Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Sports Bra Problems

Last year I invested in some nice sports bras. I got some sturdy Moving Comfort and supportive Nike ones. Now, however, I'm having some issues. I went along and got pregnant :) and the boobs are now getting larger. Even though I'm only 14 weeks along, things are already ticking upward. I'm popping out of my normal bras and all those nice bras I bought last year are just barely fitting. When I went for my run today, things were moving more than I normally like.

So now, I'm stuck on what to do. Do I continue to invest in nice bras as I continue to get larger? Or is there another, less expensive option? Mamas out there, I need your help! What do you do to keep the girls in place when you're continuing to grow... I've also thought about getting some cheaper bras and doubling up with a shelf bra tank? Any help or ideas would be appreciated!?

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Dinner with Kim at Seasons 52

A few Fridays ago, Kim and I had a dinner date planned. Since we hadn't been able to connect for a lunch at NFC, we decided to give a weekend dinner a try. Since we live so far from one another, Kim found a nice restaurant halfway between our two houses, Seasons 52. Despite the local traffic being an absolute nightmare, we arrived on time for our reservations and were seated right away.

Our waiter came by and was very friendly. I had a lot of questions about ingredients in the items on the menu (Is the cheese pasteurized? Does this sauce contain raw egg?) He wasn't at all a jerk about it, he was very accommodating. (which I greatly, greatly appreciated). They even had a special vegan menu just for Kim! They also had a gluten-free and dairy-free menu for other various food allergies. I thought that was a nice touch to a fancier restaurant.

As everything on the menu is under 450 calories, the portions were within reason and they didn't come with fried sides that are usually my downfall. Although it wasn't on the traditional dinner menu, they were able to make me the cheeseburger that I saw on the lunch menu. It wasn't just any burger, it was a bison burger. As bison meat is leaner and another good source of protein, I opted for it. (Yet another reason why our waiter was awesome.)
Delicious bison burger

Our waiter was attentive yet let us chat when we were chatting (which was a lot and often). Kim and I chatted about so many things. Even though we've only known each other for a short period of time, I feel like she is so easy to talk to and relatable. If you don't read her blog, I highly recommend you do so. One of the things I always try to be on my blog is genuine. What you see/read is what you get. I feel Kim is the same way too, which I think is always welcoming in the blogging world!

After dinner I didn't leave feeling I over ate or was too stuffed, which is a nice feeling. That is, until the dessert tray came by. Everything looked so delicious I just had to try one. As I'm not a huge chocolate person and I haven't been digging coffee during the pregnancy, I went with key lime pie while Kim went for the delicious, tropical looking vegan option. The desserts really were a perfect individual size!

When the bill came, they were accommodating once again and were able to split up our credit cards. That is always a nice plus for any restaurant! Of course since we are bloggers, we had to have the waiter take our photo. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Kim and I dressed alike without even realizing it.
We are just awesome like that

I hope you guys aren't creeped out by ultrasound photos because you're about to get another one! Kim brought me a delightful gift that made me (and my husband) smile. It is currently in our transforming guest room/nursery and is also the background of my phone.
I couldn't think of anything more perfect. Thanks Kim and Seasons 52 for a wonderful dinner! I hope we can meet up again more often because I always have so much fun when we do. :)

As a disclaimer, I have never been contacted by Season 52 and I was not compensated in any way for this review. I just thought I would post about my great experience.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Weekly Cardio Summary 3/17-3/23

Wednesday-Friday: Walk to and from the train. 4.8 miles total.
0.8 miles each way. 2x per day, 3 days a week. I took a business trip and was gone on Monday and Tuesday hence the smaller mileage this week

Hers and Hers Sunday ice cream treats.
Sunday: 3 mile walk with Pepper.
I really am loving this Sunday tradition. This week I even let Pepper cheat on her diet a little bit and get a baby come. Shh, don't tell anyone. :) I even took a video to commemorate the event. Lol.

Saturday: Rowing 15 minutes
Toph and I had wedding to go to Saturday night downtown and we were leaving for vacation soon after. That led to lots of errands but since I hadn't run all week, I wanted to be sure to get in some sort of workout before vacation.

Just after getting off the rowing machine, I went to check the mail. A wonderful surprise arrived! Amanda (aka Too Tall Fritz) had bought me a ForTwoFitness shirt that we had talked about online last week. It brought a smile to my face (and perhaps a tear to my eye) as the shirt is so cute and Amanda is so thoughtful! I can't wait to be wearing this one all around town once the weather warms up enough to wear a t-shirt!
Thanks Amanda! This shirt is definitely motivation to get out there and sweat!

With the business trip this week, I was really thrown off. I didn't properly plan my workouts to account for the extra time I'd need to spend in the office, closing up loose ends before being out for a week. Now that I'm on vacation, I know we'll be doing a lot of walking. I also brought a prenatal pilates DVD that a friend gave to me. I'm very much looking forward to lots of relaxing and some delicious food!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Mad About March Madness

I went to a college that didn't have a lot of popular sports teams. We didn't/don't have a football team so there was never any tailgating. It was mainly a commuter school so there wasn't much camaraderie on campus.

However, when I got my first office job back in 2007, I fell deeply and madly in love with March Madness. Why? I have no idea. It's not like my college team consistently participates in the tournament (they did make it to the tournament when I was attending college there but they were eliminated in the first round). I can't really explain my love of the tournament, but it is something I always look forward to in spring. I have shirts for some of my favorite college teams (as a result of the tournament). I always pick Butler to go one round too far. I oust my least favorite teams too early (a 7 seed doesn't often beat a 2 seed in the second round).. But it is March Madness. Anything is possible!!

One year, I chose my bracket solely based on who's mascot would win in a fight (that didn't work out so well but it was still a fun tactic). It doesn't matter how well you know or don't know about college basketball, it is always fun to watch the fast paced games. In fact, in the first few days of the tournament (which actually started yesterday), there are multiple games going on at once so you can switch back and forth.

Do you partake in these lovely festivities? If not, I recommend it for a fun time, even if you aren't a huge basketball fan. Although, by the time this post goes up, the tournament will have already started. However, here are some handy dandy tips to use for next year:

Kelly's March Madness Bracket Picking Tips:
1) In the first round, always chose the 1-4 seeds to win in each of the four conferences. It is rare that a 4 seed will be upset.
2) Pick teams you're familiar with. Have a friend that lives in Nashville, close to Vanderbuilt? Why not pick them?! Vacationed in Colorado and had a great experience, pick them! A school that one of your favorite runners attended? Go ahead! The sky is the limit to the reasons you can come up with to chose a team!
3) In the second and third rounds, go ahead and take some risks on the suggested upsets (a high# seed beating a low# seed). If you're right, the payoff will be huge. If you're wrong, let's hope you're not wrong too many times. :)
4) If you're unsure on which team to pick, chose which mascot will win in a fight.

I have yet to win a bracket and I've been participating in March Madness pools since that first lowly office pool back in 2007. So my tips are definitely not foolproof, but the do lead to a fun time during the tournament. Who do you have winning this year? I picked Louisville. Why? We always drive through there on our way to Nashville. Everyone always seems so friendly and the restaurants are delicious. Go Cardinals!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Breakfast Nachos

If you're following this blog for nothing but healthy recipes, you've come to the wrong place. I like to live a lifestyle that balances the healthy and unhealthy delicious things in life.

I always love having avocados at home. They are always delicious and I could have them with every meal at any time. The other day I had one that was at the perfect ripeness and I needed to use it ASAP. But it was breakfast time! What to do? Make some breakfast nachos, of course! I've made these a couple times before but I thought I would share the idea/recipe with you. The recipe is super complicated so be sure to keep up.


Ingredients:
2 eggs
vegetables of your choosing (I chose mushrooms and tomatoes)
1 avocado
1/8-1/4 cup of shredded cheese (pepper jack works wonderful)
Spices for seasoning (my favorite trifecta: Lawry's, garlic salt, pepper to taste)
tortilla chips (El Ranchero, only the best)


First, I sauteed the mushrooms and tomatoes together with a little salt and pepper.

I then added the eggs and the spice trifecta (Lawry's seasoning salt, pepper, garlic salt).

After the eggs started cooking a smidge, I added the cheese. I continued to stir the eggs until they were cooked all the way through (no raw eggs allowed). When the eggs were ready, I cut up the avocado and topped the eggs with 1/2 of an avocado. Then, instead of using a fork, I used tortilla chips. Voila! Breakfast nachos!

It sounds simple enough, but why have I never had this at a restaurant? I feel like it would be super duper popular. I mean, I'd order it!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Weekly Cardio Summary 3/10-3/16

It is recommended to do at least 30 minutes of cardio a day when you are pregnant. I know a few of my fellow friends keep track of their weekly workouts and I think it is a great thing for me to start doing too! I think it will help me when that pregnancy brain kicks in and I can't remember what I did earlier today, let along last week.

Everyday: Walk to and from the train. 8 miles total.
0.8 miles each way. 2x per day, 5 days a week. I love my brisk walk from the train station to work every day. I used to hate it, but now I'm really starting to enjoy it.


Sunday: Rowing machine for 15 minutes
I haven't used the machine in awhile and it totally showed. I really enjoy the rowing machine because it works your arms and legs with very low impact. I watched the preview for the new season of Game of Thrones and I couldn't be more exited! New episodes start March 31!


She was so happy to be on that walk!
Until I got ice cream and she couldn't have any.
Sunday: 3 mile walk with Pepper
As I mentioned before, our pup needs to loose a few pounds so I've been taking her on a nice long walk every weekend. So far we're 2/2 and I hope to make it out this weekend too!


Wednesday: Running 1.5 miles on the treadmill
I am not going to post the pace of my workouts because to me, that is not important. I don't want to compare myself to other pregnant people or have other pregnant ladies compare themselves to me. I was just happy to run a few miles to get those endorphins going! Is my outfit obnoxious enough? I didn't think so either ;)


Thursday, March 14, 2013

The Truth

So, now that my secret is out, here are some of the real reasons I haven't been running all that much lately.

I found out I was pregnant the day after a 10 mile run and right before leaving to go on our Wisconsin Dells trip. I took it easy that week, before the F3 half marathon, not really knowing what was in store. I kept the mileage low during the week and headed to the starting line, thinking that I could complete it, no problem. Some where along the route, things just didn't feel right. My heat was beating super duper fast and as soon as I felt a cramp in my side, I called it quits. This was around mile 5ish. I felt defeated, scared, and didn't know what to do or think. However, being so early along in the pregnancy, I had to put on my game face for the rest of the day.
Enjoying an ice cold water after the "race."

I ran another time soon after the race, and I felt some cramping in my stomach again and started freaking out... Again. I had a long talk with my husband about how all this freaking out isn't good for the baby and I just need to listen to my body. If I feel pain, stop. Easy as that. And, cramping is totally normal. The uterus is expanding and that can cause slight pain or discomfort.

Then, once I got past the early, early stage, the nausea and exhaustion started. I was nauseous from when I got up in the morning until I went to sleep. The books suggest to eat smaller meals throughout the day to help keep the nausea at bay. This helped out mildly, but I still felt miserable. (Have you ever thrown up on a Metra train? Let me tell you, it is not a pleasant experience.) Also while I'm nauseous all the time, I'm physically exhausted. My body and mind were more tired than they've ever been before. It is one thing to read about it or hear about it, but to actually feel it was something so surreal. I've had 24 hour days, ran a marathon, stayed up way past my bedtime... and I had never felt as tired as I did during those few weeks.  All of this was also going on while I was working 50 hours a week. Bed time quickly became 1+ hours earlier than normal. So, when it came to choose sleeping or running, I chose sleeping.

I always swore I would be one of those women who  ran throughout her pregnancy. I saw women complete marathons in their first trimester and run half marathons in the second and/or third trimesters. But when it actually happened to me, my perspective was totally different. It just didn't work for me and I have accepted that is okay. I'm into the whole "listen to your body" thing. If I don't feel like running, I don't. If I want to sleep instead, I do. And if baby craves a cheeseburger, baby gets a cheeseburger. :) I never thought I would say these things, but when it happens to you, you have to make adjustments and roll with it! No more half marathons for me until after Baby Wilson is born.
My baby bump is slowly growing!

If you've gone through this process, how did you feel in first trimester? I know my symptoms were pretty common but I know everyone's body is different!!

And if anyone has any recommendations for delicious specialty sodas, please let me know. My favorite right now is Sprecher's low cal root beer. Yummmmmm. I'm going to start enjoying craft sodas since I have to take a break from enjoying craft beers.

13.1 Half Marathon Giveaway Winner

And the winner of the free race entry into the 13.1 half marathon is...

Erica Agran @ Erica Finds




Congratulations to Erica! Please contact me at Runningkellometers at gmail dot com to claim your prize! You have 72 hours (until Sunday, March 17 at 10am CST) to contact me before a new winner is chosen.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

I Have a Secret

Some of you may have noticed that my blog has not been as active in the past few weeks and that is because I haven't been running as much. If you've been able to read between the lines, you might have figured out a few clues here and there.

I DNFed my first half marathon.

I didn't drink any beer at the half marathon after party or the Chicago Marathon kickoff event.

I backed out of running a spring marathon.

I have a secret that I've had such a hard time keeping from all of you for this long... I now have something in common with Lauren Fleshman and Kate Middleton. And that is....

I'm Pregnant.

I'm hoping not to turn this into a pregnancy blog, but let's be honest. It will be really hard for that not to happen. BUT, I will keep the recipes (and my awesome food photography) coming and I will run for as long as I can! I hope you'll stick around for the ride! :)

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

First World Problems IV

**Don't forget to enter my 13.1 Chicago Half Marathon giveaway! You have until tomorrow (Wednesday, March 13) to enter!**

I'm feeling a little grumpy today with the lame weather tease we got over the weekend. Therefore, I'm going to put together a round of First World Problems to help me get out of my grumpy mood. Lol.

This morning I sat down to have my typical bowl of cereal for breakfast. I had bought some more milk over the weekend so I was ready for a heaping bowl. However, much to my dismay, I accidentally bought soy milk instead of almond milk. Thankfully I had just enough almond milk for my breakfast but what am I going to do with this soy milk? I don't want to drink it and should I return the milk to the grocery store I just bought it from? I don't even have a receipt.
FIRST WORLD PROBLEM


On Friday I had the best donut in the world from Fleckenstein's bakery in Mokena. It was a chocolate old fashioned and it was AMAZING. Since then, I have been craving another one but I know that I don't want to get into the habit of eating donuts frequently. Lol. So yesterday, I caved to the craving but I got something that looked similar from Dunkin Donuts (chocolate glazed). It was not nearly as good and probably had about the same amount of calories. Totally not worth it (but I ate it anyways). Now I know that once you've had something good, you can't expect a second-rate version to taste as good.
FIRST WORLD PROBLEM


I'm so sick of this Chicago weather. The temps warmed up over the weekend and the snow melted. Then it rained a ton. You got to feel the nice weather, but you couldn't do anything with it. Then, after the snow all melted, it got cold again and the temps are calling for more snow today and again on Thursday (and we also got some snow yesterday too). I know we've had a fairly normal winter and I don't mind the snow in November - February... but it is March. Shouldn't the snow be gone by now?
FIRST WORLD PROBLEM


We are going to New Orleans again in a few weeks! We leave on March 23 and come home on March 30. We are driving down with 2 other couples so it should be a blast. I plan on doing another food post and taking lots of photos, so get ready for it! However, before anyone goes on vacation, they know the chaos that ensues beforehand. We still have to take dog to vet, go to salon, attend an out-of-state client meeting for 2 days, get the dog groomed, pack, buy/make road trip snacks... Next week is going to be crazy so, I'm going to take my time enjoying this week!
FIRST WORLD PROBLEM


Daylight savings took place this weekend. Therefore, everyone's schedule is thrown off. I'm more tired than usual and I've only changed about half the clocks in the house. Does anyone know the point of daylight savings, like really? I just don't get it.
FIRST WORLD PROBLEM


I went shopping over the weekend at a new local grocery store and I was checking out their selection of goodies. I came across something that left me truly perplexed. Frozen grilled cheese sandwiches. A grilled cheese sandwich has to be one of the easiest thing in the world to make. All you need is 3 ingredients: butter, bread, cheese. I am no chef and even I can make it. It also takes only a few minutes. Why would someone want to buy a frozen grilled cheese when you can easily make one yourself in the same amount of time, with no chemicals or preservatives. (And you just know the frozen version doesn't taste nearly as good as one that's homemade.) Only in America...
FIRST WORLD PROBLEM


Ahh, that feels better! Do you have any First World Problem gripes you'd like to share?

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Walks with the Pup

The hubs and I took the pup to the vet over the weekend and they gave us some unexpected news. Our little Pepper is overweight and needs to go on a diet. It was some shocking news to hear, but we made some modifications to get her on the right track. I think part of the reason is that I haven't been running with her as much. With the crappy conditions and freezing temperatures, a run outside just doesn't sound like fun. And not to mention, the snow is so easily caught in her fur, it is ridiculous. On the plus side, this just means we get to go for some nice long leisurely walks together. We went with some friends over the weekend and stopped at the dog bakery and the ice cream shop, you know, to even things out a bit. :)

 Can you tell her mood before and after the walk? That dog really loves the great outdoors!!

Have you ever had to put your pet on a diet? I know lots of folks do, we just never thought it would be us. Poor Pepper. Hopefully she'll be back to her old self soon!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

13.1 Half Marathon Giveaway

Last year I wasn't able to run the 13.1 half marathon because I was volunteering for a Ragnar Relay team. This year, I'm also participating in Ragnar so I am unable to run the 13.1 for the 2nd year in a row. However, I've heard good things from my fellow runner friends and I really do hope that conditions are better than last year. (There's no way it can be THAT hot 2 years in a row, right?... RIGHT?)

Here is a little background about the race. This year, it takes place on Saturday, June 8th with a start time of 7am (nice and early for a June race). The course is along the lakefront path, starting and finishing at the South Shore Cultural center. So it at least gives a little bit of a different perspective of the lakefront path than usual.

Also, if you run the 13.1 and the Chicago Half Marathon, you'll complete the Windy City Challenge and receive an additional medal! (A full description of the Windy City Challenge is available on both websites.)

Why am I going on and on about the 13.1? Well, because I have been offered to give away one entry to the event to a lucky reader! 

All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment mentioning a way you keep cool when running on a hot summer day.

Best of luck everyone! Who else is looking forward to some summer running?

FNRC on a hot summer night's run
The giveaway will be open for 1 week and entries will be taken until Wednesday, March 13 at 11:59pm CST. The winner will be announced on Thursday, March 14.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Fake Chicken Noodle Soup

I haven't been feeling very well lately so I decided to try out a new recipe. I got my regular Fake Meats email a few weeks ago with a recipe for "chicken" noodle soup. I had been just dying to try it. I picked up some organic carrots and celery (I don't normally buy organic but celery is on the "dirty dozen list for using 5 different types of pesticides. Yes, 5.) and some whole wheat pasta. In order to complete the recipe, I needed to place an order with Fake Meats for the Seitenbacher vegetable broth and some soy curls.
Chris and I don't like the crunch of an onion so I kept the onions whole. I let them cook and simmer with the soup but pulled them out before serving. We frequently do this as I like the flavor that onions add to a dish, but we just hate biting into a crunchy chunk.

I really like this recipe because it is basically just a "dump everything in the pot and stir." I mean, is there any better cooking techniques?
I couldn't find my recipe card, but there is a video explaining the recipe that I followed along with. The instructions were simple, clear, and helpful. (If you're part of the Fake Meats meal plan, you get ingredients and recipes delivered to your door monthly.)

After letting the soup simmer for the recommended 10 minutes, I checked the pasta and it needed just a little more time (maybe because it was whole wheat versus regular).
Either way, the kitchen smelled amazing just like homemade soup (well, because it is!). All of the ingredients are vegan but I don't think my vegetarian husband has had chicken noodle soup since he was about 14 years old! Haha. I really enjoyed making this and the recipe made a ton of food. We put some in the fridge and the rest in the freezer to save for another cold or rainy day. (It probably made about 5 portions.)

Since we aren't a vegan household, we had to serve up the soup the soup with some fresh French bread from Whole Foods. I must agree with Kelsey that bread makes everything better. And gluten.


Full Recipe:

Ingredients:
8 oz (half the bag shown) of uncooked pasta
1/2 bag of soy curls
1 packet of vegetable broth seasoning
8 cups of water
1 chopped onion
1 cup of celery
1 cup of carrots

Bring water to a boil first, then add in broth seasoning and stir. Afterwards, add all of the other ingredients and stir it up real good. Bring the mixture back up to a boil before turning it down to simmer with the lid on for about 10 minutes (or until pasta is cooked through). Serve up and enjoy! Yields about 5-7 portions.


Friday, March 1, 2013

Fashion Friday 2/25-3/1

So now that I did my fancy Closet Consultation with Erin, I'm going to try to be a bit more regular with some "Fashion Friday" posts. Here are some of the outfits from this week. Recently, I've been focusing on purchasing some fun accessories. If I'm bored with an outfit, I can always add a statement necklace or something else to give it a fun new twist.


Outfit 1:
Grey Turtleneck: Gap
Purple long cardigan: Discover (yes, you're reading that correctly)
Brown dress pants: Express -- my favorite place for dress pants!
Brown Heels: Nine West
Bracelet: GroopDealz

Outfit 2:
3/4 sleeve sweater (with back detailing): Ann Taylor Loft-birthday gift
Brown dress pants: Express
Earrings: Francesca's Collections - birthday gift
Brown Flats: Nine West

Outfit 3:
White with black stripes button-down: J Crew
Maroon weater: Target
Black dress pants: Express
Earrings: Francesca's Collections
Black flats: Target (got cutoff)

Outfit 4:
White button-down: Express
Striped sweater: Target
Maroon cropped pants: Ann Taylor Loft
I wore these with my brown boots (un-pictured)

HOPEFULLY I can work on my photography skills and get some better photos of my outfits now that I have some cute things to wear! Lol. Doing these fashion Friday posts helps motivate me during the week to come up with more creative outfits... which was the entire point of Erin's Closet Consultation! I like to shop at the same stores, in case you didn't already notice that. ;)