2.75 Miles

Happy Wednesday everyone! I trust your day is going well and the weather is not nearly as sporadic as it has been here.  Monday we got about 4" of snow overnight and during rush hour traffic.  Then, on Tuesday, it was up to 50° and tomorrow we are supposed to see freezing temperatures.  

Or as I like to say, mother nature is going through menopause and is experiencing some major hot flashes.  Either way, the weather is really messing with my joints and my head.  I definitely need some consistency.

Monday, Janna and I headed out to the YMCA to do our exercise one of Tina's Best Body Boot Camp.  It was much more difficult this time because we decided we were going to up our weights from 8 lbs to 10 lbs. It is amazing to see how big of a difference 2 lbs can make when doing certain exercises.  

For our half marathon training, we had 2.75 miles on the books and I have to be honest and say it was difficult for me, but I did finish.

I managed to get through the first mile at 6.0 mph but after that, it went downhill.  I have talked before about having shin splints and how unbelievably painful they can be and it looks like they are starting to come back.  Which, in most cases, means I just need a new pair of shoes.  BUT, we were just at the running store a few weeks back and they told me I should be able to get another few months (or 150 miles) out of the shoes.  I think this weekend I will have to make it a point to go back to the store and talk to them about maybe getting new shoes.

I wanted to give everyone an update about Frye and the eye situation.  Last week we had to take him in for a mini procedure to get some blisters removed from his eyes *sad face*.  I am happy to report that his eyes look good and he is feistier than ever.  He even managed to chew a rather  large hole in one of the boxes in our room.  Oh well, I am just glad he is feeling better.

Question of the Day:

What do you do for shin splints?

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan

I've really been on a crock pot cooking kick lately and spent quite a bit of time online looking for yummy crock pot recipes I should try and stumbled upon this one.  Chicken Parmesan is a favorite in our household so you can imagine my relief when I saw that I could just throw it all into the crock pot and it would be ready when I got home.  

What You Need:

• 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 t Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1/4 t kosher salt
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 beaten egg
• sliced mozzarella cheese
• favorite jarred marinara sauce

What To Do:

• Spread the oil on the bottom of the crock pot
• In a separate bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese and the bread crumbs
• In a different bowl, whip the egg with a fork
• Dip the chicken into the whipped egg, then dip it in the breadcrumb mix, making sure to cover the entire chicken breast
• Place the breaded chicken breasts in the crock pot
• Cover each breast with 2-3 slices of cheese.  If you do not have slices, shredded mozzarella cheese will do the trick
• Pour the entire jar of marinara sauce on top of the chicken breasts
• Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4
• Once the chicken is ready, serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!

This recipe, while delicious was not my favorite.  I found that if cooked too long, the sauce had an overall burned taste which made the chicken less enjoyable to eat.  If I had to choose between this or the Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan, I would choose the Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan, but that does not mean I will not be making it again because it is simple and tasty.

Original Recipe found: Here

Valentine's Day Felt Wreath Tutorial

Happy Sunday Everyone! I trust your weekend has been as fun as ours has been! 

I told you in yesterday's post that I had started working on a Valentine's Day Wreath and today I managed to finish it! This is the tutorial, I hope you like it! 

What You Need:

• 3/4 yard crafting felt in Red (I used 72" wide)
• Heart shaped foam wreath 
• Box of dressmaker pins
• Scissors

How to Make the Wreath:

• Make your template for the 3" circles (I used cardboard, you can see it in the picture above)
• Cut several 3" circles out of the felt.  I did not keep count
• Fold the circle in half, then in half again

• Once you have folded the circle in 1/4, take a pin and stick it through the point of the fold

• Begin pinning the circles around the wreath and covering the wreath until you believe the wreath looks full enough
• Once you think it looks full enough, put a ribbon on the back for hanging purposes and you are done

Hang and Enjoy!