not a very good week, eh ? 
i had to leave work early to buy a car on Tuesday and work late on Thursday. also, the resistance on the spin bike i used on Monday was screwed up. i must have pulled my left hamstring. i was in pain the rest of the week so i guess i should be thankful for the additional rest days. 
friday 10.06:
rest day
saturday 10.07:
35 min elliptical @ gym
sunday 10.08:
1000 meter swim
monday 10.09:
20 min elliptical @ gym
1 hr spin class
tuesday 10.10:
rest
wednesday 10.11:
1 hr spin class
thursday 10.12:
rest
[19:55] radio_guy: so who else is at work, anyone?
[19:57] liz: just me
[19:57] radio_guy: Do you have keys?
[19:57] liz: of course
[19:57] radio_guy: yes, of course.
[19:58] liz: i’m not JUST the office mascot 
I recently started making smoothies for breakfast. It’s a bit time consuming (I don’t have a Vitamix) but so very worth it. I am even more energized in the mornings. The smoothies also fill me up more so than the spelt toast I used to have. iIve tried many different combinations. Here’s my favorite so far.
1/2 cup soymilk
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup frozen or fresh berries
2 prunes, pitted
2 kale leaves
6 ice cubes
I normally use blueberries because they’re my favorite, but I’ve used blackberries, strawberries and even cherries before. I also sometimes add a tablespoon of flax seeds or flax seed oil ! It’s very yummy and good for you.
this week was strange. the weather’s been kinda crappy and there’s been other stuff going on in my life that i will post about later. so despite all that, i am glad i was able to get a few workouts in. i pushed myself a bit too hard wednesday night and my knee didn’t appreciate it at all, but the swim helped last night and today is a rest day so i should be ok by tomorrow. by the way… today is my friend’s birthday. happy birthday, Laura !!!
friday 09.29:
rest day
saturday 09.30:
rest
sunday 10.01:
30 min elliptical @ gym
strength training: upper body
monday 10.02:
20 min elliptical @ gym
1 hr spin class
tuesday 10.03:
rest
wednesday 10.04:
1 hr spin class
thursday 10.05:
1400 meter swim
i can’t believe it’s already been 24 days since my car was stolen. the good news is that if my Jetta is not found in 6 days, my insurance will pay it off. i can then get myself a new car and into more debt.
the other good news is that i had purchased gap insurance when i bought my Jetta. i won’t be needing it, but it’s nice to know i had it just in case. i had also purchased something called ‘secure etch’ which would entitle me to $5000 if my car is not found within 30 days. unfortunately that ‘service agreement’ expired in 3 years and the thieves were about 8 months late. ah well. you win some, you lose some.
i’m considering the new VW Rabbit. 
I’m not sure where the inspiration to create this recipe came from. My Wednesday night Spinning instructor is Polish and I really look up to her, but I don’t think that was it. Perhaps my Polish friend from New York who likes to cook and is vegetarian mentioned something like it. Ah well… here is it anyway.
1 lb potatoes, peeled, in cubes
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp dried basil
2 Tofurky kielbasa sausages,
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
salt and pepper (to taste)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer to a greased glass baking dish.
3. Bake covered for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. Bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
This is a great low-fat recipe. You can add other veggies if you want. I might try it with zucchini next time. Mmm…
a few years ago, i went to a party with one of my best friends. she knew one of the guys at the party who was a computer programmer like me and thought she’d introduce us since i didn’t know anyone else there. this guy totally fit the ‘computer-geek’ stereotype. he didn’t say very much to me for about 10 minutes. suddenly with a straight face, he asked “so… do you comment your code ?” i couldn’t help but laugh… and laugh… and laugh… until i realized he was serious.
back at the office, i told all my coleagues about code-commenter-guy. they all thought it was quite funny and still tease me about it today. so i wasn’t surprised to get the following message from one of them recently:
I just found this: “Real coders don’t comment their code. It was hard to write, it should be hard to understand.”
i’ll never hear the end of it. moral of the story: don’t share embarrassing stories with your co-workers. unfortunately, i still haven’t learned that lesson.
Here is something to make when you want something really yummy but don’t have a lot of time on your hands (or ingredients in your pantry).
2 tbsp non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
3 sweet potatoes, peeled, in cubes
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper (to taste)
1. Melt margarine in large pan over medium heat.
2. Add potatoes and spices and cook for about 20 minutes or until potatoes reach desired tenderness.
