Late Night Thoughts

Over the past year and a half I have learned and adopted healthier lifestyle habits that, I feel, are better to stick with than dieting or short-term fixes. Diets and other "tricks" to losing weight or becoming healthier are not okay, period. I am not an expert, but I stand by the fact that in order to be successful you have to lead a healthy LIFEstyle, not a week to week or month to month diet. The minute you stop the fad eating the minute the weight or unhealthy side effects will return.

Now, wait a minute. As I read my own words over again, they made me do a "hmm." The statement that 'week to week' diets do not work seems to have more meaning behind it. Just as a healthy realtionship with food and physical activity is a constant walk so is any relationship, especially one with Jesus Christ. We can see the hard work put into a fruitful relationship, whether it be friends, family, or spouses- each of these require nuturing and attention. This is not to say that these things are always done promptly, but that is why relationships are hard work- but are they not worth it? I'd say yes.

My Mom and Dad :)

I have gone up and down in my search for a healthy lifestyle; mentally, physcially, and emotionally. And, let me share, that to this day I still have many up's and down's, sometimes within an hour. I have lost weight, gained weight, lost weight, cried, felt on top of the world, ran fast, ran slow and had to walk, eaten ice cream when I should not have, not eaten enough. See, it's not uncommon, of course, to have personal high's and low's, but what I tell myself is that it is worth it. There was a long time when I did not believe this, but I thank the Lord he placed some of the most wonderful people in my life to help me. Life is not supposed to be easy. If it was so easy then how much would we really learn or experience? But, God also brings immense joy for us to grasp at any moment- and this is worth the hard work.

Trust me, it is not a flat surface to healthful living, but when you get a taste of it, don't you want more? When I began feeling like myself again, even just a smidge, I knew I wanted more. When I learned eating habits that made my body react in a positive way, I wanted more. When I discovered that I could do more than just go to the gym, I wanted to run further. Every person has outlets, use them, this is growth.




My girls before the wedding :)

Each week is a new week, each day a beginning. Stop beating yourself or anyone else up for wrongdoings, and take those first few steps towards a direction that may have been looming in the distance- or even right around the corner. Atkins, South Beach, 1200 calories a day, sorry, but these are not going to cut it, atleast for myself. I need habits that are going to improve over time, not stay stagnant. I need lifestyle changes that I can feel bettering my inside and outside- ones that I can be proud of. Now, as a disclaimer, I am not all that spiffy. I eat cereal (a lot of it) every day, sometimes I skip workouts when I have them scheduled on our calendar (our calender is not forgiving), and I don't read my Bible everyday. Comdemn me if you feel inclined, or encourage those around you to be accountable of goals you know they hold dear- this is much more helpful.

We are blessings, but that does not mean blessings can't get sweaty every once and a while :)



xoxo

My very handsome husband :)



(A little PS: a couple wonderful girls that are not pictured are Alyssa, Ruthie, and Rebekah- they ALL have been wonderful friends and influences in my life also...just do not have any photos on this computer of them yet- I am procrastination at its best, I know)
 




Preheat Your Ovens!

Today's post is going to be gluttonous. It's all about food, okay only lunch and dessert. I am going to share with you what I had for dessert last night and what I ate for lunch today.

On The Menu:

• Spinach and Tomato "Fancy" Grilled Cheese
• Yogurt Parfait
• Popped Chips-Parmesan Garlic
• Homemade Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

The lunch portion of this is pretty simple, I know. But, it is also pretty delicious. My ingredients included: Aunt Millie's Light Whole Grain Bread (2 slices), Flax seed Oil Butter Spread (1/2 tablespoon worked for me), a couple slices of deli turkey, 1 slice low fat provolone cheese, 1 thinly sliced piece of muenster cheese, good handful of fresh baby spinach, 1 or 2 slices large tomato, basil.
I buttered the slices of bread lightly, placed the provolone down first, then the spinach, tomato, turkey, and muenster cheese. I topped it off with the other slice of bread and sprinkled with a fair amount of basil. Toasted each side until lightly browned- I don't like my grilled cheese very dark :)

Now, for the parfait I used: Dannon Greek Yogurt 0% Vanilla, 1/2 cup of frozen berries and banana slices, and 1/4 cup of natural granola (I used Black Lab Naturals Peanut Crunch Granola that I bought while in Amish Country. It is lower in calories because of the few ingredients used, but is still the most delicious granola I have ever eaten). I seriously have a yogurt parfait everyday, it is out of control! I am just addicted, but I think there could be worse addictions...ice cream? Shoot.

On to dessert! I made this on Saturday, and it was a hit. As I mentioned in an earlier post I started with a recipe from allrecipes.com called "Black Magic Cake" and then made it my own concoction. (I also cut the original measurements in half in order to make a smaller, single layer cake). Here's what you'll need:

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup sugar (I have thought about only adding 3/4 cup, but have not tested this yet)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
small 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup strong black coffee (just adds moisture, is not overpowering in the flavor)
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (I did not have buttermilk so I used a container of vanilla Greek yogurt and it was wonderful!)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease square or loaf baking pan. Combine all dry ingredients, mix and then make a well. Add wet ingredients into bowl and mix thoroughly until smooth. The batter is going to be on the thin side, but do not be alarmed, it bakes up great. Pour batter into pan(s) and bake for 35-40 minutes. Take the toothpick test, and if it comes out clean then let cool completely before adding frosting. It is very moist and delicious without any topping, but cream cheese frosting was our favorite (we also added chopped dark chocolate on top). Enjoy!

And, if you are curious...Lunch came in at around 500 calories, while the cake (without toppings) is less than 150 calories for a very decent sized slice.
I know, I should probably go run after this, but it is so gross outside. A cold front came back through and it is windy and wet. Stop whining Allison. I will do something I just don't know what that something will be yet ;)

xoxo.

Veteran's Day

This is a post just centered on the extra special time taken to honor those who have served and are serving our country. They deserve all the prayers and help we can send to them, whether it be just that, prayers, or even letters, photos, cookies, or fresh socks. Please, along with me, take a pledge to not take these men and women's lives for granted. Take a moment, pray, and thank the Lord for keeping His hand over them through many difficult times.
Also, I have been involved and will continue to work with an organization called Honor Flight. If you are interested please see their website here: honorflightnetwork or you can always message/email me for more information. It is a really neat program that raises money to send veteran's to their memorials. It also collects letters for them to read on their trips. It is disappointing to think about the cruel welcome home many veteran's received, especially after Vietnam. This organization encourages those who are involved to welcome these veterans back home with smiling faces, open arms, and grateful hearts. Make the time to see what they do best.

With love and God Bless,
Allison

I would like to extend a personal thank you to a few women and men I know that have served or are serving right now: My father and my grandfather, Christine Asmus and her husband, Jose Artiaga, Brandon Chandler, Jeremy LeBeau, John Savor, Daniel Myatt, Joe Lewis, Dan Wright. I know there are many others, and their families also are owed so much respect for their support at home. Thank you.

Preview

rubypr.com

So what is a girl to do when she has no scheduled run and doesn't have to be into work till 10am? YES, bake a chocolate cake is the only right answer! I played with a recipe I found on allrecipes.com called "Black Magic Cake" submitted by Smuckers. I changed a couple ingredients around and messed with some amounts and voila! I of course had to try some before I left today, and I cannot wait to have more with Neapolitan ice cream tonight as my treat.
So, the next post will have a delicious recipe, a brand new outfit from the shop, and hopefully a good report from my long run due tomorrow morning. I was able to reach my 20 mile goal again, but I have yet to hit that 25 mile mark for the week. I'll keep you updated :)
Have a fabulous day!
xoxo.



Mindful Rambles

Good Morning! I understand yesterday was quite a day. I always am very excited on election day and I hope you took advantage of the time to go through with what you thought would be best. There are quite a few comments from both directions buzzing around, so I am going to leave that be and touch on a few lighter topics.

I was looking through my phone and saw I had some random photos of outfits I had done. I figured it wouldn't hurt to post them and hopefully they might spring some creative ideas for you! These were all done via Mosaic and if a piece stands out then I will definitely be sure to give you its stats :)

 

(All of these looks are put together for under $50!)

 

 

 

 

 Look #1: This outfit comes mostly from H&M (the blouse and the vest) and the skirt is an older, pleated, Anne Klein. I paired it with some dress booties and later a small gold charm necklace, very understated.

Look #2: Dress is H&M (jumper style underneath) and cropped blazer comes from Macy's. I just liked this one because of the complementing patterns.

Look #3: I know there isn't much going on here, just a neat biker jacket that came in and one of my favorite scarves paired with a Moda International shift dress.

Look #4 (Middle Photo): Vest and blouse are both from J. Crew, scarf is via Mosaic, and the denim are express. Paired with caramel riding boots.

Look #5: 80s Lycra long sleeve dress with an Express frayed cardigan and a retro braided pink belt (sorry for the poor quality in photo). Paired with some loafers and a few silver chains.

Look #6: I was just playing one day with our jewelry. We get so many pretty, long stranded necklaces that I thought this was a neat way to change up how you wear them.

Look #7: Beautiful burnt orange handmade skirt paired with a simple beaded slate top from AT Loft and a J. Crew cardigan. Paired with a large bauble beaded necklace and vintage neck scarf. Paired with some Maryjane's.
 
I understand that the quality in picture taking is not spot on here. Also, these looks were just bits and pieces that I hoped might spark some ideas. I apologize if they aren't up to the shiniest standards, but I hope you still enjoyed peeking!

Look out for a running update asap and a new cookie recipe, yum!

xoxo

Dinner and an Outfit

Please don't be mad. I know I have been m.i.a. for a week now and that is totally inexcusable. I should have been working on my blog when all I could do was lay in bed and sniffle. Isn't that silly? You'd think when you're sick you would catch up on the things that don't take a lot of physical effort, but still all I wanted to do was be in my pj's, eat fruit, and watch Hulu. Anyways, that's not a good topic for an interesting blog post, so let me share with you a quick-easy-healthy dinner idea AND an outfit...I know I am totally over-doing it ;)

First, this "recipe" is a mash up of some yummy ingredients and is pretty simple.
 
You will need:

vegetable oil, 1/2 tablespoon
uncooked quinoa, 1/4 to 1/2 cup
vegetable or chicken broth, 1 can (I used most of the can)
1/4 large onion chopped
garlic powder or 1 clove garlic
frozen corn, 1/2 to 2/3 cup
black beans, 1/2 cup
fresh cilantro chopped (I just added more till it smelled about right!) 
cumin, 1 teaspoon
salt and pepper to taste

Pour oil into heated skillet and brown the onions with the garlic for a few minutes. Place the quinoa into the pan and pour the needed amount of broth over mixture. Add the cumin, salt, and pepper then bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the frozen corn, let simmer for a few minutes then add black beans and cilantro, stirring occasionally.
 

*I served mine with a smidge of light sour cream and some delicious salsa. You don't need those add-on's, especially if you throw in some cayenne powder, but they make it extra good :)
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Now, this outfit might seem a little chilly for "almost winter" weather, but darn it I love fall so I will hold onto it for as long as I please...until it snows. The skirt is a handmade bleached denim mini via Mosaic, blouse is vintage (I call it the hippie top) from my mom- you can't see it too well in the photos, but the lace detailing on this is so pretty, the vest is just a simple find from rue 21 via Mosaic, the heart necklace is my mom's from the 80s and the copper chains are via Mosaic and are a super neat piece. I paired the outfit with some distressed brown booties and some high knit stockings. Enjoy!
(PS: whole outfit is under $50!!)

Goodnight and talk to you soon! I have a fun story about a run this past Saturday; it involves squirrels... xoxo.

Apology and Good News

I am very sorry. I have slacked incredibly on posting for a week or so now. I have so much to share too! I have some great dinner recipes, a new "dirt" cookie recipe, an awesome running article to share about benefitting from no electronics while training, more fashion posts, and some fun running diddies...or mishaps even. I have a huge exam tomorrow so I will probably not post again tonight, but expect them to start pouring in!

Also...I did my first solid 7 miles this past Saturday. I ran at a local park, probably my new favorite spot, and it felt great! It wasn't super fast or anything, but I kept it as close to a 9ish minute mile as possible. Since I was sick after that and into this week I eased back into my training and did my first over 5 mile run yesterday. I was going to shoot for 8 this weekend, but we will see. Anyways, have a wonderful day and I promise I will be talking to you soon :)

xoxo

Amish Country...pretty pictures always help to spice up a

dull, apologetic blog post right? I hope so!