Easy Halloween Ghost Craft

So this is my first post that is non food/fitness/health related... time to craft!! I like crafting occasionally but I'm not the most artistically inclined so you probably won't see many of my projects on here. However, I have made these for many Halloweens since about 12 years old. I'm also pretty sure I came up with this idea myself although I'm sure others have done this before, I will ask my Mama to verify that. 

This craft is super easy, (older) kid friendly (or with supervision because of scissors/permanent marker), and you probably already have everything you need at home! 

What You Will Need:

• White trash bags (13 gallon is what I used)
• Scissors
• Scotch tape (or other clear tape)
• Permanent marker 
• Floss, string, or fishing line
• Something to crumple into ball.. grocery bags, newspaper, etc.

For these you can either make small ones like I have pictured or larger ones. 1 Trash bag can either be 1 large ghost or two smaller ghosts. If you want larger ones follow all the steps except for the second bullet. 

What to do:

• Get white trash bag and if there is a draw string cut it off
• For two smaller ghosts cut bag in half.... cut along sides and then bottom. I have the bags that have seams along the side/bottom which make it easy. You will now have two squares.

What one square (half of bag) will look like 

• Crumple something into a ball about the size of a grapefruit. (I used two Safeway grocery bags they are white and I rolled them up so all the red writing was hidden... yes I have reusable grocery bags but I tend to forget them at home.. I'm sorry!!) You can use whatever you want but if it's mostly white or a light color it's better so you can't see writing through your ghost/trash bag
• Cover your crumpled ball with your square and use scotch tape to secure the neck. You could also tie it with string but I like using tape so I don't have to go completely around the head and can just pull the front around to the back and secure it. 
• Cut off any pieces from bottom of ghost body to shape it how you'd like. Like I said my bag had seams so I cut those off.

• Make a small hole in the back/top of your ghost and put a long piece of string or floss through. Length depends on how much you want you ghost to swing around and where you are hanging it. This can be done using a needle, or if you are creative you can wrap floss around a stick and punch it through to get it to the other side (haha this was the one tricky part for me) 

This is how I strung it (and there is my cat who liked the floss)

• Fun part! Using a permanent marker make fun ghost faces
• Hang on house, trees, in windows, where ever you'd like. 

Booooooo!!!!

Fuel and Supplements for Long Runs

So many! Where to Start?!?

A very important thing about training is making sure you are fueling appropriately. It is very difficult to train on a low carb diet. For shorter runs you will probably be ok but carbohydrates are the easiest fuel for your body to use. If you try to cut out carbs before your long runs it will make for a very tricky and tiring run. After a long run you want about a 4:1 carbohydrate to protein recovery meal. Something easily digestible that your body can use to repair after the hard workout you just put in. The hard part is finding a balance as to not over do it before or after. This is a common reason why many people will gain weight when they increase their work out regimen or start running more. If you're having a hard time do research about the number of calories and types of food to eat before and after work outs. Also consider that if you are sitting around all day after a long run that you don't need to eat massive amounts of food the rest of the day. Research, research, research. Knowing what to do and how to do it right will help a lot in the long run.

Fuel

In terms of fuel for training and race day the two important things you will need are carbohydrates and electrolytes. The best thing you can do is experiment with a variety of things on different runs and see how you do with them. Some people can't handle a lot of sugar and it makes them nauseous or throw up. This is good to know BEFORE race day. Here are a list of the different things I used during training and on race day.

GU Energy Gel - Flavors I like are Chocolate and Jet Blackberry

Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Gel - I used Cherry Lime but not my favorite flavor but not bad

Power Gel -  Pomegranate Blueberry Acai. This one had no caffeine so I liked it for runs later in the day so I could sleep or in between caffeinated ones to not over do it on caffeine. 

Accelerade 2nd Surge Gel - Chocolate. This one had lots of caffeine, carbs, and some proteins. This is what I used every 2 hours on long runs and race day.

Thermolyte MetaSalts - blend of electrolytes. These you just swallow with water. Nice because they aren't sweet. I took 1 every hour and then 2-4 if I started having any cramping as needed. 

Kramp Krushers - Electrolyes with some sugars as well. Taste really good. Nice to have toward end with cramps and as a distraction. If taking prophylactically don't need to take the same time as MetaSalts. If you have cramps throw everything you can at it haha (to a certain point)

Knowing someone who is a trainer or coach will be very helpful. Have them help you plan when to take certain things. Also know what they have on the course. Most races will have water and gatorade so if you plan to drink the gatorade on race day then train with it. After awhile you might not like how it sits in your stomach. Don't try anything new on race day. If you go into any running, cycling, triathlete shop they will have a variety of different things like this for sale. My dad was able to get all of these from the Tri shop that he used to work at. Talk to the people in the store if you need help too. A lot of them will have probably used some of the different products and have recommendations.

Supplements

There are a variety of supplements that can compliment your training. They aren't vital but they can improve your recovery or performance. Some people are all for them others are not. I will just list what I use and why and you can research them and decide if they are right for you. 

For Recovery: Recovery Amino Power - This is a blend of amino acids that help aid in the recovery process and bunch of other things too. Go to the site and read about it. You can spend way less and buy a variety of supplements that equal this one supplement or you can pay more and make it more convenient. I did 3 in the am and 3 at night leading up to the race and for most of training and then would always do 6 immediately after a work out (goal is within 20 min)

For Performance: Neogenis Sport BeetElite Neo Shot - this is pretty amazing stuff and the power of beets is starting to get really big in endurance sports. Basically it increases nitric oxide which helps you use oxygen in the body more efficiently. This is something definitely worth reading more about!! Do a shot in 4 oz of water before a long run. I noticed a big difference. 

Have a Plan

Mine was as follows:

Before race: 30 Min before Neo Beet Shot, 15 min before Roctane Gel

Every 45 Min: PowerGel

Every Hour: MetaSalt (or as needed)

Every 2 hours: 2nd Surge (if it was about the same time as a powergel I would skip the gel and just do a surge)

As needed for taste/distraction/cramps: Kramp Krushers

Hydration: I wore a water belt so I had water when needed and then planned to switched back and forth between water and gatorade at the aid stations.


**However,  you will have a plan and then at a certain point everything goes out the window. You will start doing what you feel you need, will sit well in your stomach, and tastes good but if you start just doing straight water after awhile you will need to force yourself to add some electrolytes and carbs or you will hit a wall. After about 17 miles my plan fell a apart and I did what I needed to do to cross the line.

Also have someone help you make a plan. Like I said. I would not take all these things if my dad didn't have years of experience, personal use, and knowledge about each of the products. Do your research!

Journey to My First Marathon

So as I had mentioned I ran my first marathon this past weekend! I cannot believe it still haha. I did the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. If you're new to the blog or haven't read many other posts let me start by saying I am not a runner. I actually kind of hate(d) running. Still not sure how I feel about it. But as a non-runner I decided to do a half marathon while living in Nashville about a year and a half ago. I was so amazed and proud of myself from going from barely running a mile to running 13.1! I then thought I am NEVER running a full marathon, no way in hell.

Well, life is interesting. I started to get this itch like hmmm I could do it... I could maybe run a full... I'd like to do a full before I'm 26 (26 miles by 26.. I think I'm clever). It's not like I kept up my running after the half either. I went back to only being able to run about 3 miles at a time again. 13 steps forward 10 steps back I guess. I had visited Chicago about 5 months after the half marathon and though well this place is amazing and flat; so I stuck this idea in the back of my mind about Chicago being the place to run a full if I ever decided to do it. Well some time passed and I decided to just look and see when the next Chicago Marathon was and saw that registration was a few months away. So there I was 25 and fully considering doing a full marathon. I set a reminder to register and when the time came it ended up being by a lottery system. I thought well if it's mean to be I'll get picked and if not oh well. I didn't make it in via the lottery and decided to forget about it (what a cop out).

Then the Boston Marathon bombings happened and instead of afraid I felt inspired. I thought I could channel all that negativity into something positive for myself and others. I decided to sign up for the marathon through a charity organization. I chose the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society because of my Great Grandma Mabel who died of leukemia. By the end of training I had raised $2,500!! Running for a cause bigger than myself was extremely rewarding and encouraging. Every time someone made a donation it was a reminder to keep training and keep pushing even when I wanted to quit. Come race day I am SOOOO happy that I ran with LLS's Team in Training! Every mile or so was one of the coaches who would jog next to you, encourage you, chat it up, or give you salt caps, GUs, or whatever you needed. Their little bits of encouragement go a loooong way especially at mile 23.

So I signed up, trained, and did it! However, I definitely had some set backs along the way. I didn't quite stick to my training plan as well as I should have. I let life and relaxing get in the way some days but I was able to keep up with my long runs for most of training. Then the last couple weeks of long runs I ended up getting sick and had a nasty cough that hung around for an extra week and a half. I wasn't able to do my last long runs before tapering began. The furthest I ran before race day was a training 13.1 miles... :-/ not what I had wanted to happen. But, I made a commitment to myself and LLS that I would do it. I made sure I carb loaded, hydrated, planned all my fuel and electrolytes, and told myself I would finish.

And I did! I finished 26.2 miles. Did I go as fast as I would have liked? No. But my real goal was to finish. I ran majority of it but did take quite a lot of walking breaks toward the end. And crossing the finish line I had tears in my eyes and was so happy and proud of myself. So now I am in recovery mode. The soreness has finally subsided but my foot is still killing me. I am nervous I had a stress fracture in my right foot but since I'm not working yet I have been able to rest all week and stay off of it, hopefully it starts getting better soon.

I will write a few more posts soon about specific training plans, how I fueled, and what I learned along the way.

The day after the race! Hobbled around the city for some last minute site seeing before heading home.

Easy Clean-Out-the-Cabinets "Pad Thai"

I was inspired yesterday by some Pad Thai recipes I saw on Pinterest so I decided to make my own. The one I saw that got me thinking was from My Fridge Food. I realized I didn't have majority of the ingredients that are called for in a lot of the typical pad thai recipes I saw. I decided to experiment and make my own based on the easy ramen version. Does this taste exactly like real or restaurant pad thai? No. Have I even had pad thai in 3 years? No. Does it taste amazing? YES! It was soooo good. 

The reason I'm calling it clean out the cabinets "pad thai" is because you can basically put anything in it and add some peanut butter and soy sauce and it will taste great. I had lo mien noodles I had bought a long time ago and never used so that was part of the inspiration as well. You can even do this with ramen noodles and it'd taste really good. Also I had received my Farm Fresh to You box and needed to figure out something to do with all the carrots and kale I got. I figured I'd throw it all in there and see how it went. Results = mmmm :)

Ingredients

• 1 package lo mein noodles (You can use pad thai noodles, other asian noodles, or even ramen)
• 2 boneless skinless chicken 
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce 
• 4 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp sriracha (add more or less to taste, it's very spicy)
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• Vegetables of you choice! Typically there are chilies, green onion, bean sprouts. However I cleaned out the fridge and used: kale, carrots, and the little bit of broccoli I had left in the freezer. 
• Optional: I also had about a Tbsp of Asian Sesame dressing left in the fridge so I used that so I could toss the bottle. I like the sesame flavor but you definitely don't need it since it was so little I'm not sure how big of a difference it made.

Directions

• Cook chicken. I buy frozen chicken so for two pieces I cook at 325 degrees for 50 minutes flipping pieces half way through. Depending on thickness may need to go longer. If you need directions for non-frozen chicken follow directions here and then add in the vegetables and continue to cook/sauté as with the fajitas. If cooking whole frozen chicken shred into bite size pieces once it's done.
• Cook noodles as directed. For lo mien noodles: cook for 4-5 minutes in boiling water, drain, and leave to side. 
• In large pan add vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, shredded/shaved carrots, chopped kale, and garlic (or any other veggies)
• Saute over medium heat, adding a few tablespoons of water as needed to help wilt the kale, stirring frequently. I did mine for about 10 minutes but it depends on the vegetables and your preference for how soft/crunchy you want them. 
• Once chicken, vegetables, and noodles are done turn off pan and add all ingredients into your large pan. 
• Add peanut butter, the rest of the soy sauce, sriracha, a little black pepper (doesn't need salt because of the soy sauce)
• Toss all ingredients until everything it coated, if it looks a little thick you can add a couple Tbsp of water to help thin it out. 
• Add more sriracha, soy sauce, or peanut butter to taste. My boyfriend probably added another Tbsp of soy sauce to his serving alone haha but mine was fine as is. 

It's Been Awhile

Hello All! (or anyone... if anyone is still reading the blog haha) it has been quite awhile since I've added a new post so I just wanted to check in. 

Life has been pretty hectic, I am done with school but had been looking for work as a NP and have been doing a temp job in the mean time. I also have been training for a marathon!! I cannot believe it is next weekend!! I'm nervous and really excited. I will post more about the training I did and some tips/tricks I've learned along the way and also a post on how it all goes once I get back.

Don't have any new recipes or anything for today but wanted to say hello and if anyone is checking out the site (first time or again) wanted to let you know I will be updating more soon and add more to the about me section since it's been about a year since I've updated that.