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?

Typical Lunchtime Sides

Meat ‘n’ cheese. The old stand by!

Roast Beef + Provolone

Sometimes I forget how delicious a simple sandwich made with lunch meat and a slice of cheese can be.

The Spread

Today I was reminded of just how tasty this elementary school staple is when I bit into my roast beef and Provolone cheese sandwich.

I used a slice of Land O Lakes Provolone cheese with smoke flavor in the sandwich, which was fantastically flavorful and packed a protein-punch (6 grams!) to boot . Yum!

I included fresh spinach, deli mustard and sauerkraut on the sandwich to make it a little more “adult.” 😉

Spinach + 'Kraut

On the side, I snacked on green pepper slices and two large handfuls of cherry tomatoes.

And a Side of Nutrition, Please

I love eating fresh, raw veggies at lunchtime. They fill me up, pack a nutritional punch and aren’t too bad to look at either. Talk about vibrant color!

Though I love raw veggies now, when I was growing up they rarely made an appearance in my lunchbox.

As a kid my side items of choice included:

• Gushers (Seriously, how good were these?)
• Hi-C fruit snacks
• Fruit roll-ups
• HoHos
• Apple slices

I also remember always feeling jealous of my friend Kristen’s bag of Harvest Cheddar SunChips!

When you were growing up, what were your typical lunchtime “sides?”

Cry Babies

Lunch today was tasty!

Friday's Lunch

I incorporated leftovers from last night’s meatloaf dinner into a tasty meatloaf sandwich with roasted red pepper hummus and a side of green beans.

Meatloaf Sandwich + Hummus

I’ve never had a meatloaf sandwich before and it didn’t disappoint!

A Bunch of Cry Babies

Today’s challenge at work: Submit a song to be played throughout the office that makes everyone cry. If you succeed, you win a free lunch.

Sad Bunny

What a nice way to keep the atmosphere light and happy on a Friday, huh?

I submitted “Everybody Hurts” by REM.

The two songs that hit me the hardest were “Secret Garden” by Bruce Springsteen (aka the song from Jerry Maguire) and the acoustic version of “Hanging by a Moment” by Lifehouse. (If you’ve never heard the acoustic version of this song, you have to listen to it!!!)

Other cry-worthy submissions included:

• “I Want To Know What Love Is” by Foreigner
• “Colorblind” by the Counting Crows
• “Tears in Heaven” Eric Clapton
• “I Will Remember You” Sarah McLachlan
• “My Immortal” Evanescence

What song makes you cry?

I think the songs that make me tear up have to come on the radio at that perfectly vulnerable moment. Then it feels like the song is meant for you and the waterworks start flowin’.

Sandwich vs. Sammie Showdown

Yahoo! Today is my last day of work before four days off for Christmas!

I am so excited and anxious to get home to spend some quality time with my family, Ryan and Ryan’s family. I made sure to pack up my bags last night so we can grab-and-go when I get off work today.

Dead Gym

This morning the gym was a ghost town. There was only a handful of people there gettin’ their sweat on.

After BodyPump, I once again I listened to my sister’s iPod during my cardio session. Notable song of the day: “You’re The One That I Want” from Grease. A classic, for sure!

"You're the one that I want, You are the one I want, O o o honey!"

“I’ve got chiiiiiills, they’re multiplyin’! And I’m loooooosing contro-ol…”

Breakfast

I did it! I made it throughout this mini-week at home without going to the grocery store.

Breakfast today made use of food we had on hand. I enjoyed a Canadian bacon and Colby jack cheese breakfast sandwich on an Arnold honey wheat sandwich thin.

Breakfast Sandwich

These sandwich thins are delicious. I love how doughy they are.

Notice how I called this a sandwich and not a sammie. Well, Ryan forbid me from calling anything a sammie anymore because he says the word is ridiculous.

To be totally honest, I completely agree with him and had a bit of a blonde moment over this particular word. I honestly figured a sammie was like a mini sandwich.

What food slang do you think is ridiculous?

When I think of a sandwich I think of something really substantial with lots of meat, veggies and cheese. A sammie, to me, was just a toned-down sandwich.

After Googling the word, it seems like this particular variation on the word sandwich annoys a lot of people. It annoyed me too just to write it, but I thought I was differentiating between a big ol’ sandwich and a little baby sammie.

Now that I know I’m not, I’m back to enjoying sandwiches. 🙂

Healthy Holiday Appetizers

With the holiday season in full swing, parties and potlucks are springing up on everyone’s calendars. In my latest Examiner article I’ve included a list of healthy holiday appetizer recipes so you can bring a yummy dish that’s also good for you to your holiday parties!

Lemon Garlic Marinated Shrimp Appetizer (EatingWell.com)

Click here to check it out. 😀

The Old Standby

When I first entered the working world, my lunches severely lacked variety. I would eat turkey sandwiches or wraps or a pizza Lean Pocket almost daily. I now get sick of the same foods over and over again.

This morning, however, I was craving my old standby: a turkey sandwich. I made my sammie on a whole wheat Arnold sandwich thin with oven-roasted ultra-thin turkey breast.

Old Faithful

I topped it with dijon mustard, mushrooms, spinach and sliced plum tomato.

I forgot just how darn delicious a simple turkey sandwich can be! This throwback meal hit the spot.

Your Good Deed for the Day

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Question: What’s your go-to lunch?