Friday's

Friday's are my day off which in Catherine lingo means jam as many errands and appointments into one day as humanly possible. 

This Friday was no exception. 

4:30am wake up to consume 2 toasted bagels before my 16 mile run

5:30am meet Bailey and her aunt Lynn for said 16 mile run (barf) thank god for Bailey and Lynn because I would've backed out or slacked if I would've been alone. It was 80 degrees at 6am with 90 percent humidity. I was dying....but I made it. 

9:30am home to tub, drink chocolate milk and binge watch Chasing Life. If you haven't started it yet get on it.

11:30 out to lunch with Mom and Annie and the Smilin' Moode in Hudson. This place is killer and I have no shame in telling you I had an actual buffalo chicken sandwich and I splurged big time on the Cajun Tator tots and 2 pieces of chocolate from Knokes. Needless to say the run was worth it...kind of.

12-3 running college errands 

Packing sucks end of story. 

4:00 get my butt to Barre Yoga. Thought I was going to die after running and eating a very unhealthy lunch

6:00 dinner 

8:00 meet friends for a night out! 

My college life motto! 

I can honestly say I haven't had that much fun all summer. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. We've definitely had our ups and downs but my life wouldn't be complete without these girls. 

I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye in 14 days :( 

Much love, 

C

Getting the Kids involved

This summer I have been working really hard to get the kids to become more conscious of what they eat and where It comes from. 

Last week they both took a cooking class about healthy eating and learned from a Minnesota Author, Lisa Wagner, how to chop, mix, and grate their way to good food. They had an absolute ball and wanted to go everyday. 

Isaac has been super excited to make this veggie pasta salad, so today we did! 

I prepped the vinaigrette first and let it hang out for a while when we chopped veggies. 

We used everything we had at the house:  cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, mini peppers, radishes, and zucchini. 

~I cannot get Isaac to eat anything green or crunchy on a normal day, but today he's already eaten two bowls with nothing picked out. It really goes to show you that if they're involved in the process they are much more willing to eat it. 

He was in charge of washing, peeling, and chopping the carrots! 

We not only got to hang out and try a new recipe I got to teach him the valuable lesson "great cooks make a mess"! 

Happy cooking! 

C 

1st half of summer

Today I ran my first half race of the summer.  It was a great race.  We had the perfect weather, cloudy and overcast! I PR'd and cut 5 minutes from my time at this race last year. 

I know I can do much better next time since I felt like I had a lot of energy even after crossing the finish line, but this race was much more a test of pace than overall speed.  I ran all but a half a mile of this race which is a major accomplishment for me. 

During training last year as soon as my mind told me I couldn't I was done and I walked.  This year I want to be able to run the entire 26.2 and I really think that is attainable after my performance today.

I also got to meet Megan of http://meganmichellejourney.blogspot.com/ for the first time in real life today.  She is a good friend of Bailey's, but we have connected through our blogs and instagrams since we share some similar weight loss struggles, but are both on the journey to overall health.  Megan recently became an Avocare distributor, so if you need product be sure to go her way! 

It was so great to have a running buddy for the first few miles of the race.  We stayed at about a 10:20 mile for the first 4, then we separated, but let me tell you having someone to run with makes running a million times more enjoyable. 

Thanks MEGAN! Can't wait to connect again soon :) 

Great job to everyone who competed today! 

XOXO, 

C

I'm a marathoner, so why don't I feel like a runner?

I came across this article I'm a marathoner, so why don't I feel like a runner on Facebook this morning and I can totally relate.  

When I tell people I ran a marathon and am training for number 2, they automatically give me the once over. 

No, I don't look twiggy and I never will. 

I usually hate the first two miles of any run.  Period. 

I can't explain what a runners high feels like, but I love having them. 

I will get up in the wee hours of the morning to run and watch the sunrise....it's the best form of therapy. 

I chafe like it is going out of style and my feet are always covered (COMPLETELY) in blisters no matter the shoes, socks, or weather. 

But no, I do not consider myself a "real" runner.  I thought I would feel different, that something would change when I finished the full, but it didn't.  

Running didn't get easier or more fun.  Honestly, I think that training for this marathon alone is 100 times harder than training last year. 

I could tell you all of the cons of running, but if you're a real runner your still going to do it no matter what. 

Now get out there and run, 

C

Healthy Banana Muffins

The air conditioning was out. It was 94 degrees outside. And I decide to make some muffins. #genius 

As the hours passed today I watched th bananas on the counter turn brown so I turned to my best friend Google and found myself a new recipe. 

The kids loved them. I had to limit them to eating 1 1/2 otherwise I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be any left... 

You should definitely give them a try! 

Xoxo, 

C

Guest Post from MNLakeMama

Guest post by mnlakemama

My husband and I have been in an eating and exercise funk lately. You’d think running after a two year old would keep us in shape, but luckily for us he goes to bed by 7:30 each night which gives us plenty of time to eat junk food and drink a few glasses bottle of wine. Plus since he’s asleep we are “stuck” at home. Well I decided that it was time to nip our health in the bud and I knew that Catherine was the perfect person to help us out. She has been an inspiration with her dedication to eating healthy and working out over the past few years and since she is on her way to getting her teaching degree I thought she would jump at the opportunity to combine her two passions of health and education and help us out. Boy was I right!

Catherine put together weekly meal and exercise plans for John and I and even tailored them to foods she knew we like and eat as well as workouts we can do around the house and/or with LJ in tow.

Week #1 like most new plans got off to a rough start. The timing wasn’t the best since I left for a work trip on Monday, got back on Wednesday, had a girls’ night on Thursday, a going away party for a friend on Friday, and then a family get together on Saturday. During that week I did get up early on Tuesday morning and got a 5K in with some colleagues, but other than that the plan was out the window and I felt like a complete failure.

Week #2 rolled in and I was ready! We didn’t have plans on Sunday so I was able to meal plan and prep for the week. We also got in our first workout together once LJ went to bed. It was so nice because we just switch on a movie and John started on the elliptical while I did the weights portion of the workout and then we switched, showered, and finished the movie in bed before starting our week. Monday through Thursday I was on my own for workouts because John hurt his foot, but I pushed through and got them done with a little text message encouragement and sharing of “swelfies” with Catherine J The diet this week also went well, though I did “cheat” a few times. Today for instance, I had my salad for lunch, forgot to have my morning snack because I was too busy at work, but treated myself to a small blizzard with my friend for an afternoon snack.

Meal prep – 4 delicious salads with mixed greens, corn, pinto beans, grilled chicken, and feta. I added avocado, olive oil, and crazy salt in the morning before I brought them in to work.

Sunday couples workout

Swelfie inspiration

This weekend is starting out early because we have a Friday-Sunday camping trip with college friends. LJ and I will be getting up early to go for our 30 minute walk in the morning and then I’m going to use as much self-control as I can to not snack and drink too much this weekend. Plus, to make sure I can be on track for next week I have already planned out our meals and I have my order ready to place on CobornsDelivers.com so the groceries will be waiting on our front step when we get home on Sunday. Wish me luck this weekend!!

Jesse

Life update

As usual the summer is flying by.  I am by no means ready to go back to school.  

This summer has been such an experience in growth and change that I think it may be difficult for me to go back to the "normal" routine of school and work come fall. 

Over the weekend I taught this little gem some swimming skills.  She absolutely loves the water, but isn't so sure about this whole swimming thing...

I also went to the Reba McEntire concert at one of the local casino's. My favorite type of concert is one in a small venue where you can really appreciate the artist and their talent.  Let me tell you that this was one of those shows.  She is stunning and has such an amazing voice.  And who wouldn't want to look like her in their 60's? 

Here's my absolute favorite song of her's.  Such a classic!

The classic Mother/Daughter Selfie

I am so glad that I got to have a girls night with Mom and Annie.  It was much needed. 

In other news John and Jesse have been doing great this week with their eating and exercising!  I love seeing their "swelfies" as Jesse calls them and all of these fun Instagram posts.

Tomorrow we'll have a guest author so be sure to stop by and check it out :) 

XOXO,

C