Week Recap: 10/27

Hello, hello. I hope you all had a great week and a fabulous weekend. Though I worked extra hours this week with my regular job and my part-time job, I still managed to fit in some time for fun and good eats.

 

Along with my regular fitness classes and dance classes I taught, I completed my three training runs as planned. It's getting a little bit easier, but now that I'm increasing mileage, I've noticed that my left knee has started to hurt. No bueno! If you have any advice, I'd love to hear it.

 

 

Some photos from the week:

 

Veggie stir-fry over rice at The Good Life Gourmet.

 

 

This beautiful sunset made for a nice drive home after a great afternoon on the mainland.

 

 

Date night with Babe! Gidget's has the best pizza ever in case you were wondering.

 

 

On Saturday, I decided to go to Ocracoke and postpone my run until the evening. I always have so much fun on Ocracoke- it's a small little island with beautiful beaches, shops and boutiques, restaurants, and more. And everything is in walking distance. It's so much fun to take the ferry ride over, park the car, and spend the day walking from one end to the other.

 

My first stop was brunch at The Flying Melon Cafe. My veggie omelet was amazing.

 

I had forgotten that this weekend was the Pirate Jamboree. I lost track of how many "Pirates" I saw walking around. There were lots of booths set up- food vendors, arts and crafts, and a pirate encampment. If you didn't know, Ocracoke is where the pirate Blackbeard (Edward Teach) was killed.

 

The ferry ride home.



 

Dear Brooks: Please bring back the Green Silence.

These shoes really belong in the dumpster, but I can't bear to toss them.

 

*Sigh* best running shoes ever.

 

 

The lighthouse in site while on my 4-miler.

 

 

I managed to assemble treat bags for the neighborhood kiddos without eating a single piece of candy. Self-control is bittersweet.

 

 

 

What are your plans for this week? Anything special for Halloween?

 

No huge plans for Halloween over here, but I'm having a Halloween Costume Party at my Zumba class on Thursday.

 

 



Blueberry Muffin French Toast + Bosu Circuit

Good Morning and Happy Saturday. I just love weekends :)

Remember those Blueberry Muffins that I shared with you on Wednesday? Well, if you didn't make them, you're missing out! Why, you ask? Because today, I'm turning the leftover muffins into French toast- that's right, Blueberry Muffin French Toast.

It all starts with my go-to French Toast recipe. First, scramble an egg. Next, add a splash of milk, a pinch of salt, and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Mix all of the ingredients until well combined. Slice your leftover muffins in halves or thirds and dip into the wet mixture.

Cook the muffin slices over medium-low heat until golden brown on both sides.

Ahhhh, Blueberry Muffin French Toast perfection!

And it only gets better with a drizzle of syrup. Ok, maybe two drizzles.

 

And after you indulge with this ah-maz-ing French toast, you can get moving with this Bosu Blast Circuit I created.

If you're not familiar with Bosu balls, they have a flat platform on one side and a rubber dome on the other. It naturally creates instability and it encourages you to use your core to keep balanced during your workouts.

Don't have a Bosu ball at home? If you have a gym membership, your gym probably has one that you can use. Otherwise, most of these exercises can be done without the Bosu.

And if you don't feel comfortable using the Bosu, please do the exercises without it-- Bosu balls create instability and I don't want anyone to injure themselves. Listen to your body!



Any plans for the weekend?
I've got a run scheduled today (4 miles) and plan on doing nothing else for the rest of the day, but try to stay warm! We went from kind-of-like-fall to winter weather here on the island.

Easy Blueberry Muffins

Hello, hello. It's Wednesday!

I hope your week is off to a great start. I'm working on some new material for my classes and I'm right on schedule with my running plan- today's run is an easy 2 miles. I never thought that I would actually be excited to run again, but it really is exciting and I feel so refreshed after each run. I have noticed that my left knee starts to ache when I try to work on my speed, so I back off a bit and listen to my body when that happens. Otherwise, it's all good; my cardiovascular endurance has certainly improved since last year, which really helps :)

Anyway....

Do you guys like blueberries? Blueberries never go to waste in my house. I love topping oatmeal or bran cereal with fresh blueberries and I also eat them by the handful. I know they're not quite in season anymore, which is a shame, because it seems that I want them the most when they're not fresh and local.

Blueberries.

I've been searching for the perfect blueberry muffin for years. You see, my boyfriend loves blueberry muffins. His favorite ones are from Whole Foods- right in the bakery area- the kind with the streusel and sugar on top. If you've ever had a blueberry muffin from Whole Foods, you know what kind of muffin I'm competing with... it's not even a competition. Needless to say, I've tried quite a few recipes over the years, hoping to make something that compares. And while this recipe didn't quite pass his test, I still thought they were great. I've even included a streusel recipe that will take this muffin to a whole new level.

These muffins are great at breakfast or alongside your afternoon coffee or tea.


Makes one dozen regular sized muffins.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup oil (vegetable, canola, or even applesauce)
1 egg
1/3 cup skim milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400*F and line a muffin pan with liners or spray with cooking spray.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, oil, and milk. Combine the wet and dry mixtures.

Gently fold in the blueberries.

Evenly distribute the batter between the muffin tins. Optional: top muffin batter with streusel topping (see recipe below).

Bake for 18 minutes or  until done.

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Mix ingredients together with a fork and sprinkle over muffins before baking.


Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Week Recap + DIY "Spooky" Ghosts

I hope all of you enjoyed the weekend; I definitely did! Sundays are now my favorite day of the week- my only rest day. I spent the day catching up on the housework I've been neglecting and I downloaded a few more books to read on my Kindle.

 

I had a week full of teaching fitness classes, plus 3 training runs. It's hard, but I'm determined and I plan to get through it :) After all, race day is just 46 days away!

Here's a few photos from the week-

Have you decorated your house for Halloween yet?

If not, I've got a very inexpensive DIY project that will get your house in the spirit!

Today, I've got a very simple, but fun craft to share with you: "Spooky" Ghosts. I used to make them with my mom each year as a child, and we still decorate with them for every Halloween. If you have kids, they will love to help "decorate" them by adding spooky faces.

This craft costs practically nothing and you probably have some of the supplies at home already. You will need an old white sheet or a t-shirt, orange yarn or ribbon, Poly-fil or some stuffing from an old pillow, scissors, and permanent markers.

First, cut a square from a sheet or t-shirt.

Next, place some Poly-fil or pillow stuffing in the center of the square. The stuffing will be the head of the ghost. Tie a piece of yarn or ribbon around the base of the "head."

Next, with a pair of scissors, cut two slits in the very top of the ghost head.

Thread a piece of ribbon or yarn through the opening.

Finally, draw a face on your ghost. Kids will love to help with this part!

And hang them inside from a chandelier or outside from a tree. We usually have about a dozen hanging from the trees outside. It definitely gets us in the Halloween spirit and the neighborhood kids love seeing them when they come  trick-or-treating .

Do you have any Halloween traditions?

We usually decorate the house, carve pumpkins, and hand out candy to the kiddos. There's usually a caramel apple or two involved :)