Hannah: Running Playlist

I'm a wanabe runner. I only run when I have registered for a race because then I'm financially obligated to run. I love running, don't get me wrong, but I'm sure real die hard runners would not like me.
Like many runners, I can easily determine how good my run is going to be based off of what music I have on my playlist. I don't think I would have gotten through mile 10 of my half marathon if it wasn't for my exceptional song selections. These are my top five songs for running at this moment.


Drenched in sweat. Gotta love running mid morning in Phoenix during the summer. 102 degrees feels like 130 when you're running!

The Format- The First Single (Cause A Scene): When I started my first 13.1, this was the very first song to come on when I pressed shuffle. It just so happened to be the best song I could have ever imagined starting a race to. The beat is a little slow but steady which was exactly what I needed. The way the song picks up just really keeps my mood light. Heck the song puts me in such a good mood anyway. Very refreshing. I do believe I must start every race to this song for the rest of my life.
Lou Bega- Mambo No. 5: This song was on my iPod as an inside joke from high school but since I purchased it, I can't remove it from my iTunes. I put my pod on shuffle and as I was running a couple years back, this song popped on. I laughed to myself and reached to skip it but then I noticed I was running to the beat. And it's a good beat. It sets an excellent pace! Anytime I feel like I'm hitting a slump in my run, that's my song I go to. It has saved me many many times.
Electric Light Orchestra- Mr. Blue Sky: The lyrics say it all, "Sun is shinin' in the sky, There ain't a cloud in sight..... Runnin' down the avenue..... A celebration, mister blue sky's up there waitin', And today is the day we've waited for..." It really is a great race day song. Good beat too! And who doesn't love ELO, come on now!
Fun.- One Foot: Put one foot in front of the otherrr.... I hated this song until I started running.
Coolio- Gangsta's Paradise: Gotta love a good beat. This is also on my top five songs to karaoke.

While they are great songs, I'm training for a marathon now and I need lots lots more! What songs do you love to run/workout to?


Hannah: No Bake Carob Fudge

On my way home from work this afternoon, I started having a toothache. A sweet toothache. It took every bit of self control to keep my steering wheel from turning into every gas station and grocery store I passed by. I wish I could say I was one of those people who just didn't care for sweets. But I'd be lying if I said so. I have the worst sweet tooth. I love it all: cakes, cookies, brownies, cupcakes, toffee, caramels, hard candies, chewy candies, sweet, sour, chocolate, candy bars, fudge.... oh my gosh. I used to weigh 200 pounds. Surprised? haha I feel like a terrible health motivator right now.
Anyway, I came home and the first thing I said to my mom was, "I need something sweet." Thank goodness I just became lactose intolerant again because she mentioned ice cream in the freezer and I about devoured it before I remembered. In fact, recently becoming lactose intolerant has been all but a blessing until now. Maybe this will keep me from my guilty indulgences.
My mom told me about a really quick and easy sweet treat that she makes from time to time that is also made up of healthy ingredients. I figured I'd try it and oh my gosh. I'm so glad I documented the process because I can't wait to share it. It satisfied my sweet tooth and took me 10 minutes (which included clean up and taking photos). It is lactose free, gluten free, and guilt free.
You can get fancy with the ingredients if you'd like. My mom just made some after me and she added extra things but I wanted something that had as little ingredients as possible, and took as little time as possible.

You will need:

1 cup of peanut butter

1 cup of honey

1 cup of carob powder

and... oh wait, yeah that's all you need.

Trust me, there is nothing fancy about this recipe. Throw it in a mixer and combine all three ingredients. I used the paddle attachment for my standing mixer.

If it looks like this, you're doing it right. I don't know how long I mixed it for... I just waited until it looked completely homogeneous.
Once you're done with this step it's ready for consumption!
I decided to take this concoction one step further and I rolled them into little balls to monitor my eating otherwise I'd eat this all in one sitting. That's not very guilt-free, my friends. I rolled them in tiny balls, about one inch in diameter, and rolled them in coconut. You could also roll them in chia seeds, flax seeds, or anything else healthy and creative.
Just two of these little balls satisfied my craving oh so much, and I have a lot to keep in the fridge just in case another emergency craving hits...... I should probably keep some at work....








This is definitely a good recipe to keep on hand. I might even bring it to some gatherings, but they do get a little soft and the balls lose their shape if you leave them out of the fridge too long so be aware. The nice thing about this combination is even though you are adding a ton of peanut butter and honey, it doesn't get sticky on your hands because the carob powder coats everything.
Yum Yum! Enjoy!

Amanda: A Breakfast Recipe

So, the past couple of weeks have... well... kind of sucked. I've been indulging way too much, and with the stress of having two pets go through surgery and working 13 hours a day as a volunteer during my only days off.. I've really been slacking off at the gym. The one thing I haven't given up on is preparing my meals! Realistically I just don't have the money to NOT do it. However, I'm done making excuses at this point, and need to get my ass back in gear and in the gym! There's no excuse for slackery, but it is good to know that even when I'm not on my A game I can fall back on good nutrition.

Here's something I have heated up and eaten in the car on the way to work or to the gym, several times in the last month. It's super easy and versatile, you could use just about anything in here.

Muffin-tin Mini-quiches! or something. Just throw eggs and shit in a muffin tin dude, no judgement here.