X-rays and superclearance

Got x-rays to check the 'ol spine after Tuesday's jury-duty/freeway incident. The tech got a shot into my open mouth and then said, "You've never had any fillings???"
That's right... I have great teeth - 35 and never had a cavity. He said it's VERY unusual to see a filling-free mouth x-ray. Yay, me!!

Then I went to the chiropractor to read the films and get another adjustment. Felt so good!

I had some time to kill before Brad came home so I swung by Old Navy just for fun. 50% off all women's clearance!!!The selection wasn't huge, but I managed to score a pair of shorts, a pair of capris and a pair of pants for $12.70... the original price was $75.50!
WOOHOO!!

:)

A hot 4

I really burned out after 23 weeks of running and immediately started adding other exercises back into my routine when we returned from our Disney Half. I still want to run but am having trouble motivating myself when I don't have the pressure of training. I really need outside motivation!

After "wanting" to get out all week, I finally got in a good run today after work - 4 miles in 39 minutes - a 9:45 average. It's really hot out there (but looks to be the end of our heat for a while), so I ended up taking two short walk breaks in the middle.

A man in Summerfield was standing with a hose on top of his giant RV. I gestured as I ran past and he doused me - it felt GREAT!

:)

Easy fried rice

I found this fried rice recipe years ago in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Because it's very quick, easy and flavorful, it's become a standard in our kitchen.
From BHG.com

2 eggs, beaten (I usually at least double this to 4 eggs for added protein)
1 t soy sauce (double this to go with the doubled eggs)
1 t cooking oil
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 T cooking oil
1 celery stalk, sliced
3/4 c sliced mushrooms
1 batch rice (1 c dry)
1 medium carrot, shredded or sliced
1/2 c frozen peas, thawed
2 T soy sauce
2 green onions, sliced

1. In a small bowl, combine eggs and 1 t soy sauce. Set aside.

2. Pour 1 t oil into a wok or large skillet. Preheat over medium heat. Add garlic and egg mixture and stir gently to scramble. When set, remove egg mixture from the wok. Cut up any large pieces of egg mixture. Remove wok from heat.

3. Pour 1 T oil into the wok or skillet. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking.) Return to medium-high heat. Stir-fry celery in hot oil for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

4. Add cooked rice, carrot, and peas. Sprinkle with 2 T soy sauce. Cook and stir for 4 to 6 minutes or until heated through. Add cooked egg mixture and green onions; cook and stir about 1 minute more or until heated through.

~~~~~~~~
As always, I'm very loose with my measurements. I put in a couple carrots, a couple stalks of celery and a whole package of mushrooms. Sometimes I have to up the soy sauce a bit to compensate.

This time, I added some cooked shrimp from the freezer. It was very yummy :)

Sweating out some tension

After yesterday's funfest, I spent a lot of today on the phone with insurance companies, talking to appraisers, filling out forms, getting my back adjusted and making more appointments. What a hassle.

I got home late and just wanted to crawl into bed. Instead, Brad convinced me to hit the elliptical for some stress relief.
It felt great to work out! Now I'm going to shower and then ice while watching Modern Family :)

Muffin Wednesday: Honey Bran

Since Israel didn't like last week's offering, I let him choose this week's experimental recipe. He picked Honey Bran Muffins from the book.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease your muffin tin.

1/2 c natural bran
1/2 c toasted wheat germ
1/2 c raisins
1 c whole wheat flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch ground allspice
1 egg
3 T molasses
1/4 c honey
1/3 c oil
1 1/4 c milk

1. In a large bowl, combine bran, wheat germ, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and raisins. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, whisk together egg, molasses, honey, oil and milk. Pour into dry ingredients and stir just until moist (batter will be runny).

3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling three-quarters full. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I doubled the recipe and made 30 muffins. The recipe required some special ingredients from the WinCo bulk section, but nothing too exotic.

These were much more flavorful than the Honey Bran recipe we tried two weeks ago. And I think they received all thumbs up except for Angela who was repulsed by the raisins. Israel was pleased and had several :)
As I mentioned earlier this week, I do not like molasses. At all. But I did try these just for the sake of experimentation. Actually, they weren't bad. The molasses was very subtle. I don't think I need a second one, but the first one didn't make me gag ;)

Give these a try!

Ever have one of those days?

Ever have one of those days? I did. Today.

I was summoned for jury duty and, with a little nervousness, set out this morning to fulfill my civic duty. I've been called twice before (but have yet to sit on a jury) and feel that while it's not the funnest thing, it's important.
Knowing that rush hour traffic would be bad, especially considering the rain, I set out nice and early for my trek from Tigard to Hillsboro. Traffic was surging as I made my way west on Highway 26, making me thankful that my normal commute is less than 2 miles - and most recently done on bike!

I kept watching the car behind me as we sped up and slowed down, and actually thought, "I hope this guy doesn't hit me." Just as we reached the Cornell overpass... BAM! He hit me. I saw his headlights approaching fast, and he didn't stop until we collided.

We pulled over and a motorcycle deputy was immediately on scene to help us exchange information. I am so thankful that Deputy Curry assisted with the stressful situation!

Long story short... my car has some bumper damage and my only injury at this point seems to be a headache and stiff shoulders/neck.

Now I'm late to jury duty. The line to go through security is SUPER long, so now I'm even later and the judge is already addressing the group when I get there. I eventually get to talk with the jury coordinator and explain that I'd been hit on my way there and was really distracted and sore. She said I could defer my service for a couple months.

I stopped by WinCo on the way home to grab a couple grocery items, and this put an immediate smile on my face:
At least one thing wasn't a disaster today :)

Molasses birthday cookies

I was on a secret mission this weekend to bake birthday cookies for my most musically talented friend.
As always, Sherry was more than willing to give advice on what would put a smile on her husband's face. She said Mauri loves molasses cookies, so molasses it was! Personally, I can't stand that flavor. But for Mauri, I'd sacrifice :)

I searched the interweb for a recipe and settled on Martha Stewart's version, which was surprisingly simple.

With fall in the air, Sunday afternoon was perfect for cookie baking! According to Brad, the cookies turned out amazing. I tasted just a bit of dough and confirmed that molasses isn't for me.

From MarthaStewart.com:

2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c sugar
3/4 c butter, softened
1 large egg
1/4 c molasses

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup sugar and set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients, just until a dough forms.

3. Roll dough into balls about 1 T in size. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat.

4. Arrange balls on baking sheet and bake until edges of cookies are just firm, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets and then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Happy Birthday, Mauri!
:)

Cheap eats and biking in torrential rain

I've had a low-grade cold for a couple days, so my weekend was fairly lazy. But there were two big highlights...

Burgerville has been celebrating its 50th Birthday since spring with a party each weekend at different locations. This week was Newberg's turn - so we drove out for some throwback prices!
Big crowd:
Live music:
Brad ordered two double beef cheeseburgers, a small fry and a small strawberry shake - all for $5.06!
Since I don't eat beef, I went for the wild coho salmon sandwich and a small fry.
We sat outside and enjoyed our treats.
Then on Sunday, we loaded up our bikes and drove to Northeast Portland for Sunday Parkways, where they shut down the streets and let bikers, walkers, runners, skaters take over. We went last month when it was Southeast Portland and loved the festival!

The sun was out as we jumped on the 8-mile loop at 17th and Going. Soon we spotted The Cyclameleon... seriously cool!
We made it to Woodlawn Park and checked out the festivities. Around the corner was the Durham Street Marketplace, where we snagged some free rootbeer!
The sky had darkened, and seconds after taking that photo, it completely cut loose. I'm not talking normal Portland drizzle. I'm talking East Coast torrential rain. Drops so big and hard that they hurt.

Most people hid under street trees, in doorways and under canopies. But not us! We knew the forecast was for rain, and we were prepared. We kept riding - and it was AWESOME! I've hardly had more fun in my whole life.

I wish I had pictures, but it was so wet that I didn't want to stop and dig out the camera.

The rain stopped just as we rolled in to Rigler School Marketplace. So we hit the Voodoo Doughnut truck and bought the biggest apple fritter I've ever seen!
Yes... it really is the size of my face!
We had such a good time that we can't wait for next year's events. Plus, we just read that other nearby cities are considering adding their own rides. Yippee!!

:)

Spin!

Our THS spin instructor selfishly had a baby this summer and hasn't been teaching our after-school staff class. (maternity leave and all that...)

BUT... she's wanting to get back in shape too, so she's restarting the class! She'll be coming to campus twice a week to help us sweat like crazy people (OK - maybe that's just me!) and burn some calories.
I'm so excited I can hardly stand it :)

:)

Squeeze

Man, my Friday afternoon got crazy.

I ended up covering a fourth-period class, which had me at work 30 minutes longer than normal. And I was going to run with students during fourth. Instead, I decided to do a really quick run home after work (3 p.m.) and then cool down, shower and get to my PT appointment in Sherwood by 4 p.m.
I squeezed it in, but it was SO hot and humid. When I got to PT (for a summer climbing injury to my shoulder) just a couple minutes late, I was still sweating. Poor physical therapist. I kept apologizing for being so gross. At least I was a clean sweat machine!

Then it was home for a quick dinner and then a walk back to work for the football game (since I'd left my bike there to run home). I was on marching band duty AND working event management security.

The band and pit crew did awesome... oh, and the team did great, too! Go Tigers!!!!

I kept my eye on the crowd and didn't get to make any busts. Aside from a couple that was trying to make a baby behind the stadium.

Happy Weekend :)

Making me drool

I was just reading through some blogs and saw a posting about Native Foods Cafe on The Ordinary Vegetarian (I stole her pic, below).
I've never heard of this vegan restaurant chain, but Sarah's food photos look amazing. I clicked to see where I might find a Native Foods Cafe (you know, for next time I travel) and I saw this right on the front page:
Portland, Oregon?? Let's find out...
Actually Tigard... the Portland suburb where I live!!!

I am SO excited! Most restaurants around here have some good vegetarian offerings, but nothing too amazing. I can't wait to try the chef-crafted, homemade, fresh vegan food.

I'll keep you posted and let you know how it goes :)

Bug

Swelling and soreness settled in my throat overnight. Bummer.

But it's no surprise, considering all the sickness that's been around me at work. Teachers, students and family have been carrying around the bug in the past couple weeks.

Plus, I've been a little stuffy and sneezy in the past few days. I knew it was coming. Hopefully mine won't be horrible.

Despite the beginnings of a cold, it's FRIDAY, and I plan to have a great day! Riding my bike to work, having some breakfast treats with my students, going for a run after work and then we have a home football game vs. Glencoe. Sweet!

I hope you have a wonderful Friday, too! :)

Muffin Wednesday: Chocolate Cheesecake

It's Muffin Wednesday!!
Angela and I whipped up Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins for our CE2 friends. She's a pro.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease muffin tin.

Filling:
1 package cream cheese (3 oz), softened
2 T sugar

Muffins:
1 c flour
1/2 c sugar
3 T unsweetened cocoa
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c milk
1/3 c oil

1. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and the 2T filling sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, remaining sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center.

3. In another bowl, combine egg, milk and oil. Pour into dry mixture and stir just until moist.

4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling cups half full. Add 1 t cream cheese filling and top with remaining batter.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I liked these a lot. They weren't very sweet but had a wonderfully yummy surprise inside.

Everyone else loved them except Israel... but I think cream cheese is a new flavor for him.

:)

Sharing

The story of my life.

:)

No-TV Tuesday: elliptical self portraits

Taking a picture of yourself on an elliptical is challenging!
Even with timers and tripods!
I changed after work and walked toward the football stadium and saw a PE class running up and down. They were using the whole thing, so I decided to head to WinCo instead. I jumped on our elliptical after dinner. I'll try the stadium again tomorrow.

Due to the recent rate hikes and streaming vs. DVD issues, we're going to cancel our Netflix. But until then, I took advantage of Law & Order: Criminal Intent online on my iPod. Nice setup!
Between watching my show and farting around with the camera, the 30+ minutes flew by :)

Shower time

A few of us gathered Monday evening at Dundee Bistro to shower Ursa and Baby Adelaide with gifts.

Korie, Irene, Baby Meika, Laura, Baby Adelaide, Kendra, Ursa, Me

It was really fun to catch up with some great ladies. As the only non-mom, I am always impressed by how they balance everything! Amazing.

Congrats to Ursa, Jay, Henry and Adelaide!

:)

I love a stormy day at the beach

For Donna's July birthday, Brad and I gave her a day trip to the coast, redeemable this weekend!

We met early Saturday and drove out Highway 26 and had breakfast at Camp 18.
Pancakes were OK but not great. Disappointing.
Cats run around all over outside the restaurant. They were eating bacon with their kibble.
Donna had a list of quilting shops to check out, so we drove to 101 and headed south to Cannon Beach. I really liked this shop - very cute stuff. Almost made me want to take up sewing... like I need another hobby!
Then we explored a new-to-us beach: Hug Point State Park.

It was really stormy, with rain off and on and lots of wind. Love it!
A trip to the coast would not be complete without a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory!
Samples and ice cream, oh yeah!
Soon, Donna's list was complete and we were headed back to town and ate an early dinner at Baja Fresh.

Nice day :)