MY Treadmill

Thursday I ran 8 miles on the treadmill.  Felt pretty good. Got to the gym and my favorite treadmill was taken so I jumped on the one next to it.  Then before I could even set up my treadmill, the girl next to me, got off MY treadmill so I quickly moved over!  YAY!  So what makes MY treadmill my favorite you ask?  It has fans on the side instead of the top so I can throw my towel over the machine and still get air circulation to my face.  It also has an oval track so you can feel like you are actually on a track.  And the TV works great- meaning the remote actually works and you can turn the channels by just hitting the up and down button.  So yea, that's why I love it!  So I got to the gym late (7:30AM ish) but decided I still wanted to get the 8 miles in since I declared it on my blog.  So I ran until 8:40ish, quickly showered and still got to work on time! Pretty impressive if you ask me! I also ran everyone off the treadmill.  Anyone else love to do this?  Like there are probably 20 treadmills at my gym and by the end of my run, no one was left.  Not even the people who started way after me!

8 miles, 1:11:29, 8:56 min/mile pace

Thursday night I made Black Bean Mushroom Cakes, kind of a blend between this recipe and this recipe. This recipe was inspired by Brown Eyed Baker. I had planned to make small cakes and serve them on the crusty french bread I had left over from the Superbowl, but after I made the cakes, the bread was missing.  Dave then informed me he ate it all! Oh well!  So I served my cakes on Josephs Reduced Carb/Flax Whole Wheat Tortillas. I'll post pics later : )

Black Bean Mushroom Cakes
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 small finely chopped onion
8 ounces portobello mushrooms, stems removed and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup or more of Panko Bread Crumbs
2 ounces (about ½ cup) shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Reduced Carb Whole Wheat Tortillas
Instructions:
In a large skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, garlic, cumin and paprika and cook until mushrooms have released their juices, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Add the mushroom mixture and beans to the food processor; pulse until combined, but not smooth – leave some chunky bits. Add the panko bread crumbs and process a bit more. Mix ingredients together and divide into 10 small patties. Heat a grill, grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Place patties on the surface and cook until thoroughly heated through and the outside has crisped, about 5 minutes per side. I then popped them under the broiler to get some color on them.  I also added the tortillas with shredded cheese on a baking sheet and put that under the broiler as well.  Then I served the cakes on the tortilla bed with mixed greens and Annie's Goddess Dressing.

This morning, I ran an easy 3 on MY treadmill then lifted my arms.

3 Miles, 26:15, 8:45 min/mile pace

I had my weigh in today for our biggest loser competition at work and I'm staying pretty steady at about 5-6 pounds down from my original weight.  I would still like to be down 6-10 more by the final weigh in which is April 1st. We'll see what I can do!

Plan for the weekend is to take tomorrow off from working out then running 12-15 miles on Sunday.  I will be cooking Valentines Day dinner both Saturday and Sunday night too!  Still working on my menu but it looks like some type of surf and turf and possibly a meat I've never cooked before- veal? lamb? We'll see! Pictures to come this weekend : )