Oy vey, but my blog stats really stink! I am enjoying summer a little too much, if that’s possible. I have so much to write about too.
One of these days I’ll get caught up.
For now, let’s begin with a brief post about some fun I’ve been having.
First of all, my brain is working again. That’s probably because I’m actually sleeping more than eight hours each night. My alarm clock is feeling neglected.
I’ve maintained my workout routine, albeit I’m not exercising at the butt crack of dawn. I am completely in love with Beachbody. For someone who was a skeptic for a couple of years and actually avoided conversations about it, I am hooked. The structure has been good for me because I am a person who craves organization. As a teacher, I’m burned out on keeping others organized, so the workout schedules that come with the programs remove the planning and thinking. All I have to do is show up in front of my TV with a good attitude.
Something fun I’m doing right now is working out, virtually, with my friend, Rebecca. She’s a way better blogger than I am…blogs real regularly and everything. I really need to follow her example.
She and I decided to do Hammer and Chisel together. I was ahead of her by a couple of days because she changed her rest day, but then I got behind her a few days when I went out of town for almost a week. We post near-daily pictures on Instagram and even have a clever hashtag #chiseledknitters (because we are aiming to get chiseled, and we are both knitters). Go ahead and marvel at our smartness.
We’ve decided to do a second round of Hammer and Chisel when we finish this one and then move into a new program together. Today, I started Week 7. There are eight weeks total. I love, love, love this program because I’m lifting weights again. The payoff has been amazing!!!
I bought a heart rate monitor to go with my Garmin Vivoactive fitness watch. The strap goes around my chest and helps me monitor the number of calories I’m burning during non-running exercises (something I couldn’t do before).
Ignore the yard in the next collage. That’s a story for another day.
Another fun thing I got to do was eat lunch with my sweet friend, Jane.
I met her six years ago when I started teaching. We were first-year teachers together at a small private school. I’ve talked about her before. She’s my friend and mama-figure all in one. Our lunches stretch for hours…usually into dinner time…because we always have a lot to catch up on. She retired at the end of the school year and moved to another part of the state for the summer. I already miss her terribly. Despite the age difference (only a year or two), we have so many things in common.
Of course, summer just wouldn’t be summer without cooking. Now that I have time to look at recipes and grocery shop, I’m having fun trying new things.
Rooster’s girl’s father gave me three cookbooks. This one has quickly become my favorite…
I’ve only had one recipe not turn out that great (taste-wise, it wasn’t my preference…not that it was bad or anything). The recipes are extremely easy to make and only require a short list of ingredients.
This afternoon, I made the Creamy Mushroom Tomato Soup. Oh my goodness…it was so easy! It’s got a fresh flavor (I roasted the tomatoes myself), and each serving doesn’t have a lot of calories.
I’ve also been prowling for dessert recipes. The Mr. likes having something sweet to munch on. I hope he likes this Cracker Candy I quickly whipped up today after watching a video that’s been making the rounds on Facebook.
It is seriously the easiest recipe ever! You wind up freezing it and then breaking it into pieces. The center has something akin to caramel (it’s melted butter and brown sugar). I veganized the recipe, of course. I envision breaking up candy canes and sprinkling them over the top during the holidays. Yum!
On Sunday, I made this No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Pie, from Detoxinista. Surprisingly, it’s not overly sweet, but it is addictive once you have a slice…or two…or three.
So, that’s just a small glimpse into what I’ve been up to. It certainly isn’t everything, but maybe, if I feel up to it, I’ll post more sooner rather than later.
I do want to share about the big trip to Texas that I made three weeks ago. That will actually have to be a series of posts because the awesomeness of it is just too much for one reading.
Filed under: fitness, Teaching, Vegan | Tagged: baking, Beachbody, chiseledknitters, Detoxinista, Hammer and Chisel, summer, teaching, vegan | 1 Comment »
AuburnChick's Adventures 