The Veggie That Haunts Your Dreams

Stereotypically speaking, most kids have a vegetable (or 12) that they absolutely hate and refuse to eat. Growing up the veggies that haunted my dreams were broccoli and asparagus.

A popular nightmare-inducing veggie is Brussels sprouts, but those lil’ babies make this girl smile! 🙂

(Yes, I am well aware that my jeans are way too long. I promise they actually fit when I wear them with my 4-inch wedges, which I promptly took off when I walked in the door. Veggie chopping is a no-heels-allowed sport, after all.)

Tonight’s dinner would probably make any 8-year-old cry for pizza, but it made me and Ryan happy!

We enjoyed broiled sockeye salmon, seasoned with lemon, basil, thyme and sea salt, along with basil fettuccine and Brussels sprouts.

To prepare the Brussels sprouts, I tossed them in olive oil before seasoning them with Mrs. Dash original blend of salt-free spices.

This was a home-run dinner!

Alright, kiddos, I’m outta here for the night to watch The Bachelorette!

Question of the Night

When you were a kid, was there a vegetable that you absolutely hated? Did you ever grow out of it?

Running is for the Dogs

Dog fun in un momento, but first let’s get to lunch!

My lunch today was mmm, mmm good thanks to leftover Jennie-O applewood smoked turkey breast  tenderloin that I used to make a delicious turkey sandwich.

Leftover Turk-a-Lurk

Along with the turkey, I included fresh spinach and sauerkraut on the sandwich for a little added nutrition.

Spinach + 'Kraut

To round out my mid-day meal, I included some vibrant red produce in the form of grape tomatoes and red pepper slices.

Vibrant Veggies (Well Tomato is a Fruit...)

All Together

Oh lunch, how I love you. 😉

Running is for the Dogs

It’s no secret that Sadie is my favorite running buddy. She’s always in the mood for a run, doesn’t judge my pace, lets me choose the distance and route we’ll be running and entertains me along the way.

(I actually ran my fastest 5K ever with Sadie by my side in a 5K Doggie Run!)

I’ve received several emails from readers asking me about running with a dog. How did I start running with Sadie? How far do we go? Does she ever get tired?

Sadie "I Could Run 10x Faster If Julie Wasn't With Me" Dog

The first thing you should know is that Sadie is a vizsla, an extremely athletic and energetic breed of dog. I can honestly say I’ve never come across a dog with as much energy and stamina as Sadie. I can take her on a 6 mile run and the first thing she’ll do when we get home is run straight to her toy bin to try to coerce me into playing with her for another hour.

Not every dog can handle long runs. According to an article Lizzy sent to me via Twitter, the following breeds are “world-class” running buddies and can handle long distances (more than 10 miles):

• Weimaraners
• Vizslas
• German shorthaired (and wirehaired) pointers (If we didn’t have Sadie, this is the dog I would want!)

Additionally, these breeds also make great running buddies:

• Australian shepherds
• Border collies
• Kelpies
• Cattle dogs
• Labrador retrievers
• German shepherds

In my experience in running with Sadie, these little “tricks of the trade” I’ve implemented have made our runs much more enjoyable:

• Purchase a harness if your dog is large or a “puller” (I bought this harness which clips in the front of Sadie’s chest. It allows me to have more control over Sadie and prevents her from pulling when she sees something intriguing like a squirrel or a bird on our runs.)
• Be consistent with discipline (I always say “no” very sternly when Sadie runs toward another dog on our runs. She eventually learned that she can look at other dogs, but not touch and play with them when we’re in the middle of a run.)

To me, the most important thing to keep in mind before taking your dog for a run is knowing when to stop. Signs your dog is fatigued and may need to stop running include:

• Pace slows
• Dog starts to run behind you
• Dog makes a bee-line for the shade and attempts to lay down
• Breathing is heavy
• Mouth is open very wide
• Glazed eyes

Also, be very aware of the heat. Sadie’s stamina is amazing, but a hot day really takes a lot out of her!

As far as water breaks are concerned, I generally use the rule of thumb noted in this article:

• If you’re only running a few miles, your dog does not have breathing issues and the weather is cool, you probably don’t need to carry water. Conversely, if you’d need water during a run, you definitely want to provide the same number of water breaks for your dog.

Here are some other helpful resources those of you who hope to run with your dog may be interested in:

• First Steps: Training Your Dog to Run
• 10 Races to Do with Your Dog

Question of the Afternoon

Do you ever workout or go running with your dog? If you don’t have a dog, would you ever want to have a dog as your running companion?

Oh Look, We’re Matching!

When I headed off to college, I planned on becoming a teacher.

ABC... Easy as 1, 2, 3

During my senior year of high school I immersed myself in childhood education courses and took a child development class which I absolutely loved. In the class, each high school student was assigned a preschooler to work with throughout the semester.

According to a temperament theory based on a study conducted in the 1950s, my preschooler, Max (who I adored), fell into the “slow to warm up” category of temperaments. He was shy and tended to withdraw from social situations with other kids.

He became quite attached to me, but had a hard time coming out of his shell around others. One way I could get him to approach other children was to point out similarities he shared with them.

“Oh look! Jason is wearing a yellow shirt just like you!”

Max would get so excited and would muster up the courage to tell Jason about the awesome thing they had in common.

I think this experience really stuck with me because I still point out obvious similarities in my day-to-day life. If two people come to work and they’re both wearing a red shirt and jeans, I feel the need to point it out to them.

Today I was quite matchy-matchy myself… with my coffee tumbler. 😀

We Match!

Though my drink and I were a match made in heaven this morning, my breakfast failed to include the color coral and didn’t really mesh with my ensemble.

Breakfast

Today my morning meal was a fast favorite.

Monday Morning Breakfast

I made myself a yogurt bowl with Greek yogurt,  fresh blueberries and Gerber Graduates banana puffs because I’m a kid at heart. 😉

Banana Puffs

Little Darlin', Stir it Up

Just a Spoonful of Yogurt Mush Helps the Medicine Go Down...

Fast. Simple. Satisfying.

That’s how I roll.

Please Help!!!

Do any of you out there know how to publish photos with captions through Windows Live Writer??? I can’t figure it out for the life of me! (Clearly this post was not published through WLW because my photos have captions. I need my captions!)

Question of the Morning

Did you ever change your major in college?

I changed my major a couple of times.

Education –> Psychology –> Advertising & Public Relations