I hate/ love....

carpet cleaning! I hate the amount of work, effort, and time it takes. But I LOVE the results!

Can you guess what I have been up to today? :)

Walk #2

I walked (and jogged a very, very little) 2 miles in 34.59 minutes so that puts my mile at 17.30.
I cut off a few seconds from yesterday but my legs are killing me now. It is so silly/aggravating that my legs are killing me after 2 miles when I used run 6.2 miles and be just fine, though I was carrying about 100lbs less back then!

Confession...

So I used to be an athletic person and I worked out every day but now, um, not so much...

So today, in light of my list of things I want to do this summer, I walked on my treadmill for 2 miles, 2 really slow miles.

omgoodness, I can not believe I used to run!! Who was that person! I swear it is so sad to say that I struggled the whole 2 miles, but I did it. It ONLY took me 36 minutes (haha), but that is ok, you have to start somewhere right :)

So today my mile average was 18 minutes a mile. I am setting a goal to get my mile down to 15 minutes a mile by August. I think that is reasonable.

Looking forward to...

going to the beach as much as possible this summer.

I am so excited cause last summer we hardly went to the beach at all! Since my summer classes are at night I am hoping that will free up my days to lay around in the sun! Sometimes I wish we had a pool at our apartment complex so that if I am unable to drive all the way to the beach (a whole 15-20 minutes, I know it is a rough life I live :) I could just sun bath by the pool.

If anyone wants to go to the beach with me, just call me, everyone is welcome. :)

P.S. I will be wearing a ton of sun block, no burning for me.

Skin Cancer Video

Please watch this video about skin cancer and pass it on.

http://su.pr/2sUXR9

I cried while watching it because my heart hurts for those that have to go through this. My best friends mom has skin cancer and she has had to go through a lot and she still is not done. I remember as a child that my mom would watch her kids so she could go to the tanning booth to get darker and nobody thought anything of it. Please use sunscreen. Please check yourself!

School and Summer

Well today is my last day of my teaching credential classes until I start in the Fall. I still have a few projects due today but nothing like I have been having to do. I can not believe 18 weeks just flew by. I can not believe that in a few months I will be student teaching, I am so excited and scared at the same time!!!

I will be taking summer classes but I am hoping, even though they are 6 weeks long instead of 9 weeks, that they will be a little easier. The nice thing is that my summer classes don't start until next Wednesday so I get a week off.

And the best news yet, I think I will have a whole month off of school from the time summer school gets done before I start student teaching!!

This summer I have a list of a few things I would like to do:

1. Start walking everyday
2. Go to the beach 2 times a week
3. Start eating healthier
4. Decorate my apartment
5. Become more crafty

Anyone that wants to join me with anything on my list is welcome :)

So, What are your plans this summer?

Gluten - Free

Even though I am busy, with graduate school (btw I got in :), I picked up some books at the library that I am excited to read. Most of you know that I love to cook and learning how to cook new things, so I picked up some books on Gluten-free cooking and am really excited to give it a try, especially the baking.

My mother is always calling me for ideas on what to cook for her friend that is allergic to wheat and now just found out she is also allergic to corn, rice, oats and a multitude of other things. The poor girl is eating mostly protein, fruit, and vegetables. Now those are all fine and all, but if you are used to all of your baked goods being made with brown rice it can be a shock to your body to stop eating carbs, not to mention it is unhealthy for brain function. So I thought I would look into it and try some different recipes to help her find a variety of foods that she can eat.

I never knew how many different kinds of flour there are, it makes me so happy and excited to try them all. Here are a few that I already knew about and a few I didn't:

Bean Flour - Garbanzo beans or lentils work nicely.
Buckwheat Flour - Common misconception that this is related to wheat, it is not. It comes from the rhubarb family.
Quinoa Flour
Almond Meal Flour - Made from blanched almonds.
Tapioca Flour - Same thing as Tapioca Starch.
Amaranth Flour - Very strong taste, suggested to mix with other flours.
Potato Flour - Made from cooked potatoes, unlike potato starch which is made from uncooked potatoes.
Sorghum Flour - Taste similar to wheat; you have to add arrowroot or cornstarch and xanthan gum to help it bind.
Soy Flour - Has a strong smell and doesn't store well.

I didn't list White Rice Flour, Brown Rice Flour, and Oat Flour because she is allergic and I only want to work with flour she can eat.

I am very excited to try some recipes, I think I would like to try the Gingerbread and Blueberry Muffins first. Each recipe calls for Sorghum Flour so my first stop is to find some at Henry's, Windmill Farms, or Whole Foods.

I will let you know how it goes.

Take care,
Kristina

*Books:
Gluten-free, Sugar-free Cooking By Susan O'Brien
Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day By Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (Gluten-free section)
Gluten-free girl by Shauna James Ahern