5k or Bust

So yes, I've decided to try the Couch to 5k exercising program.  Today I did Week One Day One and man am I feeling the pain.  I thought all that running for sixty seconds at a time was going to kill me.  So I know the program calls for 3 days, but I've decided to go with 5 days because we all know that if I don't I'll never get used to the new week...lol

So this is my schedule for this program, and it really is as intense as it looks... Day One just about gutted me, but I'll be back out there tomorrow doing more.  Sure it will be hard, but I really want to lose weight and I'm really looking forward to doing the 5k race in September with my Mom, Auntie Chelle, and sister Nicole!  

Week	Workout 1	Workout 2	Workout 3
1	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
2	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
3	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
4	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
5	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.
6	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 22 minutes) with no walking.
7	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).
8	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).
9	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

The best thing about this program is that you don't have to pay to do this.  Sure I'm nervous and not excited about the pain I'm going to start feeling tomorrow, but I know I can do this, because I actually did manage to run the entire time I was asked too.  I wanted to give up, I was sure that my legs were going to buckle underneath me, but thankful I made it!  Thankful that I let Nicole talk me into doing this, because I really want to lose weight, and I've been so confused about how to do that without actually pissing off my neighbors.

I guess I'll be kissing my late late nights goodbye to allow myself time to sleep and wake up in the morning at 6am, since I'll need to do this before Nick leaves for work every morning.

But I know I can do this, and you can too!  It just takes determination and the will (want) to do it!  I will lose weight and i can't wait for it to happen!!

A New Me, Here I Come!!

The Couch-to-5k - visit the website to check it, and maybe you can start the program on your own!

The horrible pleasures of trying to find work

So I've decided that I need to find a job, but with two children and a husband who works full time, there is no way that I can actually find a job outside of my home.  I mean to have an outside job, one would need to have childcare and in order to have childcare I would have to have a job to pay for it.  It's one of those never ending circles, which ends up just making you dizzy. 

I really don't know much about finding online jobs, but I do know what I don't want. 

1. I know I want nothing to do with those 'Get Paid to Take Online Surveys' because honestly no matter how much they promise, it's all just a bunch of fake bull.
2. I can't do anything via phone, because of my children.  There is just no way that I can take professional calls if my girls are in the background screaming their heads off.
3. Entering Data actually requires a certain Degree, which I clearly don't have...
4. Traveling is completely out...training or not.  I am a mother, a stay-at-home mother, who doesn't own a car.  I can't go anywhere for training.

But I mean in the end, what is there for me?  Honestly not a whole lot, because it seems that most online jobs seem more like a scam then actual chance for work.  And who honestly wants to enter their information on the one place where anyone can learn them?

So for now I may have to hold off on the jobs, but I'm hoping that by next year, I can get something while Kenna is in preschool, and Lizzie is in Kindergarten.  At least a part time job would be better then sitting at home all the time!

Time for Change

Yesterday was just one of those days.  First I went to the doctors and when I stepped on the scale, I was appalled over the numbers.  I know I'm overweight, but I was sure that I'd been losing...instead I seemed to be right where I was after I had Kenna.  So I've decided to take action, and I'm going to lose this weight...even if it kills me.  Today I went to the store and got the things I need to help me lose weight.  Hopefully, I will be able to see and feel a change as my body starts to naturally lose the pounds.  I'm also going to be working on portion control.  Since I've started cooking all my own foods, I'm not as worried about calorie as I am intake.  I just want to ensure that I am eating right, and exercising properly.

Every morning I will be out early, doing a 30-minute power walk, then coming home and later doing 30-minute exercises.  My goal is to lose about 100lbs and I want to do it over a period of time, because I don't want to have to worry about health issues later on in life.  I know that it will take a lot of hard work and determination, but I know that I can do it!  So here's to a new healthy lifestyle!!

The Banes of Cleaning

Being a mother one of the things I should be able to handle are the Early Mornings...but I'll admit, I hate waking up early.  I always feel like I don't get enough sleep, and I guess since I often don't get to bed until midnight or later, it's probably true.  Both my girls are early risers...Kenna mostly because Lizzie wakes her up.  They are always up before the sun...and very sneaky (Payback from my own Childhood...of that I am sure!).  Every morning my husband wakes up with the girls, because he too is an early riser, and he often tries to allow me to sleep as long as possible, then before he leaves for work, he comes in and wakes me up.  First thing in the morning, I'm always a little sluggish, and it takes me a while to get going, but once I'm up...I'm up! 

Often I wake up in the morning, dreading the state I'm going to find the living room in.  It seems like the girls know how to destroy the house in one take.  And I know what most of you are thinking...that is not possible...but believe me...it really is.  So usually I have to take the time to clean up...or attempt to get my girls to help me clean up.  That has shown to be a true challenge. 

Kenna often will pick of the things I ask her to do.  She loves picking up the shoes and the little stuff.  But Lizzie, is a force to be reckon with.  She fights and argues and whines whenever I ask her to help me clean.  After I make a few threats, and turn off the T.V. she whines some more and then sulks on the couch, before reluctantly getting up and helping me clean. 

The one mess I haven't managed to tackle, is their bedroom.  It seems like no matter how often Nick and I get them to pick it up, moments later it's a complete mess again.  It always manages to baffle me and I spend hours a day just trying to clean. 

I haven't even started to try to get the pen marks off the walls.  They clearly are not on the top of my list...keeping my house clean is more of an issue.

So here's to trying to get my girls to clean up today...since once again, the house is in a little need of some TLC!

Long Saturday...Homemade Dinner

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Today was just one of those days.  Kenna had a Doctor's Appointment in Palm Desert, so she and I had to be at the bus stop by 7:45am.  For an early Saturday morning the first thing I noticed was that there were a lot of cars and bicyclists on the road...and that was when I remembered that today was Tour DE Palm Springs...a very popular Bike race.  But here, they don't actually close down roads...they just place warning signs throughout the desert.  It was pretty cool to see, and Kenna loved watching them ride past her. 

On the Way to the Doctors

So Kenna and I hopped on the bus and were off to catch the next bus which would end up taking us to Kaiser.  After spending over an hour and a half on the bus Kenna and I arrived to find that it was very windy and that the bicyclists were also riding throughout Palm Desert.  It was, I have to admit, pretty awesome to see so many people out on their bikes!

Since Kenna and I had over an hour until her appointment was, I took us to Jack in the box for some yummy Breakfast Jacks!  Kenna loved it, and ate almost half of mine!  When it was time for Kenna's appointment she was very well behaved and allowed the Nurse and the Doctor to check her out.  She needed four shots and it was very hard to hold her down.  She did not like having the shots at all.  But she got a new book out of it, and while we waited for the bus to come, she read the new book to her baby doll and two Ty Beanie Bears. 

Kenna's New Half-undressed Doll

We took the bus to Target and I let her pick out some new dolls, because it had been a long day for her, and she was being very well behaved.  Once we were done with that we headed back home.

When I got home, had Nick finish the dishes I needed to make dinner and then I got started!  The recipe I'm going to share tonight, is the first recipe my sister Nicole, ever created for me!  If you guys didn't know, Nicole is a master when it comes to cooking!  She's always my go-to person when I'm stuck on a dish or when I have a question!

A couple years ago, I had made a complaint about how I was tired of Boxed Mac n' Cheese, so Nicole sent me a basic recipe for Homemade Mac n' Cheese.  This recipe is so fool proof that when I wasn't able to cook, I was able to make it.

Nicole's Simple Mac n' Cheese


1 Tbsp butter - unsalted
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 box of noodles (any kind that you like)
Desired amount of any kind of cheese

Cook noodles.
Melt butter in medium pan, then add flour.  Mix flour and butter until it's the texture of sand and smells like popcorn.  Add the milk and stir until thickened.  Then add the amount of cheese, for your own desired cheesiness.  Once sauce is done, add cooked noodles. season to taste, and serve!

Finished Mac n' Cheese

So that's simple right?  It really is very simple to make, but here are some other ways that you can make it.  To make your Mac n' Cheese more creamier you could do half cream and half milk, or Nicole suggested Cream Cheese.  I also added bacon to our dish, and baked some cheese and Italian bread crumbs on top.

It turned out really well and my girls loved it!  Next time, I plan to use turkey bacon, because the bacon we used was a little too crispy, but I still liked it!

Tomorrow we're going to have a nice family day, maybe go out for lunch!  I'm really looking forward to spending the day with Nick and the girls!

Lizzie eating Dinner

Kenna enjoying Dinner!



Homemade Taco Salad

One day after we had gone to Carl's Jr. for a rare lunch out, Nick ordered the taco salad.  I sat there looking at it and I told him that I bet I could make it and that it would be better (and cheaper) then the one he always gets from Carl's. 

So he put me to the test.  The first time I used it, he was amazed at how much he liked my version of the salad...and now I'm going to share my recipe with you!

Cooked Meat

First thing I did was I started browning and flavoring the meat.  You can use any kind of ground meat you like, but I just used the beef.  I often will just use the Taco seasoning packet with a little of the HOT taco seasoning, since Nick likes his food spicy.  But you can also use any type of seasonings that you prefer.  Tonight I made my meat with a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, carne asada seasoning mix, and a little bit of Enchilada HOT sauce.  I brown it until all the sauce is gone and then set it aside.  Thankfully ground beef is the type of food that can be left alone while you work on other things.

Pre-cooked tortilla

Next I moved on to the tortilla's.  Rather then spend six dollars on pre-made tortilla shells, I made my own.  I have my sister, Nicole, to thanks for how to make a nice crispy corn tortilla without frying it in oil.  I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and then I placed some Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a bowl and then used a pastry brush to lightly brush the oil on the tortilla's.  You want to make sure that you oil both sides of the tortilla and then you can even season to taste.  A little salt and pepper will go a long way!  Once I had them oiled I placed them in the oven and just kept a watch on them.  Sometimes you can turn them every once and while, but I just left mine alone. 

Bean Mixture

Once the tortilla's where crisp to my liking I took them out to let them cool.  Now it's time to move on to the bean mixture.  Now there is no right or wrong way to make the mixture.  It's really all about what you like best.  I use three different kinds of canned beans (doesn't need to be the name brand...using the store brand is just as fine and even cheaper!) - black beans, red beans, and pinto beans.  I drain the beans in a colander and let them sit.  I then add some canned tomatoes (but I'm sure fresh will work just as well!) and olives. 

You could also add onions, but since I don't like onions I choose to leave them out.  Although often I will add onions to my husband's meat because he does happen to like onions.

Once you have all that, I add a lettuce, little shredded cheese, sour cream, and some salsa to make my salad.  You could also take your tortilla's and crush them up to make a chip-like salad. 

The finished look!

Overall for this entire meal I spent under $10 to get this meal made.  In my house we always have tortilla's, cheese, salsa, canned beans, and olives in the house, so it can make shopping easier.  But like I said, you can made your salad any way you like.  This is just the version we like in this house!  I hope you enjoy my version of homemade taco salad!  It's cheaper, healthier, and something light for those who really don't want a heavy meal.  And for you non-meat eaters (like me!) using the beans is a good way to get some substance and protein!

Baking Blunders



So there comes a time in life when you realize that what you bought...wasn't actually what you thought it was.  I bought the stick Crisco because I always remember that it's easier for me to work with...rather then trying to measure it out.  But let me tell you, when you buy the stick kind...make SURE that you buy the right kind of Crisco.  I mean I did not want the butter flavor Crisco...so instead of having nice flaky pie crust, I ended up with crust that was hard to work with and wouldn't roll out, so one of my pies died...even though it's still baking.

I so did NOT want Butter Flavor

Flat Apple Pie with Perfect Pie Crust

2011 Ree Drummond, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time: 20 min

Inactive Prep Time: --

Cook Time: 40 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 2 pies

Ingredients

• 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 recipe Perfect Pie Crust, recipe follows
• 6 tablespoons butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In large bowl, stir together the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, salt and lemon juice. Set aside and see how long you can keep from sneaking a slice of apple.

With a rolling pin, begin rolling out the Perfect Pie Crusts into large circles. Roll the dough from the center outward. Be gentle and patient, it'll take a little time to get the dough completely rolled out.

If you think the bottom is really sticking to the surface below, use a nice, sharp spatula to loosen the dough and sprinkle some extra flour on top. Then flip it over to finish rolling. Remember to roll from the center in single, outward strokes, no back-and-forth rolling.

Again with a spatula, loosen and lift the dough and carefully place the circles on large baking sheets.

Place half the apple mixture on one crust and the other half on the other crust. Fold over the edges of each crust so that it covers 2 to 3 inches of the apple mixture. No need to be artistic - the more rustic the better. Dot the tops of the pies with chunks of the butter.

Bake until the filling is golden and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. If the crust appears to brown too quickly, cover the edges with aluminium foil for the remaining baking time.

Allow to cool slightly, then slice into wedges with a pizza cutter. Eat 'em on the go!

Perfect Pie Crust:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks cold butter
• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 egg
• 5 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add in the butter and shortening. Using a pastry cutter, gradually work the butter and shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles. This step should take 3 or 4 minutes.

Lightly beat the egg with a fork, and then add it to the mixture. Next, add in the cold water and vinegar. Stir the mixture together until it's just combined, and then remove half the dough from the bowl. Yield: dough for 2 crusts.

 

Next time I will make sure I have what I need on hand... so this doesn't happen again.  I was really cringing at the finished look, but thankfully it doesn't taste as bad as it looks!  Of course now I have to try and get the goo off my cookie sheets, but overall I'm happy that they are at least editable!

At least I made Nick a happy camper!  He hasn't stopped trying to eat little bits and pieces since it was cool enough to touch.  Tomorrow we shall see what the girls think of it!

Completely collasped, lightly burned edges

Held it's shape, slightly burned in some areas

So let this be a lesson to anyone who, like me, shops and go.  Always...and I mean ALWAYS check your products before you buy them, because you don't want to end up with pie like mine.  Lesson to be learned.