Hey everyone! Happy Humpday! This week is flying by, no? It is currently snowing in Boston. We haven’t gotten much snow this year at all, so I can’t really complain. It is kind of pretty actually.

Breakfast this morning was two whole wheat waffles eaten sandwich style with Barney Butter and banana slices.

I packed my lunch for work along with some snacks this morning. I packed some leftover Chicken Soup from Monday night’s dinner. I love dinners that create leftovers. Plus things are always better a day or two later.

For snacks I packed were a green apple, a reduced fat cheddar stick and a Z Bar. I had the apple and cheese around 10am, but the Z Bar is still in my desk drawer. That chicken soup filled me up for the whole afternoon.

Since it was snowing heavily today when I left school, I decided to take today as my rest day from the gym. The tough part about living in the city is that parking is really difficult and when it snows it is so much worse. AND when the city calls a snow emergency it is a downright situation. I wasn’t sure how things would go considering the forecasts were iffy and no one seemed really sure what the accumulation would look like in Boston. I drove right home and turned on the fire place while catching up on some DVR. It was lovely have the afternoon to myself with the remote, fireplace and a pup curled up next to me. It is very rare that that happens and I enjoyed it.

Another plus, dinner was pretty much prepared for me once I walked in the door this afternoon thanks to my good friend the crockpot. Adam and I have been on a huge BBQ kick lately so I made a super simple crockpot pulled chicken. Nothing beats tasty and healthy BBQ!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized onion
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breaks
• 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

1. Dice medium onion and put the onion in the bottom of the crockpot.

By the way: these crockpot liners are amazing and make clean up from crockpot meals so easy. You can usually find them in the aisle in the grocery store that has the ziploc bags. If you use your crockpot at all, these will make life so much easier!

2. Put the four chicken breasts on top of the onions and over them with the cup of BBQ sauce and spread it out evenly.

3. Cook on the low for 5 hours. Once the 5 hours is up, take the chicken out and shred it with a fork. This is really simple because slow cooking the chicken makes it really tender and easy to shred.  Then stir it in with the leftover liquid.

I enjoyed my pulled chicken on a whole wheat sandwich thin.

On the side I had a little bit of broccoli and cheese and a salad made up of spring mix, tomato, red bell peppers, cucumbers, celery and carrots.

I topped my salad with a homemade dressing I made with EVOO, lemon juice, reduced fat grated cheese, garlic and black pepper.

I enjoyed a little bit of dark chocolate while catching up on Teen Mom (judge if you will) and doing laundry. I am pretty stoked about clean sheets tonight! It’s the little things, people

Night, folks!

©2012 . All Rights Reserved.

.

Hey everyone! I am coming to you super early this morning. Don’t worry this post won’t go live until like 11:00 this morning because I know no one will be up reading it at this ungodly hour My day was so busy yesterday with work, working my part-time job, a conference call with a professor for my (very last) grad school class, the gym, unpacking from our trip etc, etc, etc. I didn’t get a chance to sit down until about 10pm at that point, I was SPENT!

As I mentioned, I did make to the gym yesterday. I packed a bag in the morning so I could go right there after work and boy did I need it! I had a stressful day and a workout helped. I was not really paying 100% attention when I packed my gym bag but thought I had grabbed a Nike dry-fit t-shirt and my favorite Nike dry-fit capris. When I got to the gym I was disappointed to find that I grabbed my fleece lined full-length running tights instead. FAIL!

I was glad that my winter running gear was actually getting some play time since I can’t run because my right foot is on the mend. But I was concerned that I may drown in a pool of my own sweat. It was hot, but I made it through the workout! I did 25 minutes on the elliptical totaling 3 miles. Waaaahhhhh! I miss running! (okay my daily whine that my foot is broke in over now).

I spent about 45 minutes after my elliptical workout pumping some iron. I wanted to introduce you all to this lovely app that I have been using to plan and keep track of my weight training.  It is called iFitness and it costs on $.99! It is well worth every penny. Allow me to dazzle you with it’s features:

See, that is it second down on the right hand side (my gorgeous niece Sohpia is my phone background- so precious).

The App includes hundreds of exercises by muscle group.

Then allows you to create workouts using those exercises. Here are the workouts I created:

When you open the workouts you get a list of the exercises that you put in that category along with instructions and photographs so you can understand exactly how to do it if you are unfamiliar with it. Yesterday I did the chest and bicep workout:

Once you complete the exercise you can log the weight you used, the number of sets, the number of reps and any notes you have for yourself on that.

The app also tracks and graphs your progress as you increase weight. I don’t have enough data yet to track it, but here is a screenshot of what it looks like.

You can also edit the workout to change it up to prevent boredom and muscle memory. This app has made my weight training much easier and way more enjoyable. I love how helpful it is since I haven’t really weight trained in about a year and a half since I have been Crossfitting until I injured my foot. I highly recommend this app and thought I would share it with you guys it is totally worth the $0.99.

What was your worst gym gym fail? What is your favorite/ most useful app?

©2012 . All Rights Reserved.

.

Hey everyone! I hope your Monday was awesome. Mine was pretty good. I can’t complain. It was busy and I was kind of dragging from vacation but I managed. Breakfast this morning was a Svelte cappuccino protein drink (full review to follow) and a large coffee with half and half. By some miracle I only  drank half of my coffee and still managed to function all day.

Lunch (unpictured due to how rushed I was) was a greek salad topped with grilled chicken and fat-free dressing. Since we were out-of-town all last week, I didn’t have any groceries and I had intended on going to the cafeteria salad bar at the school I work at. However, I was saddened to find out that the produce truck broke down this morning when it was supposed to be delivering my salad ingredients. BUMMER! Luckily there is a little restaurant around the corner that I could get a pretty healthy lunch at

Today flew by. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that it was the first day back from vacation and the fact that I have a HUGE to-do list. I headed right from work to the grocery store to stock the FFF fridge. Nothing makes me happier than a house full of food, the possibilities are endless. I knew that I wanted to go to a 6:30 pm spin class tonight, so I prepared dinner beforehand that way it would be waiting for me after my workout. I had a craving for chicken soup and it is one of Adam’s favorites so that is what I made.

ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts
• 4 ribs of celery sliced
• 5 carrots sliced
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 bag of spinach (washed)
• 3-4 sprigs of fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 cups of low sodium and low-fat chicken brother
• 8 oz. of whole wheat noodles or pasta (I used elbows)
• 2 tbls. olive oil
• 4 cups of water

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and add veggies, parsley and bay leaf. Sauté until the veggies are tender but not browned. (about 5 minutes or so)

3. Add three chicken breasts and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the chicken in fully cooked (about 15 minutes)

5. Add the chicken back in as well as the bag of washed spinach and the pasta. Bring to a boil and cook until the pasta is soft.

I enjoyed a delicious bowl of chicken soup post-workout tonight!

My workout was entirely what I planned, but still pretty sweet. I learned today that I need to sign up for classes beforehand  at my local YMCA if I was to participate. Good to know! I haven’t been to a “regular” gym in about a year and a half since I had been focused on Crossfit and running outside until I broke my foot almost 8 weeks ago. Since those two activities are high impact, I have to change my workouts. Anyhow, I hadn’t signed up for spinning and the class was full. So instead I did 45 minutes on the elliptical and elliticaled (is that a word?) about 4.8 miles. It felt great and I was a sweaty beast!

I also did an ab workout:

• swiss-ball crunches -3 sets of 15
• Reverse crunches – 3 sets of 12
• Kettlebell side bends – 3 sets of 12 on each side with a 20 pound kettlebell
• wheel rollouts on the ab wheel- 3 sets of 8

The ab wheel looks so harmless doesn’t it?!

NOT EVEN CLOSE! It is a deceiving little devil. This little guy is tough and it works out your abs so well. I am pretty sure I will be sore in the ab are tomorrow!

Well, goodnight folks. I am off to read in bed!

What is your favorite kind of soup? 

©2012 . All Rights Reserved.

.

Hey everyone! I hope you day was great! Mine was pretty busy, but nice.  :)

Breakfast was packed up and eaten at work while forming and chipping away at my day’s to-d0′s. I had 1 cup of Kashi GoLean Crunch with vanilla greek yogurt and blackberries.

Lunch (unpictured) was eaten during a meeting that was catered by a school that wanted to chat with our staff about their post-high school certificate programs. They had it catered by Panera which was awesome! I had a whole lot of garden salad, a half of a mediterranean veggie sandwich and I split a huge m&m cookie with two other co-workers. I love Panera so this lunch was a great treat.

Snacks throughout the day:

Clementine, low fat cottage cheese and a honey graham Z bar.

After work had a doctors appointment then I came home changed and headed to the gym. I did some strength training and pool running.

Strength:

• 3 sets of overhead tricep extensions with a 20 pound kettlebell
• 3 sets of tricep press with 40 pounds (machine)
• 3 sets of tricep kickbacks with 8 pound dumbbells
• 3 sets of 12 crunches
• 3 30 second planks
• 3 sets of 25 bicycles
• Bonus: 3 sets of 12 (on each side) hip extensions with body weight

Once I finished my strength workout, I changed into my speedo and hit the pool. I strapped on a flotation belt and set out for 35 minutes of solid pool running. The key to pool running is to just go after it as if you are running on land and not get frustrated that you get pretty much nowhere fast. I did end up completing 15 full pool lengths in the 35 minutes of straight pool running. I know people were looking at me like, “What the heck is this girl doing?!” But I didn’t care. I am starting to feel less and less silly with pool running and I actually kind of like it. It is not nearly as enjoyable as actual running but it does the trick. I am glad I found some kind of solution to my inability to run right now due to injury.

After the gym I headed to my part time job to get some work done and FINALLY headed home to make some dinner. I was super hungry by that point. Pool running = really hungry girl! I whipped up a quick stir-fry made up of chicken, broccoli, sugar snap peas, water chestnuts, carrots and low sodium teriyaki sauce. I served it over brown rice. It was delicious!

Switching Gears: 

There are oh so many things that I love about Crossfit. I love that it whips my as* into great shape, encourages me to create new fitness goals, keeps my brain and body guessing so that I never get bored, shows me great results, makes me feel like a rockstar and is a just blast in general. But, one this I really appreciate is the sense of community it gives me and that is really one of the reasons I am super sad that I am out injured for the next 3 months or so. Crossfitters stick together.  Today I got an e-mail from a fellow Crossfitter named Adam, who I have never met because it is a member of a Crossfit gym in Pittsburgh. He wrote to tell me about a member and coach at his Crossfit Gym named Zach Miller.  Zach was involved in a terrible car accident this past summer leaving him in a coma. I wanted to share Zach’s story with you all.

Adam informed me that iWod was selling “All I do is WOD for Zach” shirts (WOD = Workout of the Day). The shirt is pretty sweet and includes the image of Zach busting out an overhead squat! How awesome is this shirt?

The shirt costs $29.99 and 50% of the proceeds from these shirts go towards the Z-Fund. You can order your shirt here.

Please keep Zach and his family in your thoughts and prayers. I know my very first WOD post-injury will be dedicated to Zach.

Goodnight, folks!!!

©2012 . All Rights Reserved.

.

I created this vlog today. Though I remain silent throughout it, it speaks volumes. Thanks! xoxoxox

Hey! How are you guys?! I had a great, but busy day. I spent a good part of my day working of stuff for my part-time job and the other part of my day caring for my Pa. It was brought to my attention after I left my mom and dad’s house that my Pa managed to eat four cupcakes without me knowing in the five and a half hours I spent taking care of him. Even though he has Alzheimer’s and barely knows who I am, the guy can still pull one over on me, I guess. It is things like that, that make me laugh and not feel so sad about his condition. It’s the little things in life

Breakfast this morning was a fried egg, veggie “bacon” and laughing cow sandwich on a whole wheat bagel thin with a clementine. How excited are you guys that it is clementine season again?! I love clementines!!!

I guess I was in the mood for sandwiches today because that is what I had for lunch too. I had turkey, spinach, goat cheese and red pepper spread on whole wheat pressed panini style with apple slices.

Dinner was pretty simple, but awesome. This morning at 7am I whipped together some ingredients to make a huge batch of spaghetti sauce and turkey meatballs. I put it all in my crockpot and let it cook for 8 hours. I am loving my crockpot lately. I love a sauce that cooks all day and the crockpot makes that so easy. I had whole wheat angel hair with sauce and two turkey meatballs topped with reduced fat parmesan cheese.

Around 7pm I met two friends at Panera for coffee. I had a long day and chatting with friends made for a great end to my day. I had a cup of coffee with half and half and my friend Nathalie and I split a bearclaw.

Superstitions:

Well, tomorrow is the first of the month, which means I will be spending my night reminding myself to say “Rabbit, Rabbit” FIRST thing tomorrow morning. I seriously ALWAYS forget and then I am convinced I will have bad luck for the rest of the month. This month, I feel like I could really use the good luck. For those of you unaware of this superstition, saying “Rabbit, Rabbit” first thing when you get out of bed on the first of every month you will have good luck all month long.

[source]

This all got me thinking about my other superstitions. I realized I am a pretty superstitious person. For example, instead of someone wishing me “Good Luck” it has to be “Break a Leg”, whether it’s in relation to a race or interview or what have you. This stems from my 10 years as a theater actress. In theater saying “Good Luck” is actually bad luck and “Break a Leg” is good luck. In case you are wondering I will also NOT say the name “Macbeth” in a theater either. That is a HUGE theater superstition.

[source]

I also have an eyelash superstition. If an eyelash of mine falls out I have to blow it off my finger and make a wish. If the eyelash doesn’t blow away in one breathe, it means I won’t get my wish.

And of course the old make a wish at 11:11 am and 11:11 pm. Whenever I look at the clock and realize that is the time, I make a wish.

[source]

Are you superstitious? if so, what are you superstitions? 

Don’t call it a come back….

Ok…you can if you want! Actually, you should! (Don’t worry- FFF Mom didn’t tell me to knock anyone out. She is way too sweet of a lady for that).

At the end of every year it occurs to me that my year usually has a common theme. Allow me to explain:

2008: The Year of the Big Changes- I got engaged and decided to return to school to started working on my M.Ed in School Counseling

Adam and I about an hour before he popped the question:

Silly photo Adam took of my on my first day of grad school with my bag heading out the door. We are nerds

2009: The Year of Working on Myself- I quit smoking, worked on my relationship with food, started running and started writing this blog!

2010: The Year of the Celebration - I got married, celebrated my best friend’s marriage with her and fulfilled two life-long dreams of visiting Italy and Greece as well as seeing Vatican City – all on my honeymoon.

My wedding 7/10/10:

After delivering my Matron of Honor speech at bestie May’s Wedding.

My honeymoon (When in Rome, right? )

Me in Saint Peter’s Square:

I don’t really plan my years to revolve around a theme, it just happens that way. While on a run yesterday, my first run post-sprained ankle, I realized 2011 is The Year of the Come Back. If you are a regular reader you are aware this year has been a though one for me:

• I was really sick at the beginning of the year, but didn’t really know how sick. As evidence, I ran the New York 13.1 half marathon whilst having a dangerously low blood count. I finally went to the doctor and was told I had internal bleeding, an ulcer and a severe iron deficiency. But….I CAME BACK! I got better through meds, rest and diet changes and got myself back into Half Marathon shape to PR that distance about 7 weeks after the NYC 13.1. So much better in fact, that I registered for my first full marathon that same day!!!!
• While marathon training I injured my left foot resulting in Plantar Fasciitis, a bone spur and several micro-fractures. Smart training and lots of rest at the end improved my condition enough that I got the green light from my doctors to run the marathon. But, of course, it did not stop there. Oh come on, this is me we are talking about. The day before my marathon was spent at the doctors with back pain and a high fever. I found out I had a urinary tract infection. I followed super specific instructions and….I CAME BACK!!!! I finished that marathon strong and happy (video evidence)!
• I suffered the post-marathon blues…it’s normal. To combat that I made my long-awaited return to Crossfit! Where I promptly sprained my ankle  But….I CAME BACK! Like I said, with a few weeks of rest and walking around in an unsightly air cast (I was the definition of sexy in that thing, let me tell ya ), I am back to running and Crossfitting this week.
• I got laid off. I still working on COME BACK with that , but there is a HUGLY EXCITING opportunity hanging in the balance that I should know about in the next few weeks so keep your fingers crossed for me! This unfortunately effected my life way more than I though and has caused me to have to battle my issues with depression and disordered eating here and there in the past few months. I am COMING BACK! 
• I am renovating a house! While this is super exciting, it is equally as stressful- especially since I don’t have a paying job (just an unpaid internship- which I LOVE). But, we are about 2 weeks away from move in, so the COME BACK in that regard is really close.
• I have had some family illnesses as well that have been tough on us all.

Wow! What a year, huh?! There was a lot of hardship but a lot of excitement and joy as well. Yesterday on my run I realized that even though things were and are still really hard right now, I have come back, I can come back and I will come back. That is the funny thing about running just when I start to feel hopeless, I lace up my shoes and spend a little time just me and the road. I eventually start to realize that I am so strong, smart and resilient that the COME BACK is going to happen. I am grateful that running had come into my life (thanks, 2009 Ali) and that being a runner has taught me so much about not only my physical strength but my mental strength as well. Afterall, homegirl ran 26.2 miles with 3 foot injuries, a UTI and a fever- I mean come on, there is nothing this girl can’t handle.

Thanks for still reading even though I have been gone for a little while. This is my COME BACK post. See you tomorrow!