I decided to take today off from exercise, since it is the start of my weekend and I ran 6+ miles yesterday. I am rethinking how much I run a little bit. So, it was a lazy morning at home, and I used the rest of the sweet potato I cooked yesterday to make some sweet potato muffins! I used fresh cranberries, too.
These came out almost more like biscuits. Very dense and heavy, but tasty. I think they would be a great snack for after a workout. I’ll post the recipe this weekend.
I got a new ingredient to try this week call glucomannan (konyaku?). It is recommended in a book I am reading by Cassandra Forsythe Women’s Health Perfect Body Diet
That got super, super thick! I actually ended up putting it in a bowl and eating it with a spoon. It was just like pudding. Gives me some fun ideas to try. 1 tsp of this stuff will gel 1 cup of liquid, so I think I used too much for my smoothie. It has no taste, unlike the shiratake noodles made from the same stuff.
When I was baking this morning, I was remembering how our kitchen looked when we moved into this house 3 years ago. Fun fact – do you know that I never stepped foot in this house before we bought it? Since we were purchasing long distance (IL to NY), each of us came out and looked at places separately. We ended up buying a house John found on his trip, and I only had pictures to go on. Guess that means I trust John knows my taste enough 
I don’t mind a rehab challenge (I have renovated 2 houses doing most of the work myself), so I was okay with seeing this as the kitchen:
Note there were no upper cupboards! And that floor was not wood or even laminate. It was vinyl and not even secured down, so it would bunch up under your feet or when you moved something. We won’t even talk about the stove that would set off the smoke alarm any time you baked something, or the fridge that kept food around 50 degrees 
The price was right, though. For a few months, we had dishes stacked on the counter in wooden crates. Martha Stewart would have popped a blood vessel if she visited us.
We bought unfinished cabinets for the top and painted them white, then we painted the lower ones as well. Got a new stove and fridge, painted the hood over the stove white to match (and moved it). Painted the walls. Then we put down vinyl tile on the floor. Would have loved ceramic, but not in the budget.
We did not spend a lot on this kitchen, probably about $1500 including the appliance, but we brought the value up dramatically just by a little sweat equity! It’s funny that I absolutely hated the countertops (you see the tile in most food pictures), because I think it is floor tile. But once the rest of the kitchen was done, I am okay with living with the counters for a while.
Are you tired of seeing the BBQ chicken salad for dinner? Hope not, cause that is what I had!
All in all, I had a very good day. We got the bikes down and I think we might go for a ride tomorrow! Have to bundle up, but I am so itching to get on my bike. I have missed my friend for the last few months.
Tomorrow I will be running my own 5K virtually with Shelley for blogger run day!
Pixie wishes all of you a good weekend! She says “Relax a little…”
Great job on the kitchen, and on being part of Blogger Run Day! Sounds like a great idea.
.-= Ari´s last blog ..La Twinge =-.
Great improvement on that kitchen! I don’t like sweet potatoes, but that muffin looks scrumptious.
.-= Jane´s last blog ..Perfect 10: Week 9 =-.
Like the remodeled Kitchen!
.-= Ron´s last blog ..1600 Calories or less ? =-.
We do a lot of “sweat equity remodeling” as well….
And I’m doing a 10K on Sunday for Shelley’s Virtual Run Day too!
.-= PTG´s last blog ..DUDE. No, seriously…DUDE. =-.
That was so weird to see a kitchen with no upper cabinets! You did a great job making everything work together – and I guess because the cabinets are now white, the counter tile doesn’t stick out as much. I would love to have a granite countertop, but yikes they are expensive!
Thanks for the Pixie picture!
Blogger Run Day is Sunday – I met Kelly tonight and we mapped out our plan (basically run and don’t be last, lol!). My bib is pinned to my shirt and my shoe is tagged – I’m ready, and glad to know that you will be running too!
.-= Shelley B´s last blog ..Friday Wrap Up and Sock Winner! =-.
I remember now it’s real Sunday. I forget because my days off are Friday and Saturday, so I think of Saturdays as Sundays (if that makes any sense at all!).
wow I am impressed by your kitchen remodel it looks so great – it must feel even better knowing you did it yourself! do you have a recipe for those muffins ? they look so good! have a great weekend!
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Yoga Meltdown review and a Happy Friday! =-.
I am awaiting the sweet potato muffin recipe! And that thickener stuff looks very promising!
I’m glad Shelley said Blogger Run day was Sunday because I have to work tomorrow, and was planning on running on Sunday.
.-= debby´s last blog ..A Few Thoughts about…Food! =-.
Great job on the kitchen! I am curious about Cassandra’s book – is it good? I follow her blog (on the sidebar on my blog) – she is about to have her first baby and kept working out right through the pregnancy.
.-= Amy´s last blog ..The Lay of the Land =-.
Oooh, sweet potato muffins sound fab! I love a more dense texture for muffins, otherwise it feels like I’m just eating tasty air.
Are you thinking of cutting back your running mileage? (I’m nosy, sorry!
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Have fun on the bikes today!!!
.-= Susan´s last blog ..Flashback Friday: Fitness Edition =-.
I am thinking of cutting back mileage a little bit. I have some concerns of over training. I am going to talk a little bit about it this weekend.
You’re so creative to make those muffins!
.-= Simply Life´s last blog ..White Chocolate Striped Brownies! =-.
I also read the womens health perfect body diet book! I really liked it, i used the glucomannan for a while too, but i found it too fiberous…lol! It was maybe a little too binding for me! But it is good to make things thinker and more dense for filling you up!! Your kitchen looks great!
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..sunny, sunny days! =-.
Great job on the reno…brave of you to agree to the house without seeing it, but as you said…John knows what you like.
Have a fun blogger run!
.-= Kimberley´s last blog ..The "Perfect 10" Challenge – Update #9 =-.
Pixie is so cute!!!!!!!!!!
Man, you are one house person! I can’t do any of that type of stuff.. so bad at it! I have trouble drawing a straight line with a ruler!
Those muffins sure look awesome!!!!!!!!!!! YUM!
Will be eager to hear what you have to say about your running.
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Feel Good Stuff! =-.
Aw, Pixie looks so content.
I never thought I would like white cabinets, but the renovation you did looks great. I cannot imagine living without upper cabinets. Yikes!
.-= kilax´s last blog ..What makes a good trainer? =-.
I love your kitchen how it looks now, so much better than the old one.
Muffins look great!
.-= Fran´s last blog ..A day in my life: Saturday March 6th 2010 =-.
I love the pictures of Pixie! The muffin looks good! We are going to try the protein waffles this weekend!
.-= Kat´s last blog ..Perfect 10 – Update #9 =-.
That salad looks delicious.
Thank you Pixie, I will do my best!
- Christina