Has anyone seen my motivation?

.... because I've clearly lost it.

I need to snap myself back into shape. Physically and mentally. Seriously, getting Ted has thrown my entire schedule way off course. I need to stop fretting about the dog, put him in the kennel and drive my lard butt to the gym. Then I need to come home, do dishes and perhaps some laundry. After that I should probably tidy up my closet, organize my desk and upload the new music I've been meaning to do for oh, I don't know....three months!

Someone needs to come slap me around!

.

.

.

.

No really. I'm waiting.

Help!

Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

There are lots of summer birthday's at work apparently. Recently we've had an abundance of food days. Last week we had two in a row! One for our new interns and the other was birthday food day. I made pumpkin bread for the intern day and for birthday day I wanted to try this new cookie recipe I found in my Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook. They looked really simple and delicious!

Here's an image from my cookbookSee, delicious!

They were super easy to make, however mine suffered from what my mom and I call "Chocolate Chip Cookie Syndrome". You see, my mom is pretty darn good at making cookies (she even sells them!!), however chocolate chip cookies are quite the challenge for some reason, they just go flat and thin. No matter how many different recipes she's tried, they always turn out flat and thin. We've decided it must be some sort of family curse, because I cannot make chocolate chip cookies to save my life. Trust me, I've tried to out-do my mom plenty of times. All failures. Don't get me wrong, they taste delicious, they are just a little thin.

I digress.... The cookies turned out great, but um, not exactly like Martha's.

Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies
from Martha Stewart Cookies

For the Cookies
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup chunky-style applesauce
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspooon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make cookies: put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined. Add egg and applesauce; mix until well blended, 2-3 minutes. Mix in oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix in raisins.

Using a 1.5 inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies until golden and just set, 13-15 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack set over parchment paper; let cool completely.

For the icing:
1 3/4 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons water

Make icing: Whisk confectioners sugar, maple syrup and water until smooth. Drizzle over cookies; let set. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Seems simple enough, and it was... However, THIS is what *I* got....

Uhm.... Not exactly what's in the picture, but still very good. Just a little thin and chewy...

Weekly Fitness Log - Week 19, 2009

Running. That's all I've done.

And I'm getting sick of it.

I really don't feel like going through day by day and writing it all down. This week was a "lighter" week. I'll be hitting it hard again next week. The Hospital Hill Run is on June 6 and it can't get her fast enough. I miss the elliptical and weights, and kickboxing. Hell, yesterday I had a strong desire to do the stair climber! (what the crap?!) But, alas, all I've done is run.

I'm getting a bike for my birthday too! (Yes, I'm 8) and I can't wait to ride that around. I've decided that no matter how much I wish I was, I am not a distance runner. I get way too bored.

I did get new shoes though! I went to Garry Gribbles and shamefully showed them my old running shoes. I could tell by the look on the guys' face that I had those shoes for WAY too long. His only comment was "Well, I'd say you got your money's worth!" Heh. I'm still not sure how I thought the experience went. He tried to sell me a shoe an entire SIZE AND A HALF bigger than what I normally wore and my foot was swimming in it. He tried to insist that it was the correct size, but I demanded to go down a half size. I still think they are too big, but I'm giving them a try. He also said I have narrow feet and I noticed when I got home that he sold me a wide shoe. So I'm not convinced these people are the "experts" they claim to be. He was also asking a bajallion questions about the ipod shuffle, like he'd never heard of such a concept...you know, the ipod... I dunno, I might buy my own shoes next time.

Here they are: Mizuno Wave Inspire 5 (oooh!)

Weekly Fitness Log - Week 18, 2009

Monday, May 11
Run: 2 miles
Weights - full body

Tuesday, May 12
Run 4 miles in neighborhood

Wednesday, May 13
Off Day

Thursday, May 14
Run 3 miles in neighborhood

Friday, May 15
Off Day

Saturday, May 16
Run 6 miles in neighborhood

Sunday, May 17
Off Day

Overall Notes
I thought this was a really great week for my running! The plan is working! I was so nervous about my 6 miles on Saturday. For some reason I was having a hard time getting over the 4 mile hump, but numerous friends told me I needed to "Just Do It". So I mapped out my course, wrote it on a little piece of paper (I may or may not be known to get lost in my own neighborhood...I cannot confirm nor deny.) and told myself I would run that 6 miles or else! Luckily Saturday was the picture perfect day for a long run. It was chilly, but sunny, with a slight breeze. It was WONDERFUL! I actually did really awesome at the run too. I felt strong the whole time! I can't wait to do another! I know!

I've also lost another pound. I was a bit disappointed with only dropping one pound, but my pants are all noticeably looser, so I suppose I will take it. Something must be going on. However, I've also noticed the last couple weeks that after I eat sugar or drink too much pop, I immediately feel nauseous. It gets worse every day. (And NO! there is absolutely no baby on the way, cause I know that's what you are thinking) I'm kind of freaking out a bit and am planning on setting up a doctor appointment to get my blood sugars checked, but everyone that knows me knows I hate, hate, hate going to the doctor. I guess I need to "Just Do It". Bleh. At least I'm eating less sugar now! It's kicking my Diet Coke habit I've developed that's the toughie. *sigh* growin' up is no fun.

Puppy Tails - 7 Weeks Old

Well, it's official. I think Ted is the worlds best puppy. He is just so calm and mellow and lazy! 100% completely opposite of Missy. She's actually been the biggest challenge so far. She wants to play, and play rough all the time. He's still only 17 pounds, so she can toss him about pretty easy. It scares us because since he's a Great Dane, his growth plates can be seriously damaged if he plays too rough. Sometimes we have to just separate them for a while. This morning I could tell he had enough, so I put him in the kennel and he went right to sleep. We are also trying to get him used to being in the kennel during the times he'll be in there when I'm no longer on "puppy maternity leave". So far he's doing great!!!

I can't even believe how much this dog sleeps! Last night after I got home from the gym and wanted to take a shower, I put him in the kennel at 9, showered and came out and opened up the kennel door, but he just kept on a snoozing. Finally at 10:30 I took him outside and he did his business. We cuddled a bit and then put him back in the kennel for the night. Zach lets him out when he gets home at 12:30 and they play for a little bit and I think he was back in the kennel by 1:30, snoozing away. Not even a whimper! 6:30 rolled around this morning and he hadn't made a peep!! I was actually a little worried, but I went to get him and he's just sleeping away! Missy would have been up barking and howling and whining at 4am! It's just so nice to have such a good dog!

He already knows his name, No!, Come! and he immediatly does his business when we go outside, it's just going to the stairs that we are working on now. I'm going to get a bell later today and try to bell train him so he can go to the stairs to look out the door without us taking him outside. He'll learn to hit the bell when he needs to go out. I've heard it works really well, but we'll see if we can get him to do it.

Now if we could just get Missy to take it down a couple hundred notches, we'll be in business!!

Weekly Fitness Log - Week 17 2009

Monday, May 4
Run in neighborhood: 3.87 miles

Tuesday, May 5
Day Off

Wednesday, May 6
Run/Walk at park: 4 miles

Thursday, May 7
Run/Walk neighborhood: 3 miles

Friday, May 8
Day Off

Saturday, May 9
Run in neighborhood: 4 miles

Sunday, May 10
Day Off

Overall Notes
I think I tried to push it too hard with the running this week. My legs just wouldn't go on Thursday, so I rested up on Friday and hit it hard again on Saturday. Thanks to a brand new running schedule given to me by Julie I feel like I will be in decent shape for the Hospital Hill run on June 6. Just got to keep focused! I have my first 6 mile run on Saturday. I'm pretty nervous, but I know I just have to go after it and get it done. First time is always the hardest, right?! For week 18, I'm also putting some more focus on weight lifting. My arms need to get in tank top shape ASAP!

Oh, I kept my weight steady this week, which I consider an improvement because in the past few weeks I've been down one week and up the next. I have a feeling I'll see a loss next week.

Run, Run, Run!

Homecoming

Well, he's home! Ted came home today. He wasn't quite sure what was going on when we put him in the car, but he quickly fell asleep and the ride home was pretty mellow. Zach, of course, sat back there with him and gushed the entire time... cute!


He's 7 weeks and 2 days old, but I cannot believe how big he is, and how small he is, all at the same time. When we went to visit a couple weeks ago we took a towel and a toy up there for him to keep and bring back with him. It has proven to be a great idea. Familiar scents have made the transition for him a little easier I think. Plus, he LOVES his toy!

He also loves Zach. He likes me too, but I can already tell that Zach is going to be his buddy. Please ignore our sad excuse for a yard too... we haven't really started working on the back yard. We figure it might be best to wait until next year as both the dogs seem to really enjoy digging and eating grass. Figures.

The first meeting went much better than I ever could have hoped for!!! Missy didn't really do much and Ted just kind of stuck near us. However, inside is a different story. We've had a few growls and barks and lots of running and hiding. Missy is very high energy, and Ted, well he's super mellow and still a baby so he's not really happy with it. We are working on it. They'll be best buds in no time!

Look how cute that face is! He treats the kitchen table and chairs like a jungle gym. It's only a matter of weeks (or days) before he won't fit under the bars anymore. He has no idea how big he is. It's hilarious. Watching him try to walk and run just cracks us up!

He was getting tired so we thought we'd try out the kennel. Missy HATED her kennel at first. She cried and whined and howled to no end. Ted - he went right in, laid down and passed out. We didn't even know what to think! Amazing! If he does this at night, we will be eternally grateful! Missy is already playing the part of watchful older sister. So here he is! Ted! I'm still a nervous wreck and don't dare even blink when he's out wandering around. I've already caught him chewing the lamp cord/outlet. These next few days will inevitably be exhausting, but at least I have Monday and Tuesday off, right!?

We are in love!

Cheesecake Brownies - Sort Of

My mom called me Saturday morning and asked if we'd like to come over for dinner. They were having Beef Kabobs, so of course we said yes! She asked me to bring a dessert so I quickly went to the pantry to see what I had that I could make. I had brownie mix and low-fat cream cheese (which I just recently learned is called "Neufchantel Cheese". That really cleared up a lot of confusing recipes I'd recently found! Haha!!). So, I went to my trusty Kraft Food Magazine and found this recipe.

Fail.

My family had a fun time trying to describe the texture. Zach said "spongy". Mom said "rubbery". Dad said "interesting". I said "Weird". So yeah... Not my best work. At least we all got a good laugh out of it. They really didn't taste that bad, but the texture, well, it just wasn't right.

I'm posting the recipe just so you all can read it and agree that I should have probably thought twice, or three times before making this. It just doesn't even sound right!!!

Low-Fat Cheesecake Brownies
Kraft Food & Family Magazine

1 Pkg (19.5oz) Brownie Mix
1/2 Cup Applesauce
3 Egg Whites - Divided
1/4 Cup Water
1 Pkg (8oz) Neufchantel Cheese (1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix brownie mix, applesauce, two of the egg whites and water. Pour into 13x9" baking pan sprayed with cooking spray

Mix cream cheese, sugar, flour and remaining egg white until well blended. Spoon over brownie batter. Cut through batter with knife several times for marble effect.

Bake 28-30 min (mine took about 35-38 min) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs attached. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into 32 (2x3") pieces

The Silver Lining:
Calories: 110
Fat: 3 grams

However, I think the best way to redeem some bleh brownies is to scoop some lite ice cream on top and call it a day! :)

Weekly Fitness Log - Week 17, 2009

Monday, April 27
Elliptical: 25 Minutes
Weights

Tuesday, April 28
Walk Missy - 1.5 Miles
Wednesday, April 29
Treadmill: 4 Miles
Weights
Abs
Thursday, April 30
Jillian Michales 30 Day Shred
Walk Missy - 1 Mile
Friday, May 1
Day Off
Saturday, May 2
Treadmill: 20 Minutes
Elliptical: 20 Minutes
Abs

Sunday, May 3
Weights
Abs
Spin Class - 60 Minutes

Overall Notes:
I'm trying to step up my workouts now. Especially running. The Hospital Hill 10K is going to sneak up on me, I just know it. Especially since we are getting Ted. I've got to make time to get out there and run as much as possible. I've also set a goal to lose 10 pounds by my birthday. This week I lost 3! Yay!

And just for fun, here's a picture I got of Missy right before I sat down to type this. Apparently I'm not the only one in this family that likes to spy on the neighbors!

Weekly Fitness Log - Week 16, 2009

Better late than never right?....

Monday, April 20
Day Off - Still nursing the leg

Tuesday, April 21
Walk Missy
Treadmill: 1.5 miles

Wednesday, April 22
Run at the Park: 3 Miles (with walking)

Thursday, April 23
Walk Missy
Run in Neighborhood: 1.5 Miles

Friday, April 24
Walk Missy

Saturday, April 25
Day Off

Sunday, April 26
Trolley Run: 4 Miles

Overall Notes
Nothing really. Just bummed I didn't get in a few longer runs before the Trolley Run. Oh well.