We Finished Our First 5K! 1 Birthday Down, 2 to Go!

Ok… so like… we totally got wrapped up in like life and totally forgot to update the blog. So like yea… BUT

We completed our first 5K! ::crowd cheers:: Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You are appreciated.

Overall I think it was super fun day. We had a huge sleepover the night before filled with pizza and anticipation. The morning of the race we all woke up and put on our super cute shirts (sans the fellas) and packed 7 deep into my truck for a nice ride to Flushing Meadows Park. No one warned us that we would have to walk an entire 5K from the parking lot to the starting line… but it’s cool. That was our warm up. Not much to say about the race except:

We came. We ran. We conquered.

After crossing the finish line and taking tons of selfies, we finally celebrated with a nice FREE beer while trying to regain feeling in our frozen limbs. Awesomeness. Who doesn’t love beer at 10am? Oh and how could I forget that one of our friends took home a medal for finishing first in his age division! How cool! Great job Nick!

Lastly, Corin and I started the electric slide at the official Allstate 13.1 Half Marathon After Party… Like a BOSS. Well like a pair of BOSSES.

We finished the day with more beer, wings and cake. Of course there was cake… we still had to celebrate my birthday! 🙂

Official Race Quotes

Sophia: “I finished under 45 minutes. Which was my goal. So I’m happy even though the little 5-year-old was taunting me the whole time.”

Corin: “My butt still hurts.”

Steph: Click Here

Until next time… enjoy our super cute pictures.

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Hey Steph, are you ready for July?

Month 1 of Insanity= OWNED

When I started Insanity i was all like:

MOVING PUSH-UPS?

The things I wanted to do to Shaun T

And Tanya

Tanya’s abs

But I DID IT

…..But i still have 30 days left….

Yikes! Stop Moving So Fast!

Life. I’m taking to you, life. Stop being rude and give me time to blog!

Anyway, here are my updates:

– I lost 10lbs
– I lost some inches according to my extremely supportive and no need to lie co-workers.
– I don’t like my hair straight anymore. Curly hair FOR LIFFFFFEEEE!!!
– Zumba 5 – Sophia 0. Yea… Let’s move on.
– I stalk bigredkitchen.com every week for meals. I’m also satisfied every time I eat because her recipes are AWESOME.
– I ran a 5K in 42 mins this week. That’s progress, bro. Back in December it took me a little over an hour. Whoa.
– I have cool friends and I appreciate them and their texts of encouragement and suggestions.
– Team “All Stars Dye Hard” is growing and I’m super excited for the The Color Run.
– Those 10lbs was an estimate. Lol. Screw scales!
– My MacBook hard drive crashed. Woe is me. Currently accepting all pity and laptop donations.

Well, those are my updates! Adios!

We’re on a Roll: Second 5k!

We are officially registered for the Color Run in New York this summer *woop woop*

And get this, we actually have outside supporters joining our team. Color us excited!

If you’re in the area sign up and join the 1500+ others for the Happiest 5k on the planet July 6th in Brooklyn!

Mason Jar Journey: Soup and Salad Part 2

So last time was the soup… this time we are going to talk about salad.

Basically I love spinach. So when I found this article “one hour, three salads, six meals: 3, 2, 1, Go!” I completely freaked because it was so cool and easy to make! Of course my attempt didn’t look as pretty, but hey… it tasted great! Even my mom liked it!

There is no way I am going to copy and paste that entire article here. Instead I’ll just post 2 pictures and remind you to click the link above. I do want to say thank you to Robin Sue of bigredkitchen.com because I spent hours on the site taking notes of all the recipes I can’t wait to try! 🙂

Before:

After:

 

 

 

How cute!

Mason Jar Journey: Soup and Salad Part 1

I have finally joined the cult of the Mason Jar Lunch People. Yes, it is true. I drove all the way to Michael’s to purchase 10 fancy mason jars ( and a bunch of beads to make jewelry  but that’s another topic). I was determined that day to create lunch for the week. Did I accomplish this goal? ABSOLUTELY! With a little help from the internet and a good friend Karla, I was able to make some really tasty meals!

Karla’s Fancy Bean Soup (Not the real name, but what I called it)

Here’s what you will need:

1 can each of:
black beans
pinto beans
chili beans
lima beans
black-eyed peas
diced tomatoes
Rotel (chilies and tomatoes mix)
corn
1 onion, chopped
1 cup of water
1 package ranch dressing
1 package taco seasoning
rotisserie chicken (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

What you need to do:

Pretty much, just throw everything but the chicken in a slow cooker.  Do NOT drain the liquids from any of the cans, just dump it all in.  Cook for 8 hours.  If you are planning to add the chicken, do so around the 7th hour.

After I finished slow cooking the soup, I filled a few mason jars (I forgot to snap a pic) and stored the rest in the freezer for another week. If you decide to make this soup and you really want to get fancy… top it with some cheese and sour cream. YUM!!

Thanks Karla for the great recipe!

WE ARE OFFICIALLY REGISTERED FOR OUR FIRST 5K!

Allstate Life Insurance 13.1 Marathon here we come!!!

March 23, 2013

Register and join us: http://www.131marathon.com/newyork/

 

 

Recipe time!

In an effort to not only finish all these 5ks we plan on doing, we decided to take baby steps towards some overall lifestyle changes. Long story short, a majority of our lifestyle is centered on food. Every time we get a chance to be together Soph, Corin and I basically plan our trips around food: meals, menu’s, snacks, grocery stores, food shows, faux cooking lessons, foodie-ness, everything….we’re kind of sick what can I say.

Anywho, lets just say its time to integrate some healthier choices into our life plans. So, low and behold, our “Live Healthy- Good Eats” section.  I personally love trying recipes from around the world. Therefore, this week I give you a simple and delicious  Quinoa Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce recipe.

After some research I decided to put a little twist on a traditional falafel recipe:

• Add quinoa- supergrain! Full of antioxidants, heart-healthy fats, way more protein than other grains, and 2013 is officially declared as “The International Year of the Quinoa” (fun water-cooler fact for when you go to work next week).
• Sear don’t Fry- traditional falafel recipes cook via deep-frying. Keeping with our health theme I decided to sear with minimal oil use.

Ok enough talking, lets get to cooking! Below is the recipe I used (originally from Care2) and some fun pictures to help you along the way.  Feel free to adjust to your personal tastes.

What you need:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 30 oz. garbanzo beans
• 2 cups carrots, chopped
• 1 cup green onions, sliced
• 6 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 4 teaspoons coriander
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
• 4 garlic cloves
• salt & pepper to taste
• store bought Tzatziki Sauce (recipes can be found online if you prefer making from scratch)
• Package of Pita Bread
• Vegetables as garnish (I used red onion, tomato and sprouts)

1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small-medium saucepan. Add quinoa, reduce heat to low & cover. Cook for about 12 minutes, or until the liquid has absorbed. Set aside and let cool.

2. Pulse carrots and parsley in a food processor (or blender if you’re low on resources like I was, works perfectly fine). Add in green onion, sesame seeds, garbanzo beans, lemon juice, garlic cloves, eggs, cumin and coriander. If desired, season with salt and pepper. When the mixture is combined (it doesn’t have to be smooth — just mixed well) add in cooled quinoa and lightly pulse some more. Let it set in the fridge for about an hour (can be less than an hour, just as long as it firms enough for balls to stay together).

3. Once chilled Scoop out about 2 tablespoons and shape into patties, rolling and flattening the mixture. Feel free to use your hands and get a little messy!

4. After all the falafel balls are formed add about a tablespoon of oil to a nonstick pan and heat to medium-high.

5. Cook on each side for about three minutes, and lightly press down with a spatula to thin it out if need be. Continue with the remaining patties.

 

 

6. Place cooked quinoa in pita pocket and garnish with sliced tomatoes, onions, sprouts and a healthy dollop of tzatziki sauce. Enjoy!

Zumba 1 – Sophia 0

Last night I participated in a Zumba class with my co-worker Alexis. I’ve never done Zumba before and honestly I was a bit scared. I even sat at work youtubing videos and thinking to myself “Great job Soph. You’re going to look silly doing these moves”. However, I’ve figured that running alone isn’t going to get me ready for the race and a healthier lifestyle in general. So, I’ve decided to add some extra activities during the week. We get to the dance studio and I’m pumped. ::adds war paint:: LET’S DO THIS, ZUMBA!! ::growls:: The lights go out, the black lights come on (so cool) and the music starts…

Well, I’m pretty sure I looked like this:

Even though I thought I looked like this:

But by the end I felt like this:

Screw your coordinated dance moves Zumba. You don’t know me or my struggles.

And when I got home I did this:

Did you notice how her legs barely worked… Yea…

 

It was a GREAT class with great instructors and at $10 a session for 60 minutes… I don’t think I can beat it. I think I will stick with Zumba once a week in addition to the Couch to 5K program.

‘Til we meet again next week Zumba. I promise I will dominate you!

Detox Diaries Day 4: Bananas and Milk

I’m calm. Im not angry. Sure I haven’t eaten an animal or bread or fat in days. But I’m…::smooths.ravaged shirt:: Caaaalm. Seriousy though, this, taste wise is by far the roughest day. I’m supposed to be making up for potassium and calcium via bananas and skim milk…and nothing else. I probably won’t eat another banana for the rest of the year after today. And Skim Milk shouldn’t even be considered milk. But I’m half way there.

Mid Week Weight: 125 lbs.