking me to the Broadway touring production of Mary Poppins in July if we can work out our work schedules. LOVE a little Disney magic in DC!

Have a Healthy and Happy Tuesday!

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To Quote the Great Ms. Spears…

“Im a slave for you” and by “you” I of course mean the scale. This week has been frustrating. Ive hopped on the scale every morning (which I know is a huge no no) and it hasnt moved an inch or even a smidge of an inch. The scale and I were so tight for the first 6 weeks of this journey. He’d inch down and down and Id do my part to keep things going. But now, apparently we are at that part of the relationship where before we would part ways and I would go back to my old bad habits. This time though things are going to be different. It stands to reason that after 6 weeks my body is used to the routine so I am going to switch things up a bit. On my cross training days which are Wednesdays I am going to eat a few of my weekly points (just a few. Not going to get crazy) and allow myself a few (as needed) on Saturdays. I am hoping the extra calories will encourage my body to stop holding onto the weight so the scale and I can get back on good terms. I am also challenging myself to get back on track with my good health guidelines outlined in the weight watchers program so that I am getting the veggies, fruits, grains, and dairy I need daily. I will talk more about that soon.

I started out my morning with my normal Vitatop, turkey sausage, and V8 fusion. I am really wanting to get my protein in some other way. Like I mentioned last week I am toying with the idea of a breakfast smoothie called a “Green Monster” (click the link to learn more about them). Tons of bloggers swear by them for making a healthful and filling breakfast choice. I have never actually made a smoothie so this intimidates me a little. Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe? Maybe giving these a try will be a hill goal for next week.

At lunch I had some fabulous left over stir fry. (Arent all those peppers pretty??) and a cup of fresh berries. I usually dont buy the pre-washed/pre-cut berries but these were just calling out to me!

Work was busy today but good busy. I have converted another girl into the yellow hand-bag posse. Im starting a revolution! 🙂 When I was in Orlando for the Disney Princess 1/2 marathon I went shopping and might have stopped in Coach. Ahem. I have been carrying this bag ever since (the photo doesnt do it justice. Its all buttery yellow in real life). From then on I have watched one co-worker friend at a time start sporting a yellow bag for Spring. I love it! I want to convert as many people as I can before the summer is over. 🙂 Its like carrying a little bit of sunshine on my arm.

I was starved when I got home so I snacked on some All Bran Crackers and hummus. I love hummus and this flavor did not disappoint. Although, I might have called it pretty spicy and supremely tasty instead of supremely spicy.What is your favorite flavor hummus? How do you eat your hummus-on veggies, on crackers, in a wrap etc?

Now I am headed out for some cross training and stretching. I am holding so much tension in my neck and back a nice long stretch is just what I need. Have you ever done yoga? Did you find it helpful?

Happy Wednesday night friends!

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Shining Star

I already knew that this work week was going to be a challenge.  Add that to the fact it’s Monday and I was not a happy girl when the alarm went off this morning. It was one of those mornings where everything was rushed. I did not get to make a great breakfast so I grabbed a Luna Bar and a banana with a promise I would do better tomorrow. I actually really enjoy Luna bars but I prefer them as a pre or post workout snack.

I had a productive day at work but, just as with breakfast, I was somewhat disappointed with lunch.  I took the left over spinach pasta from last night and some grapes.  My day seemed to be getting busier and busier but I took a couple of minutes in the late afternoon to have a quick stretch at my desk and a little snack.

I love these portion controlled packs of nuts. Nuts can be a great source of fat but it is WAY too easy (at least for me) to go overboard.  Plus I like the mixture of Almonds, Cashews, and Macadamia nuts. With most items I feel good about separating a larger bag into individual portions but with foods I have trouble doing that with, pre-portioned is for sure the way to go. The stretch was great too. I could feel a definite improvement in my mood (at least for a little while).

The great thing about a busy day is it seems to fly by.  Normally this is when I would be getting geared up for a run or a trip to the gym.  However, Monday is one of my two rest days. I know that Monday is a somewhat odd choice for a rest day but for the last 7 weeks I have been going to Weight Watchers on Monday nights.

I started my journey to fitness and health in November when I decided I wanted to run the Disney Princess 1/2 marathon.  I soon came to the realization that, for the time being, I really needed to follow a program of some sort while I was learning. Weight watchers seemed like a logical choice.  Tonight was weigh in number 7 meaning I have been on the program for 6 weeks.  Now, I need to add a caveat here to say that many of these healthy living blogs have very inspiring and brave girls who will share their weight. I am not that brave. Maybe one day, but not today. I will however, share my losses and gains.  Should I get brave enough to share “the number” you will be the first to know. 🙂

When I got to the Weight Watchers center this afternoon I was feeling really worn down and ready to nap or cry or have a margarita. In other words I was feeling pretty negative. Negativity breeds negativity so I am not a huge fan when it manages to creep into my day. By the time I got on the scale I just *knew* things were not going to go well. However, I was wrong. My loss this week was 3.6 lbs bringing my 6 week total to 23 lbs.  Slow and steady.

Since I passed the 20 lb mark this week I earned another 5lb star. For those of you who have never done WW-you earn a sticker for every 5lbs you lose. You get to sort of brag on yourself a bit, people clap for you, and frankly its kind of fun. Its nice to celebrate the small battles when the ultimate goal can sometimes seem so far. Plus its a star. Who doesnt love that? I know I do!

Needless to say this little victory greatly improved my mood and when I got home I couldn’t help but giggle at my little pup Carrie all decked out in her rain gear. How could I manage to not smile at that face??

Happiness renewed I worked on something healthy (yet comforting for dinner). I got the initial recipe www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chicken-mug-pie-recipe from Rachel Ray who I am obsessed with. Not like creepy obsessed but I do heart her. My husband calls it abnormal but I like to gently remind him from time to time if not for Rachel Ray he would still be eating hamburger helper every night for dinner. (I was not always blessed with the skills to cook but that is a story for another time. )I made some modifications to “healthify” the dish to my specifications. I tripled the veggies, used a natural low fat butter (and a touch less than called for), Fat Free 1/2 and 1/2 in place of cream,a touch less potato then called for, and reduced fat crescent rolls in place of biscuits. I know the Fat Free 1/2 and 1/2 isn’t a natural thing but sometimes I have to make these substitutions to save some calories. All of the veggies , meat, and broths were organic. Ultimately I was pleased with the finished product. Plenty of veggies and some nice protein. Plus it tasted very indulgent when in reality it was fairly low in points.

The rest of my night will be spent snuggling up with the puppies and Bryan.  While tomorrow might be stressful and drama filled tonight I will relax, smile, and gaze at my stars. 🙂

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