Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Yoga+ Running= Yes!

I've been running for years, but I just started doing yoga this past summer. I guess I was a little skeptical of yoga because people only say amazing things about it. I just didn't believe any one thing could really be that great. I'm not about to tell you that yoga changed my life, but it definitely changed my running. Here is how:

Mind set- Right off the bat, I started thinking more about the intentions I had for each of my runs. This has helped me stay motivated.

Posture- I never thought about my posture while running until after I started yoga. Maybe other runners think about this all the time, but not me. Keeping my shoulders back and thinking about what part of my body I'm "leading" with has reduced cramps and helped me push more easily through hills.

Speed- The craziest part is, any time I run after doing yoga, I am a lot faster. I honestly feel lighter on my feet. Very strange, but I'm not going to knock it!

So... Yoga + running= fast runs, with fewer cramps, stronger hill running, and a better mind set= Yes!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Decoupage: A New Frontier

I have always loved to collage. It's one of those arts and crafts activities that is so easy, but can turn out looking really good. You've just got to find the right balance of images and textures.

Recently, I decided to take my collaging to the next level and I got some decoupage glue. The cool part about decoupage is that you can collage onto anything. Glass, cardboard, wood- it all works!


The idea of this box was born from an abundance of bridal magazines and bobby pins. I cut out my favorite flowers from the magazines and used them to decorate this small box. Now I have a pretty container for the pins (which were previously all over the house) and I put those magazines to good use!

I also have lots of cooking magazines, so keep your eyes open for vegetable covered picture frames and other fun creations.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Peanut Butter and Banana Biscuits (aka the Butterless Biscuits)

This biscuit recipe has been in my repertoire for a long time and has taken many forms. I first made it with my friends D and S over a Thanksgiving break. It's great because it's easy and adaptable. After making plain biscuits, I used the same recipe to make sweet potato biscuits, banana biscuits, and lemon poppy seed biscuits. I could go on and on. I always billed them as "healthy" because the recipe calls for yogurt or puree instead of buttermilk or cream, but the stick of butter was always nagging me.

Today I present you with the Butterless Biscuits! I am sorry it's neither vegan nor gluten free, I will have to work on that. But they are a whole lot healthier than any other biscuit I've made. The trick is to use fat free Greek yogurt so you have high protein but less fat. After doing the tallies, the biscuits are officially much lower in fat and calories than their butter filled counter parts and much higher in protein (see the info at the bottom). What's more, they still taste like biscuits. The banana and peanut butter are very subtle.

To make these biscuits even more fun, use different fruit or vegetable purees instead of the banana or try using flavored yogurts. You can also cut back on the yogurt and add more of whatever flavoring you like. I hesitate to completely take out the yogurt though, since the enzymes found in dairy help with the rising. I have made some very flat biscuits in my day, believe me. Anyway, here's the recipe, go to town, and let me know what you think!


Peanut Butter and Banana Biscuits

2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 oz fat free Greek Yogurt
1 medium banana, mashed
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
water

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a medium size bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the yogurt, banana, and peanut butter. Mix and then knead the dough. Add a tablespoon of water at a time as needed until the dough is pliable but not sticky. If you add too much water, just throw in a little extra flour.

On a floured surface, roll the dough out to 3/4 of an inch thick and use a glass to cut out circles. Place the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. The biscuits should be golden and a little brown on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack and eat.

Makes 12 biscuits

114 Calories, 3g fat, 1g dietary fiber, 3g sugar, 5g protein

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Running with Music


When it comes to running with music, I go through phases. For a while I couldn't get through a run without a good beat keeping me going. When I trained for my first race, though, I was told I couldn't listen to music during the race. Apparently its a safety thing. So I weaned myself off the iPod and found others ways to motivate and entertain myself. When I showed up at the race everyone had their headphones on! Apparently, the rule only matter if you expect to win the race (clearly, not me!).

So now I'm left with the question: music or no music? On one hand my quiet runs are relaxing and give me time to think. On the other hand, the music helps pump me up and keep me entertained. For my most recent 8 mile run, I tried using music as a mid-run pick-me-up. At mile 5 I put in the earbuds and listened to some Red Hot Chili Peppers and Cake. It seemed to help me keep me going, but I didn't see any big change in my average pace.

Do you listen to music while running or working out? Does it help? What do you listen to?

Friday, March 4, 2011

First Time Potter: After the Firing

This past weekend, our first batch of pottery went into the kiln and out came... not so blue! I knew going into the glazing process that it would be unpredictable, but I was still shocked to see my pottery. The blue glaze I used on half the pieces was messed up. The person who mixed it may have left out one of the chemicals, possibly the cobalt. Oh, well. You live and learn, right?

The piece I photographed for my previous post about glazing now looks like this. One half was supposed to be blue. Even though its more of a light gray, I still like it. I was also surprised by how much the pottery shrunk in the kiln. I am not sure how to use this piece. Is it a bowl? a vase? What do you think?

One piece I am really happy with is the ikebana vase I made. I used a shiny black for the inside and a mat white on the outside. As I was pouring the excess black glaze out, some dribbled down the side creating the patch of brown. Now, I just need to glue the flower stand into the middle and it will be ready for showing off the first spring flowers.

Not only did we pick up our finished pottery this week, but we also glazed the next batch to go into the kiln. I felt like I had a better understanding of how glazes work after our first round. I stuck mostly to glazes I knew I would like and tried to recreate some of the chemical interactions I liked in the previous firing. I definitely tried pairing the black and white again. We'll see how it all turns out!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Three Things Tuesday

1. "Warm up to the week" runs
Often, after I fall into a slump with my running, I it's hard to just get up and do a long, timed run. So, I use a "warm up to the week" run to get myself going again. It's a light, easy run with the singular goal of feeling good. I've found it's a positive way to kick off a new week. The theory is: starting with a good run will help keep me motivated as I face more challenging runs during the week. These warm up runs are just two or three miles long, but I come back feeling more up-beat and confident.

2. Running in the rain
Yesterday, I was coming off a weekend of no running, I was tired, and it was raining. I decided a warm up to the week was needed. Standing in the doorway and looking out at the rain, it was hard to believe that a run would really help at all. Once I stepped through the door, though, I was reminded of all the perks of running in the rain. The air felt clear, I didn't get too hot, and the neighborhood was quiet. It was very refreshing to jog along at my own pace and take in the ultimate calmness of a spring rain.

Image from http://www.rocbike.com/tag/rain/

3. It worked!
After yesterday's warm up, I felt rearing and ready for my 5 mile run. The goal was 5 miles in less than 47 minutes and 30 seconds. I completed the run in 45 minutes and 40 seconds; goal accomplished!