I did it!

And for those of you who DON'T know, yes I did run Crazy Legs this past Saturday. In the pouring rain, cold, thunderstorm and lightening! It was pretty miserable but I certainly wasn't going to miss the race for a little rain.

Even though it was cold and everyone was soaked to the bone, I still kicked ass and beat my last Crazy Legs time by 6 minutes!! 6 minutes!! That's Crazy!! I ran the 5 miles in 50:55, where as last time I ran it, it took me 57 minutes. I was so excited and luckily I wasn't too sore the next couple days.

I look forward to next years and breaking the 50 minute mark...

Recipe Week Continues...

So I thought I was done making things to eat this week but I made one more worth sharing. This is a recipe from my mom's arsenal of recipes. It came to my mind this week because its my dad's favorite birthday cake and his birthday was this week. I don't know what its called exactly but I always called it Banana Pudding Cake

You'll need:
Graham crackers (I used low fat cinnamon)
Sugar free Instant
Chocolate pudding X2
Skim milk
Bananas, sliced up
Cool Whip free

Its pretty simple. You make the pudding and put it in the fridge for just a couple minutes. Don't let it set completely. Then you layer, starting with graham crackers on the bottom of any size pan you want. I used a 9X9 pan. I then added a little cool whip into the pudding then made that the next layer, followed by a row of slices bananas.

You keep making that pattern until the pans fills up. On the very top I added enough cool whip to cover all the bananas so they didn't dry out in the fridge.

And that's it. You should put it in the fridge for a while in order for the grahams to soften up a bit. My mom's recipe specifically says not to cover it in the fridge but I really think you should, otherwise the top layer dries out a little. Its delicious! Its pretty low calorie because I used the skim milk, the cool whip free, the sugar free pudding and low fat grahams!!

2 and 1

Two random thoughts for the day and one funny picture:

1. Why do things like deciding or knowing where to park for various events completely stress me out! I'm running Crazy Legs this Saturday and instead of being stressed about how the heck i'm going to run 5 miles or nervous that my back will buckle and i'll come crashing to the pavement, I'm freaking out about where the hell i'm going to park and how early I need to leave to get there on time. This is a common theme in my life.

The run is from the capital to camp randall. SO, I can either park towards the start, towards the finish or somewhere in the middle. BUT THEN, do I want to walk farther to the start, farther from the finish or equal-distance between the two. SEE HOW THIS STRESSES ME OUT! I'm stressed just writing this post! Last time I ran this my dad picked me up at Lot 60 and drove me up to the start line and then I just walked from camp randall to lot 60 after the race.

Anyway, I'll be sure to write a full report of the race AND my parking decisions next week. Wish me luck...on both accounts!



2. I truly, deeply wish that wearing sweat bands was socially acceptable. I sweat profusely when I work out. Those of you who have worked out with me (Barney, Heather) know that all my sweat comes from my head and its quite astonishing really. I would luv to wear a sweat band when i'm at the gym BUT its just not acceptable anymore. I saw a guy wearing one last week however, I think he was doing it for a fashion statement as he never really sweats anyway!

If anyone is interested in bringing this trend back let me know!! I'll jump on that band wagon!



And finally, the funny picture. My nephew on Easter getting his Easter present...gotta luv it! Now I wasn't there for this so I can't tell you whether he just smiled like this for the hell of it or if he was told to smile big but wow, that's pretty funny.

One Year Gone

A year ago today, I closed on my condo and became a first time home owner. I can't believe its been a year already. I can't say that I have much new to show inside the house but that's soon to change. I've picked out my paint colors and am getting a new bedroom set so there will be more posts to come.

Happy One-Year Anniversary to me!

A Lesson In Lasagna

Don't laugh.

I'm Italian....and I've NEVER MADE LASAGNA! Its true. My mom used to always make it and I simply never learned how. Well last week, this all changed. My BFF came over and we made lasagna! Here's the recipe we used:

• 1 package of ground chicken (which was omitted when we made it because I'm a big idiot and can't read properly)
• 2 cans of spinach (I bought frozen spinach instead, much better!)
• 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 small can of mushrooms
• 1 container of ricotta cheese
• 1 container of cottage cheese
• 1 package of shredded mozzarella
• 1 package of lasagna noodles

I think it turned out well for my first attempt at making it. I'd like to try different ingredients and adding a little more flavor but overall, it was yummy! I probably won't be making it any time soon since I certainly don't need an entire pan of lasagna to myself but it was a good lesson. AND we both wore white shirts to make lasagna. I made it all the way until after we finished eating before getting any on my shirt!

Thanks BFF! Next time I'll make sure to have more wine and a bumper car for ya! That's TWO nights of making dinner in one week--pretty impressive I'd say. This concludes recipe week :)

Thai Lettuce Cups

I made a delicious dinner for my good friend Barney and myself last night and thought it was worth sharing. I can't take credit for the recipe, I saw it on Rachael Ray last week. Its called Thai Lettuce Cups:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 iceberg lettuce heads, cut into quarters and leaves gently removed to make the lettuce cups
• 1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 handful basil, chopped

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook in the pan until golden brown on all sides. Add in the red pepper and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add in the chili sauce and honey and simmer to reduce it and coat the chicken. To serve, lay the lettuce leaves on a platter, then scoop some of the chicken mixture onto each leaf. Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts, lime juice and basil.

It was quite good. I have to say though that I didn't add in the basil because I couldn't find it at the store, but I did add in baby corn (luv it) and it was still delicious.

Thanks B for bringing the movie. 'I don't have the strength to stay away from you' :)

Happy Easter

I hope everyone has a great Easter Sunday.

Happy Retirement

Today I am wishing my dear old dad a very happy and well deserved retirement!! After serving the Madison Public School system as Legal Counsel for many years and more recently as Chief Legal Counsel, my dad is entering the next phase of life and retiring!!

Of course that doesn't mean he's not going to be working. He's going to continue to do his teaching and seminars, I believe he has three or four lined up already in the next month or so, but at least he won't have to get up early every day and go to work.

Congrats Dad!! I'm happy for you!

I did it....

.... I signed up for Crazy Legs this year! YIKES!

Getting in Gear

I am very excited to announce that I've signed up for my first 5K run since my back surgery. I will be running the American Cancer Society Run on April 11th. I know I know, its only 3.1 miles but I used to run these all the time and haven't been able to run one since last June because of the pain in my leg and back.



I'm still debating on whether to do Crazy Legs this year....its 5 miles. There's a big difference between 3 and 5 miles, let me tell ya. I have been able to run quite well on the treadmill recently so i'm definitely thinking about just doing it.

Anyway, I'm excited about it so I thought i'd share my good news. I wasn't sure i'd be able to run again after my surgery. Everyone kept telling me not to run blah blah....but I just started back slow and now here I am able to run my 3 miles no problem.



Wish me luck! I had my best two times ever the last two races I ran before the pain in my leg took over so I think this will be a good gage of where i'm at running-wise! If anyone wants to join me just let me know...its fun :)