Monthly Archives: June 2011
Wind Blown
It seems like we have great intentions of riding our bikes, but something always comes up. We can’t make excuses anymore now that the sun keeps shinin’ well past 9.
We headed out right after dinner last night so we could get a good ride in.
It was our longest ride yet. We rode for about 2 and a half hours, totaling 15 miles.
We finally made our way down to the lake.
Yay!!!
It was so windy…..sooo wiiinnnndyyyy!!!
Which only made our ride, like, a million times harder. No exaggeration there! Literally A MILLION TIMES HARDER!! 
But we kept on cruising, all along the lake. Past the wicked amount of geese poop, yuck! I totally wanted to take a pic, but lucky for you, the camera was safely tucked away in my bag.
We got home and felt awesome, albeit tired. I chowed down on a greek yogurt before heading to bed.
When I work up, that awesome feeling from last night was nowhere to be found. So I just kept sleeping, hoping that it would find me again.
No such luck. So, I just got up and started my day.
I made myself another safe smoothie, strawberry and blueberries.
For lunch I had another one of my Morningstar vegan burgers, but this time I ate it like a burger, imagine that.
So, I’ve decided that getting up earlier just has to be a part of my routine, in order for me to get things done in the morning. Perhaps, I’ll have more blog posts now
What time do you get up in the morning?
Trying Something New
I think I’m officially taking a break from smoothies.
I roasted my beet last night, in hopes of making the Red Velvet Cake smoothie. I wrapped the beet in foil, and put it in a 375* oven for 1 hour.
I unwrapped, peeled and chopped the beet so it would be ready to use this morning.
Into the blender it went, with a vanilla chobani, cocoa powder, and honey.
It smelled good, and the taste was alright too, but the texture…its all about the texture. It was almost gritty.
And so again…..
Down the drain it went.
I then proceeded to make myself a “safe smoothie”, strawberry banana with vanilla protein powder.
For Lunch I decded to try something new, and slightly out of my comfort zone. Adam and I had purchased a box of Morningstar Vegan Burgers recently. Mostly because we had a coupon, and they were a great price.
I cooked one up last night in a frying pan, so I could have it for lunch.
I popped it into the microwave at work, still skeptical that I’d like it, or that I’d even try it (I’m kind of a baby like that).
WELL…..
It really was, and I can’t wait to see how much better it is on the grill.
I diced it up and added it to the remaining pasta salad I made for dinner last night.
Squeezin’ in a Little Sumthin’
I came home from work and whipped up a pretty quick dinner. I made some whole wheat pasta, while Adam put some hot dogs on the grill. I split the pasta in half so we could each have something different. I made mine like a cold pasta salad. I added some spinach, chopped cucumbers, grape tomatoes, banana rings and a little mozzarella cheese. I topped it off with a little Ken’s Light Northern Italian dressing.
All together, it made a pretty satisfying, summertime dinner.
It was pretty windy when we got home from work, so I decided to pass on the bike ride. Plus my brother and Adam had the itch to do some golfing, so off they went. Which left me alone to do some workouts. I needed squeeze in some type of workout today.
I started with an hour of hula hooping. All the while catching up on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
Then I moved on to my new Jackie Warner DVD.
I decided to do the 40 minute total body workout. The disc splits the workouts into fast paced, targeted routines. Each body group that your working on has 3 workouts that you do for about a minute. Then you do all three for a really fast 2 minutes and your muscles will be burnin’ by the time that zone is over. The upper abs one is surprisingly hard. But in a good way.
Between the 40 minute total body and the 15 minute routines, I think this is going to be a great addition to my routine. Not bad for a $12.99 DVD.
I know I’m kinda veering from P90x, but tomorrow is the Kempo X which is my favorite.
I’ve Lost My Mojo
I just don’t know what it is, this week is just NOT working for me. Maybe it’s because I keep thinking about my Mom, or maybe it’s because it started with a wicked hangover. But either way, I’m out of step.
Today I was supposed to start a new P90X dvd that I haven’t done before. I just couldn’t get into, I think my hatred for Tony Horton is growing stronger by the day. So, I snuggled up on the recliner and watched TV instead. But I’m going on 4 days with no exercise. While it’s nice to have a break, I gotta get moving. If the weather holds out, I think I’ll be looking to go on a bike ride later.
My smoothie making abilities are falling short as well, despite shopping for new ingredients. This morning I tried a pumpkin pie smoothie. I’m not going to tell you what I put in it, because the flavor was great, and I’ll definitely try it again. The problem was the parsnips. I apparently didn’t steam them enough, so there was some major chunkage in my smoothie. And ya know, smoothie=smooth, DUH!
Can someone PLEASE remind me NOT to put parsnips in my smoothies again! It’s just not working out, it’s not ME, it’s YOU!!
After wasting time and ingredients, washing the Chunkie down the drain, I had to resort to a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
I’m feeling like I need some encouraging words this week. I gotta get back into my usual flow.
I’m officially in a FUNK! 
Today is a Blur
I woke up this morning feeling almost as bad as I did when I woke up yesterday. So, I allowed myself to sleep much later than usual, but that meant no time for a workout.
I whipped up a smoothie with frozen bananas and steamed carrots. The key is steaming, so they soften up. I’ve done carrots in my smoothies before, but the texture was always a little off for me.
I failed to take a picture because my mind is elsewhere. Actually, my mind is on my momma. I’ve been thinking about her and how she’s feeling now that she’s home.
Love you Momma
I packed a lunch with whatever we had around (we’re in desperate need of a grocery shopping trip). I made overnight oats , which were actually more like 4 hour oats, but you catch my drift.
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup soy milk
1 heaping tablespoon of my chocolate peanut butter from Wegmans.
I also grabbed a strawberry chobani and a cheese stick.
I was planning on stopping by and checking on Mom during my lunch, but when I called to see how she was doing, she already had quite a few visitors and I didn’t want there to be too many cooks in the kitchen. Adam and I will stop by later this evening.
I also failed to snap a pic of lunch. I spent my morning texting my brother to check on Mom, so my phone battery died and I forgot my camera. This day is like a whirlwind. And I’m starting to feel like a failed blogger.
Today is also the start of week 4 of P90X.
Week 4 is a recovery week, with 2 days of yoga. This does not make me happy. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I find yoga to be too long and too boring. So, I’m planning on doing a few other things in its place, like my new Jackie Warner DVD, Tae Bo or bike riding. I guess I’m just taking this “muscle confusion” thing to the next level.
Reunion Recap and A Secret About Me
The reunion was a blast. We were all a little surprised at how few people actually showed up, but we all managed to have a good time.
I also want to send a shout out to a few of my classmates that are readers of my blog. What’s up Renee, Alison, Amber and anyone else who I might be forgetting. Thanks for reading!!
I probably should had a bigger dinner and loaded up on the carbs, cause those vodka and waters hit me hard.
Needless to say, I slept pretty late this morning (more like afternoon).
My tummy wasn’t feeling up for much eating this afternoon, so, I don’t have too much to share.
My mom got released from the hospital today, so Adam and I picked her up and went back to her house. We spent the majority of our day over there, just helping her get comfortable.
At around 5 o’clock, I was finally up for eating. I scoured my mom’s house for something to fill the hole.
I made some raisin toast,
then my hand found its way into the cheddar Chex Mix bag. In fact, it found its way in there a few times.
For dinner, we all ordered subs from Lunetta’s. They make turkey subs with real fresh carved turkey, like Thanksgiving turkey. So, I just had to get it. It’s amazing!
Now I’ll let you in on a little secret about me.
I’m a little bit of a vampire lovah.
Now, now, before you start thinking crazy things about me, let me explain.
I totally got all wrapped up in the Twilight hoopla, it was borderline obsessive. 
But now I’ve graduated to older, darker and more ::ahem:: sexually active vampires.
And I’m talking about True Blood. The fourth season premiers tonight! So excited!!
All Around Special Day
We managed to squeeze in our games of Jarts last night before the rain came. We won 2 out of 3, so I’ll take it.
When the rain came, the gals headed inside while the guys braved it under the umbrella.
For dinner, I had a wrap with some corn, watermelon and a pickle.
I went back for seconds on the corn. It was so sweet!
This morning I made a successful parsnip smoothie. But this time I decided to steam it in the microwave for a few minutes to soften it up. I mixed it with frozen bananas, blueberries and vanilla protein powder.
This one turned out great, and texture was smooth and delicious.
With my smoothie in to-go mode, we headed off to my parents house to get a few things ready for Mom’s arrival home from the hospital.
Then we headed over to the in laws to celebrate a birthday. Today is Adam’s brother, Grant’s Birthday
Happy Birthday Grant!
Grant and Meghan
There was a little bit of time in everyone’s schedules, so we all got together to have lunch.
We had some lasagna and salad.
And of course, some birthday cake.
My in laws are in their new house, and it was fun to all be together, and talk about their upcoming projects.
After lunch Adam and I headed home to have some chill time. We had a few hours to relax at home before we head out for the evening. Tonight Adam and I are going to our 10 Year High School Reunion!!
I can hardly believe 10 years went by so fast! We went to a pretty small school, with only about 86 people in our graduating class. I went to the same school since kindergarten, so I’m excited to see people who I’ve known for basically, my whole life. Adam came to our school his freshmen year.
We’re picking up my friend Sara. She was in my kindergarten class, and we’ve been friends since then.
I’m looking forward to a fun night of catching up, laughing and vodka and waters.
Smoothie WIN
I want to start by saying that lunch was good to me. Not nearly as disastrous as breakfast was.
I had a hard boiled egg sandwich with spinach.
A cheese stick and a pineapple Chobani was also enjoyed. Did I mention that pineapple is my favorite? Cause it’s good.
When I got home from work, Adam was anxious to get his hands on the Ninja and see whats wrong with it.
I put the pitcher from this morning on (I had it in the fridge) and sure e-frickin-nuff, it fired right up.
So I just had a blueberry banana smoothie, and it was delicious.
Adam wanted to make sure that I mentioned how he “fixed” it, but I don’t think it was ever broken. Maybe just tired.
Regardless, THANKS ADAM!
Yay for Adam!!
We’re off to Jarts. No beer for me, I’m the DD tonight, so I can indulge tomorrow.
There’s something pretty exciting happening tomorrow night, something that’s taking me back, all the way to 2001.
Excited to Share!
My friend, Mickey, helped me design a logo for the Bananas and Beer page.
I’ve known Mickey for a long time, and Adam and I actually have a piece of his work in our home.
He’s a talented graphic designer, and I’m thrilled with the finished product.
Check him out.
What do you guys think of the new header?
You’re not going to believe this!!
I managed to squeeze out 2 of the 15 minute workouts from my new Jackie Warner disc last night. Man, that girl can bring it!
This morning I did my Kempo X dvd. I can’t believe I actually finished the first 3 weeks of P90X. Granted, I did make a few modifications (omitting yoga x, and replacing the legs and back disc with Tae Bo, or bike riding). I’m not expecting P90X results, so I’m pretty proud of myself for getting though it. And I can’t wait to see how the whole “muscle confusion” thing really works.
I was super pumped to make a smoothie this morning.
I decided to add a parsnip in with my chocolate protein powder, bananas, cocoa powder and milk. Well, maybe I didn’t let the ninja do it’s thang long enough, because there were some substantial chunks of parsnip, and that’s just nasty. Down the drain it went.
Smoothie FAIL.
On to round two:
I had used the last of my chocolate protein powder, so this one was going to be bananas and blueberries with vanilla protein powder.
Well, the ninja wouldn’t start. Perhaps it was offended by my salty language after tasting the parsnip smoothie. 
I unplugged it, turned it on, and off, and on again. I took the pitcher off, put it on. I opened the lid numerous time. I even stuck my face close to the base and said “HEEELLLOOOOO?”
Nothing.
Smoothie FAIL Part 2.
My last resort breakfast was finishing the rest of my two cereals. Kashi Go Lean and Go Lean Crunch. But you know how gross the bottom of the bag is, the powdery remains of the crunch you once loved. So, to pump it up, I added a few spoonfuls of some granola and half a banana.
You'll do
Let’s hope that lunch is better to me today!
