Fit In Weekend Picks: October 10, 11, 12

Don't let the rain predicted for the weekend put a damper into you getting your fit in this weekend!
There's plenty of ways indoor to get your sweat on - don't be the part of the crowd and quit. Friends and family will see you being persistent and dedicated. Maybe someday soon, they will be joining you because they saw you making the time to get your fit in!

Here are some ideas:

Friday, October 10

• Free Yoga at Muhammad Ali Center from 12-1pm

Saturday, October 11

• Hopefully the rain will hold off in the morning to enjoy some Free Yoga at Belknap Festival led by 502 Power Yoga from 9-10am

Sunday, October 12

• CycLOUvia - Highlands -  Great way to spend an afternoon on biking with the family

• Bike 'n Brew at Resurfaced - Main Street - Fundraiser for Bicycling For Louisville

Looking ahead:

• Friday's the last day to register for Get Fit 24/7's self defense class 
• Oct 18- Free - Mayor's Healthy Hike
• Oct 25 - Bluegrass Bioneers Urban Homesteading Tour

Tasty Tuesday: Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash

What says fall more than having squash for dinner? I grew up eating all the varieties of squash. However,  it was typically brown sugar, butter, and baked in the oven. I found this recipe a few years ago while trying to find more recipes to use squash. It was a winner with my husband and I. However, my kids are not quite fans of it yet. I am still working on them.

Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 2 medium acorn squash

• 1 pound bulk spicy pork sausage

• 1/2 cup chopped onion

• 1 egg

• 2 tablespoons milk

• 1 cup fresh baby spinach, finely chopped

• 1-1/2 cups soft bread crumbs

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Nutritional Facts

1 serving (1 each) equals 485 calories, 23 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 133 mg cholesterol, 843 mg sodium, 49 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 25 g protein.

Directions

1. Cut squash in half; remove and discard seeds. Place squash cut side down in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, crumble sausage into a large skillet; add onion. Cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. In a large bowl, beat egg and milk; stir in the spinach, bread crumbs, cranberries and sausage mixture.
3. Turn squash cut side up. Stuff with sausage mixture. Cover and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Yield: 4 servings.

Race Report - Mill Race 5K

We had a family gathering recently at the Mill Race Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 5K in Columbus, IN. My dad, brother, sister-in-law, nephew (11 years old!), and cousin (going to grad school in Illinois) ran the 2nd annual half marathon. It was my cousin's and nephew's first half marathon. Also, my husband, oldest son, niece, and myself ran the 5K while they were running the 13.1miles. With that being said, there were 9 of us ranging from 6-68 years old for our family running that day. My mom and 2 other kids were our support crew and cheering us on, so definitely a family affair!

pre-race

My immediate family and I registered the day before the race at the expo in downtown Columbus. I was holding out for the weather since kids were running. The weather turned out to be beautiful! There were no lines for packet pick-up or sign-ups which was simple to follow. The only thing we missed was the parking pass booth. There are several parking garages and lots downtown, so they were passing out the free passes to ease parking in the morning. We thought they were going to be in our packets and did not check until we got home. There were several vendors there at the expo to browse as well.

Race day: Street closures were going to start at 6:45am with the half marathon starting at 7:30am followed by the 5K starting at 8:15am. We parked at my parents' church parking lot near downtown since we did not pick up a parking pass. It was an easy walk to the festivities. We were able to cheer on our family members running the half before starting the 5K race. My husband ran with my son and I ran with my niece. We ran through the park across the bridges and back to downtown. It was relatively flat with one water stop. Fortunately, we did not get stop by the train like some of the marathon runners did!

post-race

Overall, the race was well run and we all had a great time. My niece was able to run her first 5K without walking! Besides the finishers' medal for each of the race, if you finished the 13.1 or 26.2 race you were put into a drawing to win a free truck and if you finished the 5K you had a chance to win one of four bicycles.

They already have the registration open for next year. The location downtown Columbus, IN is a great place for the race - plenty of restaurants and entertainment for all ages - definitely recommend checking them out.

Friday Favorites - My favorite fall hikes

I. Love. Fall. I love the colors, the smell, the weather - everything about it. It is a great time to enjoy the last few moments of outside weather before the winter weather strikes.
I also love to hike in the fall! We pack the family and food up and off we go for a short, day, or a weekend trip. Hikes are a great way to soak in the fresh air, get unplugged, and spend time with family and friends. Bonus - it can make you happier! Add some geocaching or check out an orienteering meet from OLOU for even more exploring and you won't even feel like you are getting exercise!

Garden of the Gods in Illinois

Here are a few of my favorite places to hike:

Half day Hikes
1. The Parklands - a great place to spend a few hours hiking on the trails along the creek
2. EP Tom Sawyer - a few trails with geocaching or check out their permanent orienteering course

Day Hikes
1. Jefferson Memorial Forest - get away from the city without traveling too far. The trails vary in difficulty and have some great views
2. Bernheim - just south of Louisville a great place to enjoy the colors of the season especially walking out on the tree canopy
4. Clifty Falls - in Southern Indiana a great day trip to explore with friends and family 

Weekend Hikes
1. Natural Bridge - trails of varying difficult with beautiful views to make it worth the climb
2. Shawnee National Forest - a favorite weekend getaway for us - great hiking, rocks for kids to climb - Garden of the gods is breathtaking. 



Honorable Mention- Of course, I have to mention Brown County State Park in Indiana - I practically grew up there. Having said that, I do avoid it in the fall because of the crowds. Happy Hiking!

Fit In for the Weekend: October 3, 4, 5

A new month is upon us and the last quarter to finish up your goals for 2014. What is on your fitness plan for the rest of the year? Pacers and Racers have a great calendar of upcoming races if you need some races. Fall is also a great time to explore a new place to hike (Parklands has Fall Foliage hike on Sunday) and enjoy the colors of the season.

Weekend Picks:

Check out a class on Friday or Saturday at Be Well Fitness and Rehab - that has free childcare! They are offering TRX, Jaya, and PiYo Barre

Try Zumba at FitMe Studio on Saturday or Sunday for just $5!

Canoeing on Saturday at Riverview Park

Yoga with Art on Sunday for $5 at 21C Hotel


Lots more options on the calendar. Also looking ahead, Tour de Lou just opened for registration. It is only $35 until the end of the year.

Tasty Tuesday: Oven Fried Chicken Recipe

My family loves fried chicken aka chicken on the bone. It is a go to for picnics for us, but when at home, I am not big on frying things. So when I had a craving for fried chicken,  I stumbled across oven fried chicken by Paula Dean. It has become a family favorite. It is a great recipe for the kids in the kitchen - mixing up the ingredients for you.

The first time I made it, my husband was trying to guess all the ingredients. He was surprised (as was I) that Dijon mustard was part of the coating mix and NO BUTTER! I am not a big mustard fan, but this hid the taste and more likely the smell for me that I thought it was pretty tasty. 

Ingredients

2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons freshly minced thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons water
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 -inch thickness

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place a cooling rack over pan and spray rack with nonstick cooking spray.

In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, cheese, 2 tablespoons olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper, to taste. In a separate shallow dish, combine mustard, water, salt and pepper, to taste, and remaining olive oil. Coat each chicken breast with mustard mixture; dredge each in bread crumb mixture. Place on prepared rack in pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown. Serve immediately.

Race Recap: The Urban Bike Adventure - September 13, 2014

The Urban Bike Race was one of my first 'bike' only races so I was not sure what to expect, but had a blast being teamed up for my husband. It was an affordable race - $25/person with 2-4 people per team. It started at noon which was something I was not use too since most races start just as the sun is coming up.

The race started with everyone getting a sealed envelope for the race starting at 4th Street Live. It contained about 10-14 clues of places you had to bike to or ask strangers for help in pictures. You could use your phone for GPS, maps, call friends for help, but could not use public transportation. It did not matter what order you completed the tasks which was all part of strategy. We completed the race in about 90minutes and probably covering about 10 miles. We actually ended up finishing 3rd overall!

We raced over to Indiana to the candy store, hunting down some statues along the waterfront while asking strangers to take pictures with us in tug-of-war, piggy back ride and more. We also had two extra challenges we had to complete. First one was walking a golf ball on a tee along the course without it falling which was a bit challenging after riding a bike. The second was having an Oreo on your forehead and moving it to your mouth without using our hands. (You know you want to try this now, don't you?) This one I thought out of the box and asked the judges if we could have the Oreo start on my forehead and have it land drop it in my partner's mouth. They said that was acceptable and we got it done on the first try! Who knew we had this secret talent?

Overall the race was more fun than competitive which I find appealing. It was a unique way to have to have a 'date day'. I was surprised how the strangers we approached were more than happy to help us out in our tasks  - so friendly! I highly recommend checking The Urban Bike Race out next year with friends.