I said brrrr, it’s cold out there!

Hello, hello!

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So, are you affected by the Polar Vortex?

It is seriously cold out there.

Lots of school systems in this and surrounding areas have closed or either have delayed openings today and there’s not a single flake of snow falling from the sky!

I understand the reasoning though. It’s unfortunate but many children don’t have proper clothing for these kinds of temperatures.

And, in my area, there are lots of people that live far out in the boonies and have driveways that are at least a 1/2-mile long so these kids can’t just stand by the window and watch for the bus.

I like that the school systems chose safety this morning. 🙂

This polar vortex really caused a drastic change in our temperature.

Yesterday morning, it was 63 degrees and rainy.

By the time I woke up from falling asleep on the couch last night, it was 31 degrees.

Then, this morning –

Holy. Moly.

That’s almost a 50 degree drop in 24 hours!!!

And, wouldn’t you know it, this crazy person actually went for a run this morning.

Oh hey, that’s me!

Yeah, I ran.  Outside.  On purpose.  No, nothing was chasing me.

4 days until the Mississippi Blues marathon and, while I’m in my taper, that doesn’t mean I can skip a running day.

Aaaannd, I don’t have a treadmill, so…..out the door I went!

I layered up (probably could have added one more layer like my lightweight rain jacket), wore my super warm (yet boring) hat, and wished like crazy I had a running scarf or balaclava and some warmer socks.

Honestly, the coldest part of me was my nose.

And that was only when the wind was blowing.

BRRR!

I am glad I got out though. 🙂

And, interestingly enough, this morning Runner’s World shared this article on running in the cold:

Tips for Running in Sub-Zero Weather

Many people can avoid running in the cold (all my Arizona & Southern California  friends can kiss my cold booty right now! Ha! 🙂 j/k) but, not everybody can (talking to you people in the frigid northwest!) so, knowing how to be safe is good.

And, just in case you get caught up in, say, a random polar vortex, you might want to know what to wear outside so you don’t lose your little piggies!

For example, did you know there is such as thing as “cold weather shoes?”

Me either!

As someone who suffers from Raynaud’s Syndrome, my toes and fingers can really suffer on cold morning runs.

I always have gloves but I am definitely going to look into cold weather shoes.  Sometimes it’s really hard to enjoy a run when you can’t feel your toes.

Talk to me: Long sleeve shirts with thumb holes – love or hate?

I personally love them especially for really cold days, as long as the sleeves are long enough. Long sleeves that shrink up a little make the thumb holes a little uncomfortable, in my opinion.

– jennifer

Smashed fingers are not as fun as smashed taters. Just sayin’.

Hello, hello!

There’s only 1 week left until Christmas!

It’s been a heckuva week already.

I totally rested up on Sunday after my long run on Saturday.

And then, on Monday, I did some cross-training in the back yard.

28 bags.

Twenty. Eight.

Oh, and this happened too.

Actually, that happened BEFORE the 28 bags.

The garage door tried to gobble my fingers up.

There was lots of cussing.

LOTS.

Hey, what did you expect? I AM the daughter of a sailor, veteran sailor, wife of a sailor, and mother of a sailor. Don’t judge me.

They’re healing but it’s going to take some time.

At least my middle finger is no longer as big as a big toe.

Yes, I really raked up 28 bags of leaves with 2 smashed fingers.

Yes, I’m crazy.

But, my yard looks so much nicer now! 🙂

Yesterday, I went out for a quick tempo/hill run and felt every little bit of Monday’s yard work.

Oof.

So thankful today’s a rest day.

Gives me more time to play with my new toy.

EEEP!

Thank goodness it doesn’t hurt to type!

Oh, and Thing 2 and I need to decorate these.

Om nom nom!

Question: What’s your favorite shape of Christmas cookie?

Mine would have to be the stockings. Can’t explain why. 🙂

– jennifer

I miss CrossFit. I’m a little bored. So I baked Multigrain English muffins.

Hello!

Happy Thursday!

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So, I just have to say – I absolutely and totally miss CrossFit.

I miss it BAD.

My friends are doing a week of Hero WODs at my old box and I’m insanely jealous.

I read a lot of blogs about CrossFit and I see a lot of CrossFit posts on Instagram and I want to go do some cleans and snatches and deadlifts.

There’s a box not far from my new house but I haven’t gone yet.

I have not yet found employment and …

1. I don’t feel comfortable paying the money without my earning it first.

2. What if I find a job with hours that conflict with the WOD schedule at that box? I don’t want to go and make friends and then leave them. I’ve done that. It’s not fun.

3. I haven’t gone to the free Saturday classes because I don’t want to be the nonpaying slug that shows up every Saturday for a free workout. Plus, I’ll start jonesing for more anyway.

Sigh. It’s a never-ending cycle of awful.

At least I have running. Which I love!

But, there’s just something about pushing those weights around and challenging myself and appreciating what my body can do.

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

Basically, I’m a little bored.

Okay, more than a little sometimes.

So, I’ve been finding things to do to keep me from being bored.

Like baking!

Yesterday, I woke up to the sound of rain.  Okay, I didn’t actually HEAR the rain but I did hear cars driving on wet road. And it was all gray and nasty out. Blech.

So, I went totally crazy and baked a loaf of whole wheat bread and then I tried my hand at making English muffins from scratch.

You know what?

They were actually easier than I expected!

I looked up a variety of recipes and finally settled on a Martha Stewart recipe for Multigrain English Muffins.

I mean, it’s Martha Stewart! And, the whole “multigrain” business was what I wanted anyway. 🙂

I, of course, had to test one after they were done. I split it, toasted it up, and topped with it butter and grape jelly.

What? You don’t do the same?

O. M. G.

These were well above my taste expectations!

I mean, it was my first time – how was I going know what they tasted like?

They have an amazing savory/nutty flavor to them – pretty sure that’s from the flax and chia seeds – that contrasted the sweet jelly beautifully!

Sorry, I ate it too quickly to get a picture. What? Don’t judge me.

I knew right then that I was going to get up early today and make my sailor breakfast before he went off to work.

Hey, what can I say? I’m a pretty good wife. 🙂

So, I picked up some Canadian bacon (you know, the maple kind) at the store and made my plans.

Hahaha! Never gets old.

So, his breakfast this morning was Canadian bacon, scrambled egg with some Mexican blend cheese on a toasted homemade English muffin.

Ta-da!

Then, off he went and I headed out for a run.

Okay, so Tuesday, I ran in tights, a long sleeve shirt, hat and gloves. Today? T-shirt and shorts.

Seriously, Mother Nature, make up your mind!

Then, post run, I whipped myself up a little sandwich, too!

Except, I used egg white (I don’t do yolks. Blech!) and a veggie sausage pattie (yep, the maple kind!).

Om. Nom. Nom.

Definitely making these muffins again!

Multigrain English Muffins
makes 15 (although, I only got 9. whatevs.)

1/2 cup warm water (115 degrees) (NOTE: too hot and you’ll kill the yeast so invest in a candy thermometer if you don’t have one!
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from one 1/4-ounce envelope)
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, plus more for serving (optional)
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ **
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons whole flaxseed
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1/4 cup coarse cornmeal

**I didn’t have wheat germ so I added 1 tablespoon chia seeds.

1. Combine warm water, honey, yeast, and butter in a bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.

2. Combine flours, oats, wheat germ, salt, and flaxseed, and caraway seeds if desired, in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and buttermilk, and mix with your hands until flours are almost fully incorporated. Turn out mixture onto a clean surface, and knead until smooth, about 3 minutes. (Be patient – you will think it’s never going to get smooth but it does. I promise!)

3. Lightly coat a large mixing bowl with cooking spray, and place dough in bowl. Cover with plastic, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead for about 1 1/2 minutes, and roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut out rounds. Roll and cut scraps once. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, and dust with cornmeal. Place rounds on sheet, cover with plastic, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until puffy, about 20 minutes. (I let mine go for about 30 minutes.)

5. Heat a large griddle or 12-inch skillet over low heat (I set my electric griddle to about 275). Working in batches, place rounds 1 1/2 inches apart. Cook until golden brown and dry, about 7 minutes per side. Let cool for 30 minutes; split with a fork. Toast, and serve with butter and preserves if desired. Muffins can be stored, wrapped in plastic, for 2 days, or refrigerated (up to 1 week) or frozen (up to 2 weeks).

6. Enjoy!

Question: Christmas cookies – do you love to bake them or buy them?

– jennifer