Posted on

Last Training Run

I just finished my last training run before Saturday’s race. Today’s training session was a thirty-minute treadmill session, which I thought would be easy. Perhaps easy isn’t the right word. I figured, however, that a thirty-minute treadmill workout after running 45-minute treadmill workouts would feel like a relief. Unfortunately, it didn’t. I think this is in large part due to running 45 minutes yesterday. Fortunately, I have two full days to rest my legs before the race.

Tomorrow I’ll do the upper body Sweat workout, and then on Friday I’ll do the ab one. The ab one isn’t super intense, so it’s perfect for the day before the race. In the meantime, I’ll keep doing yoga every morning and stretching at night. I’m doing everything I can to keep my legs and hips loose for Saturday. I definitely don’t need a harassing injury to slow me down; I’m pretty sure I’ll be slow enough on my own.

From 2020 to 2025

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: still training, signed up for a 5k on 9/20!
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: finishing 2.0 this week!
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into September and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: went to Vegas, but lots of work to do here. I’m tickled pink that we’ll be going back there in October to see Paul McCartney
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I finished Pride and Prejudice on Saturday and am now reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
  • Get out of debt: in progress, but still poor
  • Financial independence: in progress, but still opt
  • If you’re not already following me on instagram, give me a follow!
  • ’Check out my newest partner, Zulay Kitchen. You can use the code Welcome43 to get 43% off.

How do you celebrate holidays?

I celebrate the holidays by spending time with the people I love most. The holidays are such a special time for me because it’s one of the rare times everyone is home. It sucks not having the kids around all the time, so having them home is amazing.

In addition to the family time, I enjoy baking all of our traditional family favorites. These dishes have really become the fabric of our holiday season. Each dish has a special connection to our families or our ancestors. It’s special to bake holiday cookies with the rolling pin handed down to me by my grandma, who was given it by my great-grandma. Keeping the culinary traditions alive is a way of always staying connected to our family and our heritage. I look forward to passing it on to the next generation.

Posted on

Only Tuesday

It’s only Tuesday, but it feels like it should be Thursday. Today, in particular, harassingly long. I had a short work week last week after taking Friday off for hockey. Consequently, it appears that this week is going to drag on for ages. Perhaps it’s better that way, given the 5K on Saturday. At any rate, I hate when a day/week drags on wearily.

My parents came into town today, which is exciting for all of us. I’m especially excited that they’ll be able to see the Mayor play with his junior team. It’s a big shift from youth hockey, so I think they’ll enjoy it. We’ll be bringing them with us to the home opener Saturday night. The weekend after, he has another home game, which we’ll also attend. Hopefully, my brother and his wife, along with Richard and Suelen will be able to make that game.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: still training, signed up for a 5k on 9/20!
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: finishing 2.0 this week!
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into September and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: went to Vegas, but lots of work to do here. I’m tickled pink that we’ll be going back there in October to see Paul McCartney
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I am reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
  • Get out of debt: in progress, but still poor
  • Financial independence: in progress, but still opt
  • If you’re not already following me on instagram, give me a follow!
  • ’Check out my newest partner, Zulay Kitchen. You can use the code Welcome43 to get 43% off.

Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail.

As a baker, I’ve had plenty of epic baking and cooking failures. I think it’s part of the process of becoming a baker. Baking is exact. If you’re off at all, you can really muck up your bake. A couple of ways you can self-sabotage your bread are by adding the salt and yeast right on top of each other. The salt can kill the yeast, which will stop your bread from rising as it should. The other is using liquid that is way too hot. If the liquid is too hot, over 130 degrees, it will kill the yeast.

Needless to say, I’ve made bread while forgetting the yeast. I’ve also forgotten to set a timer and then absolutely forget about the cookies in the oven. As it happens, nobody likes crispy fried chocolate chip cookies. I’ve also left my sourdough bread out overnight, which doesn’t work. It’s so hot here, the dough rose like a rocket ship and was overflowing by morning.

Posted on

Stormy Monday Afternoon

After a very quiet rainy season, we’ve had quite the stormy afternoon. My power has been on and off for twenty minutes, rendering me absolutely useless at work. The storm currently over us is apparently moving so slowly it’s nearly stationary. This doesn’t bode well for being able to get back to work or the evening commute. It’s also been a very loud storm between the driving rain and incessant thunder.

Unfortunately, I think we need a shield for our bathroom window. I noticed that there was water getting in when the rain was driving hard out of the west. Now that the rain has lightened up a bit, there’s no more water coming in. The last thing anyone in Florida needs is water intrusion and the mold that follows. Nonetheless, we’ll be working to dry that out tonight.

The weekend, like every weekend, went way too fast. I did manage to bake some focaccia bread yesterday afternoon. Usually, I bake it with sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese on top. This time, I decided to experiment a bit and baked it with pesto on top and bottom. While I like the taste, I didn’t love how the pesto dried out during baking. I’ll have to experiment a bit more to perfect the recipe.

Last Friday, I finished Kayla Itsines’ High Intensity 2.0. It’s been a fun, but really difficult and rewarding journey. Today I started 3.0, and the exercises ramped up quite a bit. I can’t say that I love broad jump burpees or that I’ll learn to love broad jump burpees, but I’m sure they’re effective. The number of reps per circuit also increased by quite a bit. I should see a lot of progress after 3.0 is down.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: still training, signed up for a 5k on 9/20!
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: finishing 2.0 this week!
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into September and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: went to Vegas, but lots of work to do here. I’m tickled pink that we’ll be going back there in October to see Paul McCartney
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • Get out of debt: in progress, but still poor
  • Financial independence: in progress, but still opt
  • If you’re not already following me on instagram, give me a follow!
  • ’Check out my newest partner, Zulay Kitchen. You can use the code Welcome43 to get 43% off.

Name the professional athletes you respect the most and why.

The professional athletes I respect the most are hockey players. Nobody puts their body on the line for their team or for the game like hockey players. They’re also nice people who go out of their way to put their fingerprint on the community. We’ve met several NHLers over the years, and they’re genuinely very nice, humble people.

Posted on

Saturday is for the Dogs

Saturday is for the dogs. Which is a play on the “for the boys” nonsense hockey players like to say to each other. At any rate, today, like every other day in our house, is for the dogs. I’m fortunate to be able to work from home and spend every day with them. Anakin and Arrow are the best sales assistants around. I don’t think so. They don’t even burn popcorn or reheat fish in the microwave. They’re the ideal co-workers.

The boys and I started our morning with a walk around the block. There’s always so much to see that the walk takes a while. Birds, lizards, and ducks distract Anakin immediately. Arrow, on the other hand, gets super excited to see a squirrel. Neither dog can concentrate on anything else once they’ve seen their target. Eventually, I got them to do all of their business, but it was a process.

While I enjoyed my coffee on the couch, the puppies chilled with me. I did manage to have a productive morning by taking care of the dishes, the laundry, and the floor. Don’t worry, I saved some of the fun for the afternoon. After heating some leftovers, I got my clothes folded and put away. To be fair, I still have some that need to be put away. Unfortunately, my closet is full. It’s reached its weight limit. I am definitely in need of a closet upgrade.

P.S. If you’re not already following me on instagram, give me a follow!

P.S.S. I’ve recently partnered with Zulay Kitchen. I’m super excited about this partnership as I love to bake. You can use the code Welcome43 to get 43% off.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: still training, signed up for a 5k on 9/20!
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: finishing 2.0 this week!
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into September and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: went to Vegas, but lots of work to do here. I’m tickled pink that we’ll be going back there in October to see Paul McCartney
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • Get out of debt: in progress, but still poor
  • Financial independence: in progress, but still opt

How do you relax?

I like to work out, bake, read, and spend time with my dogs to relax. My workout routine keeps me sane, while reading helps me decompress every night. My dogs’ unconditional love and attention is everything. Their presence and cuddles make me so happy and relaxed.

Posted on

Spring Bakes

While we didn’t go anywhere for spring break this year, there were plenty of spring bakes in the house. Since the Mayor’s diagnosis, I’ve been baking sourdough bread several times a week. I started with a sourdough boule recipe, but switched to a sandwich bread that the guys like better. It’s also easier to slice. The recipe is quite simple and doesn’t include a lot of active time, which allows me to multitask.

When everyone was here for graduation, I made the sourdough star with Biscoff instead of Nutella. I loved it with Nutella, but both my dad and Melly are deathly allergic to hazelnuts. Consequently, I don’t keep anything with hazelnuts in the house when they’re in town. It went much better than the previous times I made it, thanks to the assistance of my mom and hubby. I would make it again with Bischoff, but I would use a lot more of it next time. The flavor isn’t as strong as Nutella, so it needs more cookie butter for the flavor to come through.

I love cheese, but everyone already knows that. To go with chili, I made Brazilian cheese bread. This bread is perfect for the Mayor as it has 10 grams of carbohydrates and protein. Two of my favorite baked goods with cheese from this spring are the focaccia with sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella, and the brioche with Brie. Both of these breads are delicious and store well in the fridge.

Now I wouldn’t be my mother’s daughter if I didn’t include cookies in this blog. Some of my most treasured memories from childhood are baking cookies with my mom and grandma. The nice thing about baking my cookies is that I don’t have to fight my brothers for the bowl. This spring, I’ve been making chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies with Reese’s Pieces. When I bake the cookies, I weigh each one so they’re all the same weight. This way, I can give the Mayor precise carbohydrate counts by cookie. So let me ask you, what’s your favorite bake?

Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?

There are several things I practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle. One, I practice yoga every morning before work. Secondly, I read every day before bed. I also try to get to bed every day at the same time, with no electronics allowed once I’m in my room for the night.

Posted on

Week Off

I took the week off after graduation so that I could spend the time with the boys, Melly, and my folks. My parents had been in town for a month, but with their work commitments, it was hard to see them as often as I would have liked. Tuesday morning, Melly picked me up to go visit my folks in Deerfield Beach. Unfortunately, Jake was unable to join us as he had to work.

My brother was staying out east near the water while his house was being renovated. Fortunately, this meant a quick walk to the water for my folks. Honestly, the location could not have been any better. To be able to walk to Deerfield Beach and all the shops and restaurants there is priceless. For my folks from Minny, it was a perfect place to enjoy the paradise they deserve.

Melly, my mom, and I walked to a cute coffee shop a block from the beach. I got their caramel roll latte, which was delicious. After we got our coffees, we walked down the beach to the pavilion. It was the perfect location to enjoy our coffees and the beautiful beach views. The facilities are super nice, and the bathrooms are perfectly clean. We had a beautiful morning enjoying each other’s company and our coffee.

Thursday, Jake and Melly picked me up and we headed to the cutest cafe in Delray Beach. Glimmer Cafe is beautifully decorated, and the food is just as gorgeous. I enjoyed a strawberry goat cheese salad with a strawberry latte. Melly had a Caesar salad, while Jake had a sandwich and an iced latte. It wasn’t a cheap meal, but it’s worth the experience. We’ll be back! Hopefully, next time we can bring Terri (Melly’s mom) and my mom.

After lunch, we headed to one of my favorite places: Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. We took the kids there often when they were young. They loved seeing the sea turtles, sharks, and other sea life. Unfortunately, the aquariums were closed due to construction that day. We were still able, however, to enjoy the boardwalk, the tower, and the butterfly garden. It’s a magical place that I love returning to year after year.

After our nature walk, we went back to Melly’s family home to bake some bread. Our plan to bake bread was almost unraveled when we couldn’t find the mixer. Eventually, we found it and were able to bake the sourdough bread. I also brought her a jar with some of my starter, so she can have her own sourdough starter. We were going to bake garlic knots, but we ran out of time. She did an amazing job baking the bread! Also, as a bonus, I was able to hang out with the grand birds while the bread rose.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress.
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into June and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

Oh, where do I even start? First of all, I love food. Second of all, I have enjoyed a lot of really good food. It is impossible to pick the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. One dessert I had in France that I still think about is Kouign-Amann. My friend Emilie bought it for us in Brittany to try while we were staying at an Airbnb in Normandy.

Posted on

Busy

This past weekend was incredibly busy. We had a diabetes class for the Mayor scheduled all day Saturday. He was super cranky Saturday morning and his blood sugar was sky high. His insulin pod died in the middle of the night and he refused to change it. Consequently, the phone was dinging every five minutes all night long. Needless to say, none of us were well-rested or ready to spend a day in the classroom.

The Mayor was the only type 1 diabetic in the class of mostly boomers. Our saving grace was Winnie a diabetic since 2005 with an A1C of 10. She was the anti-hero of the day because she was such a hot mess, she had us all entertained. The Mayor eventually started chirping her because of the ridiculous things she would say. When the class started, she introduced herself with her A1C like it was AA and not a diabetes education class. She was upset when nobody else felt like sharing their A1C.

Saw Air Force One on the drive home

She was also the antihero because her behavior definitely drove the cost of care. When the nurse educator explained it’s best to eat the protein, vegetables and then the carbs, so the sugar doesn’t spike as quickly. Winnie took that to mean the protein cancelled out the carbs and she could still eat her two pieces of pie. Winnie then scolded the nurse educator for trying to make her choose between pecan pie and strawberry cream pie. The elevator was not making it to the top floor for Miss Winnie.

Fortunately, the nurse educator was able to get through the material quickly. Part of the treatment plan for a newly diagnosed or new diabetic patient practices is one one-on-one nutrition counseling and the diabetes seminar. At first I thought it was overkill, but then I met Winnie. Successfully managing diabetes takes a great doctor, but it also takes a patient who is willing to educate themselves and actively manage their condition.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in-training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into February and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading  The Eagle and The Hart by Helen Castor.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

Write about your dream home.

I always envisioned my dream house as a large mansion on the beach with several opulent rooms overlooking the water. This house would have enough rooms, so every person could occupy their own beach front room. Rumor has it that as we get older we get more practical. Now my dream home is anywhere my family and puppies lay their heads.

Posted on

Easy Sour Dough Sandwich Bread

Here’s my easy sour dough sandwich bread recipe. You won’t even be forced to read a dissertation to get it. You’re welcome.

Easy Sour Dough Sandwich Bread

Tools needed:

Ingredients:

  • 100-110 grams of starter
  • 11 grams of salt
  • 425 grams of water
  • 512 grams of flour

Steps:

  • Combine starter, salt, and water using the spatula
  • Add flour to the mixture, and stir with a spatula or your hands.
  • Once the dough is mixed, cover it and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  • Pull and fold the dough by pulling the dough from one corner and folding it over the center, turn and repeat until you are back at your starting point. Repeat this process 2-3x more times. Then cover and let rest 30 minutes. Repeat this cycle 3 more times. This helps build gluten and improve the bread’s elasticity
The dough before the folds
After the 1st fold
After the 3rd fold
After the 4th fold
The folding process
  • After the last set of stretches and folds, place the dough in the clear cylinder. Measure on the side where the dough comes up. Depending on the time of day, you can place the dough in the refrigerator to rest overnight or leave on the counter until it doubles. If you’re resting the dough in the fridge, take it out the next morning and let the dough prove until it’s doubled. I use measuring tape to confirm when my dough doubles. This can take anywhere from 4-18 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
  • As soon as the dough has doubled empty onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two even pieces. I use the kitchen scale here.
  • On the lightly floured surface, shape each piece into a rectangle by folding the top corners like a business envelope and using the pastry scraper to pull the bottom up into the middle. Transfer to prepared loaf pan and shape into a loaf. Rub or drizzle the top of each loaf with olive oil.
  • Set the loaf pans on a baking sheet and slip the baking sheet into a baking bag to keep the loaves from drying out. At this point, you can put it in the refrigerator overnight or you can let the loaves prove on the counter until they hit the top of the pan. (I only use the baking sheet to help easily transport the loaves between the garage fridge and the kitchen. You won’t bake on the sheet.). The second proof can take anywhere from 4-6 hours depending on where you live.
  • Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place the loaves pans on the top rack and back for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, turn down the oven to 375 and back for another 20-25 minutes. You want to bake until the bread is golden brown and has an internal temperature of 206-210

  • Let cool on a wire rack for an hour before serving

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into February and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading  The Eagle and The Hart by Helen Castor.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

The most important invention in your lifetime is…

There are so many incredible inventions that have happened during my lifetime. I would say the internet is probably the biggest. It’s changed the world completely for better and for worse.

Posted on

Wednesday

Well, it’s Wednesday. We’re halfway through the week. The work week had been going well, but today has been an absolute train wreck. Such is life in sales. Tomorrow is a new and better day. I just have to survive the last thirty minutes of my day. My schedule is changing tomorrow. Instead of starting at 8:00, I’ll start at 9:00. This should ensure I’m busy all day.

After I’m going to take a spin class. Starting this week, they reduced our schedule to eight hours a day, so I’ve increased my workouts to two a day during the week. I did my strength workout over lunch and will do my spin class afterward. The extra hour of work wasn’t doing me a lot of good anyway. The extra daily workout, however, will put me closer to achieving my goals.

Once spin class is done, I’m going to bake the sourdough loaves that are currently proving on the counter. I had started the loaves Monday night but had to start over yesterday as I left the dough out overnight. The dough was way overproved and wouldn’t have been edible in any iteration. Tomorrow I’m going to share the sandwich loaf recipe that I’ve been using. It’s easy and tastes great. I think it’s the perfect loaf for a new baker to bake. Anyway, I’m off to finish my fabulous Wednesday.

Describe your most ideal day from beginning to end.

My ideal day starts with some hot Dunkin’ coffee and a walk with my dogs. After the walk, I’ll sip my coffee while watching the Great British Bake Off. I really enjoy spending my time with my dogs and my family. As long as I’m with them, I’m happy. My perfect day ends with me cuddling with Anakin while I read my book.

Posted on

January

Is it just me or has the month of January taken an entire year? Ordinarily, I’d be ok with time going too slow, but January is dragging in the worst way. Or maybe I, along with everyone else is dragging. It’s just this January has felt like a lifetime between the historic weather, inauguration, and fires. This doesn’t even include any of the small day-to-day stuff that piles on the stress.

January has been busy. I haven’t baked bread since the second weekend of the month. In fact, my sourdough starter is feeling neglected, but don’t worry a reunion is planned. I will feed the starter tonight, so I can start a bread over lunch tomorrow. This will give us fresh bread going into the weekend. I will also have the starter ready to bake more loaves on Sunday night, so we have bread for the week. I bought a bread slicer from Amazon so I could slice up the loaves and give the mayor precise carb counts by slice.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): 28 days in and I haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m currently reading Armadale by Wilkie Collins– so good.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

Write about a few of your favorite family traditions.

One of my favorite family traditions is our Christmas brunch. We have a lot of good food, drinks and company and very little stress. I love my Christmas brunch crew. The other tradition I love is baking cookies both regular and Christmas cookies. It’s something that brings me back to being a child and baking with my mom, my brothers and grandmother. Moreover, it harkens me back to the days of baking with my boys when they were little. In fact, I’ve been craving some chocolate chip cookies. I should probably bake some tonight.