Chicken Stir Fry

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Stir fry is one of the few things in my house that everyone can agree on.  If I’m trying something new, I get a chorus of groans throughout the house (there’s been VERY few things that they’ve not liked but we still always have to complain!).  If I try and let them make the decision on dinner, husband or children, it’s always Pizza, Chinese, Jimmy John’s, Chik fil A and I always end up being the bad guy.

It is impossible to balance being healthy and being mom and keeping a happy household.  Especially when I work all day and have my numerous side projects so I can maybe, eventually not have to be at work all day.

But, stir fry always seems to be a big hit.  My husband will generally eat anything I put in front of him (and he does his best to muffle his groans when he sees me experimenting in the kitchen) and my youngest/pickiest actually requests it.  So, it is a win-win for me.  Fairly healthy, tastes good and can generally use left over chicken because I always have cooked chicken on hand for lunches.

Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry

Ingredients:

STIR FRY

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts – cut into chunks
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp. Olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. Sesame oil
  • 3 C Broccoli (we prefer fresh, but the frozen work great as well)
  • 2 Cloves Garlic – minced
  • Pinch of ginger
  • 1 C Chicken Broth

SAUCE

  • 2 tbsp. Soy Sauce (low sodium preferably)
  • 2 tbsp. Sesame Seed Oil
  • 1 tbsp. Rice Vinegar
  • Pinch of Ginger

Directions:

  1. Toss chicken in a bag or bowl with salt, pepper, garlic powder, sesame seed oil and ginger. Let set.
  2. Heat a large pan and add olive oil. Throw in the minced garlic and cook until aromatic (1-2 minutes)
  3. Add chicken to pan and cook until slightly brown (3-5 minutes).
  4. Throw in broth and broccoli. Cover and cook until broth is mostly evaporated.
  5. While chicken is cooking, whisk together sauce ingredients.
  6. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
  7. Serve over ½ C serving Brown Rice

Optional Add Ins

  • Sesame Seeds
  • Crushed Peanuts
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • 2 tsp. Hot Sauce for added spice (add this to sauce for cooking)

My Favorite Smoothie

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Smoothies have become my go-to for breakfast (and occasionally lunch)(and sometimes dinner)(and maybe snack time now and again).  So, basically, what I’m saying is, I love a good smoothie.

I have one almost every morning after my workout.  One day a week is reserved for a lunch smoothie from Jamba Juice.  That’s the day my husband is off work so comes to take me to lunch while I’m at work.  Jamba Juice Monday.  It definitely makes a Monday better! J

But, I can’t always think enough to create new or different smoothies in the morning so my go to, my favorite, the best of all time (at least in my mind) is my Banana Berry Smoothie.  Simple and delicious.

Banana Berry Smoothie/My Favorite Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 1 Banana
  • ½ C Blueberries
  • 5 Strawberries
  • 1 C Almond Milk (unsweetened)
  • 1/8 C Chia Seeds
  • 1 tsp Ginger
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
  • ½ C Ice

Directions:

  • Add all ingredients to blender and blend
  • ENJOY! J

Do you have a favorite smoothie combination??

Easy Run Day

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An oft overlooked part of any training plan is the easy run.  I struggle with it even when I’m not in a training cycle.  It’s hard to make your legs understand what your brain is telling you!  I’ve always suffered from this issue but, though controversial in the big picture, the easy run has always been part of my mindset during training and most of the people I like to listen to promote it strongly.

I do try, though I struggle.  I’ve always been one that my legs make the decisions day to day.  My husband and I have tried to run together multiple times and we’ve realized that’s never going to work.  I’m a lone wolf when it comes to running because my pace for the day is my pace for the day.  If my legs are feeling good, I might go out and do a 5k pace even if that’s not what was on the schedule.  If they’re not feeling good, I might drop to a moderate pace.  There’s only a handful of times when I was truly able to achieve recovery pace.

Tempo runs are difficult for me because of that as well.  I’ll be too fast on my lead up which slows me down on my tempo.  It’s never been the type of runner I’ve been, I suppose.  But, none the less, I do highly recommend the easy run.  It’s been nothing but enjoyment the times I was able to achieve it.  Especially as a recreational runner not in a training cycle, it will always remind you why running is the greatest thing in the world on a personal level. 

Today, I challenge everyone to take an easy day and do 3-5 miles of easy running.  Aim for 1-2 minutes slower than what your race pace (of your favorite distance if not in a training cycle) or 1 minute slower than your average run if your just a goer.  Don’t forget your warm up and cool down!  The acronym I just made up for my daughter (she’s a volleyball player) is HISH

Hydrate

Ice what hurts

Stretch a lot

Heat those tight muscles

That double works for me because it sounds like I’m saying shush so she knows I’m done listening to her griping and it’s time for her to take care of herself!

Enjoy your run!  I’d love to hear how it felt!

The Go-To Workout

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We all have our favorite “go-to” workouts when we’re either not sure what to do for a specific day, aren’t feeling what’s on the schedule or just really need something to get us going. 

My go to is a full body, activating all the muscles station type of workout that can be pretty much as short or as long as I please.  The versatility of my go-to work out is what keeps me coming back to it over and over again no matter what else I have going on, what I’m training for at the moment or how unmotivated I am for the day.

The combination of different styles throughout it keeps it from getting boring.

The “Go-To” Triple Play

I’ll start with the Weight Station

Curls – 1 set of 10

Triceps Curls – 1 set of 10

Weighted Squats – 1 set of 20

Russian Twists – 1 set of 20

Then I’ll go to my TRX Station

One Arm Rows – 1 set of 10/Arm

Pistol Squats – 1 set of 10/Leg

TRX Crunches – 1 set of 20

Then I’ll use my HIIT Station

Burpees – 1 round of 10

Jump Squats – 1 round of 20

Mountain Climbers – 1 round of 20

Now, when I’m short on time, I’ll stop there.  Otherwise, I’ll go through as many rounds as that as I’m feeling up to/have time for.  To keep it interesting, I’ll mix up the exercises.  Different curls, maybe dips instead of triceps curls and then lunges instead of squats is always an option.  I’ll try different ab exercises; hanging leg raises is one I like to add in there sometimes.  Adding a jump to the pistol always adds some intensity to the workout. 

Different things like that keep it from getting boring but also keep it effective.  The best part is, it can always be as easy or hard as I want and fit into just about any time frame I have available.  Keeping it interesting keeps it motivating. 

Do you have a go to workout or did you try this one?  Let me know!

5 Reasons To Do a 5K

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A 5k is a very popular activity now a days.  You can find one just about any Saturday or Sunday your decide you want to get in a quick run/race while enjoying the atmosphere and festivities.  A lot of them are themed so it’s like a fitness party.  Everyone is outside, being active and enjoying themselves. 

5ks are also for anyone.  If you’re just getting into it, a 5k walk is great and, from my experience, just about every single one of them allows anyone to enjoy being active. 

So, here are my top 5 reasons you should do a 5k this weekend!

1.       It’s quick – most people will finish a 5k in less than 45 minutes.  You can come out, be active, enjoy the festivities for as long as you choose and still have the whole day ahead of you, knowing that you got your workout in – and it was FUN!!

 

2.       Training can just be a part of your normal exercise routine – the training for a 5k isn’t as grueling as some of the other distances.  Most people can fit it in to their normal fitness routine and not have to think much about it at all.  Just get those legs moving and you should be able to finish.

 

3.       You still get a medal – a ton of races still hand out the bling!  It feels so good finishing that race and getting something shiny to show off your accomplishment makes it all the sweeter.  It definitely keeps me coming back!!

 

4.       Family Friendly – 5ks tend to be the most family friendly events.  A 5k is doable for most kids (maybe not without complaining, but definitely doable) so it can get the whole family out and being active together while having fun.  Which, of course leads me to #5….

 

5.       It’s just plain fun – I can’t think of a single other event that is as much fun as going out for a morning walk, jog, run – whatever you want to do with the atmosphere most of these runs project and the camaraderie always displayed by people in the running community.  You’re truly never alone so if you have nobody coming with you, you have hundreds of strangers that will feel like family by the end of it!

I hope you all had a GREAT MONDAY!!  Let me know if you find the best 5k ever!! 🙂

Passion in Running

adminLife

Happy Hump Day!  Happy August!  And…Happy Colorado Day!  It’s a big day today, isn’t it?

I’m just trying to find the motivation to push through the rest of the week, as I still wonder how long my 9-5 will last while I try to write and complete my courses and still find time to be a good mother and wife.

I also, as of 2 months ago, was a volleyball coach.  However, the club I was with and I could not agree on certain things and I decided it was time for me to move on.  Though there are plenty of coaching opportunities in my area, I have decided it is time to take a step back.  I’m not fully sure why I decided that, other than I have a TON going on right now and I have a lot of things I want to do and try so it just felt like it was time.

That was a very tough decision for me.  I’ve had to make a lot of those this year.  I’ve probably, in all honesty, made the three toughest decisions of my entire life all within the past 6 months.  I decided to go to the doctor because “something wasn’t right” and ended up having a 9.5” tumor removed from my ovary.  I decided to stop coaching after giving 6 years of my life, heart and soul completely consumed by it.  I had to make the decision that my dog was ready after 13 years of being there for me through everything.  I guess he was there for me as I made the 2 hardest decisions of my life and knew that he had finally and truly done everything he could for me.

Through my recovery, I’ve been having a hard time getting fully back into running.  Two weeks ago, I actually had a full on break down, really.  I had already made the decision to stop coaching and I was not enjoying my runs and, though I’ve always been a runner, it’s been the past 6 years that I really decided that I was going to start doing enough to earn that label.  So, 6 years, I defined myself as a runner and a coach.  Those things were all of who I was for 6 years.  If I wasn’t running, I was coaching, if I wasn’t coaching, I was running.

I felt like I had completely lost myself in that moment when I had my worst run of my recovery.  I almost broke down crying in middle of it because it just wasn’t enjoyable like it was supposed to be.  It was hard, it was labored, it was slow and it just all seamed wrong.  I was lost.  I didn’t know who I was.  Then I lost my best friend of 13 years.  He always listened to me and let me talk through things.  Can a girl be any more lost than that?

Then I was cleaning out my office over the weekend.  Since I don’t always use it regularly, it often becomes a storage place for the rest of the family when I’m not frequenting it so I have to occasionally go back through everything that’s been placed in there.  As I was doing this, I found some old pictures of me coaching and old post-race pictures and medals.  I picked up a medal and immediately smiled.  I have most of them hanging up now but that’s mostly the past 4 years.  From before that, I would place them randomly in some bin I had for that year and it would sit hidden.

As I got happier and happier finding these medals, I started looking at the pictures I was finding.  I’m very happy coaching.  I’ve had girls parents come up to me and ask how I am even capable of smiling so much and I get so much joy out of teaching those girls about sport and life and watching them start grasping certain concepts.  It is so rewarding.  But those post-race photos – I was back in time, enjoying those moments as I looked at those pictures and paired them to their medals.  I truly remembered the joy running brought me.

My next run was the fastest, easiest run I have had since my surgery.  I started finding the joy in it once again.  And I decided I just need to start signing up for races again to really get fully immersed back into it.

I can decide to coach again when I start missing it too much.  There are entirely too many clubs around here so it won’t be hard to find a spot.  That’s something I took up because when your kids are little, they ask for volunteers.  I found a passion for it and took it to the competitive level.  It’s been two years since the last time one of my kids have played for me.  I’ve been running since high school.  That’s who I am, now and forever, stronger every mile.

An Ode to Bo

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That’s me and my Bo back when he was still a puppy.  On Wednesday, at 13 years, 2 months, 2 weeks and 6 days old, we had to let him go.  I think it was, by far, one of the hardest things I ever had to do.  He was a great dog, loved to run.  I think he could run forever (if he wasn’t on a leash).  Every time he got out, he would just go and go and I would essentially just run behind him until he slowed down enough for me to grab him.  He hadn’t been able to run in a while.

Bo was also a great listener.  He would just let me talk and talk to him.  He didn’t mind at all.

This handsome man was born the day my family moved to Colorado.  We didn’t get him, or even meet him, until 6 months later.  We went to get a cat when we found him.  My Grandpa had just passed and I couldn’t afford a plane ticket because we had just moved and bought a house and I had just started a job and our kids were 1 and 3 at the time.  There was just no way financially or logistically that I could make it work.  So, my husband decided, since I had always had pets growing up, that we needed an addition to our family.

We were in no position to add to our family but, we had both always had animals and it just seamed right.  A cat was what was decided upon because they’re a little bit easier.  But there was this 6 month old flailing black lab that just needed someone, anyone to love him.  My husband had his eye on a beagle (I swear a cat was really the plan) but we knew it had to be Bo.

He was our Colorado, our life here.  They were synonymous with each other.  He had such a big presence in our house.  I didn’t even realize it until that presence was no longer.  I can truly feel him missing.  Even though the past few months and especially the past few weeks, he slept most of the day.  He still always seemed happy until that last day.  He would perk up and, even if he didn’t want to get up, he was present and happy and gave you all he had to give.

Our last day with him was hard.  He wouldn’t drink water (and he would drink a gallon at a time if you let him), he wouldn’t move, he needed to be carried because he just refused.  He was telling us it was time.  I don’t know if we put off making the decision too long.  I don’t know how to ever know but it was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.  And I can’t get the vision of him laying there after all was said and done.  I didn’t want to leave him.  It didn’t feel right.  But, I guess it never feels right to lose a family member.

He outlived himself.  Most dogs his size (120 lbs at his biggest) live 10 years, 12 if you’re lucky.  I got over 13 out my big man.  He was a fighter though.  Too tough for his own good – nothing phased him.  He was the most gentle, patient beast you could ever meet.  Too tough, too strong, too smart.  But, making people happy and keeping them safe was all he cared about.  And running.  He needed to be free.  Bo was a happy guy.  He was my happy guy.

He was as patient as you hear Labs are.  The kids were 3 and 1 when we got him.  You can imagine, I’m sure, what that means to a dog in the house, especially a big guy.  He never minded.  Ever.  When he was 6, we got him a brother.  The most temperamental, sensitive, needy baby of a dog you’ll ever meet.  Bo practically drowned the poor guy in slobber when he first came home and then they became good friends.  Moose would fight, Bo would calm him down.  Moose would play and Bo would let him win.  In the past years, as Bo was slowing down, Moose would just trample him laying there and he wouldn’t even flinch.  He never seemed to mind.  If everyone else was happy – he was happy.

Now we have to try to make sure Moose can handle everything.  He looks for him still.  He hasn’t been himself in a couple of weeks and it’s only gotten harder.  On top of that, my husband will be leaving for a few weeks for work and the kids will be starting school.  He doesn’t like change.  He doesn’t like people missing.  He always goes around the house looking for them and waits at the door when someone comes home waiting for everyone else to get there.  Did I mention he was a temperamental, sensitive, needy baby of a dog?

Bo – you will be missed.  Thank you for 13 great years – I will never forget them.  Colorado will never be the same.

My Gear for Fabulous Friday

adminFabulous Friday

Before diving too far into the gear that makes me feel wonderful even in the middle of a torturous workout, I’m going to broaden it a bit for the first post on this very important topic! J

My favorite brands to wear from head to toe are Brooks, Asics and Under Armour. Every once in a while, I’ll find some Adidas or Nike that I like a lot and sometimes some lesser known brands will sneak their way into my wardrobe but, overall, those 3 are my go to.

Brooks and Asics are 90% of my shoe closet. I definitely won’t say I’ve loved every pair I’ve owned of either of those brands but they are who I go back to again and again because when I do like the shoe, I LOVE IT!

Under Armour shorts are my favorites. I’ve liked a couple others and I’m not super picky but they just have the right fit and the right feel on a whole for me.

As far as tops go, I actually think I have more Nike than anything else. I think that is because they just happen to have A LOT more styles for me and I’m still a sucker for their Just Do It logo – so simple yet so meaningful in my mind so when I see something with the Just Do It on it, it is hard for me to resist.

Now, sports bras are where I really struggle! I HATE the removable cup thing that has become SOOOO common.  Every bra I’ve ever bought with the removable cups has been able to be worn 3 times TOPS!  The cups come out and then don’t go back in properly, it doesn’t fit right without the cups and then the cups get lost.  I’ve even tried the mix and match thing before.  I DO NOT recommend that at all!  Very uneven to say the least both in look and feel.  I have sports bras that have more than over stayed their welcome but they are still the best I can find.  It makes me sad because the right sports bra can really be empowering for a workout.

Now that I’ve given the basic rundown, I’ll let you know more specifically what I love, what works and what I’m not too fond of in the coming weeks.

What makes you feel fabulous when you get your workout on?

My Favorite Smoothie – Thirsty Thursday

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Happy Thirsty Thursday!  I hope everyone is having a fantastic week.  For our first Thirsty Thursday –  I thought I would share my favorite smoothie recipe.  This is one that I keep going back to again and again even though I keep trying to change it up.  I could drink it every day, I love it that much!

BANANA BERRY SMOOTHIE-

1 Banana

1/2 C Blueberries

4-6 Strawberries

1 C Almond Milk

1 Scoop Vanilla Protien (My favorite is EAS Lean 15)

1/8 C Chia Seeds

1/4 C Oats

Cinnamon

Ginger

Throw it all in the blender and enjoy!  It never gets old 🙂