Hopefully you saw my life update post yesterday. It was a long and sometimes rough 3 months since I last blogged, but I’m ready to get back and am feeling really positive lately.

I thought the best way to end my hiatus is with some new monthly goals. I used to do these all the time and don’t know why I stopped!

Marvelous May Goals:

1. Eat clean 80% of the time

– I know 100% is near impossible, and with some traveling thrown into the mix this month I know some cheats can’t be avoided. But while I’m in charge of my meals I’m going to be as clean as possible.

2. Move 30 minutes every day

The plan is to get in a “real” workout 6 days, then active recovery, such as walking, gentle yoga, etc. I’ve been enjoying more walks recently and am surprised with how much I like them!

3. Track Pointsplus & calories 6 days a week 

– I’ve been doing pretty well on this, actually, the last two weeks. I won’t say 7 days, because that’s just setting myself up for failure.

4 Cut back sweets (can’t completely cut them out – that would be crazy!)

- I have a terrible sweet tooth, and once I get started it’s difficult to stop. Treats in the teachers lounge are a big culprit, but thankfully those won’t be a problem once school is out for the summer!

5. No shopping for “extras”

- Matt & I are making the huge step to buy a new car this month! We both have pretty old cars, but mine is starting to become a money sucker and after putting over $1000 into repairs over the last several months it’s time to trade up.

6. Follow meal plan & workouts for NHerShoes #SummerShred13

- I’ll be writing a separate post all about this, but it will help with the first four goals for the month!

Looking forward to a healthy and happy May!!!

Yummy eats (& drinks)

New gadget!

Lots of miles run

Half marathon #4 in Springfield, IL

Yup, ran in these temps. Brr!

Lots of kitty shenanigans

Relaxing – definitely a necessity!

I’m planning on returning to blogging regularly. School will soon be out for summer so I’ll have a little bit of time on my hands to get organized. Happy May Day!

It’s been a while, but foodie pen pals is back for the month of January! This month I was sent a box by Candice (no blog) from Kansas City – and boy did she deliver some great local goods!

This gorgeous notecard greeted me when I opened the box. The flowers and butterfly are actually raised from the card. Seriously, this thing was beautiful.

Inside were some delicious KC treats.

BBQ sauce, of course, and a Tuscan salad dressing from a local restaurant. I haven’t opened either of them quite yet – trying to use some open condiments first – but I cannot wait to try them out.

Next up is some locally packaged taco seasoning, which we will most definitely use. Taco night is a yummy one around here. And, of course, coffee. When Candice asked in her e-mail if I liked coffee, I responded with all caps and exclamation points. I think I’d drink it all day long if I could. I can’t wait to try this Kansas City blend from the Roasterie.

And some delicious sweets. I’d actually heard of Valomilk before, probably on one of those random Food Network shows that features some sort of regional delicacy on each episode. Anyway, it’s milk chocolate filled with marshmallow. There’s no way anything can be wrong with that. It was a bit smushed from it’s journey but still tasted really, really good. The milk chocolate was delicious – much better than plain old Hershey’s

And the Cherry Mash. Yeah, the name sounds weird and maybe a little gross. Also, totally retro and delicious. It’s milk chocolate and peanuts filled with cherry – kind of like those Russell Stover or Fannie May chocolates but somehow much better. It’s the kind of thing I’d never think to try but was really good.

Pretty great month, I’d say!

And now it’s time for some details about Foodie Penpals.  In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

See you next month!

Weekly Menu

Breakfasts for the man: Broccoli & Sausage Egg Muffins (we sub turkey breakfast sausage for Italian) (SF + 2 WPA) or 4 points+ per muffin

Dinners:

Weight Watchers Best-Ever Cheesesteak Sandwiches from the May/June 2011 WW Magazine (SF + 2 WPA) or 8 points+

Skinny Girl Carbonara (SF + 4 WPA) or 16 points+

Skinny Taste Baked Potato Soup (SF + 2 WPA) or 5 points+

Skinny Taste Cilantro Lime Shrimp (SF) or 4 points+

Personal Pizzas (SF + 5 WPA) or 5 points+ for crust, additional for toppings

I also cooked a bag of chicken breast in the crock pot with some light Italian dressing to use on salads or for lunches. Also ready for the week are pre-portioned carrots and tomatoes and an overflowing bowl of fruit on the table!

We made the cheesesteak sandwiches tonight with a salad and they were so delicious! I can definitely see this one making many more appearances.

Hope you have a great week!

Here’s a day by day rundown:

Monday – bodypump

Tuesday – 35 minute run (3 miles)

Wednesday – 40 minute run (3.5 miles)

After Wednesday’s sweaty run. I was wiped!

Thursday – 20 min cycle, cxworx

Friday – 20 min Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, 20 min power yoga podcast

I wore this new running top with jeans to our institute day Friday. Who says running clothes are just for running?

Saturday – 5 mile run (60 min)

Sunday – rest

My old Polar F4 heart rate monitor is nearly dead and has been dying for a while. It hasn’t made any noise in a good 6 months and has been showing the ‘low battery’ symbol for longer than that. I’d been trying to wait it out, or hope that it would magically get better, but it never did. I guess after 4 years of using it for hours each week it was bound to go eventually. Tonight I finally bit the bullet and ordered a new Polar FT4, which is the newer version of mine. It looks a lot sleeker and the new chest straps are much nicer than the old, mostly plastic ones. Yay! Now I just need to be patient until it gets here.

I’m also super ready for warmer, non-icy weather. I hate running in freezing temps, especially when its windy, and that’s all we’ve had lately. Add ice and snow on top of that and it’s the treadmill for me. I ran 5 miles on it Saturday morning and thanks to my Nook I was able to finish and not go completely mad. I’m planning 6 on Friday and, looking at the weather, it’s gonna be another long indoor run.

Have a great Tuesday!

Melissa