Thanksgiving Album

I feel a bit like I'm cheating, but really, aren't pictures the closest thing to being there?

So, here's my Thanksgiving break told through my camera lens...

Brownies, anyone?  And these are veganized.  I am becoming a pro at that flax egg thing.  Want further proof?

These are whole grain, totally egg and dairy free waffles.  Which my hubby then had a huge dollop of freshly whipped cream on top of.  Hmm...

Ahhh...Thanksgiving.  Maple roasted rainbow carrots, stuffing, mashed potatoes and shredded brussel sprouts with walnuts and cranberries.  I miss it all already!

And the afternoon Thanksgiving nap.  All three of my boys.

Making some non-steak Cheese Steak Hoagies....turned out pretty good too! See....

After all that food...time for a run!  We explored some of the Mason Dixon Trail.  Fun!!

And then time for lunch with a my friend, Jen...this is her salad.

And this is my veggie wrap with sweet potato fries.

I hope you enjoyed sharing my holiday.  I had so much fun just relaxing, cooking, eating...just enjoying my life and all of the wonderful people in it.  :)  I hope you had a wonderful holiday too!

Sheri

 

Almost Thanksgiving...Are You Ready?

I am, but that's because I have nothing to get ready for.  I feel so....guilty?  Or at least something close to that feeling.  I mean, I have made Thankgiving dinner for uber years and this is my first non-cooking dinner in a long time, but it's not just that...we're not even going to a Thanksgiving dinner.  Is that wrong?  Am I wrong to deprive my almost adult son of his last Thanksgiving dinner as a "child" of this house?  I think we'll be okay.  I was planning a fancy Italian meal...breaking the chains of conformity big time, but that boy balked.  He wants at least his cranberry relish and turkey on Thursday.  So, I relented.  I'll make him a turkey breast (Which he now wants deep fried???  Uh-uh.  No way.  Gotta draw the line somewhere!) and his relish along with the usual Thanksgiving trimmings.  But since it's just the three of us, it will be casual.  And I'm good with casual.  I've spent too many years obsessing over dishes, cleaning, etc and I'm thankful for a peaceful break.  We're hitting the trails that morning with friends and then headed home to make food and watch football.  The boy and I might head to the outlets for the fun of midnight shopping.  I don't really buy anything but it's just so different to be out and about at those hours with so many other people and that makes it fun.  I thought the boy was looking forward to his first midnight black friday outing before yesterday asking if I could just give him money to go stand in line at midnight at Finish Line with friends.  Priorities of a 17 year old.  So we'll see how that all ends up.

Last year at this time I was so sad.  My grandmother was in her final days and I didn't know how to handle it.  Now, it's a year later and I know you all know how much I still think of her and miss her.  But I know she wouldn't want me sad.  She'd want me to be thankful for each day I'm given and to be thankful for how many of those days were spent with her. I always will wish it was more but I think that's how it always feels.  No matter what, we still want more.  Right now, I feel that way about the hubby.  I am thankful his eye condition has given him almost 40 years of good sight but why couldn't it have been more?  Why did it have to appear at all?  I guess those aren't questions to know the answer too.  It's more of the "be thankful for all that you have been given" variety.  And I am.

This past week has been busy though!  I am in week 3 of P90X and Tony Horton is kicking my butt!!  I am struggling to work in my runs and keep that balance.  I am fighting a chest cold at the moment and my last p90X workout and my run yesterday both were super-hard for me to finish.  I kept pushing and managed it but paid for it last night when I just wanted to crash.  This morning is a struggle because all I want to do is sleep!

Some of what I've been making....and I apologize in advance because I have not been keeping recipes like I should.  More of a wing it type of week.

 

[caption id="attachment_1345" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Kale makes a pretty awesome salad![/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1346" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Mug cakes are an obsession!! How else can I make this coconut cake and make the hubby a peanut butter cake all in the same night?[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1347" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Chocolate Peanut Butter muffins for the daycare kiddos were a HUGE hit![/caption]

 

I also made my first Vegan Pumpkin Pie!! I was completely excited.  Nobody wanted to share :(  But that's okay, I loved it!!  I just used silken tofu, spices, pumpkin and a little sugar and put it in a pie crust.  It didn't make it to it's photo shoot but that's okay because it was tasty!! I will make that again.

I have a few new obsessions (besides mug cakes) to tell you about:

Cherry Chia Kombucha by Synergy - okay, so this is not really a new obsession but lately I can't get enough of this stuff!  And now I find out they make a grape chia flavor.  What?  I must find this!

Kale in all forms.  Not just cooked or sauteed.  I want to eat it all of the time!

Zevia soda.  Yes! A coke alternative when I've got a migraine.  I love this find!

So, what's your holiday plans?  Your new obsessions?

 

Just Keep Moving

Let me preface this post with a statement that all runners will be able to identify with.  I had a sucky long run today.  There, you've been warned.  And I am the type of runner who will analyze the crap out of my run when it sucks.  Did I hydrate enough?  Eat enough?  Dress right?  Etc, etc, etc.  And it will be like that until my next run.  I am an obsessive person.  This really should not be news.

So, anyway, I was supposed to run the Harrisburg Marathon today.  However, for months there was just this little nagging feeling that it just wasn't my race.  But I trained, kept working and then after I ran my unofficial marathon on the AT in October, I seriously lost all motivation to run Harrisburg.  I tried.  I kept training.  But it just wasn't to be.  And I am completely okay with it.  When I made the final choice to skip it and transfer my bib to a friend, I felt a huge weight off my shoulders.  My runs this week have been fabulous, so I expected no less from today's long run.  Well, I was sorely disappointed.  Emphasis on sorely.  Wow.  Starting out my right ankle that has been tender since the AT run really starting flaring up and making itself known.  So, I adjusted my gait and was rewarded with less ankle pain but left knee and hip pain.  And so began my yo-yo of pain progression.  I had positioned my car at the center of neighborhoods I like running in and stocked it with my "aid station" goodies.  After the first six miles, I was in so much pain I had to really push myself back out there and away from the car.  But I did it.  And the next six miles was worse.

When you're out there with someone, pain is a little less severe because you can talk to someone and focus away from the pain.  But alone?  That's all you focus on.  It's work focusing on anything else.  I was studying houses, singing, working out my weekly menu in my head.  ANYTHING to keep away from the pain.  As I hobbled in for my second stop, I knew I wouldn't be able to head back out.  The ankle was just too bad.  So I will be resting, elevating and hoping that it calms down for Tuesday morning's group run.  Luckily, Wednesday is massage night and I'm hoping she can get these muscles calmed down.  But in the meantime, I will celebrate finishing that run and trying not to analyze it too much.

Something else to celebrate?  I'm at 875 miles for the year for running...that means only 125 more to go to meet my goal!  Starting p90X has made keeping on track for running more difficult but I still have been able to work in at least 3 runs a week, and I'm averaging 20-25 miles a week, so at that rate, I should easily meet my goal.  Anything extra is just icing on the cake.

I know that posts like this aren't really  what I had planned on doing when I started the blog, hence the name.  It was supposed to be about making all meals from scratch, using whole ingredients, but there is so much more to that, and sometimes, I feel that I don't post as much as I want to because I don't want all of you to be sick of reading about my fitness adventures.  I've thought about changing the blog's name to something fitnessy and catchy but what a pain.  And I am still HSH, but like me, the blog is a work in progress, an evolution of ideas and thoughts.  So, I will try and not shy away from sharing the fitness part of my life, because it is a HUGE part of who I am, who my family is and what drives my cooking and planning for meals.  I hope that some of out there will appreciate it and jump into sharing too!

So, I mentioned the hubby and I are doing P90X...anyone else out there doing it?  Done it?  Want to share?

I'm So Thankful...Part 2

Today is just one of those days that I love.  I went grocery shopping early, did some daycare paperwork, and then went for a 6 mile run with my neighbor, leaving me all kinds of afternoon nap time with the hubby.   Lazy Saturday afternoons are just the best.  Sunday gets all the credit for lazy afternoons but I'm usually a whirlwind on Sundays, getting ready for the next week.  Not much resting going on.  And me napping?  Doesn't happen often, but it is a glorious feeling when it does. Top the day off with a dinner of veggie quesadillas and these awesome Chocolate Mousse cupcakes from Post Punk Kitchen and that is a pretty freakin' amazing day.



 

I'm feeling so relaxed and thankful that these last 15 thankful things on my list should be a breeze to write!

So, here we go...

16. My grandmother's love.  Even though she is gone now, her never ending support and the way she made me feel like I was capable of anything still remain.  There are moments when I still forget and want to just see her, hear her and be with her, but then I remember she's not here any longer.  I'm sad for a moment but then I remember, she's always with me deep inside.  I close my eyes, listen to her voice and am thankful that I have a lifetime of memories of her.

17. For my puppies.  I get frustrated that traveling is almost impossible, at the messes in my house, at the dog stuff everywhere but, in reality, I love my dogs.  My girls that are no longer with us - Cleo and Sierra - were the epitome of love and devotion and Troop, Junie and Cally make our lives as interesting as they make it crazy.  I don't know what I'd do with a quiet house.

18.  My OCD tendencies.  Yes, I realize that this is not something to be thankful for because it also makes me crazy and stressed but at the same time, it drives me.  I de-stress by cleaning and organizing and seeing the result of my actions is fulfilling to me.  I am thankful to also have friends (you know who you are!) who know that a sink MUST be clean at all times. :)

19. That God has never deserted me in my life.  He has been there for it all.  Whether I deserve it or not, he's unfailing.  I'm not perfect and I'm so thankful I don't have to be.  He takes care of me and whether things are going right or wrong, He's there, waiting patiently.  I know that without God, I would be lost, and I'm beyond thankful for the blessings he has poured onto my life and for guiding me out of the storms I've gone through.

20. Coffee.  It really is my favorite thing to drink besides water.  And since hubby works at Sbux, I'm thankful that lots of other people like it as much as I do!!  I am working on cutting back though and picked up a box of Mate Chocolatte tea bags today.  Tasty but I don't know that it will be able to topple coffee from my daily routine.

21. My home.  I am not always as thankful as I should be for the roof over my head since we'd like to be able to move someday and we bought at exactly the wrong time and WAY overpaid but still.  I know it's a blessing in my life to have a home that accomodates our life.  Plenty of room for the child care, and a great basement space for our work out space.  And I do love my master bedroom.  So, all in all, I'm thankful for the space in this world that I get to call home.

22. Running partners who rock!  This is my first year of running with anyone except the hubby on a regular basis and I love it!!  Our Wednesday night trail group is amazing, even if we're about 3 weeks MIA.  I used to stress about being too slow, too fast, wrong pace, too many miles, too few miles but not too much anymore.  I'll run with just about anyone.  And it's awesome.  I've become a much better runner because of all of them.  So a huge thank you to them.

23.  Massages and my foam roller.  Okay, so these might deserve their own thank you individually but since they work together I'll thank them as one.  I would not be able to run as much as I do without injury if I didn't get my monthly massages or use my foam roller religiously after running and before bed.  It has been another one of those keystones to becoming a better runner.  The massages aren't always pain free but I'm always looser and less stressed afterward.

24. My camera.  I love photography.  It's a hobby that really lets me get creative and into the moment.  I was thinking of launching a business with it this year but decided to hold off a bit until things are a little more settled at home.  And I enjoy it as a hobby so why try and turn it into something else too soon?  For now, I'll keep taking pictures of my food and sharing them with all of you.

25. I was running out of things to be thankful for so I asked the hubby to help get me started again and what he said kinda brought me back to reality.  His response?  "Did you say you were thankful for your eyesight?" Wow.  Reality check.  So, I will remember to be thankful for all of the things I take for granted each day because someone out there is wishing they had it.  And, thankful as I am that I do have my eyesight, I'd give it to him in a heartbeat without one second thought.

26.  Another one from the hubby...I think we're meshing lists at this point.  Thankful for NCAA sanctions that are keeping Ohio State out of a bowl game so that this awesome season of theirs doesn't end in an embarrassing bowl game like usual.  O-H?

27. P90X.  Am I really thankful for that?  Well, my body's not always thanking me, but I am thanking myself for making the commitment to a lifetime of health and that this is a part of it.  As a runner and cyclist, there are a lot of things neglected and my commitment is to 90 days of P90X and seeing that final transformation.  Carving out time for that and running isn't easy but I know that it will be worth it and it's a sacrifice worth making!

28. That I grew up eating lots of vegetables.  I love vegetables now and I know that it is due in part to being served them all of the time from our garden as a kid.  As a vegetarian/sometimes vegan, vegetables are an important part of my diet and being so equal in my love for all things veggie makes that an easy lifestyle to maintain.  So, I am thankful to have had those habits instilled young.

29. Opportunities to give back.  I'm thankful to have had the chance to give back and to keep giving back through volunteering, mentoring and donating.  I wish that I could give more of all three but have been rewarded and blessed to have the opportunities I have had.

30. My life is filled with love, friends and reasons to be thankful.  Having reasons to be thankful is the sign of a life at peace.  And I am.  I'm settled, I'm happy, and I'm blessed.  What else is there?

Sheri

I'm So Thankful, part 1

Let me preface this by saying I am awful at those lists where you post something daily.  I get sidetracked, lose count and in general end up more stressed doing it than I would have been otherwise which is usually not the reason for them in the first place.  I love, love, love the idea of posting something that I'm thankful for every day of November.  But, I know me and I won't be able to do it.  I just have too much else going on.  So, here is 15 of my 30 days in advance.  Enjoy!

I'm so thankful for...

1.  My husband.  He's my go-to person for everything in my life.  I wouldn't be me without him.

2. My kids.  They drive me crazy but I love them and I'd do anything in the world for them and sometimes I am not so thankful they know that.  :)

3. My bffs.  Whenever I am losing my mind, I have friends who always have my back.  They make me sane again and make me laugh all at the same time.  They're my "reset" button.

4. My daycare.  Having a job that rewards and fulfills me is a blessing.  I forget that some days amidst the endless diaper changes and dried out hands from handwashing, but it is my life and I love it.

5. My family.  So, we just about as dysfunctional as they come but without them I wouldn't be the person I am.  Sometimes it's been a matter of gaining strength to overcome the crap, and sometimes it's having shared memories that nobody else has but either way, they're mine.

6. My neighbors.  For the first time, we've got neighbors who we like and who like us.  Okay, that sounds bad, but it's kinda true.  :)  And we're glad they're our neighbors!!

7. My fitness freak friends.  Who else will run 26 miles with you "just because" ?!?  Or understands that talking about bikes and shoes is not only accepted as conversation, but is welcomed.  There's usually someone who wants to run or bike.  And if not, they'll encourage me to get my butt out the door!

8. My blog.  My little corner of the world is fun.  It's a place I can talk about anything (like this list) and people care.  How completely awesome is that!!

9. Cool weather.  So glad to breaking out the cool weather running stuff.  Yeah, it's an adjustment but I feel like I'm floating instead of slugging through the humid air.  Yay!

10. Holidays. Yes, our holidays are a mess.  I don't even think we're doing Thanksgiving this year.  But I still love the festiveness of it all.  Something to look forward to and enjoy.

11.  Weekday morning text conversations with my husband.  Working opposite shifts makes communication trickier.  Thank heavens for texting.  My first text to him is before I even get out of bed just to say hello.  And we text on and off all morning before he leaves.  If he's busy and can't text, my morning just doesn't feel the same.  :(

12. My Vitamix and my breadmaker.  Yep, they rank that high on the list.  I used my Vitamix THREE times this morning alone.  Once for green smoothies, once to make almond milk and yet again to make waffle batter.  And the breadmaker is an almost endless fountain of bread dough, dough for rolls, pizza dough, etc.

13. Netflix. Hear me out on this.  Our Netflix has saved us tons of money.  We dropped back to basic cable, saving about $80 a month, and added Netflix streaming for $8 a month.  And we watch movies, shows, etc.  It is awesome.  And at 10% of the cost.

14.Facebook...or Social Media in general.  Working from home gets a little lonely and the various social media really fill in those gaps.  Other daycare providers help out with issues, friends can all talk and share, and it's a way to keep connected to the people I want to talk to. It's not perfect  - nothing is - but it's made a big difference in my life. There are groups for everything too and I've met more runners, foodies, etc than I ever would have in real life!

15. Late night homeschooling time.  Homeschooling has been a challenge with my son because he needs that one on one time with me and it's hard for me to give that to him between his work schedule and my daycare.  So, when we are both up and awake enough to do school at 11 after the hubby heads to work, it's a fun time for just us.  I love sharing a few moments with him because these are my last few months of him in high school.  Those times feel like stolen treasures for me to store up.

Halfway point!  I'll start with 16 my next post!!

Have a beautiful weekend.  This was the sky I woke up to this morning and it was a beautiful sight.  Sunlight.  Aahhhhh!