Jesus Year

I thought I would be excited when I finally looked into the mirror after 33 years to see a few wrinkles. I have been looking forward to the time where I sorta look older than the teenager that I have looked like my whole adult life.



But when I saw myself in the mirror today, I just looked exhausted. I don't have crows feet, but the furrow between my eyebrows is nice and chiseled, just like everyone said would hapen. My forehead has a nice fault line through it from too much raised eyebrows. Those "wrinkles" look more for someone either always angry or constantly thinking about...whatever.



So much for wishful thinking.

People keep telling me that I'm going to be happy when I get older that I look so young. I've been hearing that phrase since I turned 21 and even when I fake getting happy for getting carded and am very "flattered" when I get carded at bars (or to get into rated R movies), I still think it's super annoying and wish that I looked a little older. Still waiting for the time when I am thankful for looking younger! The grass is always greener on the other side, I guess.



Another thing that I noticed especially this week: I find myself "needing" my sunglasses so much more often, not because they are cool, but because everything seems so freaking bright now. Seriously, who turned up the light in the world? I have a difficult time staring at my computer screen for long periods of time. I used to be able to program classes all day and go home feeling slightly weird and needing a break from any kind of monitor. Now, I go an hour on my blue screen and then need a break.



My body requires much more prep work before heading in to hard core workouts or training sessions. I have this false assumption that I think I can sprint like I did in high school (or jump like I once did).



I learned that lesson the hard way as I winced away during a sprinting warm up two weeks ago with a strained hamstring. My knees used to hurt when I weighed more, but thanks to poor form on a lift earlier in the month, I had a week long of pain in my knee while running, or what many call "Runners Knee." Foam roller, ibuprofin, marathon stick, and stretching have become very important to me, much more important than I previously put attention on.

Don't get me wrong, I will never make excuses for where I am in my fitness. I think I am much more fit now than I ever have been in my life. I may have been fast in high school, but I was super lazy and burned out from 13 years of competition. Now, I at least love going to the box and lifting weights. I love going out to run with my kiddos on Sunday morning and I love waking up early to walk/jog with my dogs.

Three weeks ago, I was super excited to see what 2014 had in store for me, it is both the year of the horse (on the Chinese calendar) and my Jesus year. This means that I "should" be making unremitting efforts to improve myself this year and perform a "miracle" in some way. I was super motivated, and then I caught a snag in training with a strained hamstring, then caught a nasty flu that knocked me into bed for three straight days. Talk about putting everything on hold. So tomorrow, on my birthday, I'll be heading to my first wod in two weeks. I am looking forward to working out and making more gains in my fitness this year, eventually and progressively throughout the year.



Yes, I did mention that it is my birthday. I used to get super excited about celebrating another year of life. Now, celebrating at this time of year just feels wrong considering last week was the anniversary of my niece passing. I haven't wanted to celebrate or even care to acknowledge anything exciting this week, knowing that it's not a very happy time. Plus on a completely different argument, what is the excitement of living another year? I didn't break a record today nor did anything spectacular happen. I was just born today many moons ago. And I'm alive.

I am tempted to just tell people that my birthday is on the day of the LA Marathon and it would give them more of an incentive to go out and watch me run. This day will also give people a reason to actually cheer for me when I need it most during the year. Yea, maybe that's what I'll do.

I signed up for a pretty awesome delivery service from Nature Box. I initially thought that $20 for snacks was expensive and unnecessary. While it is pricey, especially for those on a limited income, this first box has some pretty tasty (and healthy) snacks. I love that there are few ingredients in each bag of snacks and there is a variety to choose from. On the website, I can check off if I have food preferences and limitations (which they would help modify what is delivered to me). I got $10 off the first box, thanks to a coupon I found online so the first order only cost me $10.

 The other thing I wanted to point out is that while we may be able to get snacks that are less expensive at the grocery store, we don't always know what goes into the process of making the snacks and I often cannot read the ingredients (because I'm not a chemist and I can't read some of these chemicals listed). I feel more comfortable knowing what I am putting into my body, even if it is a bit more expensive.

Well, here I go....into year 33....positive thoughts can commence!

Made with love

One of my best friends underwent surgery yesterday.  When she told me that she was going to have surgery this year, I was worried and hopeful that all would come out well.  

After-surgery recovery sucks. Food doesn't taste the same and the body isn't interested in digesting heavy foods in the first few days. I'm not very good at knowing what to say, so instead I made her food. I think she sticks around because I cook for her so much.

Because I signed up for a home delivery service of organic fruits and vegetables, I always have plenty to choose from in my house. The last three boxes included a butternut squash. I mean, I like squash, but not THAT much.  I can only handle so much of any food.

Thanks to Rachel Ray and her "Every Day Rachel Ray" magazine, I found the perfect puree for post surgery-Roasted Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Carrots...and I added my own twist.  

The recipe calls for:

carrots, sweet potatoes, celery

• 2lbs of butternut squash (peeled,sliced and cut into 1-inch pieces)
• 1lb of carrots peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds
• 1lb sweet potatoes (peeled,sliced and cut into 1-inch pieces)
• 2 onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges each
• 3 tbsp EVOO

Butternut Squash,garlic and onions

It didn't seem like enough flavor...so I added three cloves of garlic, Italian seasoning and chili flakes (Carmen is fan of sorta spicy), two celery sticks, and chicken stock instead of water.  The recipe asks us to drizzle olive oil on the vegetables before putting them into the oven to roast. I did, but I also added the garlic and herbs before putting them into the oven.   The recipes I find often consist of basic ingredients,almost daring us to make changes and update with our own flavors. This one fit that theory.

After the veggies roasted, I put them to boil in chicken stock. Then, in batches, put it all to puree in the blender.  Remember to add the salt and pepper, too!  The puree is a perfect blend of healthy vitamins and minerals to promote a healthy recovery.  It may even be a good option for infants (minus the chili flakes). 

The puree will be complemented with a dollop of sour cream on top and a lot of love while serving it to your loved ones. Carmen is in recovery and has already enjoyed two servings. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!