Thanksgiving – so close, yet so far! I really love Thanksgiving (I’m sure you haven’t noticed by now) and I think it’s because – for me- it marks the start of this wonderful holiday season. It’s the first of the family gatherings and it just sets the tone for the following to come.  This weekend I decided to get a head start on my desserts so I wouldn’t be rushing like a madwoman this week.  I chose to make the “Pumpkin Ice-Cream Pie”  first since it was a very simple recipe.

To make this recipe even simpler, I bought a 10″ pre-made graham cracker crust instead of crushing my own.  I also made the mistake of buying Chocolate Chocolate Chip ice cream as opposed to just Chocolate Chip, but it’s chocolate – can you really go wrong with a little more of it?!  I think not!

Step one: 

I couldn’t take a picture of step two because the ice-cream melts really quickly so I had to move fast, but here is the final product:

The recipe also didn’t call for extra dark chocolate chips on the top, but like I said – how can you go wrong with more chocolate  After I finished that I decided to try another recipe I found at eatingbirdfood’s blog, called “Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Bars”. I know, I don’t know what got into me on a Friday night, but I was in the baking mood!

Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Bars

Makes about 15-20 squares

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour **
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon canola oil
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup pumpkin, canned or fresh that’s been roasted and pureed
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate, cut into small chunks (or chocolate chips) – I used Ghiardelli Dark chocolate chips

Ready for baking!

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spray 13 x 9 pan with non-stick spray.
3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl mix sugar, apple sauce, yogurt, oil, egg whites, and vanilla until well combined. Stir in pumpkin.
5. Slowly pour flour mix into the wet ingredients and mix well until everything is combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.
6. Pour dough evenly into the greased pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when stuck into the middle of the bars (about 30 minutes).
7. Cool completely, cut and lift from pan. Enjoy!

First and foremost, I want to do a mini recap of my “Setting goals for October” post since we have now entered November – time for new goals, or rather time to achieve the previous goals that were left behind act.

In case you’re like me and have a bad memory, here is a brief overview of my “Setting Goals for October” post.

October Goals Revisited:

• 45min to one hour of exercise or activity most days of the week (It doesn’t matter what -just get moving!) - I did on average 5 days of cardio, not all were 45 min, some were more and some were less so it’s safe to say it balanced out
• Wake up 30 min early a few days to do some cardio before work (I’ve done this before and it really helps keep your energy up throughout the day – it’s just getting out of bed that sucks!) - Truth be told, this happened only once. 
• Grocery shop on Saturday or Sunday to prepare foods for the week (so I can limit eating out.) - Could have done this each week, probably happened twice this month. I definitely ate out more than I wanted, but less than I have in the past!
• Try new recipes! - I give myself an A+ for this one.
• Stick to three meals a day (been on a snacking frenzy this past week and that needs to stop!) - I give myself a D- for this one… snack attack at its finest this month.
• Work on my self-discipline!!!! (Halloween is around the corner and that = candy overdose) - The best I can say here is – WIP (work in progress)

Here’s my calendar full of stickers

I would love to say that I accomplished all of those listed goals, but for the sake of making this an honest blog – I won’t. I also forgot to add that signing up for a race was another goal of mine and I actually signed up for two (thank-you-very-much.) What I didn’t say was that I’d actually run the race… guess the joke was on you! Just kidding My first 5k is this Saturday and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve been training for exactly a month now and I think I’m ready to go for this one… it’s the 10k on Thanksgiving that I’m worried about because with my luck we’ll have a crazy snow storm. Crossing fingers.

Let’s focus on November and how to beat those winter blues by setting some goals – and sticking to them There are 23 days or a little over 3 weeks until Thanksgiving. That’s a perfect amount of time to start a workout routine/better eating habits and keep them going throughout the holiday season.

 Here are a few of my personal goals for the upcoming 3 weeks:

1. No sugar – It takes about a week and then you no longer have cravings, but you must do this cold turkey. (Sugar = anything that ends in -ose, white starches (because those are ultimately sugar,) and all sweets.
2. Continue my 5x a week exercise regimen with 3x a week running.
3. Drink 8-10 cups of water a day.
4. Complete my first 5k and 10k

Another fun weekend has come and gone, which led to some bad food decisions yesterday, but that usually happens when you don’t treat your body right the night before!

The Good:

I was prepared for a sloth Sunday, so I decided to run my first ever four miles on Saturday. The last mile was slightly brutal, but I pushed through!!

Celebration with great friends

“Making a thousand friends is not a miracle.  A miracle is making one friend who will stand by your side when thousands are against you.”

Too much of this: (birthday shots)

Leads to that: (weird fish faces)

And that: (too much fun!)

Never underestimate the power of good company.

“The happiest people I know keep an open mind to new ideas and ventures, use their leisure time as a means of mental development, and love good music, good books, good pictures, good company and good conversation.  And oftentimes they are also the cause of happiness in others – me in particular.”

Definitely never underestimate the effect of late night extravaganzas the following day – or maybe I”m just getting old :/

*A lovely new addition to the Boudouvas and Konstantopoulos family. 8lbs 21 inches – a big prince was born. BBB – Baby Bobby Boudouvas!

The Bad:

Food, nap, food, nap, more food and more nap. That’s pretty much how my Sunday flew by.

Meal 1 of 100.

I didn’t have the energy to do my 50 minute cross train yesterday, therefore today I’ll be using my “rest” day for XT day.  Happy Monday. Oh, the joy.

Be well

Happy Monday and fresh new start to the week!

Lets start with food from the weekend:

Whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter and frozen blueberries

Roasted Brussel Sprouts sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and bacon

Grilled pork chops and chicken breast

Friday night was rest day and date night (my favorite) so I indulged with some dessert!

Apple pie with hazelnut ice cream. It looks much better than it tasted. Very disappointing.

Sunday we went to a pumpkin farm: (Me in my workout gear for my 3.5 miles after, yes I did complete my run and yes, I did get lost in a straw maze… for kids)

We had a little bit of this: Corn on the cob

And a little bit of that: Liquid butter

Which resulted in a little bit of sweet tooth action: Peanut butter brownie and pumpkin pie

The food didn’t stop there. I had Kashi pizza for dinner with Alexia baked onion rings and some spinach artichoke dip. Yup. True story.

The great news is, I completed my first week of 10K training and I have the stickers to prove it:

Sunday’s long run was quite the task because I was running against the wind, but my new snazzy shoes (will post picture later) kept me going

Hope you all had a great weekend as well and remember, new day – new you!

Since it’s Monday in the first week of October, there’s no better time than now to list out your goals for the month.  I’m going to make a short and “attainable” list to keep myself in check. Also, it really helps keep you accountable when you put things in writing so I suggest you actually write them out too! (Make sure they are attainable because otherwise you’re just setting yourself up for failure).

October Goals:

• 45min to one hour of exercise or activity most days of the week (It doesn’t matter what -just get moving!)
• Wake up 30 min early a few days to do some cardio before work (I’ve done this before and it really helps keep your energy up throughout the day – it’s just getting out of bed that sucks!)
• Grocery shop on Saturday or Sunday to prepare foods for the week (so I can limit eating out.)
• Try new recipes!
• Stick to three meals a day (been on a snacking frenzy this past week and that needs to stop!)
• Work on my self-discipline!!!! (Halloween is around the corner and that = candy overdose)

Here’s a link to a really good article on how to build self-discipline.. read it!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1lZZ5T/www.pickthebrain.com/blog/self-discipline/

These are just exercise/health goals, but you may have other personal goals in mind too (be more patient, stay positive etc. etc.)  Whatever your pen and paper desires – just write it out!

“The difference between a goal and a dream is a deadline” – TIU

Happy Halloween month and good luck to us!

PS: Registering for a 5k was one of my previous goals and I just registered for the Chicago Hot Chocolate 5k on November 5th! Woo hoo!