Pumpkin and Burn

Day 15: Run and Burn
Mr. R&;R and I were up bright and early so we could drop my car off at the body shop (finally getting the damage fixed).  Of course this little detour in our morning routine meant that Mr. R&R had to put off his workout until after we got home from work. While he was occupying The Cave, I decided to go for a short run to warm up before my Pump and Burn workout.  I originally planned on running 3 miles, but my Garmin spent 20+ minutes attempting to lock onto its satellites, so I cut it down to just over a mile. Pump and Burn once again lived up to its name and my legs were toast when it was over and I was dying for dinner!

Day 16: Well...That Wasn't Good
I had a breakfast meeting this morning at a local restaurant. I played it as safe as possible, ordering one of the smaller items on the menu (2 eggs with hashbrowns) with a side of dry wheat toast, not wanting a repeat of that slow, sluggish feeling I got after eating out for my brother's birthday. Unfortunately the restaurant interpreted "dry toast" to mean "drench with butter", so after one bite I knew I wouldn't be eating it.  Despite my best efforts, the meal left me feeling like I had rocks in my stomach all day. This might have been worth it had the food at least tasted good, but it didn't - which made me even more annoyed at the boulder sitting in my gut all day!

That poofy stomach feeling made Hard Core Abs feel like a 10 minute death march, but at least I finally had some desire food again once I finished it.  On deck tonight, Chicken and Veggie Pita Pizzas!

These little guys are awesome, quick and easy to make, relatively low in calories, and packed with protein and vegetables.  If you want to try it for yourself, here's what you'll need:

• 1 whole wheat pita split in half
• 1/4 cup marinara sauce
• 8oz sliced mushrooms 
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup diced green pepper
• 4oz boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 cup low fat mozzarella cheese

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Slice the pita in half to create two discs (try not to stab too many holes in either one)
• Throw the mushrooms in a dry non-stick saute pan, season liberally with pepper, garlic, basil and oregano. Cook them until they release their water. If they start to stick to the pan before that, add a splash of water to the pan to create some steam.
• In another non-stick saute pan, season and sear the chicken until it's cooked through.
• Once the oven is preheated, toss the pita halves in the oven until they get a little crispy.
• Pull the pitas out of the oven, top each one as follows:
• 1/8 cup marinara sauce
• half the mushrooms
• 2oz chicken
• 1/4 cup green pepper
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 1/4 cup mozzarella
• Put the pizzas back in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the veggies are heated through and the cheese is melted.

Day 17: Anniversary Sushi
9 years ago today, Mr. R&R and I got married!  Neither of us really felt like going out for dinner, so I picked up sushi on my way home from work. Of course, before I could enjoy it, I needed to get my workout in. I hopped on the trainer for 20 minutes and followed it with 30 minutes of Pump and Burn. For some reason, the chest track killed tonight, but the sushi was delicious!

No time for clear pictures!

Day 18: And On The 18th Day...She Rested
It's always a good thing when there's a planned rest day when you need to do something about 2 inch roots! After work, I spent a few hours with the Mane Wrangler (and drinking wine) and by the time I left, I felt fantastic.  When I got home, I discovered that Mr. R&R had dinner ready to go so that left me with a little free time.  I noticed some near-death bananas sitting on the kitchen counter and decided to whip up a little treat to take into work on Friday morning.

No Bull$#!& Banana Bread

Day 19: Crunch and Stretch
Friday's workouts seemed to be a metaphor for the week: a whole lot of suck followed by some relaxation!  I got home from work, ran some errands, and then pointed myself in The Cave for Hard Core Abs followed by Flow. I accomplished absolutely nothing else, but I did manage to get to sleep early enough to get 8 solid hours - a small miracle in my world.

Day 20: Restock
This morning I picked up my car from the body shop (looks as good as new) before tackling Pump and Burn.  Since I didn't have time to go for a run beforehand, I was able to increase the weight I used on the squat track. By the time I was done with squats, I'm pretty sure my legs had turned to jello - which made the back and hamstring track interesting since I had to do it on legs that had lost the will to stand.  After that it was on to breakfast, cleaning the house, doing Walter and Spot's laundry (which Spot had fun with when it came time to fold), and grocery shopping.

I also took pictures of Walter since he was in the mood to pose

Grocery shopping is a hated task in the Rabbits and Runs house, but it's been getting slightly less painful each week as each of us gets deeper into our new workout programs.  We're both getting the hang of what we like/want/need to eat and it's getting easier to march past the cookies in the bakery on the way to the hummus.  We capped the night off with Mr. R&R's delicious creation: Chocolate Berry Protein Milkshakes

Yum!

Day 21: A Full Day
Mr. R&R and I were up bright and early this morning to go for a hike at Howler Monkey Haven Lapham Peak before our afternoon plans with his parents and brother/girlfriend.  It may have been the temperature (upper 30's when we started), but the trails were blessedly free of Howler Monkeys.  We crammed in 5 miles in just over 90 minutes before hightailing it for home.  We spent the afternoon at his parents house carving pumpkins.  Mr. R&R's brother always has the best looking pumpkin since he's got a serious artistic streak, but I was pleased with my effort...a cat.

Mine's in the middle

Before bed tonight I need to: do laundry, iron, join Mr. R&R for his Power90 cardio workout, prep my food for tomorrow, and squeeze in a Hard Core Abs workout.  I need to be as prepared as possible this week because Hell Month is reaching its pinnacle in the next 10 days and Day 30 of my Raise The Bar challenge falls in there too.  Since Day 30 will fall on a week day, I'll likely be taking my 30 photos and measurements this coming weekend, so I'll be focusing on pushing hard in all my workouts and eating as clean as possible - to ensure maximum results! Having everything ready to go should make it a little easier to stay on track.  Guess I'd better get cracking!