Monday, March 31, 2008

Katie (Deignan) Boemecke's new baby girl


Beautiful Claire Ryan Boemecke - congrats Katie!

Friday, March 28, 2008

5 Mile Run 6 week Training Program

I am going to attempt to run the Spring Lake 5. Most people can just walk out the door one day and do this, I cannot. I have really weak cardio strength. I just do, dont know why, but I do. If I wanted to run the boardwalk one day I couldn't . I would need to train for that. So I searched the web for a 5 mile training program. Not too easy to find, again, probably because people can just do it. There are lots of 10K, half marathon and marthon training programs. Not this year. So, if anyone is anything like me and has an interest here is the program (the link is at the bottom):

Training Tips - 5 Mile Schedule

How much do you need to train to be able to run a 5 mile race? Some people, who have a reasonably good level of fitness, because they work out regularly or participate in other sports, should probably be able to go out and run 5-6 miles on very little training. (Not me!) They might be sore the week after the event but they could still finish.

But if you make the decision to run the 5 mile race you might as well do it right. Below is a 6 week training schedule to help get you to the finish line. To participate in the programme you should have no major health problems and should be in reasonably good shape.

If you find some of the workouts too difficult you might want to walk some the route instead of running. That's fine.

Week 1
Day 1 - 1 mile run
Day 2 - 1 mile run
Day 3 - 2 mile run

Week 2
Day 1 - 1 mile run
Day 2 - 2 mile run
Day 3 - 2.5 mile run

Week 3
Day 1 - 2 mile run
Day 2 - 2 mile run
Day 3 - 3 mile run

Week 4
Day 1 - 2.5 mile run
Day 2 - 2 mile run
Day 3 - 4 mile run

Week 5
Day 1 - 3 mile run
Day 2 - 2 mile run
Day 3 - 4 mile run

Week 6
Day 1 - 2 mile run
Day 2 - 1 mile run
Day 3 - 5 mile run (Race)

Running work outs
Ideally put 1 foot in front of the other and run. It sounds simple and it is! Don't worry about the speed just cover the distance. Ideally you should be able to talk comfortably while you do so. Under this programme you run 3 days a week I would suggest Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday with Sunday being the long run day.

You can, of course, schedule the runs for other days but have a non-running between work outs. You will find the local park an ideal place to run. Use the grass if possible. Feel free to walk during your runs at any time if you feel tired or need a break.

Nobody cares whether you run the full 5 mile race - they are more concerned that you finish. If this means walking every step of the way in training and in the race then do it!

Stretching and strength
Monday is the day I advise you do some stretching and strength training. Easily stretch the running muscles. Strength training could consist of sit-ups, push-ups or use of free weights.

Cross-training
1 day a week try some cross-training. It could be swimming, cycling or an aerobic class, even a visit to the local gym. What cross-training you do depends on your personal preference, but don't make the mistake of cross-training too vigorously. Cross-training days should be considered easy days that allow you to recover from the running you do the rest of the week.

Rest
The most important day in any running programme is rest. Rest days are as important as training days. They give your muscles time to recover so you can run again. Actually, your muscles will build in strength as you rest. Without recover days you will not improve. In this programme 2 rest days are scheduled each week.



http://www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/2-news-events/annual/5mile/5mile-training.html

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Children's Consignment shop

There is a great 2nd hand store for kids in Shrewsbury - Cotton Tails. It has great clothes, gear, toys, books, room decor, movies and on and on. The clothes are neat and organized, it is like shopping in a "normal" store. And the selection when I was there was great - really well made brands and in perfect condition...It may be hot and cold but from what I hear it is pretty much always well stocked. I don't think I would ever buy a bouncy or exersaucer or high chair again first hand...
It is on Hwy 35 just past Ft Monmouth on the way to the Grove. Just past the Fort there is a light, turn left and then left again into a stripmall with and A&P and a WOW, it is in there. It is across the street from the mall with Marshalls...happy shopping!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Organic vs Conventional

All - I found a list online of 43 different fruits and vegetables in order of toxicity. It is interesting - I never knew that peaches were ranked #1 and therefore if you're going to buy anything organic it should be peaches. The least toxic are onions, buy conventional!

Below is the link to the rankings of all 43.
The top 10 most toxic fruits and veggies (along with their scores) are:

1. Peaches 100 (highest pesticide load)
2. Apples 96
3. Sweet Bell Peppers 86
4. Celery 85
5. Nectarines 84
6. Strawberries 83
7. Cherries 75
8. Lettuce 69
9. Grapes - Imported 68
10. Pears

http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Cool new website

Just made beets for the first time last night and was wondering if the tops of them were edible. On my quest to find an answer I discovered that yes they are edible and I learned all of their nutritional info from this website. By the way, I just peeled and cut the beets into 1/2 inch size pieces, drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and fresh pepper and roast in a pyrex at 400 for 30 minutes. Totally delicious. Caution-one small,unexpected side effect is that they turn everything red (on your insides too).

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Just in time for Easter - Hard Boil Eggs without the cracks

Hi all - I typically boil 18 if I want a dozen, I crack that many. So hear is supposed to be the no fail egg boil solution (this may be a no-brainer for some but I have tried everything and I always crack some):
Directions
1. Place eggs in pan and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch.
2. Cover and quickly bring to a boil; remove from heat.
3. Let stand for 15 min for large eggs (18 min for ex-large and 12 min for medium eggs).
4. Rinse in cold water and place in ice water until completely cooled.

I have also heard that you can line the bottom of the pot with a wash cloth...

Taco Pot Pie

Hi girls - I made this last night and it was ridiculously easy and we all loved it, I found it on domesticbetty.wordpress.com
Its not vegan or any of those - perhaps you can use the ground soy stuff instead?

Sharon’s Taco Pot Pie
September 12, 2007 in cooking, meal time, recipes by Sharon
1 frozen deep dish pie crust (I couldnt find a deep dish, a regular worked fine)
1 frozen regular pie crust
2 lb ground beef (I used ground turkey - and i think they come in 1.3 lbs so i used more than 2 lbs)
1 taco seasonings package ( I use Bearitos from the health food store, most others have MSG)
1 8oz can tomato sauce (I had an open jar of Raos so used it)
2 cups shredded cheese
1/2 package frozen mixed veggies (Turns out the whole package would have been fine)
Preheat oven to 350.
Brown and drain the meat. Add taco seasonings and tomato sauce and mix well. Let it cook down a little so it’s not soupy.
Mix veggies and cheese into the meat.
Pour into deep dish pie crust and mush it down as much as possible.
Turn the regular pie crust upside down on top of the meat and let it fall out of the pan. Crimp the edges. Vent the crust.
Toss it in the oven. Put a cookie sheet or aluminum foil under the pie to catch any drippings and let it cook for 45-60 minutes.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Two new inspiring websites

In my searh for new and delicious vegan recipes I have stumbled upon two new websites. The first is www.theppk.com. That stands for The Post Punk Kitchen. These girls have written two cookbooks together- Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and the new Veganomicon. Isa Chandra Moskowitz wrote Vegan with a Vengeance alone. I have all three books and they are great. The website has alot of good recipes whether you eat this way daily or you are just looking for some healthy new recipes- I particularly like their soup recipes. The other site is www.veganyumyum.com. This girl is in the process of writing her first cookbook. She is an amazing crafter as well. Check out her 'knit night' cupcakes that were featured on Martha Stewart. I made her Hasperat sandwich yesterday and it was delicious and healthy. Happy cooking.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Website - support the fight against autism


Hi - I received this email that I thought I'd share:
I wanted to share with you an adorable tee-shirt line, StinkyKids, with a fantastic motto: Always be a Leader of Good, which is supporting the fight against autism for March and April.

My friend, Britt, started the line 2 years ago and immediately began with donating 15% of all proceeds to a DC-area NGO which supports the fight against cancer.

With 10 characters in all (Asian-American, African-American and Caucasian), Britt has committed to donating 15% of March and April's online sales to an Atlanta-area autistic boy, Foster, for the Georgia Walk for Autism (which will ultimately go to Autism Speaks). The kids (above) are all based on real people/kids and have their own story of friendship.

If you're interested in helping to support this cause (autism affects 1 in 150 people!!!), go to:
http://www.stinkykids.com/
and upon checkout, enter the code: FOSTER.