Tired Thursday

Another tiring week, despite the fact that it was only 3 days long at this point!

We had off on Monday, Memorial Day, obviously.

Last week I was finalizing Career Day which was overly tiring plus a field trip in HOTNESS and, yesterday we had our Surprise Retirement party for our Principal- super super sad! 

I made center pieces, well added the polka dot yellow and green bows, as well as made the daisies in the middle.  We put candles on the tables and streamers and balloons and decorated the restaurant all up.  

I also made a memory book, collecting letters from all the classes to put into a binder- it was huge. Quite the summer reading! There were definitely letters that brought tears to my eyes, who knew these kids could be so dang sweet?!

So, this is how I feel right now....if only I could be lying a beach right now......asleep

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Chicken roll ups

Hobby of the Day: Cooking

I know, chicken roll ups sounds a little weird.  I didn't really know what to call my chicken dish. 

Recipe:

-1 egg beaten

-Panko bread crumbs with added garlic powder, kosher salt and some cayenne

- 3 thin chicken breasts

- chopped frozen spinach (thawed)

- ricotta

 

Directions:
1) Dip chicken breast in beaten egg, then dip in panko bread crumb mix
2) Add a thin layer of ricotta cheese and if you feel like it, add some additional spices, italian spices, or some more garlic powder.  
3) On top of the ricotta, add some chopped spinach, then roll up and place in shallow pan.
4) Bake at 375 for 30 minutes

 

With a side of basil pearled cous cous

Super Yummy-again, my personal opinion:-)

Happy Memorial Day!

Remember what today really means.....

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To all those who have served and are currently serving

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We thank you!

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To those who have lost loved ones

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We will NEVER forget!

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Tired Thursday

I think that I am pretty good about posting M-W, LOL, but midweek I hit a wall! It's my I'M TIRED wall.  I go hard at the beginning of the week, especially this one.  

I took over the job of Career Day at our school and still taught- I know people, BE AMAZED!  In the past it has been our guidance counselor who has done it, but she was assigned Testing Coordinator this year and therefore we really didn't have a guidance counselor. She needed to take a whole day off to create the schedule.  Thankfully, I can't leave anything least minute, that's not how I roll.  I am get it started waaay before it its due so that it doesn't come back to bite me in the butt. 

Here is a picture of my "organization" of the presenters schedules.  This is actually the teacher's schedules. Next year I will have one for the presenters.  I would have been more OCD if all the post-its really lined up and if I had had more colors.  Unfortunately we only had 5 colors in stock and I was not going to go out and spend more money.  I apparently need something like 15 colors of post-its. Does that even exist? 

Dear Post-it, 

If you have other fun colors will you please send me some for next years Career Day so that I can be even more organized?! 

Sincerely Avid-Post-it User!

What I loved was that I could move people around really easily, or just cover them up with another post-it. It worked for me, It might not for everyone. 

While I'm not really excited about trying to organize for next year, I am kinda excited to make up another schedule and re-wow my fellow co-workers......

Thank goodness for my fellow 1st grade team, without them I would have been in tears. They pitched in waaay BIG! Love them! 

Eating like a Single Lady

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There is nothing wrong with being single, or living alone.  I mean Beyonce sings about "All the Single Ladies" right?!

Sometimes solidarity is nice. I mean, I'm married, but even this chica needs some "me" time. Because my husband works 3 nights a week I am often left at home alone. I usually putz around, or nap. Sometimes I do the much needed chores. Actually I'm a pretty good at cleaning, ask the hubs.

So, although I do enjoy cooking, I am not going to cook for just lil old me. Instead I live mostly off of pasta or veggies, or the combo of both.  If there are left overs I will pick at those too, or I will just graze on whatever we have in the house.  

Remember Ramen? Think college, I do, I buy the 6 packs for like $3 at the grocery store.  My favorite is the blue package, or Oriental flavor.  I didn't realize that Oriental was a flavor, did you?  When I hear Oriental, I think rug.  I think Ramen needs to catch up with the times and use Asian Flavored....although being Asian, perhaps I am not really a fan of that either.

Do you like how I even classed up the photo with instagram?

I know *gasp* I'm a grown woman eating Ramen. Clearly I am eating it for it's amazing nutritional value, all those vitamins and minerals mmm.....or maybe it's the high sodium content, that must be it. I enjoy retaining water and feeling like I can't get my rings off.  I am, however, a little more classy and cook it in a pot, compared with the microwave-I'm beyond college people....I also don't eat it straight out of the pot(although I've thought about it), again classing it up, I put it in one of our nice bowls. :-) But, if I ate it out of the pot I would only have one thing to clean compared with two....hmm.....

 

 Why yes, those are red pepper flakes on my green beans- Love my Spiciness!

I'm also a huge fan of veggies, so sometimes my dinner consists of just that. Steamed broccoli, roasted cauliflower, green beans, potatoes, zucchini....I'm a veggie kind of girl. Plus at least when G isn't home, I can eat all the veggies he dislikes.  Score for me. 

Got Cramps?

Do you ever get that dreaded cramp or side stitch while working out? Specifically running?

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I do, more often than I would like.  Sometimes I get them after eating and then walking- ha! Does that mean I'm waay out of shape? Or does it just mean that my food is having trouble kinking its way through my intestines?

Runners World mentioned four ways to stop that dreaded side stitch.  This might be helpful if you experience them frequently.  In the past I used to stop running and walk while I waited until it went away.  Now, I just power through. I figure it has to go away eventually right? Just like my feet that fall asleep.  I typically try and take deep slow breaths, if possible.  Deep in and slow out and hopefully lessen the pain.  

RW says:

• Eat mindfully pre-run. There are many theories as to why stitches occur, and one of them factors in what and when you eat pre-run. Foods that are higher in fat and fiber take longer to digest. That doesn't mean they are bad foods, but if you eat them within one to two hours before a run, they can cause havoc—creating stomach upset, stitches, and other problems. Experiment with a variety of foods pre-run, eat lightly, and give yourself plenty of time to digest. One person's perfect pre-run fuel is another's disaster. 
• Invest in a solid warmup. Going from sitting to running speed may save you time on the watch, but it can create irregular, rapid-fire breathing patterns, which can translate to you bending over in pain on the side of the road (with a side stitch). Invest in two to three minutes of brisk walking, gradually work into an easy running effort, and then into your planned running workout pace. Doing so will increase the quality of your workout and decrease the risk of stitches that arise from pushing the throttle too soon.
  
•  Regulate your breathing. Run like a swimmer—with efficient breathing patterns that are in sync with your body. Swimmers can only breathe when their faces are out of the water (obviously), so they focus much of their time learning their breathing tempo and matching it to the rhythm of their stroke. Runners can benefit from the same technique by matching their breathing to their strides—inhaling for two to four strides and exhaling for the same. The faster the pace, the shorter the sequence (fast pace = one or two strides per breath, slower = three or four strides per breath). This can not only prevent stitches, but also improve the efficiency of your oxygen transport. Plus, it's a great way to keep in touch with your running effort levels without a watch.
• Slow down and exhale to release the stitch. If you still get another side stitch, implement this strategy and it will go away in seconds (I promise). Slow your pace and exhale as the foot on the opposite side of the stitch strikes the ground. This doesn't mean every time that foot hits the ground, but as you exhale, do so in sync with that opposite side. When you exhale, you use the muscles of your diaphragm. When this happens in unison with your foot striking the ground, the impact forces travel up the body and through your core (your side too) and exacerbate (piss off) the muscles in spasm creating that stitch. When you change the side of the landing forces to the opposite side, the tension causing the stitch releases. For example, your stitch is in your right side. You slow your pace, and exhale as your left foot is hitting the ground. Voila! Side stitch is history and you're running without swearing once again [source]

You've just been bamboozled

If you are a Friends fan, you understand:-)

Hobby of the Day:  Going to Bamboozle in Asbury Park, NJ

I don't go to concerts very often and if  I do it's only because my wonderful husband has bought tickets. My first official concert was my sophomore year of college and we saw, New Found Glory, Less than Jake and Good Charlotte.  I was kinda into pop punk at the time, I guess I still kinda am:-) I've seen Jimmy Eat World a few times, The Fray, Foo Fighters, Yellowcard and some others. You may be surprised to know that I have even been to a few hardcore music concerts too.  I have NO idea what they are saying, but I do enjoy watching people Mosh and "dance." It's just so dang expensive to go to concerts. Why does entertainment have to be so expensive?! 

Gary surprised me, as usual with tickets to go see Bamboozle.  It was a whole weekend event, but we only went for the bands that were playing on Sunday.  It was about a 4 hour drive, sleep time for me. Actually I did a pretty good job heading up, but not so great heading home when the hubs probably could have used my chatter.

Originally Blink 182 was supposed to play, but had to drop out because of the flu, I think.  They got My Chemical Romance to play instead, which is meehhh to me. I don't really know their stuff. But, I was super excited to see The All American Rejects, Jimmy (of course!) and The Foo! We didn't actually get to any of the other stages sadly enough.

 

We got there at about 3:30 and immediately had to distinguish ourselves from the youngsters that were all over the place. It was quite a beautiful day, PERFECT weather. Although, if it had been a little colder then perhaps people would have been wearing more clothes instead of less.

I have to say that it makes me sad that girls feel the need to wear such little clothing, short that aren't really shorts and shirts that are barely there as well.  I'm not a mother, but if I saw my daughter wearing some of that, I might have blown a gasket! I also blame retailers like American Eagle with their half shirts and when did lace shirts because so popular?!

Needless to say- this was a WONDERFUL place to people watch! 

Here's a HUGE pet peeve, sorry if you do this, but people who buy the shirts at the show and immediately put them on.  LOL one kid bought multiple shirts and changed them with the different bands.

I was worried that I would have to stand for hours upon hours, but the main stage was set partially on the boardwalk and partially on the sand. If only I had realized, I would have brought a towel along to sit on.  But...I Heart the beach so I didn't mind just sitting on the sand and soaking up the sun!  

 I knew all their songs(because I'm a good great fan!). They didn't play anything off their new album, but played off Futures, Clarity, Bleed America and Chase the Light! They make me so happy- I regularly listen to them while I'm running.  

I'm sorry to say I forgot to take a pic of The All American Rejects, but I loved all their songs too and it brought back lots of memories!

 

In case you were wondering, Yes, I could taste the Rocky Mountains

 I wish I could tell you what songs they played, but I can't I don't really know or listen to their music.

 

They played a great set.

P.S. The Foo Fighters also played on the season finale of SNL, the helicoptered from here to there- pretty cool. Also, sad note, Kristin Wiig is no longer on SNL. 

 The youths by us got bored, or restless and decided to dig holes and build mounds to stand on.

 Can you tell that he loves me? Note my blue sweatshirt....I had to purchase that because this dork(me) forgot to bring something and ended up freezing- it's ok, it's a Fueled by Ramen sweatshirt. 

Fireworks after the last song.  One of Gary's friend's brother was helping to set them off, just a fun fact that I thought you might be dying to know! DJ Pauly D was playing, but we didn't get to see him spin his stuff because The Foo Fighters were a little more important.

Would I go back? Good question. I guess it depends on the line up, as well as the cost.  

Was it fun? Yes, I had a blast people watching and since the weather was perfect I loved just sitting on the beach. 

Working out.....

Hobby of the day: Working out

Cybex Total Body Arc trainer, Abs and treadmill

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 This is how I feel at the end of the school year.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked my class this year!

Ok, maybe it's just me, but as I get closer and closer to the end of school I get less and less motivated. I feel like I am literally burning the candle at both ends.  It's kinda like a race. I prepare and then I go out hard(beginning of school) and then as it's closing in on the finish(end of year) I feel like I'm just not gonna make it.  Do you like my metaphor? Clearly I have running on the brain lately.  That's probably because I have a half marathon looming just around the corner.  Like I said before, I am NOT prepared and it's shame on me. 

 Don't be fooled, that's not me.

So, since yesterday was uber wet I didn't work out, I also didn't work out on Sunday. I'm pretty terrible.  So I stepped it up today.  Did some resistance cardio on the Arc trainer=30 minutes, as seen on The Biggest Loser. Then I went down to a much needed Abs class. I haven't done one of those in awhile since I've been doing Jillian Michaels. I feel like the Abs guy has to have amazing Abs, he does it like 10 times a day.  I'll tell you I was busting a sweat and breathing hard. He does a lot of incorporating medicine balls, free weights and bar weights, plus the bosu ball. He is intense. I am hoping I hurt a little tomorrow.  Guess we'll see.  Then I trucked it over to the running room to knock out a measly two miles. I know lame! But I did get to watch a partial of Law and Order SVU. Gary and I used to watch that ALL the time, but sometimes all the gruesomeness of the horrible things that happened to the characters is a little too much, but  maybe that's just me.

On a super positive note, it's the weekend!

Lemon Bars

Hobby of the Day: Baking

Continuing on through the Martha Cookbooks T and I decided to bake lemon squares- she was my pastry chef. If you have never had them before, they are "heaven." My opinion of course. If you don't like something tart then they might not be your "cup o tea."

I love them, there's something about them. They aren't overly sweet, perhaps it's that tartness and they have a great yummy buttery bottom.  They are rich and dense.  It's a pretty simple recipe as Martha's recipes go.  I should have picked something harder since I had a helper, but "c'est la vie."

I had all the ingredients except for whole milk and a lot of lemon juice.  I usually always have lemon juice, but I didn't have enough for 3/4. Again keep in mind they are called LEMON squares for a reason.  I didn't use real lemons, I'm sure Martha does, I instead used the cute little lemon shaped bottles from the grocery store. 


One thing that it does require is that you freeze the cookie like bottom before you bake it. I always worry about moving a glass dish in a freezing environment to a hot oven, sometimes disaster occurs.  

Recipe: page 266

for the crust:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, frozen plus 

more for the dish

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

for the filling:

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup whole milk

 Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 -inch glass baking dish, a line with parchment

2. Make crust: Grate butter on a cheese grater with large holes; set aside. Whisk together flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter; stir with a wooden spoon until combined and mixture looks crumbly

3. Transfer mixture to prepared dish; press evenly onto bottom with your hands. Freeze crust 15 minutes. Bake until slightly golden, 16-18 minutes. Leave oven on.

4. Meanwhile, make filling: Whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and milk. Pour over hot crust.

 Love Kosher salt!

 

 I used to drink this and now I shudder to think what it would taste like

5. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees, and bake until filling is set and edges are slightly golden brown, about 18 minutes. Let cool slight on a wire rack. Lift out; let cool completely on a wire race before cutting into 2-inch squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Lemon squares can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 2 days. 

** I froze them so I could keep them longer. They also taste great with whipped cream if you like that.