Sugarless, flour less, egg less cookies?!

During one of my more recent hours spent scouring pinterest.com I came across a recipe that really piqued my curiosity.  Sugarless, flour less, egg less oatmeal cookies.  Really, could there be such a thing, and still taste good?  I decided to give them a try even though I had already made up my mind that they were going to turn into some sort of disaster.  I'd post a link to the recipe, but it wasn't from an actual website.  Someone had made it into a pin themselves. 

Side note:  if you haven't gone onto pinterest yet, you must!  It's a giant pin board where you discover recipes, fashion, art, architecture, all things geeky, you name it, and pin it on your own boards.  A-ma-zing!

Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 cups of oats
2-3 super ripened bananas 
1 cup of unsweetened applesauce
Handful of craisins to taste
And a few dashes of cinnamon

Throw everything together, mix it up pretty well, throw it on a baking sheet at 350 for 35 minutes and voila! It's great and super healthy for you!

I absolutely love how versatile this recipe is.  I used raisins instead of dried cranberries and added some flax seed and wheat bran; but you could throw in any kind of nuts, allspice, or nutmeg, or use fresh ginger, or grated orange peel, the possibilities are endless.

I was convinced that when I opened the oven door to check on them I would find one big goopy mess, but was pleasantly surprised to see they kept their shape.  My kids devoured a few after breakfast, and the only negative comment came from my oldest about how she didn't like them.  She's not used to a no sugar cookie, but my boys loved them and have been asking for more all day.  This is something that even I don't feel guilty indulging in ; )  

       

Jillian Michaels kicked my a$$!

As many of you know I've been doing Jillian Michaels' "30 Day Shred" workout video for quite a while.  It's has 3 different 20 minute video's with increasing difficulty that promises to get you "shredded" in 30 days.  That is, if you do the video every single day for 30 days.  I tried following that rule once after I had my second child.  After day 8 I couldn't handle listening to her anymore, saying the same things over and over again, so I just stopped doing it altogether.  Looking back, I probably wasn't in the right mindset either to be that committed.

This time round I do the video on my between days with running, or on short running days as a way to strength train.  I added in the "6 Week 6 Pack" for an added kick and to mix it up a bit so it's not so monotonous.  And while it was new and worked different muscles, I wasn't as hooked on it as the "30 Day Shred."  So the hunt began.

There's a plethora of other Jillian video's out there, and it was only after trying a few others that I discovered my new favorite.  The "Extreme Shed and Shred."  It has 2 different levels, and the workouts are a bit longer; Level 1 being 42 minutes and Level 2 being 53 (this includes warm up and cool down stretching). 

After doing Level 1 I wasn't "wowed."  It wasn't as challenging as I was used to and thought, "meh, there's another one I won't use again."  But when I woke up the next day I was sore.  Not to the point where I couldn't move, but that video must've done something.  So I plunked in level 2 to give it a try and thought I was going to die!  Holy cow!  The hardest for me were the Plank Jack Push-Ups.  I want to sweat and curse her name just thinking about them.  And the Single Leg Mountain Climbers?!  My quads were killing me afterwards.  I couldn't believe the difference between Level 1 and Level 2.  The next day I could feel the aftermath all over my body.  My abs hurt, my triceps hurt, my quads hurt, even my butt hurt!  This one's gonna be on repeat for a while until I've mastered it too.  I highly recommend it to all the other Jillian addicts out there!  It's a bit longer of a workout, but definitely worth it!

The Beginning

So here I am starting a blog about running.  If you had asked me a year ago what I would write a blog about, running would've been one of the last things to come to mind. 

My passion for running happened by chance.  I had a few months to prepare for a 3 minute belly dance audition and was worried about how I'd be able to dance continuously for that long.  I knew I had to work on my endurance and running seemed like the simplest way to do that. 

I would walk my daughter to school and run the long way home.  It was only for 8 minutes and I did it 3 times a week.  I hated it!  Seriously hated it!  I was winded and sweaty and couldn't understand why people would choose to do this willingly.  But I pushed on.  I'd go for longer.  11 minutes, 12, 13, 15.  Then I discovered mapmyrun.com and saw that I was doing 2.5 km!!  I was amazed, I had no idea I could run that far (Haha, it's funny looking back now that I used to think 2.5k was far).  It motivated me to see just where this running thing would take me. 

My belly dance audition came and went and still I found myself pounding the pavement 3 times a week.  Running was quickly becoming a very large part of my life.  I would stare transfixed in the mirror, mesmerized with how quickly my body was changing and responding to it.  In awe of ab muscles that I never knew I had or ever could have, especially after 3 children.  I also have to thank Jillian Michaels and her 30 Day Shred for helping in that area ; )

With winter fast approaching I was saddened by the thought of hanging up my runners for the season, especially when I was just starting to really get into this thing.  I wouldn't run out in the cold (I'm a huge baby when it comes to the cold.), and I couldn't justify spending money on a gym membership just to use a treadmill.  Then my father-in-law told me about the indoor track.  It was as if the clouds parted and the song of a million angels filled my ears!  A what?!  And it's free?!   Oh thank you sweet baby Jesus! 

So that's where I've spent these last few months.  My husband comes home from work, I give him a quick kiss and tell him I'm off to the track.  I bring my daughter at times and she tells me how she did 50 laps.  "Oh really?!," I say.  I'll sneak off here and there throughout the week, forcing myself to go even though the couch is looking extra inviting at the moment and I can faintly hear my slippers calling my name.  What they say is true, the hardest step is the one out the door. 

And for someone who started out saying she wasn't going to turn into one of those "crazy marathon people," I actually signed up for my first half marathon.  It's on May 20th here in Penticton and I'm so excited, and maybe a teeny bit nervous.  I made a New Years Resolution (my first in 3 years) to run two half's this year.  I'm now on the hunt for another.  Suggestions are gladly welcomed : )

My longest run so far is 17.5 km.  I did it yesterday in 1:23:53 with an average of 4'48/km.  I was so excited that my long run for the week was under 5min/km.  See, now it's little things like that that get me excited.  Well that and my new gym bag that came today.  It's so awesome!