10,000 calorie challenge: January

Well I didn't make it.  Close, but not quite.  I was super miffed because my phone flew out of my lunch bag and broke, so I lost my HRM pictures from practice on 1/2 and 1/7.  I didn't count them as I can't remember them, plus its my punishment for not keeping up on my food/work out journal.

Roller derby practice 1/9

Insanity fit test

Roller derby practice 1/14

Insanity

Roller derby practice 1/16

Frostbite 5K 1/18

Roller Derby practice 1/21

Roller derby practice 1/23

Roller Derby practice 1/28

I went roller skating the weekend of the 25th, but I didn't wear my HRM.

Total burned:             6247
Calories from goal:    3753  (So with the missing practices and roller skating I may have made it!)

Maybe next month!

Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

I love salsa chicken.  Its such a go-to for some tacos that wont kill your diet.  I found a recipe on Pinterest for a new twist on chicken tacos.  They turned out awesome and they made good leftovers the next day.

What you'll need:
1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts
Juice from 2 limes
1/2 c. of cilantro
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 tsp of dried onions
1/2 c. of water

What you'll do:
Put it all in the crockpot.
Cook all day.
Shred when done.

Mr. Whoa rating:
√√√√

When I make this again, I wont use as much lime.  I think you could get away with 1 1/2, if not 1 lime.

Cheeseburger Pasta

This was basically glorified Hamburger Helper.  It wasn't bad...just a little dry.  I would make it again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

What you'll need:
1 pound of hamburger
1 pound of penne pasta-cooked
3/4 c. of milk
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 c. of shredded cheese
1 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 c of parmesan cheese

What you'll do:
1.  Brown ground beef, add salt and pepper.  Drain fat.
2.  Put on medium-low heat, add milk and cheese.  Mix until cheese is melted.  Add parmesan cheese.
3.  Add cheese sauce to beef and mix.
4.  Add pasta to beef and cheese mix.

Buying a box of Hamburger Helper would have been easier, but we had all of the ingredients in the cupboards.

Mr. Whoa rating:
√√√

Crockpot Italian Onion Chicken Sammies

This recipe was not even photo worthy.

Most chicken I put in the crockpot is bomb, but this one was terrible.  It smelled good, but it was super dry and way too salty.  Perhaps I needed to add more liquid?  I even bought yummy sweet hawaiian buns to put them on, but those were even more help.

What you'll need:
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. of water
1/4 c. of Italian dressing
1 envelope of dry onion soup mix
garlic powder-per taste preference

What you'll do:
1.  Add chicken to the crockpot.
2.  Mix water, dressing, soup mix and garlic.
3.  Pour over chicken.
4.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.
5.  Shred...serve on buns.

Hopefully you will have better luck than I did!

5K Challenge: Frostbite 5K

I decided for the year of 2013, I want to do a 5K every month.  I love 5Ks because they take less than an hour, your fees go to a good cause, and you get a free t-shirt!  Iowa weather can be a bitch to deal with, so I was nervous about doing them in January/February.  Turns out the 5K I registered for in January had perfect weather.  It was almost 50 degrees!

The 5K was called the Frsotbite 5K, which benefits the Alzheimer's Association for the Quad Cities.

I convinced my sister to go since it was near her (she lives two hours away), and then we got my eight-year-old nephew Bloom to go.

My sister and I wanted to walk so we could catch up and talk (and mostly because we are out of shape) but being a typical eight year old, Bloom wanted to run ahead.  I told him if he walked by us he could listen to my iPod.  He was good for a bit and decided to creep ahead of us.  I eventually had to run after the little turd, which I couldn't catch up to him.  There was a loop at the end for the .2 mile, and I caught him finally.  He ran the loop again with me, and we finished the race together.

I wasn't very happy with hum, but we finished five minutes before my sister.  My time was 48 minutes. Not great, but for not training at all I will take it.

The weather turned very cold the next day, so I'm not sure what February will bring.  If there is a month where I'm not able to do the 5K, I will do two in another month.  So far I'm one for one ;)

Not bad for a stroll in the park!

Parmesan Turkey Cutlets

Turkey was on sale at the market last week, so I bought a bunch of it!  I figured Pinterest would have some recipes I could use, and to no surprise, they did.  This was super easy, and it was very good.

Click here for recipe!

Most, if not all of the ingredients will probably be in your pantry, which is bomb.  

What you'll need:

½ cup dry Italian bread crumbs

2 heaping tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. parsley flakes

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. lemon pepper 

1/4 tsp. thyme 

5 sliced turkey cutlets

3 tbsp. melted butter or olive oil

What you'll do:

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine bread crumbs, cheese and seasonings in shallow dish. Dip turkey cutlets in crumb mixture. Coat both sides well. Spray baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Place cutlets in baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Bake, uncovered, for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Mr Whoa rating:

****

He liked them just fine.  He was worried the turkey would be dry, but it was juicy.

Part Three: My year in review

16.  Finish my tattoo.  I dId post before that I did get this done.  This is the beginning of the tattoo.  At my old job I could not have a sleeve, so I took the concept and put it on my side.  My dad was in the Navy and was very proud of his Irish background, so I wanted to intermix the two.  As you can see below I did a horseshoe for good luck, an anchor with a heart, a swallow holding two hearts for my Ma and Pa, and yes, those are brass knuckles with clovers for the finger holes.

Two years, and many painful hours later:

I added a ship wheel, a compass rose, and nautical stars which all mean finding direction in life.  And of course the back to tie it all together is the squid.  Squid is a nickname for people in the Navy.

17.  Take a spa day.  Well I had a spa day over a couple of days.  Before Vegas I did get a mani/pedi, and in Las Vegas I got my hair and make up done.  It was so fun...I hope to do it every time I am out there.

18.  Pay it forward.  I was never really into Starbucks, but I started going there for their awesome Carmel Brulee lattes.  On two occasions I bought the person behind me their drink.  

19.  Take a cooking class.  I still need to do this.

20.  Burn 10,000 calories in a month.  Well this is my punishment for not blogging on a regular basis.  I mean January is over half over, and I am still updating you about LAST year.  I made a habbit of taking a picture of my heart rate monitor to show how many calories were burned, and guess what.  My phone broke.  I have no idea if I hit my goal.  :(

21.  Participate in the home delivered meal program.  I never got a chance to do this/

22.  Take care of me, medically.  I am still having issues with break-ours, but I assume a lot of it is my hard hat at work and my roller derby helmet.  I got new glasses, but I lost them.  My doctor moved, so I guess I'm back to square one.

23.  Have a make-up lesson.  One of my best friends and I went to Las Vegas for her 30th birthday in November.  I surprised her with appointments at the spa at the Venetian, to get our hair and make-up done.  It was so fun!  The staff was great.  Here is the finished product:

I can clean up nice.

24,  Get prettied before I go out of the house, at least twice a week.  I did pretty well at this!  It was nice looking presentable instead of like a hobo.

25.  Detox my closet.  I got rid of a ton of clothes!  I had great success with a Facebook for-sale page.  I made close to $800 just taking pictures and listing them on Facebook.  I need to do it again, but I made more space in my closet.  I guess this means I can shop ;)

26.  Be Mrs. Hallmark.  I sent a lot of cards, hopefully making a lot of peoples' days.  :D

27.  Get my 401K rolling.  Yes I know.  I know, okay???

28.  Plant a garden.  This was a huge fail.  I tried.  I bought stuff.  I tried to til and I got tired.  Maybe next year.

29.  Go horseback riding.  I did not get a chance to do this.  Hopefully this spring.

Don‘t sweat the small stuff.  I am trying.  I promise ;-)

So in a nutshell I didn't do too bad.  I took care of some major things that I had been putting off for a long time.  Here is to a new year, and hopefully more things checked off!