Exactly one year ago today, I was tying up the laces to my brand new tennis shoes, zipping up my brand new jogging suit, and stepping outside to take in the beautiful fall colors and breathe in the fresh air of a brand new life.
A lot has happened in the past 365 days and I have loved every minute of it. I’ve loved the energy an active lifestyle has given me, the events my newfound confidence has let me enjoy, and the people I’ve met through it all. 2009 has been a great year. Quite possibly, the best year yet. 
In honor of my one-year anniversary, I went back to the very beginning – my profile page on SparkPeople and found my first blog entry:
November 2, 2008 –
Today was day one in my C25K training. The weather was gorgeous! (And a lot of the trees in my neighborhood have turned a bright red… I love fall!) I got a good night’s sleep last night so it was easy to get up and go this morning, although I didn’t anticipate any problems since I’ve been psyching myself up for this. Starting has never been my problem. It’s the follow-through I have trouble with.
I was listening to this interview the other day with this fitness expert who said (believe it or not) she has trouble motivating herself to exercise. So, she made a rule she strictly enforces… she has to get up and move for at least 10 minutes. Once she’s done that then if she still wants to quit, she does. But it’s that initial getting yourself into it that’s the hard part. Once you’re in it for 10 minutes, it’s a lot easier to stick it out for at least 10-20 more!
Here’s to tomorrow!
–
Yes, here’s to tomorrow… and the 364 days to follow!
With celebration,
Why my sweet tooth decided to kick in right around the time that candy sales are at their peak is beyond me. I tried to pacify my cravings for sugar with Skinny Cows, Slim-a-Bears, and Sensible Sweets… but sometimes a girl just needs some chocolate. Preferably Reeses.
Aside from my scandalous love of chocolate and peanut butter, I had an excellent Halloween with some dear friends. I had registered for the Halloween 5K back in July and despite my lack of running workouts lately, I still showed up and gave it my all. They didn’t give out chips this race and I somehow missed the large timer at the finish line, so I have no idea how I did time-wise… but honestly, that doesn’t really bother me. The fact that I got out there, felt good the entire 3.1 miles, and finished strong was all that mattered to me for this race.
Unfortunately, my lack of vigorous workouts also kept me from meeting my goal of wearing my cheerleading uniform for Halloween. Eh, it fit… but not comfortably. Next year! 
Instead, I rocked my backup costume of myself… twenty years ago. The funny thing (to me) was that this “costume” consisted of clothing and accessories I already had in my closet. The only thing I bought were the fishnet tights and gloves for $5 at Wal-Mart… ha!
After the 5K, my friends and I went to the Vanderbilt University movie theatre on campus to see a showing of the German silent film “Nosferatu.” It’s the original vampire movie made in the 1920s. The best part of it, in my opinion, was the musicians that accompanied it. The Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra consist of about 6 different people (around my age, I’d say) that play a plethora of instruments. They love silent films and write their own musical scores to accompany them… partly for their own enjoyment, but also to get younger, more contemporary audiences to love these historical films as much as they do. It was an extremely cool thing to witness.
I can hardly believe it’s already my favorite month: November!! So much fun is in store over the next few weeks! But first, the surgery. Man, I can’t wait to have that out of the way. Enough of that for now, tho. Time to curl up with a cup of hot tea and bid November 1st good day.
No doubt you’ve noticed the semi-hiatus at Amanda Lives Well. There are a few reasons why I’ve been mostly quiet over the past few weeks and in the spirit of honest blogging, I’ll tell you why.
The first is that I haven’t been too active and my lack of exercise doesn’t really bode well for a blog promoting wellness. Part of me has been a bit discouraged from the wall I’ve hit with weight loss, but the other part of me wasn’t worrying about that because I was worrying about something bigger.
Without going into much detail, I’ll say that over the past three weeks I’ve undergone several tests and x-rays which ultimately ended in scheduling a surgery for next week. Much to my chagrin, it’s not one of those “cool” hospital visits… like breaking a leg from skydiving or getting stitches after falling off a motorcycle. No, I’m just getting my gallbladder removed. Lame, right?
Fortunately, it’s not terribly serious and if everything goes as planned I will be able to return home the same day. According to my doctors, I don’t need to alter my diet in any way and can continue living my philosophy of moderation – not deprivation! Unfortunately, it will take me about two weeks post-op to get back to an active lifestyle.
I wrestled with sharing this as it’s borderline TMI, but it’s worth documenting for my own progress.
After the consultation with the surgeon, they sent me home with a booklet that explained the procedure and told me what to expect afterward. In it, I read something that piqued my interest: “The gallbladder’s job is to store and release a fluid made by the liver. This fluid helps break down fats in the food you eat.” So, naturally I wonder, if it’s not doing its job and the fats aren’t breaking down… does this explain the proverbial wall I’ve hit? Even though that’s not the original reason I’m having the procedure, I’ll be interested to see if it makes any difference.
After two weeks of recuperation (as advised by the surgeon), I plan to restart the C25K program to rebuild my endurance and to get me back in a running regimen. My next goal is to come full circle at the 2010 Resolution Run (which will mark my 1 year anniversary as a race-runner!) and I hope to be able to meet or beat my best time to date (36 mins).
Onward and upward!
Another great week of veggie awesomeness:
- Chinese Cabbage
- Salad Turnips
- Daikon Radish
- Sweet Potatoes
- Butternut Squash
- Onion
- Garlic
- Collards
- and Carrots (including a bonus super-carrot… ha!)
Recipe of the week, courtesy of Bugtussle Farm: “The Bugtussle Fare for Three Months of the Year”
- A load of sweet potatoes
- Plenty of butter (per sweet potato)
Fistful of sunflower seeds- An over-easy egg
- Salt, to taste
Throw your sweet potatoes in the oven for an hour at 375 degrees. Toast your sunflower seeds till they’re golden brown. Fry the egg in a generous amount of butter. Split open your tater, mash it up good, lather with salt and butter, sprinkle on sunflower seeds and top with a fried egg.
Of course, for the more health-conscious, you could scale down the butter and use an egg substitute for the “fried egg.”
As for other adventurous recipes, I just downloaded the Epicurious app for my iPhone so expect a lot more entries of my culinary trials and errors soon!
I’m just now starting to notice the change in the Tennessee trees. Fall is my absolute favorite time of year, though I’m afraid that with the colder-than-normal weather planned for the coming months we’re going to skip right over it and have an extra long winter. Hopefully, I can snap a few great shots of the red and yellow leaves before they prematurely drop.
I picked up my second CSA share on Saturday and got another great bunch of veggies:
- Bok Choy
- Kale
- Butternut Squash
- Garlic
- Onion
- 6 baby potatoes
- 3 sweet potatoes
I plan to make last week’s butternut squash soup again and am pretty excited to tackle bok choy. Bugtussle Farms included this recipe:
Bugtussle Farm’s Bok Choy with Gingery Butter
- One large choy, sliced crosswise into 1″ strips
- 6 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add the choy and cook until tender but still crisp, 2-3 mins. Drain the choy in a colander and immediately run under cold water. Drain well. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the soy sauce, ginger, garlic and choy. Cook, stirring constantly until the choy is well coated and heated through. Remove the skillet from heat, stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
I might try subbing some fresh parsley for cilantro since I don’t particularly enjoy the taste. And I might try cutting back on a little of the butter to cut out some of the cals. Again, trial and error.
Speaking of error… I had my first failed experimental recipe! Knowing that I was going to pick up this week’s CSA on Saturday, I decided to try and use up the remaining veggies from last week on Friday night. I had (and still have) quite a few greens, a beet, a few carrots, a daikon radish and a turnip. I cooked some chicken and rice and sliced the root veggies into matchstick cuts and made a stir-fry.
Sounds simple… and I will say it was at least edible. We finished our plates, but I threw out a lot of the veggies in the process. I think it was the beet that did me in from the start. The radish, turnip and chicken were all white, so once I threw the beet in… it turned everything pink! I joked that I should’ve waited till Valentine’s Day to make this.
I continued cooking till the texture was where I wanted it… tender, but not too tender. I kept tasting it and trying to season it appropriately but I just kept tasting the same thing… earth. Because they were all root vegetables (and even tho they were very well-cleaned), it just had a very “root-y” taste. Afterward, I vowed not to make it again. Or if I did, I’d toss the beet. I’m going to have to look up some beet recipes for the future. Do any of you ever cook with beets? If so, what do you make with them?
Despite all the running I haven’t been doing lately, I still managed to get up really early Saturday morning, don my tennis shoes and cross the start (and finish!) line of the Nashville 5K Bier Run. My realistic goal was 40 minutes since I knew I’d be stopping a lot to walk, but we actually finished in 38:25. Either way, I was proud of myself for getting out there and running in the first place.
The race toured through Germantown, one of my favorite up-and-coming Nashville districts, and kicked off the annual Germantown Oktoberfest Street Festival. Part of the race went THROUGH the Farmer’s Market — like straight down the middle and into the food court. I thought this part was pretty cruel as vendors were just starting to cook for 
lunch and you could smell delicious Chinese food as you passed (this was one of the parts I ran, for the record).
After it was over, I was greeted at the finish line by a souvenir mug, a free glass of beer and a bagel. Ha! Breakfast of German champions? I finished the bagel, but not the beer. It was only 9am, for the love!
Even with all the great freebies (I got a shirt, too… but instead of a hideous tuxedo shirt, it’s a hideous lederhosen shirt. ) and the accomplishment of finishing strong, my favorite part of this race was running it with two of my great friends.
So far I’m 2 for 2! It’s only Monday and I’ve already attempted both the recipes I posted…
Of the two, the soup was definitely my favorite. Talk about filling! I pulled out crackers to accompany my dinner but couldn’t bring myself to open them. This dish was HEARTY.
For the veggies, I used butternut squash, carrots, potatoes, onion, one sweet pepper and kale, of course. The soup itself had a little bit of a sweet taste (probably from the squash) but was actually quite delicious! I’m thinking a small, savory pot roast might complement the sweetness of this soup. Next time!
Yesterday was Week 1 of my CSA share for the Fall season. I was so excited!
I brought a large tote and loaded up with 1lb of potatoes, a butternut squash, a bunch of kale, 2 turnips (with edible greens), 1 beet (with edible greens), 2 mini-eggplants, a bunch of baby carrots, an onion, a bulb of garlic, a daikon radish (with edible greens), 1 sweet pepper and 5 mixed hot peppers (I even got brave and picked out a habenero!).
What a crop! Thank you, Bugtussle!
After I got home, I washed and stored everything in the fridge. Much like I imagine an explorer embarking on new territory would, I stepped back looking at my 1/4 bushel and said “now what?”
I scoured the internet for recipes. Of course, the first thing that popped in my mind were soups. I love a good hearty soup, especially in the colder seasons. I can’t wait to break out my crock pot and start experimenting on some, but I’ll be the first to admit that soups can get old pretty quickly. I need some variety.
Here are a few recipes I’ve run across so far that I’d like to try (NOTE: I haven’t tried, nor can I vouch for any of these yet, but I’m more compiling them in one place as a reminder to myself):
Eggplant Burgers
- 1 eggplant
- dash of garlic salt
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 Tablespoon parsley
Cut eggplant into cubes and steam over boiling water until tender. Let drain. Put in a mixing bowl, add eggs and seasonings (add wheat germ if desired) let sit 1/2 hr. Sprinkle hands with flour and shape mixture into burgers. Pan fry and serve very hot. If desired serve with tomato sauce.
Roasted Pumpkin & Kale Soup with Garlic
- 4 cups peeled and chunked pumpkin or hard squash (I was thinking of subbing in my butternut squash!)
- 2 cups peeled and chunked red potato
- 3 tbsp oil
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp fresh sage
- 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
- 2 red or yellow bell peppers, coarsely chopped
- 3-4 cups vegetable stock or water (I’ll probably sub chicken stock since it’s what I have on hand)
- 3 cups chopped kale
- salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Chop vegetables. Place pumpkin (or squash) and potato in a large roasting pan and toss with oil, garlic and herbs. Roast for about 30 minutes, uncovered. Add remained veggies, except kale. Roast for another 20-30 minutes or until veggies are well-browned but not charred. Remove pan from oven. Place roasted veggies and stock in a large stock pot. Season to taste. Heat over medium-high heat until pumpkin (or squash) begins to soften and combine slightly with stock. Add chopped kale and cook over medium heat until done, about 10 minutes.
On another note, I’d heard of eating turnip greens, but had no idea how to cook or eat the edible greens of beets or radishes. After a quick search on ehow.com, apparently you can cut the leaves off the stems and add them in with salads, soups or stir-fry dishes. I think I might try them mixed in with chicken stir-fry. It sounds as easy as sauteing them until they become wilted.
Another thing I’d like to try with all my fresh peppers is some homemade salsa! Does anyone have any salsa recipes they love?
If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen!
Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Living in Nashville, I so often get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the city. Not that Nashville is a huge metropolis, but there really is always something happening and I love staying involved in the goings-on of my community. I’m quickly finding that sometimes we can become too connected, though.
I met with a client of mine last week and made a (half-way joking) comment that my iPhone had become like an extension of my body. Every time it beeps, I instinctively reach for it to check my email. When I realized this, I felt a little sick. Have I become a slave to technology? Ugh. Every once in awhile, I think it’s really a good practice in living well to put on the brakes and detach yourself.
On Friday, I drove an hour and a half north and met a few friends in Bowling Green, KY. From there, we drove to a small town called Corbin, KY. Corbin is home to a 60-foot waterfall named Cumberland Falls and a natural phenomenon called a “Moonbow.” Few places in the world frequently feature moonbows. Cumberland Falls is one; the other is in South Africa.
We just so happened to be camping over a “Moonbow Weekend.” This being the first time I’d even heard of a moonbow, I learned that a lot of things have to be in sync for one to appear. There has to be a full moon hitting just the right spot, little to no fog, and the mist from the Falls have to reach a certain height. On Friday night around 10:00pm, we headed to the Cumberland Falls overlook and sure enough. We saw it.
It was faint at first, but the longer we stood there, the more it stood out. We tried to capture it on film, but our photographic attempts hardly do it justice.
The rest of the weekend was an absolute blast! Though, I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t eat as great as I should’ve. I brought 100-calorie snack packs… I had good intentions! Friday, we cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and Saturday, we cooked BBQ chicken breasts, beans and potatoes. Oh, and somewhere in between were s’mores. Lots of them.
Saturday, we also had reservations for a canoe trip down the Big South Fork River. I went in thinking this was going to be a leisurely canoe trip, so you can imagine my surprise when we had to cross Class 1-2 rapids!
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE white-water rafting. I’ve been three times (twice down the Nantahala and once down the Ocoee) and would go again in a heartbeat… but never have I encountered rapids in anything less than in the security of an 8-man raft. Rapids in a rickety canoe is… a little challenging to say the least.
After about 4 hours on the river (ALL of us soaked from our canoes flipping over at one point or another), we had never been happier to see land. I think my friend Natalie said it best when she called it “retroactively awesome.” Having made it through alive, I have to say I agree.
Go breathe in some fresh air and enjoy your surroundings… Fall is HERE!
“True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost.” – Charles Caleb Colton
One of my New Year’s Resolutions this year was to expand my social circle. I know how superficial that sounds, but allow me to explain…
About a year ago (70lbs ago), I was a homebody couch potato. I hid behind the doors of my home, playing video games and watching movies. I’d hang out with friends here and there, but I’d always cut visits short. I rarely tried anything new. Frankly, I was bored… but too lazy to do anything about it.
Once I started taking control of my health, everything else started shifting with it and when I got around my friends I realized just how much I missed having relationship connections. I decided I wanted to make new friends and really invest in the friendships I already had. Relationships are a big part of living well, in my opinion. Life is just too short and too awesome to be kept to oneself!
My friends make my life so much richer and because of them, this past week was a whirlwind of awesomeness. A few highlights…
Thursday, I met three of my friends for a Girl’s Night Out. Aloft hotel was celebrating the first birthday of their location in metro-Nashville. We were met in the lobby by balloons, confetti, a dj, wine and beer tastings, gumbo, quesadillas (and other hors d’oeuvres), cupcakes and a photo booth.
I love photo booths. Someday, when I have thousands of dollars to throw around, I will buy a photo booth and put it in my foyer at home. Any and all visitors will be required to participate. I haven’t yet decided to do with all those pictures I will accumulate. We’ll cross that bridge when I become a millionaire.
On Saturday, I met up with two great friends who are what you might call locavores. Due to the great case they make for buying locally, I’m trying to make a few changes in my lifestyle that reflect that. Saturday morning, I woke up early and arrived downtown by 9am. I met them at a small neighborhood church in a part of Nashville I’d never seen. When I drove around the building, there was a small tent set up with baskets of fresh potatoes, garlic, arugula, peppers and basil.
Bugtussle Farms is an organic and biodynamic community about 2 hours northeast of Nashville. Each weekend, the farmers (who can’t be much older than me) drive into the city and their CSA shareholders meet them at this location to pickup their fresh veggies and herbs. I decided to take a chance and purchase a small share of their Fall CSA. I’m hoping this will expose me to new vegetables and jump-start some cooking creativity!
Sunday, was the HOT PINK! event I’d been working on for the past month and I could not have asked for a better turnout. Between the silent auction, the live auction and the ticket sales, we raised a little over $5000 for the Nashville affiliate of Susan G. Komen. From the auction items donated to the 300 bras Goodwill let us borrow for decor, it was pretty awesome to see the entire community come together for such a great cause. Even the employees of the location that’s typically not open on Sundays all volunteered their time to come in and work for the benefit. Too cool! (Speaking of cool, I even got shot by the paparazzi!)
As for this week? Well, I was having dinner with a friend earlier (a Subway Veggie Delite sub, of course) and mentioned that after my meeting this afternoon, my calendar was free and clear… and I am hoping it stays that way!! Don’t get me wrong, I love a busy lifestyle, but a breather every once in awhile is definitely a good thing.
Have an awesome week!
Subscribe to Amanda Lives Well!
