All packed up....

It's moving day!!! Well at least blog moving day, and even though the new site isn't all finished it is at least started and it will continue to transform as I work on learning more about how to use Wordpress!



The new location is: little-crumbs.com

You'll notice that it is no longer entitled, Canoe of Life, but instead is now Little Crumbs. I hope you enjoy!

(Oh and if you notice any major issues with the blog or it doesn't allow you to post comments you can leave a comment here and I'll make the necessary adjustments- Wordpress is so different but I think in the long run it will be a better blog!)

MIA...

It may appear that I've gone Missing in Action. Well honestly I was taking some time off from blogging, and then I decided to create a new blog name and purchase a domain. I have a little more work to do before the new site is ready for it's big debut...but stay tuned I'll be back real soon!

Green and Stuffed...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In celebration of the day I created a mint green protein shake...

You might be thinking it looks like a Shamrock Shake, but unfortunately I must report that it did not taste as good. The bright side is that it was healthy, so I guess I'll just have to be happy with that! We have more celebrations coming this weekend when we are IN the big parade....

In other news, it has been quite busy over here, it seems like all I do lately is sleep, work, go to the gym, eat dinner and then do it all again. When we have a rest day from the gym it seems like we have a meeting or something else going on that occupies my night. Well last night I actually didn't have anything going on so I finally got around to creating some stuffed peppers.

I should tell you also that for Lent I decided to eat a vegetarian diet, which means no meats for me. I decided to instead stuff the peppers with a lentil mixture. After cooking the lentils, I added sauteed onions, garlic, and carrots. I need to create a bit of 'sauce' so I added in tomato sauce and then some chipolte bbq sauce- nice and spicy!


They came out of the oven looking just like I had hoped, and I must say that they were quite today when I finally got to eat one for lunch today.


Anyone have any good vegetarian recipes to share or link to?

I'm trying to keep them veggie based and staying away from pasta.

Shopping in Color...

Spring has been making a solid attempt to come to Buffalo. Last week it was in the form of rain, that later turned to snow. Next week it looks like it might be in the 40s with more rain.

In preparaiton for more rain I made an investment into some "wellies" or polka dotted rain boots. I think black is too boring for rubber boots so I went with the more colorful version for spring.


I also did some shopping for the upcoming spring running I'm planning to do, but you'll learn more about that later this week. While browsing the clearance section of my local DSW I came across Nike Free's on clearance in size 11!!! (I have big feet) I was planning to buy a pair online in the next week or so, but I was able to save $30 by picking up this pair on clearance! I love saving money.


Sabrina and I also had hit up the outlets early Saturday morning to score some weather appropriate running gear. We shopped the clearance racks and scored great gear, and well basically ended up buying the exact same things for the most part.

First up a running jacket...


I picked up some general workout shirt for regular strength days...


Some Cold Gear from Under Armour...


Another Under Amour pullover...


Oh, and the best part- thumb holes! I can't stand running with gloves on so thumb holes provide the warmth, but can easily be removed (and not lost).


Despite that spring is almost here we still have pre-purchased ski passes that must get used before the snow melts in the mountains, so I'm off to try out my cold gear!

Do you like thumb holes or gloves?

Swag...

Sometimes when your run a race or a marathon, you get a swag bag. Well this weekend we created our very own 'swag' bag by standing in the lines and making second passes after lunch to booths we wanted more 'swag' from. Check it out...



My husband got a bit of a chuckle tonight seeing me spread the goods across one of our tables in an orderly fashion, but a girls gotta blog. Now for a closer look at the goods.

Mini Larabar samples including PB &J, Carrot Cake, Lemon, and Peanut Butter Cookie- yum!


Cascadia Farm Organic Dark Chocolate Almond Granola and Harvest Spice Granola Bars...


StarKist tuna in a wide array of flavors...

(If you're confused by the tuna it's because body builders eat it for the protein and usually straight out of the cans.)


EAS Finish Vanilla Protein Powder...
(Even though I prefer chocolate, it was free so I can't complain)


Various sample of other Whey Proteins and pre-workout items; most of which will be used by the husband since things labeled 'ANIMAL' and 'RAGE' scare me a bit.


Though we got a lot of 'swag' for free, I did decide to buy "The Stick" to help soothe my sore muscles. I've recently changed up my workout plan, and that change left my legs begging for relief so it should come in handy.


Another purchase was Power Fx wrists bands that help balance the ions in your body giving you a better since of balance. I know you're probably thinking we got sold, but honestly I'll do that tests on you and you'll seriously consider buying one. No joke!


What's your favorite Larabar or granola bar?

"I'm gonna pump YOU up!"

This weekend we ventured to Columbus, Ohio to check out the Arnold Classic Sports and Fitness Expo. The expo is centered around different types of sports. They had areas for gymnastics, kickboxing, karate, boxing, board breaking (not sure of the official name), figure competition, and strength competitions. And in the middle of all that there were many vendor booth set up to try sample of various fitness nutrition products.

Tosca Reno, the queen of Clean Eating, was there...

Some guys got ego boost having the photo taken with girls in tiny outfits...

Other guys got ego boosts by having their "before" picture on their shirt...

Matt got his picture with Lee Haney- an 8 time Mr. Olympia...

I got to ease sore quads with "The Stick"...

Jay Cutler, a former Mr. Olympia...

After morning of walking all the isles we decide to take a break and head outside in search of a great place to eat lunch. We came across Betty's, and since we were sitting at the bar decided to start our meal with a drink.

I decided to throw caution into the wind and got a "PB & J" Cocktail. It contained peanut-infused Finlandia vodka, grape simple syrup, and grape soda. My taste buds were so confused, it was definitely an interesting drink!

The Surly Girl turkey wrap was full of flavor (and Gorgonzola cheese)...

A tasty meatloaf sandwich for my husband...

During lunch our two women next to us mentioned "interesting" ice cream at Jeni's- including chipolte ice cream- so we had to give it a shot. I did try a taste of the chipolte which was another taste bud confuser, but in the end I settle on a very chocolate choice.

The husband and I share a two scooper, one for him and one for me...

After all the eating we headed back to the fitness expo to make another round through the isles, and we came across Kai Green another professional body builder- the line for his autograph was quite long so we just snapped a picture.

Do you recognize this man? Think about it, think of the color green, shirts ripping. Did you get it yet?
If you guessed Lou Ferrigno, the original Hulk, you were right!

After visiting passing through the booths we decided to check out some of the actual sports going on around us including youth boxing. It was quite intense, and there was even a grandma judge that seemed to really be enjoying the match.

Men and women chopped their way through stacks of boards, quite impressive...

After a fun day of walking through crowds we met up with a friend for dinner at Bodega, starting things off with a round of beers. They had my favorite- Youngs Double Chocolate Stout- so I couldn't say no! We also ordered up a cheese plate...

And with cheese we also needed a hummus plate...

We spent a couple hours eating, drinking and catching up- it was a really great end to the day!

Does that sound like an interesting weekend? Well maybe it isn't your cup of tea, but it definitely worked for us. Plus we got some free stuff and we purchased a few things, which I'll tell you more about tomorrow.

What was the best thing you ate all weekend?

For me it was a tie between the Surly Girl wrap and Jeni's ice cream....

Weekend Away...

This weekend my husband and I went on a road trip to check out the Arnold Classic Expo in Columbus, Ohio...

We drove...


We viewed...


We enjoyed a few beers with a friend...


More details to come tomorrow, but for now I must sleep!

ABCs of me...

Everyone knows their ABCs, but do you know the ABCs of me???? I don't normally participate in these "surveys", but I thought it made for a fun way of letting you know more about me! I saw Natalia over at A Side of Simple, and a few other bloggers so I figured I'd just go for it.

A = Age: Just around the corner from 30...I can see it coming at me fast!

B = Bed size: Queen, our King took up to much room!


C = Chore you dislike: Cleaning the bathroom.

D = Dogs: We had dogs growing up, but we don't have one now because I feel like we are on the road too much!

E= Essential start to your day: Hitting the snooze button...at least twice!

F = Favorite color: Green, any shade.

G = Gold or silver: Silver, but I will wear both together too.

H = Height: 6', and with heels I'm really up there.


I = Instruments you play(ed): The flute, but I definitely I don't remember how to play anymore.

J = Job title: Wife. Friend. Personal planner.


K = Kids: None yet, but someone day I hope to hold the job title of mommy.

L = Live: Buffalo, NY

M = Mom’s name: The Lady that doesn't stop...or Bev.

N = Nicknames: Jen to most, but Aunt Jenny to my niece and nephew.


O = Overnight hospital stays: I don't remember any, so I guess 29 years ago when I was born.

P = Pet peeves: People that say "good morning" and "good night" to Facebook, I just find it odd.

Q = Quote from a movie: 'Nobody puts baby in a corner'- Dirty Dancing; I couldn't come up with anything else and I recently came across the movie on TV.

R = Righty or lefty: Righty

S = Siblings: One older brother, one younger sister, and one (much) younger brother.

T = Time you wake up: Typically 6am on the weekdays and 7am on weekends. Gone are the days of sleeping until noon, I feel like it wastes a day.

U = Underwear: Yes, please.

V = Vegetables you don’t like: I used have a long list, but now I'm pretty willing to try anything and I usually end up liking it!


W = What makes you run late: My husband! Just joking...

X = X-rays you’ve had: I get annual x-rays of my teeth from my dentist, then all the sudden I need fillings- it's my favorite thing! (again I joke)

Y = Yummy food you make: I'd say most anything in the dessert department, but especially anything in chocolate chip cookie family.


Z = Zoo animal favorites: Elephants, or maybe the Gorillas I could just watch they play all day!

Any there you have it! That's small glimpse into the ABCs of me...

Anyone have exciting plans for this weekend???

Cookin by the book...

...or by the magazine actually! This week I was looking for a little guidance when planning our meals so I decided to pull out an old edition of Clean Eating Magazine (May/June 2010) and check out their budget recipes sections. This section provide five meals with recipes and even a shopping list!

First up this week was Chicken Pomodoro...


It actually came out pretty good. I made a few adjustments to the recipe, but overall it came out the same. I also went with whole wheat fettucini noodles that we had on hand. Most of the recipes in Cleaning Eating's budget plans are set for four or more serving so that means it ends up being lunch the next day- BONUS!!!

Last night I cooked up a little bit of New Orleans in the kitchen with Creole Dirty Rice.

I even used dried kidney beans this time. I have a tendency to lean towards the canned version of beans because it is just more convenient, but since I really wanted to follow the recipe I did it as instructed and it wasn't too bad it just required some overnight soaking.

Personally I thought it could have used a bit more of a kick, so I topped it with some hot sauce. I actually doubled this recipe so we had lunch today, and we still have plenty leftover for another meal.

Tonight was a night off from cooking to enjoy dinner with the girls. We try to find at least one day a month to get together, dine, and catch up. Tonight was sushi! I'm not up to eating the raw fish just yet, but I've moved from shrimp up to crab as of tonight.


It was a great night, but I'm still exhausted from the time zone change and I guess you could say it is my own fault since I refuse to slow down. Oh, and maybe because there is so much to catch up on both at home and at work!

Anyone make any good recipes lately? Please post a link.

In 36 hours...

I learned that I can do a lot in 36...and I can write a long post after that so stick with me.

Friday morning at 4:30am (Pacific Coast Time)- Time to Leave California!



I got up, worked out, and was on my way to the airport by 6:30, only to learn my flight had been delayed. I settled in with the free wi-fi, Starbucks, and even snagged a pre-boarding pass due to only having 15 minutes to make my connection. It was a rather uneventful flight, which is a very good thing. I landed early, and found my husband waiting at the exit for me. I can't tell you how excited it was to finally see him after two weeks- though time went pretty fast for this trip.



After a long day of flying we headed to a local brewery/restaurant for some drinks and dinner. During our wait for a table we caught up over some beer, peanuts, and popcorn. There is nothing like a chocolate cherry beer after a very long day of traveling.


About the time we finished the first round of brews we were seat, ordered up some dinner, and another round. For me turkey burger with Shock Top and for the husband Buffalo Wings & Beef on Weck with a new brew that I can't remember. Yummy!





After dinner I learned my husband had picked up a few items for me! New snow pants and a ski helmet- I know this might not sound like a romantic gift, but we're practical people. We had been invited to join on friends on Saturday for skiing, but I didn't have any ski pants that fit and I have been needing a helmet for a while. Then I was informed that our planned departure time was 8AM!!! I'm normally a morning person, but not after traveling.

Anyways we made it up and out the door in record time, only to learn our ski buddies were running behind- I guess you can't win them all! After everyone arrived we headed toward the slopes and skied for about 6 hours and I can already feel the workout my legs got!

Here I am sporting my new gear...


After a long day of skiing we hit up the grocery store in search of dinner. Matt created a panini that was a cross between a Muffaletta and a Cuban, I'm calling it the Cubaletta. I must say it was quite yummy with a side of blue chips and hummus, it is good to be home!


So what have you accomplished in the last 36 hours???