Vacay!!

Merry Christmas to all!

I'll be checking back in shortly but for now I'm enjoying my Vacay!!

Hope you all get a bit of a vacation too!!

Thirsty Thursday #7

Hot Tea

While visiting friends and family this holiday season, I couldn't help but notice other's drinking habits.  Some of my peeps carry coffee cups with them everywhere, filled with the high octane - caffeine filled -- nectar of the gods.  Others buy flats and flats of bottled water and chug it by the gulp full.  

One of my husband's grandmothers has a very neat habit -- a cross between hydration and self care -- nightly tea.

Her favorite tea right now is a decaf tea that I believe she called Constant Comment.  It's an orange based tea that has notes of spices that is so warming!

Each evening she'll boil her kettle and make her cup of tea while she sits and unwinds from the day.   When we visit, she'll boil enough water for us all to have a cup.  It's such a nice little ritual that I might just have to steal and continue after the holiday break.

What is your nightly ritual?

Do you have a family member that has a hydration habit worth noting?

Which type of tea is your favorite?

What to Eat Wednesday #7

What to eat this week?

This week we've been indulging in some local favorites that we can only get when we travel:

• Tim Horton's
• Big Boy
• Olga's
• Jet's Pizza
• Hungry Howie's Pizza
• Michigan Chinese Food :D
• Home cooking :D
• BD's Mongolian Grill

What types of foods do you have when you travel?  

Are there any local favorites you can only get at home?

Who votes that we should ship regional cuisines all over the U.S. so we don't have this problem?

Tuesday Treat Day #7

This week's treat is a day at home -- alone.

During the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it's easy to get into the habit of putting others' needs/agendas ahead of your own.  For most people, this is their day to day status quo -- putting themselves last, forgetting to take care of themselves, etc...  

I say, take a day for yourself.  Connect with yourself.  Treat yourself to a day all about you.  

For me this meant doing some chores (laundry, dishes, etc...), getting in a workout (sprint intervals at the track and some plyo at home), and watching some junk food TV (real housewives please!)

What will you do to take care of yourself today? 

Do you ever take a day and put yourself first?

How do you Treat yourself?

Marathon Monday #7

To Run or not to run...

There's plenty to distract me from running this time of year -- festive but rich holiday foods drag me down, traveling wears me out, shorter days mean less daylight and visiting family and friends means more scheduling conflicts...

I've been struggling this training cycle about what to do --- I want to achieve my goals but feel like it's such a burden to lace up and go out.  Is this runner's burn out?  I didn't take an official break between my half and my full marathon, so could it be that I'm just over it?  

Here's how my week went:

Planned//Actual

Monday -- OFF//OFF

Tuesday -- 3 miles // 3 miles

Wednesday -- OFF//OFF

Thursday -- 4 miles // OFF

Friday -- OFF // 1 Mile

Saturday -- 3 miles // 1 mile

Sunday -- 5 miles // OFF

What a crummy week .  I had tummy troubles after traveling all day Monday -- that meant I probably pushed too hard Tuesday to finish all 3 miles... 

The roads here are also way more hilly than the roads that I'm used to, so my calves were screaming!  Although I know that it's good for me to train on hills, it's no fun!

With such cruddy runs and so many missed runs, I'm here asking myself -- should I even try to run this marathon?  

To run or not to run?  I guess I have some soul searching to do.

How do you decide when to run and how far to push yourself?

Do you ever struggle like I'm struggling?  

How do you balance training with life around the holidays?

Just for fun Friday #6

This week, I'm doing some shopping!!!  With the holidays quickly approaching, there's nothing more fun than making a list, checking it twice, and making sure to get great deals for all my family and friends!!
What are you doing this week?

I'll be spending time with family!! I love the holidays!! 

Who's on your shopping list?

I try to include all family and all friends.  Some get handmade goodies.  Others get store bought gifts from their wish list. 

Do you like shopping or find it a chore?

for me it depends on the crowd-to-deal ratio. If the crowds are too buy for the deal, it's not worth it for me so I bail. But I'll be more patient for a great deal. 

Thirsty Thursday #6

For this Thursday -- I'm thirsty for your favorite holiday drinks.

Here's a short list of mine:

• Peppermint Mocha Coffee -- I've been adding Peppermint Mocha creamer to my morning coffee this week and OH BABY!  Is it good
• Bottled Water -- we're extra careful while on vacation since not everyone's water supply has the same minerals/chemicals etc... from the tap.  We're either drinking Bottled water or filtered water.
• Unsweetened iced tea -- When I want something cold but flavored -- I'll drink this instead of water
• Egg Nog! -- not too much, but what an awesome treat!
• Hot chocolate with an obscene amount of marshmallows 

What are you drinking this holiday season?

Do you have favorite drinks that only come around during a specific time of year?

What to Eat Wednesday #6

This week will be a super short post -- since I'm miserable...

Let me explain briefly -- my stomach is so upset and bloated and gassy!

Traveling this week led to swollen feet and eating too much of the salty stuff.  Once we got to our destination, we overindulged in our favorite foods.  Yesterday, while trying to make an effort to "be good", I had some raw veggies -- including raw broccoli...

I have been miserable ever since.

So this week I ask, what do I eat or avoid eating to feel better??

Tuesday Treat Day #6

This week's Treat

Visiting family!

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, I often forget how fulfilling it is to sit and have a good visit with friends and family.  This time of year, I make an extra effort to visit with family that I normally only call once or twice a year.  

These visits might include a meal or snack, playing a game, or even joining family members on an outing (movies are my favorite).  Anything is fair game, so long as you do it together!

I'm also going to be treating my family members to my help with chores around their houses.  My schedule is more free, and they still have to work, so I'm going to play helper elf to lighten their load. 

Acts of service is my love language -- if you're not familiar with the love languages, I'd recommend this link: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/    

This means that I feel the most loved when someone had gone out of their way to lighten my load.  It also means that I give love by serving others.  Even though I do appreciate the other ways love is communicated to me (gifts, affirmations, touch, etc...)... I'm most inclined to work work work...

What will be your treat today?  

What's your love language?  

How do you lighten your loved ones' loads?

Marathon Monday #6

Planned//Actual

Monday -- Foam Roll//Stretched

Tuesday -- 2 miles // 2 miles

Wednesday -- OFF//OFF

Thursday -- 3 miles // OFF

Friday -- XT // OFF

Saturday -- 2 miles // 2 miles

Sunday 4 miles // OFF

Missed Runs!

What do I do with so many (2) missed runs this week?  I feel like if I try to cram them into this week, my body will be wrecked... but like any runner, I want to get them in!

This week was a week of prep for travel -- hubby and I have some pretty intense travel plans, so we had a lot of chores to get through to pack and ready ourselves.  I realize this is yet another excuse, but training was not the priority this week -- prepping for safe adventures was.

Goals for Next week

• Make my training a priority
• Don't wait on the runs!  This week, I'd get up and get my running clothes on, but then get back into bed and "wait" -- "wait" for it to get warmer, "wait" for it to get more light out, etc... this meant I fell back asleep a few times and ended up missing my runs
• Eat like a champ -- lately, I've been eating what I feel like and tracking my calories.  This week, I'm going to try to balance that out more with high quality nutrients... it's so tempting to eat poorly when we travel, so I'm making "eating like a champ" a priority.

How was your week of training?  

What do you do when you miss a run (or two)?  

How do you eat when traveling?

Just for Fun Friday #5

Too Many Clothes!

This week, hubby and I are battling our laundry mountain -- how do we let it build up?!?!

We're trying to do the laundry and decide what we'll pack, but that's easier said than done. 

We have too many clothes!!

What's the Problem?

 Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink!!  

I have what feels like a gazillion items of clothing -- most of which I do not wear!  I cycle through the same few outfits, that are my current favorites, and the rest stay tucked away in the closet, in the drawers, or on the shelf!

This mountain of clothing makes packing for travel even harder!  It's hard for me to anticipate what I'll want with me when I get to my various destinations.  With fewer clothes, I wouldn't have such a problem with the "what if" portion of the packing experience.

Having these clothes around that don't quite fit or don't look right or aren't in style make me feel "less than".  But I keep them around "just in case" -- which is so idiotic.

How did it get so bad?

I have a hard time letting go of clothes that "might" fit one day or "could" look good, if I just did the thing and got the right whatever -- madness is what it is.

The cycle started in college -- I didn't have much money, so I made due with the clothes that I had.  Even when I started gaining weight, I would squeeze my dupa into too tight clothes and hoped no one would notice.  

Once I started working more and was able to buy some more clothes, I made sure to stock up on essentials (jeans, tees, etc...).  My wardrobe today still consists mainly of what I purchased back then -- in 2005... Yikes...  I can't believe my wardrobe is mostly a decade old.  

It wasn't until the last two years (with weight loss and working out) that I would allow myself to by more clothes.  I started rewarding myself with a few new items of clothing.  I shop mostly at outlet malls or T.J.Maxx or other affordable clothing stores, so it wasn't a splurge to get a few items that are more current.  

I can't believe what a difference new clothes make.  I FIT into my clothing -- and it actually makes me look smaller!  My most recent purchase was a super thrifty "buy one get one free" jean-legging situation.

I know, most people hate leggings, but they are so comfortable and flatter my shape -- my legs are my favorite body part, so I try to show them off without being too revealing... instead of short skirts/shorts, I wear skinny jeans or leggings.  I pair them with long flowy tops to conceal my trouble spots (basically my whole torso).  

I wore the jeggings for the first time yesterday and I was amazing -- normally when I wear jeans, they're tight and stiff and I'm constantly adjusting them and pulling them up.  These jeggings were so comfortable and made me feel so confident (and no one knew they weren't just skinny jeans, HA!).  

Wearing clothes that fit and that make me feel fantastic is refreshing!  It's also renewing to my spirit and sense of purpose.  I feel WORTH IT!  It makes me want to gather up all the clothes that are from the 2000's and donate them -- or otherwise get rid of them!  If it doesn't make me feel fantastic, I don't want it around!

For this Just for Fun Friday -- I challenge you to either:

(1) Clean out your closet!  Limit yourself to just those favorite outfits that fit nicely and make you feel fabulous -- donate the rest!

(2) Pack your suitcase and travel!   There's nothing more exciting and liberating than traveling and experiencing new things with friends and family!

What will you do Just for Fun today?  

What's your favorite traveling outfit?  

Do you have any travel plans this year?

Thirsty Thursday #5

Hydration on the Road

I don't want to drink!  If I drink, I'll have to stop and if I stop, I'll never get there!

Traveling this season for hubby and I means a few long (12+ hour) road trips.  I'm the kind of traveler that really just wants to get to the destination.  In the past, I've been known to only stop when the car needs gas... that's it.  

In order to accomplish such a feat, I have to basically dehydrate myself to discourage the need for bathroom breaks.  

This usually means we reach our destination on schedule, but at what cost?  By the end of the drive I'm irritable, headachy, exhausted, and feel like complete crud.  

In researching travel food for this week's What to Eat Wednesday, I couldn't help but stumble on tips for staying hydrated too.  I mean it makes sense -- on a normal day, I try to push hydration to ensure I'm drinking all my water... How is road trip day any different?  

Why Hydrate on the Road?

Supposedly, besides all the stuff we know about hydration, drinking on the road could also offer the following benefits:

• Helping prevent mindless snacking -- but wouldn't that promote mindless sipping and more stops?
• More pitstops mean more chances to stretch your legs/body and promote proper circulation -- but wouldn't that add time to my travel?
• Keep you awake -- having to pee certainly will keep you alert and looking for rest-stops!

What will I do?

I'm clearly skeptical -- but I also don't want to feel like complete crud when I reach a friend/relative's home.  This holiday season I'm going to try to find a balance between my normal state of scheduled dehydration and the idea of "a zillion pit stops" hydrated...  We'll see how it goes.

I'll be using either a travel mug or a water bottle to track my intake to restroom break ratio for the next few days to see what my body normally does.  It'll be best to not mix up the routine too much, so that's my main goal.  

Do you have any hydration tips for road trips?  

How often do you stop when on the road?

What kind of traveler are you?  The kind that just wants to get to the destination (like me) or the kind that enjoys the journey (and takes a million breaks)?

What to Eat Wednesday #5

What to Eat on the Road

December means Holidays with families -- and for me (*and I'm sure many of you*) that means some time on the road traveling.

Hubby and I will be road tripping it this December to visit as much of our family as possible.  We're all scattered, so we'll log over a two thousand miles this holiday season -- and with so much time on the road, we need an eating plan!

Normally, we'll do an adlibbed combination of packing some foods and snacks and supplementing with drive thru for the rest.  We bring our doggy, so eat-in restaurants aren't really possible (our doggy would freeze in the car while we ate... no okay with me).  

Fast food isn't going to help me reach my goals, especially when you consider that once I reach my destination, I'll have tons of holiday treats awaiting me!  It's not like the fast food road food will be the only thing I'd have to contend with -- combining holiday with road trip could mean derailing my training and that's something I'm not going to let happen!

So I did some research... (as always!)

Road Trip Eats 

It really boils down to two categories for me (1) What to bring and (2) What to buy.  Traveling is expensive, so I'd prefer to plan on bringing as much as possible and only have a list of things to buy in a pinch...

For road trips, I like to bring things that are easy to eat, don't make a mess, and don't require super cold temperatures to keep fresh.  Basically the opposite of a cup of greek yogurt.

What to bring:

• Fruit: Grapes, berries, already peeled/sectioned oranges, apple slices
• Veggies: baby carrots, celery sticks, cucumber sticks, broccoli/cauliflower florets, snap peas, 
• Bite Sized Snacks: Nuts/trail mix (that I'll make myself), seeds, popcorn (already popped), Granola, dried fruits, LaraBars (or other clean snack bars)
• Wraps or Rolls -- I like Turkey or Ham with cheese, lettuce, and maybe a bit of hummus/guac/mayo, although I really try to stay away from chicken/tuna salad and mayo on longer trips since it'll warm up even in the cooler in the car!
• Hard Boiled Eggs!  For a quick protein fix!
• Cheese cubes -- not many, as they pack a caloric punch, but they are sooo satisfying!
• Pickles or olives -- easy to eat and salty, I love salty -- but I prefer these super cold so they don't go with me on really long trips

What to buy:

• Almond butter/peanut butter individual packets/containers
• Whole grain cereal cups -- although I try to limit these since they're a carb bomb... they are still better than a candy bar!
• Energy bars -- I try to find Larabars if I can...otherwise I watch out for the sugar and carbs... Kashi Go Lean isn't bad...
• Nuts in the shell -- Peanuts or Pistachios -- or any nut that's not salted/glazed 
• String Cheese
• Fruit Cups
• Bananas

What to avoid:

This is really about what I'm trying to avoid, because in the past I've used road trips as an excuse to overindulge... 

• Starbucks -- ten thousand times.  I apparently think I need a venti latte at every stop -- which causes more stops for potty breaks and then more lattes... endless loop!
• Fast Food Places! -- If I see one that we don't have near us, I'll use the road trip as an excuse to pull through, even if I'm not hungry!
• Ice Cream/Candy/Sugary Treats/Energy Drinks/other convenience store nonsense -- I use the excuse of "I'm driving" to load up on sugar, resulting in less than stellar moods and tummy troubles!

What do you do for road trips?  

Do you have any "go to" snacks/meals?  

Do you have anything you're avoiding on trips?

Tuesday Treat Day #5

This week's Treat

Games with Friends!  Euchre, chess, board games, video games, etc...

Here are the most recent games I've enjoyed with friends and family:

• Euchre
• Parchese
• Hi-Ho Cherri-o
• Ants in the Pants
• Star Wars Battlefront
• Titan Fall
• Fall Out 4

This next list contains all the games I'd like to play before New Year:

• Double Solitaire
• Greed
• Chess - 4
• Triple Layer Chess
• Rummy
• Poker (Texas Hold 'Em)
• Cribbage
• Phase 10
• UNO

Why?

 I love playing games (and I'm obviously a bit competitive -- hello, Korean!).  It's even more special when it's with friends and family, as I feel it brings everyone together.

For board games and card games, it's a great feeling to unplug and have some chatter around the table as the game is played.  For video games, it's fun to link up the different generations and help the older folks relate to the youngsters!  

It may turn out that Grandpa kicks-butt on Star Wars Battlefront and with the new movie coming out soon, it's going to be a popular thing I think...

Random Childhood Story

It was a sort of tradition every Friday night -- my family would pack up and head to my grandma's house.  We'd either eat there or pick up food on the way.  Sometimes it would just be my parents and grandparents, other times aunts and uncles would join.

When there were a lot of people over, my grandpa would have to add an extra "leaf" into the table (it was the type that expands when you pull on either side, going from circle to long oval if needed).  His table would go from comfortably seating 4 to comfortably seating 12.

This was especially helpful on Friday nights because once dinner was over, it was always game night!  The kids would scatter and watch tv or play in another room while the adults would get out the cards, pull out the board, or even get out a puzzle.

It seemed the adults would go through phases -- they'd play War (it's like double solitaire but with lots more couples) for long stretches, but then switch to cribbage or another game before deciding to try a board game or puzzle... 

As a kid, I ALWAYS wanted to play too!!  I got really good at cards (as good as a kid could be) and would make sure to keep the adult's glasses of soda or lemonade full -- every bathroom break for them was an opportunity for me to play!

I loved this tradition!  So for a family friend's Christmas gift, we put together a game night basket -- candies, snacks, and games!  I hope to carry on the tradition with my own family as something to look forward to every week and a fun way to bond as a family!

Do you have a favorite game?

Does your family have a game night?

What traditions do your families have that pull you all together?

Marathon Monday #5

Marathon Update:

This week marks the first week of the 18 week marathon training plan I found through Pinterest.

In my earlier post — I had mentioned how I was using this plan but due to life, I had to realign my calendar for the later April marathon instead of the earlier March one.

I feel like I’ve been basically piddling around since actually training hadn’t started yet.

ENOUGH PIDDLING!  Things are getting real up in here.

Last week Planned/Actual

This is my last week of piddling around until after Marathon Day!

Sunday – 4 mile run // off

Monday – Foam Roll // Stretched & Pilates

Tuesday – 2 miles // Off

Wednesday – Off// 10 min run

Thursday – 4 miles // 4 miles!  Had to run to make room for turkey!

Friday – Off // Off — laid around with a turkey belly!

Saturday – 3 miles // Off — still had turkey belly!

Goals for this week:

Get back in the athlete mindset!  NO more time for Piddling and Diddling around with training!

This means my goals include:

1. Follow training plan!
2. Eat to move towards goals
3. Stretch and Pre-hab to prevent injuries

Have you ever had a lag in training due to family gatherings and holiday festivities?  

How do you stay motivated during holidays?  

What tricks do you use to stay on track and on plan during these winter months?

Just for Fun Friday #4

Happy Thanksgiving!

This week -- Just for Fun & in honor of Thanksgiving-- I'm listing all the things I'm grateful for.

• My loving husband -- I'm blown away each day but all the joy and love he brings to my life.
• My amazing family -- even though we're crazy and quirky, we have a great time
• My friends -- for having my back and loving me even though they know I'm just as crazy as the rest of my family
• My Dog -- he's little and snuggly, but he's my fur baby
• The ability to run -- I realize this is a gift, even if I'm not the fastest I'm still able to get up, lace up, and go.
• Good Health -- though I have some pounds to lose (and will be shedding those pounds each day), I am otherwise in good health and realize how blessed I am.  I have family and friends that are not as fortunate and continuously battle to feel normal -- I wake up and feel great! 
• Gas Prices -- they are low enough right now where I'm not freaked out to travel for holidays!!

What are you thankful for?  

How are you trying to be more grateful in your life?  

Does this holiday season remind you of all your blessings?

Thirsty Thursday #4

Coconut Water

For this week's Thirsty Thursday, I decided to explore the hype around Coconut Water.  What is coconut water?  It's the clear liquid in the center of a coconut -- usually young green coconuts.  It has a sweet and almost nutty taste (supposedly) and contains electrolytes, sugars, some sodium and a good serving of potassium.

It's being hailed at the Holy Grail in the world of sports drinks since it is (1) all natural, (2) full of the good stuff, and (3) "safe" for most diets like Paleo, Vegan, etc...  All of this varies by brand, but for the most part Coconut water is supposed to be the bomb.com...

So I dug in and did some research...

Research says...

I found an article from WebMD called, "The Truth About Coconut Water" and I found it answered most of my questions.  First for some stats:

"Ounce per ounce, most unflavored coconut water contains 5.45 calories, 1.3 grams sugar, 61 milligrams (mg) of potassium, and 5.45 mg of sodium compared to Gatorade, which has 6.25 calories, 1.75 grams of sugar, 3.75 mg of potassium, and 13.75 mg of sodium."

That's a lot of potassium -- and not so much sodium, which is what I need since I sweat like mad when I'm running...

So why is it better than plain old water?  Well just like sports drinks, coconut water can help replenish more than fluids.  Since it contains sugars and sodium -- it could provide a bit of energy and replace missing electrolytes.

The verdict

To me, Coconut water just isn't living up to the hype.  It does provide a natural alternative to sports drinks -- and some athletes swear by it -- but I'm just not convinced enough to put it into my routine.

If you're watching your weight like me then you have to take this into account... A single container contains anywhere from 50 - 100 calories -- just like most other juices and sport drinks.  So Coconut water can't be a full blow water replacement.

However, if you're low in potassium (and don't want to include potatoes, spinach, or bananas into your diet) than this might be an easy thing to toss into your shopping cart.

What to Eat Wednesday #4

Sugar?

For this What to Eat Wednesday -- I'm doing things a little differently.  Instead of listing what to eat, I'm posing the question:

Should we be eating Sugar?

I recently watched the film Fed Up -- a documentary on Netflix about the U.S.'s obesity epidemic.  The 2014 film argues the following:

• Obesity is an epidemic that affect the whole world, not just the U.S.
• Obesity is coming for our kids
• Obesity has been caused by the increased sugar consumption
• The food industry is hiding sugar in all our food and then lobbies to prevent regulation -- basically the food industry is bad news bears...
• The government is bad news bears because they should be doing more to control the food industry

When reacting to a film like this, I have to remind myself that there are two sides to every story -- and then there's the truth somewhere in the middle.  This is a perfect example of one of those sides, in an extreme example.

I found a lot of the movie's claims interesting and appauling (if they are true, oh boy -- bad news bears for sure!).  I do worry that the film's message isn't entirely "balanced" -- and the idea of cutting out all sugar from one's diet isn't exactly a good idea.

Do I eat sugar?

For a runner -- like myself -- I need sugars (usually in the form of complex carbohydrates) in order to fuel my runs.  During my half marathon trainings, I would bring honey and jam sandwiches with me to fuel while running.  THose things were LOADED with sugar.  Because I was expelling energy so rapidly, I needed a way to refill my stores just as rapidly.  Thank you sugar!  For helping me reach my goals without hitting a wall!

So what's the problem??

The problem comes when I'm paying as close attention to what I'm eating... I don't monitor my portions, balance my macronutrients, and ensure I'm eating my veggies!  This is when the scale creeps up and I start to feel lousy!

What do you think about sugar?  

 Is it a villain in your world?  

Do you avoid eating it?

 Have you see this film?  I double dog dare you to watch it!!

Tuesday Treat Day #4

This week's Treat

At home manicure and pedicure!

Color Choices

Essie "Dressed to Kilt" -- Deep Red for toes

Essie "Merino Cool" -- Light Grey for fingers

Why?

For the past few weeks, I've gone to a nail salon and have gotten my nails professional manicured.  I decided that this week, I would give it a go myself and save a little money.  After indulging in some new makeup purchases at Ulta and Rite Aid -- I decided that splurging on makeup meant saving on nails.

I also felt like my nails were going to take a beating during the Thanksgiving festivities later this week -- so a pro-manicure after the holidays would be money better spent, sort to speak.

What are some other treats that I should indulge in?  

Have you ever given yourself a manicure?  

If so, do you see any difference when you do it at home versus salon??

Marathon Monday #4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week of Training Planned//Actual

Monday -- Foam Roll // Rested

Tuesday -- 2 Miles // Rained out -- Weight Lifted Instead

Wednesday -- Yoga // OFF

Thursday -- 2 Miles // Rained out -- stretched instead

Friday -- Prehab and Stretch// Weight Lifted & Stretched

Saturday -- 3 miles // 3 miles

Sunday -- OFF// OFF

 

Torrential downpours this week, left me washed out.  Stiff/sore muscles left me stretching and resting instead of pushing it too much.

How it felt

 

The weight lifting workouts I included this week were not intense.  In the past they were "recovery" workouts -- to keep my muscles moving without pushing it...

Tuesday was a wakeup call!  I'm out of shape!!

What was once almost a joke -- because it was so easy -- was actually really challenging and left me feeling it for days...  By Friday, I was still feeling the burn, sort to speak.

Goals for Next Week

• Fidelity to training plan!!!!!!!
• Nutrition -- eat like an athlete!
• New goal  --  read a chapter of my book per week.

 

What are you goals this week?

How did last week's training go for you?  

How do you stay motivated throughout training?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just for Fun Friday #3

Making Mandu!

This week, hubby and I made homemade Mandu!  This is the recipe we used.... Thank you Maangchi!

This is something new we tried for the very first time -- and we think it'll become one of our family traditions!

What's Mandu?

 Little Pockets of heaven!  They are dumplings made with a seasoned meat and vegetable stuffing that are then steamed, added to soups, or in my case pan fried.  (It's basically a Korean Pierogi with a thinner skin or the Korean version of a Potsticker...SOO GOOD!)

To make them I used two kinds of store bought "skins" -- Big round ones (like below) and plain old Wanton Wrappers.

We mixed up the meat mixture -- I used all Beef instead of some beef, some pork... added seasoning, onion, green onion, garlic, cooked and chopped sweet potato noodles (like the kind you used for JapChae), and crumbled tofu.

You take a thin little wrapper, add some filling and fold up your little balls of deliciousness.  Pictured here you see three Mandu made by hubby (on the left) and two made by me (on the right) -- you can tell because my ends point out and his are crumpled in.

Once we had a nice stockpile build up, I pan fried a few in some vegetable oil -- SOO GOOD and CRISPY!

Random Childhood story

I've always been a fan of any kind of dumpling.  Korean Mandu, Chinese Pork Buns, Polish Pierogis -- if it's a cute little dough packet with a delicious filling, then it qualifies as one of my favorite foods.

Growing up, my grandparents lived very close to a Catholic church that had very Polish roots.  My paternal grandmother was part Polish -- so she loved this!  Every year, the church would coordinate efforts with the heavily Polish local population to put on a full blown "Polish Festival" to raise money for their church and Catholic School.

This this was the Sh**!!  There were Super sketchy Carnival rides, Polish bands to play Polka non-stop for the whole 3-day festival, a grown-ups only Beer Tent and all your typical carnival foods -- including Caramel Apples, Elephant ears, and funnel cakes.

There was a huge tent with nothing but games -- ring toss, balloon dart pop, bingo, etc... even Texas Hold 'em!  All games cost a quarter or $0.50 and would go towards fundraisers for the school or charity.  If you won a game, you'd get a prize -- Once I even won a GORGEOUS doll!

At the very back of the festival's lot, there was a CANDY TENT!  The entire tent was just display after display of candy -- some pieces were 5 for a penny, others were a quarter each, and the full bars or packs were a dollar or more.  I would save up my money (or beg for allowance) and stock up on candy.  The festival was in August and at times I would still be eating my candy horde well into Halloween season...

The Polish festival was something we looked forward to every year.

The best part was the fact that they had any kind of Polish food you'd like -- Kielbasa, cabbage, and of course PIEROGIS!   That's right -- addition to all the other food stands, you could also get the most delicious, fluffy, crunchy, chewy, cheesy, potatoe-y Pierogi ever!  They always had three kinds -- Potato, Cheese, or Potato & cheese.  You could get individuals or combos and they let you have as much sour cream as you needed.  My favorite were the potato & cheese (why choose right?).

I remember ordering some that were so fresh and hot that I couldn't wait to take a bite!  I burned the crap out of my mouth, but it was worth it.

For this Just for Fun Friday -- I challenge you to either:

(1) Try some MANDU!!  Any local Korean restaurant (worth their weight) will serve these either steamed or pan fried -- try them both and let me know which you prefered!

(2) Make some dumplings!  Any kind of dumplings!  I have found that one common thread through most cultures is their embrace of the dumpling...

What will you do Just for Fun today?  

What's your favorite kind of dumpling?  

Do you have any fun things you like to do with family every year?