Hey, What’s Up.

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Hey, what’s up. Some things to share (per usual)

1. Last night, I intended on getting to the gym for a run, but I couldn’t stomach the idea of bundling up and such just to get there. So I opted for an at-home workout. I plugged my iPod touch into the speakers in my office and got right to work.

Whoa, you don’t need to see a picture of me. Sorry about that.

The ladder workout was part of yesterday’s designated workout from Best Body Bootcamp. I thought it was a little too easy (not sure if that means I need to up the weights, or up the reps or what. Or maybe I just wasn’t exhausted from cardio or something. Who knows)

I finished it off with 100 burpees. It felt so good. SO GOOD.

2. I have decided that I am not a huge fan of healthy living blogs. Correction: I think I have healthy living blog overload. Sometimes I am just NOT in the mood to see my twitter feed or google reader full of posts about exercise science or protein-packed meals or incredibly detailed workout regimes. (Am I guilty of that? Sometimes. But I try to keep a good balance of fun, fitness and whatever so that I don’t get myself in too tight of a niche) Plus, I think a lot of bloggers “fake” their lives online. Those pictures of only having one peanut butter cup? Not real. Yet, many readers think it is. And therefore, they feel guilty for consuming the entire bag.

I’m not accusing anyone or whatever, just saying that that information is a little too much for ME sometimes.

3. I tried to start The Happiness Project last night, but I just couldn’t do it. Not my kind of book.

(Source)

I moved on to The Casual Vacancy.

(Source)

4. I am a crafting fiend. I broke out the glitter, glue, and paint last night and really got my christmas on. I’m not done with anything yet, so I have no awesome pictures to share. Plus, I plan on hitting up Michael’s again today, so who knows what’ll happen!

5. My family is cute

6. I have so many gifts to buy! My foodie penpal, my Canada blogger Christmas Swap, another gift for a White Elephant exchange, me… (haha on that last one)

7. I think it’s a Canadian thing to not wear shoes in the house. I hate that. I mean, I get that it prevents a lot of crap from being dragged in, but I have a dog. She drags in a ton of crap already, so what difference does wearing shoes make? None.

8. I will not be going home for Christmas. I am SUPER sad about it. (But at least I can enjoy my holiday decorations with my little family- see above). I am probably going to get comments about this one. Sorry people, I make no $$ and can’t really control the decision. I’ll be back at some point though, because I haven to get my wedding dress fitted.

9. Speaking of weddings, we finally decided on bridesmaids dresses (and their earrings). And I have emailed my coordinator to put together sample bouquets so I can actually SEE what the final product will look like.

10. I really want to have a cookie exchange party, but I don’t think you can really do that when all your friends live like 239572093 miles away- and in another country. Besides, cookies don’t hold up well when they’re stuck in customs.

11. Ok, I am sick of blogging right now. So I’m gonna go craft.

12. I would really love more followers on twitter and Likes on my facebook page. I would bribe you with a giveaway or something, but I can’t afford it. Plus, I don’t have companies giving me free stuff. Sorry. But, if you feel a little warmth in your heart, you’d do it anyways.

Your Turn:

What’s your favorite holiday cookie?
What’s your favorite holiday decoration?

Thursday Things

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

1. Check out this little craft I did yesterday that cost only $5 and took about 5 minutes to complete:

Each of those 81/2×11″ frames were 25 cents and the scrapbook paper was 99cents a sheet!

I have two other christmas craft projects that I might wait to complete over the weekend (it includes paint and candles and glitter and glue and all that jazz)

2. Last night’s dinner was FANTASTIC. I took the recipe from SkinnyTaste, and only tweaked it a bit. <—because I am terrible at converting ounces to grams and then usually halving the recipe for just the two of us. Yes, pretty much everything here is in grams which drives me freaking batty.

Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole

Here’s what you need:

2 large boneless chicken breasts
3 cups no yolk noodles
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large crown of broccoli
1 tbsp butter
1/8 cup minced onion
3 tbsp flour
1 cup shredded cheddar
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
2 tbsp bread crumbs

Here’s what you do:

1. Put the chicken in the crock pot on high for roughly 4 hours and shred with two forks when it’s done. (submerge the chicken in chicken broth, enough to cover the meat- this is not included in the list of ingredients0

2. Cook the noodles until they are almost al dente. Strain and set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 375, spray 8×8 with cooking spray.

4. Put the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and allow it to simmer for about a minute. Then add the broccoli florets. Turn the heat to low and cover the skillet to allow the broccoli to steam.

5. In a large pot, add the butter. Once it’s melted, throw in the onion and allow the onion to soften for a few minutes. Add the flour until incorporated. Then add the chicken broth and whisk thoroughly. Add the milk and bring the mixture to a boil (stirring occasionally). Once brought to a boil, turn it back down to medium heat and allow 6-7 minutes for mixture to thicken. Remove from heat, and add the cheddar cheese and 1 tbsp parmesan. Mix well.

6. Add shredded chicken, noodles, and broccoli to the cream mixture in pot.

7. Pour the mixture into the 8×8 dish. Top with remaining 2 tbsp parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

8. Bake for 20 minutes, then allow it to sit under the broil for a couple minutes to allow the top to brown.

9. Eat! (We added some sriracha to our portions. yum!)

(I always use the smaller plates for my meals, and leave the big plates for Tyler. Perception of having the plate full can really deceive your eating habits!)

3. I worked out at home yesterday and did the strength workout B from Best Body Bootcamp. It was an interesting workout, and I adjusted a few moves to accommodate the equipment I have. The toughest one was what I substituted for hamstring curls- I actually used my gliding discs for these. Yikes, my hammies were screaming after that set. There were cardio intervals within the supersets and I finished it off with some kickboxing. Check out this super flattering picture.

(Notice that my HEAD is wider than my entire body. Oy)

4. It was during my workout (in ‘my’ room) that I noticed it’s been a while since I updated my calendar.

Just a few months off. No biggie. But July is my favorite. 4th of July, my birthday, summer= all happy things.

5. A lot of people do throwback thursday pics. Since I am now 3000 miles from home, I couldn’t really bring any of my stuff with me, so I don’t really have any of my childhood pictures. But I do have this gem that my mom somehow brought this summer.

It was my understanding that in 5th grade, prescription sunglasses were HOT. Looking at it now: NO THEY’RE NOT.

6. I got shout outs on both Leigh AND Alison’s blogs today (ladies, I am totally stealing that post soon!) Woo hoo!

7. It’s not a new song, but it’s been a huge player this week in my workouts. Love me some hip hop/electro mixes (mostly the hip hop part though). The best part:

Ugly girls be quiet, quiet, pretty girls clap, clap like this
Ugly girls be quiet, quiet, pretty girls clap, clap like this

(I obviously clap)

Pretty Girls (Benny Benassi remix)

What song (new or old) do you have on heavy rotation lately?

Recipes, Purchases, and a Workout

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Hey, I’m back. I told you I would be, so it shouldn’t be such a huge surprise.

1. So these:

Holy hell are they sweet or what. They’re so sweet, I gotta say it again: holy hell. But if you’d like the recipe, you can find it here.

2. Apple Leather

Here’s what I did: 6 apples peeled and halved. Put into boiling water for a few minutes to get them nice and tender. Drain and throw them in the blender with just under 1/4 c water and cinnamon to taste. Then spread out on a cookie pan lined with saran wrap (sprayed with cooking oil helps). Then put oven on the lowest setting (mine was 170 degrees) and let it sit in the oven overnight (8-10 hours. Check it now and then to make sure it doesn’t crisp up, you want it to be a bit pliable).

There ya go!

3. I went to Lululemon (because Tyler TOLD me to) and I got 2 precious gems to add to my collection. This is totally going to help me with that issue I mentioned yesterday.

It’s the Virtue Energy Pant in dense purple and the Run: Swiftly Tech long sleeve

4. Then I got carried away and found an amazeballs steal on some more winter clothes. I got two pairs of cords and 2 sweaters and they were each $20! Not bad, Jen. Not bad.

5. Yesterday’s workout.

It was somewhat adjusted because I only had one girl attend the class, but here’s the gist: (some of the moves were taken from Best Body Bootcamp. Green= strength; Blue= cardio)

5 minute warmup

Elevated push press (using the step) 1 min each side
Up/down plank- 1 min

Run laps around the studio for 3 minutes
15 seconds jacks/15 seconds mountain climbers x3

Lunge stance with row- 1 min/Opposite leg forward lunge stance with reverse fly- 1 min
Tricep dips- 30 seconds at the 4-count and 30 seconds at single count
Repeat lunge moves and tricep dips

Run laps opposite directions for 3 minutes
1 min torso twist hops

1 minute wall sit with bicep curls
1 minute weighted laying hip abduction/1 minute weighted hip adduction
1 minute wall sit with overhead press

30 seconds jump rope/30 seconds quick feet x3

15 squats with front raise
15 chest flys
30 second decline plank
15 single leg tricep kickback Left/15 right
10 plank with single arm row Right/10 left
8 surrender squat right/8 left

BURPEES

we did 5 burpess with a 15 second rest 10x through

ABS

Crunch progressions: 10 reg crunches, 10 with legs at tabletop position, 10 with legs straight in the air, 10 with scissor legs left, 10 scissor legs right, 10 tabletop, 10 regular

Tell me something random. How about: what’s the last thing you bought online? Where’s the last place you went out to eat? Favorite TV show this fall? Favorite cold-weather meal to make?

Lots of Dog Pics

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Yesterday, I bundled up and took Layla for a walk.

I haven’t taken her for about a week because it’s just been too crappy out. It was still pretty bad yesterday- even the pup was slipping on the ice- but she needed to stretch her legs…

and roll.

Beware this post is heavy on the dog pictures.

I was kind of having a down-in-the-dumps day. The weather was yuck, I didn’t feel like doing school work, I ate too much candy, AND I was stressed about gym stuff (more in a sec). I told Tyler, and this was his response:

Yup. He basically TOLD me to go buy Lulu! I originally planned to swing by the mall after teaching my class, but I was sweaty and it was cold, so I am going as soon as I finish this post! :):):):):)

Ok, so the gym thing.

UGH.

Le sigh.

So, if you’re new to this here blog, lemme give you a quickie recap.

I taught 4 classes/week at the Boston YMCAs when I was living in Boston (Core, Muscle, Cardio Ball)
I was certified to teach Cardio Kix/Cutz from Corpbasics
First Aid/CPR certified
ACSM cPT (certified personal trainer)

When I got to Calgary, I found that I could not get a paying job until I had my PR card. (Which is still not going to be until May/June/July 2013). Also, the positions at the Calgary YMCA’s are unpaid. So, the fitness director who I befriended allowed me to teach outdoor bootcamps downtown throughout the summer. She just recently gave me my regular indoor circuit class on Wednesdays, and the personal training department ‘hired’ me to teach a registered TRX class.

I had also been on the list for certification courses that were the equivalent to my American certs. Unfortunately, the courses have been barely offered, so I have been able to complete only ONE CERT since living here (I still need a Fundamentals certification to teach group fitness, and I need to CHALLENGE the cPT exam which is so stupid because I have my cert through the ACSM which is a program that the YMCAs here REFERENCE. doh)

WELL.

My fitness director friend accepted a job elsewhere, so I no longer have a buddy working at the Y. AND she informed me that since my certs are still not up to date, I have to have a moderator present at each of my classes.

Basically, a babysitter.

It’s liability issues.

And don’t even get me started on the music that we can/cannot use in classes.

I basically got fed up. Not only was I now leaving my house 90 minutes prior to class time so that I could drive the 4 miles downtown and park 1 mile away from the gym (for free parking) then trek ELEVEN FLIGHTS of outdoor stairs to get there, but I couldn’t get the certifications in a timely manner due to THEIR scheduling, and I have to have a babysitter? AND not get paid? No. Not good.

So, unfortunately, I had to go to the director yesterday and tell her that I could no longer teach classes.

Do you have any idea how hard that is? It was my 2 hours a week of being able to be around other people and teach them what I love. And get in a great workout.

But I don’t want to be on thin ice with liability issues until they can offer me the proper certifications. Then, as soon as I get my PR card, I am going to a private gym for a full-time PAID position.

It didn’t help that I was having approx. ONE PERSON attend my Wednesday classes each week,

On a happier note, this was my little monster when I got home last night:

I may or may not be back later to share a couple recipes, potential purchases at the mall, and the workout from last night’s class! 🙂

Let’s get to it.

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Happy Monday, folks. Let’s get to it.

1. I won 2 tickets to the Kensington Wine Market Wine Fest on Friday! I was so excited because I really never win anything- and this I could share with Tyler!. Unfortunately, he got my cold, so at the time he couldn’t really taste much. We still had fun though!

There were 80 wines to try, and they were separated by country. Only one bottle of each wine was opened, so we were encouraged to ‘move on’ to another sample to allow for others to get a try. They had some food catered- finger foods as well as meat and cheese platters (I got hooked on the smoked bison).

And Crave cupcakes!

The event ran from 7-9pm. At 8pm, they brought out the cupcakes and dessert wines. If I could have just drank port all night, I would have been fine with that.

I got a good laugh because everyone arrived very timid and quiet, and by the first 15 minutes, we were all buzzed and chatting. Tyler and I made nice with the Spain and US tables. MMmmmmMMM (I have the pamphlet they gave us which listed all the wines, but I have yet to take a picture to share with you. I would do it now, but I am typing this in bed and I’m too comfy to move. Maybe another time.)

So fun!

2. Saturday, we ran tons of errands. But who cares about those. When we got home a bunch of hours later, we carved our pumpkins!

Tyler’s came out better than mine. Whatever. I scraped the insides out of both of those suckers, so I’m the real hero.

His:

Mine:

And I roasted the seeds! I had no idea how friggin easy that was. AND TASTY.

4. Our post pumpkin treats were….beer. We indulged in some seasonal brews from one of my faves, Big Rock Brewery. We loved all three!

Autumn Wheat: Spiced Ale. Light in taste. Great with din din.

Loved the Espresso Stout! Only 4.2% alcohol content. It tasted like cold coffee with a hint of beer. There was absolutely no aftertaste. We both thought this would be nasty, but it was an awesome surprise. I could have drank about 6 more of them.

But I moved on..

Winter Spice Ale was 6.0% alcohol content, so I thought it would be massively strong, but it was still quite pleasant. Seriously, there is not a single beer from Big Rock that I don’t like. Good job, guys.

5. Oh, and I actually got dressed on Saturday. Like, makeup and everything. That never happens. Even Tyler gave me a double look because of it.

Not TOO shabby.

6. Yesterday I finished up my two midterms. Not fun, but after about 5 hours of work, I submitted both and the weight was immediately lifted. Now, only 5 weeks to go and I’ll have my Masters!

7. Layla is a lazy bum.

8. Workouts. Love em. Let’s talk about em.

Friday

Best Body Bootcamp workout C (It was a mostly-arms circuit)
20 minutes of kickboxing

Saturday

Sunday

The 100 workout

Oh wait, you don’t know what that is? Probably because I made it up. I was too busy making pumpkin pancakes, watching football, doing schoolwork, and finishing my book to get to the gym for any cardio yesterday (wasn’t up for cardio anyways), so I do a bunch of strength stuff in my jammies at home.

100 pushups
100 Gliding side lunges
100 stability ball situps
100 lateral raises
100 wall squats
100 leg lifts

Today will be an INTENSE cardio session followed by Workout A from BBB.

8. I bought toilet paper this weekend. I know, I know, it’s a big deal. I used to buy it at Target (in bulk), and it’s cheap. But grocery stores are significantly more expensive. I chose the cheapest one, which oddly enough was 3-ply. The verdict? 3-ply is no better than 2-ply, so don’t waste your pennies. #justsaying.

9. Started this book last night:

(Source)

10. Got the new Pink CD. Played it on Friday night after we got home from the Wine Fest, and of course I had a dance party (with myself. Tyler doesn’t dance, and Layla usually just stands in front of me and stares)

This one is my fave: (you probably won’t see the link if you’re viewing this through Google Reader)