Grocery run Sunday

Happy Sunday! I'll make this short and sweet as I'm in a time crunch, but this next week, I've planned to start nixing some of the unhealthy things in my diet and replace them with healthy options. For instance, sometime this week I'm planning to make a lasagna recipe with ground turkey and spinach instead of loaded cheese and ground beef.

Anyway, off to the grocery store I went today. I have to say, the local stores really do have wonderful looking produce. The selection, however, is less than great. Having said that, here's some of the produce I came home with:

Spinach, romaine lettuce, asparagus, bananas, and grapefruits are just a few things from the store. Can't wait to see how great they taste this week!

I heart breakfast!

Ok, so I realize that I'm not starting my healthy eating plan until Monday, but earlier this week I tried a healthy breakfast shake. At the risk of sounding like a pre-teen, junior high schoolgirl, O.M.G. this shake was delicious! The main ingredient is strawberry and I'm definitely a strawberry girl. If they're not part of the recipe, chances are, I'm not eating it.

Anyway, the first step is to grind up the rolled oats:

And don't worry about overdoing it! I kind of wish I would have ground mine up a little more. Next, add frozen strawberries, a banana, and milk. Any milk will do. The recipe called for soy milk, but I only had skim on hand.

Now set your blender to smoothie and watch it turn into breakfast!

Enjoy! :)

You can find the whole recipe under the Recipe tab.

Anyway, it's time for bed! Oh, but one quick note: The sunrise this morning was just too gorgeous to ignore, so I took a few quick shots. The picture at the top of my blog is one of them! Here's another:

Ok all for now! here's hoping for another beautiful sunrise tomorrow! :)

Healthy eating

Hi all! Happy Wednesday! Is anyone else feeling as restless as I am? I can't tell if it's just the time of year, or if it's because everything in my life is so complacent right now, but in any case, I think it's time for a change.

For a little background, about a year ago I stepped on the scale and clocked in at the highest weight ever. I decided it was time to do something about it. So, my wonderful and faithful friend, Amanda, and I decided we would try to lose about two pounds a month. Twelve months later, I have been able to drop 12 pounds and successfully keep it off. I have now plateaued, but I loved the feeling of losing weight. I felt like I was in control and could actually DO something good for myself!

With this in mind, and with my current restless state, I have decided it's officially time to change up my diet and eat more healthfully! (About time, right?) I was able to lose the 12 pounds last year by cutting down my portions and increasing my workouts. I was never actually brave enough to change what I ate. It's time to take living a healthy lifestyle to a whole new level.

So why not start now?! I am planning to take the next few days of the week to look up some great recipes including healthy but hearty dinners (that my hubby will actually eat), and quick but nutrient packed lunches. I am open to anything!

Who knows where I will be in another twelve months?? :)

Quote of the Day

Pinterest quote of the day: "Act as if it is impossible to fail." Love it! Sometimes I get so caught up wondering if I'm doing everything right with my workouts and what I eat, that I just feel like it's impossible to stay on track. But this quote reminds me to stay positive. Everyday I just need to do my best and the rest will work out on its own.

In other news, I spent the weekend in Columbus with my cousin who is now hitched! I had so much fun on her wedding weekend. We frosted cupcakes...

Caught up with old friends...

And ate dessert at the head table!

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE weddings? I always manage to have fun. :)

In other news, I am getting super tired of running on the "dread"mill. High winds kept me inside on Sunday for what was supposed to be my long run of the week. It turned into a three mile jog. Out of pure, unadulterated boredom. Bleh. I realize the Lord will not give you more than you can bare, but I'm getting really close! Please bring on spring soon!

Well, that's all for now. Tomorrow is already Tuesday! Much love!

Kris

Blog Updates!

Attention: Work in Progress! I got to thinking today that's it's been quite a while since my last post - a month to be exact - and I've decided it's time to do some major updating. So, everything that's on here may be changed soon, but for tonight, this is what I've come up with. My new goal is to spend at least 4 hours a week on my blog. I really love to do it! But time is a major constraint. And getting this new laptop I'm on doesn't hurt anything either. :) Enjoy! 

LOVE running

This week I have fallen in love with running all over again. I cranked out 6 miles on Sunday, and felt like 4 wasn't enough today! It's really inspired me to keep pushing and see how far and fast I can go. My goal is to be able to run all 13 miles at a 9 minute/mile pace in May. This would put me under 2 hours. A goal I have always strived for, but never been able to attain!

I'm going to make this short and sweet tonight,and my next post will include the 9 week Half-Marathon plan I downloaded, but to close tonight, I found a few pictures online to keep everyone inspired.  :)

 

 

 

This last one makes me want to run outside! Hope winter ends soon... Meanwhile, back on the treadmill tomorrow morning for another run!

Kris

Resolutions

Happy New Year, everyone! The good Lord has blessed us with another year and it has urged me to set yet another New Year's resolution. To be honest, I can't say I'm all that great at reaching/keeping my goal each year. In fact, I have actually heard more people say this year that they aren't setting any sort of resolution. It makes me wonder: As a society, are we too afraid of failure, or are we just tired of trying? Something to chew on... Anyway, regardless of my past track record and the constant negativity, I'm ready to try a new resolution for 2012!

What is this grand plan you may ask? Well I've decided to become a more serious runner. This seems basic, possibly even easy. How hard can being a more "serious" runner be? The truth is, I couldn't decide if I wanted to be more dedicated, try new things, or just plain faster. So, I chose a goal that would mean all of these things.

I read an article in Self magazine today (my FAVORITE mag) called "The 5 Tricks to Keeping Your New Year's Resolutions." It listed 5 basic steps to reaching your goal.

#1: Set reasonable goals. Check.

#2: Create a schedule. This area needs some work. I am hot pursuit of a half marathon plan for my Lincoln race May 6th!

#3: Track your progress. I have to say, I don't really think I've ever done this for running. Looks like my planner will need to open up a few spots for running notes.

#4: Buddy up! I love this step! I have a wonderful morning workout buddy, Jenn. And there is a group of amazing ladies in the town where I work that band together for running. I would like to be a stronger member of their group, the Northeast Nebraska Road Runners!

#5: Don't give up! KEY step right there. Porbably the most important for any New Year's resolution.

Well, with all of that said, it's time for me to get to work on my goal! Hitting the treadmill at 5:30 AM! Small steps, everyone. Small steps... :)