Day One is Done!

I've been up since 4:30 this morning and am still going relatively strong.  It is only 8:20 so I hope I can last a bit longer.  Gina picked me up this morning at 5:30 to head out to the city.  We made great time and were at the Goodlife Fitness Centre at 7:20 - the class didn't start until 8, but its was nice not be rushed.

The morning flew by, actually the whole day did.  We didn't work out but spent the entire day in the classroom.  Tomorrow we will be in the gym in the morning, then back to the classroom.  I've learned a lot in just one day and am looking forward to applying everything we've covered.

After class I met up with Dan and the girls.  I think I mentioned we booked a room at the Delta Chelsea through Price Line.  The girls love this hotel.  The rooms are on the smallish side for 4 people, but the staff is great.

Here is the view straight down from our balcony.  You can see the slide that goes outside.

Before we went swimming we walked to the Pickle Barrel for a dinner that was just ok.  The lights are still up for Christmas and with the falling snow they looked very pretty.

I'll check in tomorrow and let you know what else I've learned.  Dan and the girls are going to the Science Centre tomorrow so I'm sure they'll have lots to tell me.





My Bags are Packed and I'm Ready to Go!

Like I just said, my bags are packed. The kids bags are packed and we are ready to to.  Gina will be picking me up at 5:30 tomorrow morning.  I have everything by the door.  My coffee maker is set and I have two alarms set.  Dan will be driving down with the girls later in the day to check into the hotel.  I'm sure they'll have swam for at least an hour before I see them.

I've packed a bit of food for breakfasts and snacks. Here's a bit of it...

heaven forbid anyone's stomach should growl.  I do find it much less expensive and easier to have breakfast in our room and at least a few snacks for me and definately the kids when we are travelling.  The girls will be having cereal and fruit and I'll be having Vegan Overnight Oats.

I'm not sure what will be going on in our course.  We've been told to bring our books, workout clothes and enthusiasm.  Which there will be no shortage of with Gina around.  I won't be able to post any pictures from the course, but I'll try to check in between swimming with the kids and trying not to be too tired and let you know how it goes.

Dear Santa...

I guess you've seen what a good girl I've been this year.  Thank you for my awesome new presents you brought me this year.

I love my new hooded sweater.  It will be great to wear after I get back from running or before the start of a race.  I'm very excited to try out my new compression socks they really help my calves feel better while I'm running.  The gloves, hat and pants were perfect for the run I went on today to help work off my food baby I built up at brunch before making another one at dinner.  But most of all Santa, thank you for my shiny new purple laptop.  It will make blogging and everything else I do at home on a computer so much easier.  I'm glad you didn't put me on the naughty list if you heard me while I was trying to post the pictures from Greece.

Thanks again for all of my wonderful gifts.  I'll have a much shorter list next year - promise.

Love,

Crazy Mother Runner

Christmas Eve Appitizers

Isn't it crazy how we all run around in the days leading up to Christmas and then bam! its here?  This week was really busy with Christmas parties and visits but everything was fun and I caught up with friends and was able to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  This morning I had a festive run.  I didn't get a picture of myself to post but let's just say it involved red and green polka dot socks and a head band with candy canes.

We've had Christmas dinner in the early afternoon at my mother and father-in-laws house.  With 8 kids its was Christmas mayhem which is expected and fun for the kids.  We're now back at home.  The girls are staying up later than usual watching the Sound of Music and playing with their new toys.  I made an appetizers to have just to tide us over until tomorrow... because we haven't eaten enough today.

Puff Pastry Goat Cheese Pizzas

1 sheet of puff pastry thawed
1/2 cup spreadable goat cheese with herbs
1 onion
4 mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
1/2 red pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
freshly ground pepper

Saute onion and mushrooms in the butter and olive oil.  When then onions are soft and golden add the red pepper and cook until heated through.  Unroll the pastry.  Cut into 9 squares and pinch a rim around the outside of each square (it doesn't have to be pretty).  Spread the goat cheese on each of the squares.  Top with onion mixture.  Grind pepper on top of each piece.  Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is golden at 375.

At the Juice Bar

Let's be brave!  Let's break out the juicer that's collecting dust in the basement, crack open the veggie tray, pull out a bunch of produce before it gets gross and make something out of it.  Something that is supposed to be super healthy and make us feel great.  And we will drink whatever the concoction we come up with because its good for us!  Whatever.

Seriously I've never been a big juicer.  It is a lot of work.  It takes a lot of vegetables (vegetables that I think I should really be eating to get all of the fiber and other important stuff vegetables give me) to make one little glass of juice.  Then after I have my little cup of juice I have to clean all of that up... and will all of my effort even taste good?

I've read a lot on line about how great juicing is and I do see the reasoning behind it.  All of those vegetables pulverised into that glass.  Truthfully its a lot easier to go to booster juice and get them to make it... but if you're feeling brave... and ambitious you can make them at home.

I've come up with 4 different kinds of juices.  I have 2 types of juicers.  I normal one

and a citrus one

I used both for these recipes.

I'll start with the juice that started it all....

Ginger Beet Juice

Ingredients

1 beet (peeled)
2 apples
1/2 cup grapes
2 inch piece of ginger peeled

Put all ingredients in juicer.  Enjoy!

Tangerine - Grapefruit Juice

Ingredients

1 grapefruit
4 tangerines

Juice using a citrus juicer.

Pineapple Grapefruit Pomegranate Juice

Ingredients

1/2 pineapple
1 apple
1 pomegranate peeled
2 grapefruits

Juice pineapple, apple and pomegranate in regular juicer.  Juice grapefruit in a citrus juicer.  Combine.

Crazy Green Juice

Ingredients

2 cups of spinach
1/2 English cucumber
5 ribs of celery

Juice the above vegetables.  Drink as fast as you can.

Happy Birthday Yule Log

I am really doing more than just baking - although today it feels like that's all I've been doing.  Baking and visiting. But.... yesterday I ran.  I wanted to bail - it was really cold outside.  It was minus14 with the wind chill.  A bunch of runners from my group were doing a 10k route that I've ran a bazillion times and is not my favourite.  And another smaller group was going around 15k.  I ended up running with the 15k group.  The first 5k of the run I ran on my own, and the rest I ran with Mike and Bob.  It was fun, we chatted about running (ironic) and Mike talked about all the different races he's ran.  It didn't feel like an hour plus long run.

Today I baked a yule log for my mother-in-law's birthday.  I named it a Birthday Log.  I combined a recipe for the cake with my own recipes and it turned out amazing if I can toot my own horn.  I didn't get a really good picture of this cake before everyone arrived, but take my word for it - it was delicious.  This cake is really really rich so make sure you have lots of people around to help you eat it.

Birthday Yule Log

Cake - inspired by Joy the Baker

Ingredients

4 oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped fine
6 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Melt the chocolate in the microwave.  Stirring every 30 seconds until smooth, making sure chocolate doesn't burn.

Beat egg yolks with sugar until light yellow and they form a ribbon like texture - about 5-7 minutes.  Stir in melted chocolate.  Beat egg whites with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and salt until stiff peaks form.  Fold chocolate mixture into egg whites.  Spread on a parchment lined jelly roll pan and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Cover cake with a damp tea towel.

Filling

250 ml (half a package) of cream  cheese softened
3/4 cup of icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup of whipping cream - whipped

Beat cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth, stir in vanilla.  Fold in whipping cream until mixture appears uniform.

4 oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped fine
6 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar3 cups of icing sugar
3/4 cup of cocoa powder sifted
1/2 butter softened
1/4 cup coffee

Using electric beaters, whip butter until fluffy, gradually add icing sugar and cocoa powder.  Gradually add coffee until the icing is the desired consistency.

Assembly

Carefully peel cake from parchment paper.  Spread the cream cheese filling evening over the cake.  Roll the cake into a jelly roll from the long side.  Once rolled, place the cake on a serving tray.  Ice the cake making it look like bark on a tree if you would like.  Dust with icing sugar to look like snow.

A Little Christmas Procrastination - maybe

I have reluctantly started to read my manuals for my personal training course.  I'm not sure why I've been putting it off.  Normally I'm all over any on line articles about fitness.  Maybe its because there is a test involved and my performance anxiety is creeping up again.  I made a deal with myself that if I read the first chapter and completed the on line component I would post about something fun. 

So my lesson is done and no - I didn't get everything perfect.  Nothing happened when I got the answer wrong by the way.  I'm not sure what I thought would happen - maybe some super fit trainer with chiseled abs would yell "WRONG ANSWER!" at me.  I actually did enjoy it and contemplated going ahead with chapter two over posting... but I have pretty pictures.

This post has nothing to do with running... again.  But it is about travelling.  Over the past few years I have travelled a bit.  Some of my trips were with my kids and some without.  We decided on our first trip to buy a Christmas ornament for wherever we were.  I've read that some people think its hokey, but these decorations are some of my favourites.  Every year when we decorate our tree and pull out these ornaments, they remind me of the trip I was on when I bought them.  I find that I am usually reflecting on the past year during the holidays and the ornaments help remind me of the amazing vacations I've been on.

So in my order of vacations here are the ornaments.

St. John's Newfoundland

I went on this trip with my family when my girls were 15 months old and 3 years old in 2007.  It was a fun trip.  We saw icebergs and toured around the island for a bit. 

Banff

We went to Banff in 2008.  We stayed in a condo style hotel which had a great water slide and indoor playground for the kids.  The scenery was beautiful, but the hotel made the trip for the kids.

Jamaica

Our whole family went to Jamaica for my sister's wedding in 2009.  It was beautiful.  The resort we stayed at was a family resort with a great water slide and pool for the kids.  The girls have been asking to go back every year.

New York City

My husband and I went to New York in 2009 and 2010 - without the kids.  I love love love this city. 

Greece

You all know about Greece this year.  There were tons of ornaments being sold at all the tourist places, but I only saw this bell in two shops.  I thought it was perfect for our tree.

As you can see not all of the decorations are typical ornaments - the key chains from Jamaica and the bear bell from Banff, but each one brings back great memories.  And hokey or not I love this tradition.