Good morning!  I am so happy its Friday!  I need to keep this post short since I need to leave for work in 20 minutes and still need to get ready.  I had such a great workout this morning.  I ran intervals (I kept the speed lower than usually because of my hip and my left ankle seemed a little swelled- no clue why).  After running, I lifted back and biceps.  I will post exactly what I did this afternoon.  I did change it up from last weeks back and bicep workout.  Here is my HR info from this morning’s workout.

• Time:  01:01:42
• Calories:  521 (35% fat)
• Max Heart Rate:  196 (102 max)
• Average Heart Rate:  158 (82% max)

Breakfast today is the usually- PB toast and 1 cup of black coffee.  I really need to add some variety to my breakfast!  Any ideas?

Today is mostly going to be filled with laundry- I think I have over 10 loads- not fun, budgeting and grocery shopping and Costco.  I really like planning out all my meals before I make a grocery list.  This way I only get the items I think we really need and will eat.  We eat healthier as well, when we only buy the items on our lists and not throwing anything that looks good into the cart.  We also save a lot of money this way, and are not wasting food!  : )

I’ll post our meal plan this afternoon too, along with the grocery list.

Morning Meditation

Motivation for the Day: Only thinking in the positive and leading by example for my clients

Three Things I am thankful for Today:  1.  It’s Friday!  Yay!  2.  My home- I love all the back yard critter (not including the snakes)  3.  My body- its healthy and strong

Goal for the Day:  Be as productive as I can be, finish all the laundry and finish cleaning the house.  Also I really want to be so productive I finish up some odds and ends.

Motivational Quote of the Day:  We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.  -Aristotle

Sedona- I have been thinking about Sedona lately and debating if I should run the 1/2 marathon again this February. 

What are your favorite items to buy at the grocery store?  Do you preplan your meals and make lists?  What is your favorite motivational quote?

After all the cleaning that went on today, I was hungry for dinner and I wanted something hearty.  The Husband and I were originally going to have a salad, but as the cool fall air was circulating throughout the house, we decided on soup.  I have been craving roasted vegetable soup for days.  It’s funny, a week ago, Arizona was in the 90s and for the past few days we have been in the 70’s and all we can talk about is how cold we are, how we need to break out our warmer clothes and now how we need soup to warm us up.  The Hus and I are from Minnesota, 70’s should not even faze us.  After I rummaged around in the pantry and fridge we decided to make some hearty semi-homemade chicken noodle soup.  Here is what I did:

But first, our snacks while the soup was cooking.  We had a little leftover salmon from a couple night ago and heated it up in a pan.  I then cut the salmon into bit size pieces and added toothpicks.  This was a great little appetizer while we waited on dinner.  I also love the fact we didn’t end up throwing the salmon away and ate it!  We had been throwing a lot of food away until we started spending more time planning out our meals.  By doing this we have not only saved money, but have reduced our carbon footprint by not being wasteful!

Okay, so lets get on with the soup.  I started boiling 2 pans with water (one for pasta and the other for broth). 

Once the water started boiling in the smaller sauce pan, I added about 1/3 of a box of whole wheat pasta.

While I was waiting for the soup water and stock to boil I cut 1 1/2 stalks of celery, 1 large red onion, 2 chicken breasts and 1 bunch of green onions.  I also put a frozen block of spinach in the microwave for 7 minutes.

Once the water and stock was boiling I added in a started soup mix I found in the pantry.  I wrote down all the spices that were used in it, and next time I make chicken noodle soup I will probably just make my own seasoning mixture (its more healthy and has way less salt not using a soup starter kit , but we had it on hand so I used it). 

The soup mix called for 8 cups of water.  I used approximately 14 cups and 1 box of stock (I love broth plus I was trying to dilute the sodium from the starter kit).

I also added in all the delicious vegetables.  Look at all that spinach!  I really love adding spinach and red onion to soups, they both give the soup great flavor.

Once it simmered for 10 minutes and cooled for another 10 minutes, the soup was ready to eat.  I did add in extra onion powder, fresh ground black pepper and just a pinch of sea salt.  The Hus and I couldn’t wait to eat it.  The aroma the soup was giving off in our house was amazing.  It still smells so great!  : )

We filled our soup cups up to the rims!  Then the Hus and I sprinkled the fresh chopped green onions on top for a slight crunch! 

The soup was simply amazing!  There are tons of leftovers and I am sure we will be eating it all weekend! 

I wasn’t going to have a glass of wine today, but after I had a busy day at work, cleaned the house, cooked some soup and felt chilly, the Hus and I each had a glass of red with our soup.  Remember, everything in moderation!

*One thing I like to do when eating soup is drink a lot of water with it and after I am done with it.  Since most soups have high sodium, its essential to drink water, fresh squeezed lemon mixed with water is even better, to make sure your body isn’t bloated in the morning.  I am highly sodium sensitive so I am always chugging water.  No one wants to wake up feeling bloated, I know I sure don’t!

What is your favorite kind of soup?  Do you have any amazing soup recipes you love?  Do you have any tips for making soup or any vegetables you love to include?