After a little warm-up biking, [...]]]> Yay!  My first day of the weekend.  I was up early, though.  Ooops.  I was at the gym before 7 a.m.!  I decided to start with some stationary bike.  We got talking about our planned 100-mile ride this summer and it got me itching for my bike.  Come on spring!

After a little warm-up biking, I hit the weights.

• Chin ups:  2 sets of 2
• Barbell deadlift row combo:  3 sets of 8 at 55 pounds

Supersets:

• 1-arm dumbbell snatch:  3 sets of 8 at 15 pounds
• Pliet squats:  3 sets of 8 holding a 35 pound dumbbell

Supersets:

• T-push ups:  3 sets of 3
• Bent over dumbbell row

Then I walked on the treadmill for a while.  It was snowing this morning and I had the gym to myself all morning.  Nobody likes to work out on Friday morning.  I just chatted with one of the employees, and it was a relaxing workout.

Came home to John making pumpkin waffles, so I couldn’t turn down the orange super food pumpkin that was left!  I made pumpkin oats with cranberry sauce and toasted pecans.

I am too embarrassed to say how many cans of pumpkin I have collected to hoard.  It should last me to fall at any rate

In weekend fashion, I had the TV on and ate breakfast on the couch.  Now I know why we don’t normally have the TV on in the morning – it’s a vast wasteland…..

I snapped this cute picture of Pixie.  Looks like she is telling me that John is her property!

I made the best nut butter today.  I toasted up 12 oz of pecans and put them in the food processor with 1 tbsp of maple syrup and 1 tsp of cinnamon.  The great thing about pecans is that you never have to add oil to get nut butter.  It tastes like a praline to me:

Yum!!!!  I also used some of this nut butter to make my granola bars.  I cut this recipe in half and did not use raisins or chocolate chips.  These are a good snack, I have to say.

After lunch (which included orange super food carrots!), I spent a relaxing afternoon at the library.  I brought home something like 8 books.   The library is near the cafe, so I walked over to have a skim latte:

And read one of said books:

If you are a woman thinking about getting into running, or if you already are, this is a good book to read.  It really goes into more than just the mechanics of running, but what it does for your self-esteem.  I have to say that what I have been doing with running going from C25K to much longer runs and races has done so much to build self-confidence and to allow me to not be selfconscious anymore.  I can go out in my tight trisuit and run and not worry about any loose skin, or unshaven legs (oh yeah!), or frighteningly pale upper arms, which you can probably see from space….   It doesn’t matter if a fast mile for me is several minutes slower than someone else’s, because I am doing it for me.  It doesn’t have to be running either.  I feel the same about biking and lifting!  It’s all about finding something you like and sticking with it.

If you give yourself a chance, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish. Be defined by what you do, not what you weigh.

I decided on more orange superfoods for dinner and had 1/2 a sweet potato spread with laughing cow and topped with sauteed broccoli ( yes Fran – I do love my broccoli   )and a piece of Canadian bacon (for protein).

Interesting combo and pretty tasty.  I think I actually prefer sweet potatoes in savory dishes.

I asked John if it was too early to get into my flannel jammies, and he said I should at least wait until after dinner, so I am off to change!  It’s snowing out and perfect blanket, jammy, video game night.  Am I age 14 or 70???

Question:  Do you eat sweet potatoes?  Savory or sweet (or both)?