Friday Video

Caught this video this morning during my a.m. Facebook catch up.  If you have a minute, watch it - it will make you shed a tear, or at least a smile.

Enjoy!  TGIF!

Watch the Video!

Happy Christmas Season to You!

Today marks the beginning of my favorite time of year...CHRISTMAS SEASON!

Things to do today to celebrate this day:

1. Hit up Starbucks and get yourself a drink in a holiday cup

2. Light yourself a holiday candle

3. And play a Christmas Youtube video to get you in the spirit!

Easy-Peasy Perfect Nails

I love having my nails painted, but I have to say I never do a good job.  You will find me a nail salon most times if I need my hands to look pretty.

After hearing rave reviews for Sally Hansen Salon Effects - Real Nail Strips I decided to give it a try. If they come out with a french manicure option I would buy it in a heart beat.

Overall, I would buy them again but there are definitely some pros and cons.

Pros:
 - No need to wait for your nails to dry (biggest reason why I will buy them again)
 - Easy to apply
 - According to reviews they last for 10 days (I'll be the judge if they can hold up to a few hours in chlorine)

Cons:
 - Some strange colors, and not enough of every day colors
 - Comes with 16 strips, not enough for 2 full applications
 - Some of the nail strips weren't sticky enough

New Obsession: The Doughnut Vault

The best way to start your morning is with a doughnut (well, not the healthiest, but for sure the best)

Don't get sidetracked with just any ole' doughnut - I'm talking about one from The Doughnut Vault

The rumors are true, this is a king of all doughnuts, maybe the emperor of all sweets

I walked up to the counter to receive my chocolate glazed and coffee

It was a pure utopia moment

Listening to Beach House, sun in my face and sweets in my mouth

This can't become a habit, but it definitely can be consumed after a hard a.m. workout

So go ahead and treat yourself

Steve Jobs went to the big white city in the sky...

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” - Steve Jobs


One of the greatest inventors of my lifetime.  Rest in peace. 

A night with Dean Karnazes

Last night I had the opportunity to see one of my idols Dean Karnazes speak in Chicago.  It just so happened I lucked out that Dean was coming to Chicago not only to run the marathon this weekend but also as part of a speaker series put on by The North Face.

Although Dean has been inspiring people all around the world for the years, I only learned about him about a few weeks ago.  I came across a documentary called - Ultramarathon Man: 50 Marathons, 50 States, 50 Days, on Netflix one night and thought it was worth a couple hours of my time.  By the end of the movie I was obsessed - I have read his books, searched the internet for any new tidbit I could find and even shot a couple Tweets his way.  The sheer passion and drive Dean has is amazing, he is always in search for his next greatest adventure but still leaves time to make sure he is a wonderful father and husband.  Some of Dean's accomplishments include: 

• Overall Winner, 4 Deserts Race Series, 2008
• Competitor magazine Endurance Athlete of the Year Award winner, 2008, 2006, 2005
• ESPN ESPY Award winner, “Best Outdoor Athlete”, 2007
• Winner, Vermont Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run, 2006
• Two-time Emmy Award winner, 2005, 2007
• American Ultrarunning Team, World Championships, 2005, 2008
• Men’s Journal, Adventure Hall of Fame, 2005
• Winner, Badwater Ultramarathon, 2004
• 350 miles (560 km) in 80 hours and 44 minutes without stopping (2005)
• 148 miles (238 km) in 24 hours on a treadmill, 2004
• Single-handedly completed the 199-mile (320 km) Providian Saturn Relay six times
• Eleven-time 100-Mile/1 Day Silver Buckleholder at the Western States Endurance Run (i.e., better than ten twenty-four-hour finishes), 1995–2006
• Outside magazine, Ultimate Top 10 Outdoor Athletes, 2004
• Swimming across the San Francisco Bay
• Ran 3,000 miles (4,800 km) across the United States from Disneyland to New York City in 75 days, running 40 to 50 miles per day, 2011

I certainly was in awe last night as he described his next challenge: to run a marathon in every country in the world in one calendar year, ending with the New York Marathon in 2013.  

If you ever have a chance to meet or see Dean in person, don't pass it up.

Long Time No See!

Yes, I know, I have been slacking...

I've put little effort into my blog recently (eek!), but I recently made some homemade protein bars that needed to be shared.

I don't know about you, but I typically go through at least one protein or energy bar per day - possibly even 2 on a long day.  It's my afternoon snack before my evening workout - but those protein bars sure can rack up in cost - at about $2 (or more) a pop it was definitely worth it for me give this Banana-Carob Protein Bar recipe from Fit Sugar that I found a few weeks back.

While I'm not much of a baker, this recipe can not be easier.  I did sub chocolate chips for carob chips and good ole all purpose flour for oat flour.  Those ingredients were in my pantry already - so I figured why not.

Each batch makes 8 bars and took only 10 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to bake.  I recommend giving it a try if you love a good protein bar as much as I do.

Enjoy!

Banana Carob Protein Bars
Originally posted on my healthy living blog, Eating Bird Food

Ingredients:

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup oat flour
1/3 cup protein powder (I used vanilla brown rice protein powder)
1 T chia seeds (optional)
1 t cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
3 egg whites
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 T smooth natural peanut butter (or almond butter)
1/2 T honey
5 drops of liquid stevia (or 1 T more of honey)
1 t vanilla

1/4 cup carob chips (or chocolate chips)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a bowl combine all dry ingredients: oats, oat flour, protein powder, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In a large bowl combine all wet ingredients: bananas, egg whites, almond milk, peanut butter, honey, liquid stevia, and vanilla.
4. Slowly pour and stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything is well mixed, then gently stir in the carob chips.
5. Pour the batter into a greased 8 x 5 in. or 8 x 8 in. baking dish.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes; remove from oven and cool for 15-20 minutes.
7. Cut into 8 squares and enjoy.