Ow ow ow ow ow ow... everything hurts. My quads, my arms, my ribcage, my back -- everything. I really did myself in this past weekend.

Saturday we tried kayaking on the Salt River. We launched at Saguaro Ranch Lake, and it was beautiful there. The morning was cool and clear, the water -- invigorating to say the least. Brr!

We went from easy paddling on glass-like flats to a few fun woop-tee-doo rapids, to plain old drifting along. It seemed as if the river was ours alone, with the exception of ducks, carp, wild horses, and herons, and as signalled by the sounds of gunfire -- hunters!!

Apparently it's duck and quail season, and the hunters were aiming for the mallards that were everywhere. Since we didn't have any orange safety vests, we did lots of whistling and shouting to announce our presence. Luckily, when we got back to the more inaccessible areas of the river, we didn't have to worry so much about getting Cheney'd.

By the afternoon, we were a little worn out, a little sunburned, and ready to head home, where I took a nice nap, and woke up with some sore arms and shoulders. The rest of the day was pretty easygoing, and I even made a good dinner of cod, broccoli and brown rice.

Sunday morning, I was off to Tempe for soccer. The season had started back in September, but I wasn't able to play until now (oops!).

I play with my old team from Flagstaff. Due to their lengthy commute, our team is scheduled to play back to back games alternate Sundays, instead of one game every Sunday. That's right, TWO games (THREE hours) of soccer, in 90+ degree heat.

Yes, I stretched. No, I did not warm up. Yes, I started in midfield. For those who don't know, they sometimes call the midfielders the "lawnmowers" since they cover so much turf. After 5 minutes of non-stop sprints, I started wheezing and subbed out. That was a grand start.

The rest of the game(s) I played defense or striker, which meant that I got some breaks to recover. It actually felt really good to be out there again. On the field is where I burn off all the anxieties and frustrations of life, and re-energize my spirit.

Afterwards, I was shaky, smelly, and exhausted. It felt great. Monday, however, I felt like I was hit by a freight train. Today, it's not much better. Tylenol is my friend. I'm bruised, blistered, and I walk with all the grace of newborn doe. It even hurts to laugh.

At least I have two weeks to recover, before I do it all over again.

Posted by Korina at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The other day, Sweet Editor Brian was telling me about this frozen mixture of greens they sell at Trader Joe’s, when I thought, “it’s been a while since I stopped at TJ’s. I should check it out.” I stopped by on my way home that day and picked up some goodies:

Frozen Steel Cut Oats

I love steel cuts oats, and they are so packed full of fiber, they leave me with a full feeling for hours. Plus it’s good for my cholesterol levels. But I hate making it! They just take too darn long. Once in a while, I’ll feel motivated enough to get out the crockpot and made a big batch. Or I’ll have enough time to cook them on the stovetop. However, those occasions are rare.

I was stoked to find steel cut oats in the frozen foods section. At about a buck and half for two servings, my initial thought was that that was a huge rip off, since they can be bought from the bulk bins at any health food store for a fraction of the cost. I just reminded myself that I am paying for convenience, and tossed the box in my cart.

I made one of the servings this morning after my workout. Heating it up was easy-peasy – take it out of the plastic packaging, put in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Stir (I added some freeze dried strawberries at this point), and microwave for another minute and a half. I added a tsp of sugar, gave it another stir, and enjoyed. Not as good as homemade, but pretty darn good for 2 minutes! I give it an 8 of 10.

Whole Wheat “British” Muffins

My quest for a good and healthy english muffin continues. I picked up the TJ’s version of this product, and have mixed feelings about it.

The texture is similar to the Oroweat variety – fluffy. That stats are average – 110 cals, and only 2g of fiber. I give them a solid “meh” rating.

The search continues…

Organic Heirloom Tomatoes

I love a good tomato, juicy and full of tomatoey goodness. So I was pretty excited when I saw the plastic cartons full of lush tomatoes, in all sorts of kooky colors and shapes – such a refreshing change from boring old round and anemic variety I usually find in the grocery stores (the grape ones are the exception – always sweet and yummy).

I also picked up a tub of sliced mozarella while I was there (I know, NOT a healthy choice). Combined with the tomatoes, a chiffonade of basil from my mom’s garden, a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic, a crack of fresh pepper, a sprinkle of kosher salt… I think I found Heaven!

A solid 10 of 10 for sure.

Besides the lemon chicken that I managed to scorch in the microwave (don’t ask), that’s all I’ve tried from this run so far. There’s still chicken lasagne, brown rice, cod, and other things to try.

If any of them are noteworthy, I’ll certainly post about them here. Oh, and I completely forgot to get those frozen mixed greens that Brian told me about! Argh.

Posted by Korina at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My workout schedule kinda sucked last week. I missed two of my three cardio days — thanks to a doctor's appointment and a much-needed oil change. Then I went back up North to visit again – that never leads to good eating. I ended up 2lbs above my average.

So this week, I thought, "alright, let's get this week going on the right track!" Alas, Monday morning's workout (cardio) got bumped for a dentist appointment. Argh. At least my teeth are nice and shiny now.

However, I did make a scrumptious and *fairly* healthy dinner last night! I made pork tenderloin medallions wrapped in prosciutto (the less-than-healthy part), and topped with a green apple sauce. For sides: steamed green beans, and roasted new potatoes. The leftover green beans and potatoes are going into a niçoise salad for my lunches.

I should take pics at dinnertime. It doesn't look nearly as yummy in leftover-form.

This morning – despite the fact that I was running late, and only had about 20 minutes – I did my weights and crunches, per my schedule. So there's hope yet for this week.

Just say no to all-or-nothing thinking You know, it would have been really easy for me to tell myself that I blew it last week, so why bother? But that's like accidentally breaking an egg, and then tossing the whole crate of them on the floor. I just needed to clean it up and move on. That's one small battle won!

Tonight, oven-fried tilapia – possibly dredged in lime juice and encrusted with crushed Fritos. Hmm... I should probably skip the Fritos part, huh? Maybe I'll use cornmeal + flour.

Posted by Korina at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)