Home Archives
Monthly Archives

September 2017

running

6 Amazing Half Marathon & Full Marathon Training Workouts

by Nellie

Training for a Marathon or Half Marathon can be a large task. You have to run x amount of miles every week including hill training, speed workouts and of course cross training. I’ve learned so much training for 16 half marathons and 2 full marathons.

There is a certain mindset that comes along with the training, you need all the mantras and motivation you can get–However you also need something that keeps you going until the very end. 

Spinning as cross training

In addition to all the miles that you are completing every week, it is also recommended to do a little cross training. I’ve learned that spinning is one of the best workouts for me–I can take a class the day before (or after) a hard run because it works completely different muscles.

PLUS IT’S FUN! Spin class is one of those places where you can workout as hard or as little as you need to. Some days I go to class just to push as hard as I can, other days I go to experience the music and the vibes of the spin studio.

Whenever I have a huge race that I have trained for, I take a spin class the day before. Sounds crazy, I know but somehow my muscles feel SO much better the next day and I event run a better race. I’m looser, and able to go much long than I would if I didn’t take the class.

This month I am teaming up with my favorite running bloggers to share our favorite half and full marathon workouts. Check them out below!

 

Allie @ VITA Train 4 Life

Check out this marathon workout that will get help you to run your best 26.2 yet!

Laura @ This Runner’s Recipes

Conquer your next half marathon or full marathon training with these awesome workouts!

Carly @ Fine Fit Day

Angela @ Happy Fit Mama

Training for a #halfmarathon or #marathon? Check out the favorite workouts from 5 runners! Click to Tweet

What is your favorite half marathon or full marathon workouts?

6 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
about meParenting

Real Talk: Parenting Is Kicking My Butt.

by Nellie

Can We Talk? Parenting can be rough.

 

Seems like the past few weeks, months, perhaps years have been hard. Like crazy hard. I’ve been dealing with this reality privately because I was convinced that surely–this had to be a ME problem. I am constantly trying to figure out what I am doing wrong…why don’t I have a handle on the situation? Why aren’t my tactics both invented and/or learned…working?

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I now am in the very exclusive and intense club called Special Needs Parent. Unfortunately there is a lot of other titles that come along with this:

  • Always frustrated parent
  • Tired AF Parent
  • ALWAYS ON CALL PARENT
  • Frustrated beyond belief parent
  • always researching parent
  • always overwhelmed parent

…and so many more.

My anxiety is higher than ever.

When I had children I knew I had one job and one job only. Make sure they are decent humans. That’s all. Everything else can be worked on. Except it can’t.

My son is having a really, really difficult time in school. Before you even suggest it, no, I am not homeschooling. I know myself, and she is not a homeschooler. The next thing you may think is try a new school–I tried for weeks to get him enrolled in a new school this year. Finding a decent, free, non public school in Brooklyn is just about impossible. (I need to disclose that I find nothing wrong with public schools, I went to public school. That type of large environment would only be detrimental to him.)

His second grade year was atrocious. Before being diagnosed and treated with medication I was was getting a phone call every.single.day to pick him up and/or calm him down. I am not exaggerating when I say everyday. Just finished a post and feeling good? Phone call. Just arrived to the gym across town? Phone call. Trying to take a nap because anxiety had me all the way up all night without a wink of sleep? Phone call.

His new medication is costly. I won’t go into specifics but even the pharmacist did a double take on the price and felt bad taking my credit card for payment. It helps, a little, but lately the same things are starting to happen again.

I’ve spent my money, my mothers money and all the time in the world trying to make this situation better. It can be extremely isolating to have these issues when you go to a playdate and see other “normal” kids existing in glee and innocent wonder.

I’ve cried so many tears.

The support from my very close family, and very close friends has been really helpful. It has. However at the end of the day I am his mother. I am the one that has to face the offended parent. I am the one that has to receive the daily phone calls. Calm the child when there is no calm inside of me. Wager whether or not he can handle attending an event. When I am away, or networking at an event–I’m the one, in the corner, trying to calm my child down from miles away.

I’m tired. From my bones.

Hitting wall after wall…is painful. Knowing that your child, the one that YOU are responsible for is causing all of this havoc and you literally have no idea why (most days HE has no idea why) is extremely exhausting. My entrepreneur dreams have come to halt. The blog keeps me going by the grace of God but my full time job has become caring for him, every minute and every hour.

I want nothing more than to see him win. He is such an intelligent, caring and incredibly thoughtful little boy. He wants good for every single person he meets. Unfortunately his impulses and reactions to situations can be harsh. It becomes a very difficult situation. Impossible even.

I try hard every single day.

Everyday. Some days there are so many tears, some days there are so many laughs. Every single day I try. And that is really all I can do.

21 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Recipes

Easy Canning Recipes For Beginners

by Nellie

Easy Canning Recipes For Beginners

I have one question for you. Do you know how to can? And if you do, why didn’t you tell me about it?!

A few weeks ago I attended an event held by ball canning called the “preserve summer canning class”. I was excited because we would be taught how to can (even though I had no clue whatsoever what “can” meant) and be taught how to make a delicious in season corn salsa.

Let’s be real here folks, they had me at Salsa.

The event was held in beautiful TriBeCa at Maman Bakery. When I arrived there was some of the most delish sangria waiting for us. We were surrounded by delicious smelling ingredients, a lot of ball jars and amazing company.

I started talking to the ball canning representatives about how I personally use my ball cans.

  • USB drives
  • Spare change
  • Drink glasses
  • Credit and business card holder

Apparently I wasn’t using my cans to the best of my ability. This very simple cooking class would change the way I looked at these beautiful mason jars…forever.

Ball canning

I’ve never seen this ball canning phenomenon before so imagine my surprise (and delight) that I could make amazing foods like salsa, jams, marmalade and SO much more–can it properly, keep it stored in a cool place and it’s good for a year! (depending on the food that you canned)

To make our salsa, we all had individual cooking stations and really cute ball branded aprons.

EASY CANNING RECIPES FOR BEGINNERS

We added all of the ingredients and cooked them together for a bit. Next we sterilized our jars, combined the ingredients carefully, filled up our cans (not too much!) and boom! We were professionals! (or something really close) 🙂

EASY CANNING RECIPES FOR BEGINNERS

Canning showed me and awesome easy way to preserve seasonal fruits and vegetables all year long whether they are in season or not. It’s literally opened up a brand new world for me!

EASY CANNING RECIPES FOR BEGINNERS EASY CANNING RECIPES FOR BEGINNERS

Canning Recipes

Want to start canning, but have no idea where to start? Check out these easy minimal ingredient recipes perfect for canning at any level! Jams and Salsa included!

EASY CANNING RECIPES FOR BEGINNERS

The amazing folks at Ball Canning gave me a full starter set so I can start canning myself! I’m so excited and I have no idea where I want to start but I’m sure peaches will have a lot to do with it because they are my favorite and they are in season!

Easy Canning Recipes For Beginners

Want to start canning, but have no idea where to start? Check out these easy minimal ingredient recipes perfect for canning at any level! Jams and Salsa included!

CORN & CHERRY TOMATO SALSA

Makes about 6 (16 oz.) pint jars

5 lbs. cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cups corn kernels (about 2 large ears fresh, but frozen thawed is fine)
1 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup fresh lime juice (about 3 large limes)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 tsp. chipotle chili powder, optional
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 Ball® (16 oz.) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.
2. Bring all the ingredients to a boil in a large stainless-steel or enameled saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Ladle the hot salsa into a hot jar, leaving 1⁄2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the jar rim. Center the lid on the jar. Apply the band and adjust to fingertip-tight. Place the jar in the boiling water canner. Repeat until all the jars are filled.
4. Process the jars 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat; remove the lid, and let the jars stand 5 minutes. Remove the jars and cool.

NOTE: The use of fresh lime juice in this recipe is for the purpose of fresh flavor and has been verified as
safe by scientific testing.

Recipe excerpted from Ball® Canning Back to Basics, published by Oxmoor House (2016).

MIXED BERRY JAM

Makes about 4 (1⁄2-pint) jars

Mix and match your favorite berries such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and/or raspberries
to create this delightful jam.

2-2⁄3 cups crushed fresh berries (about 1-1⁄3 pounds)
3 tablespoons Ball® Classic Pectin
3-1⁄3 cups sugar

1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.
2. Combine the berries in an 8-quart stainless-steel or enameled Dutch oven. Gradually add the pectin. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high, stirring constantly.
3. Add the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim the foam, if necessary.
4. Ladle the hot jam into a hot jar, leaving 1⁄4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the jar rim. Center the lid on the jar. Apply the band and adjust to fingertip-tight. Place the jar in the boiling water canner. Repeat until all the jars are filled.
5. Process the jars 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat; remove the lid, and let the jars stand 5 minutes. Remove the jars and cool.

Change It Up

Instead of a mix of berries, you can choose to use just one. This recipe works well with just raspberries
or blackberries.

Reduced Sugar Mixed Berry Jam

Add 2⁄3 cup unsweetened fruit juice or water to the berries and lemon juice, substituting 3 tablespoons Ball® Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin for the Classic Pectin. Reduce the sugar to 1 cup. This jam will have a looser set than the full-sugar version, but just as much fresh fruit flavor.

Sweet Pickled Radish

Makes about 1 (16 oz.) pint jar

1⁄2 cup (125 mL) white or apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
1⁄2 cup (125 mL) sugar
1⁄4 cup (60 mL) water
1 tsp. (5 mL) table salt
1 tsp. (5 mL) mustard seeds
1⁄2 tsp. (2 mL) ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1⁄2 tsp. (2 mL) dried crushed red pepper (optional)
1 bunch radishes (about 1⁄2 lb./250 g), stem and root ends removed and cut into 1⁄8-inch (3-mm) slices
1 (16 oz.) pint jar

1. Bring vinegar, next 6 ingredients, and if desired, crushed red pepper to a boil in a small
saucepan.
2. Place radishes in a hot 1-pt. jar. Ladle hot pickling liquid over radishes. Wipe jar rim. Center lid
on jar. Apply band, and adjust to fingertip-tight. Let cool on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Chill 6
hours before serving. Store in refrigerator up to 4 months.

Check out some awesome easy canning recipes for beginners from these really amazing bloggers:

Easy Canning Recipes For Beginners! Just in time for the fall season! #canitforward @BallCanning Click to Tweet

“Canning is an easy and rewarding way to preserve and share peak summer flavors, but we recognize for many the process may feel intimidating,” said Jessica Piper, Fresh Preserving canning expert at Newell Brands. “The Ball Preserving Summer Canning Series and Can-It Forward Day were created to bring new and veteran canners together to share knowledge, learn how easy the canning process can be, and to share a taste of their homemade creations with friends and family throughout the year.”

EASY CANNING RECIPES FOR BEGINNERS

For more fun easy canning recipes for beginners check out the Ball canning Facebook Page!

Have you ever canned your favorite foods? What are your favorite recipes?

5 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Load More Posts