Blogging Is Hard

I mulled over the idea of being a healthy living blogger for a couple of months before actually pulling the trigger. I had my free WordPress blog and I even made the url with my name in it because I had no idea what to even call my blog. In fact it didn’t really have a name for the first few months. In the beginning I didn’t blog regularly, but I read every blog I stumbled upon…fitness blogs, foodie blogs, healthy living blogs, even plain old personal blogs. I learned so much just from reading these blogs. I figured out what I liked and what I didn’t like. I was inspired, and I decided how I wanted to blog. I made a commitment to blog regularly and to aim for once day. Forcing myself to blog at least once a day has also made me stick to my healthy lifestyle. If I am blogging everyday about my workouts, cooking, baking, and eating then I sure as heck better be keeping it healthy! Blogging often helped me find my blogging voice. It’s surprising, I’m much less snarky via blogging. Ha! However, sometimes it is hard to blog every single day. Some days I feel like I have nothing to say, or I feel like I don’t want to share. That’s when blogging can be hard.

Yesterday I took another big step in blogging. I purchased my own domain. Yipee! I feel so cool now. Big steps are stressful. Who knew how difficult it would be to move my blog to a new domain? It took me HOURS and multiple chats with IT folks and computer savvy friends (thanks friends). Even tonight once I thought I had it figured out, I had more stressful problems. I think I need to unwind with a little sugar. Hey, some people unwind with wine. I unwind with butter, sugar, and a little chocolate. To each their own.

Abby had a whoopie pie, I had a spooky cupcake, and I also bought a treat for my breakfast tomorrow! 🙂

 

Update: Dreamhost is still giving me problems. I have a feeling I’ll be able to resolve it in the morning. Oy vey!

Website Moving!

Head on over to http://healthydairyland.com

Developing a Carb Addiction

I can’t get enough of the muffins I made. The fresh cranberries make such a difference in terms of flavor and texture.

I also tried the vanilla cinnamon tea from Trader Joe’s this morning (yay for holiday teas)!

And another muffin for my mid-morning snack

There are some foods that are better as leftovers. The mac and cheese I made last night is one of those dishes. I like the texture so much more when it’s reheated. There’s something about reheated pasta bakes…

And you better believe I also had a few handfuls of pb pretzel nuggets and some spoonfuls of cherry chocolate chip

I was very prepared today. I also packed a lunch to eat on my way to T9 tonight (turkey and cheese on wheat, granola bar, and apple), and I even packed my gym bag. While there is no guarantee that after a 12 hour work day I will want to go to the gym, there is a better chance I will go if I have a bag packed in my car.

Work was painfully slow tonight. However, there was a sweet surprise when I showed up. Hilldale Mall just got a Gigi’s Cupcakes, and they brought us some treats. They are a chain bakery, but I had a couple bites of a chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes. It was pretty good. Sweets two days in a row! I’m so spoiled!

These cupcakes are a whole lot of frosting.

Like I’ve said in the past, good intentions count for something. After work I was tired, cold, and a little hungry. So those good intentions turned into this

Flannel pjs, flannel sheets, and my cozy down comforter

I’m curling up with my blankets and a cup of candy cane green tea (I can’t get enough of it). Not going to lie, I’m also going to eat another muffin. I said that I can’t get enough!

A Muffin Almost Flop

I decided to do a little recipe experimentation. And an experiment it was! I don’t know that I have ever put something in the oven assuming it was going to be a total flop until this recipe. In fact until I tasted these I assumed they were going to be awful. The batter was very stiff, hard to mix, etc. However, appearances aside, these muffins are great! The recipe makes about 18 muffins. Also, I used one cup of Chobani meaning one 8 oz measuring cup and not meaning one cup that you would buy as a single serving. It’s not ideal to have to use a partial cup of yogurt, but it makes a good snack while the muffins are baking!

Whole Wheat Cranberry Walnut Muffins:

• 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C sugar
• 4 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1/4 C milk
• 3 T canola oil
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 C 0% Vanilla Chobani (that is 8 oz of yogurt, not one 6 oz. serving cup)
• 1 C fresh cranberries
• 1/3 C chopped walnuts
• 1 T whole wheat flour (keep separate from other flour)
• the zest from one medium orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and spices. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg, milk, Chobani, oil, and vanilla. In a third bowl, stir together the berries, flour, and walnuts. This cranberry and nut mixture can be mixed into the egg and yogurt mixture. Stir in the orange zest. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Spoon into a lined muffin pan and bake for 10-12 minutes.

I don’t think I have ever been so skeptical that my baking would turn out as I was when I put these in the oven!

The orange zest really shines through, and fresh Wisconsin cranberries are always delicious. Definitely expect a round two of this recipe. I don’t know if my kitchen skills were off or if it just needs a little tweaking for the batter to not be quite so dense. In the end, the muffins weren’t a total flop, maybe just an almost flop.

Yoga and Dessert. Is this heaven?

Tonight I changed things up a bit and went to evening yoga instead of my usual 6am power flow class. I really love power flow at 6am so it took a special reason to get me to change….CUPCAKES! 🙂 My favorite Madison bake shop, Bloom Bake Shop, was doing a fall tasting at the end of the class. Abby and I can’t get enough of Bloom…their whoopie pies, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, everything! What I love especially about Bloom is their commitment to sustainability. They are a small batch bakery meaning very little is getting thrown out and wasted, and they also use locally grown ingredients. I always love to support a local business, but when this local business supports other local businesses and is also environmentally friendly, well I just feel all warm and fuzzy! Oh and did I mention they have gluten-free and vegan options? Oh and they taste good.

I was laying savasana tonight and I heard people walking around, heard something being set next to my mat, and then I smelled the goodness that is baked goods from Bloom. I was very tempted to start eating them, but let’s be honest I knew I had to wait. I didn’t have my camera with me! I’m a food blogger dork. For the tasting they brought pumpkin whoopies, a ginger carrot cookie, a brownie, and a delicious cupcake (I’ve already forgotten what flavor). So good! I called Abs after class and told her we needed to get full size pumpkin whoopies this week. Abby loves whoopie pies so much she’ll probably have them instead of wedding cake.

Mmmm cream cheese.

Now I’m hungry again! I’m thinking it won’t take too much to convince Abby to go get whoopie pies and maybe some brownies this week. 🙂

Grandmother's Mac and Cheese

Today kept feeling like Wednesday. I hate when that happens because when you realize it’s only Tuesday, it feels a little sad.

I went to Trader Joe’s today to pick up more peanut butter pretzel nuggets. Those are my crack. I would eat the whole bag in one sitting if you let me!

Turkey and muenster on wheat for lunch

Some new goodies: wintery teas, butternut squash ravioli, and mahi mahi burgers

Cinnamon brooms are back!!!!!!!! Now my apartment smells like fall and I love it!

For dinner tonight I made my grandmother’s macaroni and cheese. It’s my favorite mac and cheese recipe, and it is very simple to make. I’ve made the recipe a bit healthier using whole wheat pasta, skim milk, and reduced fat cheese.

• 1 box whole wheat pasta
• 1 can tomato soup
• Skim milk
• 2 C reduced fat cheddar cheese
• 1 egg

Boil the pasta until al dente. In a saucepan mix together the tomato soup, one can of milk (use the tomato soup can as a measuring cup), and the cheese. When the pasta is cooked, pour it into your casserole dish and mix in the egg. When the cheese sauce is melted and combined, pour over the pasta. Stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

After dinner, I headed to Bliss Flow Yoga for some inspired flow. It was a great class because it was both relaxing and a workout! After class, my favorite bakery came to do a tasting of their fall inspired treats! Yoga and cupcakes. Amazing.

I was still feeling like I needed a little cardio so I headed to the gym for a quick 30 minutes on the elliptical. Now I’m all curled up with some tea. It feels like it really is fall, and I don’t mind one bit.

Grandmother’s Mac and Cheese

Today kept feeling like Wednesday. I hate when that happens because when you realize it’s only Tuesday, it feels a little sad.

I went to Trader Joe’s today to pick up more peanut butter pretzel nuggets. Those are my crack. I would eat the whole bag in one sitting if you let me!

Turkey and muenster on wheat for lunch

Some new goodies: wintery teas, butternut squash ravioli, and mahi mahi burgers

Cinnamon brooms are back!!!!!!!! Now my apartment smells like fall and I love it!

For dinner tonight I made my grandmother’s macaroni and cheese. It’s my favorite mac and cheese recipe, and it is very simple to make. I’ve made the recipe a bit healthier using whole wheat pasta, skim milk, and reduced fat cheese.

• 1 box whole wheat pasta
• 1 can tomato soup
• Skim milk
• 2 C reduced fat cheddar cheese
• 1 egg

Boil the pasta until al dente. In a saucepan mix together the tomato soup, one can of milk (use the tomato soup can as a measuring cup), and the cheese. When the pasta is cooked, pour it into your casserole dish and mix in the egg. When the cheese sauce is melted and combined, pour over the pasta. Stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

After dinner, I headed to Bliss Flow Yoga for some inspired flow. It was a great class because it was both relaxing and a workout! After class, my favorite bakery came to do a tasting of their fall inspired treats! Yoga and cupcakes. Amazing.

I was still feeling like I needed a little cardio so I headed to the gym for a quick 30 minutes on the elliptical. Now I’m all curled up with some tea. It feels like it really is fall, and I don’t mind one bit.

Whole Foods Makes Me Happy

This was my mid-morning snack. Don’t let the picture fool you. I did not put that chocolate peanut butter on the banana. I ate it separately. Straight out of the package. Like a child.

Dear Justin, you make delicious peanut butter.

At lunch I took Abby to Whole Foods because she was in need of some salad bar action. While she was creating a monster of a salad (it was almost two pounds!), I stumbled upon this surprise

GT’s is back!!!!!

Chobani on sale 5 for $5

Two pounds of salad goodness

I was very jealous of Abby’s lunch since I was eating leftovers from my birthday dinner last week. Howevs, the leftover lasagna heated up well. I think it might have been even better the second time around.

But don’t worry. I had some Whole Foods goodness for dinner on my way to T9.

Smoked mozzarella, tomato, pesto, and lettuce on whole wheat. This might replace my usually turkey sandwich from WF. Even though they take all my money, Whole Foods makes me happy. 🙂

 

Fun Running Found Again

A Sunday blog post on a Monday morning. Why? Because yesterday was a “I’m relaxing and not even logging into WordPress or Google Reader kind of day.” It was glorious. After the amazing Badger game on Saturday night, I finished my wine and passed out fell asleep. When my alarm went off (who sets an alarm on the weekends?), my body just wanted to go for a run. I obliged. However, I didn’t bring a watch and I didn’t glance at the clock when I left. I didn’t even have a route in mind. I just ran, and when I started to feel a little hungry I turned around and headed home. It was very no pressure, and I loved it. I had been concentrating so much on how fast I was running, what my pace was, and constantly trying for negative splits. It had taken the fun out of running. Sunday morning, I found fun running again. Thank goodness.

When I came home, I made smoothies for Mags and myself, and lounged around until yoga.

My nails match the new yoga tank Maggie bought me for my birthday!

Here’s a suggestion – don’t go running and to a vinyasa flow yoga class all before noon. My feet cramped up and my legs were like jelly. It was still a great class though, and we did some much needed core work. However, I will never ever go for a run before yoga.

All this working out created quite an appetite. This required a Whole Foods salad bar visit.

I also picked up this new tea drink, Sokenbicha. It’s ok, and it was on sale. I don’t know if it will replace my kombucha habit, but I will probably buy it again.

The rest of the day was spent at my parents, laying on the couch watching football and baseball. The life! Oh and this might have happened too…

Did you all have a relaxing weekend? Happy Monday!

Mmm Sangria

If there are two things I’m crushing on right now, they are Badger football and sangria. Maybe ice cream too. I always love ice cream though so that might not count. Mags came into town for my birthday, and after a delicious dinner at PF Changs we came back to my apartment made sangria, ate many desserts, and are currently watching the Badger game. Side note – Badgers, please don’t eff this up. You can’t be up 21-0 and then lose. I don’t have the emotional stamina for that. Update: YAY! Badgers!!! Kicked Ohio State’s butt! What’s a Buckeye anyways?

Now here is the easiest Sangria ever (okay maybe not the easiest ever because you could buy pre-made in a bottle):

• 2 bottles of Shiraz or Merlot
• 1 bottle of blood orange soda
• Large glass

There is something so classy about Two Buck Chuck

Not as good as Termini’s or Corropolese’s, but good enough.

 

GO BADGERS!! ESPN just said Madison is the best college town! 🙂