1/2 Marathon Training Update...

The training is going not as well as I expected!  I forgot to consider that  the times are changing.  It is darker in the mornings now and not as easy to roll out of bed, let alone the safety issues!  I now have to change my strategy!  I plan on doing short, fast runs during the week and concentrate on the longer runs over the weekend!  I did hit 11 miles already and I am hoping the next 2.1 will go well!  Until race day - Happy Trails!!!

(photo from 2010 10 miler)

The 1,690 calorie mac n' cheeseburger: delicious or disgusting???

OMG - this doesn’t even look good to me!  I go with DISGUSTING!!!

Denny's dastardly minds have done it again. The restaurant chain that fries mozzarella sticks between pieces of bread, have rolled out more gluttonously cheesy menu items.   

The most notable is the Mac n’ cheese Big Daddy Patty Melt:  A burger patty layered with slices of cheese, macaroni and cheese, another layer of cheese, some kind of tomato-based "frisco" sauce and two pieces of buttered-up potato bread. Still hungry? It comes with a side of fries. 

The 1,690 calorie count makes a lot more sense when you consider the sandwich is breakfast, lunch and dinner stacked on top of each other. It makes absolutely zero sense when you consider that it's got 500 more calories than a Carl's Jr. burger with fries, and large coke. It's about three times the calories of a KFC Double Down sandwich. And about 200 calories more than five (count 'em, five) Boston Market Mac and Cheese sides. 

That's without the super-size cheese option. Seriously, if your melt isn't ooze-y enough, you can pay Denny's 69 cents extra for more cheese. A better use of that 69 cents: pay the guy in the next booth to be your sober cheese counselor.

Our New Grill...

The grill is one off the most important and used appliance in our home!  (It was a very sad day when our old Weber gave out!)  Bob is the master griller!  I am excited about this new grill because I can actually turn it on and help out!  Bob can now call me now and ask me to turn on the grill because he knows I am a beast when I am hungry and this now gets dinner on the table sooner :).  Next - I will start learning how to actually grill!  The 10 days in between grills was quite an eye opener!  Going to the market and deciding what to eat was challenging - “that tuna looks great, but we can’t grill it”.  How dependent and how much do we rely on certain things!  Today is Labor day and we are going to be grilling a beautiful rack of pork!  Bob is surprising me with the preparation!

Happy Labor day and Happy Grilling!

Ha Ha - I am trying not to labor today!  If only there were more hours in a day!  Today marks the end of summer, I am in denial - where did the summer go?  Today will be a day to catch up with my husband and catch up on some household chores!  A great day to get in some cooking and portion out some protein for future lunches!  A great day to get in a few extra miles in along the lakefront.  And after all that - I am hoping to labor over my knitting needles and get some projects further along the way!

Celery, Cucumbers and Iceberg Lettuce Have Negative Calories...

The concept goes something like this: some veggies are so low in calories that they require more energy to digest than they contain. The result? Eating celery, cucumbers or iceberg lettuce can give you a “negative calorie balance.” Sounds great in theory, but “the calories you need for digestion won’t ever exceed the number of calories any type of food contains,” says Los Angeles-based nutritionist LeeAnn Smith Weintraub, RD.

Wow!  Kind of negative - don’t you think?  You might not be getting a great amount of nutritional value, however, these non-starchy, low-calorie veggies can still help you lose weight since their fiber and water content will keep you feeling full for longer. So go ahead and pile them on generously when you hit the salad bar for lunch.

Until Monday - keep thinking veggies and protein! 

Cottage Cheese...

Promoting Greek yogurt AGAIN!  I love cottage cheese, but it is not easy finding the fat free, so I haven't had it in years!  When people eat cottage cheese, they are going for the protein. But Greek yogurt has more protein and about 10 times less sodium: One cup of cottage cheese contains 840 mg of sodium, while one cup of 0% Greek yogurt has just 85 mg. An ideal swap!