yum

don’t call it a comeback. getting back in the swing of things and a quick single serve cheesecake recipe.

~ loveandlunge ~ Leave a comment

I did it.  I went on a successful run.  I went on more than one successful run actually and I’m so darn proud of myself, if we’re being real here. I had spoken to my physical therapist earlier this week and he said it was time for me to get moving and try really running.  No anti-gravity treadmill.  No babying it.  No 10 minute miles, really get out there and run.

Saturday rolled around and it felt like a good as time as ever.  My gym doesn’t open until 7 on Saturday’s (so lazy), but I was up and out the door at 6:30.  I decided to do a run around my gym so if anything went wrong, I could hobble back to my car easily.  I laced up, tucked my phone into my waistband, and set my watch to go.  I was off.

I plodded around as fast as I could, keeping my ankle in mind then entire time.  I didn’t look at my watch to track pace, but every time it hit a mile marker, I stopped and reassessed.  Was my ankle okay?  Did I feel any pain?  How was the rest of me doing?  I ended up doing 2.5 miles outside and an extra mile inside on the treadmill for good measure. 7:40 pace.  I am extremely happy about this.  It’s going to be a long battle back, but starting at a 7:40 pace after 3+ months of not running is a good place to start.

But, the best part, this wasn’t my only run this weekend.  My gym bait and switched me.  They had a sign up saying they would be open from 5am-5pm on July 4th, so I rolled up at 5:45 to find out that none of the employees showed up.  There was literally a little group of us sitting outside haha!  I decided this was a sign and headed back home.

I set up shop in my front yard with some weights and did some chest exercises, but it wasn’t getting my heart pumping like I wanted.  So, I asked my boyfriend if he wanted to go on a jog with me.  By having him come with me to talk, I would be forced to keep a slow, comfortable pace to hold conversation.  We made it 3.25 miles (not including some walking at the halfway point to assess my ankle) with an 8:20 pace.  I got home and iced my ankle and I’m happy to report 0 pain.  Nada.  Zilch.

This journey has been full of ups and downs and downs and downs and ups.  It hasn’t been a linear path, that’s for sure.  But I’ve been working my butt off to come back strong and proud.  And that is exactly how I feel right now.  I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate on a holiday weekend than getting back at it.

Oh wait, yes I could.  A better way to celebrate would be to eat all of these little mini cheesecakes I made and never look back, which is exactly what I did.  Not only were these one of the easiest desserts I’ve ever made, but they were dangggg good.

Single Serve Cheesecakes

  • 6 oz light cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup + 1 TBSP granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp of vanilla
  • 1 package of mini Graham Cracker crusts (I use keebler brand)

Preheat oven to 375.

In a bowl, mix together all ingredients with an electric mixer.  Divide out batter into the 6 crusts.  Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the centers are no longer jiggly.  Let cool and then place in the fridge for 2 hours minimum.

These little pies are everything.  Just enough for a satisfying dessert, but at 228 cals, 26C/11F/5P, they won’t completely derail your attempts at healthy eating.

-sj

daylight savings time getting the best of me? better recover with delicious morning muffins.

~ loveandlunge ~ Leave a comment

What an awesome weekend.  I was super lucky to get to spend some time with my girl friends in Philly this weekend doing an awesome workout for the #MyCityMoves campaign, which left me oh so sore, but oh so satisfied.  Is there anything better than a new, challenging workout?  Plus we didn’t look to bad afterwards if I do say so myself.

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Daylight savings time came in full force on Sunday though and I wasn’t ready for it.  I had some how convinced myself that 6 am would feel like 7 am and that the mornings would be bright and cheery.  Spoiler alert: this is not the case.  In fact, it is the exact opposite.  I woke up on Sunday feeling sleepy as all get out an confused about why it was so dark outside when my watch blinked 6:45.  I got up and got my butt to the gym anyway.

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Good thing I was the only one there.

I’m not kidding when I say it was me and one other person.  That’s it.  But that made for an awesome workout because I could play around with any and all machines I wanted and not bother anyone.

I ended up putting together a quick circuit workout after a leisurely 4 mile run.

Complete all three circuits with a 60 sec rest between each and repeat the whole thing 2 more times.

Circuit 1: 10 weighted lunges, 10 squats, and 10 burpees

Circuit 2: 10 squat jumps, 10 straight leg deadlifts, fast half mile run

Circuit 3: 10 ice skaters, 10 squat to row, 10 lateral lunges

Throwing some running in there kept my heart rate through the roof and made me feel like a powerhouse.  I got up to 10.2 on the treadmill and kept telling myself “Don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall” for the entirety of my sprint (also I didn’t run the whole half mile at this pace, don’t worry).

The hardest part about waking up these past couple of days has been motivating myself to do so, so when my boyfriend asked me to make delicious muffins to wake up to, I had to oblige.  These bran muffins may not be the healthiest thing out there, but dang if they’re not delicious.

Bran Muffins 

Ingredients

-1 1/2 cups bran cereal (I used Fiber One Bran Cereal)

-1 cup buttermilk (if you don’t have this, you can use milk and vinegar)

-1/3 cup melted coconut oil

-1 egg

-2/3 cup of brown sugar

-1 cup all-purpose flour

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1 tsp baking powder

-1 tsp baking soda

-pinch of salt

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Steps:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray
  • in a medium bowl, soak bran cereal (I like to crunch it up a bit first) in the buttermilk for 10-15 minutes
  • Add in melted coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla, flour, egg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and stir it all together.  The mixture will be thick, but delicious
  • Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tins (mine made about 15 muffins, but it easily could have been compacted to 12)
  • Bake in the oven for about 13-15 minutes or until a poker comes out clean.

These muffins are everything.  Super easy to make and 1000% delicious.  I’ve probably eaten about 30 thus far (I made multiple batches, don’t you worry) and I have no shame about it.

Also, please look at this.  Sloths or chocolate croissants?  I was dying.

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  • How are you doing with Daylight Savings Time?
  • What’s your go to breakfast these days?

-sj