Another Count Down Is On... Plus a CONTEST!!!!

Non fitness related but this count down is very much to do with my well being.

My daughter's birthday is coming up next Friday February 7th, and we have an AWESOME surprise for her.  Her present is also an early present for me, for my birthday as well.

On Saturday July 19th, 2014, I will be taking my little girl to see her favourite singer in concert...
                                                                 

Katy Perry!!!

She is going to freak out next Friday.  Well it might take a bit, because she will probably think that we are going the next day...LOL.  And then she will ask me repeatedly, "is it the next morning?"  This will go on I'm sure for the next 6 months, but THAT's OKAY!  I want her to be excited for this.  It will be her very first concert(of many, I hope) that she attends in her lifetime. 

She has already been to the symphony, but never to a concert like this.  Some of you may remember when I got tickets to go see Madonna 2 years ago, my daughter wanted to come with me then.  I had to say "no" to that one.  Maybe next time Madonna tours, I will take Lil' M with me.
You know how sappy I can be and this concert will be no exception I'm sure.  I made up some new playlists for spinning, that include some Katy Perry songs, and last night when I was spinning I started getting choked up thinking of me and my little girl at the concert.  I'm SO excited to be sharing this with her.  I think I am going to be more excited than her.  She will have the next 6 months to sing and dance to Katy's songs and she will be ready to party.  Like mother, like daughter. 

 

More on this story as it unfolds...

Speaking of spinning, I am back on the bike and this may be the year that I return to teaching at a club.  I did inquire about it last year, but they needed instructors during the week, during the day.  I could not, and still cannot do that.  But I may find somewhere that I can teach, even if it's only one night a week.  I just want to be back in the saddle inspiring people to love spinning, as much as I do.

After my spin session in my attic/loft last night, I was still listening to my cool down song selections, and the song that I was listening to was, Someone Like You by Adele.  I still had my ear buds in and I started to sing, and then I started belting out the song, just like Adele(well maybe not quite).  My husband was standing there and I said, "I wish I could sing", and I knew already what he was going to say before it came out of his mouth.  He replied, "I do too".  Ha ha.  My son was just finishing up his bath and he heard all this, and he said, "You can sing Mummy."  I LOVE IT!  I love it how kids think their parents can do everything.  LOL.  I think maybe with some lessons, I could sing without hurting peoples ears.  LOL.  I'll leave the singing in public to the Adele's and Katy Perry's in this world. As long as my kids don't mind, I will keep singing at home.  And I know my husband, and he enjoys my trying to sing.  I'm sure not always, but sometimes.

So back to spinning...I made up a couple different playlists to ride to, and tested them both out the last two nights.  Some songs I will take out and/or move in the order of play.  A great song to spin to is Celebration by Madonna.  The Benny Benassi Remix.  AWESOME!!!!  "Come join the party...Let's get this started"..."I guess I just don't recognise you with your clothes on"...LOVE IT!  That line always reminds me of this lady that was a participant in my spinning class years ago.  We ran into each other in the grocery store and I said hi to her, but she didn't know who I was at first and then she did, and she said, " I didn't recognise you with your clothes on".  And by that, she meant regular street clothes.  It's not like I was the naked spin instructor.  Boy wouldn't that be quite the sight. LOL 

Speaking of naked...I read about this Yoga Studio in New York City offering naked yoga sessions.  Enough said.

Well in the kitchen today I made a Black Bean Meat(less) Loaf.  I found a recipe on line and then kind of did my own thing because I didn't have all the ingredients needed for the recipe so I did what I do best, improvise.  I had some for my lunch and it tasted pretty good.

This month has been all about the Black Beans.  I soaked some, cooked them and wondered what to do with them all.  Along with the Meat(less) Loaf.  My little daycare helper and I made some more Black Bean Brownies.  And yes I do realize that I still haven't posted the recipe for these.  Well today we changed it up again.  So please be patient until I figure out which one is the best.  Like for instance today, I used only egg whites instead of the whole egg.  I will post the recipe with modifications.  Today's recipe have a bit more "sugar" in them because I had some butterscotch Chipits in the cupboard that I wanted to use up.  Yes I know they are not "CLEAN", but they will never be purchased again.  My family and the children in the daycare are going to be transformed into CLEAN EATING MACHINES.  Well at least when they eat here.  My son is a picky one when it comes to trying the treats that I make.  However, on the weekend I made Ginger Cookies and he liked them...SUCCESS!  But I can't just give him ginger cookies for a treat in his school lunches.  So I will be working on many more recipes over the next little while.  NO SUGAR.  My sweetener of choice is HONEY.  I love honey.  It's natural and right from mother nature herself.  In the brownies today, since they had the butterscotch chips in them, I didn't use a much honey as I would have if the chips would have been dark chocolate. 


It is still pretty cold around these parts but it looks as though the temperatures are supposed to rise this weekend.  I think because of the cold temps, I have resorted to my spin bike.  I was feeling guilty that I haven't been back out running again.  Well another reason I haven't been out running is that I need to get a new pair of running shoes.  I know that it's an excuse, but my feet have been hurting and I don't want to injure myself due to worn out shoes.  So I shall save my pennies and maybe when the snow thaws, I will be back on the road again, running.

I am still contemplating a full marathon this year. 

The last time I updated my Nike + running app, I noticed that it now has all the training right there on it.  So I have since deleted the other apps that I had downloaded on my iPhone, some of which had started training without me.  So if I do decide that a full marathon is for me, I have my training partner/coach ready to rock.

Let me know what you are planning for this year. 

Last year was a full year for me as far as different races.  I did some 5K's, a Mud Run, some Colour runs and to top it off, my half marathon.

 

 

What do you think I should do this year???

Since this cold weather is still sticking around and I saw yesterday that even Florida got hit with some snow(not sure if is true or not, I only saw a picture of the state sign with snow all around).
I feel like warming up with a contest.

The winner of this contest will be able to get their "Chog" on with the NEW product by Maus Wear,   The Hed-Chog.

So all you have to do for to enter this contest to be eligible to win, is to answer the question above...

What do you think I should do this year?  By that, I mean in the way of health and fitness.  Whether it be a race, a fitness program, singing lessons (LOL)...you let me know and you might just win a Hed-Chog. 

 

I know it's cold here where I live but the Hed-Chog is not just for wearing in the winter weather.  It can be worn all year round.  As the seasons pass, I will have more and more pictures up on the website www.hed-chog.com of different ways to wear the Hed-Chog.

Go on, get your Chog on!

Good luck to you!

Until next time...

Stay Strong!

Trina

A Rest Day That Got "Beet" Up

It was all about the beet root today in my kitchen.  I bought some the other day and wanted to do some baking with them.  I made two different cookies with them today and the rest for dinner tonight.

These recipes will be posted on the "Cook With Me" page.

The first cookie I made, sorry not just I, but rather my little girl and I made.  She was SO into it.  She didn't even turn her nose up to the thought of beets in the Chocolate Chip Cookies.  She did however say that the coconut oil smelled bad...LOL.  She was in charge of adding ingredients and stirring.

I had steamed and pureed the beets ahead of time so that we would be ready to mix things up.

Since we had to wait for husband to return home from buying us some chocolate chips for the Chocolate Chip Beet Cookies, my daughter decided she was going to make an apple drink.  Well her apple drink turn into an Apple Cake topped with Chocolate & Strawberries.  Now she wants to do a cooking show...LOL.

Here is her Apple Cake...

and the chef herself.

 

After the Apple Cake, she had a break while I prepped the next cookie...the Heart Shaped Beet Sugar Cookies.  I mixed them up and placed them in the freezer to chill.  After a half hour the dough was ready to cut out into heart shapes.

We floured, we  rolled and then we cut.  My daughter was loving it.  In the oven they went and in about 10 minutes, the first batch was ready.  A perfect substitute for regular sugar cookies, for Valentines Day.        

Tomorrow I am going to find something to fill some of these with...sort of like a peek-a-boo cookie.

Well it is late and I have been in this kitchen pretty much all day long, except for my trip to the grocery store a few minutes ago.  I will post these cookie recipes tomorrow.

Until then...Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina

Back in the Kitchen

I am back in the kitchen again.  So that means new recipes will be posted soon.

I made two batches of bean brownies.  The first made with black beans.  The second with white kidney beans.  The daycare kids loved them.  They loved them because they didn't know what was in them.  I'm sure if I put a bowl of black beans in front of them(well some of them), they would turn their noses up.  The brownies tasted great and they are packed with protein. 

Black Bean Brownies                            White Kidney Bean Brownies

I will work on posting those recipes on the weekend.

Another recipe that I prepared for dinner tonight was some healthier fried chicken.

I saw the recipe floating around on Facebook and I changed it up slightly by changing the flour.  I would have change the oil, but my husband is not a huge fan of coconut oil.  Next time I will cook my in coconut oil.  I have posted that recipe on my "Cook with Me" page.

Now don't go crazy and eat this ALL the time.  BUT it does make a nice home cooked comfort meal.  Plus, it's better than eating out a fast food chicken place.

This post took me much longer to write than expected.  I know it is very short, but once I got to the chicken part, I switched to my  "Cook With Me" page and posted the recipe. 

PLUS...my husband put on the movie "Run Fat Boy Run".  It's funny and inspirational.  And yes, the emotional sap that I am, I did tear up during the running of the marathon.  It's a great feel good kind of movie.

Another great day of Body Revolution workout, Just Plank It! Challenge and eating right.  I did eat a few more calories today than I probably should have, but it was GOOD clean food.

I almost forgot...I also made a Avocado Chocolate Pudding.  I will post that on the weekend too.

I may try adding a touch of milk to smooth it out more.

Dee-lish!

Until then...Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina

Just in Case...

Since we have had some "crazy winter weather", as some people may call it.  I call it a true Canadian winter.  We haven't had a winter like this since I was a kid. 

In December there was a major ice storm that hit some areas very, VERY hard.  Many lost power for days, and some of those days were through the week of Christmas.  So with no heat or hydro for some, I thought I might share some information JUST in CASE it happens again.

The other day I was checking out the things coming up on my Facebook wall and I found a couple links.

The first an idea on How to Easily Heat Your Home Using Flowers Pots and Tea Lights...

Now remember your fire and safety when doing anything that involves an open flame or flammable materials(such as in the second video link)

We have not yet tried this heating system, but my husband is very excited to try it.

http://www.trueactivist.com/how-to-easily-heat-your-home-using-flower-pots-tea-lights/

So now that you have your home, or at least a small room warm, you can move onto cooking.

This one here, my husband did try and it worked very well.

How to turn a beer can in a camping stove...
http://www.trueactivist.com/gab_gallery/how-to-turn-a-beer-can-into-the-only-camping-stove-youll-ever-need/

We cooked an egg using it.  My husband used a can from orange juice rather than a beer can, and it worked all the same.

Here is the stove in action.

We had it sitting on top of our stove for safety purposes.

 

Here is the egg we cooked. 

Well this was while it was still cooking.

 

My husband was pretty pleased with how it worked, he ended up cooking a second egg.  We found a container to store it in, and look forward to trying it again while camping this year.  Or if our power goes off, at least we have this emergency option.

 

Again, be sure you are safe while using these two emergency options.

 

Today was the start of the Just Plank It! Challenge.  I hope you got your 20 seconds done.  I actually forgot to do it after my workout this morning, so I snuck it in while waiting for my son to come home from school.  It doesn't take long, it's ONLY 20 seconds.  You CAN DO IT!!!!

 

So I mentioned about the LOOMING that has been going on in my life, and today was no exception.  With my daughter not in school today, and with another girl the same age in my daycare...we LOOMED for part of the day.  I was quite impressed with my daughter's skill of listening and following instruction.  She doesn't seem to hear me when I say, "It's bed time now", but yet she listened and was able to complete this(more difficult) Starburst loom bracelet with only a little bit of help from me.

 

By using the different coloured bands to make up each starburst, it made it easier for her to see which band she needed to loop next.

She is a star!

 

 

My second day of logging and completing my journal on www.myfitness.pal.com I feel like that spark is coming back to me.  That same spark that helped to motivated so many of you.  So if you have been having a rocky journey like me, I'm here for you. 

If you have just been slackin', look out!!!  I'm going to get you moving again.  When I know that I have inspired you, YOU then inspire me.

 

 

Until next time...Stay Strong!

 

 

Good night

 

 

Trina

 

 



 

Happy New Year!!! Wait A Minute...Am I Late???

Happy 2014!!!

Yes I am late!  I can't believe that we are almost at the middle of January already.  I have been quite busy these late few weeks and haven't had time to sit down and get this post written.

I hope you had a wonderful ringing in of the new year, and you are enjoying this year so far.

On the fitness front, I have been doing Jillian's Body Revolution program again.  Today was the start of Week 2 of Phase One.  So that means I rocked out Workout 1 - Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Quads and as Jillian puts it "a little bit of abs".  I have added some weights were no weights are required and trying to build my muscle and strength back up to where it was when I was at my best.

As this is my journey, and like any journey, there are the UPs and the DOWNs...I had enough DOWNs last year, there is only one way to go now and that is...UP!

So...today is the first day in a Looonnnnnnggggg time that I have logged all my food into my journal on www.MyFitnessPal.com and completed my diary for the day. 

I got back on my spin bike the other day.  I asked my daughter, "Should Mummy go downstairs and workout or should I ride my bike?"  She replied, "The bike.  You haven't been on that in a long time.  It's fun!"  She was SO right!  There will be more spinning this year than last...for sure.

So what have I been busy with...

www.hed-chog.com

 

The Hed-Chog is a versatile product to be worn on the head.  It can be worn for all seasons, for children and adults.  For more product information please check out the website.

I wore two "Chogs" to keep me warm while shoveling the driveway during the very frigid temperatures were had last week. 

I wore one as a head band and the other to protect my neck and face.

As I am trying to get the word out about the Hed-Chog, I have also decided to start up an Ambassadorship Program.  For more information about the program, shoot me a email at phatsoslim.staystrong@gmail.com

So along with designing, manufacturing, ordering, shipping, working, getting the kids up and off to school, working out and many other things, my kids have got me LOOMING.

The Rainbow Loom is all the rage right now and it has hit our home too.  My niece also has me hooked into it.  She messaged me yesterday to say she made a certain kind of bracelet, so I tried it too.  My daughter is getting better at it, so she will soon take over the loom and I will never see it again.  Thankfully.  It kind of SUCKS you in and makes you loom for hours.

Speaking of my daughter...you have seen her on here through pictures and I think some video in the past.  Well...she is loving the camera now and is making her own little shows.  She does them all on her own and I must say I am quite impressed with her directing skills...LOL.

Here are a few of her shows...

This first one takes places while I was downstairs sewing and she was in her room making the Lalaloopsy Show.  I love when the lights go out and because the hallway light is still on, it casts the "moonlight" (as she told me afterwards) down on the house.  And I AM HER TRINA!

In this next one, she makes it sound like her Dad, my husband lives across the street.  He does not.  We all live happily under the same roof.  She is SO crazy!  The part in this one that cracks me up is when she goes to look for her costume.  She can't find it because all her dress up things are in a big pile beside her bed.  LOL

I hope you enjoyed these two videos and I hope that brought a smile to your face.  I know that if I am ever feeling down and she is not around, I know that I can watch these and I will feel better.  If she makes you SMILE, please share to keep the silliness and laughter going.



So on my Facebook page I announced that I will be starting the Just Plank It! Challenge TOMORROW.  Here's the scoop...

We start tomorrow the 14th of January and we will hold the plank for 20 seconds.  We will do this each day until February 13th and then the last day will be Valentine's Day February 14th, on this day we will hold the plank for as long as we can.  The reason I set it up like this is because it's 2014.  We start on the 14th, hold for 20 seconds and then end on the 14th.  I hope you will join me and the others that have already indicated that they are in.

Well I must go now because I have a loom bracelet to finish...haha.

Good night

Stay Strong!

Trina