Fun & Fit: The Summer Months

For some reason I thought I had only skipped out on the month of September with my fitness, but nope.  I have actually missed July, August, and September. Oops. To be honest, the months of July and August didn't have much going on fitness-wise, other than me starting T25, the newest Shaun T workout program. I did finish Insanity (go me!) and the second month of that program was incredibly intense. T25, on the other hand, has been a great workout made even better by the fact that the workouts are 25 minutes long. I finish up the program this week and I like that I have T25 to add to my budding at-home workouts collection.

Aside from that, July and August were spent working on conditioning and getting back into training mode. My first half marathon is coming up on the 26th so the summer was spent training for that run. Thankfully, my IT band has been under control and I haven't had any pain  or discomfort while running (love you foam roller!). I also tried to train for my duathlon, but "tried" means I only rode a bike twice so I'm hoping I'll be able to get on and off the bike without falling on my face.

Now, September was the fun month. It was the one-year anniversary of my first running event and I also set a person record for the 5K! I did the ZooRun 5K and had my Jeff Galloway group organizer/leader pacing me the whole time and she helped me finish in 27:57. I couldn't believe it! I was so happy and I couldn't believe I could actually run that fast, especially after my IT band issues. This time is almost two minutes faster than my previous fastest time from March, so I'm proud of this bit of improvement in my pace. To top off the experience, Cati participated in the kids' dash and had a great time. I love that she loves running and gets excited about her own races.

I also participated in a mud run, Highlander V. I drove up to Orlando for this one and, oh my goodness, was this a hard mud run. I did the 5k route and there were easily over 30 obstacles. There was so much climbing, swimming, crawling, lifting, and, even more climbing. My body hurt for days after this run. Apparently, there were complaints about this event, but I had a good time, met fun people along the way, and pushed myself physically in ways that I didn't think possible. I don't take these events too seriously and am proud of myself just for going out there alone and doing something new. 

And so, here we are in October. This weekend is a 10-mile long run, The Color Run with the family, and a duathlon on Sunday. I'm thinking I need to schedule a massage for my sore muscles soon!
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Pumpkin Week: Pumpkin Bars, Revisited

Last day of Pumpkin Week and it went out with a bang. I made these pumpkin bars and shared them with my fellow classmates. I first made them close to two years ago after my friend made them for me and I fell in love. These bars are just as good and I got so many compliments at school.

Day 1: Pumpkin Bread
Day 2: Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Day 3: Healthy Oatmeal Pumpkin Pancakes
Day 4: Pumpkin Muffins
Day 5: Pumpkin Smoothie
Day 6: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin Bars

Source: Paula Deen

Bars:

4 eggs

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

15-ounce can pumpkin

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the bars: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

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The Color Run Anniversary & Promo Code

It's October! Most people are saying, "How can it be October already?" Most people are wondering how it's possible for the year to have passed so quickly. You know what I'm saying? "Heck yeah, October!" October means I'm one month closer to graduating, Alex is one month closer to finishing up his residency, we're one month closer to Chicago, and the girls are one month closer to 2 and 4. Bring it on, time!

What also makes October great is that it feels like the real beginning of the running season. My first half marathon is coming up and I am so ready for it. October is also special for me because it's the month where I did my first fun run: The Color Run. To this day, Cati will ask when we are doing another "carrera de colores" (run of colors); that's how much she enjoyed participating in that run with me. Running The Color Run was one of the best experiences (minus the scared child at the end) and it made me fall more in love with running. Running is my freedom and runs like this one make me feel like I'm flying.

The Color Run is coming back to Miami on Oct. 12 and to celebrate its return they are offering $5 off the race with the promo code COLOR5OFF. The best parts are that the code is good for any of their races that aren't sold out and you can use that code on top of the discount you get if you join a team (so $10 off). To check locations or register for the race go HERE.

So October, thank you for getting here on time. I have the Happiest 5K on the Planet, a duathlon, and a half marathon filling up my weekends with joy.
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Pumpkin Week: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin Week day 6 and I believe this is the best recipe I made all week. Seriously though, stop reading and copy the recipe and get in the kitchen. I have made quite a few cinnamon rolls in my life and these are near the top of the best. The recipe came together easily and the finished cinnamon roll was too good for words. You couldn't even taste the pumpkin in it; or rather, you can tell there was something different in this recipe, but you couldn't pinpoint exactly what that something was. I wish I could bake rolls like this all the time for the smell alone it brought into my house. The only regret I have with this recipe is not having enough powdered sugar to make the frosting so what I made instead was a glaze. Next time!

Day 1: Pumpkin Bread

Day 2: Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Day 3: Healthy Oatmeal Pumpkin Pancakes

Day 4: Pumpkin Muffins

Day 5: Pumpkin Smoothie

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Source: une gamine dans la cuisine
Yields: 16 rolls

for the pumpkin dough
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon instant dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
3/4 of a stick unsalted butter, room temperature butter and cut into bits
2/3 cup whole milk
1 room temperature egg
2/3 cup pumpkin purée

for the spiced filling
3/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted and divided

for the cream cheese icing
2 ounces of cream cheese
3 Tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Butter a 10-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Dust the pan with flour, and gently tap out any excess flour.

Lightly butter a large bowl; Set aside.

Prepare the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, both sugars, yeast, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice on low speed. Add the butter and mix on medium speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. (Note: I mixed the butter in by hand) Add the milk and egg and beat on low speed until incorporated. Add the pumpkin purée and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes. You should be left with a dough that's soft and sticky.

Remove the dough and gently form it into a large ball. Place the ball of dough into the buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. 

Prepare the filling: In a medium-size bowl, whisk together both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir until you're left with a wet "sandy" mixture.

Assemble the rolls: Flour a large working surface. Remove the dough from the bowl and and roll it out into a 20 by 10-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with half of the melted butter and sprinkle the filling over the butter, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges. Use your hands to gently press the filling into the dough.

Starting at the long end of the rectangle, roll the dough into a tight log and place it seam side down. Remove the ends if they're awkward and scraggly. Slice the log into about ten 2-inch rolls. Place one roll in the center of the cake pan, then fill in the rest of the pan with the remaining rolls. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set aside until the rolls have almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes. 

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Pumpkin Week: Pumpkin Smoothie

Two posts tonight because this weekend turned out to be busier than I expected so Pumpkin Week day 5 is a little late in the series. Almost all of the recipes I made involved baking so I wanted to try my hand at a smoothie since I have a smoothie each morning for breakfast. I wasn't too sure if I was going to like this recipe because it involved pumpkin puree in pure form and I wasn't sure if I would like the taste or consistency of the smoothie. The smoothie was, however, pretty good. My only complaint is that I wish I had added more spices to it to make it feel more fall-ish. You can still taste the pumpkin but it wasn't overwhelming and it gave the smoothie a very creamy and smooth taste.

Day 1: Pumpkin Bread

Day 2: Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Day 3: Healthy Oatmeal Pumpkin Pancakes

Day 4: Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Smoothie
Source: Adapted from Low Fat Cooking
Serves 1

1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp Greek vanilla yogurt
1 scoop vanilla protein
1 tbsp honey
Pinch of cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup crushed ice

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth, making sure the ice is completely crushed.

Sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve and enjoy!

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Pumpkin Week: Pumpkin Muffins

Day four of pumpkin week and the baking continues. The fact that I have a week's worth of pumpkin recipes is very telling of how things have been in my life lately. I am a stress baker and I bake a lot when I am stressed and need to relax. Last week was one of the most stressful weeks for me; I had cranky children, a bad attitude about school, and was driving all around Miami for my internship. Baking gave me about 30 minutes of peace each day. This week has been better so my baking has toned down a bit but I have still managed to bake twice this week.

Now, these muffins. I wanted a pumpkin muffin, but I wanted a healthy pumpkin muffin. I also wanted something that combined banana and pumpkin. I came across this recipe and tweaked it a bit. The muffins could have been a little sweeter, but topped it with some honey butter made them taste much better. This was a good muffin, but it wasn't the type of muffin you eat when you want a sweet fix. Good thing I have six cans of pumpkin puree so I can keep tweaking the recipe until I get it just right.

 

Day 1: Pumpkin Bread

Day 2: Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Day 3: Healthy Oatmeal Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Muffins
Source: Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen
Makes 8 muffins

Ingredients

3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp allspice

1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 Tbsp dark brown sugar 

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 egg white, slightly beaten

2 Tbsp canola oil

Extra oatmeal, for sprinkling on muffins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 8 muffin cups with paper cups or spray with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl mix flour, oatmeal, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. In a separate bowl combine pumpkin, mashed banana, brown sugar, almond milk, egg white and oil. Add the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full so that each is even. Sprinkle a tiny bit of oatmeal over each top of the muffins. Place into the oven and bake for 23-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean.
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Pumpkin Week: Healthy Oatmeal Pumpkin Pancakes

Day three of Pumpkin Week and we're tacking breakfast. I woke up one morning wanting to make pancakes, but I wanted to make something more seasonal than my regular go-to pancakes. I chose this recipe because I liked the added boost of goodness with the oats, flaxseed, and protein powder. Meal time is sometimes a struggle in my house, so I try to pack as much healthiness I can into the things I know everyone will enjoy.

Day 1: Pumpkin Bread

Day 2: Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Healthy Oatmeal Pumpkin Pancakes
Source: Tales of an Overtime Cook

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (old fashioned)
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch salt
1/2 cup sweetener or sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin purée
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup milk


Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oatmeal, baking power, spices and Splenda or sugar. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.

Spray the pan well with Pam, or use a small amount of oil. When the pan is hot enough, spoon some of the batter onto the frying pan and spread it slightly into a circle.

When the pancakes are set on top, flip it and fry for a couple of minutes until both sides are golden brown.

Serve hot with maple syrup, agave syrup or sugar free maple syrup and a sprinkling of chopped toasted pecans.
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Pumpkin Week: Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Day two of Pumpkin Week and this just might be my favorite pumpkin recipe of the week. I'm a cookie lover, especially a chocolate chip cookie lover, so this recipe was a no brainer for me. The cookies were super soft cookies and subtle in their pumpkin flavor. I think me eating about six cookies right out of the oven is proof enough of how great the cookies were. The kids loved them too!

Day 1: Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: The Sweet Life
Makes 18 cookies

1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

In a medium bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder and soda, spices, and salt. Mix together and set aside.

In a large bowl, with a handheld mixer or stand up mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla. Stir to combine.  Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing together until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop cookies onto baking sheet, about 2 tbsp each. Press down lightly and bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges golden.

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Pumpkin Week: Pumpkin Bread

Last week I was wishing for fall. I was wishing for it so much that I spent the whole week baking with pumpkin. I went from being the girl who thought she didn't like pumpkin to the girl who loves pumpkin. I still don't like pumpkin pie but I think it's more a texture thing at this point. I started off the week with a Pumpkin Bread that looked more like a cake because of the pans I had on hand. I also I added chocolate chips to the batter because everything is better with chocolate. What I loved the most of this recipe was how simple it was and how quickly it came together. Also, this was my first time baking with olive oil. I have always avoided recipes with olive oil because I thought it would give the dessert a weird taste, but it didn't. Lesson learned!

Pumpkin Bread
Source: Simply Recipes
Yields two small loaves

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup  pumpkin purée
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray two small pans with cooking oil. 

Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

Mix the pumpkin, oil, egg, 2 Tbsp water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly.

Bake about 30 minutes or until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from over and let cool. 
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First Day of School

My lovelies are in school! I can't believe I have two kids in school now. It's been quite an adjustment for everyone, especially Elina, but things have been getting better and better each day. I didn't realize how attached Elina was to Cati until school started so we've used that attachment to help Elina transition better to being in school. This involves waking up extra early to get the girls to school when the toddlers and preschoolers are in the same room, but the earlier wake up has been worth it because it means less tears for Elina. I'm already looking forward to the end of the school year just so I can go back and compare how much my girls have grown in nine months.

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