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Tough Mudder

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Last year Jay participated in the Merrell Down & Dirty Mud Run.

It looked like {fun} so I told myself I’d do it this year…

I have absolutely NO upper body strength so I was nervous about a few of the obstacles…namely the 8 foot rope wall at the END of the course.

When you are completely exhausted and out of fuel.

But I forged ahead and told myself that I just wanted to finish.

And survive.

And not have to be taken out on a stretcher.

And have fun.

It was a gorgeous morning on the lake.

Jay was a rockstar. He did the 10K and made it look like a walk in the park.

My friend Vicki and I did the 5K and made it look like I don’t know what {at least I did!}

In our corral…completely oblivious to what was ahead!

I would say the first 1/2 to 3/4 of the 5K was UP hill. Brutal. We started out around 10:45 so it was getting warm already. Made it through the first two obstacles no prob, a net crawl and scaling a short wall. Then came the ascent up a LARGE mountain. Like LARGE. Like you could see the trail of people WAY up above and ask yourself “Is that where we’re going?” large, but there was no turning back…just one foot in front of the other. Might I add that we had to drop and do 20 push-ups halfway up the mountain. Once at the top, the next obstacle was a huge inflatable slide that you had to climb up. I was extremely graceful going down the slide until I shot off the end of it onto the ground! Nice. After a mini mud crawl, we began our descent to the finish.

{How many Marines does it take to get a girl over the climbing wall? Tough!}

{Lake wade}

This was the best part…

We survived!

Two dirty mamas!

Our proof ~ dog tag medal…

*****

There you have it ladies and gents.

Wasn’t purty, but I did it.

Would I do it again?

Yes, but I’d want to be in MUCH better shape and several pounds lighter.

Duh.

But it was fun.

Mudder, May I?

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I’m in for the 5K Merrell Mud Run on April 15…

Jay did it last year and it looks like a ton of fun!

My friend, Vicki, and I have measured a 3.1 mile route {with hills!} and have tried to decrease our time each Tuesday and Thursday morning.

We should be in good shape for a {leisurely} 12 minute mile by mid-April.

C’mon, it’ll be a blast. If you’re in the Orange County or LA area, head on up I-5 and join us at Castaic Lake.

We’re gonna get some fun matching shirts and {turn this mudder out}!

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{5K fees}

Price on or before February 5th: $55.00

Price from February 6th through March 25th: $60.00

Price after March 25th: $65.00

{10K [no thanks!] fees}

Price on or before February 5th: $65.00

Price from February 6th through March 25th: $70.00

Price after March 25th: $75.00

Entry fee includes post-race food & music and a nice tech tee.

No extra charge for MUD.

The Best

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Last night while watching The Biggest Loser, this guy said something that really resonated with me…

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“Gimme the best version of you today.” ~ Dolvett Quince

I love that.

Give today {and everyday} the best.

So simple.

Yes, sometimes we may go astray, but we can ALWAYS try.

Make this Wednesday the very BEST.

XO

Julia & Jillian

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My resolution goal for 2012 is to channel my inner Julia Childs and Jillian Michaels and create a healthy balance between the two.

Picture Julia in workout clothes and Jillian in an apron.

I know I can do a better job of this ~ I ENJOY both, but need to do a little less Julia and lots more Jillian.

More workout clothes.

Less apron.

But there is nothing wrong with baking and {IMMEDIATELY} packaging it up and delivering to someone and to bringing an unexpected smile to their day.

Or being on the lookout for someone who may need a nice home cooked meal delivered.

Unfortunately hoisting the KitchenAid out of the bottom of the pantry is not considered a workout.

I plan to move more, bike more, sweat more, feel the morning chill on my face more and rack up the steps on my pedometer more.

There really is NO excuse.

Will I do another half marathon? Maybe, maybe not, but there is nothing wrong with getting out there for a brisk walk and doing 3 miles {with hills}. I have to keep reminding myself that {it’s better than nothing}.

Short term fitness goal: Castaic 5K Mud Run on April 15th

Who’s down to get dirty with me?

*****

This afternoon we delivered New Year’s sugar cookie bars on bikes to our neighbors….

It’s a start.

*****

I am certain marrying these two {loves} of mine will make me a better person.

Looking forward to the challenge.

XO

Crunch

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I’ve been feverishly planning a little 70th birthday celebration for my mom. In the process I’ve come across some fun ideas for an {out of the box} birthday party idea.

My mom’s celebration will be a little more substantial, but without giving too much away, I wanted to share these shots of cereal bar ideas. This would be a great way to host an early-ish morning bash and still have the rest of the day free. It’s easy enough to pack up for a celebration at the beach, lake, park or even just in your own backyard.

Virtually inexpensive and NO cooking or baking!

Here are a couple that I fell in love with on Pinterest, but have linked back to the original source.

Simple indoor…

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Rustic outdoor…

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Mooooo! Don’t forget the milk…

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I need to get my hands on one of these…

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You could go so many places with this theme. Fruit Loop necklaces. Rice Krispie treats. These cute cupcakes or cake pops:

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Cereal cuteness ~ crunch, crunch!

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Speaking of crunch{es}, today is day 30 of my 30 day shred. Not too sure exactly how much I have actually shredded, but I do know that I have enjoyed working this 30 minutes into my day for the past 30 days.

Going to start again tomorrow for another month and try to incorporate healthier eating this time. Ugh, so hard, but KEY!

Then I will move onto Ripped In 30. I’m going to be sore everyday for the rest of my life.

How is your Wednesday shaping up?

XOXO

28

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Well Hello and Happy Monday!

I just realized that I haven’t really been posting much on the weekends…not my intention, but I guess it’s OK because that means that we’ve been busy and still enjoying summer even though school is definitely in full swing again.

*****

Today marks day 28 of my 30 Day Shred.

I have to say that I have been MUCH better this time around. I did take a couple days off due to my knee bothering me, but I did something in lieu of the DVD those days ~ either biking or walking the big loop in our development at night. I love that the DVD is only 30 minutes and I really try to give it my all and make the most of the half hour with Jill and her girls. Also, I’ve been using 4 pound hand weights and I can probably go up to 5 pounders. Today the kids did it with me and used the Handy Manny plastic tools as their hand weights…yes, Squeeze, Pat, Felipe and Dusty joined in on today’s shred ~ WHATEVER works.

I feel great, though and can tell a difference, but I certainly need to tighten up the eating. I was doing great with that for the first two and a half weeks and then got a little lazy.

*****

Speaking of eating better, I have a couple healthy recipes to share since the last couple were far from it…

Spicy Honey Lime flank steak and this quinoa salad from Pinterest {thanks Erma for pinning it!}…

I marinated the flank steak in 1/4 cup honey, the juice of 3 limes, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves and 1 tbsp Sriracha for about an hour and a half, flipping from time to time. Jay grilled for about 6 minutes on each side. Will make great salads and sandwiches throughout the week.

I also made Giada’s gazpacho last week…

It’s verrry healthy if you don’t put anything on it! She topped it with some polenta croutons which looked amazing. I, however, threw on some cheese & garlic croutons from my pantry. Would also be nice with a little dollop of light sour cream and some crushed tortilla chips.

The perfect summer soup since it’s served cold and has a nice refreshing kick to it.

*****

LOVE this pic of Holden and me taken this weekend at the concert in the park…

{yes, I am fully clothed and no, Holdy is not drugged}

*****

This week is a jumble of the new school schedule, homework {already!}, pool time {if they behave!}, park play date, dance class and two birthday parties this weekend.

Never a dull moment.

Hope your week is off to a successful start!

Kick

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It’s almost that time…

Kickoffs, punt returns, interferences, whistle blows, touchdowns…

{men in padded spandex}

This dip is a must for your NFL Sundays.

Jalapeño Popper Dip

I spied this recently and knew it was the perfect thing to bring to summer family game night down the street last night. I almost halved the recipe because a pound of cream cheese seemed like a lot, but I’m glad I went ahead and made a full batch. This is one of those appetizers where everyone parks themselves in front of and can’t leave. We even learned that it is delicious slathered on top of a burger!

All the tastes of jalapeño poppers, but in dip form. There are several variations out there, but I chose to follow this one.

I cut the mayo to 1/2 cup and cheddar cheese to 1 cup, used 2 fresh jalapeños and 1/2 cup chopped jarred jalapeños, doubled the fresh garlic and used 1/2 cup regular bread crumbs and 1/2 cup panko {only because I wanted to use up the last of my regular bread crumbs}. I’m certain you could use reduced fat cream cheese and turkey bacon to be a little on the healthier side and not notice a difference….I used center cut bacon since it’s a little leaner. Next time, for added kick and heat, I may substitute pepper jack for the cheddar.

Will most def add this to the {crowd pleaser} recipes.

The perfect dip to kick off football season with!

*****

{Off to get my butt kicked on day 20 of the 30 Day Shred}

Coming up next…a HEALTHY recipe: gazpacho.

Happy Sunday!

Bribe

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This afternoon I bribed the kids with Blow Pops to go up and watch Mars Needs Moms {lamest movie on the planet [no pun intended]} so I could hang out with my girl, Jill, and get my shred on BEFORE I made this scrumptious dinner.

Yes.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos.

This one has been on the radar for some time now…

I served it with this quinoa.

YUM to the millionth degree.

I used half corn {on left} and half flour {on right} tortillas. I prefer the flour, which are a little more pliable and turned out prettier, but the corn were almost equally delish. You really need to follow the directions and warm in the micro between two damp paper towels to get them limbered up or they will crack and crumble and turn out not so pretty. Delicioso, si. Muy bonito, no.

I used a rotisserie chicken which made the filling even more flavorful. Served with light sour cream, salsa and jalapeños.

15 minutes in my oven was just perfect.

When our Mexican food cravings call and we don’t want to eat out, we will most definitely be making these again.

Gracias, {Our Best Bites & Peas and Crayons}!

Jill

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Wondering why I never mentioned my girl, Jillian, after this?

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Well, that’s because I was a loser and did the video here and there for like a week….it was more like the {30 Day DEAD} for me.

Of course I came up with all sorts of excuses that I had to get ready for vacation, blah blah blah, but now that I spent 2 weeks eating everything under the sun, I must turn this on for the next 29 days and DO IT!

I know it works because my girlfriend Lisa looks amazing!

*****

Need some fresh, new summer salad ideas? Head on over here today where I shared my Asian Chop Chop salad and see what other salad inspirations you can find.

Happy Wednesday!

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