CincySpin

Blogging Break

2011-08-26T11:39:00.003-04:00

Dear followers of Cincy Spin,

It has occurred to me that my life has gotten much, much busier over these past few months since I started massage therapy school. It's going absolutely great and I am so happy that I've started on this new path. Between two nights at school and my new job - where I've help launch a new website & some other social media outlets - I haven't been able to commit the time I'd like to posting here on CincySpin. So, I've decided to take a break from updating here on the site. I love this blog & I love the outlet it has provided me for the past 3 years. Thank you for following along my life's journey these past few years & for understanding why I need to make this change.
I will be back one day - full of things to say!

~LJ

Johnny's Po-Boy Restaurant

2011-07-09T18:03:00.013-04:00

JJ and I recently took a trip to New Orleans for a few days over the 4th of July weekend and on one of our many days filled with walking around the French Quarter we stopped at Johnny's Po-Boy on St. Louis Street for some authentic New Orleans sandwiches. Johnny's had been recommend to us by a friend who has spent some time in NOLA working with Give Back Cincinnati so I was very excited when we were able to visit the oldest family owned po-boy shop in the city.
We tried to hit up Johnny's on a Saturday around 1pm and we could barley stand inside the fairly small dining room, it was that crowded. So we changed plans that afternoon and hit up the shop the next afternoon when it was a little less crowded. After standing in line for a few minutes and staring up at the big white board filled with Po-Boy options, we decided to split a "Johnny's special" - roast beef, grilled ham, swiss & american cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickle - all piled up on some french bread.
While waiting for our sandwich, I loved all the people watching. Tons of people were bringing out their phones to grab a photo of these huge sandwiches that they were about to consume. The dining room is small, but I did notice some people where headed to the back of the building so I'm guessing there was some more seating back there.
Johnny's is 1 or 2 blocks north of the Riverwalk along the Mississippi River, so JJ had a great suggestion to get our po-boy to go and head over for a picnic along the river. I once saw a show on the travel channel where some guy was talking about po-boys saying that the way to tell if it's a good one is when the juices run down your arm when you take a bit out of it and let me tell you Johnny's did not disappoint - it was totally awesome!

Check out Johnny's Po-Boy if you ever get to the historic French Quarter of New Orleans. Don't be discouraged if there's a line when you visit - it goes fast and if it's a nice day, then I recommend getting it "to-go" and heading over to the Riverwalk area where there are plenty of benches and open green space for a picnic.

Attention Glee Fans

2011-06-07T23:51:00.005-04:00

Check out this video of a mini warbler fan - it totally made my day so thought I'd share it with you - perhaps it will make you smile too!

Maybe not the best lyrics for such a young kid to be singing, but I still thought it was a great video. Love the outfit with his striped tie and matching warbler jacket, love his enthusiasm and how about those dance moves....

Watch out Blaine & Dalton Academy - looks like you've got some competition at Nationals!

Half Marathon Recap

2011-05-18T17:01:00.004-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post with the photo recap on my Flying Pig half marathon, it was a totally awesome experience. I trained for 4 straight months with the Running Spot training group for the half marathon. Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, I would lace up my shoes and follow the running routes that were planned out by our coaches. All of the gals in the picture below have become some great friends of mine and I'm really thankful my path in life introduced me to them through this experience. From left to right below is Julie, Amy, Coach Carolyn, Beth and myself gathered together right before we lined up for the start of the race:We all stayed together for the first mile or so and it was quite a rush to be among the thousands of runners all lined up in downtown Cincinnati. In the sea of all those people, I got separated from my group of girls, but ended up hooking up with another training group member named Adam. He and I ran together for miles 2-6 and that was great. Having someone new to talk with along the race was a really great way to get those first few miles under my belt without freaking out too much about those miles that were still to come. At mile 6.5 the course headed into a beautiful park in Cincy called Eden Park and that was were the relay switch occurred. So, I follow the path to switch out with JJ so he could start his portion of the 4-person relay run and then I continued on the half marathon course. Being able to share about 1/2 mile running with him was a really cool part of the day. Having him support me in so many ways and seeing him along this journey really helped me push on through the middle miles along the route.

After JJ and I split off on different routes, I did have a bit of mental stuff start to happen. From about mile 7 on, I ran by myself along the route, which was not something I planned on doing. From my first training run, I had my running buddies right there beside me. But on this day, we all got separated and so there I was for 6.2 more miles alone with my thoughts. By Mile 10, I had pushed through some of the rough physical moments with my body, but there were some mental thoughts that started to creep in like "oh lord, I still have 3.2 mile to go", but like I had done on several training runs I dug deep and put my thoughts to good use. Remembering that I could in fact finish this and that I had made it to mile 10 already and the rest of the course was mostly down hill, so just keep putting one foot in front of the other to get to the finish line. These pictures of me below are around mile 11 & 12, so I'm almost about to hit the final straight stretch of the course towards the finish line.
One of the Running Spot coaches spotted me with about .2 miles to go and I did my best to hold together the emotions I was feeling. I gave him a huge "high 5" and smiled from ear to ear - I had done it! With Coach Micheal's encouragement, he told me to pick out someone in front of me and beat that person across the finish line - so that's what I did - set my eyes on a gal in a gray t-shirt and pounded my legs so hard that I blew past her as I crossed the finish line.

The numbers broke down like this:

13.1 miles took me 3 hours and 6 minutes at a pace of 14:13 per mile

The feeling of pride & accomplishment when I crossed the finish line...

ABSOLUTELY...100%...PRICELESS

Flying Pig through Pictures

2011-05-04T12:16:00.005-04:00

I had a totally awesome experience with my first (and maybe only) half marathon this past Sunday when I was one of about 20,000 people participating in Cincinnati's Flying Pig Marathon. Here's a quick re-cap through some photos I took along the 13.1 mile course.

Me and JJ at Mile 7

My awesome friends who came out to cheer me on at Mile 11Finish Line with my running buddy Julie and Coach Carolyn
After party at the Running Spot tent with our 4 person Relay Team - Team Swine Flew!

Once life settles down a little I plan on posting about how everything went and some more indepth details about the day. Like I said, it was really great - eventhough it rained the first 5 miles or so, I really embraced the morning and took in all the excitement and emotions that came along with completing this goal I'd set out to finish. I can not thank everyone enough for all the support these last few months and especially the days leading up to the big run. I received tons of shout outs on Facebook and also got many text messages from loved ones cheering me on and all of those mean so much to me. Looking forward to recaping things and getting another blog post up soon with the details and hopefully some of the office race day photos!

It's time for pigs to fly!

2011-04-30T20:04:00.005-04:00

After months and months of training runs and prep work, tomorrow morning is the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon. Tonight we went out for an awesome pre-race dinner with my running buddies to Buca di Beppo and loaded up on some yummy carbs like pasta and italian bread. Here's a quick pick of us before we all went home to get our gear ready for the morning. I'm feeling pretty good about things - I've gotten tons of shout outs and good luck wishes through Facebook and text messages, so it's so helpful to have lots of people cheering for me as I embark on this adventure. A few of my peeps are supposed to be out spectating along the course, so that will be fun to look for them along the run. Got all my clothes ready for the early wake up call, so now it's time for bed for some good solid sleep.Thanks again to all my blog readers for your support over these last few months during my training run posts. I'll be thinking of all those who are behind me while I'm out on the course in the morning!

Peach French Toast Bake

2011-04-27T08:22:00.010-04:00

I decided to make this for Easter brunch this past weekend and it was a great option for a breakfast casserole. In the past when I've made breakfast casseroles, I've usually done the ones with potatoes, eggs, meat, cheese and veggies and they've been delicious. This time, I was in the mood to try a new recipe and got this one from a friend through a post on facebook where I asked for input on people's favorite brunch items. If you are looking for an option that's a bit fruity, but not too sweet, then I'd recommend giving this one a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1 large whole-wheat baguette (about 8 ounces)

8 eggs

1 cup low fat milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups sliced peaches, fresh or frozen

1/2 lemon, juiced about 1 1/2 tablespoons

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Slice the baguette into 1/2-inch slices and arrange the slices in a single layer in the baking pan. Whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk and vanilla. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan. In a medium bowl, toss peaches with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar. Scatter the peach slices evenly on top of the bread. Combine the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover and bake for 40 minutes. Serve warm with (or without) maple syrup.

School Update

2011-04-21T08:13:00.003-04:00

The first three weeks of massage school have been totally awesome. I have class two nights every week - Anatomy on Tuesdays & Massage on Thursdays.

I've had my first anatomy test and got a great score, which made me very happy. The test covered the make up of the body with various systems and anatomical terms for body parts, so lots of good info to have as a base for when we get into the bones & muscles. It's full steam ahead in that class with our next text covering the chapters on chemistry and cells.

In massage class, it's been hands on learning since last week. I really like this part of how the school approaches the learning process. We have before class reading assignments where we learn about new techniques, then the majority of class time is spent practicing on the others classmates. Our instructor demonstrates the way to do the technique, then spends the class walking around each set of students and helps us with hand placement and body positioning. The basic technique we've learned so far is called gliding, where you use your hands to glide over the body to increase blood flow and circulation in the body.

I've done three practice massages on friends and family so far and they've gone pretty good. I have learned something new during each one of them. My massage room is all set up now since my table arrived last week, so I'm looking forward to the learning process and continued practice on people over the next few months. We will build new techniques and learn new areas of the body over the next month during class and be up to practicing full body massage by mid-summertime.

That's about it on the school front, I'm enjoying every minute of it and still feel I've made the right decision about things. There's an amazing energy I'm feeling in class that is very positive and exciting. It's something I haven't been around professionally in awhile and it's very cool to feel how that positivity can spread and make you want to learn more, do more, and be a better person. There are 13 people in my class, so they will all become my new buddies over the next 18 months as we go through this process together. We are all different and come from different backgrounds, but we're all interested in massage therapy and have choosen this new path for ourselves so we'll be needing each other to succeed in class and in real life as we move forward. So that's it for now, not sure how much I'll be able to update things here on CincySpin but I'll aim for at least one school update per semester.

Thanks to all for your support, it means so very much to me.

Running Solo

2011-04-10T14:38:00.008-04:00

Last weekend, I made a weekend trip out to Barboursville, WV to visit friends who recently welcomed a new baby girl into their family. We had an awesome visit and I loved meeting their new addition - who for the record is super sweet and cute (just like her big sister!). Now, with being out of town, I knew I needed to stay on track with my half marathon training and we were scheduled to run 10 miles that weekend. Barboursville is very close to Huntington, WV so I went online to the USA Track and Field (USATF) website and searched for pre-mapped runs in that area. I found a "Marshall Alumni 5k", so I built my extra miles off this run and came up with a 10 mile route I would tackle solo with a newly loaded playlist on my iPod.

I drove downtown, parked my car and head out on my run on a nice morning. I snapped a few pics along the way to document my run and overall it was a great day. Starting out on the campus of Marshall University was very nice. There were several other runners around the area which was nice to see along the way.
Once through Marshall's campus, I head out one of the main roads in Huntington and made my way to Ritter Park which is part of the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District. I am familiar with this park because it is where my friend holds the annual Lexi Black walk for SLOS (check out the link for more info) so I knew there was a 1 mile walking path around the park and there are also tons of beautiful houses and side streets to explore in that particular area too. Checking out these houses and enjoying the view of the park made the time pass quickly along the run.
After a few times around the park, I headed out back to the main road that would take me back to Marshall's campus. I did run into some "shady streets" as I made my way back to the other side of town and some of the roads I had marked on my routed ended up being alley ways, so I choose not to run those and ended up running about 8.5 miles total instead of the full 10. All in all, it was a great morning for a run, especially in a new place. Using the USATF website to map out a run is a great way to explore new areas if you are traveling and want to get in a walk or run. Just be flexible if things don't exactly match up and study your route on the map and turn by turn directions several times before heading out to pound the pavement in a new town. After the run, I headed back to my friend's house, made some coffee and spent the day enjoying the company of two lovey little girls and also loved spending some good quality time with my best friend since 4th grade - hard to believe we've been friends for over 20 years - where does the time go?!!

Leap of Faith

2011-04-05T17:25:00.001-04:00

April 5th is a big day for me. It's been on my calendar since this past September.

Today I'm acting on a dream I've had for a very long time. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. Taking a big chance and trusting my instincts. Putting my faith in a higher power that I will find the answers I need to the various questions that are running through my mind about where this new adventure will take me.

I'm about to walk into my first night of school to become a Licensed Massage Therapist.

Excited beyond words, nervous beyond measure, but 100% sure I am where I need to be for me, at this very moment - the rest will come in time...

It's official...

2011-03-27T15:09:00.003-04:00

As seen in my email in-box today...

Dear Lenna,

Congratulations! You are now registered for the 2011 Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon...

I've made it official by paying for my registration, so it's no turning back now. This weekend was a drop down week with shorter runs for Tuesday and Saturday. Next weekend, we're back up to 10 miles, which I'll be running on my own and not with the group since I'll be out of town visiting a friend and her new baby girl (Yay!). It will be quite challenging to motivate myself to get out there alone and keep going for 10 miles, so I'll be looking for some new tunes to load up on my iPod to jam out to along that upcoming long run.

That's about it for now - thanks for all the support as I embark on completing my goal of participating in a half marathon!

Cincinnati's Bridges

2011-03-19T15:24:00.017-04:00

9.3 - that was the mileage on this morning's Half Marathon training run that covered Northern Kentucky and downtown Cincinnati. It was a beautiful morning and a great day to get out before the sun came up to take in some of the lovely sights in the Queen City. The thing about running in Cincinnati is that you'll no doubt find yourself pounding up and down some hills and what some people don't realize is that almost any bridge is actually a big hill. So when you set out to run 9.3 miles and you look at the route laid out by the running coach and you see 5 bridges on the turn by turn directions, there's a bit of an "ugh" feeling that sets in before you even start your first mile.Alas, I pushed ahead and got moving across the first bridge - The Purple People Bridge - this is a pedestrian only bridge, so it's a nice smooth concrete surface to run along. The bridge goes between Newport, KY and the east side of Cincinnati's downtown area, near the some popular park areas called Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove. On most of our runs, this is usually the first bridge we cross, so it's always challenging to start on a hill, but overall I don't find this bridge too tough to handle. Up next, the Taylor-Southgate Bridge - this is the bridge that I find gives me the most trouble. It's 850 meters, which is similar to the others, but for some reason it kicks my butt every time I cross it. And today, we had to cross it twice (gasp) - on the way out and on the way back - but I made it, thankfully. One awesome moment from today's run while on the bridge was that the sun was coming up right beyond the bridge, so it was a bit easier to focus on the beauty of that image rather than the pain my legs were feeling while running the bridge.

Bridge number 3 was the Licking River Bridge (click link for photo). This one runs over the Licking River in Northern Ky and there's a long gradual hill leading up the this bridge, so it's never fun to cross this one and the pedestrian lane is pretty skinny along this bridge which is well depicted in the photo link.
The fourth bridge of today's run was the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge (the far left bridge in the photo). This one is pretty challenging, however I really like this bridge because of the views it gives you of downtown Cincinnati. It runs between Covington and downtown Cincy and it's right next to the home of the Bengals, Paul Brown Stadium, so when it's football season, you might be able to catch the players out on the practice field.

So, there you have it - a quick tour of some of the bridges spanning the Ohio River that I traveled on by foot this morning. While very challenging, there's a part of me that enjoys the up and downs of the bridges. Usually the down part is my favorite but hey no big surprise there because who doesn't love a downhill!

Temptation Island...

2011-03-15T10:42:00.004-04:00

That's where I feel I've been living lately when it comes to saying "no" or at least "not so much" to sweets these past few days. I've been full steam ahead with my training for the half marathon and even completed the 8.3 mile run on Saturday without much pain or discomfort when I was finished. So, while I'm pulling it together on the running side of things, I've been struggling with staying away from temptations when it comes to my food choices.

And it seems that sweets have been the culprit as of these last few days - cake and ice cream for a birthday party on Saturday night, more cake with yummy icing on Sunday evening at a neighbor's dinner get together, and then last night was the kicker...a reece cup blizard from the DQ! Now, I did share those last two items with JJ, but let's be honest here, I was the one who wanted them and since he's not huge into sweets, he only had a few small bites of each dessert.

I'm not really looking for any feedback or comments with today's post. I'm just putting it out there for my own benefit and need to "come clean" with myself, so that I can move on with things and get back on track. My water intake is up significantly and today's a new day - one where I will recommit myself to myself. I've got running group tonight, beginner's yoga tomorrow night and plenty of good food choices in the fridge for lunches and dinners, so I'm pressing on, despite this past weekend's minor set back!

PS - Did I mention there's been a huge family size box of Frosted Flakes in the control room at work...seriously...temptations are all around me lately!

I'm "flying"...

2011-03-09T10:58:00.007-05:00

In response to the recent question I asked myself last week - click here for more details - I've decided to participate in the Flying Pig half marathon on May 1st. Just need to actually sign up and pay for the half marathon now, but I'm full speed ahead with my training and now working on making sure I get all my training runs and cross training workouts in during the week. I'm also going to start experimenting with energy products like gu gels and sport beans on my long runs.

So, the countdown is on: 52 days until my first half marathon

Up next: Thursday's shorter run (3-4 miles) and Saturday's long run (8.2 miles)

Today's question to those runners out there: what has been your experience with energy products? Do you like a particular kind or find that a gel works better than an energy bar? Let me know your thoughts and experiences!

To "fly" or not to "fly"...

2011-02-28T12:18:00.019-05:00

13.1 miles

That is the question I'm posing to myself after this past weekend's training group run. I accomplished my longest run ever, like ever in my life, 7.5 miles. It's been a tough two weekends with the groups runs - 6.8 miles of Cincy hills and 7.5 miles of bridges and downtown streets. Despite my nerves, I made it through both runs and felt pretty strong after Saturday's 7.5 miler. So strong that while enjoying breakfast with my friends, my ears perked up when one of them told me that you can participate in both the Cincinnati Flying Pig 4-person Relay Run and the Half Marathon. So, after some research that's where I am today - seriously considering runing 13.1 miles through downtown Cincy and some of my favorite neighborhoods the first weekend of May.

When I started this running journey less than a year ago, I never thought I'd be thinking of taking on such a chalellenge. Once I finsihed the Thanksgiving Day 10k run, I did feel that one day I want to tackle a half marathon, I just never thought it would be this soon - less than a year after I started running. But my energy is up, the excitement is all around me, and I feel like there's no time like the present. I'm already half way through the training with the group, so if I want to continue running with them on the weekends, then I'll be uping my miles b/c they're all training for the half - so why not just go ahead and do it - check it off my life's to do list. If I do it, the race falls 11 days before my 32nd birthday and what better gift to give myself - pride and accomplishment on completing my first half marathon, sounds like a pretty great b-day gift to me!

Thoughts - advice - words of wisdom - I'm ready to hear it all. Have you done a half marathon? If so, what's something you wish you'd known before your race? Let me hear it blogger friends!

Gina's Turkey Chili Taco Soup

2011-02-23T07:40:00.001-05:00

I threw together a big pot of this soup on Sunday and it got two thumbs up from our house, so I thought you might enjoy the recipe for your home. This T urkey Chili Taco Soup comes from Gina's Skinny Taste website, which is a new favorite of mine. I did make one change to the recipe below, I cut out the refried beans and used a half can of great northern beans instead of kidney beans. This change clearly indicates that I'm not a bean girl, but it was a huge step for me to use any beans at all, so the smaller white great northern beans are a good choice for me as I try to expand my horizons into the work of legumes!

Here's the recipe:

1.3 lbs 99% lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
10 oz can rotel tomatoes with green chilies
15 oz canned or frozen corn, drained
15 oz kidney beans, drained
8 oz tomato sauce
16 oz fat free refried beans
1 packet taco seasoning
2 1/2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth

In a large pot, brown turkey on medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. When cooked through, add onions and pepper and cook 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, corn, beans, tomato sauce, refried beans, taco seasoning and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer about 10-15 minutes.

Serve with a few baked tortilla chips and your favorite toppings such as low fat sour cream, jalapeños, reduced fat cheese, chopped scallions, onions, or chopped fresh cilantro. Freeze leftovers in individual portions for future meals.

I did make some homemade baked tortilla strips for this dish - it was so simple. Take a few flour tortillas and brush each side with some vegetable oil. Stack them and cut them into strips. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, flipping at the half way point. Just keep your eye on them so they don't burn and they're a great addition to put on this soup with some shredded chedder cheese. Enjoy!

A Family is Like a Football Team

2011-02-21T08:36:00.020-05:00

Today I'm going to share a post from a new blogger on the blogging scene. Some of you may have noticed I've added a few new sites to the list of websites I often browse. One of those sites, Communicate Support Inspire, is written by my Mom and I thought I'd share one of her recent blog posts that I enjoyed - perhaps you might find these words applying to your family too.

A Family is Like a Football Team

My Mom typed this up for me many years ago, when I was raising three young children. It's been on my refrigerator ever since!

"A family can be a lot like a football team. Everyone has a different assignment, and if one does it well, and works well with everyone else on the team, the family can have a winning season, and some even a championship season."

If you don't learn to cooperate well with each other, everyone else on the team will suffer. A winning season makes everyone happy.

Your folks, and the rest of the family, deserve to be happy. Give each other a chance. You're not going to stop loving each other just because we all have other people in our lives. It doesn't work that way. The members of a football team change every year, but when we all pull together, we can still have that winning season."

As I read this article so many years later, it still rings true to me! Our family has changed a lot! Our kids are grown and gone, living their adult lives; three of our four parents are gone now; and our "football team" is certainly heading into another season of changes! But that doesn't mean we love each other any less. Our "football team" is still playing strong, why, it's even growing - with a daughter and son-in-law now - and we're all still headed for that winning season!

May your "team" always be strong, too --Best always, Carole

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T14:25:00.007-05:00

Whether you love or hate this often called "hallmark" holiday, there are a few fun ideas out there for celebrating the love we share with our friends and family. My favorite way to spend Valentine's Day is cooking dinner and watching a movie with my hubby. We celebrated this past weekend and made JJ's mom's lasagna and watch The Social Network, which was a pretty good movie. Here are a few things I think would make for a fun way to celebrate, if you're into celebrating Valentine's Day:

How about a heart shaped pizza from Papa John's for your sweetie? According to their website, they sold over 60,000 of these during last year's promotion, so Papa is on board again this year to deliver this fun dinner idea. If pizza's not your thing, then what about this...

Take your sweetie out to dinner at White Castle...yep, I said White Castle. Doing this tonight would have required some advanced planning though because believe it or not the restaurant often sells out for available spots for their dinner service on Valentine's Day. For the past 20 years, White Castle staffers have been playing up on the fun and offering up table side service at each booth, which is cover with linen table cloths and adorned with fresh flowers. You must love the sliders to make this your valentine's day choice, but it seems like a fun way to spend the evening. Don't want anything to do with food to display the way you celebrate this day...

Then you can never go wrong with good old fashion flowers! I got this beautiful red rose today when I walked into work. This really made me smile and was a great way to start the day. A very nice co-worker from the morning show shift went out on his lunch break, picked up a bouquet of roses and passed one out to all the ladies to celebrate Valentine's Day - now how cool is that - it certainly lifted many people spirits and got the day started off right in my book!

So, however you celebrate Valentine's Day (or don't celebrate), enjoy today - share a laugh with a friend, tell your loved ones how much they mean to you and pass on some positive energy to others, because it's the cool thing to do!

Meatless Meals #2

2011-02-02T08:05:00.008-05:00

Guess who went and stole my idea....Oprah...that's right, I said it. "Lady O" owes me some money I tell ya, because it was just two weeks ago that I posted about wanting to start cooking more Meatless Meals for dinner in our house. And wouldn't you know, what was yesterday's Oprah show about - going vegan - and she talked about having Meatless Monday's at her Harpo studios in Chicago. I'm telling you, girrrllllll owes me some money for copyright issues, don'tcha think?!!?

If you didn't see the show and have any interest in this hot button topic, then I highly suggest you check it out. Here's a link to her website with more about the show. There's an interesting segments where correspondent Lisa Ling visits a slaughterhouse. While this segment might be hard for some to watch, it was the first time I recall seeing or hearing about the details on how cows are treated at the feed lots, transferred to slaughterhouses and put through the process of becoming packaged meat.

Now on to another recipe that I whipped up last night. This is what I call cooking without a plan. I pulled out some veggies from the fridge and we had some cooked thin spaghetti noodles. So here's my take on another meatless meal:
Chop up some fresh broccoli, onion, tomatoes and flat leaf parsley. Heat some olive oil in a medium size saute pan and add the broccoli with some garlic. Once that is cooked, set aside and to the same pan add the chopped onion, tomatoes, and parsley. Squeeze some lemon juice over that mixture and saute for a few minutes. If you so desire (which I did), add in a little white wine too. After the onion mixture softens, add the broccoli back into the pan and toss in some cooked spaghetti noodles. I let all this cook together for a few minutes and below is a picture of the finished product. It was pretty good and the lemon juice gave it a very fresh flavor, which made me think that this would be a great meal to eat during the summer months. You could easily add grilled chicken this dish to satisfy the taste buds of the carnivores in your life too. Enjoy - and don't forget to post any meatless meals you and your family enjoy in the comments section - Thanks!

Turkey & Rice Stuffed Peppers

2011-01-24T17:15:00.001-05:00

The original recipe for this dish comes from Gina's Skinny Recipes. This gal has a great blog where she posts a new recipe almost every day and she includes the weight watchers info for each dish for those who are counting points with that system. I really liked her take on stuffed peppers - she suggested cutting the peppers length wise, which I thought was great because it made the peppers easier to cut up and eat with out loosing a bunch of the filling. The other great thing about her recipes is that you stuff the raw peppers with the filling, then you add 1/2 cup of chicken broth in the bottom of the pan, cover it with the foil to cook, which ends up steaming the peppers.

Here is my take on the recipe:

1 lb cooked ground turkey
small amount of minced garlic
1/4 chopped onion
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp chef tony's creole spice mix
salt & pepper to taste
3 red bell peppers
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook rice according to directions on box. In another pan, saute onion, garlic and parsley for about 2 minutes and add ground turkey. Add spice mix and cook for several minutes until meat is completely cooked through. Add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of chicken broth, mix together and cook on low for 5 minutes. Combine cooked rice and meat together.
Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, and remove all seeds. Place peppers in backing dish and add meat mixture into each pepper half and fill it with as much as you can. Sprinkle each pepper with cheddar cheese. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth on the bottom of the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 40 minutes.

The finished product - Enjoy!

Just Do It

2011-01-21T15:38:00.015-05:00

Today I conquered one of my fears and ran 3 miles in the snow. So, given this accomplishment, I declare myself a true runner. Winter running can be extremely intimidating and with this being my first cold weather running season, I was totally freaked out about running in the cold, snow and ice. I did end up joining up with the running group to get ready for the Flying Pig Relay and that got me out for a run earlier this week. They also met on Saturday mornings, and tomorrow is supposed to be something ridiculous like 5 degrees. While I'm excited to be getting back out there with the girls, I'm not all about lacing up my shoes for that type of cold weather run. So, when I left work today and saw the sun shinning, I got a big burst of ambition and challenged myself to get out there today and do my 3 mile run when the temps were around 15 degrees and it was a bit warmer than it will be in the morning.

It may not have been my fastest 3 miles and I may not have had the best form, but today I got out there in about 5 inches of snow and just did it. I layered up in some cold weather running gear and like Nike says, I said to myself - "Just Do It" - so I laced up my shoes, headed out the door and before I knew it I was half way through the run. Overall, it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. With the snow packed down, it was almost like running on sand just much colder and instead of hearing the ocean waves all you can hear is your shoes squeaking down as they pack down on the piles of snow, which is pretty freaking cool!

I took some video to document my run. That may sounds silly to some people, that I taped myself running, but it's honestly something that I never thought I would be doing, especially in the snow with the temperature around 15 degrees. So if you want a good laugh, watch this quick clip from my first snow running experience:

So here is today's message from CincySpin (courtesy of Nike):
"Just Do It"
No matter what it is, no matter how many time you've talked yourself out of it, no matter how much you don't want to, no matter what the out come - at least you will have tried and most likely succeeded at accomplishing your goal - just like I did today with completing my first run in the snow!

Meatless Meals

2011-01-17T08:38:00.005-05:00

In an effort to make adjustments towards a healthier lifestyle, I've been looking for some meatless recipes. Many websites & blog promote "Meatless Mondays" and offer lots of suggestions on how to make the switch, which is helpful to get more ideas other than pasta & salads.

While we have not fully adopted Meatless Mondays in our house yet, I am trying to make one meal a week that does not include meat, poultry or seafood. So, here's my first recipe for a meatless dinner:

Mariana, Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
2 portobello mushroom caps

Mariana sauce

Fresh spinach leaves

Feta & Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to broil setting. On medium heat, saute mushroom caps in some olive oil on for about 5-10 minutes, flipping the caps to cook on both sides. Place mushrooms in baking dish and fill the caps with marina sauce, spinach, feta & shredded mozzarella cheese. Broil in oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This is a very informal recipe - I didn't do any measuring of the ingredients, so just go with the flow on this & fill the mushrooms with whatever amount looks good to you and bake them up. I'm sure you could also bake them on 375, but I like the cheese a little browned, so the broiling them worked out great for my tastes.

If anyone has any suggestions for meatless meals, I'd love to have your recipes. One good thing for me is that JJ will eat anything, so that's great to have someone who's up to trying new things. I am the one with the less than adventuresome taste buds, but I am trying to expand my palate and have done so in the past few years. I feel this challenge will help push me beyond my comfort zone when it comes to food. Just this weekend we enjoyed a night out at some friends house and I tried some chili with beans, so that was a big step for me. I didn't eat all the beans, but a few snuck in and it wasn't too bad!

So, suggestions and thoughts on this topic are welcomed. Let me know what types of meals you & your families are eating this year!

Flying Pig Relay Run

2011-01-12T20:04:00.009-05:00

It's time to commit to some running events to kick off this year. Signing up for events helps me stay focused on training and also helps motivate me to get off the couch & get moving! So far, the "big" race I've committed to is the Cincinnati Flying Pig relay run. By doing the relay version of the Flying Pig, you create a team of 4 people and the course is broken up into 4 zones, so the longest distance anyone runs is just under 8 miles. Here's the break out on each leg:

Leg 1 - Start line to Eden Park at Mirror Lake = 6.84 miles
Leg 2 - Eden Park at Mirror Lake to Wasson Ave = 5.16 miles
Leg 3 - Wasson Ave to Eastern at Linwood = 7.67 miles
Leg 4 - Eastern at Linwood to Finish Line = 6.55 miles

JJ has already laid claim on the shortest distance - leg 2 - but what he may not be aware of this that particular leg is pretty hilly. The "upside" (pun intended) to choosing this leg is that it goes through the Hyde Park neighborhood, which is well known for being a place where tons of people are out cheering on race runners. After talking with him the other day, he now says he really doesn't care which leg he gets and that he was just joking about wanting the shortest leg.

I think I'm going to run leg 1 - 6.83 miles - this way I can kick off our team run and my team mates, who are probably all faster than I am, can make up some time on the other legs of the run. I'm also excited about running the first leg of the race because I'll be able to meet up with my running group gals! They are all running the half marathon, so I know it will be fun to be with them for the first half of their run. The girls have joined the half marathon training group with the Running Spot, so they're out there in this January cold weather already pounding the pavement. I'm very tempted to join the group also, even though I'll be running 7 miles and not the full 13.2. Being part of the group motivates me to show up at the group runs and push myself when I'm out running. I'll keep you posted if I decide to join.

What's not motivating me right now are the cold temperatures in Cincy - it's snowy, windy and icy and that just doesn't sound like a fun way to get back into running. But I've stocked up on some cold weather running gear, so I just need to bite the bullet, lace up my shoes and hit the ground running (again, pun intended).

I'll be using Cincyspin to track my progress with my running this year. I also plan to load up the Dolce more often once Spring rolls around and hit the bike trails. So, cheers to making the commitment - I hope it's a fun & healthy year filled with bike rides, running events and maybe even some yoga!

Cheers to a new year - 2011 is here!

2011-01-02T08:23:00.006-05:00

This time of year can really be inspiring. The obvious is making the New Year's resolution, which some people say they don't make because they don't want to set them selves up to fail on the first day of the year. Many people set up goals around this time of the year and succeed in accomplishing them - so when ever the time of year - I say go for it and make it happen.

Cheers to a great start for 2011 - I hope this year brings you many days filled with laughter, love, adventure and happiness. Best Wishes for an awesome year ahead from CincySpin!

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

2010-12-15T16:56:00.004-05:00

1 bunch of broccoli - broken into florets
1 bunch of cauliflower - broken into florets
1/2 cup raisins
6 strips of bacon, crumbled
thinly sliced red onion, to taste

1 cup mayo
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar

Got this reicpe from a neighbor and it turned out pretty good! This was a nice side dish to have with some grilled chicken and it would also be good with a good option to take for a pot luck dinner to share with others. What I like about this dish was that I was able to pick up some locally grown veggies from an indoor farmers market, so the raw broccoli & cauliflower together were very fresh and crunchy. It took no time to throw this together and I did think letting it sit in the fridge before it was served helped all the flavors come together nicely. I do think I'll make this in the future, but I'll be playing with the dressing a bit - maybe cutting back on some of the sugar and mayo. Whether you make it following the recipe or you decide to put your own twist on this salad, I hope you enjoy it!

Food, Fun, and Bling!

2010-12-13T16:50:00.009-05:00

A few weeks ago, my Mom and I gathered up a few friends and hosted a Premier Jewelry Party. It was the perfect opportunity to break out some of the fun party hosting dishes I have and serve up some delicious snacks. I made Spinach Dip and some Creamy Chicken Pastry Pockets, which were fantastic. And the big hit of the "food party" was the milk chocolate fondue - so many fun dippers, all of which were great! Mom brought brownie bites, fruit, graham crackers, pretzel sticks and my favorite...drum roll..."naked buckeyes"! That's right, she made up the insides of buckeye candies and then we dipped those in the chocolate fondue!
I can't say enough about how easy it was to host the jewelry party - all I had to do was come up with a list of friends and the Premier consultant did most of the leg work! See all that fun, sparkly jewelry she brought for people to try on - it's all laid out on the table behind her. I liked how she brought several of the pieces from the catalog - I think seeing jewelry in person helps people decide if it's something they will wear.
And see all these shiny sliver boxes - all 12 of them - those are all free pieces of jewelry we received as party hosts. Since my Mom and I split the hosting duties, we split the free benefits too and both got some great new jewelry to show off this holiday season!
Nothing like a new pair of earrings & necklace to to spice up some of the clothes already in your closet!

Thanksgiving Day Race Photos

2010-12-02T21:27:00.009-05:00

The start of the race - with the poncho and shower cap...

The shot below is around mile 4 - not the most flattering photo...

And the crossing the finish line with my friend Julie.
We were both ready for some warm, dry clothes at this point!

Thanksgiving Day Race

2010-11-26T12:27:00.007-05:00

This is what I planned on wearing to the Thanksgiving Day Race...
Short sleeve race day shirt, arm warmers, running pants, and my new Asics running shoes...Below is a picture of the additional items I wore the morning of the run...
That's right - it was quite the rainy morning on Thanksgiving Day, so I added the poncho, a baseball hat and a shower cap to the race day outfit!

As it turned out, the majority of the rain came down in the hour leading up to the race, so when we crossed the start line it was only a light sprinkle. Once the race started, I warmed up quickly so I ditched the poncho between mile 1 - mile 2 and the shower cap came off between mile 3 - mile 4. The race was pretty fun despite the rain and I enjoyed seeing all the girls from my training group on Thanksgiving Day!

My time for the race was very similar to my time for my first 10k, so I didn't go breaking any personal records with the Thanksgiving Day Race but it was an awesome accomplishment to finish a second 10k this year. My official time was 1:23:38 and my pace was 13:30 per mile, so I was right on track with my timing all through my training runs.

I enjoyed seeing all the runners and spectators along the race course who were shouting out "Happy Thanksgiving" and other words of encouragement. Some people wore the turkey or pilgrim hats, others had on full turkey costumes - overall, it was a great way to kick off the Thanksgiving Day holiday!

A Day to Give Thanks

2010-11-24T11:54:00.005-05:00

Warm wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving this week to all my dear blog readers out there. When trying to decide on a blog post about Thanksgiving, I came across the poem below and wanted to share it with you today. May you have a relaxing and peaceful day with your loved ones this Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving

by Douglas A. Cox

Thank you for the water

That soothes my deepest thirst

Thank you for the folks who see

The best and not the worst

Thank you for the air I breathe

The earth on which I stand

Thank you for the miracle

Of one hinge in my hand.

Thank you for my family

My friends who've come to know

That our words shape the life we live

They are the seeds we sow

So speak the words that heal the wounds

Of prejudice and hate

Replace the words the cynics choose

Before it is too late

Say thank you in your silence

Say thank you right out loud

Say it in your deepest heart

And shout it to the crowd

Thank you Lord for all these gifts

For giving me the choice

For helping me to see the good

And giving me a voice.

"In our joyous Thanksgiving may we find the path to peace!"

Update: Running Group

2010-11-17T14:09:00.002-05:00

A quick glance at the blog lately and it seems that all I've been doing is cooking, baking and eating with all the recipes I've been posting! While these things have been the theme these last few posts, I've actually been up to a few other fun things lately.

I'm still participating in the running group and will run in the 101st Annual Thanksgiving Day Race this Thursday morning. The running group has been going pretty good this fall, but I will admit that I've not been as committed to the training as I was back in the summertime. Not sure what's been the reason behind this, but it is a lot more enjoyable to run in the fall temperature versus the hot summers ones.

A few weeks ago, I had my first running "issue". While out on a Saturday morning run, I was about 3 miles into a 5 mile run and out of no where my left hip started hurting with severe pain. The pain came on fast and was so intense that I had to hobble a few steps to catch my balance and not fall over. I tried to stretch it out and finish the run, but when the pain wasn't going away, I decided to walk in the rest of the way back to the car. I was glad to be with the group on this day because it was good to hear other's opinions and ideas on how to treat the pain. I treated my hip that day with ice and took some advil. After about 3 or 4 rounds of ice, things got to feeling better and I was back to running like normal by mid-week.

After talking with my chiropractor, it was mostly likely an IT band issue. The IT band runs along the outside of the leg, from the butt area down to the knee, and is a common muscle that gives runners trouble. Many people experience problems down near the outer knee area, but the pain and tenderness is also known to run all along the outer side of the upper leg. When I was at my doctor's appointment last week, I mentioned this issue to him and he showed me some exercise that can be done to stretch the IT band. He recommended using a baking rolling pin and rolling that down the side of the leg, staring up by the hip and pushing down on the muscle as you roll the baking pin down to the outer leg all the way down to the knee. I thought this was a great suggestion and a great way to use a resource that you probably already have in your home.

We did a training run that covered the entire 6.2 miles of the Thanksgiving Day race course, so I'm feeling very ready for this Thursday morning's run. Let's just hope the weather isn't too much a of a pain - right now the weather people are forecasting rain all morning long, so we'll see what it's like in a few days! Either way, I'm excited to take part in this run. It's a very well known race in Cincinnati and what better way to start out on a holiday than participating in an event that gives back to the community. This year the proceeds from the race will assist many charity groups like The Ronald McDonald House, Girls on the Run, Children’s Hospital, St James of the Valley, Kilgour School, Roger Bacon, and more. I'm really happy to know that some of the funds will go to the Girls on the Run group - I just did my first volunteer event with them this past weekend, so I'll be dedicating some future blog posts about them to share some more information with you about this awesome organization! So that's it for today's "non food" related post - have a great day!

Creamy Chicken, Bacon & Cheese Pockets

2010-11-17T12:13:00.000-05:00

I made these yummy appetizers this past weekend for a party. The recipe comes from Our Best Bites and I thought they turned out great. A few thoughts on working with puff pastry - I found it a little hard to manage - I don't have a large area to roll out the dough, so I was trying to dust my largest cutting board with flour and roll out the pastry dough. It worked fine, but I was thinking about how nice it would've been to have a big counter space to work with for pastry dough. All in all though, I had no major problems with these and I'd recommend them for your next get together! Here's the recipe from Our Best Bites:

Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pastry Pockets

1 box puff pastry (2 sheets)
1 8oz container Philadelphia Chive and Onion flavor Cream Cheese
1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 C cooked shredded chicken breast
1/3 C cooked crumbled bacon
3 Tbs finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 egg
1 Tbs water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Microwave cream cheese for 20-30 seconds to soften. Place in a mixing bowl with mozzarella cheese, chicken, bacon, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine and set aside.
Defrost puff pastry sheets according to package directions. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll one sheet at a time into a 12 x 12 inch square. Cut 4, 3 inch strips each direction to make 16 squares, 3 x 3" each.

Place about 2 teaspoons of cream cheese mixture onto each square. With your finger, brush a dab of water around the edges of each square and fold over diagonally to make a triangle. Press edges together and crimp with a fork to seal. After stuffing and folding each pastry, place on a baking sheet. Whisk egg and 1 tablespoon water together and brush over the top of each pastry. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving - they can also be served at room temperature.
One more thought - I did have some of the left over chicken mixture, so I improvised and put it in a shallow casserole dish, topped it with some of the shredded mozzarella cheese and baked it for about 10-15 min at 375. It turned out to be an awesome dip and it was a great snack to have with some triscuits while watching college football.

Overall, I'd say give these a try - they were a big hit at the party...Enjoy!

Breakfast Success

2010-11-15T15:40:00.004-05:00

After a long run on Saturday morning, I was really hungry - in fact I had pancakes on the brain. That's all I really wanted, but once I drove home from my run I wasn't in the mood to go drive back out to a restaurant, so I whipped up what ended up being one of my new favorite breakfast treats.

I surveyed the fridge and my plan was to make scrambled eggs with veggies and bacon. When I opened the vegetable drawer there sat a huge portabella mushroom that was totally calling my name! I sauteed that baby right up in some olive oil and threw some diced red onions and green pepper along side the mushroom cap and pulled them all off the heat once they were done. Trying to keep the dishes to a minimum, I wipped out the pan and scrambled up two eggs with a dash a black pepper. Once the eggs were ready, I added the veggies and some shredded mozzarella cheese and mixed that all together. When the cheese was melted, I topped the sauteed mushroom cap with the egg mixture and sprinkled on some more cheese and it was fantastic!

This was a really fast and easy breakfast to make. It also seems like a great way to come up with new ideas if you use the mushroom and eggs as starter ingredients...so many good combos come to mind - diced ham & cheddar cheese, spinach and feta, breakfast sausage with onions and peppers. Basically just pick some of your favorite omelet "fillers" and see what tasty combinations you enjoy!

Shrimp & Veggies with Pasta

2010-11-01T08:10:00.003-04:00

One website I enjoy checking in on often is The Pioneer Woman - she's got tons of recipes and often has awesome give-a-ways too. While reading her blog one day, she told readers about a guy named Ryan who was going to be doing a guest post for her. Turns out Ryan runs a blog called This is Reverb and he's a pastor at a local church here in Cincinnati. Apparently, in addition to being a Pastor, Ryan is also quite a cook . So, this part of this recipe comes from his blog and it gets two thumbs up in my book!

Spicy Orange Shrimp:

24 pieces (26-30 Per Pound) Deveined Shrimp
2 cloves (to 4 Cloves) Garlic
¾ cups Orange Juice
½ teaspoons Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
3 Tablespoons Salted Butter, Divided

Thaw and peel the shrimp. Thaw them by running them under cold water for a few minutes. Dry the peeled shrimp by draining them on a paper towel or two.

Thinly slice your garlic cloves. Add the garlic to ¾ cup of orange juice. (I used the minced garlic from the jar for this part, but I'm sure freshly sliced garlic is a better choice!) Use a nice high quality orange juice. Measure out and add all of the spices to the orange juice as well.

In a large skillet over high heat melt 2 tablespoons butter. Once butter has melted add your shrimp. Cook them for about 30-60 seconds and begin flipping them over starting with the ones you placed in the pan first so they don’t get overdone. Cook for another 30-60 seconds. Remove the cooked shrimp from the pan, leaving the heat on high.

Once the butter and drippings begin to smoke ever so slightly add the spicy orange garlic mixture to the pan and give it a good stir. Add the last tablespoon of butter to the sauce and after a few minutes of cooking and occasional stirring your sauce should be slightly thicker.

Return the shrimp to the pan and give them a nice toss to coat them in the sauce.

Roasted Vegetables:
This is a really quick side dish to fix when you've got some vegetables that need to be used up quick. The night I made these veggies, I used mushrooms, red onions, red peppers and broccoli. Drizzle the veggies lightly with olive oil and season with a dry herb seasoning.

The finished product - I served the shrimp and veggies over some whole wheat pasta - Enjoy!

Trick or Treat!

2010-10-31T09:28:00.007-04:00

Cheers to a safe and fun Halloween weekend to all - this year Halloween at our house has been pretty low key. We didn't spend time or money recreating this year's most popular costume. What is this year's most popular costume you may ask, well according to Google the answer is there's a tie - that's right a tie between Lady Gaga and the cast of the Jersey Shore. Now obviously, those two options are for adults and I'm sure there are many other choices for kids that are topping the most popular lists.

What I find interesting about dressing up in costumes for Halloween is how those costume choices change over the years as we age. As infants, parents dress their precious little bundles of joy up as bumble bees or tiny pumpkins. As kids, many want to be super heroes like Superman or Wonder Woman. When we enter our younger teen year's, choices might navigate towards what we want to be when we grow up, like a doctor, or you start to trick or treat in groups with friends and everyone dresses up as the same thing - you've seen this, there will be like 5 or 6 girls all dressed up as disco chicks or something like that. Now, for most older teenagers, they're going to opt for the more scary costume - dress in all black, put on some freaky face paint and a wig and that's all you'll get for their costume. Some teens still pull out the more creative side, which can be fun to see what type of costumes they come up with - most will pull from the celebrity side of things, like impersonating their favorite actor or movie figure. Then as adults, when we're invited to Halloween parties, we come up with all kinds of creative ways to make people laugh when we let go of our in habitations and let our fun side show every now and then to come put with some great get ups.

Now, on to the Trick or Treat part of this post. When are people too old to go around trick or treating? I find this to be an interesting questions as I've recently started flipping on the porch light and passing out candy these last few years. I love seeing all the cute kiddo's come up to the house and open their bags or holding out their plastic pumpkins, saying trick or treat for a piece of candy. Some of them brave and confident on what they are supposed to say, others getting right up to the house, then looking back at their parents at the end of the drive way, looking for encouragement on what to say. These are the years of innocence - when there are no worries in life, when you are protected by parents and just out to have a good time! But all that changes when the next group of "kids" knocking on the door is a bunch of sometimes "obnoxious" teens who hold out their pillow case and don't even speak to you. They expect you to just reach down in the bowl and continue to fill their bags up to the brim with more candy. Those few sentences may make me sound like someone who's bitter about passing out candy - like if I'm going to have the porch light on, then I should just be okay with anyone and everyone who comes around trick or treating. What I've learned over these last few years as a home owner, is to have fun with those older kids. Not too much fun to the point where they'll make note of your house number and return to egg your car, but just to make it fun for all parties involved. Case in point - if you are a teenager who doesn't really put any effort into wearing a costume, then expect to do some "tricks" when you roll up on our house. JJ and I will make you stand far back from the candy bowl and you'll have to catch the candy as we toss it to you - or if you come up to the house and don't say "trick or treat" and just hold open your pillow case, then we'll ask you what is that that you want. So, my point to this post (or rant) is that if you are going to participate in the trick or treat game, then play the part - get a costume, dress up, and say the "trick or treat" phrase - it isn't that hard and it's usually fun too!

I hope everyone has a safe, fun and Happy Halloween tonight. I leave you with a few photos from last year's Trick or Treat night in our neighborhood. Even Miss Ella got into the spirit of dressing up!

Bagel Dip

2010-10-21T15:19:00.005-04:00

This is one of the easiest appetizer's out there and it's a pretty big crowd-pleaser too! It's simple - one block of cream cheese and one 5 oz jar of Old English chedder cheese. Throw them in a bowl, stick the bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds to soften, then mix together with a mixer until you get a smooth texture. Cut up some bagels - I went with plain, but I bet onion, whole wheat or everything bagels would be great too - and there you go, that's it! Take this to your next gals get together or a tail gate party and be prepared to give out the recipe (if you even want to call it a "recipe"). Enjoy...I bet this would go great with some of those fresh bakery soft pretzels...Mmmm!

Dressing up for Dinner...

2010-10-18T18:10:00.014-04:00

Located in the Mandalay Bay is a wonderful "progressive American cuisine" restaurant where JJ and I celebrated our one year anniversary. Aureole - pronounced with the "O" emphasis like "Oreol" - has been a fixture in Las Vegas since New York City's Master Chef Charlie Palmer expanded his culinary roots out West to open this location back in 1999. The restaurant eludes a sense of sleek sophistication the minute you walk through the door and see the four story wine tower housing the nearly 10,000 bottles of wine they offer. As you walk down the stair case surrounding the wine tower, you are welcomed to the dining room where crisp white linens and fancy china adorned the tables which are lit by candle light.

We were greeted by a gentlemen who offered us the choice of the Chef's fixed menu or a wide selection of a la carte menu options for our dining experience. We were also given Aureole's wine list. This was a bit overwhelming actually because their wine list is not presented on the traditional paper menu, there are so many choices offered to patrons that the wine list is stored on an e-tablet type computer. According to their website, they use the world's first electronic wine list to track their extensive collection. Luckily for us, once we narrowed our choice down to an Italian red wine, the restaurant's sommelier came to our table to help make a wonderful selection of a blended wine to compliment our dinner selections.

Watching the servers and house staff glide through the restaurant was like watching a tightly choreographed dance routine. Each table has several dedicated staff members attending to the table, always making sure items are removed as soon as they are used, while not being too over bearing. This finely crafted service allows guests to sit back and enjoy a wonderfully romantic evening.

My entree selection was the grilled New York strip steak served with a Mediterranean ratatouille and rosemary garlic pesto, which only has two words to describe the way this dish tasted - simply delicious. JJ went with the seared sea scallop minestrone prosciutto tortellini, which was beautifully plated and tasted wonderful. In addition to our entrees, we shared the truffle mashed potatoes and the buttered asparagus, both offering a great compliment to our entree selections. We splurged for the dessert sampler too, where we enjoyed small bites of meyer lemon creme brulee, mocha chocolate cake, strawberry shortcake - all amazing. We were also treated to the variety sampler of sorbets, including pineapple, watermelon and orange flavors - again, each one was amazing.

As we enjoyed our evening at this fine restaurant, it was a real treat to watch the wine tower in action. You see this four story tower not only houses the wine bottles, it includes a complex pulley system where "wine angels" glide up and down pulling out bottles of wine as they are selected by guests. For more details on this unique feature check out the wine angels who were featured on Oprah's dream job segment - click here for the video.

If your travel plans ever take you to Las Vegas and you're looking for a place to splurge on a wonderful evening out, do your self a favor by making a reservation at Aureole. It's the perfect place to dress up, sip wonderful wine, indulge in delicious food and enjoy a night out on the town.

Happy Anniversary!

2010-10-10T14:17:00.001-04:00

Celebrating our 1st anniversary at our pool side cabana...

Watching the NFL games all day and soaking up the sun...

Cheers to my love - thank you for making me the happiest girl in the world!

Viva Las Vegas, baby!

Walking for a Cure

2010-10-05T05:40:00.003-04:00

A few weekends ago, I participated as the team captain for the Wendy's Warriors team in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure walk in Cincinnati. We had an awesome time doing the walk and raising money for the fight against breast cancer. Enjoy some of these photos from the event!
A big thanks to everyone who traveled to Cincinnati for the walk. Together the Wendy's Warriors team raised over $3,500 for the Susan G. Komen foundation. If you'd like to continue to help us raise money and awareness for all the great things the Komen society does, please click here to visit our team page.

One last photo I'd like to share with you - below is a picture of me and my college roommates. We all share the wonderful bond of true friendship, a bond that runs deep into our hearts. We've supported each other through getting married, having babies, getting new jobs, and now we are supporting each other as our best friend Wendy battles against breast cancer. True friendship calls on each other to be there for one another during the good times and the bad, much like a marriage. I am proud to call these ladies some of my best friends. In the first few days of our friends diagnosis, we yearned for answers to questions like how could this happen and why did it happen to her? How can we help her or what can we do for her and her family? That's how "Wendy's Warriors" was formed - friends coming together to help one of their own during an unspeakably difficult time. None of us pretend to know what it's like to be in Wendy's shoes, but all of us plan to continue to walk right next to her in her journey to beat breast cancer. Thanks for listening as I've shared with you the reason why I was involved in this year's Greater Cincinnati Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure!

Turkey Meatloaf

2010-10-03T15:52:00.005-04:00

1/2 small onion, chopped
small amount of minced garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup ketchup + 2 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onions and garlic in the olive oil on low heat.

*In a medium bowl, mix together ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, 1/4 cup ketchup, salt & pepper and sauteed onions & garlic. Once everything is mixed together, form meatloaf and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

*In a small bowl, mix the remaining 2 tbsp of ketchup with 2 tsp worcestershire sauce and brush this mixture on top of the meatloaf for a tangy glaze.

*Bake uncovered for about 35 minutes. Slice, serve and enjoy - I served this with some roasted potatoes and peppers. Of course, it would go great with mashed potatoes and a seasonal vegetable too!

This was my first time making a turkey meatloaf and both JJ and I really liked this recipe. Using the ground turkey is a great option when trying to cut back on red meat and because the turkey is so lean, there was absolutely no grease like there is when I've made a meatloaf with a ground beef/ground pork mix. I would recommend checking on the loaf as it nears the end of the cooking time to make sure it's not getting too dry. Let me know if you try this recipe and if you & your dinner guests enjoy it. I think it will be replacing the beef/pork meatloaf we usually make in our house!

PS - the above picture doesn't do this meatloaf justice. I tried several times to get a "good" picture of this dinner and I've decided that there is just something about meatloaf that doesn't offer the most appealing photos. But I assure you, it tasted very good!

Cincinnati Style Chili

2010-09-21T18:39:00.009-04:00

1 1/2 lb of lean ground beef

1 (29oz can) tomato sauce

1 (14 1/2oz can) diced tomatoes (whatever size you like) - I used petite diced

small onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp.. chili powder

1 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 toe of garlic

3 bay leaves

Brown meat - cook onions with meat - drain grease. Place meat and onions in large pan or crock pot. Add rest of ingredients. Cook slowly 4-5 hours covered. Remove bay leaves and garlic before serving. Serve on a bed of spaghetti and top with grated cheddar cheese. I also like to put onions on top. We also like it as a coney sauce for grilled hot dogs or you can just eat it in a bowl with crackers.

This recipe comes from a new "friend" of mine and it's fantastic. I used the word "friend" in quotes because I've never actually met this friend in person but we've been chatting it up on facebook for about a month! Readers of the blog may remember my awesome new beach bag I got this year and the maker of that bag, 2 Moore Stitches, is the holder of this recipe! She tells me that she thinks the chili is actually better the next day. She also posted that she often makes a double batch of chili and freezes the leftovers.

JJ is a big fan a Skyline Chili and used to eat it almost every night of the week when we first met. As of late, he doesn't eat it as often and when he does he usually subs out the chili for their rice and bean mixture as his topper for the noodles smothered in cheese. However, he's always up for me trying new recipes, so he was totally on board when I suggested having this for dinner one night. It probably came as a big surprised because I've just recently started to even like Skyline.

He took me to Skyline on one of our first dates and I couldn't even finish one chili cheese coney, that's how much I didn't enjoy the taste of Skyline. But about a year ago, I decided to give Cincinnati style chili another try and found that it wasn't so bad after all. With this chili recipe, I tried to crumble the meat up as small as I cook as I was browning it to get a very thin texture similar to the original Skyline chili. The only small change I made from the recipe above was using 1 tsp of minced garlic from the jar, other than that, I followed the directions above and it turned out great. I had a nice sized portion for my dinner and JJ ate 2 plates full, so clearly it was a hit at our house. So thanks 2 Moore Stitches for your Cincinnati Style Chili recipe, I think it will definitely become a staple in my recipe book for many years to come!

Finishing the Air Force 10k

2010-09-19T14:28:00.018-04:00

Yesterday was an amazing day. I finished my first 6.2 mile run with a better time than I expected. The weather was wonderful, the energy was awesome, and all of that was shared with some great friends! We meet up in the dark hours of the morning, 5:30am to be exact, to car pool up to Dayton for the Air Force 10k run, which was at the Wright Patt Air Force Base. All morning long, huge military aircraft were flying over head, buzzing though the sky with such great force, giving me chills every time one flew overhead. I captured this shot right as the sun was starting to rise over the buildings on the base.
Once we got through the traffic madness and made a pit stop at the porta john's, we headed to the starting line to take off for the 10k. The picture below show the military planes that are all along the finish line for the races.
During the run, I felt pretty good for the most part. There was a pretty big hill between mile 1 and 2 and our group agreed to power walk the hill, which helped us not be totally wiped out for the remaining 4 miles. We stayed with our 3 & 1 intervals of running and walking during the entire 6.2 miles. I did start to have some doubt around mile 4 about how strong of a finish I was going to be able to have. Mind over matter, that's a popular saying, right? That's what I had to do, I leaned on my friends, who were right there encouraging me along, and pushed though some of the mental doubt that was starting to creep up on me.

Coming up to the finish line was such a great feeling. I knew that JJ and my parents were going to be in the crowd of people cheering everyone on as they finished and I couldn't wait to see them. As we turned the corner to head down the final stretch of the run, it was really emotional to see all those planes lining the way for us as we pounded our feet towards the finished line. About 100 yards out, I spotted JJ and my family and heard them shouting out my name, encouraging me as I crossed the finish line. As my running buddies and I crossed the finish line, we threw our hands up in the air and cheered out as all three of us had just completed our first 10k run. Right after finishing, we were presented with our medals by members of the Air Force, which was a pretty special moment.
The numbers break down like this - my total time for 6.2 miles was 1:22:15. My goal was to finish in 1:30:00, so it was a great feeling to have beaten that time. My pace per mile was 13:26, which is good for me. I finished number 1260 out of 1701 runners and in all female runners, I finished 641 out of 967.
Thanks to my running girls - Beth and Julie - for pulling me through miles 4 & 5 and pushing me to the finish. A big thanks to JJ and my parents, who showed up and fought the traffic to make it to the finish line to watch me accomplish this big goal of completing my first 10k run. Having you guys there was really great and I am thankful for your support!

Crossing the finish line...

2010-09-18T16:40:00.004-04:00

Check out this video that JJ got of me and my running girls approaching the finish line for the Air Force 10k run - my first 6.2 mile run!

Floating down the River

2010-09-11T20:36:00.023-04:00

On Labor Day weekend, JJ and I took a little adventure and drove out to Morgan's Canoe Livery and enjoyed a 3 mile canoe ride along the Little Miami River. We went to their Fort Ancient shop, which is in the town of Oregonia, just about 30 miles northeast of Cincinnati. According to their website, the Morgan family built the livery in 1969 and "chose this secluded section of river for its natural beauty and protected isolation, as well as being the best canoeing section on the Little Miami."
It was another beautiful day in Cincy and I've really been wanting to go canoeing all summer. Some how it always seems that every weekend fills up during the summer months and before you know it, time has flown by and we're heading into fall. Now, don't get me wrong, fall is my favorite season and probably a great time to canoe, but I really loved being out on the river soaking up some the last few rays of summer sun. It was pretty crowded that day with lots of other families taking the opportunity to get in some quality time along the river. Our 3 mile trip was nice and relaxing and there hadn't been much rain around, so the canoe actually scrapped some rocks a time or two. Truth be told, most of the very relaxing 3 miles canoe ride for me was spent like this:
Laid back with my feet propped up while my awesome husband did all the paddling. Am I not the luckiest girl in the world, he's the best!

Balsamic glazed salmon

2010-09-10T08:42:00.003-04:00

2 salmon fillets
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1tbsp honey
1tbsp white wine
1tsp Dijon mustard
salt & pepper
dried parsley

Make 2 aluminum foil "boats" and place salmon fillets in center. Mix ingredients and poor over fish. Marinade salmon for about 30 minutes.

Grill salmon (in foil "boats") for about 10 minutes on medium heat. After 10 minutes, transfer fish directly in grill for 5-10 more minutes to finish cooking. (I recommend getting some non stick grill spray to use so the fillets don't stick to the grill - Weber makes a good spray option). Fish should easily flake with a fork when done.

Serve with rice & veggies or over a Caesar salad!

Sugardaddy's is So Sweet!

2010-09-08T18:02:00.007-04:00

On a recent trip to Columbus, I made a stop at Sugardaddy's bakery. This spot was featured on the Food Network show "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" and ever since hearing about this store, I've wanted to check it out. Now, most who know of Bobby Flay would probably agree that he's not know for his confectioneries, but he was willing to take on the challenge of competing against the fine folks at Sugardaddy's for a "throw down" on who could make the best brownie. Now that's my kind of competition! Sugardaddy's is know for their "couture brownies", which is is a phase that has been trademarked by the owners. The shop in Columbus definitely has an upscale "couture" feel and is a fun place to check out. Here's some shots from inside their shop near the Polaris shopping center.

The staff at the store was super nice and very helpful while I was mulling over all the fabulous choices. "My new friend", aka the Sugardaddy's employee, told me all about their brownie flavors, how they can package the brownies if you're giving them as a gift and she also shared with me that they've started to use their brownies as crust for cheesecake. I had a sample and it was some seriously out of this world deliciousness. The case full of fresh brownies:

After a great trip to this fun store, here's a shot of all the goodies I purchased on my first trip to Sugardaddy's:
6 brownies:
1 American Beauty Brownie (no nuts)
1 Rich Mint Brownie (My favorite!)
1 Dark Berry Brownie
1 Cinnamon Blondie
2 Strawberry Blondies

1 bag of "Pocket Change" - American Beauty brownie bites. Sugardaddy's cuts their brownies into circles, so they have tons of left over crusts. They've cleverly bagged up those left overs and sell them, which my new friend at the store tells me is the most economical option when purchasing their sweet treats.

Cheesecake with Dark Citrus Brownie Crust - definitely check this option out if you're a fan of brownies and cheesecake (and who isn't a fan of those two things!).

So, who won the "Throwdown" of Sugardaddy's vs. Bobby Flay?

Sugardaddy's, of course.

Go ahead, order some - you know you want too!

Lasagna

2010-08-31T08:43:00.004-04:00

Here's the ingredient list if you're interested in adding this meal to your grocery shopping list.

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 onion - chopped
minced garlic (I use a small amount of minced garlic from the jar)
parsley (I use a couple of shakes of dried parsley)
oregano (I use a couple of shakes of dried oregano)
salt and pepper (to taste)

1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
1 can tomato paste (12 oz)
1 can crushed tomatoes (15 oz)

*Brown ground beef with spices and add chopped onions. Add the 3 cans of tomato products to the pan and simmer all together for about 1 hour.

1 carton cottage cheese
1 beaten egg
salt and pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

*While that is cooking, mix together cottage cheese, egg, parmesan cheese and salt & pepper together and set aside. 9 cooked lasagna noodles
16 oz of mozzarella cheese (I use 2 8 oz bags)
* Cook lasagna noodles according to directions on box.

Then build your layers in 9 x 13 baking dish - start with 3 noodles, meat mix, cottage cheese mix, then mozzarella cheese. Repeat those steps and you'll end up with 3 layers ending with the mozzarella on top. Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes.If you asked me my favorite meal, lasagna ranks pretty high up on the list. This recipe has become a favorite in our house and it's often made when we celebrate special occasions like anniversaries and birthdays. This recipe comes from JJ's Mom. One thing I like about this recipe is that it calls for cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese, which is cool with me because I'm not a fan of ricotta. I usually serve this with garlic bread and salad and it makes for a great family dinner!

10K training run update

2010-08-26T08:40:00.003-04:00

I've been participating in some more training runs to get ready for the 10K (6.2) mile run I have on September 18th. So far, so good. I'm currently running consistently 2 days a week and have been trying to get in one other day with some type of cross training - mostly walking, though it's a great week in Cincy for a bike ride - perhaps this will be how I spend my Friday afternoon!

The past several Saturday mornings I have been getting up at 7am to go to running group where we are running about 2 miles. The past 2 Saturdays I have stayed late and ran 2 extra miles, making my most recent weekend runs 4 miles. The first time I did extra miles I felt great. The weather in Cincy had been really really hot with temps in the mid 90s and high humidity, but luckily when it came time for my Saturday run, the weather had become more manageable and I pushed through the extra 2 miles by myself with my some good tunes on my iPod to keep me company. Then last weekend, a few of the girls in the group wanted to get some more miles too, so it was nice to have the company, even though two of them were kicking my butt and I was bringing up the rear!

So far this week I've run on Monday and Wednesday nights. Monday was a 3 mile run and it was great. I met up with one of the girls from the Hyde Park Blast training group and we ran through an awesome neighborhood where there were tons of other people out exercising. It was really great to see so many people out walking and running - families pushing kids in strollers, people out with their dogs, other groups of gals pounding the pavement - it's nice to be in a neighborhood where so many people care about being active.
I snapped this self portrait last night before the group run - kinda silly I know, but since I'm using the blog as my "online journal" I figured I'd show you all that I really am enjoying this new adventure and nothing says that more than a picture with a smile! Last night we ran 2 miles. We did a very familiar out and back route, which is where you run 1 mile out and turn around and run 1 mile back, but I have to say the best part about last nights group run was our impromptu girls night out! There's an English pub right next door to the running store and it just so happens that Wednesday's is also Ladies Night - Yay for us! It was a much needed gathering for many of us as life is giving us lemons and we are all trying to make lemonade out of things. A great night with some great gals - lots of laughs and a few cocktails, not bad for a Wednesday night if you ask me!

Roasted Butternut Squash

2010-08-16T10:34:00.002-04:00

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash - peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon garlic & herb seasoning

3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

* In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix to coat the squash, marinate if time allows

* Place squash on a nonstick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with foil, throw away marinade

* Bake until the squash is tender and brown about 20-25 minutes - make sure to flip the squash at the half way point.

The finished product...

We really enjoyed this summer side dish with our dinner the other night. JJ got a huge bag of fresh vegetables from his Dad's garden over the weekend and I wasn't really sure how to tackle the ol' butternut squash. I know we never had it growing up in my house and I'm not sure if I've ever eaten it out at a restaurant, but I was up for the challenge of figuring out a way to prepare this "new" vegetable. I fired up google and came up with this recipe from the food network. I did alter it slightly on the suggested seasoning and I also cut about 10 minutes off their suggested cooking time. (Click here for the original recipe.) JJ must have been impressed with my cooking abilities on this one because he told me like 15 times how this was "the best squash he's ever had and he wasn't even sure it was going to make it out of the bag" - which made laugh. Truth be told, if I would have been given a butternut squash a few years ago I probably wouldn't have even thought about cooking it, but my taste buds have changed and I'm enjoying being more adventurous in my cooking. So if you're in the mood for a really tasty summer side dish, give this one a try - I think you'll like it. Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Bread

2010-08-12T17:22:00.000-04:00

I whipped up this delicious bread and I think it will be a big hit with JJ, who has been on a huge blueberry kick lately The recipe comes from the Joy of Baking website and it was very easy to follow. On the website you will find a extra step that calls for a glaze for the bread, I decided to skip this step, so that part of the recipe is not listed below.
Here's my take on the Lemon Blueberry Bread Loaf:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch).

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Ta-Dah - now I think a slice of this bread would be a great way to start your day - Enjoy!

Air Force 10K Run

2010-08-11T16:20:00.001-04:00

I registered for my first 10k (6.2) mile run. I'm still kinda surprised that I actually followed through and signed my self up for it. My running buddies have been staying committed to their training and I've kinda slacked off for a week or two and I can totally tell - they are kicking my butt - they are running 3 and 1 intervals and I'm barley able to breath! But, sometimes it's a good kick in the butt that we need to get us motivated to push ourselves on to bigger things, even if they are intimidating. So, after a poor effort at a run last night, I've decided to re-commitment myself to myself. It's time to get back on the wagon, sick to a training schedule & get ready for my next run. This seems to be what gets me moving - signing up for a run, paying the registration fee and setting a schedule that will help me stay on track to complete my goal.

So, here I go again - I'll be posting updates about my training runs here on the blog. Some of you might not want to hear about these, so no pressure on reading those posts as they come over the next few weeks, just skip on past them! Posting about my feelings on the training runs helps me stay committed to everything and keeping this "online" journal helps me follow through on meeting my goal.

September 18th - that's the date for the Air Force 10k Run - so the countdown is on and I say bring it!

Lexi's 3rd annual walk

2010-08-10T08:32:00.008-04:00

I had a great time at the Alexis Black walk for SLOS awareness in Barboursville, WV this past weekend. About 125 people gathered together for the walk and many shared their stories on how Smith Lemli Opitz has played a role in their life. My friends Mandy and Jason put on an awesome walk that so many families enjoyed and it was truly evident by the smiles beaming on all the faces throughout the day. Enjoy some of these pictures.

Crowds gathering at the registration tent:

Mandy, Lexi and Jason:
Lexi with her SLOS friends
(L to R: Lexi, Spencer, Kamryn, Carson, Riley and Cody)

Some of the SLOS families who travelled to WV for the walk:

Lexi loving the swing set after the walk:

There is still time to contribute a donation to the SLOS foundation through Lexi's website if that's something that interests you. Thanks for your time and check back soon for some of the video I took during the walk!

Tudor's Biscuit World

2010-08-09T09:30:00.004-04:00

"Start your day the homemade way" - that's the slogan for Tudor's Biscuit World - a West Virginia chain restaurant that specializes in homemade buttermilk biscuits. Tudor's serves up breakfast sandwiches and plate lunch specials to the locals and it's seems to be a favorite spot among many visitors too. While visiting some friends this past weekend, a Saturday morning breakfast run was made to the biscuit world. No doubt these people know how to do biscuits. The biscuits are huge and looked delicious. Tudor's offers many varieties of biscuit sandwiches. Ham and Cheese, Sausage Egg & Cheese, Plain Buttered Biscuit with Jelly - those all sounds pretty typical of local fast food chains serving up breakfast treats that are easy to eat with one hand. However, Tudor's has taken their game of breakfast "sammies" to a whole new level...enter The Mountaineer. A homemade buttermilk biscuit, egg, cheese, hash brown, and country ham - all in one very tall, artery clogging sandwich. I think most people who consume this beast will need to eat with two hands, the thing is that big!
In my research for this blog post, I did find it interesting that no where on Tudor's website is any nutrition information listed. Normally, restaurants list the calories that go along with the menu items - now these listings might be in the very fine print - which most people won't notice, but those looking for the info know where to find it. I was also surprised to learn that this point was actually the talk of the town in WV earlier this year when a proposed calorie count bill failed that would have required all chain restaurants to list caloric figures for their menu items. A version of the bill did pass into law, but there it was amended made to take smaller chains, like Tudor's, out of the bill.

Here's a report from the West Virginia Public Broadcasting channel that gives some more detail about the bill and how lawmakers actually ate free samples of Tudor's biscuits while they were discussing the bill.

I'm really not that surprised that Tudor's Biscuit World does not publicly post the nutritional information for their food. My guess is that anyone eating at a Tudor's breakfast biscuit sandwich *and* slurping down a large Sweet Tea to go along with it really isn't interested in knowing that they are probably consuming an entire day's worth of calories in one meal. But that's just a guess...

Lexi's Walk Weekend

2010-08-05T08:12:00.004-04:00

This weekend is the 3rd annual Alexis Black walk for Smith Lemli Opitz awareness. If you are a long time reader of Cincy Spin then you probably remember when I introduced you to Lexi in 2008 and told you a little bit about her genetic condition. Click here if you'd like to read that post.

The short version of her story for new blog readers is that Lexi (who is the daughter of my best friend from high school) was born with a condition called Smith Lemli Opitz (SLO). SLO babies are unable to make the right amounts of cholesterol, which is essential nutrient in cell development in our bodies. The range of developmental problems ranges from mild to very severe. I am happy to report that Lexi is developing extremely well and is one of the happiest 3 year old kids you'll ever meet!

If you would like to learn more about ways to support research for SLO families then I encourage you to visit Lexi's fundraising site. Thanks for taking a few minutes to learn about where I'll be spending my upcoming weekend celebrating life's blessings!

2 Moore Stitches

2010-07-29T09:15:00.007-04:00

Check out my new beach bag - I'm so excited to have one of these hand made bags! This bag is made from a friend of a friend, who lives in the Carolina's, and uses her fabulous sewing talents creating custom hand made bags of all shapes and sizes. The beach bag is her latest original design. After many trips to the beach and needing several bags to hold everything for her family, the owner of 2 Moore Stitches decided to come up with an original design that holds up to 4 or 5 towels, has 2 large pockets for bottles of sunscreen and a personalized pocket sized to fit your cell phone.
These bags are made from outdoor upholstery fabric so they are sure to stand up to the sand and other weather conditions out at the beach. In case you are wondering, here are the measurements: 23 1/2 " wide x 18" high with an 8 1/2 " bottom.
I can't wait to debut this bag when we take our next trip to the beach. That's not on the radar for us this year, so I'll be carrying this one to the pool for sure before the summer's over! I was also thinking that it would be a good bag to have on hand for lots of things - like a weekend get-a-way or a bag for food snacks for a long road trip. This is actually my third purchase from 2 Moore Stitches. Last fall I ordered two custom purses for my best friends as thank you gifts for being a part of our wedding party. One great thing about her bags is you get to pick everything - from colors, to designs - all you do is send her some colors you'd like to have, she'll go to the fabric store and email you some suggestions and then you're off and running towards having a 100% custom hand made bag and how fun is that!
If you're on Facebook, check out the awesome page that 2 Moore Stitches has set up. Just do a search for them and click the "like" button. I have no doubt that you'll enjoy browsing through all her photos of the many bags she's created. If any of you wonderful readers are interested in getting in touch with 2 Moore Stitches, please leave me a message in the comments section on this post and I'll be happy to pass along her contact information and answer any questions you might have on things like cost and delivery fees.

Tour d'Burg 2010

2010-07-24T11:35:00.008-04:00

We participated in a 25 mile bike ride a few weekends ago up in the 'Burg. The interesting thing about the Tour d'Burg ride is that there's not much of it that's actually in the 'burg. It starts and ends in Miamisburg, but the majority of the ride is through some surrounding towns.
JJ had to preform some minor surgery (aka bike maintenance) on my Dolce before we got started. I was having some trouble shifting into the larger gears, which is not so great when you're gearing up for a road ride. But because JJ is a rock star and knows how to fix just about anything, he was able to get the Dolce back in good shape in no time.

JJ's Dad and his wife joined us for the second year. We all joked that we could just skip the 25 mile ride and instead ride down to a local greasy spoon for breakfast, but since we'd all already paid our registration fees, we pushed through the early morning fatigue and all loaded up on the bikes ready for a fun morning.

That's the best part about being out on the bike. Once you get started, it's like there's this energy that sets in and you're crusin' along, enjoying the miles as they're racking up. I felt really good out there on the Dolce this year. We enjoyed a leisurely pace for the first 12 miles, enjoying the scenery along the route. One fun part about the beginning of the ride is that one of my work buddies and his girlfriend came up to the 'Burg this year for the ride. It was really fun to start off riding with them and showing them that area that I call my hometown.

We hit the rest stop at the half way point and enjoyed some refreshingly cold water and gatorade. I remembered from last year's ride, that the rest stop also had some sweet trail mix, so I was happy to see that it was there this year too - it was tasty! We caught up some friends who were riding the 50 mile ride so it was great to see them and hear how their day was going.
After we re-fueled, we got back in the saddle and headed out for the remainder of the ride. Overall, it was an awesome day spent with family and friends. After the ride, we cruised the vendor area and chilled out at TJ Chumps restaurant for the afternoon. Chumps is fun place hang out after the ride because their patio sits right along the official race course for the professional riders. So, as we were enjoying some adult beverages, every few minutes a huge pack of cyclist would fly by as they were competing in the different races.

Food at work...

2010-07-23T17:29:00.005-04:00

Another day, full of temptations...

Seriously, this is a true test of will power on someone who wants to live a healthier lifestyle.. Lord, give me strength!

The Hamburger Wagon

2010-07-22T10:09:00.018-04:00

This past weekend, we went to my hometown of Miamisburg for the Tour d'Burg bike ride (more on the ride on my next post). Miamisburg, or the 'burg as I like to call it, has really undergone some wonderful revitalization's since I used 45342 as my zip code and it's great place to visit.

There are several community events throughout the year that are fun to attend - things like Cruise The Burg (car show), Thunder Burg (motorcycle show), Boo in the Burg (Halloween party), and the Spring Fling Art Show. The downtown 'burg area has exploded over the last few years, with restaurants offering patio seating, a wine shop, an ice cream parlor, an outdoor adventure store and a movie theater is in the works to open soon, all of those business are situated right along Main Street.

One long standing tradition is still going strong among all these new comers - the Hamburger Wagon. According to their website, this white wagon stand has been dishing up burgers around Miamisburg since the early 1900s. This link will take you to their website, where you can read more about the history of the Hamburger Wagon.

Now, nothing about these small bite size burgers is healthy. It's kinda like mystery meat, rolled into a ball, smashed flat and then cooked in lard. Yes, I said lard. The wagon's only big enough for two people - one burger maker and one order taker. When it's your turn in line to order, it's kinda like ordering hash browns at a Waffle House - you know, I'll take an order of hash browns scattered, covered, smothered, and chunked. (That's hash browns with cheese, onion and ham, for those who are curious!) There are no condiments at the Hamburger Wagon - it is a simple set up bun, burger, pickle, onion, salt and pepper. That's it. They buns are lined up right on the counter with the toppings ready for the burgers to come out of the skillet. Ordering goes like this:

Wagon Order Taker: "How many do you want?"

JJ, when he ordered: "10 - 6 regular, 2 no pickle, and 2 plain" And that's it. You pay cash, because they only take cash, and you wait off to the side of the line for the order taker's arm to hand out a sack full of greasy burgers. Now, the whole time you eat your burgers, you're thinking - I should not be eating this! And you're asking yourself "Do these even taste good?" But, if you know Miamisburg and/or you grew up there, then you know the Hamburger Wagon and you eat them with pride, even though you know they are not one bit "good" for you. They remind you of your childhood, and that's a good thing! So, I end this post with a shout out and thank you to the fine folks of the Hamburger Wagon. Thanks for being part of the vendor scene at the Tour d'burg event. Indulging in two burgers, no pickle for me, was just what I needed to get back some energy for the afternoon after the 25 mile bike ride - or at least that's what I'm telling myself!

Brains on Bikes make it to DC

2010-07-19T13:29:00.002-04:00

A few months back, I wrote a blog post about the Brains on Bikes group. Two strong and powerful women, cycling across the country to raise awareness for brain cancer. Well, here's some awesome news...

I am happy to report that Anne Feeley and her friend Gundy have completed their Brains on Bikes journey and arrived safely in Washington DC on July 17th! A huge CONGRATS to them and their supporters - what an amazing, life changing journey. Together, these women cycled nearly 4,000 miles, covering 9 states beginning in San Fransisco traveling all the way to Washington DC.

All of these photos are posted on the Brains on Bikes facebook page - if you spend time of facebook, check them out. There are tons of amazing pictures from their cross country journey and you'll also be able to keep up with them on future efforts to spread awareness for brain cancer research and developments. (The rights to all these photos are attributed to the Brains on Bikes facebook page & fan photos)

It's a 'Jungle' out there...

2010-07-15T09:02:00.013-04:00

Last weekend I met up with my cousin Kara and we headed out to Jungle Jim's for the afternoon. It was a fun day of catching up with each other and checking out all the unique items the international market has to offer.

Just look at the picture below, all of those jars are filled with honey. According to their website, this is known as the Jungle Jim's Honey Table. The table offers hundreds of varieties of honey and more options can be found throughout the store along the international aisles. Now, that's just sweet! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Now this aisle below is the whole reason I wanted to make the trip up to this mega store...

It is an aisle dedicated to chocolates, candies and biscuits from England. I was extremely fortunate to travel to London in the summer of 2000 and participate in a study abroad program. While I did fall in love with many things while traveling to this wonderful place, thinking about all the candy varieties I tried while on that trip brings back some really fun memories! We would have class in the mornings, break for lunch at the Queenslarder Pub in the Bloomsbury neighborhood, where I stayed, and them some classmates and I would stop off at the corner market to stock up on sweets before our final afternoon class.

Below are the ones that I indulged...the Double Decker by Cadbury is by far my favorite. It's a crispy cereal bottom layer, a chewy nougat top layer, all covered in delicious milk chocolate. There is said to be a slight hint of coffee in there too - now I know why I got addicted to them for the month I lived in London!

Kara and I found ourselves in the beer and wine aisle, where the choices were just overwhelming! She picked up a blueberry beer she had heard good reviews on and I bought a build-your-own 6 pack with some summer brews for me and JJ.

Have you been to the 'jungle'?

What are your favorite aisles at Jungle Jim's?

Share, why don'tcha!

Food at work...

2010-07-13T17:51:00.004-04:00

It is impossible to not be tempted by all the food that is often brought in where I work.

You name it, it is usually around - chocolate chip cookies, salty chips, ice cream stocked in the freezer, homemade cakes for birthdays, free samples sent in by new restaurants opening, etc.

This picture below shows my point...

Seriously people, brownie wars! Today I gave in to temptation - I was simply forced, for the good of humanity, to eat two brownies - and they were delicious!

My vote was for #1, but maybe I should have another taste test just to make sure...

A Day on the Loveland Bike Trail

2010-07-12T06:47:00.015-04:00

Saturday morning was a beautiful day in the 'Nati so I dusted off my bike and headed out for a ride along the Little Miami Scenic Bike Trail. My running buddy and I met up in historic downtown Loveland for our jaunt north towards the town of Morrow. The portion of the trail we road covers 13.2 miles. We enjoyed a nice leisurely ride out the 13 miles and stopped off at a very cute ice cream shop called Miranda's. This is a great place right off the bike trail that offers ice cream, BBQ sandwiches, and a restroom - which is very nice! We enjoyed our sweet treats and took a break from the bikes for a few minutes to soak up some of the gorgeous sunshine the day was offering. The fine folks at Miranda's also put out a huge jug of ice water for local bikers to use when they stop at their restaurant. Thanks Julie for introducing me to Miranda's - I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you find yourself cruising along the bike trail in Morrow.

After our stop, we snapped a self portrait and headed back south for the 13.2 mile return trip.

We wrapped up the day with a stop for beverages and lunch at Paxton's bar and grill back in Loveland. Paxton's is right on the main street off the bike trail and offers a nice selection of "bar food" to snack on after a day of exercising. And nothing beats a hot day on the bike trail like a huge glass of water and a pint of Bell's Oberon Ale - d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!

All in all, a great day spent enjoying the summer weather in Cincy & a fun day out on the Dolce.

Shrimp Scampi with Penne Pasta

2010-07-08T08:11:00.004-04:00

(white wine, not shown)

My version of a recipe from Tyler Florence from the foodnetwork.com website. It calls for linguini, but I only had a box of penne on hand and it worked just fine.

1 pound linguini pasta
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 shallot, finely diced
2 teaspoons on garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

Cook pasta according to directions on box. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to pan, stir well and season with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately and enjoy this yummy seafood and pasta dish.

Lemon Herb Pork Chops w/ Veggies & Rice

2010-07-05T08:25:00.011-04:00

This was a delicious twist on grilled pork chops. I usually use BBQ sauce on the chops, which is good, but this lemon herb marinated was a great way to get in some citrus flavors, which is perfect for summertime.

Grilled Lemon Herb Pork Chops:
Juice of 1 lemon
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
couple dashes of a mixed herb seasoning of your choice
4 pork chops
*In a large zip lock baggie, mix together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add pork chops and marinate for at least 2 hours (save some of the marinade for basting). Grill marinated chops on medium to high heat, they will take about 5-7 minutes per side. Baste the pork chops frequently with the lemon herb marinade.
Veggies and Rice:
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
small bunch of asparagus
mushrooms
olive oil
2 cups of whole grain rice
*Chop up all the vegetables and toss with olive oil. I used a grill basket and cooked the veggies right on the grill at the same time the pork chops were cooking. Cook the rice according the package instructions. Most directions call for rice to be cooked in water, but I always use chicken broth to cook my rice - I think it gives the rice more flavor. Once the rice is done, add in the grilled veggies.
The finished product - Mmm, enjoy this fabulous summer grilling dish!

Inspiration from anywhere

2010-07-01T10:04:00.001-04:00

I thought this quote was fitting given my current interest in running...

While this is not from some great source of quotable intelligence, it did provide me some inspiration as I ate my way through a piece of Dove milk chocolate!

More HP Blast Photos

2010-06-30T15:26:00.002-04:00

Lacing up our shoes with the timing chips - truth be told, I could have had a much better time because JJ and I got our chips mixed up and I put his on by accident. I could have been 10 minutes faster...shoulda, coulda, woulda!
Here's a photo of me between mile 2 and mile 3 - more truth telling....we were actually on a "water & walk break" here, but I saw the camera guy and "got my run on". You can tell by the laughing and smile on my running buddy's face that it was pretty funny...notice how she started to run also, with her water cup in her hand!Right after the run, we cruised the vendor tent area - filled up on some fresh baked pretzels, goetta sandwiches and cashed in on the 2 free beers.
After a nice long nap, shower and some R & R on the couch, it was time to head back to Hyde Park Square for the night. Some great music by a local band called The Rusty Griswolds, great company from my running group gals and of course more adult beverages. It's been a long time since I've partied it up like that, so we topped the night off by grabbing some late night munchies....stuff like loaded cheese fries, wings, and all that good & greasy stuff. It was so much fun and a great way to end the day!

Hyde Park Blast

2010-06-27T14:58:00.018-04:00

Finishing the Blast was totally awesome! I had so much fun at the run yesterday morning - the weather was pretty good and being one of about 2,000 runners was a great feeling. The race started at 8am and I finished in under 1 hour, which was one of my goals. I actually had a better time on the run than I've had the entire 2 months of training when we've done 4 mile runs. Here's a great group shot of the gals I've been running with:
Here's how I finished: my total chip time was 54:14 - that's a 13:34 pace per mile; in women ages 30-34, I finished 184 out of 221 runners, and overall I finished 1757 out of 2056 runners.

I started out strong, felt very confident and comfortable for the first 2 miles of the run. There were 2 water stops along the route and they definitely came in handy when I felt like I was in need of them. There was a long gradual up hill in between mile 1 and mile 2 that was pretty brutal. I really focused on pushing through some of the pain that my legs were feeling and finished the up hill with a power walk, then went right back into the 2 and 1 interval run/walking. As we approached the 3rd mile, I told my running friends that this was the spot I was worried about, we were coming up on the approach to a really big hill and it's also the area where my negative emotions have gotten the best of me on previous training runs. The gals were really encouraging and one friend told me to focus on the upcoming water stop and not the up coming hill. We pounded through mile 3 and then it was time for Handasyde hill. We started the hill on a run interval, our coach encouraged us to at least try running for 1 minute, so I picked up my feet and marched up the hill. I made it on a run for about 1:30, then it was a power walk to the top. Once we hit the down hill, we only had a half mile to go and it was smooth sailing from there. As I came down the street where the finish line was it was so awesome! People were lined along both side of the street, cheering everyone along and I spotted JJ there, ready to snap some pics as we ran it in. It was really fun to see him and that gave me a little boost to pick up my feet and "sprint" it in for the last few seconds! Here I am approaching the finish line:
Something I haven't touched much on in these training run posts is about what the Hyde Park Blast actually raises money for and what the event supports. The Blast was started 10 years ago by 2 local residents who wanted to have a community event that raised money for good causes and aided in the fight against cancer. Since 2001, the event has raised over $220,000 for several local organizations like Cancer Free Kids and the Wellness Community and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

My next post will have some of the official race photos and some candid shots from the awesome after party, which let's just say, I might have enjoyed a little *too* much!

HP Blast Run #12, #13 & #14

2010-06-23T11:00:00.003-04:00

Okay, run #12 just about made me want to quit this whole training process. It was a Tuesday evening run, so it was super hot outside and no breeze at all. We did a 4 mile route, much of which is along the same route as the Hyde Park Blast course. I started out fine, right in the pack with my group. But early on, like around mile 2 I was really feeling some pain. My legs felt like concrete, my hamstrings were screaming and I still had 2 miles to go. I fell to the back of the pack...walking when I was supposed to be running. I knew that I still had a long way to go, so I tried to push forward and not get too down on myself. After the mid-way water stop, I thought I could kick into gear and re-join the group, but the next challenge was Handasyde hill, which I've written about what a beast this hill is for all runners. I didn't even attempt to run this - by the time I walked to the top of the hill, my coach was waiting for me and tried to cheer me up with the fact that I only had 1 mile to go. In the end, I finished the 4 miles in 1 hour and 8 minutes. That breaks down to about 17 min per mile - usually I pace about 14 min a mile, so it was a slow day for me for sure. What I took away from run #12 is that one crappy run, does not mean it's time to give up and it doesn't mean the next run will be crappy too. Lots of things go into play when running - weather conditions, hydration preparation, eating the right foods before a run, getting enough rest, etc. This run was a bad one for me, but I've been working really hard for this and I'm not quitting. I left the training group that night fighting back tears because of how shi**y I felt, but in the end I was out there doing my best and that's all I can ask for from myself.

Run #13 was SO much better than run #12, and I was extremely thankful for that! I actually woke up the morning of the run to see it down pouring rain and lightning outside. I figured the group run would actually be cancelled, but after checking my email like 50 times, no such luck. The lightning and thunder calmed down by the time I needed to leave to meet the group and the rain had slowed to a steady light rain. The turn out for the group was small to say the least! But those of us who showed up stretched out our legs and hit the streets for a 4 mile run. It was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be - I managed to dodge all the big puddles, keeping my shoes pretty dry and I was glad I threw on a hat at the last minute to keep the rain from out of my face. We ran a few bridges during this run and I handled those much better then I had in the past. My pace was just about the same as the whole group and I didn't take any walk breaks when we were on our 2 minutes runs. Although I left the run that morning looking like a drowned rat, I was happy with my performance and felt much better about this whole process than I did coming off a such a crappy run earlier in the week.

Last night we had our final group training run (run #14) - it was a really short run, only 30 minutes. We ran a very familiar route...just 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back. The heat and humidity was back in the 'Nati and of course that made for some tough breathing moments. I ran the whole time with one of the girls who is training for a half marathon. It was nice to run and talk with her, but we both noted how much our conversation had dropped off on the back half of the run b/c we were getting pretty worn out from the humidity. After the run, the training coaches sponsored a happy hour, so we all enjoyed hanging out after the run and chatting it up a bit while indulging in a few adult beverages - courtesy of the coaches!

The Hyde Park Blast is 3 days away and I'm ready. I'll do a run/walk tomorrow to keep my legs fresh and then I'm splurging for a 1 hour massage on Friday afternoon. It will be early to bed on Friday night for me, then the run starts at 8am on Saturday morning. I expect to keep the same pace I've had while training, which is averaging to be a 14 min mile pace. Temps are supposed to be in the 70s in the morning, warming up as the day goes on into the low 90s. My goal is to finish well before those temps rise into the 90s - I plan on having a beer in my hand by that time!

It's JJ's birthday!

2010-06-20T10:20:00.004-04:00

to my wonderful husband - who loves to live life on the edge...

I hope it's a great day - I love you!

HP Blast Run #8, #9, #10, & #11

2010-06-15T10:14:00.002-04:00

Training run #8 was a great run for me. Our group tackled most of the same route as the Kicks for Kids 5K that I had done a few days before the training run. Lots of people were talking about how they felt after the organized 5k, most felling okay with their times but everyone definitely noted that the heat really took a toll on their ability to breath and keep up their energy on the 3.2 mile run. During the group run, I met a new running coach and she was telling us her "running story". She didn't start running until she was 50 years old and now that she's been running for a few years, she really enjoys it and looks forward to the groups runs. She has participated in several half marathons and when she runs those, she does the interval run/walking like I've been training. But instead of the 2 & 1 intervals, she does 9 & 1 intervals - runs for 9 minutes, then walks for 1 minute. I was really inspired by hearing this and it gave me some needed motivation to press on to finish the group run strong that night.

For training run #9 I had to work that morning, so I couldn't participate. I did meet up with a gal from the group the night before and we had a great long walk at a local park. It was fun to chat back and forth about life and it made the time pass quickly!

Run #10 was our longest training run - 4 miles - the same distance as the Hyde Park Blast run coming up in a few weeks. The weather conditions really helped make this a great run, especially being that it was my longest run ever. It was in the mid 70s, with cloudy skies, and it even sprinkled a bit around mile 3. Now I wouldn't have guessed I'd like running in the rain, but it was just the right amount to cool off in and then since we were close to the end of the run, there wasn't too much time for the air to get all muggy. My legs were definitely feeling some pain at the end of this run, like they should have stopped around 3 miles, but it was good to push myself and felt great actually being able to "run it in" for the last 2 & 1 interval!

Group run #11 fell on a weekend when JJ and I were out of town. Now according to my training schedule, I should have gone ahead and ran on my own, but to be honest I was ready for a break. It had been a very long week leading up to our weekend get-a-way, so I really made the most it by relaxing and getting some much needed sleep.

Today marks 12 days until the Hyde Park Blast 4 mile run. I'm excited for it, nervous at the same time, and really ready for the huge party that goes on afterwards too...guess I need to register!

Grilled Chicken & Veggie Kabobs

2010-06-05T08:31:00.014-04:00

This is one of my favorite meals to make during the summer months. It's super easy and fairly healthy in my opinion. A few weeks ago I bought some metal kabob skewers which are great - I'm used to using the cheap wood skewers, which usually work out fine but the last few times I've used them, they have broken off or the pointy ends start to split as I load up the chicken and veggies onto the skewer. So my advice if you are going to try this recipes is to buy some metal skewers - I got mine at Homegoods for like $5 or something like that!

Ingredients & Directions:
3-4 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces (2-3 inches)
1-2 green peppers, cut into pieces
half of a red onion, cut into pieces
1 package of mushrooms
half a bottle of italian dressing (I use Wishbone Robusto Italian)

Throw everything in a zip lock baggie and marinate for a few hours. (Some recipes call for just marinating the chicken, but I've found that the veggies are delicious when they are marinated in the dressing too.) Load up the ingredients on the skewers, alternating between veggies and chicken. Grill on medium-high heat for about 12-15 minutes per skewer, rotating the skewers to make sure the chicken cooks on all sides. Cooking time will depend on your grill - just watch them close so the chicken pieces don't dry out too much.

Our grill has one of those side burners, so to go with the kabobs I chopped up red potatoes, mixed in some olive oil and seasonings (black pepper, chef Tony's, and some dried parsley) and cooked them along with the kabobs.

Enjoy this delicious summer dinner. It's a great recipe to have on had for a cookout with friends or family. What are some of your favorite grilling recipes?

HP Blast Run #7 - Kicks for Kids 5k Run

2010-06-02T10:30:00.008-04:00

Training run #7 was a charity 5k (3.2 mile run) that raised money to benefit the Kicks for Kids foundation. This event also happen to take place over Memorial Day weekend, when my college roomies were visiting for our friend's baby shower. Sometime last fall, the idea came up about some of us participating in the Flying Pig marathon relay run - which is set up for 4 people to run about 6 miles each to make up for the marathon distance of 26.2 miles. Though we had good intentions, this plan never really took off for many reasons, but once we nailed down the date of our buddy's baby shower, I checked out what smaller distance runs were available for us to participate in. Turned out the Kicks for Kids 5k run was taking place and this was also our Saturday morning group run for my training group with the Bob Roncker's Running Spot in preparation for the Hyde Park Blast run at the end of June.

After a night that pretty much consisted of the wrong kind of hydration (i.e.-beer and not water), JJ, Alina and I laced up our shoes and headed out for the 3 mile run. It was a beautiful day in Cincinnati and this race started over in Northern KY, travelled down along the river for a short bit, then hit 2 of the different bridges that cross back and forth between Ohio and KY. Here's a picture of me and Alina on the "purple people" pedestrian before the run started.

The three of us started the run together and it was really great to see all the people participating. There were around 1,200 people taking part in the event. I was able to run for about 12 minutes straight and then finished out the course with a combination of running & walking. Catching my breath at times was challenging and is one areas I've found where I need to improve. I need to start listening to my body - taking deeper breaths more often, and responding when I feel I'm starting to go into panting mode. I know that I let my mind wonder and end up feeling down on myself when I can't keep up with other people's pace. What I'm really trying to work on is not letting that happen - it's my new goal to not let those negative thoughts creep in and take away from the positive things that are happening when I'm out there giving this running thing a try!

Here's how I finished: #439 out of 527 female runners, my total time was 44:10, which breaks down to 14:15 per mile. All in all, it was a wonderful day spent with a dear friend and my husband. Alina encourage me the whole way throughout the run, pushing me when I could run it out a bit and recognizing when I need a walk break. As we finished jogging across the purple people bridge together towards the finish line, I heard JJ cheer out "Way to go Lenna" and that just simply made me smile with joy!

And what's the best way to celebrate completing a 5k run? Breakfast, of course! Pancakes with chocolate chips, scrambled eggs, potatoes, ham and mushrooms, engligh muffins, juice, fruit, & coffee - you name it, we had just about all of it from First Watch.

HP Blast Run #4, #5, & #6

2010-05-26T10:24:00.005-04:00

Training Run #4 was not as bad as I expected it to be. I was anticipating a rough run because of a cold that I've been fighting, but once I got going I felt pretty good. We met in Newport, KY again this week, so the route took us on an out and back course. We had done a similar route the week before, so I was familiar with some of the elevation challenges (other wise know as hills!). Near the beginning of the run we came upon the Licking River Bridge, which can be troublesome because there's only room to run in a single file line across the bridge and last time I got smashed in the middle of a pack of people that were much faster than I am. So, this time I was more prepared for it and positioned myself closer to a group that runs at my pace and made it across the bridge with no problems. It was nice not having someone bearing down my back to move me across that skinny pathway, this time I was able to work on conquering the uphill as we approached the bridge, then I let gravity take it's course and coasted down the small downhill that was after the bridge. Toward the end of the 2miles, I met up with a nice gal and we ran it in for the last bit together.

Training Run #5 made me feel like a whole new person. I finally kicked my cold and was ready to take on the world (or at least approx 3 miles of it)! This was a Saturday morning run, so I was up about 1 & 1/2 hours before meeting time to have some OJ and an english muffin with peanut butter to be sure I had some fuel for the workout. My group ran a new route this time and it covered 2.75 miles. The beginning of the route took us up a pretty long hill - the thing about this hill is that it's not all that steep, which is good, but it is super long, so it just feels like it's never ending and there's not one bit of downhill on the other side. Overall, I was a machine during this run - I was at the front of the pack the entire 2.7 miles, I was not winded like I had been at the end of our 2 minute runs, I was even able to keep up a good conversation with our running coach about a book she recommended. I left that morning feeling like I could have kept going - that feeling alone was enough to make me smile all day long!

Now, Training Run #6 brought me back into reality - that's right, my "runners high" only lasted one afternoon, because by the time run #6 rolled around, the temps had soared into the mid 80s and it was really "hot and sticky" outside. One good thing about this run was that the majority of the route followed along the a large portion of the Hyde Park Blast course that we'll be tackling at the end of June. Tonight's run was all about hill conquering - and lots of them. There were some other elements that came into play also because there was a ton of construction along the main road, so we were dodging huge street signs along the sidewalks, lots of loose gravel debris and a good amount of dust floating through the air. We hit a huge hill on a street called Handasyde and man was it ever steep - the type of hill that makes you want to double over in pain when you approach it. Everyone was groaning their way up this bad boy - huffing and puffing, one foot in front of the other - it was that bad! It got the best of me and I had to walk up the majority of it, however there was a huge downhill and a water stop on the other side, so there was some immediate relief from the heavy panting I was experiencing. I'd say my favorite part about training run #6 was heading out for beers after the 3 mile run that night. It was really great to meet some more people in the training group and hear about the reasons why everyone got involved with running.

This weekend's training run is actually going to be the Kicks for Kids 5k charity run, so I'm really looking forward to participating in that event. More updates to come - thanks for reading about running experiences.

Summer Pasta Salad

2010-05-23T18:17:00.001-04:00

I decided to fix up a batch of pasta salad to have in the fridge for the weekend and it must have been good b/c we crushed it in less than 3 days!

The cast of characters:
•1 green pepper-chopped
•1 red pepper-chopped
•1/2 red onion-diced
•1 pkg mushrooms, quartered
•1 pkg pepperoni minis
•1/2 bottle Wishbone Italian dressing
•Several generous shakes of Mcormicks Salad Supreme seasonings
•1 box of cooked Tri-color Pasta

Mix all ingredents together and chill for a few hours before serving. Enjoy!

- Posted Using BlogPress

Recipe: Turkey & Mushroom Stroganoff

2010-05-19T09:06:00.003-04:00

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground turkey and onion in olive oil over medium-high heat. Drain off fat. Add seasonings, soup and milk. Cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sour cream and heat through. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

******

A couple of weeks ago, I invited the parental units (aka - my parents) down the the 'Nati for dinner and I pulled a fast one on my Dad - I got him to eat ground turkey! Now I come from a meat and potatoes kind of family, and my Dad's favorite food is pizza. So, knowing that, you can imagine the surprise in my Dad's eyes when I told him I made the stroganoff with ground turkey, instead of the traditional ground beef. Despite his hesitation, I think he liked it. However, I did notice that sometimes he was pushing the turkey off to the side of the plate, eating only the noodles & mushrooms. (Though he claimed it was because I loaded the plate too full with the toppings - but I'm not convinced on that!)

Either way, I thought this was a great recipe to add to the mix and wanted to share it with you. It tasted great with the ground turkey, and I know it would be just a good with ground beef - if that is your families preference!

HP Blast - Run #2 & #3

2010-05-18T16:35:00.001-04:00

So far so good with the training for the Hyde Park Blast run at the end of June.

Training run #2 was great. My group, which is the beginners 2 & 1 group, went out for a 25 minute workout. With the 2 & 1 interval running style, we started out running for 2 minutes, then walk for 1 minute and followed that pattern for the whole workout. We took off from our meeting spot and ran on some of the most beautiful streets Cincinnati has to offer. No doubt looking at all the beautiful homes and landscaping made it a bit easier to keep my feet shuffling one in front of the other. This route had a lot more hills to tackle than the previous week's, so that was challenging. Overall, I felt good and enjoyed meeting some new people who ran with our group.

Training run #3 was pretty hard. I ended up getting a cold in between the two runs and by the time run #3 came along, I was really wiped out, feeling sick and unsure if I should even go out for the run. I decided that laying in bed wasn't helping me feel better, so I laced up my shoes and met the group at our meeting spot. That day we did 2 miles and it was rough. For the first 2 runs I was able to stay near the front of the group, but with this one, I was near the back and had to take a few walk breaks during the 2 minute runs. Overall, I really did feel better after pushing through the run - I think it helped get some of the gunk out of my lungs.

So, on to run #4 tonight - still feeling sick with a cold, but pushing through to get ready for The Blast at the end of next month!

Vote for Me!

2010-05-11T16:55:00.007-04:00

Update - Thanks for all the votes blog readers, I am one of the winners for the Honda visa gift card. I appreciate your votes!

Hey blog readers - I need your help - I entered a contest at my local Honda dealership to win a gift card. We were asked to submit a picture of us and our Honda, so click here to vote and look for my name & this picture. I'd appreciate your vote if you have time - Thanks!

Print Friendly Button

2010-05-10T09:17:00.005-04:00

Hey Blog readers - I have been browsing lots of great blogs lately and noticed that most of them have some type of "print" button for their posts. This comes in handy when I'm looking up recipes and want to print off the ingredient list & directions. For a while I was always copying & pasting the text from a blog to a word document or just printing the whole blog post. This definitely gets the job done, but I wanted to find a way to offer you all the option of printing just the necessary info from a particular post if you wanted to try out a recipe I've posted about.

After some googling, I came across this website called Print Friendly. I've added this button to the end of my blog posts, so readers can now print the post without having all the info on the sidebar of the web page come up. Once you click the print friendly button, a separate page will open up with the text and images - please note you can click the "remove images" if you don't need the pics that go along with the post. You can also hover the mouse over the post in the new printer friendly box and delete paragraphs from the post if you want to take out some of the information.

Let me know if you have any problems with this button. I'd also love to hear your thoughts/feedback if you use the new print friendly option. Here's a link to get your own print friendly button if you want to add it to your blog. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Hyde Park Blast Training Group

2010-05-08T11:50:00.001-04:00

Today is a big day - it is my first day as a member of the Bob Ronckers Running Spot Training Group for the Hyde Park Blast Run. The Hyde Park Blas t is a 4 mile run at the end of June - the course goes through some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Cincy and after the run there's a huge party to celebrate!

The first training run kicked off at 8:30am this morning. I woke up at 7:15am, had a piece of toast with peanut butter and half a banana. At last weeks informational meeting, some of the coaches suggested it was important to eat around 200-300 calories before a run, to make sure you have enough fuel to help push you through the run. They also promoted good hydration throughout the days leading up to a run, making sure you drink plenty of water 2-3 days before a training run. So, I woke up, put on my jogging clothes and new Saucony shoes and then the nerves set in. That's right, even though I was the one who signed up for this, for some reason I was really nervous when I was about to get in the car to head to the meeting spot. I didn't let them get the best of me though, and I showed up - joining the beginners Run/Walk group who would be training with the pace of Run 2 minutes,Walk for 1 minute.

I managed to hang with most of the pack the whole time and as a group we decided to do the suggested route twice. We were scheduled for a 1.15 mile route, so we ended up completing a 2.3 mile run. I learned a lot today - about running form, how to tackle the hills and that it's okay to stop and walk if your body needs it! I was glad to hear that this run/walk option was available in this training program. It's a good place for me to start and I'm looking forward to challenging myself to work up to the Run 3 minutes/Walk 1 minute group. And maybe by the end of the program, I'll be jogging along with the beginner runners, who are clocking about a 12 minute mile.

They gave us a suggested schedule to work on in addition to the Saturday morning and Tuesday evening runs that are part of the program. I'm really excited for this challenge in my life. I'm proud to have taken the first step and I'm looking forward to seeing if I can "become a runner". Some of you reading may remember when I tried the Couch to 5k program, which I had good success with, but didn't end of finishing, though I did complete a 5k back in March of '09, which was a great feeling. As I've tried to keep up with my workouts, I've found over the years that I really benefit from a group setting - I enjoy taking group classes, like boot-camp workouts, spinning, etc. Now knowing that, I think this 4 mile run training program is going to be a great match for current skill level and my desire to participate in group activities!

How about those of you reading, what are you doing to stay active? Do you like working out with a group or jamming solo to your iPod while you pound the pavement? Either way - good luck with your goals, what ever they may be!

Book Review - The Happiness Project

2010-04-27T08:17:00.014-04:00

A few Sunday's ago was our second meeting for my book club. Our book was The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. The book is about the author's 1 year journey to identify things in her life that she could change to make her happier. Rubin goes on to break down the book in month by month chapters, where she goes over in detail her goal for the month and some examples on how she works to achieve that goal.

I can't give a full review of this book because quite honestly, I never finished it. I was surprised that I didn't pound right through the pages on this one because I am usually one for "self-help" type books, or at least ones that motivate you to start trying news things or seeing things in different ways. I'm not really sure what it was about The Happiness Project that didn't grab & keep my attention, however Rubin does offer up some really good "rules to live by" and identifies them as her "12 personal commandments".

1. Be Gretchen.

2. Let it go.

3. Act as I would feel.

4. Do it now.

5. Be polite and be fair.

6. Enjoy the process.

7. Spend out.

8. Identify the problem.

9. Lighten up.

10. Do what ought to be done.

11. No calculation.

12. There is only love.

With these commandments, Rubin goes on to work on various ways to improve her life throughout the month. With each challenge, she tries to remind her self of these commandments and live by her new established set of rules - trying to live by these statements, while working on change in her life.

The Number 1 commandment stood out to me - Be Gretchen. I think this can sometimes present a challenge in real life. I want to be able to tell you that I am always myself, I'm always the same LJ, no matter who is around, but to be honest there are times when I hold back or I'm not always true to my feelings. Most of the time, I find that these are cases where I don't want to hurt other people's feelings or cause conflict. I'm going to challenge myself to start Being LJ all the time, being true to my feelings 100% of the time, even if it might result in an uncomfortable situation.

That's about all I got for the second book club review - not much really - but even though I didn't really enjoy this months book, I really have enjoyed meeting some new people and gathering with them once a month to learn more about each other's lives. I'd recommend checking out a book club if you are interested in reading new material and getting together with friends - old and new.

Banana Muffins

2010-04-22T15:47:00.010-04:00

This week we had a few left over bananas in the fruit bowl, so I thought in honor of Earth Day today, I'd bake up some banana muffins - instead of throwing 3 bananas in the trash. (See how I tied that one together!)

I used the recipe below from allrecipes.com:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.
Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

I had a few dried cranberries in the pantry, so I threw a few of those into the last bit of batter. Lots of recipes call for chopped walnuts, which sounds good - if you are a nut lover; me - not so much. I was intrigued by the recipes that added chocolate chips - which is totally more my style, maybe I'll add those next time!

Brains on Bikes

2010-04-13T08:47:00.007-04:00

I saw an article on CNN this morning that I thought was very interesting. The article is part of a series of articles on the website geared toward the 2010 census and how people define their identity.

This particular article introduces Anne Feeley, who is a brain cancer survivor. She is spending this Spring biking across the country to raise awareness (and money) towards the fight against brain cancer. Here are the opening 2 paragraphs to the article:

"My name is Anne Feeley. I am an American, a mother, a feminist, a baker, a wife, an atheist and a liberal Democrat. I am also a brain cancer survivor and an activist for brain cancer research and patient care.

But when I fill out the Census, all it will reflect is that I am a 55-year-old white woman, and nothing about how I got to this point in life."

Quite a good way to grab the readers attention at the beginning of the article, I thought. The piece goes on to tell Anne's story and how she started the project called Brains on Bikes. Right now, as I type, she and a friend are riding bikes from San Francisco to Washington DC, aiming to finish on July 15th.

You can follow the journey live on the Brains on Bikes blog - they plan on posting updates from the road to this site. I know I'll be checking in on their progress. You can also subscribe to them on their You Tube channel, where you can watch some great videos and meet Anne Feeley.

Who knows - maybe I'll make a road trip down to southern Kentucky in a few weeks/next month to cheer them on in person (anyone care to join me ?!?)

JD, the curious cat

2010-04-02T08:16:00.007-04:00

Those of you who know me well may remember that I am not a "cat lover" - in fact in college, while living with 5 other ladies, one of the roomies brought home a kitty and I strongly opposed having this kitten in the house, so she sent it home to live with her parents. I am not allergic to cats and I'm not even scared of them (anymore), so all in all, I'm not really sure where my strong feelings against cats even came from. Maybe growing up without them in our house has something to do with it, maybe it's their sneaky ways to pounce upon you when you're least expecting it, who knows the real reasons. All that being said - I am now (and have been for a few years) a cat owner!

Our cat is named JD and he came with as part of a package deal when JJ and I started dating. JD the cat was found in the woods back in the day when JJ was on a hike with some friends. This cat was totally wild and had a broken tail. JJ nurtured the cat back to health and named him JD for John Doe, since he didn't have a name to tell the vet when he took the cat in for his first visit. Mister JD is an indoor/outdoor cat, who has his claws and just simply enjoys being outside roaming the neighborhood. We live on a great street where are our neighbors love JD and his friendliness - some people have even been known to feed JD & give him cat treats.

Last week JD went missing - no one had seen him for a few days and he hadn't come in at night when I called for him at the end of the day. Somewhat strange for him to be gone, but the weather is warming up, so I wasn't too worried for the first 2 days. Then 2 days turned into 3 and 4 days and still no sign of JD. After being prompted by several questions from neighbors as to JD whereabouts, I decided to put a call into the SPCA to see if anyone had turned him in as a missing cat. No luck on that, so I printed up some flyers and posted pics of our missing pet.

After about 5 days, I got a knock on the door from a guy down the street who had some great news - they had found JD! There's a saying about cats that *almost* rings true in this case - "curiosity killed the cat" - perhaps you've heard of that? Well, curious JD had taken a stroll through our neighbors back yard and crawled into her shed last Wednesday while she was out doing yard work. Not knowing he was in there, she closed up the shed. After worrying about him over the weekend and trying to think of the last time she saw him, for some reason on Monday evening she decided to grab a flash light and open up the shed to see if that's where he was hiding. As soon as she opened up the shed, JD popped out and was back to his old ways, walking all around her yard.

We are very lucky that she thought of the shed, who knows how long he would have lasted locked up in there without food & water. Once he was freed, he scarfed down 2 cans of cat food in no time. Life is back to normal now (after a bit of a scare) and all is well in JD's world - he's out roaming the lawns again & loving the warmer weather and we are all loving that he's home!

(Especially Ella - they are "best friends" - you know!)

Taking the Pledge...

2010-03-23T16:59:00.007-04:00

Today's Oprah show was about distracted driving. Mostly texting while driving and the dangers this multi-tasking causes on area roadways. Several guests on the program have been deeply effected by these actions; their fathers, mothers, children, sisters, brothers have died - all because of the result of someones actions - actions like texting while driving. I was totally blown away by these stories and feel it is a good idea to spread the word on how dangerous driving while distracted by our cell phones can be.

Here is a link to the entire show: Distracted Driving - Full Episode

Please consider watching it. I know it's a long video (approx 41 minutes), and I understand if you don't have time at this moment to watch the entire show. However, if you can spare 8 minutes and watch the first family's story, I believe you will see how important this issue is in our country.

One thing Oprah is encouraging is for people to take action and make a change in their own lives. She's launched the No Phone Zone contract and hopes that people will consider taking the pledge and not use their cell phones while driving. After seeing how devastating texting and driving can be to peoples lives, I have signed up for the pledge. I will no longer text and drive. I will not be checking Facebook on my smart phone while behind the wheel. I will only make and/or answer phone calls in an emergency situation. And should I feel the need to send a text or make a phone call, I will make every effort to pull over to the side of the road or in a parking lot - then I will handle that all important text or phone call.

If I have inspired at least one person to join in this movement with me, then this has been time well spent. Consider signing the "No Phone Zone" pledge - just click here for more information.
Thanks for listening.

Tasty Kitchen's Mushroom Soup

2010-03-20T12:15:00.001-04:00

When I found this recipe, I knew that I'd soon be rushing out to the store to pick up the ingredients. Anyone who knows me really well knows my love for mushrooms runs deep, I mean deep - like if I weren't already married, I might marry mushrooms (well, not really, but you get what I'm saying!) After a quick trip to the store, I turned on some music (Iron & Wine's latest CD for those who are interested) and spent the afternoon whipping up this delicious soup.

Here's my take on The Mushroom Soup - definitely check out the link for the ingredient list & detailed cooking directions. I really enjoyed this dish and cooked it just like the recipe recommends. However I will make a few changes for the next time I make this soup - I'll note my changes/additions under each photo of the cooking process...

Finley chopped carrots, celery and slice mushrooms (I ended up doubling the amount of mushrooms shown in this photo.)

White wine, chicken broth, tomato juice, heavy whipping cream, shredded parmesan cheese

Saute carrots & celery together (next time I'll throw in some garlic). Then add mushrooms and cook for several minutes - this is when it starts to smelling delicious...

Add white wine and cook mixture together for a few more minutes. (I used Pinot Grigo because that's what I like to drink, but the recipe calls for Chablis White Wine). (At this point, I added a spoon full of tomato paste to thicken things up.)

Mix in tomato juice, cooking for a bit, then add in the heavy cream. (Next time, I'll use much less cream here - it calls for a pint, which I thought was way too much.) Add in the parmesan cheese after the liquids have cooked together (this is another thing I'll change for next time - I think you can reduce the cheese by half and still add great flavor.)

Ta-Dahhh...the finished product! I toasted up a loaf of french bread for dunking and it was delicious. If you are a mushroom lover, then this soup is right up your alley.

Luck of the Irish

2010-03-17T11:11:00.003-04:00

Old Irish Blessing
May the road rise to meet you: May the wind be always at your back, The sun shine warm upon your face, The rain fall soft upon your fields, And until we meet again May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Who doesn't love being a "little" Irish on St. Patrick's Day?! Cheers to you my blog readers - I hope you have a safe and happy St. Patty's Day. (PS - how cute is the Irish Care Bear...reminds me of my younger days!)

I'm So Ready....

2010-03-09T08:06:00.012-05:00

for Spring! The weather in the 'nati the past couple of days has been glorious - low to mid 60s & sunny! The birds are chirping, the dogs are barking and people are out & about walking in the neighborhood. One of the local meterologist around here says he thinks there will probably be one more big snow for our area before old man winter is officially over. I accept this notion, but will be living it up in this wonderful weather we've been having, which is supposed to stick around for a few more days!

This past weekend was spent visiting with great friends, endulging in yummy cocktails, delicious dinners and even desserts. It was a great way to spend my time away from work and one other thing I did this weekend was enjoy taking Miss Ella on a big walk. JJ and I headed out on Sunday afternoon to cruise the neighborhood and let Ella burn off some energy. She was too cute, prancing down the streets with her ears back and her tail wagging straight up in the air. I have a feeling she's going to be one happy girl this week, exploring that thing in the backyard called grass (and mudd), which she hasn't seen in a long time b/c of some stuff called snow.

I'm looking forward to so many things this Spring - dusting off the ol' Dolce for some bike rides, walking (maybe jogging - gasp!) with my girl Ella in the afternoons, getting my hands dirty in the flower beds around the house. So many good things to look forward to this time of year.

There's got to be some type of drug (more than just Vitamin D) pumped out when the sun shines, because it sure does make lots of people feel super good.

So come on Spring - stay awhile why don't you!

Facebooking, Tweeting, and Foursquare?

2010-03-01T09:29:00.026-05:00

Are you on Facebook, updating your status anytime something new comes to mind? Do you send out Tweets to your followers on Twitter, letting them know you thoughts on something (in 140 characters or less)? How about Foursquare, do you check in to various locations, hoping to become the Mayor of your latest visited hot spot?

I'm on Facebook (FB), with a profile set up where I post some pictures, update my status and post messages on "friends" walls every now and then. Almost everyone I know maintains a Facebook page - my Mom has one, my college friends have them, most of my cousins (older and younger) are on FB. For the most part, I enjoy Facebook - sure, there are some aspects that annoy me - like Farmville, Mafia Wars, and who become friends with whom, not to mention Facebook's ever changing layout and policies. What I have done to make my FB experience better for me is I've learned how to "hide" certain applications. That's right FB friends, I'm not going to help you earn more animals for your "farm" and I'm not interested in reading your daily horoscope! I've also made sure that my profile is set up to private and only "my friends" can view my pics and wall postings. The problem here is that as soon as you join FB, you get like 500 friend requests and since your new to FB, you probably accepted all those people, who can now view all those pictures. Recently, I've edited my group of "friends" and have decided to de-friend (that's right, I said it) a select few - not everyone from my past, but some of the initial people who I friended but haven't even had one interaction with since I've been a member. All in all, I'm a fan of Facebook and find it a fun way to interact with people.

Now onto Twitter - this past weekend I spent some time with a dear friend, who is an avid Twitterer. She is well know on the Twitter front and has met a tons of new people through this type of social interaction. Even though I do find myself checking in on her Tweets to see what she's up to, I have no desire to join this social movement. It does surprise me how many people and businesses do have accounts and send out daily Tweets. Media outlets Tweet now - sending out "breaking news alerts", Cincinnati's street department Tweets - sending out info on local roadways, local and national politicians are on Twitter now - even school systems are Tweeting their students now when classes are cancelled because of weather conditions. You get the gist here, lots of people are using this and with our iPhones, Droids, and other Smart Phone devices, it makes it very easy to instantaneously keep up with your followers and Tweet back your thoughts on whatever subject is out there.

And how about Foursquare? This one is so new to me that I don't have much to comment on. Lots of people I know use it and say it's a good way to learn where someone has been and find out where they might be headed next.

(Hmmm - Something about that last sentence makes me think of stalking - Anyways...)

I go off on all these tangents to ask this simple question: Is social networking making people more anti-social? Is it taking away the basic need for human, face-to-face interaction? First there was a new thing called Email - which is still widely used, but most "youngster's" would rather leave you a wall post or send you a private message on FB to get your attention. So sites like Facebook & Twitter have replaced Emailing in some people's mind. What's next for the generations ahead? How will they interact with one another & what will it be called? One can only begin to speculate.

Maybe someday I'll be Tweeting about where I'm getting my hair done - Maybe someday I'll be the Mayor of the Starbucks near my house on Foursquare. Who knows, but to all my friends out there, I'd like to state for the record that I'd much rather have a cup of coffee you in person, see those pics of your kids in person and talk to you about what you've been up to in person - yes, all of that I'd much rather do in person, instead of reading it on your latest FB status or checking in on your most recent Tweet.

Now, let me go update my FB status ... about my new blog post!

Book Review - Lucky: A Memoir

2010-02-22T20:45:00.009-05:00

I've joined a book club! This book was our first selection to read and review at our monthly get togethers, which are lovingly titled "B*tch & Wine" nights! Our first gathering was Sunday night and it was a great evening full of discussion, friendship, and maybe a little b*tching to go along with those robust reds and lighter white wines!
FYI - If you haven't read the book & are planning on it, you might want to visit this post after reading the book for yourself. Now onto my thoughts...

Lucky: A Memoir by Alice Sebold is an in depth description of her rape that occurred during her freshman year while attending Syracuse University. It follows her recovery through this experience and also describes the legal trail that followed the rape, once her attacker was caught. While I felt this book did not have the traditional "beginning, middle, and end" parts like a piece of fiction would, this memoir is one of the most honest depictions of someones life story that I have ever read.

The book starts with vivid details of Sebold being attacked while walking home from a friends house. The first chapter goes into further details of the struggle she went through, the coping mechanisms she used to survive the encounter and it also lays out of the gory details of the rape itself. When I read the first few chapters of this book, I felt the hairs on my skin standing straight up at times, that's how brutally honest she is in describing this horrible tragedy she went through. While these words were hard to read, I simply could not put this book down.

It does not take long to learn that Sebold uses her sarcastic sense of humor to get through the first few days once she is reunited with her family members, who all struggle with how to handle being around Alice. The story of how her family handles things made me mad and frustrated for Sebold. Once the criminal case went to trail, there was confusion as to which parent would attend the trail to support her. I found it hard to believe that both of her parents weren't right there at her side. Quoting her father, shortly after her rape - "Well, Alice, if it had to happen to one of you, I'm glad it was you and not your sister." Seriously, that's how honest Sebold tells it on these pages.

While I will leave the trail details out of this review, the end of the memoir takes a quick turn as she tells the tales of her life after her rape. It almost seems like a separate book during this part, because it is told so fast and almost felt choppy to me as I read the final pages. If there was one quote that I felt stuck with me as I read this part of Alice Sebold's life story, this is it: ""My life was over; my life had just begun." That statement would seem to suggest the rape ended a certain part of her life, but on these pages you'll find that Sebold triumphed over this event and has found a way to make it part of her history, a part that does not control her future.

Cucumber Sandwich Appetizers

2010-02-16T08:15:00.000-05:00

This is probably thought of as more of a summertime appetizer, but I whipped up a batch of these for a Super Bowl party we attended a few weeks ago. I've had these at several parties and have enjoyed them, even though I am not a huge cucumber fan. Here's a quick recap of the recipe I used to make this appetizer:

1 Seedless Cucumber - cut thin slices of cucumber. (Before you cut the slices, you can take a fork and score the sides of the cucumber, making a nice design on the slices, if you are up for this decorative touch!)

In a large bowl, mix up 1 package of soften cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of mayo and 1 package of dry Italian dressing mix for the yummy spread.

I used store bought cocktail style Rye Bread for the toast part. (Some people go all out and bake their own french bread toasts, which is awesome, but the pre-made store bought bread slices worked just fine.) Spread a nice amount of cream cheese spread on the toast, add the cucumber slice on top, then sprinkle some fresh chopped dill over the top.

That's all there is to it - super quick and easy. These are usually a big hit at parties, so be prepared to give away the recipe the next time you take them to a get together. Enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-13T13:18:00.000-05:00

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend...

Ella sends out a Happy Valentines Day to everyone!

- Posted Using BlogPress

Oatmeal Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-02-11T08:36:00.003-05:00

Enjoy this great recipe I found on a blog called Coconut & Lime:

6 oz semisweet chips
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup toffee bits
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, at room temperature

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix together the butter, vanilla and sugar. Add the egg, beat until fluffy. Then add the flour, baking powder, salt, and oatmeal. Mix until well combined. Fold in toffee bits and chips. Place tablespoon sized blobs of dough on the lined cookie sheet about 1/2 inch apart and bake for 12-14 minutes or until they look "set" and the bottoms are just golden. Carefully remove from baking sheet and cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies

_____________________

I made these delicious cookies this past weekend for a Super Bowl party and they were a big hit with party goers and also with my co-workers, who benefited from them the next morning at work. I love toffee and think it's a great element to add to cookies to mix things up. One note of warning on this cookie dough. Once you combine all the ingredents together, it doesn't look like enough dough to make 2 dozen cookies. But if you follow the directions and use a tablespoon to measure out the cookie dough, you'll have just the right amout of cookies to take to a party - and maybe have a few extra to enjoy at home with some milk the next morning!

El Jefe Burger Shack

2010-02-09T16:39:00.013-05:00

The Luquillo area in Puerto Rico is know for its beautiful sandy beach & deep blue waters offering great waves for surfing & bogey boarding. It's also know to the locals as a great place to stop off after a day at the beach for some great grub! There's a strip of locally owned restaurants that runs right along the main highway in town. This area is called the Luquillo Kioskos. Here you can kick back with a cold Medalla beer and enjoy some local dishes like empanadillas and rice & beans.

If you stop by Kiosko #12, you're in for a real treat, you'll find El Jefe Burger Shack. This stand is know for it's hand packed angus beef burgers & some truly delicious pina coladas! We stopped off at the Burger Shack after a great day exploring the El Yunque Rain Forest. JJ and I were greeted by a nice young lady, who invited us to grab a seat and check out the menu.

The vibe is totally relaxed, with people mingling about, drinking cold beverages and exchanging laughs. We headed to an open table, near the back of the open air restaurant. We ordered up some of tasty drinks from the bar - a pina colada for me and a margarita for JJ.

Time for lunch - we decided to share a burger & some beer battered onion chips. We ordered up a 1/2 lb. burger, topped with sauteed onions, swiss cheese, sauteed mushrooms, mayo, lettuce & tomato - all stacked between a fluffy toasted bun. Check out the picture below - now that's what I'm talking about, some serious goodness here people! Yummm...

The El Jefe Burger Shack in Luquillo, PR totally rocks - it's an absolute must visit if you are ever in the area. Now I know this is not the type of food you think of when you might think of "local" Puerto Rican food, but what I love about this burger joint is that lots of their products are bought from local farmers and they work one on one with a local bakery to make the buns that are delivered fresh to the restaurant. They make their sauces & dressings from scratch and their walls are covered with artwork from local artists. The owners fell in love with Puerto Rico and have created a gold mine, right along the beach - does it get any better than that, seriously!

New Websites to Check Out

2010-02-02T09:14:00.009-05:00

I've added a few new websites to the right column of CincySpin in an effort to share some of the great new websites I've recently stumbled upon. Here's a short description of the site and why I find it interesting.

344 Pounds - This blog is from a young guy in North Carolina and his journey towards a healthy lifestyle. He's totally inspiring and has appeared on CNN to share his story. Check him out, I think you'll enjoy reading about his journey.

Kevin and Amanda - I came across this blog one day when I was searching for new recipes for dinner. A young lady named Amanda runs this blog where she's posts alot about scrapbooking, cooking, and the daily goings on of her & her husbands life.

You Are Remarkable - This is a site dedicated to "spreading big or small bits of love and things that make you smile and laugh." They post some awesome quotes that leave me feeling refreshed and ready for the day with a positive outlook!

Castillo San Cristobal - Puerto Rico

2010-01-30T12:26:00.004-05:00

One morning we toured the Old San Juan fort areas. These massive structures were built during the 1500s-1600s time period. To stand in an area where battled took place is quite outstanding. The beauty of these structures is truly remarkable and it was a beautiful day to take in these historical sights. We spent most of the morning at Castillo de San Cristobal. This Spanish fort was completed in the late 1600s to fight of land attacks on San Juan. It's older, more famous neighbor, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, was constructed to defend against water attacks and guard the bay area of San Juan.

Here are a few interesting things I learned while visiting San Cristobal:

The Spaniards fired the first shot from this fort during the Spanish-American war in during the late 1800s. Below is a picture showing the main plaza area. The doorways lead into vaulted rooms where cannons were housed to fight of enemy attacks. There are a series of several underground tunnels used to connect all the areas of the fort. This picture below shows the 3 tunnel entrances. These tunnels were used for several things; including moving men and supplies during battle, mining galleries, and the tunnel on the far left leads to the only dungeon at San Cristobal.
Three flags fly over Castillo San Cristobal - the Puerto Rican flag, the US flag, and an old Spanish military flag, known as the Cross of Burgundy. I love the picture below, the true beauty of this place stands out to me in this picture. The flags flying against the blue sky background, the rounded windows of the sleeping quarters for the soldiers, and the old original brick of the structure - quite a remarkable sight and part of world history.
Castillo San Cristobal offers a breathtaking view up the coast line towards it's counter part - El Morro. Below you can see the waves crashing against the sea wall and off in the distance, the watch tower of El Morro.

Pics from PR

2010-01-23T07:28:00.000-05:00

JJ and I are on a little trip to Puerto Rico to celebrate my friends wedding this week. Here are a few picture highlights from our trip!

Lobster Salad from Kings Seafood in Luquillo:

View from beach condo:

La Mina Falls in the El Yunkue Rain Forest:

And the Aericbo Radio Telescope in Aericbo:

Here are a few random pics of things that have given me a good laugh.

This guy was riding in the middle of a very busy road just before this pic was captured:

These strange furry toys were for sale in Old San Juan:

And if you wanna play the bongos while using the restroom, that's an option here:

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Ella's new buddy

2010-01-13T14:02:00.001-05:00

This poor squeaking toy had no idea what was about to happen...

Sorry Mr. Monkey Toy, but Miss Ella really likes you...she's such a "hugger"!
She's just a little focused on de-stuffing you, that's all - sorry about that!

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2009 End of the Year Questionnaire:

2009-12-30T10:28:00.008-05:00

Here are some fun questions to reflect on as 2009 draws to and end. I edited out a few questions from the original questionnaire that I saw on another blog.

Feel free to copy, cut and paste these and pass your answers on to friends and family. Some of the questions are a bit silly, but it’s still kind of an interesting way to recap your year and compare to years past.

Here are my answers::

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
I got married!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, & will you make more for next year?
Didn’t make one (at lease one that I can remember)! For 2010, I am going to try to make the switch from soda to water - we’ll see how it goes!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, several friends gave birth to beautiful children.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My husband’s grandmother and uncle died in 2009.

5. What countries did you visit?
I stayed in the US this year, but visited several states.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
I would like to have more patience.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
October 10, 2009 – The day JJ and I got married.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Turning 30 and knowing that I married my best friend.

9. What was your biggest failure?
My attitude towards my job, but I’m determined to make that better in 2010.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
In the year of the Swine Flu, thankfully I didn’t suffer anything more than a mild case of the flu. But, I did fall down the basement stairs at our house and earned one nasty bruise on my tushy!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
A handmade quilt wall hanging from Hawaii.

12. Where did most of your money go?
Bills, bills, and more bills.

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to Hawaii for our honeymoon.

14. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Kiss of Life by Sade

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Happier

b) thinner or fatter? Maybe a little chubbier-?!?

c) richer or poorer? Richer, in my heart – but the bank statement has stayed about the same.

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Exercise

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Talking about how I was going to exercise!

18. How did you spend Christmas?
Visiting with my family in Dayton and spent time with the “work-family” while working during the holidays.

19. Did you fall in love in 2009?
More than I ever thought possible!

20. What was your favorite TV program?
I really enjoyed a program on Showtime called the L Word.

21. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I try not to waste time hating people.

22. What was the best book you read?
My Sisters Keeper – crazy ending in that book.

23. What was your greatest musical discovery?
A band called Iron and Wine, thanks to a co-worker for introducing me to them.

24. What did you want and get?
An iPhone – thanks JJ!

25. What did you want and not get?
I wanted something special to happen for two dear friends -who, someday, will make wonderful first time parents!

26. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Reader

27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 30 this year! If my memory serves me right, the day kicked off with a nice card from my co-workers and then dinner with JJ, though I don’t remember where – how’s that for “old age”!

28. Who did you miss?
Grandma Millie

28. Who was the best new person you met?
I really enjoyed meeting our wedding photographer.

29. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
You can not make people change, all you can do is let them know how you feel about a situation.

30. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
“I got a feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night…”
-Lyrics from “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas

iPhone test

2009-12-27T15:30:00.000-05:00

Testing out posting from my new iPhone! Here's a pic of our Christmas tree.

- Posted using BlogPress from iPhone

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T05:16:00.003-05:00

Hope your day is filled with friendship and love. This has been a wonderful year for me and it's hard not to get teary eyed this time of year when I reflect on how blessed I am with fabulous friends and loved ones. Thank you for being a part of my life!

Mele Kalikimaka...

2009-12-24T10:30:00.004-05:00

The Hawaiian way to say Merry Christmas!
On this Christmas Eve morning, I'm here at work, thinking about how I'd like to have this year's holiday off and be spending it with my new husband. Alas, that is not the case this year, but maybe someday (she says hopefully)!!!

So I draw inspiration by listening to Bing Crosby's beautiful song called Mele Kalikimaka and remember the most amazing 2 weeks of my life that just occurred a few months ago when we spent that time together on our honeymoon in Hawaii.

If you stop by the blog today, I hope you're enjoying a wonderful Christmas Eve and that you have a very Merry Christmas this year!