Niki's Neverending Adventure

Hello friends!! Happy hump day! I am so ready for the weekend to be here! This has been a LONG busy week! And my weekend looks to be even busier!! At least I get to start it a day early! Tomorrow at noon starts my weekend! Wohoo!!

Let’s talk about my runs the past couple of days…. On Sunday I had a wonderful 4 miler! My pace was just a bit faster than the week before, so I’ll take that! Plus, it’s feeling easier! I’m slowly getting my mileage back up there!! Monday was my 2nd run with the Women Run Memphis group! We had hills on the schedule. I love me some hills!! We warmed up with a mile then did 4 sprint hill repeats! It was awesome! I felt like I was flying up those hills! It was so fun because we got to chase the group in front of us! Running games are so fun, y’all should try them! We finished up with a mile or so cool down. I think we did a little over 3.5 miles total. I was so sore from the hills the next day though! Good thing it was a swimming day! I practiced swimming in my race day outfit to make sure it worked right. My race is on Saturday! Today I decided to sleep in and not run because I was still a bit sore from those hills (I told y’all I was flying up those hills! I’m paying for it now…) and I’m not looking to have trashed legs for my race this weekend! I am planning on doing an easy run tomorrow then taking Friday completely off.

I got my bike back from the shop yesterday. I got a new back tire, a new water bottle holder, and my handlebars wrapped with some extra padded handle bar wrap! It’s so nice! My hands are loving it!!

Tomorrow, I get to pick my race packet up and I’m really excited about it! I’ve never been this pumped to just pick up a race packet before! But I’ve never gotten a tri race pack before! What’s gonna be in it?! I can’t wait :)

Tomorrow also starts wedding weekend for my friend Jennifer! I am a bridesmaid and my BFF Jaime is too and she’s coming tomorrow to stay with me! Yay!! I can’t wait!! We have to get our nails done tomorrow evening, then bridal luncheon and rehearsal dinner on Friday, then wedding on Saturday! Yes, the wedding is the same day as my Tri! Told y’all I’m gonna be busy this weekend!! Do y’all have any fun weekend plans??

Well guys, I got a lot to catch up on tonight so I gotta jet! Have a wonderful evening!!

Posted in: on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at at 7:49 PM 3 comments    

Hello friends! TGIF!! I am very happy it’s the weekend, even though I will be studying ALL WEEKEND!!

Yesterday I had my last BRICK workout before my TRI!! It’s next Saturday! Yikes!! I had planned on riding 10 miles and running 2 miles. I rode out 5 miles and turned around to head back, and about 3 miles from home my tire went flat. Like completely flat. Since I don’t know how to change a flat and don’t have any supplies to change a flat, my only two options were to keep riding on it or walk it home. Walking seemed like it would take forever so I rode my bike slowly home on a flat tire! Haha, at least I made it! Then I quickly changed out my helmet for a hat, grabbed a sip of water and my ipod, and I was off. The 2 miles were hard. I had to keep reminding myself to slow down because I was running so fast! For some reason, my legs are just ready to run super fast after I bike! I ended up running the 2 miles at a 9:20 min/mile pace! Geez! I wish my legs acted like that on every run!! So I basically feel ready for the race. I know I’m going to be tired after the swim, so I’m trying to mentally prepare myself to keep going through exhaustion. But I’m also really excited about it!!

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I got a fun surprise waiting for me on my doorstep today from Foodbuzz!!

Kellogg's Fiber Plus Antioxidants Cereal!! I received the Berry Yogurt Crunch and Cinnamon Oat Crunch from the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program. Of course I had to bust into one and try some! I love, love, love cereal!!

I opted to try the Berry Yogurt Crunch today!

It was VERY good!! Kind of a similar taste to the Special K with Red Berries but with added yogurt globs and granola clusters! Yummy!! The nutrition info is pretty good too! No HFCS and lots of fiber!! Can’t wait to try both of these with milk!!

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On another note, hubby and I have been talking about getting another puppy so Sadie can have a buddy. We have been going back and forth between types and sizes of dogs. Last night, we finally decided we wanted a little dog. We are thinking it will be easier to train, less messes (as in size of messes, haha), and we think Sadie would like a smaller dog better. She’s not a huge player, she likes to be lazy :) So, we decided to get a Toy Yorkie!! I don’t know when exactly but sometime in the near future!! I know they can be expensive so we are going to look around and hopefully find a good price on one. It doesn’t need to have champion blood lines or anything!! Do any of y’all have yorkies? Tips on them? Any of you peeps in Memphis know any toy yorkie breeders? We are really excited!!

How cute are those yorkies!! I’ve never had a tiny dog so I’m really excited to have one soon!!

If you could get any type of dog, what would you get and why?

Posted in: on Friday, July 23, 2010 at at 5:28 PM 5 comments    

2 posts in one day! I’m on a roll!! I made something really yummy for dinner tonight! I saw this recipe on Little Bitty Bakes and knew I had to make it! I love anything that has to do with pizza!! So tonight, Pepperoni Pizza Scones it was!!

They were really easy to make, but ended up a little stickier than they probably should have been. Maybe use less milk next time?? They were more like biscuit batter so I just decided to drop them onto the cookie sheet instead of cut them into 12 slices. It worked out just fine too!

I also used turkey pepperoni, it was yummy!!

Nice and golden brown.

I had some marinara sauce on the side for the full pizza effect!

These were VERY good! They were very biscuit like, which I really enjoyed! Pizza + Biscuits = Fabulous!! I definitely recommend these! Plus it makes a lot so there will be lots of leftovers!!

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Alright friends, I need your help! Tomorrow night I am going to a Thai restaurant for dinner with a friend and have no idea what to get! So what is your favorite dish to order at a Thai restaurant? 

Ok, back to house hunters!! Have a great night!

Posted in: on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at at 7:35 PM 7 comments    

Hey! How are y’all? Wonderful I hope :) All is well here, I have been productive today although I was totally lacking motivation this morning. But I picked it up and have got a lot accomplished!!

Last night I had my first run with the Women Run Memphis group. I was a little nervous to be with the advanced group, but it went well! We ran a 5k and it was definitely probably one of the hardest I’ve done!! The temp was still in the high 90’s with lots of humidity! Being a morning runner, I’m not used to these scorching temps! But I made it and even got to run with a friend I used to work with (hi Shelly!!). I was drenched in sweat and exhausted when I finished but felt good! Next week we start hill work and speed work! I’m excited for that! It’s so fun to run with groups and to have coaches encouraging you along! I wish I could have that on every run! Haha :)

Today I had planned on biking but I was totally NOT feeling it at all. I just felt physically tired. But I told myself to go out for a few minutes and see how you feel. Sometimes this works and my workout turns into a great one, and sometimes it just sucks. And today, it sucked. It was hot and sunny and windy. Not fun at all. So I just cruised around a few neighborhoods and called it a day after about 20 minutes. I came back and walked 2 miles on the treadmill while watching The Bachelorette from last night. Sometimes you just gotta listen to your body. For me, if I’m not into a work out then it’s better to leave it and try again the next day!

And speaking of The Bachelorette… craziness!! I think they try to make it more and more dramatic every season! Haha. But I think she’s ended up with 2 really great guys! I don’t know which one I like more? What do you think, Chris or Roberto?

I have another really yummy looking Little Bitty Bakes recipe to try out tonight! Can’t wait to share it with y’all!! Hint- it’s not dessert!! Have a great day!!

Posted in: on at at 1:31 PM 4 comments    

Haha. Like my title? Baking definitely is a stress reliever, as is running of course! They kind of balance each other out :) I made some super yummy cookies today!! They are a favorite in our household. Check out the recipe on my recipe page for my All Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies! Best recipe ever! And I kicked them up a notch today by adding Heath bar to them also!

Like my double decker cooling rack? It’s actually triple decker if you need it to be!! Love it! Got it as a wedding gift :)

These cookies are so yum-o! Glad I have good friends I can pawn them off on (Brandi) so I won’t turn into a blimp from eating them all!! Try this recipe out and let me know what you think!

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On to my first and most important stress reliever, running. I think I might go crazy if I couldn’t run, seriously! It keeps me sane with all the craziness going on in my life (mostly school related). Today I had a 4 miler on the schedule. I didn’t set my alarm because I have a special dog who likes to wake me up at the crack of dawn. This morning, Sadie decided 5:40am was the perfect time to get me up to go running. She was actually right! It was already light out, hot, and humid. The sun was still behind the clouds, which was perfect! But, I still managed to be drenched when I finished! Crazy humidity!! I took this run nice and slow and it felt great!! I really love my 4 mile route by my house. Lots and lots of hills! Yes, I’m the crazy girl who enjoys running hills :) I’ve been having a lot of issues with my plantar fascitis, but it wasn’t too bad on this run, which is nice for a change. I’ve really been making it a point to stretch and ice everyday. Seems to be working. I wish it would just go away, but it’s been around for quite awhile and is something I think I just have to deal with. But anyway, all together great run!! And tomorrow I start my Women Run Memphis training group!! I’m excited! I decided to switch from the intermediate 2 group to the Advanced group after talking to someone who’s done the program before. Makes me nervous to be in a group called “Advanced” but I’m sure it will be fine! Can’t wait!!

Well friends, I’m trying to get some relaxing in before another hectic school week starts! Have a wonderful night and a fabulous Monday!!

Posted in: on Sunday, July 18, 2010 at at 8:20 PM 3 comments    

Hello bloggie land!! Hope everyone is having a spectacular weekend!! I had an early clinical this morning for my Physical Diagnosis class doing school physicals at a health fair. Lets just say it wasn’t the best idea to put us in the same room as the immunizations! Needless to say, there were lots of unhappy kiddos when they got to us but luckily we were able to charm most of them with stickers and promises of no needle sticks!

I got up at 5am so I could get a quick run in before I had to go to the health fair. I only had time for a quick 2 miler and then I also walked Sadie. She liked that! Tomorrow I have plans for a 4 miler so I better make myself get up and going early to beat the heat! I can’t even explain how humid it is here! The air is just so thick, makes you not want to go outside at all!!

In other news… I decided to join the Women Run Memphis program! It’s been going on for a few years now and I’ve always wanted to do it, but have always had schedule conflicts. I totally forgot about it until Katie told me she was going to do it and surprisingly, I have no conflicts this year! It’s basically a 10 week running program with weekly running clinics on Monday evenings that ends with a 5k race in September! They open it up from beginner runners to advanced runners. Obviously, I can already run a 5k but I think it would be wonderful to meet other women runners and hopefully (fingers crossed) find some new running buddies!! Plus, it will help give some variety to my runs. I am planning on joining the intermediate 2 group. Doesn’t this sound fun?!? Anyone in Memphis want to join me? Let me know!!

I also wanted to let y’all know that the Hot Cocoa Peanut Butter Blondies were a big hit with my friends from school also!! I brought a couple of them to give to 2 of my buds and they loved them!! And I forgot to mention this yesterday, but I used cocoa powder instead of hot cocoa packets(because I didn’t have any) and they turned out wonderful! Hubby may or may not have snuck 3 of them last night!! Only 2 left for today!! Haha :) We love sweets in this house!!

On that note, I gotta run. Time to get a little studying done! I will leave you with a picture of my Sadie doing what she does best!

Posted in: on Saturday, July 17, 2010 at at 4:23 PM 3 comments    

Hey guys!! Happy Friday Evening! I hope everyone is excited for the weekend :) For me, today has been a fabulous day of great food! Don’t worry, I’ll share :)

It all starts off with my breakfast. On the menu was Chocolate Almond Butter OIAJ. This was just as fantastic as it sounds!!

Start with an almost empty jar of Maranatha Dark Chocolate Almond Butter.

Make your banana oatmeal, pour in jar, and add toppings!!

Check out that chocolatey oatmeal swirl! That’s pure heaven for breakfast!! I mean, who doesn’t like to have chocolate for breakfast, right?!?

The next food item on our fabulous Friday food menu was Lemon Oregano Grilled Chicken. All I did was mix some EVOO, oregano, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and zest

Marinate chicken for 2 hours

And grill!

Chicken perfection!! Hubby and I both really loved this chicken! Definitely a keeper!!

We also grilled up some locally grown zucchini and yellow squash! Yummy!!

And last but not least on the fabulous Friday food menu was dessert!! I knew just the recipe I wanted to make!! I recently found an awesome blog called Little Bitty Bakes (she’s also a runner!!) and she has fabulous recipes!! So I got this recipe from Lizzie!!

Hot Cocoa Peanut Butter Blondies!!!

Delish!! These are super duper good!! OMG! I had to put them up so I wouldn’t eat them all!! So happy I have friends to bring some of these to otherwise I would end up eating them all!! Go and make these asap!

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In other news I had a really good swimming workout today. I’m starting to get a little nervous for the Tri. I officially signed up for it today!! I know I’m ready but it’s the fear of the unknown I guess!! It’s 2 weeks from tomorrow!!

Do you get nervous before races?

I usually don’t before running races but this Tri is throwing me off!! Haha. Have a great night!!

Posted in: on Friday, July 16, 2010 at at 8:27 PM 4 comments    

Hello!! I hope the week has been going well for everyone! Mine’s been busy, busy, as usual!! I’ve had some good workouts the past couple days, so lets recap!!

Tuesday: It was a rainy day and I had a run scheduled, so I hit up the treadmill for a 3 mile Fartleck run! My favorite is the 5-4-3-2-1 where you run 5 minutes hard, run 2 minutes easy, run 4 minutes hard, run 2 minutes easy, run 3 minutes hard, run 2 minutes easy, run 2 minutes hard, run 2 minutes easy, run 1 minute hard, run 2 minutes easy. I added a 0.6 mile warm-up and that ended up being 3 miles! Great run!!

Wednesday: I was too busy to get a workout in, plus I had a Brick scheduled for today, so I just took it as a rest day :)

Thursday (Today!!): BRICK!! I am totally loving my BRICK workouts. Today I did 10 miles on the bike and 1.5 miles running. It was tough but felt a lot easier than last week! I think mainly because I got up and headed out this morning at 5:45am and last week I didn’t start until 10:30am! There’s a big heat difference there!! I ran my 1.5 miles at a 9:04 pace, which totally felt like I was going a lot slower than that! I felt like my legs were barely moving, but obviously they were!!

So, I was looking at the race website for my TRI in a few weeks and just now realized that the run is a trail run! Yikes!! I’ve never run on trails!! Now granted, it says it’s a pretty open and flat trail, but still that makes me a bit MORE nervous!! So y’all, I need some trail running advice!! Anything would be helpful!!

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Ok, let’s switch gears to my other favorite topic… FOOD!! I’ve made a few yummy dinners that I want to share!! Ever since I first tried out my waffle maker a few weeks ago, I’ve been obsessed!! So hubby and I were having a movie night the other night, and I wanted something easy and quick to make! In came the WAFFLES!! Per usual, they were fab!!

The best (and only) way to eat waffles, in my opinion, is topped with yogurt, tons of fruit, and a little maple syrup!! YUM-O!! These were wonderfully delish!! I may or may no have had them again for breakfast this morning :) The great thing about waffles is that you can make them ahead of time, freeze, then take them out and pop them in the toaster and it’s like you just made them! Perfection!!

And BTW, the movies we watched were The Bounty Hunter and The Book of Eli. They were both GREAT! The Bounty Hunter was so funny and cute and The Book of Eli was more serious but with a great story line and lots of action! I recommend them both!!

Last night, I decided to try my hand at making some Stuffed Peppers!! They turned out really good!! I’m not going to post my recipe just yet because I still need to play around with it. It’s not perfect just yet :)

I used all 4 colors of bell peppers!!

I ate the orange one :) I really enjoyed making (and eating!) the Stuffed Peppers so you will be seeing them more and more as I try to perfect my recipe!!

Alright friends, gotta jet. I have to get ready for class! Have a fabulous day!!

Posted in: on Thursday, July 15, 2010 at at 11:53 AM 5 comments    

Hello friends!! Whew, today has been a whirlwind day! Mostly school related! This semester is already crazy. I woke up this morning to some crazy thunderstorms and rain. Not a fun 40 minute drive into school when they are talking about flash floods all over the interstate that I’m on. But, I made it! And only a minute or two late :)

Today was a rest day from training. I’m trying to make myself take one full day off from training a week and do nothing! It’s tough! Even if I don’t have a run, bike, or swim workout scheduled I still like to strength train or walk on the treadmill. But today was my total rest day and that’s what I’ve been doing! Well, resting physically at least. Mentally I feel like I’ve been running a marathon!

So let’s talk about my bike ride yesterday. I didn’t really have a set mileage scheduled, just wanted to go at least the distance of my sprint tri bike (11 miles). Now keep in mind that the terrain right around my house is all hills. Literally, not a flat stretch in sight, which make for a tough ride in my opinion! I feel like I could ride much longer on flat stretches!! Well, after my first long hill, I was huffing and puffing, and I decided to just take it easy. There is no need to be a speed demon when you feel tired and since this was my last workout of the week, I knew my body was definitely a bit tired. So I ended up riding 12 miles at around a 12.4 mph pace which is slower than I’ve been doing my rides, but it was nice to take it a bit easier and really enjoy the ride!!

I’m debating on whether to splurge and buy some tri shorts for this race or not. I’ve been riding my 12-15 mile bike rides in just my regular spandex running shorts and have been fine, so I’m thinking of just using those for the race. What do y’all think?! Do I need the extra butt padding?

If I do decide to get some, I will probably buy these:

I’ve heard really good thing about these Pearl Izumi Tri Shorts from others, but as you can see they are a bit pricey ($55). So I have yet to decide if I need them or not. Any suggestions?

Alright y’all, gotta go get some dinner. It’s pizza night and hubby’s cooking! Love that!! Have a great night!

PS: Who is still watching The Bachelorette?! It’s so drama filled and fun! Keeps me entertained! You bet I finished up all my school work already so I can have my eyes glued to the tube tonight :)

Posted in: on Monday, July 12, 2010 at at 6:38 PM 3 comments    

Happy Saturday y’all! Hope your weekend has started out fabulous! I have already been very productive this morning! Gotta love that!! It all started with an early morning 4 mile run. It was already super humid at 6am and by the time I was finished, I was drenched!! I can’t remember the last time I ran 4 miles. Due to triathlon training, I’ve been doing smaller mileage runs since the run portion is only 2 miles and I’ve had to find time to swim and bike also! But, I’m ready to start picking back up my mileage now so I’ll be ready for some longer races in the fall/winter!! Anyway, this run was tough, mainly due to blisters on the bottom of my big toes!! I always get really bad hot spots there during the summer and today it was extremely bad! Around mile 3, I had to completely change up my gate so my toes skin didn’t feel like it was ripping off! Crazy, right?!? Any tips for this? I’ve tried all different kinds of socks and none are better than the other. I think I used Body Glide last summer and that helped a bit so I will be trying that out again soon. But, I still managed to finish it strong!

After my run I walked Sadie for about a mile and then had a yummy breakfast of leftover waffles from dinner last night (more about that later!) Then I found that MTV is playing The Hills all day today so I started watching! I love that show and am sad Tuesday is the last episode ever :( Around 9am I made myself pull away from The Hills marathon, and got down to business on my school reading. I knocked out 2 chapters and then decided it was break time! So I walked 2 miles on the treadmill while catching up on Say Yes To The Dress episodes on my DVR! My hubby thinks it’s crazy that I still love watching wedding shows, but I just can’t help it!!

Sadie and I just finished playing ball outside and now I’m blogging while she’s pooped out under my feet :)

Alright… on to my fabulous Waffle Dinner from last night!! Hubby and I received a waffle maker as a wedding gift from my friend/bridesmaid Jennifer, and we have been dying to try it out! And last night was the night!! I just used some of the low fat Bisquick for the batter!! They were so easy and quick to make! All you do is heat up the waffle maker, scoop the batter in, and 5 minutes later you’ve got waffles! Fabulous, right?!?

This waffle maker makes BIG waffles too! Love it!!

Nice and golden brown, soft with a little crunch!

My plate: 2 waffles topped with raspberries, blackberries, half of a white peach, and a tiny bit of maple syrup!

OMG friends, there are NO WORDS! This was amazing!! Fruit + waffles= perfection!! This morning I added a little Greek yogurt in the mix and that kicked it up another notch!!

Love, love, love my waffle maker and I know I will be making these all the time! They are so easy!!

That’s it for now! Enjoy your Saturday!!

Posted in: on Saturday, July 10, 2010 at at 11:55 AM 2 comments    

TGIF!! How happy are y’all that it’s Friday?!? I’m definitely a happy camper :)

So yesterday, I had my first BRICK workout of triathlon training!! For those of you who don’t know what a BRICK is, it’s a double workout, usually bike and run, one right after the other to get your legs ready for the triathlon. So my plan was to do a 10 mile bike then a 1-2 mile run, depending on how my legs felt. The sprint tri I’m doing only has a 11 mile bike and 2 mile run so I figured this would be a good place to start!! The weather yesterday was smokin’ hot! I didn’t start my bike until around 10am, I wanted to make sure there wasn’t too much traffic on the road. And it was H-O-T! I later found our that we had a heat advisory and when I was doing my brick the temp was 100+. Not to mention there was a pretty strong breeze which made my bike even harder. Where I ride, right by my house, is literally all hills. There is NO flat so that also adds a harder element to my ride. But, I finished it pretty easily, 10 mile in about 40 minutes. I quickly ran inside, got some water, switched my iPods, and swapped my helmet out for a hat and I was off! My legs immediately felt like lead and the sun was beating directly on me. So I decided one mile would be plenty. I ran 1 mile in about 9:30, which was a lot faster than I thought I was going!!

All in all, I think my BRICK went well! When I got back from my run, all I could think about was WATER!! I was so thirsty and probably should have brought water with me on my ride. I need to get a water bottle holder to attach to my bike for next time. I ended up walking 3 more miles on the treadmill right when I got back, so I guess I wasn’t too exhausted!! I really enjoyed this type of workout and will definitely be doing a lot more!!

Do you have any experience with BRICK workouts?? Tips or suggestions??

We tried out our brand new gas grill the other night and loved it!! We made Turkey Burgers, and they are so much better on the grill than in the skillet!! Plus, the grill is so easy!! So I am definitely a big fan and I know we will be using it a lot!!

Well friends, I think that’s about it!! What are your plans for this weekend?

I’m going to have a laid back weekend full of studying and reading for school. Sounds fun, right?!? Haha :)

Oh, and one last thing!! Go check out this awesome grilling giveaway that Kristin is doing over at IGE!! Or don’t, because I really want to win!! :)

Posted in: on Friday, July 9, 2010 at at 12:01 PM 3 comments    

Happy Hump Day!! Today I started back to school. My summer break is officially over :( I’m sad. Looks like it’s gonna be a super busy semester too. But like hubby says, you gotta start back to finish! And December 2011 can’t come fast enough! Haha.

We are trying out our new gas grill tonight! I am very excited! We are grilling out some turkey burgers for our first attempt. I figure you can’t mess those up too bad, right?! I will let y’all know tomorrow how they are.

I set my alarm for 5:30am this morning so I could run before class, but that didn’t happen. I definitely reset it in the middle of the night! Haha. So, that meant I had to run this afternoon. I wasn’t really feeling the treadmill today, so I decided to suck it up and run outside in the 90-100 degree temps! What was I thinking?! It was so hot, and I definitely wasn’t optimally hydrated. I made it 2 miles and decided that was enough for today, so I came home and walked 3 more miles on the treadmill. I was a hot sweaty mess after that run and felt like I ran a lot more than 2 miles! The heat really takes it out of you! Tomorrow I have my first every BRICK workout (bike and run back to back) and I am very excited! Any tips??

I read in my Runners World magazine yesterday that the average woman should consume 91oz of water a day to stay hydrated. Holy cow that’s a lot of water! That’s about 6 of my 16oz water bottles!! Right now, I maybe drink 2-3 bottles a day so I really need to step that up!! I always feel so much better on my runs and just in general when I’m well hydrated.

What are your thoughts on that? How much water do you drink a day?

I have not been a big fan of Crystal Light until just recently when they came out with the Crystal Light Pure Fitness. It has no artificial sweeteners! I can’t stand the taste of the artificial sweeteners. So far I’ve tried the lemon-lime flavor and really like it! It’s a nice change from just plain water all the time!

Anyone else tried this??

Well friends, I think this is enough for this random post! Have a great day!!

Posted in: on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at at 5:48 PM 1 comments    

Hello!! Happy Tuesday!! As promised, I have the Easiest and Best Cobbler Recipe for you!! I don’t remember where I got this, but I’ve had it for a few years now!! You can use whatever fruit you like, but blackberries are my fave!!

Blackberry Cobbler

1 cup flour

1 egg

1 cup sugar

1 TBSP lemon juice

2 6oz containers of blackberries

4-6 TBSP melted butter

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, and egg until crumbly. Set aside.

2. Place washed blackberries in a greased 8X8 pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

3. Sprinkle crumbly topping over blackberries.

4. Melt butter and drizzle over top.

5. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes.

6. Enjoy!! I like mine with a little vanilla ice cream!!

This is seriously one of my favorite summer dessert recipes!! It’s fabulous!! I have a HARD time not eating the whole pan and hubby and I fight over it! Haha :)

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I’m enjoying my last day of my summer break by being lazy!! Watching TV, catching up on blogs and magazines!! It’s nice!

My back is still super sore and stiff from wake boarding this weekend. I think I may have pulled something! Needless to say, my morning run didn’t happen. I am thinking about possible busting out a few miles on the treadmill this afternoon/evening depending on how it feels. I’ve been reading the last 2 months issues of Runners World and I have caught a serious racing bug! I can’t wait until fall race season! I haven’t decided on any races officially, but I’m sure I will soon!! Right now I’m still trying to concentrate Tri I’m doing in a few weeks!!

Are you training for anything right now? Or do you have your fall races picked out yet?

Have a fabulous day!!

Posted in: on Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at at 11:41 AM 0 comments    

Happy (belated) 4th of July!! I’ve been at the lake, hence why this post is up a day late :) Anyway, I had a fabulous 4th of July weekend at our lake house with my family, minus the hubby. He had to work :( I did lots of tanning, swimming, and wake boarding!! I was very happy to be able to get another open water swim under my belt! I felt a lot stronger this time, which means that all the swimming I’ve been doing has really made a difference!! I also got a super hilly run in while I was there. The hills in that part of KY are massive!!

I also got in a lot of wake boarding! Here are some pics my mom got!

I love how every summer I can pick it right back up!!

This was possibly the last time I will be at the lake this summer, since school starts back this week :( I am super sad I won’t be able to go to our Family Week in a few weeks. That’s such a fun time! I love my family!!

We had some great food this weekend!! From chips and home made salsa, to turkey burgers, to blackberry cobbler, to my grandma’s famous potato salad, yum!! We ate so well!! I just didn’t get enough of the cobbler this weekend, so I am making another one tonight!! Recipe to come :) Easiest and BEST cobbler recipe you will ever try!!

Before I left for the lake this weekend, I made hubby and I some yummy Stuffed Turkey Burgers using a recipe I got over at IGE!! They were fabulous! Kristin’s really got some great recipes and ideas goin on!!

I stuffed our Turkey Burgers with shredded sharp cheddar! With the Balsamic reduction and chopped tomatoes of course!!!

Along with a mix of home made french fries and sweet potato fries!! Y’all, this burger was AMAZING!! Hubby said it was the best one I’ve made yet!! Thanks Kristin for the wonderful recipe!!

Well friends, I think that’s all I have for you right now! My new patio furniture and Runner World magazine are calling my name! Gotta relax before I start back to school Wednesday!! And on that note, I was supposed to start back tomorrow but got an email saying we won’t start back until Wednesday! Gotta love a surprise extra day of summer break!!

What is your favorite thing to do in the summer??

Mine’s definitely going to the lake!!

 

Posted in: on Monday, July 5, 2010 at at 5:03 PM 4 comments