Challenges, Cooking, and Charming Weather

It's a very good thing that one of my pet peeves happens to be dishes in the sink. After 3 rounds of dishes today (multiple cooking adventures) it feels very good to be sitting on my couch with my feet propped up. Dinner was a mix of leftover Thai and black bean soup - need to clean out the fridge before my grocery store run tomorrow! I made a batch of veggie chili and cauliflower faux-tatoes for the week. They'll be featured soon, but here's a sneak peak:


Today I was extremely sore when I woke up and did some stretching while eating my breakfast. I then headed out to enjoy the beautiful weather we're having - no coats necessary!! I strolled through the Farmer's Market and then picked up a few essential items from Target. I had a couple of nibbles while I was at the market but was hungry and ready for lunch when I got home.

I made a gluten-free pizza using a brown rice tortilla as my crust. I baked it in the oven at 400 for about 5 minutes until crispy.

I then spread about 2 tbps of canned tomato sauce over the crust and then added some steamed veggies: spinach, broccoli, and bell peppers. I topped the whole thing with 1tsp of parm and 1 tbsp of reduced-fat mozzerella. Then, I baked the pie again for about 15 minutes until the cheese was melted and golden brown.

I ate most of my salad while waiting for my pizza and while I started with half of it, ended up eating the whole thing by the time I headed out again in the afternoon!

I met up with a friend and we walked to the White House and on the Mall. It felt sooooooo good to be outside in the sun with this amazing weather we're having. The trees are beautiful and we enjoyed some exercise and catching up on our lives.

Yesterday was a great football day - the Longhorns creamed UCF, 35 - 3. I had some salad with 1 c of Amy's black bean soup and a few brown rice tortilla chips.

After the game, it was time to get outside and move. For Day 2 of my Bob Harper challenge I completed 5.2 miles of running intervals. I ran for 1 min., walked for 2. There were a few stretches where I ran longer, one for almost 5 minutes (a personal victory!)!! I did the mileage in 68 minutes which puts me on track to complete the Turkey Trot in 1hr 30min. I really hope I make my goal!

I babysat last night so I came home, stretched, showered, and ate dinner before heading out. It was a low key night and I nibbled on some raisins while I was out. Since I was hungry when I got home, I had a slice of toast with PB which was the perfect dessert.

Bob's Challenge Re-cap:
Friday: 21 minutes, treadmill (1.6mi), 20 minutes, stationary bike (4.8mi), 22 minutes, elliptical (1.85mi) plus 6.35mi of walking during the day
Saturday: 5.2 mi interval running, 68 minutes
Sunday: 6.2mi walking, 3 hours (with some photo-taking, grocery shopping, and girl talk mixed in!)
= success!

It's off to bed - I'm pooped and will need my energy for a busy week coming up!