Run Your Butt Off! Book Review

Run Your Butt Off  - Who doesn't want to do that?  The title alone was enough to draw me in.  This book from the editors of Runners World provides a running plan for beginners and shares some good information on how to make healthier food choices. Each of the ten chapters contains  both an exercise and an eating plan. It also includes a workbook to keep track of your numbers and log your exercise and eating.


As a person who runs to control my weight, I was hoping this book would provide some insight into how I should be eating so I could lose some weight.  Alas, the secret to weight loss is not hidden in these pages because it doesn't exist. Instead this book helps you analyze what, why, when and how you eat so you can figure out what your trouble areas are. 


The bottom line is: the number of calories consumed needs to be less than calories burned.   The book recommends losing 1/2 - 1 pound per week.  To do this you need to have a daily deficit of 500 calories. The book suggests ways to accomplish this without making drastic changes or starving yourself. They discuss: 

• the number and size of meals per day 
• food selections 
• nutritional implications of what you eat
• timing of your meals

To help you figure out how many calories your body needs in a day, Runners World has a BMR calculator on their site. In fact they have a whole section dedicated to supporting those taking on this challenge to run their butt off.  


The exercise plan in this book is geared toward new runners or those running less than 3 times a week for 30 minutes.  It is a great plan to get started running, but because I already run more than that, it didn't work for me.


My big takeaway from this book is the amount of protein I should be eating each day.  A physically active person needs 1/2 grams for each pound you weigh. So if you weigh 140 pounds or want to weigh 140 pounds you should eat 70 grams of protein per day.  Since reading the book I have been tracking my food and exercise again and am not even close to my protein goal, in fact, I am short 25-30 grams a day.


If you are a beginner runner, or are struggling with making running a consistent part of your schedule, this book is for you. It makes running accessible for anyone and  has plenty to offer for those wanting to live a healthier, more active lifestyle.  Running has many rewards and weight loss or weight control is just one of them. 


Personally, I am working on eating more protein and am curious to see how it makes me feel and perform. I will let you know how this goes.

Do you track your food and exercise in logs?

Are you a calorie counter?

Pizza Pot Pie

mushroom, spinach and onion pizza pot pie

Pizza Pot Pie is pizza from a new perspective - upside down!  When the pizza goes into the oven it resembles a pot pie with its crust covered top.  But the trick is you turn it out of the dish right before serving and now it is an upside down pizza pot pie. 

Using one pizza crust dough (recipe here), one can of pizza sauce, and a combination of mozzarella and Monterrey jack cheese slices we made four individual pot pies. This was easy to personalize for everyone's favorite toppings. This time we used some homemade meatballs from an Annie's Eats recipe I love (here), fresh mushrooms and spinach.

To start, you need oven proof bowls, I picked some cereal bowls from my cupboard, sprayed them with Pam on the inside and around the top outer edge too so the overlapping crust won't stick.  Next, layer the bottom of the bowls with cheese. Be generous with the cheese, I wish I had used more.

Add the toppings. Any meats need to be precooked.  Cover with  pizza sauce. Dei Fratelli is our favorite.

The last step is to divide your pizza dough into four equal parts (or as many pot pies as you are making) and roll out  to cover each bowl with a circle of pizza dough, pinching it around the outside edge of the bowl.  Brush the tops with olive oil.   They are now ready to go in the oven.

Place on a preheated cookie sheet or pizza stone in a 450 degree oven.  Bake about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. 

Let pies cool for a few minutes and then place upside down on plate, run a knife along the inside of the bowl to loosen and let it fall. Viola! - Pizza Pot Pie 

Meatball and Mushroom Pizza Pot Pie

*When making this the second time I used smaller ramekins and made 6 pies.  I also used more cheese.  The results of my second attempt are shown in the photo at the top. With the smaller ramekins the pie fell out of the bowl easier and the serving sizes were plenty big.

 Eating this will make you happy!

What do eat to make yourself happy?

California Here I Come!

After sitting on the fence for a few weeks about whether to do it or not, I jumped off and made the decision to have this running season be the year of the Coast to Coast Challenge Medal.  That means I will be traveling to California in January to run in Disney's newest race the Tinkerbell Half Marathon!!  

This the Coast to Coast Medal- I love it!

 To earn this medal you must run either a half or full marathon in both the east and west coast in the same calendar year.  My east coast run will be the Disney Princess Half Marathon. In February I will be running this for the first time.  This is one of the few Disney World races I have not done and I have heard great reviews. 

Since I am making the investment to travel across the country, I decided I was going for the complete Disney experience and I am staying at one of the Disney hotels too.  Although I live near Disney World, I don't ever go (unless I have company) because it's too expensive and I am too cheap a thoughtful consumer. I envy those who come here and stay for days and totally immerse themselves in the whole thing, so now I am going to treat myself to  a mini version of it!!

I have signed up to run both the 5K on Friday and the Half on Sunday.  

Until then I am slugging through the heat and humidity of a Florida summer trying to keep up my level of fitness so I will be in better shape when I start training for these.  I find it so hard to stay enthusiastic about running during these hot days, but it sounds like it's hot everywhere.  It will end eventually....right??

How is your summer running going?

Have you ever been to Disneyland? Got any tips for me?

What I Ate Wednesday

Every summer, my work hours change from a regular Monday through Friday routine to a Green Friday schedule.  This means we squeeze our 40 hours into four days and we have every Friday off. Those four days are long, but having a three day weekend is super!
 This past Friday I got up early to go bike riding with some friends and we ended up riding 26 miles.  We usually go about 15 miles. My typical food before a ride is handful of dried fruit. Two hours later when I got home, I was famished! This was my breakfast that I washed down with about 3 glasses of water.
Egg and cheese on a bagel thin with spinach and tomato

Lunch wasn't too long after and I found some leftovers from dinner the night before.


Salad with grilled chicken 

Dinner was an experiment.  I love chicken pot pie, but my husband had a craving for mashed potatoes.  I decided to make the pot pie without a crust and serve it over the mashed potatoes.  Definite comfort food!  


Deconstructed Chicken Pot Pie with broccoli

Dessert is one of my favorite meals of the day.  This cookie bar did not disappoint.

S'more Cookie Bar

  Today's meals were sponsored by: The Chicken

What good food have you eaten lately? 

Taste of the Low Country- Cheddar Scallion Grit Cakes

Grit cakes cooking in the pan

On my visit to Charleston, South Carolina in May I attended a cooking demonstration at Charleston Cooks!, a kitchen retail store that offers cooking classes and demonstrations.  I was in Charleston for a few days for my daughter's graduation from the College of Charleston. (My alma mater too)


We signed up for the session "Taste of the Low Country".  During this two hour session we were taught how to make Shrimp Gravy, Cheddar Scallion Grit Cakes (recipe below) and Sweet Potato Berry Shortcakes.

Grit Cakes -vegetarian style (no shrimp gravy)

As the chef cooked, she shared many cooking tips with us along the way from how to best roll out dough (use a Silpat and be careful not to knead it too much) to the importance of not over stirring or over turning food while it is cooking in the saute pan. She was quite entertaining as she cooked and we were given a glass of wine to drink as we watched.

Grit cakes with shrimp gravy - SO GOOD!

The environment was casual, so there were plenty of opportunities to ask questions about each procedure or technique she used. At the end of the cooking demo, we got a chance to eat a sample of every item made. 


I did not expect to like the grit cakes, because although my family eats grits, I do not.  It is a texture thing for me and the goopiness of them, do not appeal to me.  I was a big girl and tried the grit cakes - it was a life changing moment! I can no longer say I don't eat grits because I do if they are made like this.  

Caroline enjoying her berry shortcake
(Recipe will be shared in a later post)

The food tasted great and of course made us want to buy every item we needed to make these recipes at home, just the way she did.  To encourage us even more, we were given 10% off everything we bought in the store that day.  

I left with a shrimp zipper that peels and deveins shrimp simultaneously, a micro-plane grater, a red salt pig and a one-pound bag of Carolina Plantation stone ground grits. The salt pig keeps my salt easily accessible and the unglazed interior keeps the salt from clumping even in the most humid places. It was more than I wanted to spend, but I'm glad I got it.  I love it for both its ease of use and the cute way it looks on my counter. 

Red Velvet cake ball, Smores bar and salted brownie from Baked

The Baked bakery is right down the street from Charleston Cooks, so I had to grab some goodies for later. In linking to their website, it looks like Baked Charleston may no longer be in business :(

Because I had raved about the grit cakes, my family couldn't wait to try them once I got home so we made this recipe first.  It was a hit with everyone and not difficult to make. Try it for yourself.  

Homemade version of grit cakes

Cheddar Scallion Grit Cakes

Serves 4-6

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup stone ground grits

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup cheddar cheese, grated

2  green onions, chopped

cornmeal as needed

oil as needed

1.  In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat, bring water, salt and butter to a simmer.

2.  Stir in the grits and reduce heat to low.

3.  Cook grits on low, stirring occasionally until thick and creamy, about 40 minutes.

4.  Stir in cream.

5.  Remove pan from heat and stir in cheese and onions.  Season to taste with salt.

6.  Spread grit mixture on sheet pan covered with parchment paper or silpat about 1/2 inch thick.

7.  Place in refrigerator to cool and become firm. (To speed things up you can put it in the freezer)

8.  When grits are firm, cut out rings using a biscuit cutter. Remaining grits can be reshaped into cakes by hand.

9. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish.  Coat grit cakes with cornmeal on both sides.  Shake off any excess.

10. Heat saute pan on  medium high heat, when hot, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  When oil is hot, add in the grit cakes.  Don't crowd your pan. Fry until browned on one side and then flip and brown the remaining side.

11. Remove from pan and keep warm by covering with aluminum foil until serving.  

What is one food you do not eat?  

Is there a food you eat now that you used to not like?

Congratulations to Christy @ My Dirt Road Anthem: A Runner's Blog for winning the Gotein!

Sweet and Spicy

I am all about tasty food.  In fact the most popular reply to "What do want for dinner?" in our house is, "Something good"  Not a very helpful response, but who wants to waste their calories on something only so so?  Tasty for me doesn't have to mean fancy, but I do prefer food that is made with real ingredients.  So often when I go out to eat, I end up feeling like I could have made it better at home and for less money. When we eat out, it is typically something we would not make at home, or at a place that offers fresh or unique food.  That is why I like food trucks, most are making it on the spot and are on the cutting edge of flavor combinations. 


To help make my food tasty I shop at Penzeys Spices.  An awesome spice shop with great recipe ideas throughout the store. That's where I got that awesome bumper sticker. They have every spice you could imagine and a great selection of spice mixes for every kind of food. If you are lucky enough to have one near you, don't miss out.

Penseys Spice Shop

As a kid I eating candy was a treat, some Saturdays I would count out my change, hop on my bike and ride 2-3 miles to the neighborhood candy store. (Don't know what my parents thought of this, but I was one of five kids, so maybe they didn't know.) I would pick out my favorites, like a Sky Bar, Mike and Ike, candy cigarettes and pop rocks, you know the good stuff!   I  recently discovered the cutest candy shop, Sassafras right down the street from the spice shop. It was like stepping back in time. It had all my old time favorites, plus all the latest candy too. 

I had a great time looking through the store. It conjured up so many memories.  There was a cooler with many of  the throwback soda pops and even some not so candy, candy like chocolate covered ants, and cheese flavored crickets. Although I don't eat much candy now, I did have to get a chocolate caramel cream, an orange slice and an orange NeHi soda.
Definitely a happy place!

What are some of your favorite candies from your youth?

Enter to win Gotein-protein on the go! sample pack HERE

Gotein Review and Giveaway

Gotein is a convenient protein supplement for athletes of all levels and people on the go. It can be used before a workout for energy, after for recovery, or as a healthy snack during the day for only 100-110 calories.


The great people at Gotein sent me some packets to try and included some extras to give away to one of my awesome readers! Other bloggers have been talking about it and if you missed a chance to win some, now you have another shot. 

All you need to enjoy some Gotein is a bottle of cold water (about 16oz), and a stick of Gotein in one of their three flavors (chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry).  These are big sticks containing about as powder much as scoop of protein powder.  Each stick provides 16g of protein, 6g carbs and 24 vitamins and minerals.

Add a packet to your water, swirl it around and then shake really well to get it completely mixed.

I ended up shaking it more than I originally thought I needed to, because there is a lot of powder to mix.

I tried all three flavors and liked chocolate the best. I don't usually eat before working out, so I only drank it for recovery. I often drink chocolate milk after a run, but substituted Gotein instead.  


I was very excited to have a chance to try Gotein, because I have heard so much about it.  I know that I do not get enough protein and I need even more of it as I am incorporating more strength training in my schedule.  The thought of getting protein so conveniently  was appealing. I liked the protein sticks with water okay, but would have liked a richer, sweeter flavor. If you've been a reader of my blog, you know how I like sweets.   


The way I liked Gotein the best was to use it in place of my scoop of whey in my smoothies.  I find that big containers of whey can be expensive and you end with a lot of one flavor. By using Gotein I had 3 different flavors to choose from to compliment a variety of smoothie flavors.


The pluses of Gotein are:
     Convenience - protein sticks can go anywhere and only need a bottle of water
     Low Calorie  - 100-110 calories
     Fortified with many vitamins and minerals
     No aftertaste and no powdery texture


If you plan on ordering some use discount code: Anna for $4 off each box.

GIVEAWAY - If you would like to try Gotein for yourself, enter to win 3 packets of Gotein (one chocolate, one vanilla, one strawberry)

Here's how you can win.  Please leave me a separate comment for each one.

1)  Be a follower of this blog.
2)  Like Gotein on Facebook HERE and tell them Moments That Make a Life sent you.
3)  Tweet about this giveaway. Use can use the following tweet if you want "I just entered to win Gotein protein on the go! @momentsinalife http://tinyurl.com/4yjk4zf "
4)  Mention this giveaway on your blog or facebook page.


Entries will be accepted until midnight on July 15th. One winner will be selected using Random.org.


Disclaimer: While I received these protein sticks for free from Gotein, the opinions and reviews are my own.