Summer Fruit Salad

Yesterday marked my fathers 49th birthday.  My father is an amazing role model who has always let me be the crazy impatient opinionated tom boy I still am today.  

(obsessed with the fishes from the beginning, naturally) 

 To celebrate his last year in the 40's, we had a good ol' fashioned BBQ with the family.  Thursday marked day 5 of healthy eating for me and  I decided to keep it up and pass on the potatoes, bread, and ice cream cake. 

Instead I opted for grilled chicken, grilled pork tenderloin, beans, corn, and an arugula salad.  

Oh sure a potato wouldn't have killed me but I love love love potatoes, so I decided complete avoidance was the best option.  I made sure the potatoes and bread basket sat at the other end of the table so they didn't taunt and tease me.   

While everyone was eating ice cream cake, I decided " I just passed on potatoes... I can take on THE WORLD".  So I said no to ice cream cake and headed to the fridge for a substitute   I found strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and yogurt.  I also grabbed some fresh mint from the garden and some apple pie spices.  Throw them all together and enjoy :) 

It was a great dessert that left me full and satisfied.  What beats fresh fruit on a hot summer day?  Hooray for strawberry season in New England.  

I would love to hear your healthy dessert recipes.

Fruit pops?

Watermelon?

Send them my way!

Friday Craving

Good morning and congratulations on surviving another work week.    I feel that Fridays deserve a congratulations- maybe even a high five.  

You made it through five days without getting fired and/or killing your co workers? 

 High Five!

It has been a long week here and I am so thankful for the weekend.  First week back from vacation was rough but I am slipping back into my routine.  

Got my Tuesday/Thursday morning runs in (that deserves another high five) and planning a run for tomorrow.  Three days of running on top of hiking, walks, and horse back riding? I will take it. 

After my return from Europe, I decided to try to severely reduce the amount of bread, rice, potatoes and pasta I put into my pie hole.  Spending a week in the Azores shoving carbs in my face left many afternoons trying to name the food babies I had just created.    After countless loaves of bread and a few baby names later, I landed back in the USA with a plan to try to reduce my breads/pastas/rice/potatoes to two meals a week.  

I decided that bloated, heavy, rock-in-your-stomach feeling just isn't worth that bowl of pasta and basket of bread.    Of course I am still going to enjoy those carbs I love, but I am just limiting them to two meals a week.  Week one has been going very well and I haven't missed my carbs, 

until today.  

This morning I woke up and I had one thing on the mind.  It took over my weakened Friday brain, and before I knew it I was gravitating out of my bed and making my way toward the kitchen.

 What did I need so badly?

Pancakes.

The best part? 

I kind of hate pancakes.....

I probably eat pancakes 3x a year and they have to be loaded with chocolate chips fruits nuts or what ever else you can shove into those fluffy buttery cakes.  

I sprung out of bed and proceeded to make cinnamon chocolate chip walnut pancakes while still in my underwear.  30 minutes later I was late for work but had a plate full of delicious hot cakes. 

Maybe it was the change in diet?  Maybe my taste buds are changing?  Maybe I had a really good dream about pancakes?  Regardless, I am a firm believer into giving into cravings (in moderation) regardless of what kind of food regimen you are following.   I have found that cutting out anything completely leads to bingeing   Next time I have a craving for pancakes I am going to try Taralynns Banana Egg Protein Pancakes.  I didn't have bananas or protein powder on hand so I went for the mix version. 

What are some weird cravings you have had waking up in the morning?

What protein powders do you recommend?

Favorite type of pancakes?

Recycle?

It has been a long week- Anyone else feeling that way?

 I was off of work last week for a family vacation in Azores, Portugal (post and pictures to follow).  

Monday I had a full day of work followed by riding all of the horses, grocery shopping, and a few errands.  

Tuesday was a full day of work and then a night behind the bar.  

Wednesday was a full day of work and then diving dinner and drinks and Stonington.  When my alarm clock went off at 6 this morning I wanted to cry.  

(does anyone have one of these 

that runs around the room? I need it)

I meet my friend Stacie every Tuesday and Thursday morning to run 3 miles before work. 

(stacie and I turkey trotting... back when 5 miles seemed doable).

If I didn't agree to run with her I would hit snooze, never run, and be soft(er) around the edges.  I cant stress the importance of committing to meet a running buddy- especially if you are not a morning person- like yours truly.

 This morning I hit an all time low when I snoozed until 6:25 before our 6:30 meet up to run.  

I was too tired to care, too lazy to even think about finding running clothes.

So what did I do? 

 Funny you should ask! 

 I went to the easiest place to find a complete running outfit.  

The laundry basket.

I pulled Tuesday's running outfit out of the hamper.  Still damp sweaty and ripe from my Tuesday morning run.

Yes... instead of spending the extra two minutes finding a clean running outfit in my closet (where I have a gazillion), I went where I knew one was waiting, sweaty in the hamper.  And then I confessed this to all of you.  Yes, I have done this before but usually its a lightly used and dry outfit.  

Nothing says

Rise and Shine Sweetheart 

like a still sweaty RIPE sports bra.  

Not the proudest moment for this lazy runner, but hey... I still got out and ran right? I won't confess how slow I ran those three miles but that's neither here nor there.   Just please tell me I'm not the only one who "recycles"  their workout clothes?

Who has time to get a fresh shirt and do extra laundry... I mean really. 

Ain't no one got time for that....

 I hope...

Summer Running

Be careful what you wish for. 

I was sick of the rain and was begging the sun to show its face and tan me up.  Well after many rainy cool days, we now have consistent hot and humid days. 

 Listen here mother nature.. when I was begging for sun, I was envisioning 80s, dry, cool breeze, and a margarita.  

Instead I got 90s sticky and humid, pit stains and awfulness.  For instance...  I left my Iphone in the car (in the shade) for an hour and the darn thing over heated.  

I take it back- too hot.  The horses don't want to be ridden, the bugs are bad, and even running at 6:30 am is hot.  This is actual my first summer I continued to run  the ENTIRE summer (well so far... I used to be an october to may kind of runner)

  I figured now would be a great time to share some summer running tips.... and steal any that you want to impart on this over heated- sorta runner- definitely rider gal.  

Summer Running Tips:

Hat:  keep the sun and direct heat off of your face-  This will definitely help to keep you cool and cancer free-  Oh and make sure its a vented hat so you don't turn your Sox hat into a sweat rag.  Been there done that.  

I really want this Under Armour hat... 

the Neon speaks to me

Camel Bak:  I love that thing.  Call me pathetic but I even take it out on my three mile runs.  Its hot out and I love to have water even on my three mile runs.  I also took Jill's advice and filled it half way up with gatorade and froze it- this way you have a cool drink and electrolytes.  So So smart.  

Lots of Water;  this ones obvious so I wont go into details.  If you want some deets check out Skinny Runner's recent (and always comical) post on "How to drink more water and become a super model"

Trail Running:  By running on the trails you can run in the cool shade instead of the hot asphalt in the direct sun.  Trail running is a lot more work though so make sure you bring extra water and don't expect to achieve your best 5k time while trecking up steep hills and (hopefully) avoiding tree roots. 

Early morning or late afternoon:  My mind is blown when I see people running at 2 in the afternoon.  Are you crazy? That is the hottest time of the day.  Wake up early or stay up a little later to squeeze in your run before the sun or when it cools down a bit.  I have been squeezing in runs at 6:30 and it is still uncomfortably hot.  2 o'clock is just crazy talk. 

Light and Loose:  Light and loose clothing works best for me when its warm and sticky (and light colors!)  I have even ditched my beloved compression socks ( le sigh ).  Cant be bothered with all that extra fabric while running... and isn't that just another piece of laundry to wash any way?  miss you.....

Know your limits:  Don't push yourself too hard when the thermometer is creeping up on you.  If you are feeling faint and seeing spots.... you pushed too far.  Slow down and enjoy the scenery.  For me, winter is when I set my goals, run my races, and really commit.  Summer = maintenance runs.  

Any more advice- lets hear it!

Happy running and stay cool-
Katie 

Taralynns healthy baked chicken black bean tacos

Happy Hump day

Oh! and Happy National Running Day!

How did I celebrate? 

By taking the day off running.  

Whoops...

it was my day off!

I did a speed workout Monday and hills and rode the horses Tuesday, so that made for a sore Wednesday.  

Oh well.. you will all celebrate for me, right?

I am just wrapping up another work day before I meet my scuba friends for our "Wednesday Night Dive".   Scuba friends- doesn't that sound silly?

 Every Wednesday we meet at the beautiful Stonington Point, in Stonington, Connecticut, a lovely little beach at the end of the borough.   Yes I said borough.... How cute is that?  I will let you be the judge of that.  

 We all meet up after work, gear up, and go on an hour long dive around the point.  It is a shallow dive about 30 feet of water, but, we find lots of fun stuff (LOBSTERS!) 

While the diving is fun, the highlight is the booze and food at the Dog Watch Cafe- an adorable spot right on the water in Stonington, CT.   It is a great time to get wet and unwind with some friends in the middle of the week.

Now.... before I leave to go splash around in the sun, I will leave you this DELICIOUS recipe that I followed this week.  It is Taralynn from Undressed Skeleton's Healthy Baked Chicken Black Bean Tacos.
You can Find Taralynns Original recipe here.

I chopped up all the veggies while reading through her recipe in my clean eats binder.  (lettuce, onion, red pepper, jalapeno) Taralynn's recipe called for ground chicken but I had some pork that needed to be cooked so I used that. 

I cooked up my pork with some taco seasoning from the packet with a little bit of water.  I set that aside and then cooked up black beans and onions in the same pan with some more of the taco seasoning.  (I used a package because I am lazy but I highly suggest making your own- packages are full of salt and other junk). 

I put my bean/onion mixture on a tortilla with some red pepper, low fat cheese, a sprinkle of corn, salsa, and some fresh jalapenos.

Next - I rolled them up and placed them on a lined (and sprayed) cooking sheet.  Let these beauts sit in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes or until the edges brown like so.

Top with greek yogurt, salsa, and jalapenos-   Serve with a side salad with greek yogurt for a dressing.  

I hope you are drooling.
They were so delicious.
Just make sure you find a good salsa and good tortilla wraps that aren't full of unnecessary calories and junk.  

Obviously I did not eat the entire tray of tacos (maybe not so obvious...) but I did individually wrap and freeze them for a quickie healthy dinner. 

 Hopefully they freeze well.

Enjoy! 

5ks forever

Hello There!

How are you?

Sorry for the hiatus but it's summer on the Connecticut shoreline.  You will find me spending more time doing these things (above) and a little less time on here.  But don't worry- I am still running and trying to stick to a healthy lifestyle.  

I traded out long distance for 5ks, evening runs for 6:30 am runs, and trying to eat healthier while still enjoying my favorite treats. 

I am trying to get back on the HIIT bandwagon and trying to introduce more strength training and stretching into my schedule.

If you haven't- sign up for Fitnessista's Summer Shape up find it here !-  meal ideas and workouts... did I mention it's free?

I will be stopping by the blog for updates, recipes, and silly pictures.  I rely on this blog to keep me accountable for my diets, habits  and workouts... or lack there of!

Thanks for listening as always

Happy Summering<3