The One with a New Health Plan

I need a plan!

I am getting fat and actually quite enjoying it. This time of year is famous for temptations....pumpkin spice lattes....cinnamon rolls....red wine...chocolate covered pomegranate candies....scones....cookies....pumpkin pie. You name anything bad, I have been eating it!! Fall is the perfect time for comfort food, especially foods of the pumpkin variety. Paleo pumpkin muffins are my FAVORITE!!! (I will share my recipe soon...sorta forgot about doing that)

ANYWAY....I need a plan!!

So far I have decided to have a more concrete work out plan. I need to be careful and eat less junk food, but for now, I'm pretty convinced that's not going to happen. I just need to work out a little harder!

Here's my plan:
Monday: Gym workout/intervals 
Tuesday: Run six miles
Wednesday: Gym workout/intervals
Thursday: Run six miles
Friday: Gym work out/intervals
Saturday: Boot camp and/or running
Sunday: be active somehow.

I have already completed Monday through Wednesday, but we have yet to see whether or not I will repeat next week! I will be reporting back soon!!

(Notes: All instragram pics are pretty old. And yes I know that I use too many ..... and !!. But I am okay with that. For me, the more punctuation the better!!!!! )

The One that's really LONG.

What I blog about. hmmmm...

I like to blog about real life. I like to take pretty photos and document the fun stuff of life. I have some goals, however, to also expand my creativity and make blogging more interesting. That might mean doing more projects and taking more photos! Somehow I think that's what I need.

Life has been a little BLAH here in November.

I'd like to change that. If you are a regular reader, I would love a little advice on what people like to read! I guess I will write a little synopsis of the current stuff I do, so that way anyone can add a suggestion.

1. I do Project Life. I'm a tad behind posting about it (yeah, like six months) but I'm pretty up to date with my actual book. In the past two years I've lived a life that is pretty "documenting" oriented. I save receipts. I steal business cards from restaurants. I methodically print photos and round corners and stick my stuff in little pockets. Its a fun adventure, and not one I'm planning on quitting any time soon. I plan on taking more photos of my pages in the future!

2. I scrapbook. Even though I also do Project Life, I also love to play with pretty paper and embellishments. Matty tells me that I do a little too much! Because I document stuff pretty much daily, when it comes to scrapbooking, its all for fun! That's how I like it.

3. I play in the outdoors. I run. I camp. I am kind of an active gal and I love to write about it. Somehow its nice to brag about how fast I run a race, or how I feel accomplished when I learn how to swim. Its fun to share something that's such a big part of my life.

4. I hardly cook, but when I do I love to blog about it. Every now and then I get a burst of energy and decide to take photos of my cooking process or my daily dinners or my super healthy Paleo foods. And I'm always up for taking pictures of treats and desserts, even when I don't make them myself.

5. I take pictures. This may have been implied in the previous four points, but I thought it deserved a line all by itself. Whether its instagram or fancy camera, I pretty much photograph daily! I'm still not great, but I love the challenge of capturing a moment in a pretty way. That's pretty much how I see photography. I take pictures because I like to remember. And if I am remembering, it might as well look good, right?

6. I have a pretty full life when it comes to friend and family. I do love to share random adventures that I have with Matt and others. Seattle is an amazing place. We may think that we are bored all the time, but when I look through my Picassa album, I'm pretty much convinced that we do lots of fun things. I'd like to do even more. This includes trying new restaurants and traveling to more local areas around Seattle.

7. I travel. Okay, not really, but I do have a ton of Europe photos that I haven't shared yet. Mostly just haven't had the time to write the words to portray such an amazing adventure. I'm not sure that this would be an interesting to topic to read about, so let me know!!

Thanks for reading, if you got all the way to the end. Please, ladies, (or anyone) give me some suggestions on how I can improve what I write. I would love any constructive criticism please!!

Love Jenn

The one with Bacon & Brussels Sprouts

I found a great deal on Brussels Sprouts at TJs! Actually it was Matt that placed this large branch into our cart. Its huge!! We will get two meals out of this one stalk, and it was only 2.99.

It was quite the feat to cut all those little sprouts off the big trunk!

This is what I did next: 
Cut the sprouts in half and add to a pan that's lined with foil.
Sprinkle generously (or not) with olive oil.
Add salt and pepper
Add cut up bacon. I used Trader Joe's ends & pieces bacon.
Cook for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

Its amazing, I promise!!

Here is what it looks like all finished: (Photo is from 2011, but same recipe)

At the same time Matt was making some delicious Paleo peach cobbler. I'm not sure what the recipe is, but he said all he did was Google "Paleo Peach Cobbler" and used the first one on the list. That is how we cook at our house! :)

Happy Paleo Eating!!

The One with the Triathlon

Its been nearly a week since I returned from Chelan!

Life has been a bit crazy, so I apologize for lack of blogging. In the past four days I have hardly been home at all, thanks to two movie theater excursions, spending time with family in Auburn, and getting to see my baby friend Pippa. Tomorrow we are headed to Bellingham for a bike ride. Fun stuff! But CRAZY busy. Needless to say, I haven't been cooking a ton or eating all that healthy either. Oops!

Back to Chelan.

Yes, I did complete my triathlon! The bad news first....I felt sad for my poor swimming teacher who put so much time into me....I completely forgot how to swim! The morning of the race I warmed up with my cousin and could swim quite well. In fact, she said I had an excellent stroke. But as soon as the race started, I began to hyperventilate. So of course breathing under water was out of the question. I ended up doing most of the swim on my back, doing the backstroke. I also did a little breast stroke and a tiny bit of crawl when I could get my breathing under control.

When I got out of the water my adrenalin was rushing like crazy and I just BOOKED it. My transition was fast. I started out on my bike super quick and passed everyone in sight. Eventually my hand went numb (poor bike fit...I'm borrowing it) but I still pressed on. I said "passing on your left" over and over. When I got back to transition I was completely zonked. TOTALLY exhausted because I had just pretty much sprinted for 13 miles. Still, I tried to run as fast as possible. I kept telling myself that I was a runner and I sure wasn't going to lose on the run. After about half mile I felt much better and started passing people again. Eventually I finished in second place! There were a few guys ahead of me, but I was second in my age group....I think 11th overall once all the heats finished.

Needless to say, I was super excited! My first triathlon was a success! I still have lots to learn on the swim, but at least I didn't die, and I ended the race well. That's all that matters.

I just wanted to give you a little 30 before 30 update. Here is the complete blog post of all the things I wish to accomplish by the time I'm 30. I just have a little more than 3 years!

So far I have:
10) Run a Marathon
14) Mini Sprint Triathlon
19) Learn to Really Swim.

Its been a pretty active summer so far. :)

The One with the Exciting News

Okay...not that exciting. No baby is on the way or anything. :)

BUT...I learned how to swim!! Yes, I can finally do it. I swam 400 meters today in my swimming lesson, and that was after warming up with 50 and then swimming 150 meters. So...that's 600 meters total!!

I also swam around 400 meters in Green Lake yesterday.

As you may tell, I am SUPER EXCITED about my accomplishment. :)

I have been so busy with my swimming, biking and running, that I haven't had much time for cooking healthy meals. So its been all about what's quick and available. Lots of salads and quick veggies and hard boiled eggs and such things. Right now I am eating a Swordfish steak made by Matty on the BBQ.

And I am off to watch Season 4 Premier of White Collar. So excited. :)

The one with the Salmon Patties

Wow!! I can't believe I am sharing my second "recipe" in such a short time. I guess I have been extra domestic this week!

As I may have mentioned earlier, I made some salmon patties to go with that pesto that I made the other day.

I followed a recipe here but I altered a few things based on what I had available. For instance I used lime juice instead of lemon. I also didn't use a food processor (I don't have one) and the magic bullet was still tired out from the pesto from yesterday. Instead, I just mashed with a fork and everything turned out fine.

 I have never made these before, and actually never eating salmon patties before, but they were delicious! I topped them, of course, with some delicious home made pesto and they made me super full all night long. (Even got me through a successful swimming lesson and I didn't need to eat afterward. I've got to interject swimming stuff here and there since it has become my whole life lately.)

I will be making them again.

The one where Jenn makes Pesto

Woo hoo! I did something domestic.

Not only did I make Pesto from scratch, but I made it from my very own basil plant! (I have one tiny secret though...I had to supplement with Trader Joe's basil since I didn't have enough)

I used my handy dandy Magic Bullet.

I started with just a few leaves, a dash of olive oil and some pine nuts. Little by little I mixed and added more stuff.

I used:  About three cups of basil leaves, (see bowl above) 1/2 cup of olive oil, a little more than 1/4 cup of pine nuts. 

It took awhile to grind up all those leaves, but eventually it worked! I kept adding a little more olive oil each time. It was super quick and easy, besides the part where Matt's eardrums hurt from the Magic Bullet whirring.

Tomorrow night we are going to eat Pesto on top of our Salmon Patties. Can't wait! (I will be eating dinner tomorrow after my very first swimming lesson at Green lake, will keep you updated on that!)

The one with the tiny little swimming update (and lots of food photos)

For all those that are following along closely (ha!) I have now been swimming three days.

I can blow bubbles. I can actually BREATHE with my head under the water. (Not in, of course)

On Wednesday a nice gal at the gym gave me a tip to use the kickboard so that I don't have to use my arms. All I have to do is kick my feet and practice my breathing. One-Two-Three under the water and then take a breath. Repeat on each side. I am working on tipping my head to the side instead of straight up. I still have ALOT to learn. I feel like someone trying to run a marathon that can only run one mile. When it comes to swimming I am SERIOUSLY out of shape. I can swim back and forth and be completely out of breath.

Four weeks to go! Can I swim 400 meters in open water, possible sloshing and freezing? We have yet to see.

 On another note, I have been eating pretty healthy for the last couple of weeks. I have been loving my eggs, spinach and goat cheese every morning:

For lunches I usually eat salads. For dinner I try to cook lots of veggies and eat chicken or chicken sausage.

One of my favorite combinations has been brussels sprouts, broccoli, yellow squash and chicken sausage. The brussels sprouts and broccoli come in bags at Trader Joe's, so I can microwave them to speed up cooking time. (Matt likes this)

I have also been making healthier choices when I eat at other places. In this meal, at Chris and Terry's, the only "bad" thing I ate was this tiny piece of bread that was home made by Donella. She is my favorite bread maker and she tried a new recipe, so of course I had to try. :)

Here is a quick Instagram of my groceries from Trader Joes last weekend. Even the check out lady was impressed by how healthy I eat!

Thanks for reading my healthy update. I am so happy to be doing so well. :)

The One where Jenn learns to swim and promptly forgets how to run.

Yes that is right.

I had my first swim lesson today. Matty taught me how to blow bubbles and kick.

This may seem super lame-o, but before I started today I couldn't even put my head in the water without plugging my nose.

Thank you Matty for the nice lesson!!

The rest of the story is that after work today I ran around Green lake and couldn't even make it around the whole lake without stopping to take a quick walk. I blame the LACK OF CARBS!! I have been on a pretty low carb diet now for about 8 days and my running always gets affected.

So what did I do?

Ate a delicious apple and almond butter after my run. Now I feel completely better. :)

Matty says don't eat fruit, but I am sneaking in a little fruit before and after exercising. Without it, I am toast. :)

My triathlon check list is getting complete! I bought a swim suit and tri bike shorts and arranged to borrow a road bike and a wet suit. So all I need to do now is SWIM BIKE RUN! This will be my life for the next five weeks. Its coming up.....!!

:)

Scrapbook Pages: Tulip Fields

 These pages are about our April trip to the Tulip Fields in LaConner.

The first two pages are meant to sit side by side in my album, that's why their color schemes are so similar. I hate to do 2-pagers, but sometimes I have too many photos to fit on only one page.

I used my favorite supplies, including recent Studio Calico kits, washi tape, and random embellishments that I am trying to use up. Those flowers are big and bulky brads and I have been avoiding them, so glad to get them on a page at last. 

The second page is about our little trip into LaConner for lunch. It was a unique experience involving a brand new cafe, delicious food, and dozens of ferraris.

I think I will post a few more scrapbook pages this week. I haven't really scrapbooked in awhile, but these are older pages that I just recently photographed and put away in my album. Maybe getting these on the blog will inspire me creatively to sit down and scrapbook.

In other news, I am in my second week of eating healthy (mostly Paleo) and working out/running again. Its going really well (not that I've lost any weight) and I am still planning and doing a triathlon in July. I will keep you posted!!

Back to Normal

This week is all about getting back to normal. I have been really needing my usual routine. I haven't really felt normal for months! Doing the marathon also set me back a bit, because I had to take about a week off before and after my race. All in the name of staying injury free...which I have so far!

This week I am eating healthy again. Trying to incorporate more protein into my diet, and lots more fruits and vegetables. My goal is to eat healthy and lose a little weight. Two days in...I am really struggling but trying to remain positive and remember that the first few days are always the hardest. My body and mind really loves SUGAR. And its hard to live without. Truthfully I tend to feel much better when I don't eat so many refined carbohydrates.

I am also back to the gym! Doing weights this morning was really hard, but I survived. :)

My next big race will be my first triathlon in Chelan in July. The main obstacle will be learning how to swim, especially to put my head in the water. I have six weeks!

I am so excited to get back to my real self.

And with that, I will leave you with a couple photo of myself and my cute hubby. We were at a rooftop party overlooking Lake Union and took the opportunity for a quick photo shoot. I happened to be wearing my favorite new earrings and fabulous tangerine scarf.

I am so glad its summer. Its the perfect time for dreaming, planning and relaxing!