Sunday, July 15, 2012

My Everyday Life ~ July 9 - July 15, 2012

Here is what my last week looked like:


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first herb harvest from my garden


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Jay & Josh on Long Prairie Trail

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My mountain bike... I call her Matilda.

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Cute bike seen at Tour de North End
( it reminded me of the 80s when we wore bike shorts as fashion statements!)

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Here I am with my road bike (I call her Penelope!) at one of the rest stops for Biking with Beanzie

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action shot of Jay's road bike

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yup!!  ;-)

Biking with Beanzie



Josh, Jason and I headed down to DeKalb, IL bright and early for our first time on the Biking wth Beanzie ride.  There were many ride options to choose from... 24,40,68,79,102.  We considered our riding experience and took into account the expected highs for the day when we decided to ride the 40 mile route. I had originally wanted to ride the 68 mile route, but it was suppose to be super hot and I knew I would have more fun riding with the boys.  It was 72 degrees out when we took off at 7:30am and the temperature climbed to 92 degrees by the time we finished at 11:30pm.  

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ready to ride
This ride takes place primarily on flat rural roads in DeKalb County... there is also lots of corn in this area, the fields go on as far as you can see.  The roads were almost completely clear of cars and they were in very good condition for being out in the middle of nowhere :)  

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cycling boys
I know that there is a ton of controversy surrounding wind turbines and wind farms, but I have to say that they are pretty fun see up close.  It's my opinion that they add something to the landscape, and I really enjoyed the view of wind turbines for miles and miles.  Its unfortunate that some of these small communities are really torn up over the turbines.  We didn't experience any feelings of headaches or vertigo, but I did see the "shadow flicker" on the crops and couldn't help thinking that it would drive me crazy if my house was in the shadow of one.  Personally, I love that we can harvest that head wind we were fighting while riding our bikes, but its easy for me to say since I live 45 miles away.

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flat roads, corn & windmills
The rest stops were great, about 8 miles apart and stocked with water, Gatorade, fruit, bagels, peanut butter and jelly.  The stops were a little closer together than I have experienced on previous rides, but I have to say that on a really hot day I enjoyed being able to stop often and fill up my water bottle.  Also, I think it made the ride more friendly for families and folks that don't have as much experience riding.  The volunteers were great very cheerful and helpful.  One stop even had frozen towels to cool off your neck... that was my favorite stop for sure!  Typically, we would start off together, and then the boys would pull away from me a bit, their pace just a tad faster then mine.  They never got more than a half mile or so ahead of me, and would always be waiting for me at the rest stops.

There were cute signs everywhere with a cartoon drawings of Beanzie's head placed into movie posters... I didn't get any pics of the signs but they were along the lines of "STAR WARS: Return of the Beanzie"

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homestretch
Near the end, Jays knee was hurting on top, and mine was sore in the back, so we decided to just take it easy.  Josh took the opportunity to ride faster and leave it all on the road.  We had some good laughs on our last few miles and really enjoyed each other's company.  It was getting hot, and we were definitely getting hungry... we almost missed the last turn because the sign was placed in an awkward spot.  This was the only sign that seemed strange, we never had any other problems throughout the day.

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my handsome cycling partner
In the last half mile, we moved over on the bike path and I removed the camera from my bike for a few action shots :) I am rather pleased with how they turned out.

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feeling accomplished, but ready for AC & food!!
We'll be back next year Beanzie!!



Monday, July 9, 2012

On the Menu ~ week of July 9


So happy to be back on track with healthy eating!  I decided to start with a simple menu this week, we are busy with work and training.  The heatwave finally broke and I dont want to be stuck in the kitchen too long :)

Monday 
- Herbed chicken in the crock pot with baked sweet potato

Tuesday - Barbecued pork chops with spinach salad

Wednesday - Bruschetta Chicken (reduce recipe for two and subtract the bread)


Friday  Steak with boozy bacon jam and grilled zucchini

Saturday -  dine out during the Tour de North End bike ride

Sunday - Grilled fish tacos




chicken breasts 
avocado
mahi mahi
basil
pork chops
blueberries
pork roast
cabbage
steaks
grape tomatoes

jalepeno

lime
balsamic vinegar
mango
chili pepper flakes
onion
chili powder
pineapple
chili sauce
scallions
cilantro
spinach
corriander
sweet potato
cumin
zucchini
garlic

greek yogurt

olive oil

parmesan cheese

red wine vinegar







Sunday, July 8, 2012

My Everyday Life ~ July 2 - July 8, 2012

Here is what my last week looked like:

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My Granny doing a word search

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My aunt & uncle's 3rd anniversary

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4th of July with my Aunt Lynette

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SOMEBODY tore up my garden (sniff)
I friggin hate those dang squirrels!!

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I got 5 inches of hair cut off... the heatwave made me do it


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aforementioned heatwave

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My strong friend Karol in her first triathlon

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Back to Summerfest to see CAKE... well, see them on the jumbo screen that is.. we were too far away and I was too short to see them over the sea of people, but it was still a great show!!

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Brown dog in a blue IKEA bag

Mandy's Menu Recap

Monday - Taking Grandma out for dinner (parents are out of town)
We ate Mexican food at one of our fav local spots: Sabrosa in Roscoe, IL

Tuesday - 4th of July party at our Uncle David's house
Chili dogs, homemade pizza, beers... oh my!

Wednesday 4th of July bash at Jen's mom's house
Homemade roast beef & ham sandwiches, angel food cake with ice cream & berries

Thursday- Dinner with Grandma
more pizza!

Friday  We scarfed pizza leftovers so we could get to the movies on time!  
We saw Spiderman on the IMAX 3D screen -  it was awesome :)

Saturday -  Dinner @ Summerfest - Were seeing the band CAKE!
We ate gyros and quesidillas and drank a local IPA

Sunday - I plan on brining and grilling a whole chicken... We stayed home all day and rested.  I got a bad headache and Jay ran out for sub sandwiches so I could enjoy my day of rest and hopefully feel better.  The subs were huge, but they got rid of my headache :)


Now, I feel like I had an amazing, fun week... but boy oh boy did I eat crappy or what???  It was a record breaking heatwave and with the holiday in the middle of the week, we just decided to make the whole week a free for all.  I am feeling kind of gross just typing it all out.  I am so ready to get back to fresh, homemade foods next week that is for sure!!!





Monday, July 2, 2012

My Everyday Life ~ June 25 - July 1, 2012

Here is what my last week looked like:

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study of spider web
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my very own Charlotte ;)
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hmmmm....
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Crazy storm clouds with no rain... this system became famous on FB within an hour
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best.thankyou.ever.
(they are all choked up over our gift)
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My first time at Summerfest :)
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A very tasty IPA from Lake Front Brewery :)
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Jay playing Little Big Planet Karting in the PS trailer
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The name of the band is COWBOY MOUTH!!
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Fred is the drummer and the singer!
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These guys ROCK!

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Focus would have been nice...oh well!
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My Sunday riding group :)

On the Menu ~ week of July 2

Almost seems silly to type this out... this week is going to be crazy!!  Reality and healthy eating kicks back in next Monday!!!!



Monday 
- Taking Grandma out for dinner (parents are out of town)

Tuesday - 4th of July party at our Uncle David's house

Wednesday 4th of July bash at Jen's mom's house

Thursday- Hair appointment in evening = scrounging for dinner!

Friday  Dinner with Grandma

Saturday -  Dinner @ Summerfest - Were seeing CAKE!

Sunday - omg a rest day?!?  I plan on brining and grilling a whole chicken





Sunday, July 1, 2012

Mandy's Menu Recap


Monday Pizza stuffed sweet potatoes for me & homemade pepperoni pizza for Jay
review:  this was ok, I guess it was better than just eating a plain sweet potato ;)


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Tuesday - Polish Kielbasa Beef Sausage and sauerkraut in the crock pot
review:  I got this sausage from US Wellness Meats.  It is sugar free, nitrate free and msg free.  I put it in the crock pot with a jar of imported sauerkraut for three hours on low just to warm through and meld the flavors. I didn't really care for the sausage at all, it didn't taste at all like Polish Sausage to me. I was slightly disappointed.


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Wednesday - Grass Fed Bison Burgers with grilled beets
review:  This meat is also from US Wellness Meats!  I shaped four patties, seasoned each side with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and pan fried them.  I loved the flavor of the meat.  We will definitely will be ordering this again :)



ThursdayChicken Tortilla-less soup
My nephew Austin spent the evening with us so we moved up the Flank Steak and had it with potatoes and corn on the cob.  My buddy loooooves steak:)



Friday  Herb Crusted Pork Chops (with unsweetened coconut instead of panko) and Oven Roasted Broccoli
We were at Summerfest and feasted on Mexican food:  quesidillas and tamales



Saturday -  Flank Steak with sweet potato and spinach salad
We were in Schaumburg picking up our bikes and on a IKEA trip, so we ate out



Sunday - spending the day with Dad, so I am guessing we will be chowing down there :)
I picked up Portillos for everyone since I was in Sycamore!!

I have to get back to eating more on my whole foods plan... I have been falling off the wagon lately... I think after the 4th of July it will be easier to be back on track!!