No One Loves Running...

This post was supposed to go up last night, not sure what happened... I got busy at work and could have sworn I hit publish before I left, but I guess not. Looks like you will get 2 posts today!

I hear people talk all the time about how they wished they 'loved' running. No one 'loves' running... Sure, they love getting outdoors, getting some exercise, and having the body they desire... but I guarantee, no one loves the physical act of running. It is just something we have to do. As you run more and more, I think most people develop an appreciation of running and know how great they are going to feel afterward, which makes it easier. Races are fun, accomplishing goals are fun, but training for those races and getting to those goals are not.

Source

This morning I woke up at 6:30 AM and was out the door by 6:55 to do something I assure you I do not 'love.'  I love my husband, I love my family, I love my dogs, I love good food. I love shopping, Christmas, iced tea, boats, and the beach. I love my friends and I love lazy weekends. I love the feeling I get after a good run, and the way my clothes are feeling looser and looser since I have been doing these dreaded runs for the last few months. I will most definitely LOVE eating my Thanksgiving dinner with no guilt because I will have completed a 5k earlier in the day. I think I will save my 'wishes' for for good health and getting rich... not a love for running.

I think the more you know about something, the more interesting and easy it becomes. I would guess that people who 'love' to run, have been doing it for years and have a lot of knowledge in the sport. They know it works and they know that it is important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I try to educate myself in running everyday so that I can enjoy it just a tad more than I did yesterday. I want running to become part of my day, just like brushing my teeth and taking a shower. I don't really think anyone 'loves' doing those things either, we do them because we have to and because of the feeling afterward.


Food Stuff:

Recently, Mike and I have been trying to stick to a meal plan that we set at the beginning of the week. Last week, Mike planned out a meal for each evening and it worked out wonderfully. He made a healthier version of jambalaya, some apple cider baked chicken, steak with sweet potatoes and asparagus (not really healthy, but so, so good), and a bbq chicken pizza. I didn't photograph much except the pizza and steak. I cut my steak in half, only to return to eat the rest, and only had 1/2 of my sweet potato with asparagus.

We ended up making the pizza last night since we had so many leftovers a few nights ago and we didn't want to make more. The pizza turned out really great. We made a bbq sauce from scratch, grilled chicken and onions, and added 3 different types of cheese. All on top of a whole wheat crust that we rolled out from Trader Joe's.

Mike and I have learned a few tricks from making our own, healthier, pizza at home. The first trick is to buy your pizza sauce from Trader Joe's. We have tried every, single pizza sauce out there and they have the best sauce. It is really tasty, not too sweet, and the ingredients are very simple. Usually, I like to make my own dough, but sometimes there just isn't enough time. The whole wheat dough we had last night was from TJ's. It can get a bit dry, so we always doctor it up a bit with some plain old garlic juice.  I just use a basting brush to brush on some garlic in water and it really helps the dough from getting too dry. I have also tried Boboli whole wheat crust, and it isn't bad and doesn't have too many ingredients either.

This week, it is my turn to make the meal plans. I am really excited because I have some really great recipes in mind. Tonight, we are making some stuffed peppers. I have been wanting to make some stuffed peppers for a while now and recently found a recipe for quinoa stuffed peppers. They sound perfect! I will be making some adjustments to this recipe and then I will post what I came up with. 

Other items on the meal plan:
Chicken, Chickpea and Quinoa Lettuce Wraps
Roasted Chicken with Garbanzo Beans, Tomato and Paprika
Cocoa Chili - For Sunday in the Crock Pot

This past Saturday we had an engagement party and though it was fun, way too much drinking happened. I have been feeling so sleepy since the party and now I am just craving some nutrients! I have been having leftover apple cider chicken over a salad the last few days for lunch. I also crumbled some goat cheese and pita wedges in the salad and it has been just what my body needed! Hopefully there will be lots of leftovers from the peppers to get me through until Friday for lunches.

I thought you would all like an updated picture of our pups... since I haven't posted one in a while. They love each other so much and just play and play...

Deluca just tolerates Franklin... it is so funny.

I 'love' lamp. :)

Yesterday's Stats:

Breakfast - Overnight Oats with Strawberries, Raspberries, milk and flaxseed
Lunch - salad with chicken and feta
Snack - Orange
Dinner - BBQ Chicken Pizza with ranch
Snack - Skim Milk
Calories (+) 232
Sodium (-) 873 :( 
Protein (-) 26 :(