The forecast for tomorrow is not any warmer, either. To the tune of about 19 degrees in the morning. And that’s without the potential wind chill factor.
Good thing I have lined running tights! I’m pretty sure I’ll be running my final long run kinda quick tomorrow. 🙂
So, I have a new favorite way of making vegetables, especially broccoli.
I actually think I may be addicted.
I don’t know what took me so long to try it.
Have you ever roasted broccoli in the oven?
I mean, I’ve roasted veggies with chickens, pork roasts, etc and I’ve roasted potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes and onions but for some reason, I never did broccoli.
Oven roasted broccoli is seriously the BEST. THING. EVER.
Well, not according to Thing 2 but she’s crazy. Teenagers, sheesh!
I could seriously eat roasted broccoli every single day.
So, I picked up one of those fancy bags of precut broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.
I had big, big plans for those veggies. BIG.
And, I figured since there was cauliflower and carrots in there, Thing 2 wouldn’t fuss as much if I roasted broccoli – AGAIN.
Yeah, that didn’t work out as planned but I didn’t care.
So, here’s how you do it.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with nonstick spray.
Trust me on that. I didn’t do it once and I was peeling foil off the broccoli.
Put all your lovely cut up broccoli (and cauliflower and carrots, if you want) on that baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. How much you use is completely up to you – I used about a tablespoon for this batch.
Toss all the veggies in the oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Then, if you’re a garlic fanatic like me or really worried about vampires, slice up a few cloves of garlic and toss those on the pan.
Give the pan a final toss and get it into the oven.
Roast those babies for about 20-25 minutes.
If your smoke detector goes off, you may have roasted them a little too long. Â But, it’s okay, slightly burnt broccoli is AMAZING!
If you don’t like it, call me. I’ll come eat it. Really.
Om nom nom!
 Talk to me: What’s your favorite way to serve broccoli?
Have you seen those AT&T commercials? Of course you have! Unless, of course, you live under a rock. You don’t live under a rock, do you? And, if you do and you’re still reading this, I’m impressed! And, thanks for stopping by!
Anyway, the AT&T commercials. LOVE. THEM. We actually rewind them to watch them over and over, especially if it’s a new one. Oh my gosh, they are so hilarious! This one is probably our favorite.
Hahahahaha! Hilarious.
Okay, I know you didn’t come here to watch commercials. I’m done. Really.
So, I read an interesting article yesterday from Women’s Health Magazine called 25 Reasons You Can’t Lose Weight. And, they’re good reasons, too!
For example, skipping breakfast is a total no-no. The saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” didn’t come from nowhere, you know! You need breakfast to jump-start your metabolism. Don’t have time for breakfast? Plan ahead! Make overnight refrigerator oatmeal or make a peanut butter and banana sandwich or by some of those Jimmy Dean delights sandwiches. Do something! Just make sure you include protein and fiber to give you energy and help fill you up. This will help prevent you from being SUPER hungry at lunch/dinner time and overeating. Really! You just have to trust me.
Another interesting one is not getting enough sleep. How on earth can sleep affect your weight?! Well, apparently, get too little and you’re going to be hungry. And, if you’re tired, you might reach for sugary things to give you that “boost” which ultimately comes with a crash later. Just not worth it. Plus, you won’t have the energy to get through your workout! I usually hit the sack around 8:30 – early, I know! – and I’m up at 3:30ish each morning. I’m a total morning workout person. LOVE it! But, that gives me about 7 hours and, with usually one bathroom trip in the middle of the night, I get between 6 – 6 1/2 hours each night. That may not be enough for you and I have been known to turn in at 8:00 to get a little more but it works for me. You need to listen to your body and be your own judge. If you find yourself reaching for a Snickers bar at 2:00pm to prevent an afternoon nap at your desk, you might need to get a little extra sleep. And, you should pack healthy snacks for your afternoon hunger monster – veggies and hummus, celery and peanut butter, apple and peanut butter, yogurt and granola, you know…YUMMY stuff! 🙂
The first reason on their list is overeating healthy foods. Wait? There’s such a thing as too much of a good thing?! Unfair, right! You know what my downfall is? Nut butters. Oh. Em. Gee. I love me some nut butters. Peanut, almond, cashew – I dream about them sometimes. And, they’re good for you! Right?
Well, so long as you buy the natural kind without all that extra added sugar and nonsense. Seriously, if you are still buying Jiff or Skippy, I highly recommend you try a peanut butter or almond butter that only has peanuts or almonds in it – no palm fruit oil, no sugars, no hydrogenated vegetable oils. The flavor is out of this world YUM! Anyway, I love them. I put a spoonful in my pre-CrossFit protein shake, I put it in my oatmeal (both refrigerator and regular), I eat it on waffles, pancakes, toast, with apples, bananas, celery … a spoon.
When you were a kid, did your mom (or dad) ever tell you that if you ate too much of something, you were going to turn into it? I waited and waited and waited for my sister to turn into a green pepper. Never happened. Talk about disappointing! How cool would that have been to have a “change-o” machine?!? Then, I could have been like “here’s my green pepper sister!” Oh. Nope. Not as cool as a puppy brother.
I wonder what life would be like if I turned into a nut butter? I wonder which nut I would be?!
So, made this in the crockpot yesterday. Was delicious to come home to after a tough afternoon CrossFit workout. I love it when dinner cooks itself and all I have to do is eat it. Now, if only it would clean up after itself. Then, life would be perfect.
Beef Goulash
makes 8 servings
1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 cups diced peeled baking potato (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices carrot
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika (I used smoked but you could use regular if you can’t find sweet)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 (10-ounce) can double-strength beef broth (I used beef stock)
1. Combine flour and beef in slow cooker; toss well to coat. Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
It’s totally my Friday today but, for the rest of you who have to work the remainder of the week, Happy Hump Day!
Why is it my Friday, you ask?
Well, Thing 1 officially became a Sailor yesterday and we’re off to the graduation ceremony!
It’s been a pretty awesome week for me so far and capping it with the pomp and circumstance of her boot camp graduation ceremony will only make it awesomer!
Yes, that’s a word.
I can’t wait to see her in her uniform! Â I will probably explode with pride. Â And tears. Â I’m a crier.
Hell, even the Cheerios commercial makes me tear up! Â You know the one where the little girl puts the Cheerios on her daddy’s chest?
So sweet! 🙂  I know, I know.  I’m a sap. I can’t help it.
Okay, so, let’s talk workouts.
Yesterday’s was a killer.
I was really concerned about those box jumps. Â I know I got the clearance to run but the last time I did a box jump, it hurt and I was very, very nervous. Â Pre-workout, I grabbed the 12-inch box just to see. Â It honestly took me a few minutes to work up the nerve to jump. Â I was afraid of the possibility of pain! Â I finally did it and – IT DIDN’T HURT! Â So, I tried the 18-inch box. That also took a few minutes for me to work up my nerve but I did that one, too! Â And I was okay! Â So, progression dictates that I try the 20-inch box since that’s what I was doing before my injury. Â That took a little more working up to. Â I finally did it but boy, do I have some nerves to get over! Â I ended up doing box step ups for the WOD because, really, I don’t have all day to do box jumps and, honestly, I’m supposed to be coming back slow and 72 box jumps didn’t seem “slow” to me.
But, I did RX the weight at 95# on the back squats! Great. Googly. Moogly. Those were so hard!
And yes, I did the 400m runs. Although, my legs were a little wobbly so I’m not sure how I managed them but I did. Â I may have kicked Monday’s workout in the ass but yesterday’s kicked back. Â So, heading into this morning, it was
Jennifer – 1; WOD – 1
And then, this morning, this happened.
I DID A PULL UP!!!!
Actually, I did 4!! But, who’s counting? 🙂
The first 3 weren’t videoed because I certainly didn’t think I was going to do them! I mean, I was really close yesterday but I didn’t think I was going to get one today, much less 3!
So, after the WOD – 1 km row, 2 mins rest, 5 mins max kettlebell swings (35#), 2 mins rest, 1 km row (sorry, forgot to snap the photo of the board in my excitement!) – I decided to try one more. Didn’t think I would get it – and I almost didn’t!
But, could I be having a better week?! No, I don’t think so.
Jennifer – 2, WOD – 1
🙂
So, if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to go and float through my day.
Happy Wednesday!
QUESTIONS:
How’s your week going? Can you do a pull up?
Oh! And, I made stir-fry last night. Om nom nom!
Chicken & Sugar Snap Pea Stir-fry! Click the photo to get the recipe on my Facebook page. Om nom nom!
A Hungry Runner 