The other day I went out looking for a nice Easter skirt to wear. Much of my Sunday clothes are rather dark and dreary and I was eager to have something light and frilly to wear for spring.
I stopped in at Kohl's and started meandering around the store. I was with my mom, who is not known for (a) her love for shopping and (b) her patience so she stopped a salesperson and asked her where we could find a nice skirt for me. To which the saleslady responded, while looking me over, "you have a tiny frame. I would suggest the Juniors Department."
I was shocked. I have never been told I have a tiny frame and I wanted to stand there and let the saleslady bestow other wonderful things upon me. But it did get me to thinking:
When I look in the mirror, I see an athlete. Sometimes, I look more athletic than other times, but for the most part, I see an athlete. I see a muscular build that for a long time in Jr. High and High School I shied away from.
(I want to make it clear that I don't look in the mirror and find myself to be fat. Nor do I look in the mirror and pinch parts of myself and wish them away. I'm not that kind of gal.)
When I got to be in my mid-20's, I realized that I wasn't ever going to fit in a size 4 pair of jeans. Ever. And I didn't want to. But, more importantly, I accepted this part of me and moved past this "ideal". Since then, I've worked hard at just being in shape. In shape for me may be different than in shape for other people, but it involves all the same kinds of things: exercise and healthy foods. I think we all struggle with one or both of these to some degree and it would serve us all well to remember that little point: we all struggle.
I've been accused at times of using endurance sports as a way to stay skinny. I don't use endurance sports to do that. I do endurance sports because I enjoy the challenge. I enjoy working towards a goal and beating it. I like the number crunching of pacing and setting time goals. I really like training and trying new things. Sometimes, I'll research certain things--thoughts and attitudes about weight and their effect on your racing--and I'll incorporate it into my training for a time being to see if really does matter. But I'm smart about it. I'm not eating a 500 calorie diet and trying to run 20 miles on it. I do try to maintain a healthy diet about 80% of the time. Some weeks are better than other weeks. I try not to beat myself up about it. Healthy isn't a number on a scale.
Sometimes, I think, it seems like we get so use to what we see in the mirror that we are sidelined by a comment from a stranger. In my case, it was a positive one. But I know a lot of the times, that's not the case. And I have been on the wrong side of well-meaning comments.
Take the comment at lunch the very same day as my Kohl's experience. I had ordered a meal off of the "healthy" menu not because I wanted to count my calories but because I didn't want to eat so much that I felt sick afterwards. It was the same meal as the regular menu, but smaller. I appreciate restaurants who give people an option because one of my "things" is that I will continue to eat well after I feel full. Just because it's there. And then a great lunch morphs into a bad lunch because I'm sick for the rest of the day.
So I order this sandwich and it came with a salad. When I got the salad, it looked like it was a dry salad with no dressing. So I asked the waitress if there was dressing on it. She replied there was just a tad bit so that it would stay within the calorie allotments for the meal and then she leaned in and said "I can bring out more. It won't kill you to have extra."
I almost gasped out loud. How incredibly rude! It just goes to prove that you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
I know that I don't have anything close to a "weight problem" and some people feel like you can't talk about these things if you haven't been there. But, the pendulum swings both ways. I have had my share of rude comments too. I just think the world would be a much better place if we could accept everyone for who they are, regardless of their size, and just try to live healthier lives.
Amen.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
What's For Dinner Wednesday--Taco Salad
Wade's aunt and uncle bring the best taco salad to every family get together. And so I copied this sorta from them. However, the bowl they bring is ENORMOUS. And since I'm the only one who eats salad, I've had to pare it down. I usually use leftover taco meat and make it for lunch, but tonight, the rest of the fam ate tacos and I ate taco salad.
Taco meat of your liking
Lettuce (usually I'm too lazy to actually chop up lettuce so I use the bagged salad from the store. Tonight it was Very Veggie)
Handful of kidney beans (for one serving, the whole can if you're making it for everyone)
Nacho Cheese Doritos, crushed (for crunchiness)
Catalina dressing (I used Light)
Combine everything and drizzle with the salad dressing. Enjoy.
Easy Peasy and gets me going between family parties. I know the dressing Wade's aunt and uncle use isn't catalina and their salad tastes better if that's possible, but this is a nice simple substitute.
Taco meat of your liking
Lettuce (usually I'm too lazy to actually chop up lettuce so I use the bagged salad from the store. Tonight it was Very Veggie)
Handful of kidney beans (for one serving, the whole can if you're making it for everyone)
Nacho Cheese Doritos, crushed (for crunchiness)
Catalina dressing (I used Light)
Combine everything and drizzle with the salad dressing. Enjoy.
Easy Peasy and gets me going between family parties. I know the dressing Wade's aunt and uncle use isn't catalina and their salad tastes better if that's possible, but this is a nice simple substitute.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
What's For Dinner Wednesday--Bowling Alley Pizza
What??? Two posts in ONE day??? I know! I will allow you a moment to recover from your shock....
Ready?
Good.
Sometime during the middle of last year's bowling season, I ordered a thin crust pizza at the bowling alley.
(Yes, it was 9:30 in the morning. So.)
I had them put my usual on it: green peppers and pineapple. But somehow they mixed up and added ham.
(Contrary to popular belief, I will eat other pizza aside from green pepper and pineapple. This pizza, for example, was still good, even with the ham.)
My bowling posse thought it was so good that ever since we've ordered the same pizza almost every week.
(In fact, the combination of green peppers, pineapple and ham was so popular, half of the other teams have started ordering it as well.)
Every week I've looked at it and thought...how do they get the crust SO thin? And then last week, my question was answered.
Tortillas.
Yep. Just plain tortillas.
So, for dinner tonight, I tried to replicate the awesomeness that is Bowling Alley Pizza. And this is what I came up with:
For the record, I made homemade pizza sauce, but it wasn't as good as I would have preferred, so I'm not going to post it here.
Take two tortillas (the bowling alley uses ten inch tortillas. I think mine were closer to six or eight inches. I also used wheat for mine and regular flour tortillas for everyone else) and add some mozzarella cheese between the two.
For my pizza, I put it in the oven on a pizza stone for a few minutes to "crisp" up the "crust" a little bit. For the others, I just put the toppings on and cooked it.
Top your pizza how you like and put it in the oven at 350 degrees until the cheese melts.
It wasn't exactly like the bowling alley pizza I have come to love, but it was close. I think with a different sauce it would be even closer. And it was simple and everyone got to choose what they wanted on their pizza so theoretically there were no fights.
Calories
tortillas: 260 (130/tortilla)
pizza sauce: 35 (1/4 C)
mozzarella cheese: 160 (2 oz)
Toppings: 55 (pineapple: 40, green peppers: 15)
510 calories
Ready?
Good.
Sometime during the middle of last year's bowling season, I ordered a thin crust pizza at the bowling alley.
(Yes, it was 9:30 in the morning. So.)
I had them put my usual on it: green peppers and pineapple. But somehow they mixed up and added ham.
(Contrary to popular belief, I will eat other pizza aside from green pepper and pineapple. This pizza, for example, was still good, even with the ham.)
My bowling posse thought it was so good that ever since we've ordered the same pizza almost every week.
(In fact, the combination of green peppers, pineapple and ham was so popular, half of the other teams have started ordering it as well.)
Every week I've looked at it and thought...how do they get the crust SO thin? And then last week, my question was answered.
Tortillas.
Yep. Just plain tortillas.
So, for dinner tonight, I tried to replicate the awesomeness that is Bowling Alley Pizza. And this is what I came up with:
For the record, I made homemade pizza sauce, but it wasn't as good as I would have preferred, so I'm not going to post it here.
Take two tortillas (the bowling alley uses ten inch tortillas. I think mine were closer to six or eight inches. I also used wheat for mine and regular flour tortillas for everyone else) and add some mozzarella cheese between the two.
For my pizza, I put it in the oven on a pizza stone for a few minutes to "crisp" up the "crust" a little bit. For the others, I just put the toppings on and cooked it.
Top your pizza how you like and put it in the oven at 350 degrees until the cheese melts.
It wasn't exactly like the bowling alley pizza I have come to love, but it was close. I think with a different sauce it would be even closer. And it was simple and everyone got to choose what they wanted on their pizza so theoretically there were no fights.
Calories
tortillas: 260 (130/tortilla)
pizza sauce: 35 (1/4 C)
mozzarella cheese: 160 (2 oz)
Toppings: 55 (pineapple: 40, green peppers: 15)
510 calories
My Beef with Blockbusters
I'm an avid reader. I love to read. And I love recommending books to people, especially people who don't read, because the more you read, the smarter you are. And I like to hang around with smart people, so if I can help you become smarter, it's a win-win situation.
I can remember the exact day I picked up Twilight. I picked it up before ALL of you. Well, most likely. I read it, on my mom's suggestion, in January of 2007. How can I possibly know this more than five years later? Because I was so engrossed by it that I dragged it along to a race I did with Wade in St. George and preceded to read it in the car on the way down, while we were in the hotel room, and then on the way back. I finished it too, but I wasn't much fun to have on a long car ride.
And then I preceded to tell everyone about it. To which everyone said "What? A book about vampires? a bazillion pages long? Yeah...no thanks."
But, then those same people, months later came running over and saying "You HAVE to read this book. It's the best thing I've ever read." Nevermind, it's the only thing some of them have read. And then it got HUGE. Everyone was talking about it and I wanted to shout "Hey wait! This is the same book I was telling everyone to read and no one would. Not until it became this big blockbuster." I was a little peeved.
Weird, I know. Who cares, right? But apparently, I do.
I almost didn't read the other ones in the series because I was so miffed at it's success. But I sucked it up and read them anyways. I can't say that I'm all that much smarter for having done so, but that's just my opinion. I know people love the series. It's just alright for me.
My sister-in-law brought me Hunger Games while A. was in the NICU after she was born. I really enjoyed the story, though it might not have been the most appropriate thing to read in the NICU after having just given birth. I realize now, three and a half years and after watching the movie later, I didn't really retain a lot. But I was really excited about the other two books coming out. That is, until, the same people who gushed about Twilight being God's gift to the literary world went on and on about Hunger Games.
Then I lost interest. I have the other two books. I just have never opened them. Never read them. Even loaned them out and have yet to receive them back, but I'm not stressing about it.
The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is suppose to be amazing. Still sitting on my bedside table, yet to be cracked.
I mean, what does it matter if I'm just part of the millions ingesting these books? I don't know. I guess it's just me.
Although, after having seen the Hunger Games movie, I am a little more intrigued with how the rest of the series ends. I guess, maybe it's time to find the books and dive in.
I can remember the exact day I picked up Twilight. I picked it up before ALL of you. Well, most likely. I read it, on my mom's suggestion, in January of 2007. How can I possibly know this more than five years later? Because I was so engrossed by it that I dragged it along to a race I did with Wade in St. George and preceded to read it in the car on the way down, while we were in the hotel room, and then on the way back. I finished it too, but I wasn't much fun to have on a long car ride.
And then I preceded to tell everyone about it. To which everyone said "What? A book about vampires? a bazillion pages long? Yeah...no thanks."
But, then those same people, months later came running over and saying "You HAVE to read this book. It's the best thing I've ever read." Nevermind, it's the only thing some of them have read. And then it got HUGE. Everyone was talking about it and I wanted to shout "Hey wait! This is the same book I was telling everyone to read and no one would. Not until it became this big blockbuster." I was a little peeved.
Weird, I know. Who cares, right? But apparently, I do.
I almost didn't read the other ones in the series because I was so miffed at it's success. But I sucked it up and read them anyways. I can't say that I'm all that much smarter for having done so, but that's just my opinion. I know people love the series. It's just alright for me.
My sister-in-law brought me Hunger Games while A. was in the NICU after she was born. I really enjoyed the story, though it might not have been the most appropriate thing to read in the NICU after having just given birth. I realize now, three and a half years and after watching the movie later, I didn't really retain a lot. But I was really excited about the other two books coming out. That is, until, the same people who gushed about Twilight being God's gift to the literary world went on and on about Hunger Games.
Then I lost interest. I have the other two books. I just have never opened them. Never read them. Even loaned them out and have yet to receive them back, but I'm not stressing about it.
The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is suppose to be amazing. Still sitting on my bedside table, yet to be cracked.
I mean, what does it matter if I'm just part of the millions ingesting these books? I don't know. I guess it's just me.
Although, after having seen the Hunger Games movie, I am a little more intrigued with how the rest of the series ends. I guess, maybe it's time to find the books and dive in.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Racing Season Begins
Yesterday was the official start of racing season.
I know. I ran a 10k last weekend. But I don't really count that as the start of the racing season because I run the same race every year as my season opener. And I only did last weekend's 10k because a friend who is moving to the east coast wanted to run one last race together and she wouldn't run a 5k. So I obliged her by running the 10k. And while I was happy with my time, the course was definitely not an easy one and there were times during the race where I was reminded how much running can suck.
Not how I want to start my racing season.
So, yesterday was the start of racing season. Every year I run the Running of the Leopards 5k from the zoo to East High. I love this race for one sole purpose--it's downhill virtually the entire way. This makes me happy because at no time during the race am I reminded how much running can suck. I'm gleeful the entire way. And this year, I was even more gleeful because I was chasing down my brother.
He's come a long way in a year. Last year, he couldn't run a mile. This year, he's training for a half marathon AND I ran behind him nearly the entire way yesterday. In fact, I almost caught him on the track at the end, but he kept me at bay and crossed 15 seconds ahead of me. But, I can't say that I'm too disappointed by that. I figured he'd be ahead of me. What I'm surprised by is that I was nearly a full minute ahead of where I thought I would be. That says a lot for my perceived fitness level. I was only 40 seconds slower than my fastest time on that course.
Which means that I'm getting in shape!
My racing season is pretty light this season. By which I mean, I'm not doing a lot of races. I still have that HUGE race of 70.3 miles looming over my head.
My next race is a half marathon in June and then my annual 4th of July race. An olympic triathlon in July and then my annual sprint tri in August followed by the mother of all races for this season, the Half Ironman.
It still blows my mind to say it: Half Ironman.
And after blowing my expectations out of the water yesterday, I think it's shaping up to be a PR-breaking summer.
I know. I ran a 10k last weekend. But I don't really count that as the start of the racing season because I run the same race every year as my season opener. And I only did last weekend's 10k because a friend who is moving to the east coast wanted to run one last race together and she wouldn't run a 5k. So I obliged her by running the 10k. And while I was happy with my time, the course was definitely not an easy one and there were times during the race where I was reminded how much running can suck.
Not how I want to start my racing season.
So, yesterday was the start of racing season. Every year I run the Running of the Leopards 5k from the zoo to East High. I love this race for one sole purpose--it's downhill virtually the entire way. This makes me happy because at no time during the race am I reminded how much running can suck. I'm gleeful the entire way. And this year, I was even more gleeful because I was chasing down my brother.
He's come a long way in a year. Last year, he couldn't run a mile. This year, he's training for a half marathon AND I ran behind him nearly the entire way yesterday. In fact, I almost caught him on the track at the end, but he kept me at bay and crossed 15 seconds ahead of me. But, I can't say that I'm too disappointed by that. I figured he'd be ahead of me. What I'm surprised by is that I was nearly a full minute ahead of where I thought I would be. That says a lot for my perceived fitness level. I was only 40 seconds slower than my fastest time on that course.
Which means that I'm getting in shape!
My racing season is pretty light this season. By which I mean, I'm not doing a lot of races. I still have that HUGE race of 70.3 miles looming over my head.
My next race is a half marathon in June and then my annual 4th of July race. An olympic triathlon in July and then my annual sprint tri in August followed by the mother of all races for this season, the Half Ironman.
It still blows my mind to say it: Half Ironman.
And after blowing my expectations out of the water yesterday, I think it's shaping up to be a PR-breaking summer.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
What's For Dinner Wednesday Revamp
So I've been doing WFDW for a few years now...sorta. Because, well, there's this thing...
I call it "time"; you may call it something closer to "you're just being lazy".
But it takes time to find a recipe and make it. I was thinking about this last night. And then I got to thinking "You know what? No one would even know if I wasn't finding a new recipe every week, would they?" I mean, I could just post what we had for dinner on Wednesday and if you like the recipe, it would be new to you, so does it really matter if it's not new to me?
Exactly! I'm surprised it's taken me this long to come to this conclusion.
So there you have it. My grand WFDW revamp. Instead of trying to find a new recipe to make every week, I'm just going to post what I made that week (it might not even be what we had for dinner on Wednesday, but shhhhhh....don't tell anyone), and then you'll have another recipe at your disposal. Or you can just ignore my Wednesday posts anyway. And I can feel less guilty. Some weeks I may still feel like making something new, so don't go all ape-crazy on me.
It's a win-win situation.
So this week:
We ate turkey sandwiches from leftover turkey I had frozen sometime around Thanksgiving time. I'm planning on putting it all in a soup for tomorrow's dinner and I wanted a few more turkey sandwiches before it was gone.
I was going got make something really good, but I spent the afternoon outside "drivewaying" (as in sitting in the driveway watching A. play), and burned the tops of my feet and I can't stand on my feet for too long or they start to ache. I can't really sit either. I have to have them elevated.
Why, yes. I do do this every March. Why do you ask?
Next week, I'll post something better.
I call it "time"; you may call it something closer to "you're just being lazy".
But it takes time to find a recipe and make it. I was thinking about this last night. And then I got to thinking "You know what? No one would even know if I wasn't finding a new recipe every week, would they?" I mean, I could just post what we had for dinner on Wednesday and if you like the recipe, it would be new to you, so does it really matter if it's not new to me?
Exactly! I'm surprised it's taken me this long to come to this conclusion.
So there you have it. My grand WFDW revamp. Instead of trying to find a new recipe to make every week, I'm just going to post what I made that week (it might not even be what we had for dinner on Wednesday, but shhhhhh....don't tell anyone), and then you'll have another recipe at your disposal. Or you can just ignore my Wednesday posts anyway. And I can feel less guilty. Some weeks I may still feel like making something new, so don't go all ape-crazy on me.
It's a win-win situation.
So this week:
We ate turkey sandwiches from leftover turkey I had frozen sometime around Thanksgiving time. I'm planning on putting it all in a soup for tomorrow's dinner and I wanted a few more turkey sandwiches before it was gone.
I was going got make something really good, but I spent the afternoon outside "drivewaying" (as in sitting in the driveway watching A. play), and burned the tops of my feet and I can't stand on my feet for too long or they start to ache. I can't really sit either. I have to have them elevated.
Why, yes. I do do this every March. Why do you ask?
Next week, I'll post something better.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Outta Sorts
The last little while has been kind of ho-hum here. Nothing too exciting to report, but I'm sure I can find a few things to share that don't involve politics. Because I promised I wouldn't discuss politics for the rest of the year...
* Wade got a new mountain bike for an early graduation/birthday/anniversary/Father's Day/Christmas/Valentines 2013 present. It's a pretty sweet ride. But...I was a little concerned because he isn't necessarily the cyclist in the family. And some of us have some pretty big goals this summer that would be made a little easier by the addition of a bike that doesn't weigh half what we do. And has more than 10 gears. And doesn't squeak when you ride it. So...the better news is that I get a new bike too. One for my birthday/anniversary/Mother's Day/Christmas/Valentine's 2013 present. I'm really excited about it too. I have it picked out and everything.
* My dad is leaving tomorrow for a three week trip to Israel. It's a funny story about how he's going on a tour to the Holy Land and my mom is staying home and visiting a friend in California instead. Something about being in the right place at the right time. But, he's always wanted to go to Israel and my mom has not wanted to go (for obvious reasons--like bombs and threats of nuclear attack), but the tour guide in charge of my dad's tour ensures all that there is no need to be worried.
* Naturally, we're all worried though. It wouldn't bode well for your tour agency if you were hesitant about how safe it really is to go to Israel, right? In any case, it sounds like the trip of a lifetime and I'm glad he gets to go do it.
* I'm running my first race of the year this Saturday--a 10k up at the capitol. I'm a little nervous because I'm definitely not in the shape I was two years ago and a 10 minute pace is looking pretty nice right now. But I'll take it. I always love running the first race of the season because it reminds me why I keep doing this.
* Next Saturday is the Running of the Leopards 5k. I've done this one every year since they started. It's one of my favorite races of the year. We run from the zoo to East High, where it's virtually downhill the entire way. The first year I did it, the winner came in at 13:56--which is a 4:30 pace for three miles straight. And he wasn't one of the high school kids either. He was 26 years old. In fact, the top ten that year were all under 15 minutes and all over the age of 18.
* My older brother and his wife are doing this one with me this year. I have beat my older brother in every race we've done thus far, but I think he might have me on this one. He's been training really hard. My sister-in-law might beat us both if she can figure out how to ride Halle's stroller down the course. The other night, we figured out that with Halle at 60 pounds and the bike trailer adding another 10 pounds, Eliza was definitely at an advantage on the downhill if she didn't care how fast the stroller got moving. Otherwise, it was going to take an act of God to keep Halle from flying down the hills with Eliza chasing after her. It could make for a really funny story though. God bless them for taking Halle on these runs because she loves the runs, but it's a sacrifice for my little itty bitty sister-in-law.
I think that's it. See, nothing too noteworthy. Maybe a few good stories will present themselves this week.
* Wade got a new mountain bike for an early graduation/birthday/anniversary/Father's Day/Christmas/Valentines 2013 present. It's a pretty sweet ride. But...I was a little concerned because he isn't necessarily the cyclist in the family. And some of us have some pretty big goals this summer that would be made a little easier by the addition of a bike that doesn't weigh half what we do. And has more than 10 gears. And doesn't squeak when you ride it. So...the better news is that I get a new bike too. One for my birthday/anniversary/Mother's Day/Christmas/Valentine's 2013 present. I'm really excited about it too. I have it picked out and everything.
* My dad is leaving tomorrow for a three week trip to Israel. It's a funny story about how he's going on a tour to the Holy Land and my mom is staying home and visiting a friend in California instead. Something about being in the right place at the right time. But, he's always wanted to go to Israel and my mom has not wanted to go (for obvious reasons--like bombs and threats of nuclear attack), but the tour guide in charge of my dad's tour ensures all that there is no need to be worried.
* Naturally, we're all worried though. It wouldn't bode well for your tour agency if you were hesitant about how safe it really is to go to Israel, right? In any case, it sounds like the trip of a lifetime and I'm glad he gets to go do it.
* I'm running my first race of the year this Saturday--a 10k up at the capitol. I'm a little nervous because I'm definitely not in the shape I was two years ago and a 10 minute pace is looking pretty nice right now. But I'll take it. I always love running the first race of the season because it reminds me why I keep doing this.
* Next Saturday is the Running of the Leopards 5k. I've done this one every year since they started. It's one of my favorite races of the year. We run from the zoo to East High, where it's virtually downhill the entire way. The first year I did it, the winner came in at 13:56--which is a 4:30 pace for three miles straight. And he wasn't one of the high school kids either. He was 26 years old. In fact, the top ten that year were all under 15 minutes and all over the age of 18.
* My older brother and his wife are doing this one with me this year. I have beat my older brother in every race we've done thus far, but I think he might have me on this one. He's been training really hard. My sister-in-law might beat us both if she can figure out how to ride Halle's stroller down the course. The other night, we figured out that with Halle at 60 pounds and the bike trailer adding another 10 pounds, Eliza was definitely at an advantage on the downhill if she didn't care how fast the stroller got moving. Otherwise, it was going to take an act of God to keep Halle from flying down the hills with Eliza chasing after her. It could make for a really funny story though. God bless them for taking Halle on these runs because she loves the runs, but it's a sacrifice for my little itty bitty sister-in-law.
I think that's it. See, nothing too noteworthy. Maybe a few good stories will present themselves this week.
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