I've Caught the June Bug

Welcome, June! :)

My favorite month is HERE! I couldn't welcome it with wider arms! I've posted before how excited and anxious I've been for this month and it's hard to believe that it's already here. Let the countdown begin!!

June 4th: Jenna's Wedding Shower
June 11th: Lake Wylie Splash and Dash 5k
June 13th: My sissy's birthday
June 15-30: Baby Reagan's Birthday (which will it be?!)
June 17th: My Brother-in-Laws Birthday
June 18th: Jenna's WEDDING!
June 19-25: Oak Island Vacation
June 21st: First day of Summer
June 30: My birthday!

Each week brings something fun and exciting. Bring it on, June!!!

Last night for dinner, I made a his/hers pizza. I bought some pre-made pizza crust at the store this weekend, so assembling it was so easy. This is a great recipe if you're pressed for time or just don't feel like spending all night in the kitchen (like me, every night, every day of the year).

First, I sauteed some tomato, onion and spinach for the "hers" side.

Then, put everything together on the crust:

His Side:
-Marinara Sauce
-Leftover ground turkey
-Mixture of Italian cheese and Mexican blended cheese (left from tacos)
-Basil, Oregano, Salt and Pepper

Her Side:
-Marinara Sauce
-Sauteed spinach, tomato, onion
-extra baby spinach leaves
-Italian + Mexican Cheese
-Basil, Oregano, Salt and Pepper

Heat oven to 400F and cook for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is crispy.



Ignore the bite taken out of "her" side
... I had to taste-test the crust to see if it was done ;)

 The crust was "thin crust" so it was only 90 calories for 1/6 of the pizza. I ate ~2 slices and saved the other from my half for today's lunch. This is a much healthier & tastier version compared to commercial pizza. So easy! So good!

This morning for breakfast I had a little extra time on my hands so I went with one of my all-time favorite breakfasts- French Toast! This doesn't take long if you prep for it while getting ready (although I hadn't made up my mind yet, but still made it in about 10-15 mins!).

Healthy French Toast

Ingredients:
-2 pieces of whole wheat bread (I used Sunbeam Light, only 40 calories)
-2 egg whites
-1/8 cup of milk (any kind)
-cinnamon
-Maple Syrup (I use sugar-free version, 40 cals per 1/4c)

Mix together egg whites and milk and place half the mixture onto a plate. Soak one piece of bread in the mixture on the plate for a few minutes, then flip bread to the other side until mixture is fully absorbed. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Spray skillet with non-stick spray and cook bread until it is no longer drippy; Flipping as needed. While the first piece is cooking, soak the second piece in the remaining mixture, following steps from above.

Once first piece is finished, cook second piece. Top both with maple syrup or topping of your choice (butter, powdered sugar, etc). Enjoy!

Calories: 168 (used 1/8c syrup)

I paired this with a banana on the side for a total of 268 calories.

Hope you're having a great week, it's almost FRIDAY!!!! (have I mentioned I love 4-day weeks??)

13.1 x 2 in 30

Well...I made it! I survived two Half Marathons in one month! wooo hoo!!

Boy, is my body feelin' it too! The race was awesome, and HARD, and awesome! The hills were tough but the crowd support was outstanding and seeing all the Marine Corps out there handing out water, serving me was a humbling experience. These guys were awesome! I got to run through so many historical landmarks and really got to take in Fredericksburg.

The start

I'm not gonna lie, this was the toughest run I've endured, to date. My body just wasn't with it and I was feeling pretty weak only a few miles in, but I just tried my best to keep a steady pace and finish strong. I know being sick really took a toll on my body and only being able to run twice last week ate at me mentally. I took water at every stop after mile 6 and Gatorade before mile 10, "Hospital Hill." I took one GU around mile 8 and ran most of the race with a cough drop in my mouth to help me breath (smart, I know). But, I finished!!! This race pushed me mentally farther than I've ever been and really let me see how far my body can go when my mind (really) wanted to quit. SO glad I did it! :)



8,000 runners!



Did I mention Drew Carey ran?!





Sorry these are Proofs!





After the race, Cory and I went back to the hotel, showered and were on our way! We arrived home around 5:30 and crashed for the rest of the night. It felt so good to be home with our babies, even though we were only gone a few days!

Monday was a BUSY day! Since I took a half day from work on Friday, I had a lot to catch up on. I broke for lunch around 1 and tried to get a jump start on my To-Do list. I have a dinner tonight for the Junior Welfare League that I've recently joined and wanted to get a new dress for it. I had no luck during lunch, but luckily was able to find something after work! Decisions, decisions!

 (I went with the one of the left, thanks to Cory's input! :D )

I took Monday off from working out, mainly because I couldn't even walk (and significantly needed a rest day!) but also because I just had so much to do! I picked up a baby shower gift for my Sister-In-Law, found a dress, searched for shoes, picked up some make up and grocery shopped all before 8pm. Then I got home and cooked this deliciousness:



This was heavenly and only 250 calories!!! No, that's not a joke! :)


Ingredients:
1 Flatout Flat bread- Light Tomato flavored
1/4 c Prego Marinara Sauce
1/4 c Italian cheese
Dried basil, salt, pepper
Baby spinach, chopped
Tomato, chopped

I assembled all the ingredients and baked in our Toaster Oven at 300 for about 5-7 mins. It was delicious!! I will definitely be making this again! Actually, I already did! :) I'm having a "calzone" version of this today for lunch and I can't wait!

Have a great Tuesday! :)

Risen From The Dead

ETA: This post is from Thursday, Blogger's been down-sorry!

Hello Friends! I hope you're all havin a grand week, it's almost the weekend!! woooo!!

I know you've been worrying your little selves over me (it's all you can think about, right?) Well I'm happy to say that I am feeling a little better today. I'm definately not at 100% but I'm on the road to recovery! I'm gonna make it!!!!!

So besides eating gross things like soup (which, by the way, I hate) here are some of my recent eats. Last night, Cory cooked, while I instructed so I didn't "poison" the food. I'm not gonna lie... I kinda liked it. Maybe I should be infected more often to get out of cooking!? hm.... too bad he reads this, now there's not a chance for me to get away with that. dang.

Last night we made Pad Thai Chicken- basically whole wheat spaghetti noodles, grilled chicken, soy sauce and Pad Thai seasoning. It sounded gourmet, it smelled gourmet...the verdict? It was awful. I can't blame my cooking skills on this one (...Cory???) kidding. It just wasn't what I thought it would be, not sure what that is, but it defiantely isn't something I'd buy again. Just sayin.

After dinner, I mixed up a version of Shae's Warm Ooey Gooey Oat Clusters oh em gee. Shae, you're significantly evil. Why oh why did you introduce this to me?!?? I used basically the same ingredients, except I had no Kashi cereal, so I crunched up a graham cracker. It was soo rich and good, thanks for this new obession, Shae! :)

This morning, I had a bowl of Banana Oatmeal. It was good, except we're out of milk and just wasn't as creamy as normal- still good, of course!

• 1/4c Old Fashioned Oats
• 1/2c water
• 1/2 banana
• Cinnamon
• Sea salt
• Vanilla
• Topped with a few tbsp of raw oats and 1 tbsp natural crunchy pb

=240 cals

For a mid morning snack, I feasted on these babies:



...yum

 After hacking up my lungs and annoying my co-workers; who, by the way have voiced their opinions on the way I look vs. feel by saying things like:

"Are you feeling better? Oh, well...not to be rude, but...you don't look like you feel any better."

and


"So...you're gonna try and RUN on Sunday??? You don't sound like you can even SIT. Do you know how far a Half Marathon is??" 

---No, actually, I don't. Could you please explain just exactly how far that IS!?

Ahh the joys of working with men. Have their wives not trained them?! Anyway, I ran to Walmart at lunch to grab some things for our trip tomorrow, can back and ate a Cheeseburger!!! Okay, that's a lie, but it's as close to a cheeseburger as this girl's gonna get:

-Whole Wheat Wrap
-Bocca Burger (Original Flavor)
-Pepperjack Cheese
-Ketchup
=235

+cheesy crackers= 305 Total

On the side- amazing crackers I bought while I was out; 20 crackers for only 140 cals! Woo hoo!

Afternoon snack is a planned Nature's Path Mmmaple Pecan Granola Bar that I'm pretty excited about. If you've never tried Nature's Path products, get up and drive to the nearest store RIGHT NOW and buy something. anything. it's all amazing. But, these are by far the best! The first time I bought a box, Cory helped me polish them off in less than 2 days. And you know King Toaster Struedal doesn't like too much with the the word "ORGANIC" printed across the top, so they have to be good, right?! ;)

I tried running last night, got 3 miles in at around a 9 min pace. It was 90 degrees and 110% humid. I wasn't too disappointed...going to try again tonight but might move it inside to the dreadmill so these lungs can get a break. Then it's packing and taking Anney to "Grandma's!" We're leaving around noon tomorrow! :)Sayonara!

Wardrobe Malfunction

Happy Hump Day! :)

This week is flyin' by! Last night I decided to change up my running scenery and parked my car at Mom's and ran around her area of town. This past weekend, Cory forced me to buy this cute Nike Running Skirt

Adorable huh? I decided to try it out last night, and really loved it! BUT it's not exaaactly the best thing to wear when there are 80mph winds and you're running down a pretty busy street. One minute the front's flying up in my face, then the back... oh and did I mention my Spi Belt jacked up the side of the skirt and I was well into mile 3 before noticing? Someone got a show. Good thing there are underwear shorts underneath.

Get it Venus!

After embarrassing myself, I got back to Mom's and she is an angel because she had Honey Wheat Pretzel Twists and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus waiting... oh em gee. One of my all time faves. So while stuffing my face I described to her this amazing sandwich I'd been craving all day... hummus, baby spinach, mozzarella, on a sandwich thin. Just.like.that. she had it ready for me. Angel, I tell ya. I wasn't too hungry yet... since me and the Mr. eat dinner around midnight (oh,wait that's after our bed time). I took home a To-Go box with some leftover ham and potatoes for Cory that Mom had frozen from Easter for occasions like tonight. Don't you just looove getting take out from Mom's? They have the best food ever. (cheesy, sorry).

Sandwich + strawberries and Dole Fruit Bites

I did not get much sleep last night! Dang thunderstorm. We lost power around 1am which cut off our ceiling fan and AC... and it got HOT. I so didn't want to get out of bed at 5am for training, but I did. The Workout Page has been updated!

Once I got to my desk I ate a pear and a piece of toast with 1tbsp. peanut butter (230 cals) along with some coffee.

Mid-morning Snack today was 1 cup of Multi Grain Cheerios. These are soo good! I'm already craving them tomorrow morning in milk with a sliced banana! 110 calories

I got the special privilege of seeing my secret boyfriend today during lunch (it's secret because in real life he's my husband). He had the day off and we got to spend some QT together during my break. Always makes the day go faster when I have something fun to do during my lunch hour! :) When I got back, I ate a sandwich comprised of pepper jack cheese, baby spinach and tomato on a whole wheat English Muffin. On the side for some protein, I had one cup of salt and vinegar chic peas that I marinated over night. (330 cals).

After busting through a huge stack of work and a zillion emails, I ate my pre-workout snack- homemade pb crackers- two whole wheat graham crackers with my special peanut butter (230 calories) PB was a highlight of my day, making an entrance twice already today! :)



Sorry this is green... I swear the ones I ate weren't



Now it's off to Boot Camp to get beat up. Bring it!

Skipped School

Every Monday night for as long as I can remember (ok, for the last year and a half) I've left work and gone straight to Omni where I do some kind of light cardio until my spin class at 6pm. I usually look forward to this class and can count on it as a big calorie burner. Yesterday? I just totally wasn't feeling it.

Typically if I don't feel like going, I try not to think about it and before I know it, I'm huffing and puffing away on a bike. But, last week I left spin in a really bad mood- so not like me after a hard workout and I was totally dreading going back yesterday. I don't know if it's that a dark, cold, closed off room is unappealing while the sun is still shining or that I'm just annoyed with the same 'ole same 'ole but I decided to give myself a break. I reevaluated and tried to think of a workout that would make me happy.

Yep, you guessed it. A run outside. Since I ran 12 on Saturday, I didn't want to push too hard since this is supposed to be my "recovery run" so I ran a nice 3 miles at ~8:45 pace around my apartment. Afterwards, I felt a teensy bit guilty for skipping school and decided I needed to get in a bit more, so I headed for my apartment gym for 20 mins of elliptical + 15 mins bike. It felt SO. GREAT. to get out of my routine, exactly what I needed!

After a shower (okay, I'm lying I didn't shower... I just didn't want you to think I was a walking disgust, like I am) I made some homemade peanut butter and then started on dinner- one of mama's recipes. Have I mentioned just how AMAZING my mom is? She made me a homemade cook book with all her recipes that she cooked for us while we were growing up. That thing I said about learning to cook, you can blame her.

Anyway, I picked out one of my favorites- red beans and rice. I think this was my first time cooking it and (per usual) Cory was a little skeptical of my newest concoction  recipe. But, he loved it! AND went back for seconds! AND asked for it to be on the menu again! SUCCESS! Recipe will on on the recipe page soon!

Ingredients for Red Beans and Rice

Breakfast this morning was 2 egg whites on a slice of whole wheat with coffee; sweetened with sugar-free vanilla creamer and 1/2 Splenda, 1/2 Stevia (trying to ween myself off Splenda and switch to Stevia)
~150 cals

I worked up a morning hunger and had a snack around 10am- my favorite Kashi flavor! (120 cals)

For lunch today I enjoyed a Boca burger (original flavor) on a whole wheat Thomas English Muffin with a slice of pepper jack cheese and a local pear. The pear was easily the highlight of my lunch! I bought it yesterday at our town's fresh market and it was sooo good! Also had a big ole bottle of water. (350 cals)

Just finished my afternoon/pre-run snack of a Pure&Simple Energy Power Bar , Roasted Peanut flavor. Typically, I don't like to eat more than one "pre-packaged" snacks in one day, but I forgot my afternoon snack and ran to grab something during my lunch break. The Power Bar was pretty good! Definitely something I would buy again, 140 calories and 5g protein.

Going for a 6 mi run after work then home to make either a taco pie or salad+sweet potato (can't decide.....)
 :) Have a great night!

Monstrous Thursday

Good morning! Whew, we've made it to Thursday, the eve of Friday which is one day before the weekend! :) (Trying to be optimistic about the 2 gruesome days we have left of this loooong week).

Today is one of those days when I woke up and felt like I'd been asleep for 5 mins. I looked at the clock and couldn't believe it was already morning. Blah. And the monstrous black clouds looming over us outside didn't help the situation much. All I wanted to do was stay in bed and sleep through this nasty weather!

But, being the responsible person I am, I hit snooze about a zillion times until I absolutely had to get up, then rushed around like a maniac (still had time to squeeze in an episode of Saved By The Bell...priorities). This pollen is getting the best of me and with a sore throat, all I wanted was something ice cold for breakfast. Just so happens, I had ingredients for a lean, mean, green, monster! Yesssss.

Ingredients:
-1/2 frozen banana
-1/2 c almond milk
-1/2 c water
-packet of Musceltech chocolate protein powder
-handful of spinach
-about 5 ice cubes
-Splenda
-pinch of xantham gum

-Blend together spinach and liquids, then add all other ingredients until thick, smooth, and delicious.

Calories: 200


This was my first experience with xantham gum. I've been wanting to try it for awhile now but haven't been able to find it in stores; so I finally broke down and bought some here. I've heard that it makes a world of difference in smoothies/milkshakes, and boy does it! Although, I think I added a little too much; my GM had more of a pudding consistency, but still tasted fine. Next time, I'll add a little less.

I used this sample of Muscletech protein powder that I found at the grocery store. I'm trying to find a new protein powder that I like but I'm sometimes scared to buy a huge container if I haven't tried it before. I thought this tasted pretty good- not at all chalky like some protein powders.

Here's the nutrition information. Pretty good! (I used a little more than 1/2 of the packet this morning)

Cals: 160

Fat: 2

Protein: 26

Carbs: 8

Off to tackle the day!

Hello!

Thank you for (probably accidently) stumbling across my blog! I'm quite a newby at this, but after much coaxing from my hunky husband and many friends, I've finally started a blog!

**Warning: There will be grammatical errors (probably frequently) so.. if that bothers you, I'm warning you now! :) **

First, I'm not great with intros... back in college I'd sit for an hour trying to figure out how to start a paper, only to skip the intro and "start" with paragraph two... I think that's mainly the reason I haven't started a blog 'til now- I didn't know where to begin!

So, when I found this cute and informative little questionaire, I figured what better way to get to know a little about me? You'll probably find out more than you want about me, but that'll probably happen pretty often on here! Alright...so, here goes nothin'...


A. Age: 23, brought into the world on June 30, 1987

B. Bed size: Queen; although most nights it feels like we're crammed into a twin, when you've got a husband and a massive dog to share with



Great, big, scary lap dog!

C. Chore you hate: Dishes! Hate, hate, hate washing/putting away dishes... but I hate seeing them in the sink even more (ahem)... so I'm forced.

D. Dogs: Started my love obsession with Lhasa Apso's in 2005 when we got our family dog, Gabbie (aka Gabberdean, Nadean, Deana, Geebba) and it was all over from there. She birthed the love of my life (um..I mean second love of my life) Lady Annabelle Princess Walser Hinton "Anney" in September 2007. Life was complete.

E. Essential Start to your Day: Coffee! Must.have.coffee. before life can begin. If you have had the unfortunate pleasure of encountering me in the AM, well...you deserve a metal of honor.

F. Favorite Color: Pink! (generic girl color, I know.)

G. Gold or Silver: For most things, typically gold.

H. Height: 5'3" (okay, okay... I'm 5'2"... and a half)

I. Instruments you play: "Played" percussion in middle school. I think I'm the only person on Earth who came close to failing band for "not practicing enough"... I loved it with my heart and soul, you can catch me on Drumline2.

J. Job Title: Day job- Inside Sales for a process equipment distributor (machinery for chemical plants, paper mills, etc)  Night job- Lhasa Mama, wifey, wanna-be cook, maid.

K. Kids: 2-3...someday. Me and the hubs are on the "5-year plan" Each time a family member begs us to speed up the process... we add a month. For now, Anney's our love child.

L. Live: Good ole Rock Hill, SC (for those unfamiliar, it's pronounced "Rawk Heel" and it ranks pretty close up there to NYC and LA as far as entertainment/things to do...) Of course when I say "pretty close" I mean complete total opposite.

Someone, please purchase this for me in every color, size S please. You'd make my life.

M. Mom's name: Lebo, Leebs, Leemart, Madgie (aka Leigh)

N. Nicknames: I (as you may have already noticed) have nicknames for everyone. Mine? Kris, Kriech, Triech, Twitch, Cabby, Nitsirk, Krissypoo

O. Operations? None! Knock on wood!!
P. Pets: You've already been formally introduced to my beloved Anney
BUT I'm also mama to Lilly (Willy, Reel, Lillerbug) a lop-eared, sweet little thang the hubs gave me for Easter 2 years ago.

Warning- I appear sweet and super cute, but I'll take that pretty little finger off in one bite.

Q. Quote: "If God brings you to it, he'll bring you through it."

R. Righty or Lefty: That's a toughy... see my parents totally screwed me. I *think* I was born to be a lefty but when learning to write, they cruely forced to write with my right hand. I do everything else a lefty... Thanks Mom! :)

S. Siblings: 2 sissies; one older (Furnace, 26) okay.. her legal name's Jennifer and one younger (Melissa, 20...almost 21 eeep!) and of course, ole Nadean herself.

OKI beach pic, circa 2008
From L-R Melissa, Moi, Jen

Sister #3: Gabber Dean

T. Time you wake up: MWF- 5:01am; TTh- 6:01am (gotta get that extra minute!) S,S- depends

U. Underwear: Every day wear: Thong Work out: Granny's

V. Vegetables you dislike: See, I'm one of those weird birds that actually loves my veggies. Mama musta raised me right! I think all veggies can be good, some just need a little more lovin' to be edible; but most are pretty tastey. My fave? Sweet potato x 100000

W. What makes you run late: Not being able to find my keys... this has got to stop! I'm usually pretty anal about getting somewhere on time and get anxiety if I'm running late! I'd rather sit in the car and wait for 10 mins than be rushing to get there. Someone once told me "If you're on time, you're late" and that always kinda stuck.

X. X-rays: on my ankle with I was 5 and on my back in January (minor lower back injury when my parachute didn't open while skydiving, no big deal... I kid, I kid) it was a work-out related injury that I've (fingers crossed) fully recovered from.

Y. Yummy food you make: I like to think I'm a "Cook in Progress" ha! My sweet hubby chokes down my food without complaint... but, he does claim to love my tacos (though, this is practically the most fool-proof food on Earth and even then? He's probably just being sweet about it). I didn't pick up on those genes like Furny. (Or maybe I was too busy practicing back hand springs and handstands while the cooking lessons took place).

Z. Zoo- favorite animal: I love the monkeys! They kind of fascinate me; how smart and human-like they are... and plus, if I were ever trapped with a monkey for the rest of my life, we could definately be bff's with our shared passion for bananas.

The monkeys from when the hubs and I went to the Columbia Zoo...I said I was the one on the left and he was the one on the right that peed itself...

Although... these guys are pretty cute too....

So, there ya have it! The life of Kristin Elizabeth Hinton written out in the ABC's for the world to see. I've probably lost most of you in this century-long post. But, if not... I'm thrilled! (seriously.) Come back for more... I can't promise you'll read anything of any remote importance, but ya never know! :)

And just because I wanna... Here's a couple pics of my and my hottie on our wedding day:

...And here's what we really look like:

Have a great weekend... and while you're at it, do a little rain dance for me! (I'm running my VERY FIRST half marathon in the morning... and they're calling for 90% chance of strong thunderstorms/wind) Perfect running weather if I've ever heard!