Garmin Forerunner 310XT Giveaway

The tech guru himself, DC Rainmaker, is having a giveaway....for a Garmin Forerunner 310XT....and I want one. BAD. OK, ok, I have nothing to complain about. I have the 305, but Camo-Man got a 310 for his birthday from his mommy and by golly I want one, too! (Insert whining, stomping of foot and a bright red face). I'm not above throwing a temper tantrum when it comes to tech toys to help me make more sense of my running, cycling & swimming workouts!

So, here it is. Link up and check it out. Maybe you will win and I'll be envious of you, too!

DC Rainmaker: Garmin Forerunner 310XT Giveaway–January 2011!

MMM: Luau Chicken with Carrots & Pineapple

According to today's menu plan, we were supposed to have Luau Chicken with Carrots & Pineapple from the Meal Makeover Moms. Because Tuesday nights are just absolutely insane, this recipe seemed ideal for me since all I had to do was toss it all in the crock pot and let it cook while I was at work.

After work we had Sunshine's volleyball practice & parents meeting, Hollywood's dance performance at the basketball game,Diva Princess' tumbling as well as Camo-Man's church trustee meeting.....could we add one more thing? Oh yah...I cancelled my first group meeting on "Think like a THIN Person". Busy? Yah, we're busy, but we still need to eat.

When I came home from work, it was all I could do to put my crock pot meal int he fridge and head to our local, small town restaurant for fried food...and specifically NACHOS. I had a craving to munch! After battling back and forth for a while, we decided to stay home and eat the meal I had prepared. I knew it was not going to satisfy my craving.

For some reason, no matter what I do chicken crock pot meals never seem to cut it. The meat was bland. I couldn't even taste the pineapple which I absolutely LOVE! Our family seems to like flavorFUL foods and this recipe didn't cut it. Camo-Man didn't mind it. Sunshine & Diva put the smallest bite they could in their mouths with a wince.

So no big thumbs up here...sorry Meal Makeover Moms. This one is not a winner for us.

MMM: Turkey Tortilla Pie

Before cooking

Tonight for dinner we had the Meal Makeover Mom's Turkey Tortilla Pie from No Whine with Dinner. Oh yah! Simple and delicious. I loved it. I think for me and my family I might add a little more of the cumin and chilli powder and kick up the spice, but it was delicious and oh so simple to make!

Ground turkey with a few spices and cheese and bake for 15 minutes. Could it be any simpler? I think not. I can't say it was 5 thumbs up - cause let's face it. There is no satisfying Sunshine & Princess, but the three people in my home who actually eat enjoyed it quite a bit!

I didn't put it in the spring form. I just didn't feel like digging my pan out. I had a pie plate that I threw it all in and I still think it turned out wonderfully.

Give it a try.

Plan for the week

A quick update on my plan for the week:
Monday         Trainer Workout, Adult Volleyball             Turkey Tortilla Pie for dinner
Tuesday        5:15 am Body Flow, Swim                       Luau Chicken with pineapple & carrots
Wednesday    Run plan 17-2, 5:30 pm Body Flow           Sweet & Sour Meatballs
Thursday       8:15 am Body Flow, Trainer Workout        Vegetable soup
Friday           Swim                                                  What dinner? -volleyball & basketball games
Saturday       Run Plan 17-3                                      Dinner out for speech team
Sunday         Swim                                                  Turkey filets

Goals & Motivation for 2011

I've put it off as long as I can, but it's time to put my 2011 Goals into writing. I've pondered what my strengths are and where my issues lie. As a result, I have 4 areas of my life almost like four legs of the table which I need to work on in 2011. 

PERSONAL HEALTH: Fitness

SPIRITUAL HEALTH: Focus on my relationship with my Creator 

FAMILY HEALTH: Finances & Meal Planning

HOME HEALTH: Creating a harmonious, happy home for my entire family

In 2010, I completed 2 half-marathons, 2 15k races, 1 10k race, 2 sprint triathlons (and here), and 1 5k. So what is going to be my motivation to push myself in 2011? I spent last Saturday looking at some races to see what is out there. In the last few months, I've had a very small voice in the back of my head whispering, "Go for it. Start reaching for the holy grail." And then I hear the loud booming voice which shouts at me, "Are you insane?" I've made my tentative race schedule for 2011, but I have two major goals distances I'd like to achieve this year: a full marathon, and a half IM triathlon. I'm still looking for the right race, the right dates to match my schedule. As more race directors post their race dates, I'll keep you updated on my race choices. 

The next leg I need to work on is my SPIRITUAL HEALTH. For some reason, I've felt very disconnected from my church over the last year. Well, actually for many reasons, none of which I'll go into here. While some of the reasons are outside of my control, there is definitely some part of this problem which comes from me and my lack of effort. A dear friend gave me a precious Christmas gift, "Babes with Beatitude: Devotions for Smart, Savvy Women of Faith", by Linda P. Kozar and Dannelle Woody. As soon as I opened the package, I thought to myself, "How did she know exactly what I needed in this exact moment?" My goal for SPIRITUAL HEALTH involves reading, studying and meditating several times each day on the daily devotional in my Babes with Beatitude.

For my FAMILY HEALTH, I have two major goals: one in the area of personal finances & the other in the area of meal planning. On the personal finances front, my husband and I have finally gotten on the same page and have agreed to follow a budget. I have listened to Dave Ramsey on and off over the last few years and while Camo-Man may still be a little skeptical about some of the aspects of Dave's plan, we've agreed to follow a monthly budget to accomplish some of our financial goals. We'd both like to pay off our car loans so we can start preparing for the quickly approaching college tuition bills which will be coming our way. As for my never ending issue of meals and meal planning.....(grrrrr).....I am going to continue to work on my meal plans. I take somewhat of a macabre interest in planning my workouts on a monthly basis and modifying them each week as my schedule changes. I'm going to generate the same interest (either forced or genuine) in my meal planning as I do in my workouts. I will plan my meals on a monthly basis and then update them weekly as our family schedule changes. 

Finally, for my HOME HEALTH: I know that I don't function well with clutter. You will never see me on HOARDERS. Now I am by no means perfect when it comes to getting rid of things in a timely manner, but I know if I have piles of junk lying around I feel more tension than I normally do. My goals for HOME HEALTH include keeping an organized, de-cluttered home for my family. I've decided to somewhat refer back to my Flylady days and break my home into Zones and keep it clean 15 minutes at a time. My Zones are a little different from the Flylady, but I think these will work for me.  

• Zone 1: Master Bedroom
• Zone 2: Bathrooms
• Zone 3: Laundry Room & Den
• Zone 4: 1 other room as needed

I'm still flushing out some of the details, but I thought I'd share my work in progress. Here is to a healthy, financially sound, spiritually fit and harmonious 2011!!!!!

Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Casserole Recipe | MyRecipes.com

Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Casserole Recipe | MyRecipes.com

I used to be a cereal eater in the morning. However, early  morning carbs don't really mix well with my diabetes. So I'm working on getting more protein in the morning. In searching for a lighter breakfast casserole, I found this recipe from MyRecipes.com.

This is one of my favorite recipes to help me eat protein at breakfast. I'm always searching for this recipe...so it finally dawned on me to link it to my blog so I can always find it. I'm making a double batch today. One to eat and one to freeze for later. It's made with turkey sausage and tastes delicious. Pair it with some fruit salad and my mornings will be off to a great start!

Setting New Year's Goals

I've never understood the tradition of setting New Year's Resolutions, especially since so many resolutions I hear are very general and then mean absolutely nothing by the end of January. The typical New Year's Resolutions include generic statements such as:

• This year I'm going to lose weight.
• This year I'm going to spend more time with my family.
• I'm finally going to stop smoking. 
• I'm going to get out of debt. 

These are great ideas, but how are they going to be achieved? By making these blanket statement, one does not create an action plan. Goals need to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic & Timely.

It's January 1st, 2011! Why make resolutions? Make New Year's Goals and back them up with ACTION  plans. The healthy benefits, such as losing weight, will come along as you achieve your goals. Make sure the goals you set are within your control. For instance, I can't set a goal for my daily blood sugar levels or A1C. There are some things such as hormones and stress which affect my blood sugar levels and they are outside of my control. Instead, I need to focus on an ACTION plan which will help me reduce my blood sugar levels.

Over the next week, I'm going to try and set goals for various parts of my life which I will share here:

• Personal Health: fitness
• Spiritual Health: 
• Family Health: finances & meal planning
• Home Health: organized & de-clutters

I'm still trying to flush them for the year and then break them down to monthly goals.

Erin from $5 Dinners said it best:

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and exciting new year…in which you resolve to do nothing but achieve your goals!

Erin, like me, isn't into resolutions, but setting goals and achieving them. What are your goals for 2011?