Lovin’ my Crossfit

I’ve always been into working out.

I love that feeling after you push yourself and you stand there sweaty and panting. And I love high tops and belted leotards.

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I also love keeping my heart healthy, my cholesterol low, my body strong and my gut in check during mealtimes. It’s hard to be tempted by french fries when you know you have to run 3 miles the next day.

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Biceps and I did P90X for several years, perfect for a life on the road of touring. If we didn’t do P90X, I would go to the usual running 3-5 miles a day and weight lifting.

But, recently with Biceps getting the firefighter’s position our lives have changed, and I spend 1/3 of my time at home-alone. I needed something new, something challenging and something to get me out of the dang house.

Cue “Crossfit”.

I was given a free 7 day pass to the YWCA close to my home-close enough that I can bike to it since we just have the one car. After just a few classes of Crossfit, I was hooked. It pushed me to try harder and go further than I would on my own-and my classmates are encouraging and really stinkin’ cool.

So, after selling a few things and pinching our pennies, I signed up for a year-long membership to the YWCA.

This tough little number, Christina, is our trainer. She’s the perfect mixture of butt kicker, teacher and motivator. Plus, I really just don’t want to make her mad. She could level me with one uppercut, I’m sure.

Somedays, I don’t want to go to Crossfit-when it’s 99 degrees outside and I have to bike the 2 miles there and back, I run through the excuses in my head.

But knowing that I need to see other humans, and need to practice my “double unders”-(two rotations of the jump rope with only one jump -see above photo), I keep going back. And keep getting bruised and whip marks and I keep loving every minute of it.

If you’ve ever done Crossfit, you probably either loved or hated it. For me, I am in love.

Simple, Tasty Granola

One of God’s finest moments was creating granola and then combining it with yogurt. I was experimenting making my own yogurt, so naturally, I had to make granola. (I’ll be sharing the yogurt recipe with you next week).

Instead of using honey (some people are allergic), molasses (sticky mess) or real maple syrup (expensive), I wanted to experiment with Agave Nectar. And boy, was I not disappointed. Crunchy, slightly sweet and super tasty. Throw some homemade yogurt in the mix, and you will be in heaven.

Here’s all that you’ll need to make your own Simple, Tasty Granola:
4 C Regular Rolled Oats (not the quick kind)
2 C Chopped Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans or a mix of all three
1 C Shelled Sunflower Seeds
1/2 C Toasted Wheat Germ
1/2 C Milled Flax Seed
1 C Agave Nectar (or honey)
4 TBS Cooking Oil
2 C Dried Raisins, Cranberries, Cherries

Spray two 9 x 13 casserole dishes with cooking spray.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In a very large bowl, measure out 4 Cups Regular Rolled Oats.

Add to the oats the 2 Cups of Nuts and 1 Cup of Sunflower Seeds.

Next, add the 1/2 Cup of Wheat Germ and 1/2 Cup Flax Seed. Stir the dry mixture until everything is evenly distributed.

Measure out 1 Cup of Agave Nectar or Honey.

Add the 4 Tablespoons of Cooking Oil to the Agave Nectar.

Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture and pour the wet mixture all at once. Stir until everything is mixed evenly.

Distribute the granola between the two greased casserole dishes. Pop them in the oven and bake for 30 minutes total, stirring halfway through the cooking time.

Remove from oven and stir in dried fruit.

Spread the granola out on tin foil to cool. (Lock up the kittens at this point).

Once the granola is cool to the touch, store it in an airtight container. It lasts a little over a week. I divide mine in half and put part of it in the freezer for later.

This Simple, Tasty Granola lives up to its name-all by itself-or add a little chilled milk or homemade yogurt. Then, invite a few friends over and show off what you made and enjoy it together!

Linking up here, along with other parties:

What I may end up with- A 1968 Yamaha YCS1

Biceps and I have been looking for an affordable second car. However, we are cheap/frugal and aren’t about to clean out our savings to do so.

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Biceps has been busy researching CNG vehicles-which is a vehicle that runs on compressed natural gas. CNG is an expensive addition to most cars, but if you can find one already converted-the savings on fuel is outstanding. The average cost of fuel is $1.11 a gallon. Hello!

Meanwhile, I have been busy researching this. A 1968 Yamaha YCS-1. It’s cheap, easy to work on and gets amazing gas mileage.

To be perfectly honest, it scares the living daylights out of me to think I’d be driving one of these around the crazy streets of Tulsa. Biceps has promised he will teach me how to handle this and prepare for all problems, mishaps, breakdowns, etc.

Still, yikes.

But, I don’t venture too far from home anyways-I like it here, why would I leave? I do have to travel a few miles to the gym daily and to the grocery store when it’s necessitated.

If I end up with this, my only two questions are-what kind of cute basket could I put on the back to carry my belongings? And, what type of helmet comes in uber small for my little noggin’?

Cross your fingers. This lady might be heck on wheels before you know it.

A Tattered Bible, A Healthy Soul

My BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) leader often said that “a woman whose Bible is falling apart, isn’t.”

I loved this thought, mainly because my Bible is in shambles and I can’t bear to get a new one.

I mean look at it. I am kind of embarrassed when I tote this around and see fancy new Bibles with tabs, maps and concordances.

My parents bought this for me in 1995 right before I left for college. I was going through a huge emerald green phase due to the fact that it was my birthstone, and I had only recently discovered this fact. I asked for all things green that year for my birthday.

 

It has seen two colleges, four changed majors, one graduation, a first apartment, one broken engagement, two European trips, one marriage that is still going, three cats and 17 years.

How do you get rid of something like that?

Before too long, every word in this book will be underlined, highlighted and starred. Eventually, I may have to recover it.

As this book starts to look worn out, it’s owner becomes more and more full of life. This woman, whose Bible is falling apart, isn’t. Amen to that.