Tonight’s Sunday supper was cooked as more of a therapy session for me than anything. The two things I love to do most when I am feeling stressed are run, and cook. Since I had just gone grocery shopping after work today, I decided cooking a nice Sunday supper would be a good idea since my goal was to cook something new each week!
There’s no real “recipe” for this dish, but here goes. Season your ribs with your favorite BBQ seasoning, salt, pepper and a touch of lime juice. Heat your cast iron skillet with a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to a high heat and sear the ribs on each side. Reduce heat and cook through until done.
For the cucumber salad, use your peeler and make long strips of cucumber (discard the outer green part) that will look almost like a wide fettuccini noodle. Place in a bowl. Season with salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon of yogurt and lime zest. Let chill for 30 minutes.
The asparagus I simply sautéed in extra virgin olive oil in a pan with salt, pepper, and minced garlic. YUM!
Dinner is served!
My sous chef!
The rest of my week was pretty blah. My workouts were minimal besides my daily plank due to work stress, school starting, and my little one catching strep on her second day of school. I’m hoping next week is better! I’m linking up with Holly and Tricia for their weekly wrap. Please run over and give their amazing pages some support!
It’s been a while since I’ve done a weekly wrap up with Tricia at http://www.misssippipiddlin.com/ and Holly at https://hohoruns.blogspot.com/ so I thought, why not?! Although I haven’t been running consistently, I have been very busy! We’re narrowing in on 17 weeks into this deployment, and there’s never a dull moment. The blog is a fun way to journal what I’ve been up to, so here goes.
Fitness: I worked 6 days last week, so to say I am tired is an understatement. There are no breaks for a single Mom, and some days I feel it more than others. But…we are keeping busy and doing our best to keep our chins up. I’ve been consistently planking every day for 2 months now, and achieved over 5 minutes last night. I did 2 minutes of straight plank, 30 seconds each side planks, and another 2+ minutes of straight planking. YAY!
I also did Hard Corp 22 twice last week, weight training twice, and did quite a bit of walking so it’s all good! I do miss running, but spending time with my daughters is more important.
Food: Gosh, I have been terrible about cooking anything worth posting about. We do pretty easy meals during the week, and often time have simple things like chicken sausage with sweet potatoes or quinoa and a veggie. On the weekends we splurge and this past weekend I took my youngest to a place called “The Patton house” in Geneva. We had amazing outdoor seating on the deck, and my youngest and I shared Oysters Rockefeller for an appetizer. They were simply amazing. I love the fact that my 9 year old chose these as an appetizer, LOL! I’ve created a foodie for sure! LOL!
She then proceeded to order the 16 ounce Rib eye steak. yup. She ate nearly all of this food minus the cheesy potatoes.
I opted for a lighter dinner, and had a blackened creole shrimp salad. And a few bites of her steak LOL!
Facts: Big news everyone!!! My daughter got her license on Wednesday. Because of my crazy work schedule it was a battle trying to get her to the DMV, so my awesome friend and neighbor took her on Wednesday because she’s off during the summer. I loved getting the play by play text messages, and when I saw this picture I cheered!! While it’s a whole new level of anxiety, it’s nice that she can get out and about without me having to taxi her everywhere after working all day.
We’ve also started tackling updating the girls bathroom. My daughter did the painting again, and I plan to start redoing the cabinets this week! So far it’s looking great and I am super proud of how well my daughter did painting!!!
Before….
…After!!!
Speaking of my daughter, I was also extremely thrilled when Deb from Deb Runs – http://debruns.com/ asked to feature my daughter’s poem she wrote a couple months ago titled, Pride. Please run over and check it out.
*the blog isn’t letting me add links, so I apologize for that!
Do your kids like to try new foods? Do your kids drive yet? What type of projects are you up to?
I hope you all have a Happy 4th of July, and a great week!!
It’s time for the weekly wrap!!! My week was busy as per usual, but overall a really good week. We are 16 days in to our monthly plank-a-day challenge and my longest has been just over 4 minutes! It’s fun seeing so many pages doing fun challenges!
Here’s my run down…
Monday Ran 2.5 miles, planked 3:01
Tuesday Ran 2.25 miles, planked 3:13 and did my killer arm workout.
Wednesday planked 4:22
Thursday ran 1.1 miles, planked 2:02
Friday planked 3:11 and did my killer arm workout
Saturday planked 3:06 with my mine, and this was even AFTER her amazing dance recital!
Sunday planked 3:14 and did my killer arm workout
LOVE this workout.
Thursday we had band open house (she’s decided on the saxophone, YAY!) for my little one, who isn’t so little anymore. I just finished registering her for 5th grade. This will be the last year I have an elementary school student. Cry. Did I mention my oldest will be taking her driver’s test within the next couple weeks? Double cry! LOL
too much cuteness here.
Friday was dress rehearsal for her, so it was a mad rush to get home on time, get changed and her in full costume but we made it!
Saturday we had her recital, and she all of the girls were just amazing. She was sad her Daddy couldn’t make it, but he was with us in spirit.
So while my workouts aren’t the best in regards to length, I AM pleased I am really getting into a groove with my schedule. Tomorrow is the 10 week mark of my husband’s deployment, and I can happily say we’re a 5th of the way done! ❤
Linking up with Holly and Tricia for the weekly wrap up! Please check ‘em out!!!!
This marks the first week we’ve gotten through with my husband being gone. Ok, tomorrow is technically one week, but who’s counting.
To say the week was hard, is an understatement. With as much as my husband travels, I thought that this truly would be easier. But it’s not. And more days than not last week I wondered how on earth I would get through this next year without him?
I don’t want to cook, don’t want to work out, don’t want to even watch the shows he and I watch together because honestly it just hurts. I attempted Sunday supper last night to try and get back to our normal routine, and the emptiness of my husband’s chair made it painful to even eat. We all feel his absence, and it’s hard to even put into words the raw ache I feel in my chest.
So here a few highlights of my week.
Does drinking wine alone make mean I have an issue? LOL…The kids and the dog are in the house so it doesn’t count as drinking alone, right? HA!
I worked out, ONCE last week. And was sore for 2 days afterwards, LOL. #outofshape
The girls and I got to Facetime with my hubby and it was GREAT. We went out to eat to celebrate Saturday night. Ok, I just didn’t want to cook.
My youngest also got her first slide phone. With the recent nanny issues, and my husband being gone, I just wanted to be able to communicate with her at all times. Call it paranoia? Normally I wouldn’t allow a cell phone until middle school, but I think this time my change of mind is warranted.
My hubby sent me a selfie of him and one of his troops. LOVE!!
Well, my lunch break is up, so I better get back to work!!! I’m linking up with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly wrap up! Make sure to check them out!!!
How do you get back in to a routine after a traumatic event? What age did your kids get cell phones?
I had thought about skipping the weekly wrap again, but I really want to keep writing, too….so I decided to work on my weekly wrap during my lunch break today to at least get something brief out there…last week was a doozy, so bear with me. So here it is, my weekly wrap up hosted by Holly and Tricia! Make sure to head over and see what they are up to!
It finally became all too real that I will be without half my heart, my smile, my best friend for an entire year.
Monday: I cried in the shower so my kids wouldn’t see how upset I was. And at some point during my pity party I forgot if I had washed my hair, so I washed it quite possibly twice, just in case…No one likes greasy hair. #losingmymind
Tuesday: I realized in a panic that I forgot to call my nephew the night before to wish him a happy birthday. While yes, I had sent his present and given him his card on Sunday, I still had promised him I’d call him. And I didn’t. #allthesuck #auntiefail
Wednesday: While in the midst of a conversation about the ever so important food network and upcoming shows, My husband loudly said, “You didn’t even hear what I just said, did you?” after seeing the blank stare on my face. Nope. Sorry babe. I didn’t hear a word. I was too busy trying to wrap my brain around being without you for a year, and how on earth I’d hold it together when we say our final goodbyes for the year this upcoming Tuesday (tomorrow).
Thursday: My nanny quit. Via text. Oh, and with NO NOTICE. “DON’T YOU KNOW MY HUSBAND LEAVES ON TUESDAY???” I begged, asking for at least 2 weeks’ notice. Nope. Sorry. That night, while my 16 year old drove us to dinner in my husband’s Honda, we were discussing the infamous Jeep wave. If you drive a Jeep, you wave to all fellow Jeep drivers in passing. Don’t be that guy that doesn’t wave. So while at a stoplight I spotted a Jeep and yelled to my daughter from the backseat, “Make sure to wave!!!” Wait. We’re in a Honda. Ugh.
Friday: The hubby and I escaped to Geneva for the day, eating, shopping, and just having a couple hours of just us. That night we took the kids to see Zootopia and to dinner and it was so nice to just hang out as a family.
Us having lunchDinner with friendsHe’s my smileMy heroEven time for video games, lol
We spent the rest of the weekend interviewing new nannies (I think we found one, fingers crossed this time she works out), and spending time with each other and some of our closest friends. My husband’s departure ceremony was on Sunday, and I was then reminded for the gazillionth time how darn proud I am of him. If you could see the way the room just is energized when my husband speaks to his soldiers, you would be in awe. It’s just awe inspiring and I get to call him my husband. Man, I am one lucky gal.
Tomorrow, he leaves and we will start the year of firsts. First phone call, first letter, first month done, etc. And I’ll be counting down the days until he returns. Please keep him and his soldiers in your prayers this upcoming year. ❤
Have you ever had a family member deployed? What’s your favorite thing to do with your family?
This week, I wasn’t going to post. But I decided that despite heartache, I needed to celebrate the fun weekend we had. So here we go, in mostly pictures, my weekend wrap up.
I got my hair did….cheaply, but done none the less…eek I look tired!Lunch with my girls! Why I am so squinty?I did NOT eat the bun. lolBoots make winter better9 miles on the dready equals winning!More boots…yup….Valentines day lunchFacetime with the hubby
I wish I could say this was an epic hallmark holiday, but I can’t lie. It was tough without my husband. We’ve spent the last several years apart, but tonight’s reminder that we are together always was just what I needed. My neighbors are currently plowing my driveway after our snowfall, so blessings all around. Thanks to Holly and Tricia for the weekly wrap up!
I thought about not linking up this week for my weekly wrap up with Holly and Tricia, but it’s been such a good way to keep me accountable, AND keep me writing vs. bottling up all my emotions, so here goes…
My week started out pretty darn good.
Monday I did a brisk walk on my dreadmill while dinner was cooking, just 3 miles, but felt good to stretch the legs. I also did the Tracy Anderson strength training video (30 minutes)
I met up with my friends for Tuesday night run club, and knocked out 6.5 miles at an average pace of 9:24. Not bad for this average runner.
My new jacket is SUPER reflective, I love it!
Wednesday-Pilates and core for 20 minutes
Thursday-rest and this is the day things took a downward dive.
Friday I was supposed to do my long run for the second week of marathon raining, see my Runfessions post, but ditched it since I wasn’t feeling well. Managed a few miles on the ‘mill. Nothing even pic-worthy LOL
All in all, my week was mediocre at best. The news that my husband leaves next week just has left me in an emotional tailspin, and the addition of the ever dreaded weekend duty this weekend has left my positive attitude falling a bit short. I have, though, delved into the Army wife network group that we’ve built on FB, and have been distracting myself by looking for yellow ribbons to pass out at the farewell ceremony. Sometimes when you are feeling low, it’s nice to help someone else…it not only makes THEM feel good, but you get good feels in return.
photo cred: wp.yellowribbonamerica.org
Saturday/Sunday I worked, and when I have weekend duty, sadly I have very little left in the tank for workouts. This afternoon when I arrived home, my youngest greeted me with warm hugs and a bright smile so I passed on the nap I was so looking forward to, lol. I did have a slight moment of panic, when our heater wasn’t turning on and the temps were dropping quickly in the house. I went down to the basement, realizing that I wasn’t sure which big box looking thing was the heater. How was I going to fix this? And then it hit me…I better figure it out, and quick. Thankfully the hubby was home, and I felt terrible waking him from HIS nap, as he just came off 21 days of duty and leaves again Wednesday. But he grinned tiredly, and fixed it. YAY. We have heat. CRAP. I couldn’t do it myself.
Yup, this sums up how I felt, LOL…all I can do is laugh, right?
How was your week? How do you handle set backs in regards to your training? For my women readers, are you handy around the house?
This weekly wrap up will be quick, because my hubby just got home from training THREE hours earlier than normal. #winning
Last week, I managed to work out 5/7 days. I ran 3 days, did 2 cardio workouts, and 2 strength training workouts. Today was my first official long run, of which I ran 6.14 miles and felt like I could’ve kept going for several more miles. WINNING.
Ninja? HEHE!
After my run, I made my favorite post run meal. EGGS!
It was hard to not have bacon too, but I am determined NOT to gain weight this time around.
When the hubby texted at 2:30 saying he was getting out at around 4:00 P.M. I decided to make a nice Sunday Supper of baked Salmon, Sweet potato puree` and roasted broccoli. Easy, elegant, and healthy!
I ❤ Salmon. I could eat it daily.
Hubby is almost out of the shower, and I am hanging on to every moment, so with that I bid you all goodnight!! I’m linking up with Holly and Tricia for the weekly wrap up! Please head over and check out the link up!
Are you training for any races right now? What’s your favorite post run meal? Do you gain weight during marathon training?
Movin' it with Michelle 