Okay, my title just made me crave candy and I have no idea why. Maybe it makes me think of Reese’s Pieces? I still have a hard time figuring out the way my mind works. Either way, here are some Reese’s pieces of my day today. ‘Twas a good one.

5 Mile Tempo Run With The Cows

Mooooo!!! Now that I got that out of my system…I hit up a local running trail to hang out with the cows and knock out this week’s tempo run. The run called for a one mile warm-up, three miles at an 8:33 tempo, and then a one mile cool down. My tempo splits ended up being 8:37, 8:38, and 8:28 min/mile. I came somewhat close but definitely learned that I have a problem figuring out my pace and keeping it steady. I felt all over the place! Those tempo runs are tough trying to get in tune with the body.

Best Way To Store Headphones

I had to buy new headphones after mine crapped out on me this past weekend. You know I went the “el cheapo” route and nabbed a pair for under $10. That, of course, means they don’t have a handy way to store them or other fancy features. Which, therefore, means I resort to my office clip method of storing headphones to keep the tangles away. Nothing works better. Don’t you love Peter’s my innovativeness?

Breaking In Our Pool

We have a pool in our backyard, but the dang trees keep it shaded most of the day so it takes for-ev-ah to get warm enough to take a dip without risking hypothermia. Today was the day to finally brave the chill factor and only risk the “cutting glass” effect, if you know what I mean. I edged my way in to about chest level and was done. Peter, of course, jumps right in telling me it’s the only way to do it. Mehhh….I like my method.

Harry Potter Obsession

Dork alert: Peter & I share a bit of enthusiasm over Harry Potter. Not crazy crazy, but we like it well enough. Well enough to decide to watch the first seven movies through again before hopefully fitting a visit to the theater into the budget for next month’s release of the last film. We start #2 tonight!

I Got My Jeans Buttoned

My “goal jeans”! Out of curiosity I took a stab at them and got them on and buttoned. They still fit way too tight to actually wear comfortably, but I take getting them oa as a huge victory. Consistency with healthy habits and not doing anything crazy besides watching tons of Harry Potter and running with cows pays off!

I Love ALL of YOU! That doesn’t need further explanation. I just wanted to tell you that. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

• Harry Potter – Are you a fan?
• Getting into a cold pool – Slow and steady or Dive right in?

I anticipate a fair share of you have heard of Jenn’s “What I Ate Wednesday” phenomenon where bloggers share…well, what they ate in a post that publishes on a Wednesday.

The posts always intrigue me because, you know, I love food. I don’t often share my food, but I have a recipe too good to keep to myself and figure a “What I Ate Tuesday, but you can eat today aka Wednesday” post fits perfectly. Say “aloha” to my food. <—It makes sense later, I promise.

My morning started per any regular Tuesday morning with a mad rush getting the kids all situated and fed before heading out the door to the gym. I do the quick and easy route of munching an apple for some pre-workout fuel. I have to get something in my belly, but since I end up eating so close to my workout that means something light and simple to digest. Hooray for fruit!

Do you want to hear about yesterday’s workout? I think you do. Trust me. A little piece of me died and went to heaven in pure “I owned that workout” bliss.

First up, intervals on the elliptical using a workout from Fitness Magazine. Like this:

*For minutes 8-29, repeat the moderate to fast to easy combo. Each round increase your time spent at the fast pace by a minute: 3 minutes the second time through, then 4 minutes, then end with 5 minutes as the last round.
**For minutes 31-43, continue alternating one minute each at the moderate pace and challenging sprint for a total of 6 more intervals.

I followed that sweaty session up with a full body workout. I love completing circuits and super sets to help me get through my workout faster. I switched it up today and worked my entire body going through 3 mini circuits in 30 minutes.

Any guesses how I refueled? You will likely only need one.

You’re so smart! I simply adore my strawberry, raisins, and peanut butter oats combo these days. It helps that I have a plethora of Skippy Natural Honey PB at my disposal.

Thank you Amazon for giving me this much peanut butter for about $1.60 per jar! I promise to share the deal with you when it comes around again. I know at least two gals who will want in on that action.

Ay! We’re only at breakfast? Someone *cough cough* is feeling rather chatty this morning. Let’s progress to lunch shall we?

I thought of creating a fun, inventive, more exciting lunch to share with you – but I don’t pressure myself to eat things just for the sake of the blog. My belly wanted my sandwich, fruit, and veggie combo so that’s what my belly got.

Ham sandwich with avocado, spinach, tomato, mustard, and laughing cow swiss cheese (because I’m obsessed with its creamy, flavorful spreadability). Plus grapes that were like candy. Plus carrots all by their sad lonesome with no hummus dippage. Hummus = one of the items axed at the end of the month, lower on the budget grocery trip. Money scores again in our never ceasing battle. 😉

We shall now whizz right on by my snack because I have a recipe to get to!

I wasn’t in the mood for anything particular or a one-bowl-wonder yogurt concoction…so a happy face mix of sliced sharp cheddar, a ginger snap larabar, and a banana. Making happy faces with my food? Can you tell I’m a mother?

And now we say ALOHA! Thank you for sticking with me. I promise this recipe will be the Hawaiian vacation your taste buds hope for after the previous 689 words. Yes, I used the handy word count tool counted.

Hawaiian Tofu

• 1 block extra firm tofu
• 1 jar pineapple tidbits in juice
• soy sauce
• grated ginger
• minced garlic

Press the water out of your tofu per normal preparation. Cut the tofu into even 1 to 2 inch slices/cubes. Place in a large ziploc bag. Strain the juice from the pineapple can into a bowl. Add soy sauce, grated ginger, and minced garlic to taste. I used about 2 or 3 tablespoons soy sauce, a bit over a teaspoon of ginger, and a tablespoon of minced garlic. Pour the marinade into the ziploc bag with the tofu.

Let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Remove tofu and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

We used our Hawaiian tofu atop romaine, pineapple tidbits, onion, cucumber, and feta cheese with a sesame ginger dressings. Sweet and tangy. An interesting twist on the traditional ‘fu. Deee-licious! And with those 862 words – I’m out!

• Do you enjoy tofu? What’s your favorite way? I love my BBQ tofu wraps!
• Do you ever use workout ideas from magazines?