Amazing Grass Winner and....Happy Halloween!

Thanks to everyone who entered the Amazing Grass Superfood Kidz giveaway! According to Random.org, the winner is number 26......Clueless Mama!

We're wrapping up Halloween, it was a pretty mellow day due to the weather, but I got in two quick miles on the treadmill. It cleared up by trick or treat time, and now the kids are sacked out on the floor after their allotted two treats.

Now I'm off to raid their candy.......

Did the Ghost follow us home?

The house I grew up in has a ghost. The house is over 100 years old, and my mom still lives there, she bought the house 32 years ago. I feel like it's a good ghost, otherwise I think we would have been out of there a loooong time ago.

I have seen the ghost, so has my sisters, and believe it or not, Luke saw it last summer. It makes it's presence known in many ways, the microwave will turn on and off by itself, windows will slowly close, and one time a chair that rotates, slowly turned one complete turn. My grandfather got bugged out once, because he heard someone walking down the upstairs hallway, and he was alone at the time.

We believe that a farming family lived in our house, we have very old photos that the previous owners passed to my Mom when she bought the house. In the photos you can see the original house, with rolling hills in the background, where houses now stands. Those of us who have seen the ghost, have seen it in the same room.

I woke up one night, and looked over at the window, and saw a man standing, looking out of it, wearing a dark suit with a white shirt. My first thought was, "oh, that's the ghost." then rolled over and went back to sleep. My sister M had a similar experience, she felt like it was being a sort of guardian angel to her.

My sister A woke up early a few months ago, in the same room, to get ready for an early flight. The light was dim, and she looked over from her bed, and saw a boy, in the same type of clothing, looking at her. He reached over to touch her face, then he disappeared. Her first thought was "oh, it's the ghost."

Luke and Mike were sleeping in this same room on a past visit. During the night, Luke woke up Mike and said that there was a boy in there.

M said "oh really? is he nice?"
L said "yeah, he was right there"
M said "really buddy?"
L said "yeah, we were talking"
M said "okay, let's go to sleep"

at that point, when Mike realized Luke was talking to the ghost, he was comfortable with it.

We've been in our house for four years, and I love it, I've been comfortable here since day one. But sometimes I get a ghost feeling. Whenever I'm in the shower, I hear someone walking around, and it's not my kids. On her last visit, my sister A said she felt like there is a ghost here too, so now we're wondering where it might have come from. So we'll have to wait and see if we get any more signs.

I'm having a terrible time with my pumpkins this year, as the photo shows. The squirrels have gotten three of them already, even though I've doused them with windex! Didn't even get a chance to carve them, back to the patch we go.

Housekeeping

Hello rain. It's dark and nasty out, however my street looks kind of cool, with the bright orange leaves against the grey skies. I got up today at six, and now that it's nine o'clock, I feel like I've already got my to do list finished.

There are a few day's left of Breast Cancer Awareness Month....and here is a giveaway that Mel, over at Tall Mom on the Run is having. It's a Brooks for Her Jacket, Brooks created this collection to help support the fight against breast cancer. For each BFH piece purchased from March through December 2009, Brooks will donate 6.25% of the suggested retail price to three organizations that research and support those affected by breast cancer. Very cool giveaway, and very cool blog.

There are a few day's left of my Amazing Grass Giveaway, which ends 10/31!

Finally, Tanya at the Grab Bag gave me an award, the Heartfelt Award! Tanya posts some great looking recipes, I can't wait to try her Tandoori Chicken....thanks Tanya!

I'm in the mood for a little greek.

I have a hankering for something salty for dinner, so I'm heading to the store for the fixings for Mediterranean Pasta with chicken. I don't think of myself as a big chicken person, I love fish, and a good rib eye, but it's not my go to protein. I have about five recipes for chicken that I really like, and this is a good one. It reminds me of the four years we lived in Astoria, which is a big Greek neighborhood in Queens. I miss black squid ink pasta and shrimp, I can't find that anywhere but Astoria. And I never knew there were multiple varieties of feta, the deli carried 6 different kinds! Don't even get me started on the olives......drool.

I saw Tyler Florence make this pasta on the food network years ago, and I've tweaked it to my liking....I think you'll like it too.

Mediterranean Pasta

One pound of skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

One cup of sun dried tomatoes, sliced (I get the oil free ones that come in a foil pouch)

1/4 pound kalamata olives, pitted and sliced, some into halves and some into quarters

8 ounces of feta cheese (I get it in a brick, and crumble it myself)

one, 8.5 ounce can of artichoke hearts in water, drained, and quartered

3 cloves of garlic, minced.

1/2 cup of milk (you can use heavy cream if you want to splurge a bit)

1/4 cup fresh basil (I pick the leaves, stack them, roll them like a cigar, then slice into strips)

3/4 of a pound of small pasta, like mini penne

salt and pepper, olive oil

I boil the water, and cook the pasta at the same time that I'm making the sauce.

1.Heat oil in a large skillet, and brown the chicken (or grill it ahead of time and slice it)

2. Add the garlic and tomatoes to chicken, saute about 2 minutes

3. Add basil, artichoke, olives and feta, saute another 2 - 3 minutes, then add the milk/cream.

4. turn heat to low, and cook through another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain pasta, and pour sauce over pasta, stir and serve. Yum.

Bruegger's Halloween 5K

Today was the Halloween 5k at Beaver Lake, it's a nature center not too far from my house. I didn't have any grand plans for it, I wanted to try and run a quicker pace than normal, but I felt like there were a few things that were throwing a minor glitch in my plans.

I wondered how crowded the trail would get, it is tight when just two people are on it, so I knew it wouldn't be fast going with a few hundred runners there all at the same time. I've also been dealing with a sore throat and cough this week, not too bad, but enough to be annoying. My friend Insomnia has been hanging around this week too, Friday night I slept a total of 3 hours.

We had a good group running, my sis in law Jeannine (who I do all my races with), my friend Sheila, Mike's Aunt Carol, and her husband Bill (who ran the Boilermaker with us this past summer). J's daughter did the kids Fun Run, which was cute. Some of the kids wore costumes, one kid was decked out as Lance Armstrong, with a bike attached to his legs.

It was cool out, but thankfully not raining, and the sun worked it's way out by the time we made it to the start. Note to self, a surefire way to get the sun to come out, is to leave your sunglasses at home. I was trying out a new pair of Drymax running socks, which I just won in a giveaway from Marcia at Mission Possible. I was psyched, I received 6 different pairs, including some for tennis and hiking, which look nice with my Birkenstocks (what can I say, I'm a fashionista). We wore timing chips, but didn't cross over an activation pad when we started, only at the end, so I'm not sure how our time will be figured out. We all were waiting in a small field, then the gun just went off. Think of a crowd people running along, then coming to a complete stop at the trail head, where we had to funnel down to get onto the trail.

I go to Beaver Lake when I have time to run somewhere other than in my neighborhood, when I bring the kids they love to check out the frog pond, and the exhibits inside the building. There are a bunch of trails of different distances, I also go in the winter for cross country skiing. For the 5k, we ran the Lake Loop, which has boardwalks in some spots, and today they were wet and covered with leaves. Jeannine told me to be careful before we started, with my track record of clumsiness, if someone was going to fall, it would be me. I had a good pace, but at times I felt like it was a video game, trying to pass people while keeping an eye on the ground. I did stumble once on a root, but no biggie. Near the end of mile two, I heard a big rustle of leaves sliding, but I don't think whoever did it wiped out.

It was a quick run, but crowded, and I coughed a few times. After a while I gave up trying to weave around people, and ran next to a guy dressed as Elvis. At the mile 3 marker there were pumpkins lining the trail, with funky carvings, like the Yankees logo. At the end I was happy to see Mike and the kids, then don't usually make it to my runs, so it was great to give them high fives.

The clock said my time was 33 minutes, I think. Not happy with that if it's the case, but I didn't have the best conditions for something quicker. I still had a great time, and love my new shirt. It's long sleeved for once, and I think it makes me look a bit busty. Which isn't a bad thing.

One more week of Get Active.....

There is one week left of my little "Get Active" challenge. I hope my blog friends who took this on have been able to fit some exercise into your days. I know that Alicia has been working out a few times a week. But I have to give major props to Janie, she has lost 18 pounds! Go Janie!

I received two more awards, from Susan at Susan Fobes' Family Formula....the Loyalty Blog (for a second time) and the Kreative Blogger Award. Susan is a teacher whose blog focuses on her family, and focusing on the writer within her. Thanks Susan!!!

For the Kreative Blogger, I have to list 7 things about myself that you might not know. Hmmmmmmm.

1. I have a big family, four sisters, one brother, 27 first cousins, 6 nieces, 1 nephew, multiple aunts and uncles, and.....my parents have been divorced for 30 years.

2. I also have a big group of friends, which are also my family. A cluster in Rochester, and several across the country, but my core is back home in NY, we call ourselves the Fab Six. We have been friends for about 24 years, and although I don't get to see them as often as we would all like, when we get together, we always pick right up where we left off.

3. I'm Catholic, and I pray every day. I get so much out of going to church, it is comforting and it's the one place that never changes. I sometimes get emotional during certain prayers or hymns, it is a place where I can just BE.

4. I obviously love to run, but I also love tennis (played in high school), riding my bike, and if I could play field hockey again (high school) I would. Sometimes in the fall I smell the air and I am right back on the field with my hockey stick.

5. I love movies. Name an actor and I'll ramble off every movie they've been in. I watch pretty much everything, but there are just a few that have made an impression - in no particular order - Urban Cowboy, Places in the Heart, Steel Magnolias, American Beauty, Clueless, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Paper Moon, Almost Famous, Sense and Sensibility, Love Actually, Tootsie, Marty, Bridget Jones Diary, Once and Goodfellas.

6. October, November and December are my favorite months of the year, October for the fall weather, November for Thanksgiving (which I love juuuust a bit more than Christmas) and obviously, December for Christmas (and for what J&R call, 25 nights of drinking).

7. There was a three week period where I saw Bono in the flesh three different times, and not in concert. Once after a flight home from Ireland (where I told him I thought he was "just the greatest"), once at a work party, and once on the street. I kept telling everyone he was stalking me.

This will only take a minute

It is still Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this is from an email I received this week:

The Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act is a bill which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about
eliminating the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.

Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support. If you decide to sign it, you need not give more than your name and zip code.

Here is another photo from the Breast Cancer walk we all did earlier in the month.....we wore shirts honoring my mother in law and her sister, and I'm too busy yapping to pay attention to the photographer.

Just another bit of inspiration

I think that running might be in my genes. I've written about how my dad is my health and fitness inspiration, but I have another one, my cousin, who is a marathon runner.

C ran the Duke City Marathon, in Albuquerque this past weekend. She ran a personal best, which was good enough to qualify her for the 2010 Boston Marathon. Her time was also good enough that she finished 3rd overall in the women's division. Not in her age group, but 3rd overall, this was her 13th marathon and she has two more planned.

I told her about my half marathon and how I was trying to decide what to do next, and she said to be warned, that marathons are addicting. I'm really impressed, because she also works full time and has a one year old.

I actually have a fun run coming up this weekend, it's a 5k at a local nature center, with some family members and a friend from college. It's a loop around a lake, and the way the leaves are looking, it should be a pretty run.

Don't forget to enter the Amazing Grass Giveaway.....

Mike makes a mean pot pie

Don't let the oysters fool you, I'll get to the pot pie in a minute! This weekend we made a trip home to Long Island for an annual Oyster Fest in Oyster Bay. We look forward to this all year, and I've been going since I was a kid. Long gone are the party atmosphere days, where you could walk around with a beer while you sampled all the lovely seafood. Now it's more family oriented, which is good since I have one, so the kids had a ball on the rides and got their hot dog and cotton candy fix.

Back to the Oysters. I love them raw, Mike waited on the line for 25 minutes to get a few plates, but of course it was worth it. I squirted them with fresh lemon, and a bit of cocktail sauce. They were cold, and so clean tasting, I was done in a few minutes. Next up were fried Oysters, this line was much shorter, I still inhaled them. The batter was crunchy, but light, and full of black pepper, you could smell it in the air as they cooked. Again all they needed was a bit of cocktail sauce. It's not even 10 o'clock and I could go for some right now.

Last week Mike made one of his fall specialties, Chicken Pot Pie. We had grilled chicken thighs the other night, and had a ton left over, so Mike chopped it up to make the pie. Sometimes he substitutes lobster for the chicken for a special dinner. This time instead of a biscuit crust, he used corn bread, which added a sweetness that worked with the salty inside.

Here is the recipe, he usually doubles it so we have one pie to eat, another for the freezer:

3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken

1 cup chopped onion

2 cups chopped carrot

2 cups diced potato

2 cups frozen baby peas

1 can of Nibblets Corn

3 cups of chicken stock - we use organic, or MSG free Swansons

1 cup of milk

butter, salt and pepper, flour, Bisquick or corn muffin mix

Heat oven to 375, grease a medium sized baking pan with butter

In a saute pan, melt 6 tablespoons (I know, it sounds like a lot) of butter and sautee the onion and carrot, after about 5 minutes stir in 6 tablespoons of flour, until it turns a light brown. Pour in stock, stir and bring to a boil, cook about 10 minutes until it thickens. Then add milk, and cook about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat, mix in chicken, peas corn and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper, pour into baking dish.

If you're doing a biscuit top, mix 2 1/4 cups of Bisquick and 2/3 cup milk, and pour over the top of the chicken mixture, and make little slits in the crust so steam escapes. For the corn bread topping, we used a box of Jiffy, followed the directions for corn bread and poured that over the top.

Bake 35 - 40 minutes until bubbly, and crust is browned. Let it sit about five minutes before chowing down.

Mellow Much?

I planned on getting outside this afternoon for a run, but I just wasn't into it. It's a grey, cold, wet day, and it took until noon to get up in the 40's, and I'm tired.

I love to sleep, I'm just not very good at it. My insomnia is acting up again, the past two nights have been horrible, I was up last night watching Baby Mamma at two in the morning wondering when I was going to fall asleep. Of course once I did get to sleep Eliza was up early asking for her Sleeping Beauty Barbie. I had to get up anyway, we had a field trip to the apple and pumpkin farm, so I needed to dig out the winter coats and boots. This weather is nuts, I haven't even had a chance to buy Eliza a coat, I put her in one that was her cousins', and way too big for her.

Mike went to the farm with us, and after lunch, we miraculously got Eliza to sleep, so I got my gear together to run. I reeeaaallly wanted to sit on the couch, but I knew I would feel better once I got out the door, so I forced myself out.

My ipod matched my mood, I had it on random, and it came up with what I think of as mellow music with a running groove. I listened to the lyrics, and thought about things, it's so true that running is a great form of therapy. I haven't posted a playlist in a while, so I thought I would share what I heard today.......

New Slang ~ The Shins

Breathe Me ~ Sia

Runaway Train ~ Soul Asylum

You Are The Sunshine of My Life ~ Stevie Wonder

Hunger Strike ~ Temple of the Dog

What's Up - 4 Non Blondes

Anyone Else But You ~ Michael Cera & Ellen Page

One ~ U2 and Mary J. Blige

Lightning Crashes ~ Live

So What ~ Pink (not mellow, I sprinted for this one)

South Side ~ Gwen Stefani & Moby

Nothing Compares 2 U....Sinead O'Connor

I'm not a Vulcan, I just look like one

This photo was from last weekend, my friend D came up for the night, and we got a little goofy. If you look at it quickly, I think I look like I have Spock ears. Well, maybe you just had to be there.

Before I forget, go and check out my triathlete friend Kelly's Giveaway for WhooHa Gear.......it's a cute line of inspirational workout gear.

Things have still been a bit up and down lately. Mike's Jeep was in the shop on Friday, and now today, my Jeep is in the shop. $$$ ouch. On a good note, Eliza is now in her big girl bed, and is Binkie Free, I was geared up for nights of crying, but it really wasn't that bad. She's okay at night, but her naps have been a nightmare. As in she won't take one. Normally she goes down in the afternoon for at least two hours, and that is when I jump on the treadmill. Mike got the treadmill back in place, now that the carpet has dried after the hot water tank tanked. But these past few afternoons she will NOT go to sleep, and I've been up and down the stairs in my running clothes trying to get her to go to sleep in between stretching. Today I finally took the baby monitor into the basement, and banged out four miles while she chatted away to her pillow. If she's done with naps I'm going to have to switch to morning runs. I actually considered getting up this morning at six, to get outside for an early run before the kids got up and Mike went to work, but HELL-O it was 35 degrees, and I'm not ready for that temperature extreme yet.

I have been doing well with my nutrition challenge. I achieved 15 points last week (but as the evidence shows, I slipped over the weekend. Those homemade cookies were particularly tasty). I'm already good at getting my fruits and veggies in, but I was very conscious not to throw an M&M in my mouth every time I walked into the kitchen. And I took the time to just toss the kid's leftovers into the garbage before taking a bite of whatever looked good. No Weeknight Wine was hard on Thursday night, it was the Wedding Episode of the Office (love it) and along with Survivor, that is my must see TV night. But my jeans fit better this week, so the trade off was worth it.

Hey, check it out!! I'm on Runner Dude's Blog!

If you haven't read Runner Dude's blog, you simply must. He shares not only his personal stories about running, but he gives info on how to run. Such as what carb loading really means, and how to do it properly. And his product reviews and giveaways are pretty cool too. Runner Dude asked his readers to share their stories on how they became runners, and what it means to them. And I am totally psyched that he featured my story today! Get over there and check it out!

Sunday Run

I think my week of rest made a difference, just returned from a six mile run and I'm feeling good. Today it's sunny, although it's hovering around 50 degrees, the leaves are still changing as well as falling, which I love crunching into as I run along. I brought my camera to take some photos while I did my loop around my neighborhood. I made a game of it, after I stopped to take a photo, I would sprint to get my heart rate up again. Today I decided to ask for a Garmin for Christmas, I felt like I had a strong pace, but I want to start tracking it to know for sure. Right now the only thing I do is write my miles on the kitchen calendar. My ankle felt a bit sore as I started mile 2, but I walked for a couple of minutes, then was able to keep going pain free, I've got an ice pack on it to be on the safe side.

This is on the path near my house...

This is where I stopped to adjust my underwear, thinking I was alone....until this guy ran past me, so I guess I wasn't.

This is the lake down at the end of my street. It's the perfect distance to walk the kids to, when I'm trying to fill that short time after school but before dinner. I get paranoid when I run by people who are fishing, I'm always afraid I'll get a fish hook in my eye a la "There's Something About Mary."

I thought about how I need to pick my next big race, I'd like to do another half marathon sometime soon. I saw J last night, and we talked about the Mountain Goat, which is a popular 10 mile run in the city of Syracuse. I've been afraid of it because it is verrrry hilly, I can take hills, but these hills are steep, and they are plentiful. The race isn't until next May, but we tackled a half marathon, so I think we can take on a little old Goat.

My ipod was annoying me, I had it on shuffle, and every song that came up was slow, it's hard to run fast when listening to the Mama's and the Papa's. Speaking of which, what is UP with that whole MacKenzie/John Philips scandal? Nutty. I need some new running tunes, any suggestions?

Just Squash It

Friday, it will be week five of get active..........hmmmm. I had a rest week, so I'm off the hook.

Don't forget about the Amazing Grass Giveaway!

One of the many things that I look forward to about fall, is the squash. Spaghetti, acorn, butternut, you name it, and I will eat it. At least until Christmastime, but that's another post.

This is one of our favorite veggie side dishes, Mike found it, in all places, in US Airways Magazine. We make it often in the fall, and we had a request for it for last Thanksgiving's menu. I made it tonight, and doubled the recipe, because I have to have leftovers.

Roasted Rosemary Butternut Squash and Shallots

3 cups peeled and cubed squash (I use a potato peeler to get the rind off, works really well).

4 medium shallots, sliced thin

olive oil

1 tsp dried rosemary (even better fresh)

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

Toss everything. I let it sit for about 15 minutes before tossing it onto a cookie sheet, and roasting at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Stir it around, then roast for another 20 minutes or so. The edges should be browned, but not crispy.

I'm going to eat some leftovers....

I hate to call it a Bucket List

Do you have a list of things you want to do in life before, you know, you kick the bucket? I never really gave it much concrete thought, but I do have some things I'd like to do. My sister A went skydiving this past Sunday and she loved it, but I don't think I would do that now that I have kids. A said it was the scariest thing she'd ever done, and was so hyped up on adrenaline, she still couldn't sleep 13 hours later. My mother in law talked about her list after the Breast Cancer walk, she wants to do a hot air balloon ride in the Grand Canyon once she's done with chemo and radiation. That would be a cool way to celebrate!

Most of my items involve travel, which I used to do before the kids came along. I think I would want to go somewhere like Vietnam, or Japan, something completely different. The thought of running a marathon has been lurking around in my brain for a loooong time. I want to take the kids to Disney, more than once. It'd be killer to go to Napa, which, by the way.....my favorite chard is being discontinued! Say it isn't so, but my Tunnel of Elms is on it's way out. I'm thinking of buying a case of it if the liquor store has enough, after all there are only two nights left of No Wine Weeknights....

So tell me, what's on your so called Bucket List???

since I can't challenge myself enough....

This week is going to be about resting, and eating well.

All my aches and pains are much better. However, my ankle is still feeling sore, but it isn't puffy like it was after the half marathon, so I don't know what the heck is going on with it. I got on the treadmill on Thursday and after a mile, I had to stop. Not because of pain, but because of the big brown spot on the basement wall. After looking around, I discovered our hot water tank bit the dust. Water everywhere in the laundry room, and a soaked carpeted floor in the playroom. So I traded running cardio for mopping cardio.

I went for a four mile run on Saturday around the hood, I stopped once because the ankle started to ache. I walked a bit, pain went away, so I kept going. I was afraid to go any further than four miles so I headed home. At any rate, it was lovely to be outside on a run, with all that was going on this past weekend.

So I decided this will be a rest week. I'm switching my focus to my diet. I joined Kelly's Four Week Nutrition Challenge. The goal is to acquire 18 points per week. Each day you count 1 point if you eat 4 veggies. Another point, if you have 3 fruits. One point if you avoid overeating or splurging. My splurging involves picking from the kid's plates, eating candy corn or chocolate, or eating any of Mike's crappy chips. I'm also giving up my weeknight wine, and keeping it to the weekends. So we'll see how this one goes.

Did I just say no week night wine?!??!

Oy Vey.

What a weekend. Full of emotional ups and downs. I thought the title of this post was appropriate....although I'm Irish Catholic, I have several friends of the Jewish faith. So I've adopted some of their habits, mainly, a love of matzo and butter, and a few sayings. Such as Bechert...which my friend A told me on my wedding day means "meant to be." As in Mike and I are Bechert.

Anyway......I was hoping that once fall started things would start to go on the upside of the emotional spectrum. Well, Mike is still in the middle of a re-org at work. And after I posted my kick ass giveaway on Friday, I got word that my 90 year old Grandfather passed away. I haven't seen him in years, but I'm still sad. I immediately got memories of this big 'ole man with a southern/boston accent giving me hugs and calling me "sweet haaart." But these thoughts just reaffirmed to me that he was okay in heaven.

Saturday was a great day, spending time outside at the public market, buying local produce, along with a tub of SIX DOLLAR butter. It was organic and lovely looking, and to be honest, we love butter. Mike loves butter so much that if it were safe, he'd rub it on his body and lay out in the sun. I try to be good about my family's butter intake. I do. But when I need a dose of home, I dig out a Long Island bagel from our freezer and slather it with enough butter so that you can see melted puddles of it in the grooves of the bagel.

Today was the Komen Walk for Cancer, which we did for my mother in law and her sister C. C is a breast cancer survivor, and D is in the middle of her battle. We had our hot pink shirts on, and had as much of a good time as you could have at a cancer walk. It was a bit surreal. You don't know when something like this can come into your life. It's a reminder to take care of yourself, so you can take care of your family. The funny thing is, as we neared the end of the walk, we saw my friend S in her car, talking to a policeman. She ran the half marathon too, and she lives in the area of the walk. They wouldn't let her near her apartment because of the crowds, talk about perfect timing to say hello....

Here is a photo from today. I was kinda skanky because I didn't shower beforehand (plus it was raining in the beginning). You still can't see my lovely red hair in this photo of me and Eliza. Which to me, just means I get to go redder next time....

Get Active Giveaway!

We're at the midway point for the Get Active Challenge, and to celebrate I'm hosting an Amazing Grass Giveaway!!

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I did a 30 day Green Smoothie Challenge with my friend Jennifer. We used, and are still using, Amazing Grass SuperFood and Wheat Grass powders. I love them because they're organic, and one serving helps hit your daily quota of goodness, with the antioxidant equivalent of 7 servings of fruits and vegetables. I have a smoothie for breakfast made with Amazing Grass, I like how I'm starting my day on a good note, and I feel it really re hydrates me after a night listening to Mike snore.

Now, the fun stuff! First, if you order from their website (and you will, they have several types of powders, as well as Energy Bars) use the coupon code ‘sleeper’ and you will save 15% off your order. Very cool.

Second, they are giving one lucky reader a chance to win a Kidz SuperFood Wild Berry Combo! That includes two, 8.5oz bottles of this new flavor, as well as one box of single serving packets! My friend at Amazing Grass said she keeps the packets in her purse, which is very handy. It's a great way to get goodness into your kiddos.....in my house, call it a "milkshake" and it's gone.

So here is how to enter:

1. Go to the Amazing Grass website, and click around. Then come back here and leave me a comment about what you like, or would want more information about.

For additional entries (please leave one comment per additional entry):

1. follow me (come on, I'm fun)

2. link to this giveaway and leave a comment with a link

3. let me know what your favorite smoothie combos are, for yourself or your kids!

This giveaway will end on 10/31 at 5:00 p.m. EST. I'll pick a winner randomly, via a program on my BFF, my laptop.

Great way to end Week Four huh?!

Eat, Run, Repeat

Two food posts in two days, you can see where my mind is this week. I had a bunch of Roma tomatoes, and yesterday I used Yonca's idea for roasting them. I tossed them with olive oil, kosher salt, pepper oregano and tons of garlic. After roasting them for over two hours, this is what they looked like. I froze a bunch for sauce, the rest I've been snacking on...they're so good smeared on toasted bread, I had some on Ezekiel toast for breakfast.

Mike worked from home yesterday so I made it outside for a three mile run....in the cold 49 degree rainy weather. I dug out my running pants that were a Christmas present a couple of years ago, I think of them as my maternity running pants. They're way too big and I didn't feel like returning them, so I just hike them over my post baby/current wine belly and they're comfy for running. My aches are still there, but I'm icing and using a homeopathic gel on my foot and ankle, so they're feeling better. I feel like I have a bit of crazy runner mind going, I should probably take a rest day, but I'd really rather not.

In between all of this, I'm thinking of what my next race should be. We're doing a Breast Cancer walk this Sunday with the whole extended family which is nice. Other than that I'm planning on running my local Turkey Trot 10k on Thanksgiving. But what's next? What to do with all this motivation? Hmmmmmmmmm.