Catch Up

So much for my posting every day! Boy has time gotten away from me lately!!! We've been so busy. Guess that's what happens to families.

Exercise.....it has been going really well! I'm really enjoying the Big Mo strength training schedule from Corinne. It has been really interesting doing this routine while studying for my personal trainer certificate. Corinne designed an awesome program! I haven't been hitting the treadmill as much as I would like. However, I have been taking hour long walks at lunch....at a pretty good pace (fast enough to get in a few miles).

I picked up a copy of the The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno. I am just starting it so I'm sure I'll have more to post later.

On Sunday I am heading to Southern California for work. Believe it or not it will actually be colder there than in Michigan! I will only be there for a few days but it will be fun! I am staying at the Hyatt which has a pretty amazing gym and also offers a GPS for outdoor walking/running. The Today Show actually featured Hyatt as one of the best hotel gyms and workouts this week.

So that is it for now.....

Let the week begin....

Well, the vacation officially ended this morning with my alarm clock going off. I was off all of last week and enjoyed every morning waking up to the birds, sunshine, my darling son's feet in the middle of my back! But it did feel good to get back into a routine. I love my job so it wasn't a problem to head back to reality.

I mentioned last week that I was going to make a Chicken, Cashew & Vegetable Stir-Fry that was featured in Self Dishes. It was fantastic!!! Here is the recipe:


1 cup quick-cooking brown rice
2 tsp. cornstarch
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. chopped ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tbsp. peanut (or sesame) oil
1 zucchini, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 yellow squash, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup chopped cashews


Cook rice as directed on package (omit added fat). Dissolve cornstarch in broth in a bowl; stir in hoisin and soy sauce; set aside. Toss ginger, garlic and chicken in another bowl. Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat; cook chicken until nearly cooked through, 4 minutes. Add zucchini, squash and pepper, cook; stirring, 2 minutes. Add reserved sauce; cook, stirring until sauce is thick, 2 minutes. Add nuts. Serve over rice.


Serves 4. 463 calories per serving, 12.4 g fat (2.4 g saturated), 3.9 g fiber, 53.3 g carbs, 35.1 g protein.
Note: I did not have hoisin sauce so I added a little more soy sauce and cornstarch. I also substituted ground ginger for chopped ginger.



Well, tonight is arms/chest strength training followed by the 20-minute "Baby's Got Back" buster from Phit-N-Phat's Cardio Directory (which is amazing!). It is almost 8 p.m. so I guess I better get crackin'.

Welcome to the year 2007

Well, I finally took the plunge and purchased a digital camera. I know, I know...where have I been? I've always borrowed my dad's, used the one given to us by my mother-in-law, resorted to "gasp" film. But today I went to the electronics department at the great Meijer store and found a steal on a Kodak EasyShare. It has 5.0 mega pixels, which I am told is great (they could have told me anything). I got the camera for less than $50 bucks on the clearance rack (well, it was behind the counter getting ready to be on the clearance rack, helps to have friends in high places). So I walked out with a camera, great memory card and batteries for under $70.00!!!! And it is so tiny! It will travel easy in my purse and capture all sorts of things. The first place will be the Drake Bell concert tomorrow!!!! What fun!

Let the Learnin' Begin

My ACE Personal Training materials arrived yesterday!!!! I am so excited to get going on this new adventure. I hope to take the test for certification in the fall. I need to get crackin' as I start graduate school in the fall also....need to have one done before I start the other :-)

We spent the 4th of July between the golf course and my dad's. The day ended with fireworks that woke up my dad's rather quiet neighborhood. It seemed like they needed some excitement (we did notice that once we started some of the other neighbors got the guts to let some off too). It was fun. However, I kept thinking my mom should have been there. It has been a little over 6 months since she has been gone....doesn't seem possible. The kids and I took a flag to the cemetery. Zoe said the Pledge of Allegiance and we prayed. It is all so surreal visiting the cemetery. I sure wish I didn't have to do it. Doug stopped on his way up to dad's also. We've had a rough 6 months loosing my mom, aunt and Doug's mom. I think there is a reason....just not sure what it is yet. Anyway, every holiday is like a first for us again....making new traditions and memories. Just what my mom would want.

Yesterday, we ventured to John Ball Park Zoo. The kids had a blast! Of course I forgot my camera and didn't get to capture the excitement on film but it is etched in my memory. Mason is still a little scared of the stingrays and sharks but loved the bears and tigers. They both got their faces painted (which was free and by far the most exciting part of the day).

Tomorrow Zoe and I are going to Muskegon for the Drake Bell concert at the summer celebration. Just a day of girl bonding and loud music! Zoe is soooo excited to see her "dream boat"! We are taking our camera to that!!!!

Because I can easily become a slacker....

I've decided I need to post each day to be accountable to myself as I have started many journals, etc. only to slack off quickly. Today was supposed to be zoo day at our house but it turned into park/laundry day. How often does that happen to you? Our new schedule is the zoo on Friday. The weather looks like it will cooperate and we have nothing to rush home to.

I had hoped my ACE materials would have arrived today but they didn't. I'll look for them on Thursday as tomorrow is the fourth of July so no Fed Ex deliveries! I am so anxious to get started.

Well, off to make cashew chicken. I found this recipe in the summer Self Dishes magazine . I'll post the recipe and my review tomorrow....it sounds wonderful!

First of the month...almost

Well, here it is...my first post on MY blog! I am so guilty of "lurking" on other blogs that I decided it was time to start my own!

Here it is July 2007. How the summer months fly in Michigan while the winter ones drag on and on. So where am I at for the first (or rather second) of July? Well, I have decided to embark on a dream of mine....granted the dream has only been there for a year or so but...I ordered the materials from ACE (American Council on Exercise) to become a personal trainer. Wellness has become such a passion for me and I want to solidify it. Plus..it could lead to other things such as becoming a WellCoach (my BS isn't in the health field so I need to have a certification from ACE or ACSM to pursue this). What will I do with it???? Who knows, but I am determined to find out.

I am off for the week so we are going to have a bon fire tonight. The kids love to hang out in the back yard and burn things. What kid doesn't? Tomorrow we are going to venture to John Ball Park Zoo. What fun for a 3 and 6 year old...plus it is always fun for me to watch them discover and learn new things.

Well, that is it for my first one. Not too painful though not nearly as exciting as the blog's I "lurk" on...we'll see what we can do!