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)?
I eat sweet potatoes about once a week or a little less. I bet some of that pecan butter would be excellent on one too!
.-= South Beach Steve´s last blog ..Time For The Perfect 10 Check-In =-.
Haha I am no stranger to hoarding canned pumpkin! I haven’t had pumpkin oats in a while, though. I need to get on that! I just had some savory sweet potatoes in my roasted veggie mix tonight. They were delicious. I love both sweet + savory sweet potatoes, though 🙂
.-= Anne K.´s last blog ..Murphy’s Law = My Life =-.
yum! your oats always look so good!
.-= Simply Life´s last blog ..Veggie Pasta with European Chocolate! =-.
I love sweet potatoes, both sweet and savory. One great thing about reading blogs is finding new ways to prepare foods. I had never done roasted sweet potatoes and once I did my whole family loved them!
.-= Diane Fit to the Finish´s last blog ..5 Tips for Weight Maintenance =-.
Hey Lori, one more insomnia suggestion. How bout eating something with tryptophan before bedtime, like a slice of turkey. Does almond milk have tryptophan? That is one of my favorite before bedtime snacks…well, with a little treat!
Man those oats look good today. I imagine I will be having pumpkin oats Sunday morning!
And the sweet potato combo looks pretty darn good too! I don’t eat sweet potatoes enough.
.-= debby´s last blog ..Embrace the Unusual =-.
I’m thinking about trying 5HTP, which is pretty much tryptophan. I just need to remember to take it!
I understand the pumpkin hoarding – I am in possession of no less than five boxes of Celestial Seasoning’s Gingerbread Spice tea (what?! it’s seasonal!).
I haven’t really developed a taste for sweet potatoes, but one of these days I’m going to make baked fries out of them – I hear a lot of people like them cooked that way.
Just looked for that running book at my library – no go. Good idea, though, to read books like that for inspiration…just like I did with weight-loss memoirs (and of course, blogs!) when I started losing weight.
Oh, and on your day off, it’s never too early for jammies!
.-= Shelley B´s last blog ..Cookbook Winner! =-.
Sounds like a very nice day! The nut butter looks amazing. Yet another one of your ideas I need to try out.
I don’t really eat sweet potatoes. No particular reason. Maybe I’ll pick some up and see how I like them.
Tonight I picked up a waffle iron! Guess what’s for breakfast. 🙂
.-= Barb´s last blog ..A close call & my hubby =-.
HA! About morning TV, so true. Roasted sweet potatoes are my favorite, just cube, tossed with a bit of evoo and coarse salt and roasted until tender in the inside, crisp on the outside. Have you ever had purple sweet potatoes? They are delish and the most gorgeous color!
I have never seen purple sweet potatoes in the store up here. I may need to dig further (harhar).
omg your cat is absolutely adorable!!! I want to cuddle her (him?) so bad!
I am obsessed with sweet potatoes right now. I’ve been baking them with a some spices. I’m not into the marshmallow topping or any of that.
.-= Good Taste. Healthy Me.´s last blog ..Happy Friday! =-.
Yum! Love sweet potatoes AND broccoli – the plainer, the better! 🙂 Oh, and let’s hear it for: flannel jammies, an afternoon at the library (THE BEST!), and running at your own pace. Nervana, for sure….. Enjoy your weekend – sounds like it’s off to a GREAT start!
I love sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced and roasted with some olive oil, rosemary and s&p. Yum.
I love your message about not defining ourselves by how much we weigh.
lol @ pumpkin hoarding … that’s pretty funny, Lori. 🙂
p.s. I’m getting some sweet little birds to my feeders this winter. 🙂
.-= Fitcetera´s last blog .. =-.
!!!!!!! I am so glad to see you back!
I LOVE sweet potatoes, sweet, savory, roasted, mashed, sauteed, baked, microwaved!!!! 🙂 I have it 3 to 4 times a week!! Just can’t get enough (I don’t hoard em like canned pumpkins though..lol!!! 🙂
.-= Joania´s last blog ..The Climb…. =-.
Be defined by what you do, not what you weigh. I love this. I like sweet potatoes too, my favorite way is baked with cinnamon and a little olive oil or butter. Have a good weekend.
.-= Kat´s last blog ..The Perfect 10 – Update #1 =-.
I’m laughing out loud right now about the broccoli. I love broccoli too. And even though I try to eat different vegetables I found myself often buy broccoli or green beans 😆
I never wear my pyjamas at night because I have to let the dog out around 10 pm but I do wear a homewear suit, there’s nothing better than after a day of work, exercising and showering to put that on. In fact: I wear it every night if I don’t have to go away.
Did you have a pleasant evening with John?
.-= Fran´s last blog ..A day in my life: Friday January 8th 2010 =-.
I love sweet potatos. I almost always roast them in the oven- so good! I often dip them in a little bit of honey. That nut butter looks delicious, I’ll have to try making some myself.
.-= Alissa´s last blog ..Back to the Basics =-.
Oh, sweet potato fries are my favorite! I usually add chili powder to ’em.
.-= Michelle @ Find Your Balance´s last blog ..Healthy, hot breakfast in 4 minutes =-.
Congrats on that workout! That bike ride sounds amazing! I am not a fan of bike riding but I know lots of people that are! Yes to the jogging/running. We should be proud of what we do not compared to anyone else. I have learned & go by the rule that our bodies can do much more than we think they can… I try not to let age define what I do either. I will try. If my bod says no OR do it but a bit differently, that is what I do but I at least try.
OK, the food looks awesome as usual! I live sweet potatoes! I don’t even eat Idaho ones anymore or rarely cause I love the sweet & yams too!
Kitty is so cute!
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Is Your Body at Peace? =-.
Your pumpkin oats look so good! I have a couple cans of pumpkin in my pantry and have been trying to figure out what to do with them.
I agree, it’s amazing what you can accomplish. We really sell ourselves short sometimes. I’m having such a great time learning what I can do.
I only like savory (cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper) sweet potatoes. I think sweet sweet potato concoctions are an American thing.
I am a big fan of sweet potato fries with a spicy mayo dip. I haven’t introduced sweet potatoes back into my diet yet but stayed tuned.
.-= Kimberley´s last blog ..The "Perfect 10" Challenge – Update #1 =-.
I will eat sweet potatoes pretty much any way they are served to me. The place where I work has a dining room where they can be ordered for lunch and/or dinner. I would order them with a little packet of smart balance for a tasty side dish to my meal. I really like the idea of making your own nut butters…the pecan one looks delicious! Plus you can adapt it as you go to make it much healthier than some of the things that are available in stores.