Taste, don't eat....

Tonight I made a cupcakes - first time I've had a baking order since I started PCP.  I lamented to Patrick earlier in the week about how I usually am tasting things as I bake and got some great advice - taste, don't eat.

That's exactly what I did.  Vanilla bean cupcake batter is one of my favorites and I thought just "tasting" would be a challenge - but surprisingly enough, it wasn't.  I tasted, it tasted great, but I wasn't as interested in eating copious amounts like I usually do.

You know what it made me really want instead?  Homemade applesauce - yum.  Now I'm enjoying all 150 grams of it....

This made my morning

Shitola work out this am - it was raining, I decided to do the exercises first so I wouldn't wake up the whole house with my jumping, and on lunge #4 I tweaked something in my hip (don't think I stretched enough before doing them).  Finished the exercises, totally sweaty and gross (much hotter indoors), then did my jumps while kids were staring at me, and I tripped approx. every 25 steps (in between yelling "STOP TALKING TO ME WHILE I'M JUMPING!!!" Blech.

Came back after dropping off Kid #2 at school to find this posted on a friend's facebook page.  Enjoy.  It made my day.  The sheer randomness of seeing Mike Tyson attempting to dance is too much...

Every Little Step with Mike Tyson & Wayne Brady from Mike Tyson

Rain, rain go away

I was reminded this morning about how yucky things are going to get when I'm not able to jump outside first thing in the am.  I got up today BEFORE my alarm, and came downstairs ready to jump by 6am.  It was raining, so I futzed around on my computer for a while and fortunately it let up a bit by 6:30.  I also tried to scope out places in my house where I could jump w/o waking up my whole family (jumping in the living room is out, unless I jump later when everyone else is out of the house.)

I also spent my jump time brainstorming ways of covering up part of our patio, so come rain, sleet, snow or hail, I'd be able to get my jumps done when I wanted to, and still be outside.  Something like this, minus the price and the zillion pieces to put together.

This pop up tent thing might be the way to go, provided it's high enough in the center to clear the rope.

At the end of my last set of 100 jumps I took Patrick's advice and kept jumping, just to see how much longer I could go.  I probably jumped another 15-20 seconds before tripping, but it was nice to just jump and not have to worry about counting each one!

Annoying thing about jumping outside after it's rained all night?  Mosquitos!  I'm covered in bites!  Off to find my camera so I can post some more shots from our fantastic weekend.

Mohonk Mountain House

This is the amazing place we stayed this weekend. More to come. I think I've figured out how to post things from my blackberry, which makes me very happy!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Homemade applesauce - the perfect PCP comfort food

I've been eating this almost every chance I get.  Tastes even better when you heat it up!


Applesauce
12-15 apples (a mixture of varieties work best)
1 pear (my secret ingredient:)
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean (if you can't get one, add a splash of vanilla extract when sauce is finished)

Wash apples and cut into chunks (I cut in half, take out the seeds with a melon baller) and then cut apple into 8ths (size doesn't really matter, but all the pieces should be about the same size)

Do the same for the pear.

Put apples, pear, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean (cut lengthwise w/seeds scraped out), add enough water to cover the bottom, maybe 1/2 inch, and cover.  Simmer on low until everything's mushy.  Stir occasionally.

When the mixture cools a bit, put small batches through a food mill.  If you don't have a food mill, peel and core the apples before you cook them, and mash the mixture with the back of a large fork or potato masher.

Enjoy!  Let me know if you have questions.

Two quick things

Hi!  Lots to write about from this weekend, but I've got a sick kid at home and grocery shopping to do so that will come shortly.  Two quick favorite foods I wanted to share.

1) Rainy crappy days like this one were MADE for warm homemade apple sauce - the perfect mid-morning snack!  My top secret recipe coming soon.
2) Wheat germ - off to buy some right now.  It's delicious on plain yogurt.  yum yum yum.

And thanks to Erin - I've just added wheat berries to my shopping list.

More later....

Away for the weekend!

Doug and I are going away for the weekend - a belated 10th anniversary present from Doug's dad. We're staying at a beautiful inn/lodge/resort called Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY. Amazing 19th architecture, great hiking, awesome spa (we're in for massages on Sunday) and the best part (at least for Doug) UNLIMITED food. I'm psyched and slightly scared of so many choices and temptations. I'm set with my travel scale (thanks Sarah), my workout sheets and all of my equipment. I've also requested a fridge for our room so I can stash things for my snacks and afternoon tea.

No internet access, but I'm sending this from my phone, so hopefully will get some updates out while we're away.

Did I mention we're KID FREE??? No early wake ups for me for 2 WHOLE DAYS!!!

Day 9 - I second what everyone else is saying...

It IS a lot of food, the exercises are longer and more intense, and a lot of preplanning is necessary. Yesterday for lunch I realized the only veg I had sort of ready to go were frozen green beans, so I zapped them and put what I couldn't finish in a plastic bag and nibbled on them as I did mommy carpool.  Clearly, a little more effort on my part will yield much more interesting/tasty results!

Question - is it a big deal if I DON'T do the exercises in the order they're listed on the sheet?  I jump outside and then do whatever exercise I can do outside before going back in where the scenery isn't as pretty.  For example, this morning I jumped, then did the lunges, triceps dip and forward shoulder raise, then went inside to do the rowing, standing ovation and leg lifts.

I'm also wondering if I'm doing these correctly, or if I have the right length resistance bands.  For shoulder raises, I could barely get my hands above my belly button.  Probably could be that I'm a giant weakling and soon I will get my arms up like Patrick's, but wanted to check with everyone else.

Also - for rowing, is the band supposed to be anchored in the door at chest level?  And what about for standing ovation, which made me feel like I was part of a human sling shot?  

Am still in shock that I've exercised (and woken up before my kids) for 9 days in a row.  Can't imagine yet what 90 days in a row will feel (and look) like!

I wanna jump like this dude...

Check out his routine starting around 2:50

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It was all fun and games.... until NOW

Yikes!  Please tell me that I'm not the only one scared slightly sh*tless after reading Patrick's email?  Breathe, Sara, breathe....

Good thing I did a ton of shopping today - I think I've got the food covered (thanks, Sarah!)  The exercises are freaking me out a little bit.  If one doesn't have a pull up bar yet, what's the best way to do the incline pull-up?

Excited to really begin, just need to get through day 1, or day 8:)

PS - My trusty baking scale is excited to get in on the action.  Will be a switch to use it for good (veggies, fruits, etc) instead of evil (sugar and butter)

Things I'm gonna miss.....

Have been thinking all week about the food I'm going to miss the next 83+ days - figured if I listed it here I won't miss it as much:)

Here goes!
1. Candy Corn - I can't remember a Halloween that's gone by where I HAVEN'T purchased at least 3 or 4 bags of this wonderful sugary yumminess.  Only the Brachs brand will do.
2. Halloween candy in general - I'm sure, like many people, I feel like if the candy is bite size, it doesn't count - that's why I don't feel guilty eating 5 mini frozen Snickers bars:)
3. Licking the bowl - As I mentioned in my intro email to you all, I have a side cake and cupcake business. I've managed not to weigh a zillion pounds because I don't really make goodies for myself - just make and decorate them and then hand them off to the customer.  But I do LOVE licking the bowl - cake batter, frosting, you name it.  I figure it's all part of Sara Bakes Cakes quality control.  This will DEFINITELY be my biggest challenge.
4. Factory seconds - I said I don't make goodies for myself, but again, as part of quality control, I've been known to have more than my fair share of cake scraps and buttercream breakfasts.
5. Orange juice - I drink it with crushed iced, 1/2 water, 1/2 juice.  Will have to stock up on oranges to make up for it!
6. Tequila - only good, 100% agave tequila - not the stuff in the worm at the bottom that caused many a lost night in high school.  Delicious, smoky, on the rocks with a couple of limes tequila.
7. Diet Coke - there are 4 more cans in my fridge right now - it's definitely my biggest food/drink vice.  I had a couple yesterday and will prob. have a couple today.  Will then need to get them out of my house so they don't tempt me!
8. Creamy cheeses - hell, ALL cheeses.  Hard ones, stinky ones, mushy ones, I'll miss them all!

Already planning an indulgence that incorporates all of these 8 things.  But I'm hoping that by the time that rolls around one or more of these guys won't seem all that appealing any more:)

Day 6

Without even really knowing what I'm in for, I can't wait for the "real" part of the PCP diet to get started.  This 1/2 thing is very hard for me.  I rarely sit down for a meal that begins with a full plate of food in front of me.  It's a little here, a little there.  A handful of noodles while I'm cooking for the kids, a couple of pretzels as I'm doling them out, etc. etc.   I understand why we're doing it, and it's definitely made me more aware of when and how I eat, but I think I'll be much better off knowing exactly what kinds of things I can eat, how much, and when.

My husband and I went out to dinner last night and I realized how much easier it is to eat halfsies at a restaurant.  I started with grilled scamorza cheese, tomato jam and baby lettuces (most likely NOT part of my PCP diet:) and the pasta special: beet tagliatelle with cabbage, provolone picante and some other delicious ingredients that I'm now forgetting.  The highlight, definitely, was dessert - a sticky pumpkin tortina (basically, a really gooey cake) with vanilla gelato and raspberries.  WOW!  So delicious.  I was very good at eating half and passing the rest on to Doug.  Great meal.  No photos, the place was really dark.

Tomorrow we're making marinated flank steak and probably something with cheese:)  I'll take photos...


I spent a lot of time this morning at the sporting goods store getting the additional things we'll need for this. WOW - it's now my 2nd time in the store and I can't believe how many different types of CRAP are for sale.  Thigh toners, wrist strengtheners, stop watches, balance balls, medicine balls, and of course, my all time favorite - the Shake Weight.  I don't know anything about anything, but would imagine that 90% of that stuff is crap and a completely waste of money.  Happy to get my resistance bands and push up bars and get out of there.....

Day 3 done - bring on the fasting

So I'm fasting for Yom Kippur starting now until about 7pm-ish tomorrow night.  My usual "tanking up" consists of stuffing my face until I'm about to burst and I can successfully say that I ate approximately 1/2 of that.  For the first time in a couple of days I'm feeling somewhat pleasantly full (sorry to rub it in Team Blue!), but I feel ok about it since it's going to have to last me for the next 24 hours.

night!

Day 2 - already sore!

I have a feeling that the sore I'm feeling now isn't even close to the sore I'll be feeling after day 15, 20, 40, 75 - is that the case, Teams Badass and Mango?  (Btw, Team Mango - where did the name come from?  Didn't see it on any of the blogs - maybe I missed it?)  

I've been getting up early (at least early for me) to do the exercises - hope I can make that continue - it's definitely a good thing to get it done and out of the way before kid chaos begins!  Jumping is going ok - I'm jumping on my back patio for now, but I read Patrick's note about not jumping on concrete or stone, and have been thinking about alternate places to jump.  Haven't tried the grass yet, but it seems that the rope would keep getting caught.  You wise grandparents (Badass) and parents (Mango), any thoughts?  

Have discovered a terrific but barbaric way of succeeding at the half diet.  First thing in the morning, take some boiling hot coffee, put in a thermos and then take a giant sip (and forget that said coffee is boiling hot) OUCH!  Bingo! Burn blisters on tongue make it much easier to resist food the rest of the day:( 

Here's a shot of the 1/2 banana/chocolate chip/almond muffin I planned on eating this am.  I think I ate and 1/8th or a 1/4 due to above coffee incident.

Tomorrow night (Friday) is when my husband and I usually have a huge meal to "tank up" in preparation for fasting on Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement (Saturday until sundown).  That's followed by a giant break the fast meal on Saturday night.  Working out in my head how to half "tank up" and then how to "half" the break fast meal when fasting is over.  Will be interesting, that's for sure!  Any thoughts?  

Finally (I tend to ramble, can you tell?) - I don't think a day will go by this week without thinking of Eddie Murphy's "HALF" routine from Eddie Murphy Raw.  "I want HALF, Eddie. I want HALF!"  Please someone tell me you know what I'm talking about???

Day 1: Jumping lessons

Note to self.  Forget about getting jump rope lessons from a 3 yr old.

Day 1!!!!!

Jumping rope - much easier to do a trip-free set if you AREN'T huffing and puffing!  First set was great, next couple my count went... "one, two, three, TRIP, four, five, six, TRIP, etc etc."  By the last set I was doing better and only tripped once.

Flexibility is DEFINITELY my issue and I know it's totally based in having a very weak core.  Already the squats are getting to me.  After 3 sets my left lower back is feeling tweaked.  Twisting/stretching is helping, and I feel like the only thing that's really going to make it better is strengthening the area, right?

Day 0

The PCP website's countdown reads 21 hours until this thing gets off the ground, but thanks to my time zone I've still got at least another day to live it up!

Just took my Day 1 photos and man, did they make me realize how much I NEED this project!  Note to self: when hating life in 15 days from now, refer to Day 1 photos and stop whining:)

Looking forward to getting started!!