I am a Pansy in the Cold

Good morning! We had a big snow storm come through last night that left us with this:

Breakfast on the patio any one?

Mack’s little bird house he made over Christmas break, now covered in snow

I did drive Mackenzie to kindergarten this morning – everything else is closed and/or cancelled but the Ogden School District has for some reason decided to stay open. I went out take a picture of the road just now and the plow was finally making its way through the neighborhood – two hours after every one has left for work or chosen to stay home. And yes, it is still snowing.

Dinner, Dinner, What’s for Dinner?

I have to share our dinner last night! So, so yummy and super simple.

I simply baked up a filet of salmon – seasoned lightly with sea salt, Hyderabadi Masala spice and some brown sugar. I wrapped it all up in foil, baked for about 30 minutes and then served alongside white rice and some roasted garlic broccoli and carrots. I especially love when we sit down to eat dinner and Mackenzie says “I love this dinner! Tonight, I am eating all of my food” and then does just that – no begging him to take 5 more bites, 2 more bites, okay just one more bite pretty, pretty, pretty please nonsense. Salmon and broccoli is a parenting win in this household.

We had picked up the Hyderabadi Masala seasoning at the Indian cooking class we took back in October. The seasoning is one of the 5 jars we bought after the class and this was my first time cooking with this particular blend. You can find the whole line of East India Pantry seasonings at Saffron Valley in South Jordan or shop online.

They are all so rich in flavor but mild on spice which is really great for us since we have kids eating the same meals. If we want the added heat we can just add chili or what have you to our individual servings. The one we used last night is made up of cassia, black pepper, clove, cardamom, caraway, turmeric, ginger and a few others… so, so delicious!

2013 Race Schedule

Remember on my resolutions list, I mentioned running, biking and swimming further and faster. What better way to accomplish that goal that to sign up for a couple races this year to help motivate and keep me on track?

I haven’t decided what all I want to do or can commit to but here are a few of the races that I think look particularly interesting. Are you guys participating in any events this year? Any of these? I’d love to hear what your working towards!

2013 Winter Racing Circuit – a circuit designed to prepare for the Ogden Marathon. Starting with a 5k on February 2nd, a 10k on February 16th, a 10 miler on March 9th, leading to a half-marathon April 6th, a 30k event on April 27th. For more info our to register for the circuit or individual races visit Striders Running. The Ogden Marathon is May 18th (my birthday).

Canyonlands Half Marathon and 5 Mile Run – along the Colorado River just outside Arches National Park, the views would be amazing! March 16th. More info visit Moab Half Marathon.

Antelope Island Buffalo Run - 25K, 50K, 50-mile, 100-mile March 22-23, 2013. Sign up for the Buffalo Run.

Telos Timp Splash Triathlon – a great early start to triathlon season, 5k run, 10 mile bike, followed by a 350 meter indoor swim. More info.

Zombi 5k – April 13th. As you all know I’m not a big fan of zombies. However, in this race you get flag football belts/flags and have to “run for your lives” – if zombies remove all three flags you’re dead. Located in Moab this would be such a fun thing to do for our wedding anniversary since it would require a weekend getaway. Sign up for the Zombi5k.

Little Red Riding Hood – June 1st, Logan. Choose from 18, 36, 50, 80 or 100 mile distances. Entry is by lottery this year so make sure to check out the sign up info. Of all the bike races I have looked at, this one appeals to me the most – mainly because a few friends did it last year and I was super jealous (oh and I really, really like their logo )

I couldn’t find a photo of the logo but you can see it on this racing jersey, which is super cute by the way! Their logo is the pony-tailed girl on the bike..

Legacy Midnight Run – from North Salt Lake to Farmington, along the Legacy highway, July 19th. Run in the dark but come prepared with your glow sticks and LED bracelets. It’s just crazy enough to get me interested. Read more.

Bear Lake Brawl Triathlon – September 21. Gorgeous Caribbean blue water? Sign me up for that! Bear Lake has been on my list of places to cycle for almost a year – bike friends have recommended this route as “the best in the state” – I think this triathlon is a no brainer for me, especially at an affordable price point. Can choose between Olympic and Sprint distance. Sign up and info.

Then that’s it – there are plenty of other races here in Utah if you check out Utah Running’s Yearly Race Calendar or for races all across the country check out Running in the USA.

So again, I ask, what are you guys racing this year?

I’m a Pansy in the Cold

I have an admission to make. I don’t love the idea of “working out” – being active, yes. Fitness, sure. But a workout – as in go to the gym, lift these weights, ugh. No. So as it has gotten colder and colder here, I have become more and more of a lazy banana when it comes to getting my workouts in. I don’t want to go running in the dark and below 10 degree weather. I just don’t. So I put together some winter workouts that I think were really helpful in ensuring I wasn’t just sitting on my butt doing nothing.

But, I wanted more.

Over the holiday break I ordered four DVDs from Bob Harper’s Inside Out Method. All of his DVDs were $3.99 as a special holiday promotion (HINT: they are still on sale) so I decided to get the four pack set which only cost $14.99.

The DVDs arrived in the mail on Tuesday and I tried my first one on Wednesday night – “Bob’s Workout”

It was gooooooo-ooooo-dddd y’all. I am still sore today, in fact. I decided not to push it yesterday and went with a short yoga sequence but I plan on doing this same DVD and workout (there are two on each DVD) again today.

For starters, I love Bob – love him on the Biggest Loser and I love his other DVDs I’ve done in the past. But this workout is also just a lot of fun, some of the moves almost remind me of playing around at recess as a kid and yet I was dripping with sweat within the first five minutes. By the end of the thirty minute workout, I was dying. He sure knows how to make every minute count.

Alright friends, it’s my day away from the office and you know what that means: it’s my writing day! I have a few article submission deadlines quickly approaching so I better get to it! Chat soon!

P.S. I changed my picture format – do you like the larger pictures better or should I go back to the small ones? If you comment please include which browser you are using (IE, Firefox, Chrome?) Thanks!