A Serious Case Of Fall Mouth

Gabrielle and I discovered we have a serious case of fall mouth these days. Fall mouth, ladies and gentleman is the need for all things pumpkin in your mouth at all times. This fall mouth comes on especially in the months of October and November. Pumpkin spice lattes, various fall breads,  pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pancakes. PUMPKIN PUMPKIN PUMPKIN.

This weekend I had fall mouth that couldn't be stopped. Fall mouth is what drove the car to the grocery store and fall mouth was the driving force behind bake city in the kitchen and way too much bread consumed in one night.

If you too are struggling with fall mouth, you can cure it with this!

Crackly Banana Bread

Ingredients: 
- 3 large ripe-to-over-ripe bananas
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup virgin coconut oil warmed until it liquifies
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/3 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch of ground cloves
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa or millet (found at your local health food store)
- *dark chocolate chips: optional, but always a MUST

Making the Magic:
- Preheat your oven to 350F
- grease your 9x5 loaf pan
- Mash bananas until smooth
- whisk in eggs, then oil, brown sugar, syrup, and vanilla extract
- sprinkle baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves over mixture and stir until combined. Stir in flour until just combined, then millet/quinoa.
- pour mixture into prepared pan and bake until a test comes out clean, about 45 minutes
- cool loaf in pan on rack

Enjoy!

if you really knew me

If you really knew me....

You'd know peanut butter is my weakness

You'd know I feel most like myself when I'm with my friends in Colorado

You'd know I love wearing dresses, heals, and lipstick as much as I like wearing tennis shoes, tempos, and t-shirts.

You'd know I love making time in the mornings for big breakfasts

If you really knew me....

You'd know I like a lot of creamer in my coffee 

You'd know that on a hard day all I need is a a phone call from someone on my home team

You'd know that I feel most creative when I'm cooking

You'd know that sitting on patios and porches is one of my favorite things

If you really knew me....

You'd know that hosting a dinner party makes me feel fully alive

You'd know that my favorite show is the Bachelor

You'd know that Id rather be outside than inside every second of the day

You'd know that I love to write

If you really knew me....

You'd know that I constantly have to monitor confusing my dream land with reality and it gets me in trouble a lot

You'd know that Bittersweet is my favorite book and I reference it at least 5 times a week

You'd know that mornings are my favorite part of the day

You'd know that a healthy meal, a hard workout, and a great quiet time constitutes a successful day

The Do's and Dont's of Fall Fashion

The leaves are turning, a chill has swept across the state, pumpkin everything sounds delicious, and wardrobes are transforming from sundresses and sandals to boots and sweaters.. this can only mean one thing; Fall has arrived! I don't know about you but the change of season this year has brought a new excitement all its own. I daily crave a pumpkin late, pumpkin oatmeal muffins, or pumpkin soup. Not to mention the beauty that Fall brings... orange and yellow never looked so good!

Each year Fall introduces us to new trends or re-introduces us to old ones. This year is no different. As your style guide I am here to take your hand, and walk you through what is sure to be one of the most exciting fashionable Fall seasons yet!

Walking off New York Fashion Week's runways and into your closets are theses trends....and don't forget, every fashionista knows to modify every trend to what works for your body.. just because it's in style doesn't mean it will work for you. Pick a few trends you identify with and rock the heck out of 'em!!


DO glam up those cozy knits

                   Don't be afraid to mix rustic and chic! Just be sure not to go too crazy mixing colors.



DON'T save bright colors just for Spring

                    Do pull out that tangerine trench that makes you feel like dynamite this fall!


DO play with fun textures in your wardrobe

                      Don't shy away from mingling with pleats, fur, and mohair all in one outfit.


DON'T pass on the statement collar

                        Do express yourself in a new way this season, from neck to toe!


DO sport oversized vintage jackets and sweaters

                           Don't get swallowed up by this trend, still show off those sexy legs


DON'T turn your back on peplum

                             Do continue to explore this wearable style in everything from dresses to pants & tops


DO patterns

                           Don't be afraid to wear patterns from head to toe


DON'T stick with the typical handbag

                          Do make a statement with you bag, opt for a classic shape with a rad pattern!

ALSO!!!... don't get trapped into wearing the typical brown and orange color tones for Fall. While those are not bad, they are just too limiting for Fashionistas like us. Here is Pantone Fall 2012 Color Palette~

      ---Colors from top left; French Roast, Honey Gold, Pink Flambe, Tangerine Tango, Ultramarine Green, Bright Chartreuse, Olympian Blue, Titanium, Rhapsody, & Rose Smoke



Now go out there and show this Fall what you've got!! My favorite trend this season is the statement collar!.. What's yours??


{Picture credit to Galmour.com} 

Turkey Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

Hey ya'll! I've got a great new recipe to share, just in time for the fall season when squash is coming into season. This recipe is SUPER easy, super delicious, super cheap, and super healthy of course. Its "man-approved" too, Hubs loved it and we were both stuffed after eating our respective stuffed halves of squash.

Turkey and Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash (serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 lb. lean ground turkey
• 1 box wild rice
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 2 T. thyme
• Mozzarella cheese- optional (Parmesan would be good too!)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350. Slice squash in half, scoop out seeds and insides, placed face up on baking sheet. Back for 1 hour.
-During the last 30 minutes of the squash roasting, prepare rice according to the box
-In a separate pan, saute diced onion until slightly brown. Add ground turkey and thyme, cook until browned.
-Add turkey mixture to rice and mix well.
-Once squash is done remove from oven, fill each half with turkey rice mixture, sprinkle on some cheese, and bake for 5-10 minutes until cheese is golden brown.
-Serve and enjoy!

*Using the 1 lb of turkey and the box of rice will make lots of great leftover turkey rice mixture for lunch the next day!

Overtraining....OH PLEASE NO!

Conditioning requires a balance between overload and recovery. Too much overload and too little recovery may result in both physical and psychology symptoms of overtraining syndrome.
Overtraining is exactly like it sounds. Terrifying!! It happens when athletes training competitvely or for a specific event train beyond their body's ability to recover. Overtraining can result in decreased performance.

During a run earlier this week my entire body hurt. Hip flexers, tight calf muscles, heavy legs....the whole bit. I'm over halfway through my training and this week was completely discouraging. My mileage has been low and my pace slow. I've been hearing about this overtraining shenanigans and thought I should bite the bullet and check into it. Here's what i've learned....

• Washed-out feeling, tired, drained, lack of energy
• Mild leg soreness, general aches and pains
• Pain in muscles and joints
• Sudden drop in performance
• Insomnia
• Headaches
• Decreased Immunity 
• Decrease in training capacity / intensity
• Moodiness and irritability
• Depression
• Loss of enthusiasm for the sport
• Decreased appetite
• Increased incidence of injuries
• A compulsive need to excercise

After skimming through the list I realized I'm facing about 8 of those symptoms. Still refusing to believe I am in fact physically "overtrained," I did realize I needed to take a step back and remember the purpose of my training. When I started in August I wanted to run my fastest race. I'm now realizing a full time job, moving to a new state, moving into a new house, making new friends and the overall adjustment of life is taking its toll and requires a lot more of my time and energy than I anticipated. I really love to be busy, but I've also realized I've been losing touch of some of my passions for fitness and clean eating amidst the 24- 7 schedule I've been maintaining. My training got to be a chore finishing was a relief when I could check it off the day's to-do list. I had to scold myself a bit and put things back into perspective. 

I love running, and clean eating, and racing, and Kara Goucher, and new running shoes, and hard trails, and cross training.

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

When did this become a burden? So I went to the grocery store and bought ingredients for green smoothies, laid my running clothes out for the next day, researched a new trail to explore, drank an extra tall glass of water and went to sleep excited for training again!! During my 5:30 a.m. weekly run sesh with cousin this morning, she reminded me that when you push through the tough stuff it makes you stronger. So here I am a month till Malibu and I'm back... game face on taking along with me some helpful hints I learned from my research on overtraining. 

1) Rest and Recover: If I find myself overtraining I need to reduce my exercise and allow myself a few days of rest. I need to get my full 8 hours of sleep in and allow my muscles a break. 

2) Hydrate: Drink plenty of water. I make myself drink at least a glass before every meal just to make sure I'm getting in that H2o. 

3) Get a sports massage: This helps athletes relax mentally and physically. This happens to be on my weekend list all in the name of "overtraining syndrome"....I'll take any excuse I can get for a massage. 

4) Begin cross training: When suffering from mental fatigue or overworking the leg muscles sometimes you just need a good spin sesh. Its hard for me to take a break out of the training plan and do this instead, but I must remember I'm still working my muscles and my body will thank me for it in the long run. 

So there it is. As ominous as it sounds overtraining is the real deal. Get your head back in the game, but also make sure to listen to your body. Don't make it a chore, and rest when you should! 

Lastly, for your pleasure and mine....I present to you a medley of inspiration to get out of your training slump!