Monday, February 21, 2011

It works

I'll save you the details and myself the embarrassment. I'm just saying, it works.


I'm going to get a pedicure!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Easy Dinner Tonight

Ben and I got home from work late this evening so we needed something quick and easy to eat for dinner. And, might I add, healthy considering my random Carl's Jr. run at lunch this afternoon. I don't have pics, but what I came up with was easy and yummy... worth sharing.

I should also mention that it's meatless. I've taken a few classes about public health a food production, and I've decided that we can go meatless once a week. Ben grew up on a cattle ranch and I'm from South Dakota so there's no moving this crew to full vegetarianism. But we can eat cageless eggs and meatless on Mondays (or Thursdays).

Spicy Chickpea Wraps

2 Flour tortillas
1 package of Tasty Bite Chunky Chickpeas
Fresh spinach
1 Red pepper
Feta cheese
Ranch dressing

Assemble the wrap and viola! I think next time I'll add a little rice to make it not quite so chickpea heavy.

The Tasty Bite chickpeas are SO good. They come ready to eat and are already mixed with yummy spices. Plus the ingredients list is all natural and cleanse friendly - no preservatives or things you can't pronounce.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Flat 14ers

Colorado has 54 mountains that tower above 14,000 feet. It's a really big deal to climb them and they're known as 14ers. The Flat 14ers program is an initiative that will bring those peaks to the school district that I work for. We are hoping to get our students to increase their physical activity by challenging them to walk the equivalent distance of the real 14er trails in their neighborhoods, parks, and schools.

That's for work.

So conveniently, I'm roping it into my classwork as well. For an assignment in my Health Communication Programs class I have been writing a communications strategy for my district with a focus on promoting the Flat 14ers program amongst middle school students. My professor's feedback regarding the title for the program, which I mentioned in one part of the assignment without explaining it (I know, that's a no-no), is hilarious:

"What does Flat 14 mean? Girls do not want to be flat, they want to be curvy and guys want to be muscular?? Colorado is not flat!! Why only 14? Won't it appeal to 15 year olds?"

Haha! Her comment made me laugh. It was the exact feedback Ben gave me when he first heard about it too!

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Odds and ends

It's been a few weeks since I've posted so here are a few odds and ends that have been going on...

1. We went to Austin last weekend. Austin is a cool city. It's no wonder it's rated one of the best places to live in the US. The city somehow embraces white trash, big Texas culture in a way that makes it classy. For example, you'll find trailers in the middle of town serving incredible BBQ, and they're jam packed with folks partaking of the goodness. Austin is a big city, but it still has a college town feel to it. You'll see people wearing Longhorn orange everywhere you go. You'll also see people wearing dorky Texas flag shirts, but somehow it's cool, nobody judges. A drive through downtown at night will present you with bustling clubbers and concert goers amidst glowing vintage lit up signs. And during the day, city parks are filled with thousands of people exercising, enjoying the weather (oh the amazing January weather), and basking in the grass while eating the BBQ they picked up at the trailer shack around the corner. I also really appreciated the diversity (I live in the suburbs where there isn't a lot of diversity). I liked Austin.

2. I changed my shampoo. I went to Ulta last week to take the plunge and go for Pureology. But I just couldn't do it. First of all, I don't color my hair, so I don't need product for color treated hair. Secondly, a 10oz bottle is almost $30, that's not including the conditioner. The sales lady recommend AG Hair Cosmetics, but they were out of the moisturizing formula. I live in Denver. It's DRY as a bone here - I need the moisturizing formula. So I went with Back to Basics. I LOVE it.

3. It's cold here. The high today is 0 degrees F. And it's the middle of winter. It's hard to get out and exercise so Ben and I have turned to dancing. He loves to salsa, so we turn up the salsa station on Pandora, and get our groove on in the living room. It's a great workout. I love being married!

4. I got a job. I'm working for the Douglas County School District as their Wellness Coordinator. I'm managing a CPPW grant through which I am responsible for coordinating and promoting wellness activities for the district. My primary focus is on student wellness initiatives, but I also work on staff wellness. This is a pretty cool job because I get to work on policy development and program planning as well as be a part of the implementation aspect in the schools.

5. I'm almost done with my MPH degree. Phew! We're looking at the end of the summer or perhaps December, depending on when I complete my thesis. Wahoo!

6. I go to CorePower Yoga here in Denver. I like the classes and the warmth from the hot yoga. But once my 10 class pack is used up, I'm going to switch to their Yoga On Demand online classes and stream it through my TV so I can do it in my living room. That's going to save time and make it much more convenient. And it fits my budget better. And maybe Ben will join me. I'll let you know how it goes.