3 miles, 36 minutes

I still got it.

I am hoping to run up to the bitter end.

8 weeks to go and counting!

I need to brag on Mr. R. for a moment here. He has been doing lots of tempo work on the treadmill in hopes of crushing his current 5K time. Today he did a timed 5k on the treadmill and shaved 2 minutes off his last time! The real deal 5K is on 4/2.

Race to the Taste in St. Auggy.

FYI:

This is his FIERCE face!

My daily dose of health

Odwalla fruit juice mixed with apple cider vinegar and my vitamins. I am still waiting on my shipment of 1,000 mg of C. Everyone I know is sick right now so I am thinking I might need to stock up on some emergen-C as well.

Can you eat rainbow... eat rainbow... eat rainbow?

So the title is a play on words and a tribute to my favorite childhood TV show Captain Noah. If you lived in Philly or near Philly in 1986 you know what I am talking about. If not... you totally missed out! (He used to ask if you could sing rainbow.)

Yesterday while reading blogs I discovered a new love. A company passionate about eating healthy and getting kids to make healthy choices with food. The message is simple. If you eat a rainbow each day then you are getting your 5 fruits and veggies and eating your way through a host of necessary vitamins and minerals.

I know this is for kids, but seriously sign me up! I want to eat a rainbow everyday!

With my new goal in mind here are the colorful food choices I made today.

Red: fresh cherries at lunch

Orange: nectarine for post dinner snack

Yellow: yellow onion on my slider at lunch (I know I am stretching this one)

Green: asparagus with dinner, cabbage stuffed inside our chicken potstickers

Blue: None

White: do dumplings count?

And a quick snapshot of our dinner... because it's just not a post without pictures!

30 day workout challenge!

Can you tell I love a challenge?

The first day of school is really my New Year's Day. It signifies a new beginning for me as a teacher, a chance to make new goals, try new things, and stretch myself a little... you know, out of my comfort zone.

Since people make new year's resolutions I am making a few new school year resolutions!

• Workout daily! My running challenge was successful and I had great results (73 miles!) so I want to continue the workouts. I may not run everyday, but I will be incorporating Tae-bo and more swimming.
• 6 home-cooked veggie centered meals a week. Once the school year starts, my schedule gets a bit crazy and I end up not cooking and relying on fast food and Publix. This year or at least for the next 30 days I will be cooking or crockpoting and each meal will have two or more veggies in it.
• Finally, naps. I am reinstating afternoon naps. Instead of powering through with coffee and diet coke I am going to sleep if I am tired. A new concept in casa de Republican, but I am kinda digging it.

We are having a dutch baby!

(Also known as a puffed pancake)

I was catching up on blogs earlier this week and stumbled across a recipe for a blueberry dutch baby. The making of it could not have been easier!

• Heat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
• Place 4 Tbs. of butter in a glass pieplate and place in your oven to melt the butter (as it is heating).
• In your blender add: 4 eggs, 1/2 c. of flour, and 1/2 c. of milk
• Top with blueberries
• Bake in your 425 degree oven for 25 minutes.
• If you have a Mr. Republican in your house, you will also need to throw some bacon on your George Foreman.
• After your baby is done baking top with powdered sugar.

Then promptly go run 3 miles because you know all of that butter is going straight to your thighs!

March 2: Belly full of protein... yuck!

So I have this cold, actually I am pretty sure its more than a cold. My nose won't stop running. I am losing my voice. And My throat is feeling thick like I just drank two gallons of milk followed by a block of cheese as a chaser. I don't feel like cooking. To be honest, I really don't feel like eating either.

I bought protein powder on a friend's suggestion. She mixes it into her smoothies and says it keeps her full until lunch. I am not a big fan of the taste or its inability to actually mix with water. (Some of it mixes while the other makes these hard chunks that kind of float around in the glass). But, Kate was right. The protein totally fills me up and keeps me full until lunch, which is more than I can say for my morning oats.

In the idea of being honest, I need to tell you that I may have been substituting protein water for 2 of my daily meals this week, and yesterday I actually had it for all three. (DO NOT DO THIS!) The idea of not cooking sounds amazing, but trust me. All of the protein will not only make your stomach swell so that you look 5 months pregnant. It will also give you enough gas to make your husband threaten to sleep in the guest room. And you will have a stomach ache that lasts for two full days.

I always joke that I would love to be like the Jetsons and have my food come in pill form, that way cooking would be totally optional or better yet, obsolete. But until that day comes, I guess its back to the stove for me.

Sometimes you just need a little junkfood.

I grew up very close to the Jersey shore. (And yes, its the shore. The calling it the beach simply will not do. The shore is more than sand attached to a shoreline. It's a boardwalk with carnival rides, the best pizza in the world, and frozen custard topped with jimmies).

If you tune into MTV you find out that my Jersey is sometimes called the land of "sunnin' and funnin". Yes, we are classy with a "k".

I think my favorite part of the Jersey shore besides the beach, pizza, and custard... is the jersey hotdog with all the toppings. I didn't actually discover this dog until college with the little help of a town called Seaside Heights, (we lovingly refer to it as sleaze-side).

My jersey dog contains, mustard, jalapenos, cheese, caramelized onions, sauerkraut and at the very bottom a heavily grilled (almost all black) hot-dog.

I would like to say that the reason my hotdogs look so big is because I am using a salad plate, not a dinner plate...but in truth the hotdogs are giant and I ATE BOTH!

If you are missing dirty jersey go fix yourself a dog or too...and if that doesn't help MTV might just be playing a episode. You know you can't get enough of the gyming, tanning, and fist pumping!

Weight Watchers

I have struggled with my weight since I was seven. I was never naturally thin. And it wasn't until my early 20s that I actually learned how to fuel my body properly. The whole idea of calories in needs to equal calories out...

In the past 4 years of marriage I have steadily packed on the pounds due to poor eating, lack of excercise, and putting myself last on the old "to-do" list. With the help of weight watchers over the past year I have finally learned that I need to take time for me and make sure my nutritional, emotional, and physical needs are being met.

How does this translate to everyday life?

Nutritional: Total food costs go up (produce is more expensive than canned or boxed), fast food/processed food costs go WAY DOWN, Mr. R is not always happy with what's for dinner, we no longer drink soda, meals must be planned in advance, the crockpot is my new BFF, I can no longer "just pick-up" dinner, my skin is clearer, and I have more energy.

Emotional: I have had to be more honest about my feelings. I had to learn to start sharing how the actions of other effect me. I had to learn to "rock the boat" sometimes. I think I have become a better wife. I am more open than I have ever been in my life. I started a blog. I think I am a better friend. I am more outspoken with my opinions.

Physical: For my own sanity I need to workout at least 3 times a week. (This does not always happen). I am much less hungry on days I run than days I do not. My body likes afternoon workouts and will perform much better in the pm hours. I have grown more comfortable with the gym and having to run/ workout next to other. I am becoming better at comparing my body to others. I am starting to appreciate my body for what it does not how it looks.

Changes...

I have been trying to make a few personal changes lately.
1. Eat more fruits and veggies
2. Cut out soda (even my precious coke zero)
3. Work out daily
4. Save $
5. Keep house clean

While I am constantly trying to do all of these things I am failing miserably.

Today I actually ate Doritos for dinner? Who does that? My fridge is stocked full of delicious fruit, fresh cut vegetables, and all the fixings for a healthy dinner and I choose Doritos?

I plan my daily workout for the afternoon, lay out my workout clothes, and upload a playlist on my ipod and I find myself here on my couch at 7:30.

Mr. R and I are trying to save up money for a kitchen remodel and yet I find myself getting annoyed with him when he asks if I really need a new dress for school. (Yes, I do realize we only have 6 days left).

And while I am very conscious of how great my house looks when everything is put away, I choose to be a slacker and postpone most of the pick up and cleaning for the weekend.

What is wrong with me?

Friday, Saturday, Sunday... where does the weekend go?

My immune system failed me this week. I came down with the "crud" this week and my weekend mostly consisted of nyquil induced dreams, sweats, and hot showers. We did manage to squeeze in two movies and a dinner with friends. As I type this I realize my weekend wasn't so uneventful after all.

Friday: I left school at 2:oo feeling horrible. My nose was running, my head hurt, and as a result of not eating all day I was nauseous and a little dizzy. I came home, napped, popped a dayquil and three hours later felt almost human. Mr. R and I decided to have nachos and cherry coke for dinner. Actually, we decided to try out the new movie theatre. It was my turn to choose the movie and Ghost of girlfriends past made the cut. It's a cute movie, great for a date night.

Saturday: Took a nyquil after the movie and spent most of Saturday morning in a nyquil induced haze. Mr. R had a morning meeting with a few fellow republicans and I slept right through their arrival. I awoke to 5 people + Mr. R sitting in my dining room. I am sure they loved my morning hair. Saturday night we celebrated Jenn's 24th over margaritas and queso at Chili's. A fantastic night celebrating an amazing girl!

Sunday: Our friends Charlie and Courtney joined our church this weekend and Mr. R and I attended the early service to support them. We took in the afternoon showing of Star Trek. I have definitely had my fill of soda, popcorn, and movie nachos this weekend.

Good news! On the weight watchers front I am down 4.6 this week!

Holy Fattening Batman!

Not really the best title, but that is how I felt when trying to total up my weight watchers points tonight. After a not so great day at school today I felt the need for a coffee pick me up on the way home. I stopped by the golden arches to pick up a large vanilla iced coffee. What can I say Starbucks is out of the way and Mickey D's is a heck of A LOT cheaper.

The woman in front of me ordered cinnamon melts with her coffee and the sheer scent made me crave some too. I broke to temptation and asked for a package of melts to go with my coffee. I figured how bad could a few mini melts be?

10 points!!!! That is almost half of my daily points for the day!

The saddest part is that I inhaled my snack so fast I can't even remember what those fattening lard and cinnamon covered bites tasted like.