Ladies and Gentlemen: This is why I run...

Why do you run? To get inside your own head for 45 minutes? To get the @#$% out of your house? To get away from people? To be with people? To challenge yourself-trying to up your miles or chase the ultimate PR? To lose a few lbs? To be healthy?

Do you know why I run?

I run so I can eat "Cake 3 Ways".

Most of you know, I love being the kitchen. I unleashed my inner Betty Crocker/Martha Stewart yesterday and whipped these up for my dear friend Kara's birthday get together. I made Lisa's chocolate cake (recipe on past entry) and used a 4 inch cookie cutter to cut out 6 pieces. Then I laced the cakes with 3 different frostings: (l to r) Dark Chocolate (recipe with Lisa's cake), Buttercream, and Peanut Butter so everyone could choose what they liked. Or, in my case, more than once liiiiittle slice of what you like. YUM!

There you have it. I run so I can enjoy my cakes. And brownies, cookies, guacamole and chips, a good draft Blue Moon and an oversized glass of Merlot. I am sure you are thinking, "what in the heck happened to that Detox girl of 2 weeks ago?". Well, I guess you need something in your system to actually cleanse out every once in a while. ;o) All in moderation, my friends.
I run for life's everyday little indulgances.

Oh, and to get the @#$% out of my house. I like that one too.


PS. Inspiration for Cake 3 Ways is from http://www.bakerella.com/. She is much fancier than I could ever hope to be but she has some great ideas for those that like to bake! I've done her cheesecake pops and Oreo truffles too.

Excuse me...you are cramping my running schedule!

ARGH! I just need to vent for a moment. Do these kids ever have school? I mean seriously. If it's not a "records day" (and just what in the heck is that, anyway?), it's a freakin' snow day, or some sort of seasonal break. Or someone's birthday. Or conferences (of which they do most of the "conferencing" at night so why are the kids at home?). I know, I know. Cherish your kids at this young age. They grow up so fast. You are lucky you can be home with them. Blah blah blah. Seriously, I agree with all that. Really I do! But not when it cramps my running training.

I try to get outside for a run at least 3 times a week and then do my speed training on the treadmill. If I get to crosstrain, that's a bonus. But as of late, there have been many factors that have been making this feat a bit, um, challenging. First of all there is the no school factor. This means I have at least one child to farm off to a friend's house so I can at the very least get my long run in with my girls. Another factor is this darn snow. Don't get me wrong, I'll get out there in chilly temps...but the slippery snow covered roads make me nervous. How mad would I be to turn an ankle on a 4 miler and not be able to run for months? A snowy day means I need to beg and plead my 4 year old to hit the YMCA tot watch more than the previously agreed upon 2 day weekly allotment he gives me. Thank goodness Lisa, the director of the Y, has the "bubble gum store" in her office, where she doles out gumballs to our little ones on our way out. If Sam's really in the bargaining mood it'll also cost me a cookie from the bakery too. The kid's no dummy.

That being said, I can't believe I am on week 5 of the 25K training program. Last week, despite weather and children home, I squeaked in 21.5 (that .5 is super important!) miles, including a 35 minute tempo run (that one cost me a cookie and a pack of gum from Rite Aid), a 3 mile early morning run at home during a snow day, a post snow storm run outside (I had exactly 90 minutes to run, shower and get back to Sam's school for "Dad's Day". Yes, I know I am not a dad. But Zach was away so I was playing duel roles). Finally, a relaxing 9 miler...nope, make that a 10 miler with Sara on Sunday.

Well, All and all it looks as if I have figured out how to fit it all in. Thanks for letting me vent. And here's hoping Spring is around the corner (I am just dreaming of running outside without my purple Barney wind coat on) and kids being in school for a full week!

Magnificant Muffins

Truth be told, I love to snack. I love everything about it. I think it is because I have a problem sitting still, and you can snack standing! I could snack all day and never eat a meal. Hmmm...now I see where my 4 year old gets it...

Anyway, I wanted to share with you all some of my favorite muffins recipes. They are perfect to munch on with your morning coffee, a mid day slump snack, or with green tea before bed. Some of these I like to eat before I run as well. They give you energy without sitting like a brick in your tummy. The kids love these too and they are packed with good for you things in a sneaky manner. I'd rather they snack on these than prepackaged granola bars, snack crackers, and the like. Another good trick is I make a batch in mini muffin tins...they love popping them in their mouths. Or throw a few chocolate chips in. Over the next few weeks I am going to try out some new "power" muffin recipes so I'll forward on the ones that meet my (and my kids) approval.

Carrot Muffins
(from Gourmet Mag with some changes)

2 cups all purpose flour (I do 1 cup white and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 pound carrots
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup raisins
3 large eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 Granny Smith apple (or try a honeycrisp)

Preheat oven to 350°F. and oil eighteen 1/2-cup muffin cups.

Into a large bowl sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and whisk in sugar. Coarsely shred enough carrots to measure 2 cups and chop pecans. Add shredded carrots and pecans to flour mixture with raisins and toss well.

In a bowl whisk together eggs, applesauce, oil, and vanilla. Peel and core apple and coarsely shred. Stir shredded apple into egg mixture and add to flour mixture, stirring until batter is just combined well. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling them three fourths full, and bake in middle of oven until puffed and a tester comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

Cool muffins in cups on racks 5 minutes before turning out onto racks to cool completely. Muffins keep in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days

Morning Glory Muffins
(from Cooking Light)


Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup whole wheat flour (about 4 3/4 ounces)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1 cup regular oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon wheat bran
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2)
1 large egg
1 cup chopped pitted dates (i use raisins here instead)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple (i don't put this in)
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed (about 2 tablespoons whole)

Preheat oven to 350°.
Place 18 muffin cups liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flours and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine yogurt, banana, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in dates, walnuts, and pineapple. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly with flaxseed. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
(modified from Cooking Light)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg
1 cup cranberries (or 1/2 cup Craisins although i think these are too sweet)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and next 5 ingredients (though cloves); stir well with a whisk.

Combine granulated sugar and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until combined. Fold in cranberries.

Place 12 paper muffin cup liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray. Spoon batter into prepared cups. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack.

February Diva Luncheon Menu

I just had to share all the yummy recipes that we had at our first Running Diva Lunch (which also happened to be a celebration for Danielle's expectant bundle of joy).

Sara's Scrumptious Salad
package of salad greens
green pepper chopped
cucumber chopped
cherry tomatoes, halved
avocado chopped
goat cheese-package
sliced almonds-handful
cranberries-handful
marinated cooked chicken, chopped
Layer ingredients in a bowl. Offer dressings...Sara had plenty on hand ;o)

Kim's Magnificient Minestrone Soup
(from Best Life Recipes-Bob Greene)

2 tbl EVOO
1 med. zucchini cut into 1/2 slices
1 med. summer squash cut into 1/2 slices
1 large carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp italian seasoning
4 cups all natural reduced sodium chicken broth
15 oz can diced tomatoes
15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup whole wheat elbow pasta
3 fresh thyme sprigs (i used 1 tsp dried thyme)
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in soup pot over med. high heat. Add zucchini, squash, carrot, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning to pot and cook, stirring frequently, until the veggies start to soften, 10 minutes. Stir in broth and diced tomatoes, cover mixture, and bring to a boil. Add beans, pasta, and thyme, and cook, uncovered, at a low boil until the pasta is done, about 10 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs and season mixture with salt and pepper.

Peg's Awesome Artisian Bread

Here is the recipe for the white bread - this is an excerpt from there website.

Our book had great coverage in “The Week” magazine on April 18th (page 30 in the paper version). But their version of our recipe has you throwing in 4 cups of water, rather than the correct 3 cups (see the fine print on the right, above). Please use 3 cups, or you’ll have pancake batter! The correct version of our basic recipe in the book (page 26) is:
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Cornmeal for the pizza peel
And then, you know the drill. Mix with a spoon in a food-safe bucket, let it rise at room temperature for 2 to 5 hours, then into the fridge for two weeks. Tear off chunks, shape, rest, and bake as needed. And you all know you can decrease the yeast (http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=85) and the salt if you like it. Details in the book.
But there it is, pretty much.

The wheat bread recipe is:

5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 vital wheat gluten
4 cups lukewarm water
This will make 2 of the bigger loafs or 4 small ones.

There is a video on how to shape the dough on the website.

Lisa's Lucious Chocolate Cake

2/3 cup shortening
1 2/3 cup white sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour pans. Cream shortening, sugar and eggs until fluffy. Then beat mixture on high for 5 minutes. In a seperate bowl mix the dry ingredients together. Put the vanilla in the water. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar/eggs mixture alternating with the vanilla/water mixture. Bake at 350, round pans take about 35 minutes.

Chocolate Frosting
1 lb powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 stick margarine at room temp
a bit of milk

Mix with blender, add milk until frosting consistency

Early morning rendezvous

It really doesn't sound as mysterious as it sounds...
I decided that I needed to get my run in early this morning as I had more important affairs to attend to in the afternoon...like gorging myself with Peg's homemade bread and Lisa's Chocolate Cake at Danielle's Baby Luncheon. Recipes to follow on a future post. Ah...I digress...
Anyway, I am not a morning person. Never have been and never will be. My memories of waking up for school involve my mom throwing up the shades to my bedroom and stripping the covers off my warm, sleepy body. And me being very, very cranky.
So I planned ahead. I set my coffeemaker (have I mentioned how much I absolutely adore coffee? Although, my post-detox coffee is Starbucks half-caf breakfast blend, which is not all that bad) to go off so I would perhaps smell the aroma before the alarm went off. I laid out my shorts, tshirt, sneakers (yes, they are sneakers. Not running shoes), and ipod. No excuses. And it worked. The alarm went off at 6:15 and I bounded out of bed...not so much ready to run, but ready for that coffee I could smell wafting up to my bedroom. I took a sip or two of Joe, laced up my sneaks, and headed into the basement for my early morning date with the treadmill.
Sam wondered downstairs in his robot pjs about 1/2 way into my run. He was probably hoping I'd bust a move again. Sorry buddy, too early in the a.m. for that business. Tyler followed about 10 minutes later decked out in his sneakers, mesh shorts, and Detroit Pistons Tshirt. I was taken aback..."Tyler, you can't wear that to school. It is like 20 degrees outside!" Tyler answered, "Duh Mom. I am not wearing this to school. These are my WORKOUT clothes. I need to run. I have to start training for my race." I'm sorry. What??? Have I mentioned that my husband and Tyler are running the Race for the Cure 5K in April?
Next thing I know he is on the ground doing a little butterfly stretch and then doing some standing quad stretches ("I learned them in gym" he explains). So I let him jump on the treadmill and he busts out 1 lap and exclaims "MOM! I just ran a mile!!!" Oh buddy, if it were that easy. So I explain that 4 laps equal a mile. He scrunches his little face but presses on to do 4 laps in about 14 minutes. At one point I asked him if he was OK and he said, "Mom...I can't hear you...I'm running here". (I wonder where he heard that from?. Needless to say, I was quite impressed. The kid has better form than I do...thank God he doesn't have the gazelle prance like his mom ;o)

Old School and the 'mill

"OH MY GOD BECKY. LOOK AT HER BUTT..."

What happens when my little boy wakes up with a stuffy head and a scratchy throat? It means I have a morning date with my dreaded home treadmill instead of going to the Y. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful that we have one so we can run at free will (whoopee!). But there is something about logging miles on my home treadmill that is just as appealing as watching paint dry. At least at the gym you can people watch and check in with Regis and Kelly in closed captioning.

Just before I am about to hop on for my 4 mile run I do the necessary procrastination distractions. Dishwasher empty? Check. Clothes in the dryer? Check. Dog brushed? Check. Sam set with a snack and his Nick Jr. pals Franklin and Little Bill? Check. I'll be back in about 40 minutes...

I scroll through my IPod looking for something different to listen to. I love running to a little Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake like the rest of us, but sometimes you need to change it up a bit. I stumble upon a playlist titled "Bad Party Tunes" that I put together a while back. Hmm. This could be interesting.
Armed with Sir-Mix-Alot and Naughty by Nature (not cuz I hate ya) I start my 1990's party tune celebration. Memories of bad hook-ups, really bad clothes (oversized flannel shirts and super baggy jeans anyone?) and my old fake ID license number flood my memory. Next thing I know, I am belting out loud every word to the rap portion of "Push It". Now why is it that I forget to put my son's lunch in his backpack, but I can remember Salt and Peppa's clever and thoughtful lyrics of "Yo yo yo yo baby pop yeah you come and give me a kiss. Better make it fast or else i'm gonna get pissed...".

Next I give Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman) a run for her money with my rendition of Prince's "Kiss", complete with kissing noises and all. At this point, Sam has come downstairs to see what all the hooplah is about. He is sitting cross legged watching me as I attempt to do the dance from "Tootsie Roll" while I run (I don't recommend this...). I ask him "Are your shows already over?" and he replys, "No Mom, but watching you is much more fun than watching 'Little Bill'".
Glad I could be of entertainment little buddy :o)

So,I invite you to dust off your "MTV Party to Go" CDs (c'mon...I know you have them) and put this playlist together. You may want to do this one at home as your treadmill neighbors at the gym may not appreciate your singing...

Kim's Old School Playlist (about 40 minutes)
Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-a-lot
Cotton Eye Joe-Rednex
It Takes Two-Rob Base (and DJ EZ Rock)-don't forget about him
Push It- SaltnPepa
KISS-Prince
Tootsie Roll-69 Boyz (hmmm...what a clever name for a band)
O.P.P-Naughty By Nature
Whoomp! (There it is)- Tag Team
Please Don't Go- K.W.S.

Peanut Butter Honey Oatmeal

I wanted to vamp up my usual peanut butter and banana breakfast stand-by with something a bit more substantial for a pre-run meal. Here's a little concoction I came up with and tried out this morning...very tasty and filling!

Peanut Butter Honey Oatmeal

1/2 rolled oats
1 cup water (or skim milk)
1 tbl natural peanut butter
1 tsp honey
dash cinnamon
1/2 sliced banana

Bring water to rolling boil. Add rolled oats and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, or until thick. Take off heat and add PB, honey and cinnamon. Cover for 5-10 minutes. Spoon into bowl and add sliced bananas. YUM.

Hal Higdon Week 2 is complete. It was an uneventful 18.5 mile week of training:
-30 minute "tempo" run (a continuous run with build-up in the middle to 10K pace). Thanks for coming out in the cold with me Sara!
-3 mile "pace" run (running at the pace I'd like to run my 25K at. Of which I am scared to even say what I want to run that race at! I just ran at a 9 min mile pace...but I am NOT saying that is what I want to run my 16 mile race at! GAH!)
-8 mile long run (thanks Divas!)
-4.5 peppy "easy" run with my girl Kara (thanks for picking up my pace sista! You are a strong runner my friend!)

It is crazy to think once full marathon training comes into play, one long run will be as many miles as I ran this week. YIKES!

Kim's Detox Top Ten

But first a riddle for you:

What is black, smooth, strong, tasty, smells great, makes your heart flutter, and gives you a euphoric and shaky feeling after you have it?
Will Smith? Good Guess. Denzel Washington? Not quite. Ty Diggs...hmmm....

i couldn't resist.

NOPE. It's COFFEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday was my fourth and final day of detox. So as I read the criteria for week 2 of my "Whole Body Action Plan" I noticed the blurb "consume caffeine in moderation". Well, that's all I needed. I dropped the magazine, ran into the kitchen to replace the blender with my trusty Braun: You and I, my friend, are going to rendezvous Sunday morning.

I woke up this morning at 6:30 am ready to start the grinder. But I forced myself to shut my eyes for another hour or so of sleep until I heard the yelps of a 6 and 4 year old happily playing "Alvin and the Chipmunks" in the basement (yes, they are that loud that we can hear them 2 floors away). I shot out of bed like a little kid on Christmas morning and flew downstairs to grind up my little bean friends from Columbia. I impatiently stood over the coffeemaker, watching black liquid gold fill the carafe. At the first sip I can feel that lovely caffeine pulsating through my veins. AHHHHHH.... But after my second cup I've got the sweats and feel jittery, buzzed up and a little sick. What is that? It's only 2 cups of coffee...not a 5th of Jack Daniels! OK, OK. Perhaps I overdid it a little bit...it just tasted SOOOO good.

So what does week 2 of the plan have in store for me?

• Eat the rainbow-aim for 7 servings of fruit and veggies a day (remember that smoothie already had 5 1/2!)
• Go veggie for main dishes- at least 2 main dishes meat-free
• Stick to whole grains- 3 to 6 servings of high-fiber grains (such as quinoa, barley, bulgur, oats, or brown rice), and pass on the white bread, rice, or pasta. What in the heck is quinoa? Gotta try that out...

Easy enough. Here is a good link about simple food switches included with week 2's plan: http://www.wholeliving.com/photogallery/simple-switches

Finally, here are the top 10 things I learned while putting my body in detox:

10. It IS possible to watch Grey's Anatomy without drinking a big glass of red wine.

9. By cutting out my 3 pm Diet Coke, I didn't binge on sweets and junk before dinner.

8. By cutting out dairy, my lower GI tract is a lot happier.

7. A girl CAN NOT snack on raw veggies and almonds alone.

6. I actually like spinach in my smoothies and so do my kids.

5. But when you consume 16 cups of spinach over a 4 day period, some interesting things come out of your body.

4. That being said, this would be something great to do before bathing suit season. I lost 3 lbs!

3. I was not the raving psycho I thought I'd be without caffeine.

2. I was not the raving psycho I thought I'd be without alcohol.

1. It takes an enormous amount of willpower to do something like this, but it can be done! :o)

8 miles on a Detox

The Divas were 4 strong today on the 8 mile run. It was a cold and windy one to start but by the end we were all sweating in the usual and interesting places ;o) Perhaps the biggest highlight of our group runs is our half point water stop. It's where we slam down some water and a package of Sport Beans (made by Jelly Belly) and then start our run where we wait for the euphoric "jelly bean high" to kick in. I think it's all the sugar from the beans rushing to your head. Or perhaps they load them up with crack-cocaine that we are unaware of. Regardless, it's a fun feeling.
I know, I know...Jelly Beans are not part of the Detox Diet. But I think I could let that one slide, running 8 miles and all. I was so nervous to do our run today. I thought I would feel terrible on the 8 miles, especially since I could not have my usual pre-run banana with PB or bagel with PB. I felt really good though....must be that spinach :o)

Speaking of the Detox Diet (it's not like I have much else to talk about these days), it is going well. The food journal thing is a total bust for me. I knew it would be...I am just terrible at writing in those things. I prove to be much better on the computer, obviously :o)
Last night's "salad in a blender" green smoothie I had was HORRIBLE. GAG. Romaine lettuce blended with water. Add 2 stalks celery, 1 apple (peeled cored), 1 banana. Cilantro, Parsley and lemon juice. Really? And with that combo of ingredients, I thought it would be good because why??? I couldn't bring myself to even take a picture of it. It reminded me of the color of the fluorescent green socks (with matching t-shirt) I sported circa 1985. At any rate, I woke up this morning with much appreciation for my spinach/carrot and fruit smoothie. I made a new variation for breakfast and dinner today and I really like it. I could hardly taste the spinach...or maybe I'm immune since I've had 10 cups since this started. Sam, my 4 year old, LOVED the improved smoothie. Sara was my witness...he drank what I gave him and asked me to make more. Hmmmm....Detox for one...sneaky way to get fruits/veggies into a picky kid's diet for another....

Blend together:
2 cups spinach
1/2 - 3/4 cup cold water
1 carrot peeled and chunk
1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen blueberries

Listen to the nutritional value on this bad boy:
approx. 285 calories and 5 1/2 servings of fruit/veg (that almost knocks out your daily requirement!). And it makes a huge glass (16 oz or so depending on how much water).
Give it a whirl!!! (get it? Jeez, I am SO witty!)

Detox Day 1: Spinach, spinach everywhere. Literally.

Well I made it through a full Detox Day. I know you are all dying to know what I have ingesting over the past 24 hours. Well, even if you aren't, I'll tell you anyway.

Here is the smoothie recipe I tried for breakfast:

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 frozen banana

2 cups spinach

1 peeled carrot

1/2 cup water

blend it all together and it looks SO VERY lovely:

Yummmmmmmy. Actually, It wasn't all that bad, but I did taste the spinach a bit...how could you not with 2 cups in there? Get this: The kids were watching me whip this up and asked if they could have a smoothie too, with spinach in it. Really? I made them one with milk, frozen blueberries, a frozen banana and a cup of spinach. They LOVED it and thought it was so cool that they were drinking spinach. Even Sam...who won't even touch corn. Who knew??? Try it with your kids...

Believe it or not, the smoothie is very filling. I guess it's a lot of fruit and veggies in there, more than I'd eat whole in a sitting. Lunch was a piece of salmon with some guacamole and brown rice. The 3 pm munchies came on strong and the only thing I could eat was a handful of raw almonds. Not exactly what I had in mind...I had visions of a Diet Coke and pretzels or something. But, I roasted them and they were actually pretty tasty that way (i did throw some sea salt on them...a girl's gotta live here...).

Dinnertime proved interesting. I decided this week I'd make meals that I don't care for so I am not tempted to eat what the family is eating. With a horrible lack-of-caffeine headache I started on my smoothie. While that was working I was whipping up some breakfast dinner for everyone else. My blender got stuck a bit so I opened the lid (do you know where I am going with this?) and tried to stir it up a bit. I heard this horrible grinding noise and next thing I knew there was green smoothie shit EVERYWHERE! In my hair, on the fridge, counters, cabinets, on the ceiling!!! ARGH!!! and of course at that very moment, Zach walks in the door from work. And the boys are in the kitchen yelling , "Mom...what happened???" I really could have ditched the smoothie and used a glass of wine there. If anyone has cleaning tips for getting spinach guts off the wall/ceiling, I am all ears.

Detox day 2: Same concoction this morning (the kids did have another one of theirs too). Smoothie stayed in the blender and not on the ceiling. It's gonna be a good day.

I was rumaging through my cabinets in search for some other hot drink options besides decaf green tea when....Hark! What did my eyes see? A stolen package of Starbucks decaf coffee from a hotel stay this past summer. Is it probably stale? Sure. Is it not going to be as good as the real thing? I am sure not. But I trimuphantly took the coffee pot back out (i hid it this week to not pour salt into the wound) and brewed that stale, decaf stuff up. And as I sit here and type, I am savoring every last sip of it.

Lunch I am trying out a stir-fry recipe with buckwheat noodles from the Whole Living website.

http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/stir-fried-vegetables-and-chicken-with-buckwheat-noodles?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/detox-lunch-recipes#slide_3

I'll let you know how it tastes. Let me tell you, buckwheat noodles are not very easy to find in the aisles of a mid-Michigan Meijer. Dinner tonight is going to be one of the funky green detox smoothies recipes I found (think apples, celery, romaine lettuce...drink your salad?). I'll for sure take a picture of that sucker. I just hope it doesn't land on my ceiling!

It's 3 pm and I want a Diet Coke!

Day 1 of Detox. Is it over yet? Good God, I haven't even gotten into the real nitty gritty of the week and I am already a-bitching. And yes, you read right...I was supposed to start Sunday but Relli's pizza got the best of me. So I will have just 2 days of "prepare to cleanse" before I jump into the spinach, banana, strawberry smoothies. mmmmm....

Perhaps the hardest part so far is writing down what I eat. But I think it will be the best thing for me because who really wants to admit on paper that they take 2 huge spoonfuls of Pokemon macaroni and cheese or eat the crust off of a PBJ sandwich? I was real close today, but I resisted the urge and poured myself a cup of (DECAF) green tea. By the way, so far I have had 3 cups of decaf green tea. I miss my coffee and Diet Coke!

And why is it that when you are paying attention to what you are eating, you are always so freaking hungry? The last thing I want to eat is a handful of almonds or some raw veggies.
I think by week's end I am going to think my dog looks like a big yummy Dorito. And I don't even eat Doritos!! (but I would right now...)

Getting my mind off the detox for a second, week 1 of Hal Higdon training is under my belt. Ran a total 0f 19 miles for the week which included a glorious 8 mile stint on the treadmill at the YMCA with my girls Sara and Lisa. We were just too wimpy to get out in that wind and cold (hello...negative wind chill factors!!!). But we rocked it out...and if you ever have to do a long distance on a treadmill try this (thanks Sara for your idea!): 2 miles talking, 2 miles ipod, 2 miles talking, 2 miles ipod. If you don't have a buddy to talk to, just talk to yourself ;o) Or you could watch TV for 2 miles and then ipod for 2 miles, etc. It made it go by much quicker...if that is possible.

Stay tuned...Wednesday is D day. Detox day. Please think of me while you sip your Starbucks...(or eat any solid food for that matter!)