It’s a snowy day in Sioux Falls. Hopefully it’s the last major snow of the season. Okay, that might be pushing it.
Mondays are my typical days off, so I started the day off pretty slow. I took my time eating breakfast and eventually made it down to the gym for a bicep+chest workout and some cardio.
I typically gravitate toward weight-bearing exercise and classic cardio such as running, elliptical, or biking. I’m envious of those who feel satisfied from light weight circuit workouts and especially, yoga. It’s not that I don’t feel like I’ve worked out after these types of exercises, they just don’t hold my attention the same way lifting heavier weights does.
It’s been a very lazy day for me, but I felt a burst of energy around 6:00 tonight. I didn’t feel like a run or any high-intensity exercise, so I got the idea to search Amazon Prime for a yoga workout that I could do in my apartment. I ended up stumbling upon Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown workout.
Another type of workout I’ve never been a fan of is one that you have to watch on a screen. However, I actually really enjoyed this one. Seeing that it was by Jillian Michaels, I had a feeling it would be somewhat challenging. I busted out my yoga mat that I’ve used a grand total of about two times and got to it!
The workout included variations of poses that ranged from beginner through advanced. It was more fast-paced than some yoga classes I’ve taken, and I was able to get my heart rate going. It only lasted about 40 minutes, which was perfect for what I was looking for. I even set the mood by lighting a couple candles!
Cheesy? Possibly. But it helps me get in the zone. There’s a second portion in the same episode that I’m planning on doing later this week. I was shocked by how many different yoga workouts and other workouts were available on Amazon Prime. If you have it, I recommend checking some of them out!
Now, I’m off to enjoy some left over pork tenderloin from last night.
It’s been a fantastic lazy Sunday. I spent the day doing a little bit of work and a lot of lounging around while watching the final day of the Olympics.
On these types of days, baking is always something that pops into my head. Today was no exception! I’ve had several ripe bananas sitting in my freezer for weeks that I’ve been meaning to use for banana bread. Tonight I bring you a new banana bread recipe: Minnesota Farmer Banana Bread.
My mom gave me a Twin Cities cook book this past Christmas. It’s filled with delicious looking recipes that originated from different areas around the Twin Cities. This was the first recipe I’ve had a chance to try from the cook book. I followed the recipe pretty closely, but added whole wheat flour and a dash of cinnamon.
Minnesota Farmer Banana Bread
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2/3 cup sugar
- t tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3-4 bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
My favorite ingredient!
Stir it up
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Blend together flours, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, stir together the eggs, oil, and bananas.
- Fold banana mixture into flour mixture to create a thick batter. Fold in chopped walnuts.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake 55 minutes to 1 hour.
- Let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.
The loaf!
Yum!
I used a slightly smaller loaf pan for this, about 8×3 I believe, and it turned out just fine. This is a very simple and tasty banana bread recipe. The loaf came out perfectly moist. I’m looking forward to trying more recipes from this cook book in the near future!
I feel like I have a spring back in my step, and it definitely has something to do with the spring-like weather in South Dakota.
This might look a little pathetic to some, but after months of sub-zero temperatures and 70 mph wind gusts, this is a treat.
It just so happens that I had work off on this beautiful day. I took advantage of it by going for an outdoor run for the first time in more than three months.
Just look at that snow melting! Since I’ve taken some time off from longer runs, I was a little rusty. I made the mistake of running only an hour after eating a pretty big lunch. Normally, I’ll run first thing in the morning on just a cup of coffee or a piece of toast. If a morning run isn’t an option, I’ll wait until hours after I eat to make sure everything is digested. I cramp up very easily if there’s a decent amount of food in my system, and unfortunately, that was the case today. The issue slowed my pace pretty significantly.
Not my best! But it felt great to be back outside. I can’t wait to start training for the Minneapolis Half Marathon in a few weeks. Now, in celebration of my first outdoor run of 2014, I’m off to enjoy leftover turkey lasagna!
biggest food junkie 