2013 - Week 16

Okay . . . Week 16 . . . big stuff going on :) Not much to report with my dream journal, Bible reading, or daily memory journal, just plugging along as usual. But, on the exercise front and the baking front, there were a few new things.

For baking, I tried out a new recipe for Oatmeal Cream Pies. Yum yum, they were really good :) They were a little putsy, so maybe next time I could pipe the filling in, instead of taking all of the time to spread it, but otherwise they were pretty great. It was a toss up whether to leave cookies really soft or bake them a little longer so they don't sag while filling and eating . . . I'm not really sure which was better. They were supposed to be like the imitation of the snack cake variety, and I don't think I've ever actually had one of those, but my friends at Bible study said they were just as good, and they went really, really fast, so I think they might have been even better :) The only problem with them was that the next day, the cream filling had crystallized so they tasted a little grainy . . . anyone have any ideas how to prevent that? It might have just been my fault and maybe I didn't make it quite right. I wouldn't let that stop you from trying this recipe though, they were so yummy, so you'll probably just eat them all right out of the oven anyways :)

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Next, I tried a recipe for mini meatloaves, three ways. I've discovered something interesting about myself during all of these challenge things . . . I just can't do it the easy way if the hard way seems cooler. Sure, I could have just made one type of meatloaf, but since there were three variations, I had to try all three at once . . . and I did. My husband and I both rated them in the same order: #1 - American, #2 - Mexican, and #3 - Italian, although that might have been because that was the order of decreasing flavor and we both had colds at the time, so we couldn't taste much (hence, the Italian one didn't taste like much of anything, and the American one was very flavorful). At any rate, they were easy and pretty tasty, plus I loved how cute and little they were and how we could try three different kinds of meatloaf in one sitting without feeling totally gluttonous.

Mini meatloaves before baking (L to R, American, Italian, Mexican)

After baking

Complete dinner

But wait, there's more :) I was tasked with bringing dessert to a girls night that I was attending, so I made some yummy pumpkin chocolate chip bread (family recipe). I even made cute mini loaves to send home with the girls, but it just didn't seem like quite enough, so what I did do? Made a cake of course :) And this one is a gem: Gooey chocolate marshmallow cake by the "Bird on a Cake" blog. I needed something simple and something that I had all of the ingredients for, and this fit the bill perfectly. It was actually very easy, and very tasty. We didn't eat it right out of the oven as suggested, but we did reheat our pieces in the microwave for about 20 seconds before eating . . . ooey gooey goodness :)

I was a little concerned because it looked like the frosting was all "broken", but it turned out okay, so if this happens to you, don't fear. 

Mmm . . . gooey

So now that I made all of these tasty treats, I should probably tell you how I'm trying to work all of those calories off. Through the yoga studio that I went to last August (you can read all about it here) I heard about a two week mini-challenge put on by a yoga clothing store and a variety of fitness centers around town. I only really signed up for it so I could go to a class at the original yoga studio, but then, per usual, I figured if I was doing one class, why not try for all eight? Why I do this to myself, I have no idea, but there it is.  I took my first three classes at three new fitness centers this week, and here is how they went:

Day 1 went pretty well for not doing hot yoga since August. Not quite as nice of an entry area as the other studio, but they did have two studio rooms which means more classes, which is a plus. Overall, it was a pretty good practice . . . I learned a few new things and the instructor was nice.

Day 2 - Again, a nice instructor, but it felt like a really long class. I think it was the first hot yoga class when I wondered multiple times, "Are we done yet?". It was a very busy place . . . it felt more like a regular gym because of the packed locker room, the noise level in the yoga room prior to class (I'm used to it being a more calm atmosphere), and the wet floors at the end (they didn't have the cool spaghetti-like floor that soaked up all the sweat, so there were puddles . . . gross). It was hot and humid yoga for sure, not the nice dryer heat that I have experienced at the last two places. But it was a good workout, I got to try a few new things, and I was very sweaty at the end (yes, believe it, you doubters who think I never sweat . . . you know who you are ;)).

Day 3 - Today I tried a cardio dance class at a larger fitness center . . . it was a really nice facility. The class didn't have the Latin flare of Zumba, so it felt more like dancing in a club . . .  not quite my style, but the instructors were nice and it was pretty fun. I think I like the relaxing (and warm) nature of hot yoga better, but it's good to try new things too. If I lived closer to that fitness center I would love to be a member . . . it seemed really nice and they had a wide variety of classes.

So yeah, that was a really long post . . . sorry about that. Tune in next week to hear the exciting conclusion of my exercise mini-challenge . . . you think I can do it? Hopefully I'll have more yummy recipes to share then too. Talk to you next time :)