Dare You To...

Just for giggles Friday:  Did you hear about the hipster who burned his tongue on pizza? He ate it before it was cool.
Hey, remember when I accepted your dare to do a post on fiber?  Well, here it is!
I've received questions about fiber, and it's all over the health news nowadays, too. Fiber is in the spotlight!  Sure, you know by now that you're supposed to get enough fiber in your diet, but how much?  what kind? in what foods? why? SO MANY QUESTIONS! 

Read more for the what, why, and how:
What is fiber? 
Fiber, aka "roughage" or "bulk", is a carbohydrate that comes from the part of plant foods that the human body can't fully digest.  Instead of being broken down and absorbed, it goes straight through and out of the body, intact.  There are two different types of fiber: (1) Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel.  This gel then prevents other materials, like fats and sugars, from being absorbed.  As a result, it can lower blood cholesterol and …

I mentioned last week that my Garmin Forerunner finally arrived!  



It arrived just after I showed myself that I can run 3.1 miles continuously, no walking.  Perfect timing, so I can test myself on the road instead of the treadmill.  The only delay?

It came with an overwhelming amount of gadgets!  I unwrapped, sorted, installed, set up... Now, finally, my Garmin ForeRunner is all charged and programmed and ready to go!  To continue working toward my goal of running 5k continuously, I got up early this morning to go for a test run.  Put on the chest-strap (heart-rate monitor), made sure it synched to the watch, and set out.

The sun was just barely rising, and the moon was still out!  And when I say it was cold, I mean it was COLD.  First time this season that I could see my breath while running!  I had my gloves and earwarmers, so it wasn’t so bad.  Here are some tips from Fitsugar for running in cold weather.

The Garmin?  AMAZING.  No need to keep track of my laps up and down the same stre…

One of my most fond childhood memories?  Kraft Mac & Cheese.  This was always a treat on those nights where my father was in charge of supper.  It was not only the food itself, but the experience; my sister and I got to help cook: toss in the butter, pour in the milk, shake and release the packet of cheese powder… you remember the drill.

It’s been a long time since the days of that family-sized blue box, but you can still have your mac & cheese, and your veggies, too!  Some inspiration for this dish came from my friend Rachel over at Little Chef Big Appetite, Rachael Ray, and Angela at Oh She Glows.

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Mmm tempted yet?  Ready to ditch whatever else you had planned for dinner and make this instead?  GREAT!  Let's get started.

ButternutsquashyVeggieMacandCheesy Serves many.
Read more for the recipe --

Remember when I dared myself to run 3 miles continuously?  Or, more specifically, to run 3.1 miles--the equivalent of a 5k--without stopping, no walking breaks?  When I ran my first 5k, I stopped a couple times in the second half to walk briskly for a few seconds before picking up speed again.  Next time I do the run, I'd love to be able to make it to the end without slowing to a walk.

Well, guess what?  I did it.  I accomplished my goal.

Of course, I had to try and fail first, which I did.  I didn't practice the run as often as I'd like, because things like bad weather and other exciting workouts got in the way.  In the week and a half since that original goal-setting post, I ran maybe 3 times outdoors, doing at least 3 miles each time, but slowing to a walk at least twice.  I ran two miles without stopping.  I learned that once I take my first walking interval, I lose my drive. So, time to just suck it up and do this thing.  I know I can. I will. I will do it!

That'…

Ah, Wednesday. This is my favorite workout day of the week, because I get to do not one, but TWO awesome gym classes in a row.  First, in Spinning, I get my heart rate up and my body warm (read: drenched in sweat), and thennn I hop one room over for Pilates, where I challenge my core, practice balance, and stretch my flexibility.  These two make an AMAZING combo.  Ah... so good. I walk away feeling like a new person, every time.

In honor of my great-workout-Wednesday, Today I dare you to try something new: Step into a group exercise class.

A newbie to fitness?  A pro-exerciser but want to spice up your workout routine with something new?  Taking a group exercise class is like having a personal trainer, except it’s slightly less personal (bad), other people are doing the moves all around you (pressure--good!) and it’s included in your gym membership (great!).  I've alluded to my gym class routine before, so now it's your turn to join in the fun.


It can be intimidating walking …

It's Meatless Monday, so whether you're a full-time veg-head like me, opt for meatless Mondays, or even if you haven't hopped on the wagon at all, let's take this opportunity to let vegetables take the spotlight in this classic dish.

Spaghetti and meatballs--a weekly dish in my house growing up, and a staple on any Italian menu.  Can we re-do it?  Make it meat-free?  Decrease the calories?  Fake out any non-believers?

Spaghetti Squash and Veggie Balls
Ingredients: One spaghetti squash + one package meatless veggie balls.
(that was easy)

Let me introduce you to my new friend: Spaghetti Squash.


Sure, he may not look like much on the outside, but weren't you ever taught not to judge a book by its cover??

Read more to see what's inside our big yellow buddy.

Ohmygosh. You must make this. 


Tonight, after a very, VERY filling take-out dinner, we offered the already-baked dessert almost as an afterthought to the groans of "That was delicious," "I'm so full," "such large portions..." etc., etc...

"Would you like some coffee cake for dessert?"
"Oh, I don't know, I'm so full.  Okay, I guess I'll have just a little piece with my tea, please."

... Tiny portions are doled out ...

"This is good... mmm..."
"Another, please."
"Me, too."

As for me? I was practically eating it out of the pan. I've had crumbcake... I grew up with it.  But this is on a whole other level.  Usually with coffee cakes, the crumbs are the best part and the cake itself is just "good."  In this, even though it really did have a favorable crumb-to-cake ratio, the cake part was actually quite tasty, too!  And, unlike store-bought crumb cakes which are usually pre-made and…

This morning, I went on a great run. The weather was PERFECT: started out chilly, but within a half mile, the sun and my heart warmed up my body.  So nice.

I ran a mile and a half .. maybe 3/4 before I had to stop to tighten my laces that were about to come undone.  Ugh. I really didn't want to stop; I want to run 3 miles without breaks, but I saw I had no choice. I knelt down to re-tie quickly and get back up.  Back to the run.  About a quarter mile later, I allowed myself to take a short recovery walk, for somewhere between 30 and 60 seconds.  Would I have done this if I hadn't already broken my running streak?  Probably not.  But knowing that my goal would not be met today gave me a sense of permission to slow down for a moment.  Then I picked up and kept moving, kept running.  When I caught up to my walking-buddy, also doing laps, I slowed to walk with her for another 30- or 60-second break (I swear I have no sense of time when I'm working out).  At last, I picked up a…

This morning started a little slowly.  Oops.  Consciously decided to miss spin class. Whoops.


Oh well!  Work out from home.  After spending an hour or so on actual work (I chose research over Spinning? Really??), I popped on a workout video downloaded from ExerciseTV for a quick, light strength circuit with my 5-lb hand-weights before hitting the road to jog outside.  You know what?  Better that I go out and run instead of spin today -- it's been 5 days since I set my official, public goal to run 3 miles without stopping and yet I haven't run once this week!  Shameful!  I'm too committed to my gym class schedule; time to put my running goals first.  It's beautiful out for a run, anyhow.

So, out I go. Today I set my mind to running 2 miles without stopping.  I went out into the brisk December (it's December?!!?) air and started out in my normal running-speed.  After a half mile or mile, I kept reminding myself to take it easy, a 5- or 5.5-mph jog would be fine; my goa…