Jun 30, 2010

Hump Day

Early morning and I'm feeling it. 8 hour work day = mental exhaustion. Since I still had 1/2 a banana left from yesterday's Overnight Oats, I decided to make another batch for this morning.


Almond Cherry Overnight Oats
    1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
    1/2 smashed banana
    1 Tbsp. toasted wheat germ
    1 FF Red Velvet Cake yogurt
    Handful of almonds
    Handful of dried cherries

I thought about adding some Nutella in there and didn't, thinking that this would be enough to fill me up for the morning. I was wrong. Oh well, maybe next time. I biked to work, started my experiment, and then ate a mid-morning snack of dry Life cereal. Lunch was as uneventful and dull as ever. Regular protein bar, soy nuts, and fruit. I really need to think of things to eat at lunch. But with no refrigerator and no microwave, and the fact that I can only eat in little bursts, makes me feel very limited and deprived in my choices.

I biked home after work, fully ready to watch the episode of Pretty Little Liars that I missed and look through some of my mom's old cookbooks. But, alas, it was my turn to make dinner, so at it I went: Summer Vegetable Frittata and Kale Chips.


The kale chips were okay. I think I'll reduce the time for the next batch, though. The frittata was amazing. Seriously, IGE, I owe you BIG for this recipe because I could not have been more pleased (and neither could my mother, who I made this meal for, she was surprised that there were so few ingredients).

After allowing for a bit of digestion, I went out for a run shooting for 2 miles. Let me tell ya, my body did not want to do even half a mile. But, I pushed myself and cranked out a nice 2.16 miles in 19:57. That's a 9:10 pace and 6.5 mph on average. I feel so good, knowing that I did what I set out to do and accomplished it even when it got hard. But now, I am definitely ready for bed and not looking forward to the 7+ hour work day I have again tomorrow. Night!

Summer Vegetable Frittata
(modified from IGE)
Ingredients
2 whole eggs
4 egg whites
1/4 cup parmasean cheese
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 small sweet potato, cubed and steamed
2 c. broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup water
2 oz. goat cheese
Directions
Whisk eggs and egg whites with parmasean cheese,salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large skillet on high, then add the sweet potato and some salt and pepper, and cook until the potatoes are slightly colored.
Add broccoli and water into the skillet. Cover and steam for 2 minutes or until broccoli still has a little bite.
Add the egg mixture to the skillet and spread. Run a spatula around the outside edges to prevent sticking.
When the bottom is set and the top slightly runny, add goat cheese and place skillet under broiler for 3-4 minutes or until cooked.

Kale Chips
(from IGE)
Ingredients
1 head fresh kale
1 tsp. EVOO
garlic powder
parmasean cheese
Directions
Start with a head of fresh kale and strip the curly leaves off the thick stem. Rinse and dry the leaves. Place in a plastic bag along with the extra virgin olive oil and garlic powder and shake. Lay out on a foil-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with parmasean cheese. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until the edges are dark brown/red.

Jun 29, 2010

Up, Down, And All Around Town

On my baking high yesterday afternoon, I had prepared a bowl of overnight oats for this morning. I followed Iowa Girl Eat's basic recipe, except that I only put the stirred oats, yogurt (FF Coconut Cream Pie), and some smashed up banana in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I added some almonds, mandarin oranges, and Nutella into the mix. The almonds were a perfect way to add a little *crunch* to this meal.


10g protein in this little thang. But, knowing that that would not be enough to get me to work in the morning fresh and perky, I decided to try another new thing: Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein in Vanilla Chai Tea. I had seen Bolthouse products around and had been meaning to try them for a while, and I finally did! The taste took some getting used to, as I've never really had Chai-flavored anything before, but it was actually pretty good near the end of it.


The entire bottle had 19g of soy protein and is GF with no GMOs and a perfectly respectable ingredients list, since most of them are to cram more vitamins and minerals into the drink. I would love to try some other Bolthouse products some time.

On my way in to work I passed some of the high school cross country team and so I said a quick "hi" to coach (who probably doesn't even remember me, since I only ran one year and he's the boys' coach). For lunch, I tried a Pure Protein Bar in Strawberry Shortcake. Pure Protein is the company that makes Jillian Michaels' (from Biggest Loser) Natural Whey Protein Powder. With 19g of protein and hardly any sugar, this bar was a definite win. Just the smell of this bar seriously had me craving fruit and the taste did not disappoint. I had previously tried the Peanut Marshmallow Eclipse flavor, which was good, but this was better.


Today was another short day at work, which was good for me because I had a lot of running around to do. Literally. I don't own a car and so depend a lot on my bike between the hours of 8am-5:30pm (when my mother works), so today I had to bike an extra 3 miles so that I could get to the post office and mail a package to a buyer of one of my old textbooks, though I managed to get a neat tie-dye shirt along the way with a gift card I had from signing my apartment lease (which starts at the end of August, just in time for classes to start). I also managed to scratch my back up pretty bad. I was trying to duck under a branch and got stuck and in the process it kind of left its mark on me.

When I finally got home to settle down I was pretty tired, so I cut off a big chuck of watermelon and had at it *yum*. That wasn't enough to keep me satisfied after my hectic bike trek around town, so I also chowed on some Stacy's Simply Naked Pita Chips and Basha Hommus in Original.


Once mom got home, I was off to bring my pie from yesterday to the guys and go to a nearby nature center for a walk to work up an appetite (to taste-test my finished product) and some picture-taking.


We didn't walk around too long, but we did see some areas that we hadn't explored before. Then it was back to the apartment for pie and to watch the end of Friends Season 2. The guys seemed to like it pretty well and I didn't mind it, though I'm picky and am not much of a pie person to being with. Anyway, I then came home and took advantage of the nice weather and went on a run. 1.81 miles in 16:36. So close to 2 miles! That's a 9:10 pace and 6.5mph, and I actually thought like I was going pretty slow. Pleasant surprises are always a good thing.

Long day tomorrow. 8 hours of work and trying a new recipe for dinner. Night everyone!

Jun 28, 2010

As American As Apple Pie

Today started off pretty much as a major "Fail". On my weekly grocery trip yesterday, I had bought a container of Greek yogurt to try, since I've been reading so many praises about the product. I was all ready to enjoy my breakfast of Greek yogurt, Grape Nuts, and mandarin oranges. I got a spoonful, chewed, and... *ick*. I was not a fan. At all. I could not even bring myself to eat the darn thing anyway even though the taste was bad. I had to rummage around downstairs for something quick to eat as I was now running late. Decided on strawberries smothered in Nutella and stuffed in half a pita and then hopped on my bike for the 3.5 mile, 20-minute bike ride in to work.



So weird going back after my 3-day weekend, and I have another one coming up this weekend for the Fourth of July. Work was fairly uneventful. I had my usual South Beach Protein Bar, soy nuts, and fruit. I got to go home a little bit early today, since I will be working late Wednesday and Thursday to go projects done. Since I had so much time to kill, I decided to get all "Donna Reed" and bake for the guys for tomorrow: Apple Pie! This was my first time attempting a pie, and an American classic at that, so I was a little nervous, but not for long...

You start by peeling, coring, and cutting Granny Smith apples and mix them up with sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and lemon juice. Then have the apples sit for about 15 minutes to create a kind of "syrup". I tasted-tested at this phase and it was amazing.


After putting it into a pie crust and closing the top, I put it in the oven and, about an hour later, I took this little beauty out, which my mother referred to as a "mile-high" pie:


The house smells heavenly now and I was quite proud of myself. Can't wait to give it to the boys tomorrow when I stop by to see Lyle. Dinner was leftovers from the fridge. Mom chose the Chicken-Tortilla Pie, I created a tortilla with salsa, chicken, and corn (all leftovers from the weekend).


It was decent and relatively healthy, with a wheat tortilla (only a little bit too small for all my fillings), fresh corn, and all-natural salsa, which I thought would be good for my evening run. The weather was almost as perfect as could be possible. Since the weather was so nice I had awesome times, too! 1.70 miles in 15:39. That's a pace of 9:10 (6.5 mph)! A-mah-zing. On top of all this goodness, I have several packages scheduled to arrive sometime in the next week or two that I'm really happy and excited about (I'll leave you guessing as to what they are). Now I'm off to write a 3-page paper for my online class. It's finals week and I need to kick it into overdrive until tomorrow night!

Mile-High Apple Pie
Ingredients
6 large Granny Smith apples
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. sugar (separate from above sugar)
2 pie crusts (homemade or store-bought)
Directions
Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/4in. thick slices. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Place apple slices in the bowl and coat with lemon juice. Toss the apples around in the mixture and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to coat the apples.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour apple filling into 1 pie crust (which ever you decide to be the bottom half). Place the upper crust on top, trim, wave the edges with your fingers, and cut three small slits in the top or make a lattice design. Lightly brush the top crust and edges with a mixture of milk and sugar.
Slip a baking sheet under the pie and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 35 minutes. Let cool for one hour before serving.

Jun 27, 2010

Hey Mr. Rain Man

It's been raining off and on all day. Not even little sprinkles, I'm talking zero to flash flood in seconds. Grocery shopping was a major success. I got almost everything on my list and more and still stayed under budget! I can't wait to show you guys all of the new goodies I'm going to be trying in the next few weeks.


After shopping for about 1.5 hours, I was famished and ready to get home and eat lunch. I finally made up the Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers in Steak Portobello that's been lurking in my pantry for a few weeks now. It was decent enough, but I don't think I would get it again if I had the chance. This was followed up by a checkout treat I saw and sounded good: Nature's Select Toasted Soycrisps in Barbecue. These were very good. Crunchy and an instant hit of flavor when you pop them in your mouth, and so much protein in a bag (7g)!


23g of protein in all! Now I plan on playing some free trials of some video games that have been stacking up on my desktop over the past couple of weeks. This is the first time I've really gotten to chill out on my own pretty much since spring semester ended at the beginning of May. Too bad that after midnight tonight I'll have a stack of things to do again, but I'm really looking forward to the 3-day weekend coming up for the Fourth.

I had an afternoon snack of fresh corn that my mom had cut up. Then I set out on a 1.55 mile reading walk for about half an hour. Now it's nine and I'm flipping through television channels and snacking on Kashi TLC Pumpkin Spice Flax Crunchy Granola Bars and a bowl of mandarin oranges. The granola bars reminded me a lot of Nature Valley's products, but I was having a major pumpkin craving and these looked like just the thing to satisfy me. There wasn't quite enough flavor for my preference, but they were still a very good snack. A nice little 8g of protein to wrap up the day with.


Question: What are everyone's plans for the Fourth of July? Family get-together? Trip to the lake? Evening in with a good book?

Stop Biting Me!

85% humidity. I did the 1.5 miles, but fell a little short on my goal of a 10-minute mile, running 15:13 making my pace 10:18 and 5.9mph. And to think, in December 2005 I ran a 7-minute mile. Then again, I only had to run one mile so I put my all into it. The mosquitoes were pretty bad, I got bit on the small of my back and who knows where else, but at least I got my run in before the thunderstorm struck.


Breakfast was a bowl of Frosted Wheats and Life cereals (16g protein) in skim milk. I need to go grocery shopping today, which means that I really need to make a list and decide on meals for the week. Last night I actually get quite a bit of my binder done, but I still have about half of it yet to go. I don't think I'll be going to the mall today, because of the rain and the fact that the mall outdoors, but I guess that may be a good thing. My bank account will feel less tired, especially with the expenses I'm planning in the next month (*shh* I'm not telling!).

Okay. Time to make lists and clean. Post in the afternoon!

Jun 26, 2010

ONBIG30

Note to self: Do not let Lyle plan. Haha. He attempted to teach me how to play Gears of War 2 and I did horribly. I think I'll stick to my casual games. About as advanced as I get is playing Harry Potter. I watched the beginning of the USA vs. Ghana soccer match, but I was exhausted and took a 1 hour nap up until most of overtime was over. Refreshed, the guys and I hit up the grocery store so that they could stock up for the week, and guess what we saw?


A little bat! We named him, but I don't remember what it was. It started with a silent 'B', I know that much for sure. Anyway, we came back and watched a few episodes of Friends (Season 2) and ate dinner: Spicy Chicken Wings and Fries. Yeah, not particularly healthy, but everyone's allowed a little something every once in a while, right? Deprivation leads down a lonely path.

After dinner, Lyle and I headed out on a walk for about an hour and covered about 3.75 miles. I forwent the evening run, because of the late hour, the warmth, and the long walk. It was nice though. I got to pick up one of my favorite things:


1.5 Liters of Diet Green Tea with Citrus! Which I drank as I did a little online shopping for Old Navy's 30% off sale. A girl's gotta get new things every once and awhile and I am in dire need of a mall run soon. Tomorrow is another early morning run. Shooting for 1.5 miles, but that really all depends how I'm feeling near the end of it if I try for another loop and score 2 for the day. Then, I really need to get to the grocery store. I have a lot of things I want to try, but I have yet to make a list of a fraction of them. I would seriously cause my house bankruptcy if we bought all of these things in one trip, plus there would be spoilage. I better get to it!

I Need A Funnel

Woke up early again so that I could go for a run before I started my day, started out with a quick cup of unsweetened applesauce as pre-run fuel. I was very slow this morning, however, and I contribute it to the fact that it was 75-80% humidity the entire time, though it may have just been residual soreness from yesterday. I put in a good 18:45 which came out to 1.76 miles (which makes up for coming up short yesterday, right?). I for sure knew I was slower when I looked at my calculated pace: 10:40 and 5.6 mph. But, I go for distance, not time. What's important is I never stopped to walk and I pushed myself further than I had intended to go.

Breakfast was the rest of the carton of cottage cheese, with a mandarin orange bowl and some graham crackers. 17g protein, not bad.


Now I'm just waiting for the boyfriend to get up and around so that we can spend the day together doing mystery activities (I left it up to him, so, at least for me it's a mystery). Will be sure to post tonight or tomorrow morning about the rest of the day.

Jun 25, 2010

Hating Unpredictability

Family stuff went well, I think. At least my mother seemed satisfied with the occasion, and that's what's important, right? It has been a hot, hot day, however, and I'm glad I decided to go au naturel as I would have been sweating it off like crazing and clogging my poor pores.


This dress has been one of my greatest investments. I wore it to my sister's wedding rehearsal in May 2009, my open house in June 2009, and a wedding in May 2010. It's from The Limited and, though it's a tiny bit too big now, still works pretty well as long as I readjust throughout the day (haha).

Any-woo, we went back to my aunt's house and had food, during which I had a delicious bowl of my mother's fruit salad which included pineapple, grapes, strawberries, oranges, and blueberries. Also, for my protein boost of the midday, I tried a Luna Protein bar in Cookie Dough. It was quite a bit melted by the time I got to it, but it was still good nonetheless. Tasted a bit mocha-coffee-y. Yum. I wasn't able to get a picture first, so one from the internet will have to do. 12g protein well invested, especially after the 2(ish) mile, 30 minute walk the cousins and I took under the summer sun (in flip-flops, my feet kill right now).


Now I'm back home and I treated myself to some French Apple yogurt with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal on top. I was thinking that the cinnamon sugar would complement the apple nicely, and I was right! Very good indeed.


After I digested a bit I went on another run. 13:37 to run 1.38 miles making my pace 9:54 and my speed 6.1mph. I felt like I could have gone farther, however, but the streetlights had come on and I was beginning to be attacked by mosquitoes (escaped with only 2 bites that have swollen to about the size of a dime). Now I'm off to work on a recipe binder and get some sleep so I can wake up early to run and shower before I hang out with Lyle. Night all!

The Pipes, The Pipes, Are Calling

Woke up at 6:30am for seemingly no reason. I had planned to wake up at 7:30am, but this worked just as well. Since I was up so early, I decided to go for a run. After a pre-workout snack of unsweetened applesauce, and the intention of running 1.5 miles in 15 minutes, I set out into the 55° “heat” of the morning just as the fog was coming off the field.

It wasn’t too terrible. I usually have a pacing problem, since I’m not a very experienced runner and usually run by myself (as an ex-cross country runner for my high school, I was used to running in groups and just matching their pace). I go too fast and wear myself out. So, my pace was not very steady today. Regardless, I put in a respectable 14:08 and 1.46 miles, making my average pace 9:40 or 6.2 mph. For my 5K, I had an 8:12 or 7.3 mph average pace, so I have a long way to go to get back to that place. However, at the end of last summer when I was running regularly I was around 6.4-6.6 mph, so I guess I’m pretty much right where I left off before I got sick.

I'd love to take this opportunity to mention one of my favorite fitness and running tools: MapMyRun! Since I don't have any fancy equipment to tell me my pace and distance (I just use my digital watch's stopwatch function to determine time), I needed a way to see how far I go on my runs. After I run I just map out my run on the satellite image and the program will calculate the distance you went. If you enter your time it will also tell you your pace, speed, and caloric burn based on your inputted weight.


I came back to a nice shower and a delicious bowl of fat free cottage cheese (16g protein!) with mandarin orange slices.


Now I’m off to a family thing for the rest of the day, meaning I need to go make myself look all pretty. Hope to post later tonight, though we may be stuck in Detroit overnight and I won’t be able to. Happy weekend!

Jun 24, 2010

Life Is Such A Pain In My Toe

Morning was the same as yesterday. Quick 15-minutes of yoga to open up my body followed by a banana dipped in Nutella. Mmmm. Then off on the 3.5mi bike ride in to work. For some reason I just was not in my head today. It was like I was only half there all day. I blame it on me constantly forgetting to take my vitamins in the morning with breakfast.

At lunch, I treated myself to a new flavor of yogurt I had never tried before: Key Lime Pie



Wow! It was fantastic. It tasted just like those lime-flavored juice Popsicles that I used to eat all the time. Plus there were about 8g of protein in this little guy! I paired this up with my normal South Beach Living Protein Fit Cereal Bar in Cinnamon Raisin and soy nuts.

The bike home was wonderful. It was sunny and 77, but the wind was pleasantly chilly and kept me going all the way home. Had I not had to prepare dinner I may have even gone for a short run. But, alas, my cooking adventures had to begin, and they did so with:

Chicken-Tortilla Pie
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup salsa
1 cup black bean dip
4 (8-inch) wheat tortillas
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine chicken and salsa in a medium bowl.


3. Spread 1/4 cup black bean dip over each tortilla. Top each evenly with 1/2 cup chicken mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese. Stack tortillas in bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coasted with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts. Remove sides of pan. Cut pie into 4 wedges and serve immediately.


It was a noble effort. There was a little kick with the salsa and bean dip. I added some extra salsa on the side of my slice, but you could have sour cream, guacamole, really anything your heart desires. Personally, I thought that 4 layers was much too big. If I attempt this again I would probably only do 3 or even 2 layers. Also, I would recommend adding shredded lettuce on top with extra salsa.

Then for dessert I made Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies.

Ingredients:
Ritz Crackers (or other buttery crackers)
White chocolate chips
Peanut Butter
Optional: Sprinkles for decorating

Directions:
1. Spread a small amount of peanut butter on the flat side of a cracker and attach to the flat side of another cracker. Repeat with the remainder of the crackers and peanut butter.
2. Melt your white chocolate chips in a double boiler. (I make-shifted out by boiling water in a normal pot and placing a mixing bowl over it to melt the chips in.)
3. Drop each "sandwich" in the chocolate and submerge completely. Remove with a fork and set on wax paper to dry. Decorate with sprinkles, drizzle, however you would like.

It took me about 2 packages of white chocolate chips to make 25 sandwiches, so keep that in mind when purchasing. Add as much peanut butter as you would like. For something extra, you could try mixing in some honey with your peanut butter before spreading. My favorite was the sandwiches made with peanut butter and grape jelly. The fruity jelly was a good contrast to the candy coating. P.S. I thought that these had an aftertaste that tasted exactly like those Tagalongs Girl Scout cookies!


Not working tomorrow. Instead I'm visiting family near Detroit, so my post tomorrow should be quite a bit different. Shout-out to my favorite blogger, Iowa Girl Eats. She responded super quickly to the comment I posted on her blog and I can't wait to try some of her recipes.

Any tips on how to remember to take your multivitamin in the morning?

Jun 23, 2010

If Weather Were A Post-Menopausal Woman, She'd Be Named The Midwest

Long day. You know, one of those days where you don't actually start doing any of the things on your "To-Do" list until about 8pm. Yeah, that's been my day.

It started with some morning yoga. Nothing too intense, just enough to wake me up a bit so I could get going. We bought store-brand Nutella the other day and I was super excited to try it this morning with breakfast: banana and hazelnut spread sandwich. I just cut the banana lengthwise and widthwise once and spread on the spread.


*Drool* This had to have been one of the greatest things I have ever tried. The hazelnut spread had cocoa powder in it as well and it tasted fantastic. Can't wait to try it again tomorrow morning.

After getting a heads-up from the boy, I was greeted by this delight of a radar map in my forecast search. Seeing as I bike the 3.5mi it is from my house to work, I was in a hurry to get out and get there before the lightning became rain. Needless to say, it only took me about 17-18 minutes to arrive and that was BARELY missing the rain.


Lunch consisted of a South Beach Living Protein Fit Cereal Bar in Cinnamon Raisin, Gala Apple, and Fudge Petites from the Nabisco 100 Cal product line (I'm a major fan of the whole chocolate-mint combination). I'm not actually on the South Beach diet, but I find myself coming up short in the protein department almost every day, and the 8g that this provides really helps. Plus, it's really good! I've been having these since high school and this is definitely my favorite flavor.


Luckily, the storm lasted much shorter than the forecast had predicted and so I was able to ride home in more favorable conditions after my afternoon snack of soy nuts (also very high in protein, about 13g in 1/3 cup!). After cleaning up, I was off to my first real sushi-eating experience with my dad and step-mom: Ukai Hibachi Grill and Sushi Bar.


Let me tell you, this experience was amazing. It's one of those places where they set everything on fire and cook right in front of you, all while spinning their utensils every which way and flipping egg shells into their hats. However, being new to the restaurant and wanting to try several kinds of sushi, I passed on the Hibachi and went straight to the sushi bar with some help from a picture menu and recommendations from my dad. Clockwise from top: Spicy Tuna, Spider, Eel Avocado (I did not partake in this particular variety, I mean, it has EEL), Asparagus Avocado Cucumber.


I thought that everything was just fantastic. They start you off with Miso Soup with Tofu and a Salad with Ginger Dressing. My favorite of the evening was the Spider Roll: Softshell crab, avocado, cucumber, and crab stick. The Spicy Tuna was okay, but it was almost as if they pureed the tuna and I wasn't really digging it. The asparagus avocado cucumber was respectable, but the Spider Roll was definitely the winner. Even with my relatively large mouth, however, I struggled getting the whole piece in at once, let alone getting the piece off the plate.

After completely stuffing myself (they give you SO much and I get full quickly), it was straight back home to do homework and pre-prepare for the dinner I'm cooking tomorrow for Lyle and to catch up on some of my shows: Pretty Little Liars, The Bachelorette, and Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Jun 22, 2010

Asymptotically Free At High Energies

Today is the start of something new. Like most of the things I try to start, they all end in a slow (or sometimes speedy quick) death of dusty corners. But, as with many of my summers, I have made a list of things to do in the upcoming year. Some people make changes starting New Years Day, but, as a true student, I think of the year starting in September with the arrival of textbooks and college students returning to campus:

1. Do a 365-photo project. Take one picture every day that best describes your day. I plan on starting this sometime in August.
2. This blog. Since I will be moving out of my childhood home and into an apartment, I have a sudden desire to learn how to cook. I plan on posting about my successes and failures, accompanied with pictures and recipes and my reviews of products. Also, any other tidbits of my daily life that seem noteworthy.
3. Build a table. Yeah. You read correctly. Nothing fancy, just something that can stay together if something were placed or spilled on top of it.

Feel free to stop by every once and a while and see my progress, pick up a recipe, and ask questions.

EDIT:
Add to my list:
4. Run a 5K. It's been almost 4 years since I completed my first and only 5K. I did it in 25:28 back in 2005. I do not expect to get anywhere near that time when I race. It will be more of a "just finish" than a "break 25" kind of an affair.