Recipes, Purchases, and a Workout

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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

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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! 🙂

 

Donate NOW!

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Hey. So it’s practically the holiday season. And what do a lot of people do during the holiday season? They give. So here’s an idea…give me some long sleeve shirts or sweaters.

Ok that sounded rude. Let me rephrase.

DONATE your new or gently used ‘warm clothes’ to me. You know, the girl who moved from California 10 years ago and still hasn’t grasped the concept of winter? The girl who moved to CANADA and forgot practically all the warm clothes she did own in the States. The girl who is shivering 24/7.

The girl who is currently walking about a mile to the gym with 3 pairs of lulu pants, 2 pairs of wool socks, a long sleeve T, New Balance windbreaker, North Face Fleece, Kenneth Cole Parka, NE Patriots head warmer, Red Sox baseball hat, and two pairs of Target gloves. (aka: ALL the warm clothes I own)

And it’s only October.

Hook a sista up.

October Foodie Pen Pal Reveal Day!

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Merry Christmas, y’all (gotta keep it interesting, you know, separate myself from all the other bloggers telling you it’s Halloween or some silly thing like that).

Welp, not only is it “Christmas” but it’s also FOODIE PEN PAL REVEAL DAY! (cue squeals of excitement)

The Lean Green Bean

Here’s the 4-1-1 in case you want to sign up yourself:

-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

– Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

 CLICK HERE to sign up!!!

***If you’re in the UK, please contact Carol Anne from This Is Rock Salt at rocksalt@thisisrocksalt.com to get involved!

This month, I was paired up with Nicole who sent me an awesome box.

It seriously is like Christmas when I get packages in the mail, and I was super excited, per usche (usual) for this one.

A cool Halloween card!

Halloween Candy

Some seriously awesome DavidsTea

And OMYGOSH some homemade fruit leather!!! (apple and apple-pear). She even included the recipe in her card. Not gonna lie, I ate ALL OF IT within 48 hours, and I actually just bought a bunch of apples yesterday to make a batch tonight! Can’t wait (I hope it turns out half as good as the stuff Nicole sent!!) A HUGE thanks to Nicole for her thoughtfulness in my fpp box this month.

OH.

AND.

I sent a a package to Ashlee this month, and she wanted to write a little blurb about her goodies, so read on…

Hey all! I’m Ashlee and I’m from Ontario!
 
It’s my third time participating in The Lean Green Bean’s Foodie Penpal exchange and this month I was lucky enough to receive my box from Jen. I started following Jen’s blog the minute we became friends on Twitter and let me just say…her personality shines through her posts. Because of that, I was especially excited this time around to see my box full of surprises!

As soon as I started unpacking my goodies, I realized I had tried none of what Jen sent me – BONUS. It’s awesome to get things you like, but it’s even awesomer to get things you’ve never tried. The maple crunch – gone. The almond spice bar – gone. I tried the marshmellows in hot chocolate…bad decision…so I ate the rest solo. I’m still working on (hoarding) the gummies…sorry roomies. They’re a nice treat after a long day at the office. The only thing I shared was the tea. It was an exceptionally rainy/chilly weekend, so my mom, stepdad, and I curled up on the couch and drank it all. Yum!Thanks so much, Jen, for all of the wonderful goodies! Cheers to another successful month!

*******
Anyone have any good food finds lately? 

NOT a healthy grocery list

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Hi, Internets. Happy Tuesday.

This is NOT a healthy grocery list.

 

But it’s not for like…me. (ok, it is.) I just put together something yummy, but I can’t share it yet because I haven’t tried it yet. But, you can tell it’s gotta be good based on the list.

Last night, I got through the strength portion of Workout A from Best Body Bootcamp at home. I did some homework (also at home, hence the name), then scooted over to the Y for the cardio interval portion of my workout.

Sidenote: I got my midterm grades…..an A and a B+ (not proud of the B+, but it is what it is)!

 

This is the least flattering picture ever. I need to get my roots done STAT. And get rid of my sideburns. And stop doing that tween face.

OMG I HAVE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING. I was going through my phone looking for this workout picture for the post, and I had taken a bunch throughout my workout, including some at the gym, and in the one in the locker room mirror, I snapped the naked tushie of an older lady! Totally didn’t even see her when I took the pic. I immediately deleted because I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.

Hi. Target is coming to Canada. That is the ONE credit card that I owned in the states, and pretty soon I can start using it again.

 

I was entirely too giddy when I saw this at the mall yesterday. My giddiness turned into shopping rage, and I bought a butt-ton of candles, some jewelry, and some long sleeve sweaters and tops. And…kombucha.

 

God, I love that stuff.

And Essie nail polish. I never splurged on this brand before because it’s pretty expensive, but after my first experience with it yesterday, I am a total convert. Go out and buy it. Now.

 

HEY YOU. Yes, you. Get on Facebook and ‘Like’ my page. Right now. Please? I’m borderline begging you.

Remember last week when I told you that I went to the bottle return and got $23?! Well, I forgot about one significantly large box of bottles that were in the backseat instead of the trunk. And so, all week I have been driving around Calgary with a LARGE box of empty tequila bottles (yes, they are ALL tequila bottles). I should probably take them out of my car. Again, I’m guessing that’s illegal.

For your entertainment, this post tells you how to scare yourself thin this Halloween. I am so doing EVERY SINGLE thing on that list tomorrow.

Since I’m bored, and still have pretty much no friends in Calgary, and I want to get a lot of people to comment to keep me from eternal boredom, do me another favor and answer the following in the comments:

  1. Are you dressing up for Halloween at work?
  2. Watching scary movies?
  3. What’s your favorite halloween treat?