SITS and Lobster

Just a couple new shout-outs to some really awesome folks that helped me with a "blog boost" this past week.

The first was from The SITS Girls which is a huge community for women bloggers that provide members with all sorts of tips, advice, mentoring, anything related to blogging! If you are not a member of SITS and have a blog get on the site right away! They are a fabulous bunch and I have learned so much already with this group. Everyday they feature a blogger on their site and Monday was my SITS day. I am excited about all the new readers that have come from SITS. Thank you!

You may have also noticed a little mini-makeover I gave my blog. Well ok I didnt do it, Tasha from My Cute Lobster Designs did it and I am very pleased. She was very easy to work with and lightening fast too. I just told her what I was looking for and she put my ideas into a graphic for me. I now have matching headers on all my social media accounts. Which by the way are you following?...

Facebook page

Twitter

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

Have you tried Spaghetti Squash yet? I have admit I thought the folks who eat this stuff instead of regular pasta were nuts! We'll call me nuts because I now love it and have replaced my noodles with this fabulous squash!

Does it really taste like spaghetti? At first, no. But don't bail out on me just yet. So I recommend you start with this recipe first and soon you will notice you might just replace all your noodles with the squash. 

Take a Spaghetti Squash and cut it length wise. Be careful, it's like carving a pumpkin. Many times the hubs has bailed me out with his muscles since I seem to always get the knife stuck in it and don't want to end up in the ER.

Scrape out the inside loose strings and seeds wth a spoon.

Drizzle or spray a little olive oil over each inside half. Then place each half face down on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until the inside is soft. You can test with a fork.

When the insides become soft and the squash is cool, scrape them out with a fork. You will only be left with the hard rind. Toss the rind, keep the strands.

Yes it really does look like spaghetti!

Now for the sauce you can use any marinara recipe you like. 

My favorite is:

3 tablespoons of McCormick Spaghetti seasoning mix

1 can of tomatoe paste

2 jars of baby food puréed carrots (I sneak this in for my kids)

1 cup of water

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.

At the same time boil up a pot of your favorite spaghetti pasta noodles...whole wheat, regular, gluten free, what your family is used to. 

Now whatever portion size of noodles you eat, reduce the amount by about a quarter and replace that with the spaghetti squash strands. Pour the sauce on top and enjoy.

Each time you make this dish, replace your pasta with just a little more of the squash. You may find that after time you will no longer want the pasta and just the squash!

Did you know 1 cup of baked Spaghetti Squash is less than 50 calories? Yahoo!

What is a transition area?

One of the first things I had to learn when doing triathlons was what a transition area was. It was confusing to me as to what you did with all your stuff. I later learned that it's a science and that triathletes take this step very seriously! Think of the transition area as a locker room for all your crap stuff.

You may also see transitions referred to as T1 or T2. T1 is the "from swim to bike" time-frame. T2 is "from bike to run" time-frame.

Below is the way I always lay out my transition area. Everyone has their own ways and by no means am I saying you should do it this way, it's just what has worked for me.

When you first arrive to your transition area (it is just a horizontal bar) you will need to hang your bike on the bar by the seat or by the handlebars. My first triathlon I was expecting bike racks like the ones you stick your front wheels into. Clearly, not the case.

 -Take a towel and lay it down on the ground directly underneath your bike. You get very little space in large triathlons so make room because if you don’t- you will find your stuff later totally rearranged by someone who thinks they need to squeeze in next to you and feel you are taking up way too much room!
 -Place your running shoes at the very top of the towel, closet to your bike.
 -Lay your race belt (a must have) and your visor or hat on top of your shoes.
 -Lay your bike shoes just in front of your running shoes and place a sock (if you wear them) in each shoe. I even go so far as to stretch out my socks to make them easier to put on with wet feet.
-Next I take my helmet and balance it on my handlebars on my bike. -I place my sunglasses inside my helmet so I wont forget to put them on.
 -Then I take the half of the towel that isn't being used and I just roll it up or fold it over your stuff. I use this section of the towel to wipe off my sandy/dirty feet after coming out of the water.
 -The order that you just placed all your stuff in, is the order you will put it all on. So if you are standing above it- you would start with the bike shoes and work your way back, ending with your running shoes/gear. -I always carry an extra set of goggles and an extra swim cap.
- Lastly I have a full water bottle and either a gel or banana close by.

So if you are looking at this photo below you can see the order in which I will put these items on.

14 for 14

My 14 likes and 14 dislikes for '14!

likes
Pear cider
my iPad
saving a special time to read all my favorite magazines
baby oil
quiet alone time
a long hot shower on a cold day
Red blend wines
Trader Joe's kale, spinach, chard mix 
dry sharp cheddar cheese
camping with my family
wild headbands
cyclists and joggers who wave
finish lines
getting in bed before 9:30 pm

dislikes
people who talk during Spin class
laundry (just putting it away)
the sinking feeling that you may have just washed your iPod.
flakey people
cats
white wine
cleaning the bathroom
Pinterest
people who squak at race volunteers or don't say "thank you"
insects
people who don't RSVP to parties
Lego pieces
barking dogs
drivers who honk at cyclists and/or don't move over

Stormp3 Review and Giveaway.

Recently I was given the opportunity to review a Stormp3 Water Resistant Music Player via my ambassadorship with Girls Gone Sporty. The Stormp3 player is a portable music device that you can actually take with you in the shower! No more boring showers, now you can really crank it up and sing!

When the device first arrived I was pleasantly surprised as to how neatly packaged it was and that it was much smaller than I anticipated. I was worried that it would be this huge "ghetto-blaster/ boom box" I'd have to display in my bathroom. Dating myself, huh?

The photo below should give you a good idea about how small and portable it is.

I also enjoyed that it didn't come with a bazillion cords to plug into the computer (just one). The songs were really easy to drag and click onto the device. It's pretty self explanatory and there are directions if you get stuck, but for the record not once did I have to call P down to help me, so that's a huge plus! I put some songs on that baby and turned it on. Oh and by the way it came with batteries so need to fish around for some. There is no plug and the device runs off the batteries alone. It takes a few seconds to play but the pretty blue lights come on and it's loud. I turned it up to see how loud it would get and I didn't make it all the way, it was that LOUD!

I am enjoying having this little device in the bathroom when I take bubble baths or sometimes I take it in the shower with me. It's been sprayed with water quite often and it's still good as new. I am excited that this summer I will be able to take it with us camping. It would even be great to have while the kids are playing outside or riding bikes in the driveway. Again there are no cords so you could even have it next to a pool or at the beach. 

Here's what the website says about the Stormp3 :

• Water Resistant
• Does not Rely on Bluetooth Connectivity
• Shuffle Control Allows Songs to be Played in a Random Order
• “Click and Drag’ Design” Makes Adding Music Easy
• Great Sound from Two Speakers Delivering 6 Watts of Power
• Over 70 Hours of Play Time
• Wall Mountable
• Includes Wall Mounting Bracket, 4AA Batteries, and USB Cable
• Retails for $99.95
• White or black

Do you want to try the Stormp3 like I did? Well here you go!!! Just enter below via Rafflecopter for a chance to win your very own. You can choose either a black or white unit. 

I will also include for the winner a $15.00 gift card to iTunes to get you started on downloading some new tunes! 

If you are not a winner please check their website for any specials or promotions they may have going on at the moment: http://stormp3.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CONTEST ENDS AT 11:59 PM on Sunday January 12, 2014 EST.

Must reside in the US.

Must be over 18.

All entries will be verified. 

Winner will be notified via email provided. If no response within 72 hours a new winner will be selected.

Disclosure: A benefit to keeping a blog about training for triathlons is a chance to receive various products to use and review for my readers. These products are often provided for free or at a significant discount to me. I don't receive additional compensation and I'm not under obligation to provide a positive review of the product. My opinions on the product are entirely my own. Some of the products I review may work for me, but they may not work for you. 

Just juice it.

Do you like to juice?

I love to juice! It's a great way to get in fresh fruits and veggies. I make a lot at one time and keep it in the refrigerator for a couple days. Juicing helps curb my appetite when I am hungry and really shouldn't be eating, can you say...late night snacking binges?

Here's my favorite recipe to juice:

Kale (lots), carrots, cucumber, green apple, gala apple, oranges, pear, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. I also mix in a little coconut water at the end for some added potassium and electrolytes.

Do you have a favorite mix? Share in the comments if you would like!