Mom Works It Out by Angela Gillis

Make this right now: Pecan Pistachio Salad

I promised I would share some healthier dishes that you can add to your Christmas and New Years celebrations.  I served it up at my family Christmas this past weekend and everyone was surprised it was something that I made.  Everyone thought it was more sinful than what it actually was.  It’s simple and easy and doesn’t take long to make.  Here is what you need:

IMG_5612

1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 package SUGAR FREE Pistachio pudding mix
1 32 oz container plain or vanilla lowfat Greek Yogurt

IMG_5629

Mix the pineapple, pudding mix and greek yogurt a large bowl. Everything will thicken when the pudding is set.

IMG_5655
Fold in a 1/4 of cup of pecans. Put in the fridge for an hour before serving.

IMG_5662
Add the remaining pecans on top and serve!

It’s so good!  It’s my favorite thing to add to the holiday meal.  It’s just the right amount of sweet without all the guilt!  Let me know if you make it for your holiday dinner!

Race Recap: BCS Marathon

Race Recap: BCS Marathon

My double header weekend ended with the BCS Marathon in College Station, TX!  We literally finished Brazos Bend and jumped in the car to get to College Station for packet pick-up!  I hate that we didn’t make in time for the expo, but we did make it there in time for the start of late pick up. Everyone was eyeing us because we already had medals on.  It was kind of awkward but funny.  We decided to take a picture by the tree.  At this point we had been in the car for almost two hours and we were starting…

View Post

Christmas presents for your health minded person

Christmas presents for your health minded person

Next week is Christmas.  Have you done your shopping?  I haven’t done much shopping at all.  I should probably get on it.  Just in case you’re still searching for the perfect gift or stocking stuffer, I thought I would go ahead and put my list out there.  All the lists out there seem to be the same: running shoes, running fuel, blah blah blah.  Here is my list of great gifts for your fitness/health junkie friends: The price buster: An iPod.  I know you can listen to music on  your phone and most people do.  But I think it’s great…

View Post

Good comes from a bad day

Good comes from a bad day

Yesterday was a pretty bad day.  Things has progressively gotten better throughout the day but it had taken a toll on me mentally.  A series of unfortunate events finally led me to the road.  I needed to burn off some of the stress that had been building all day. I hit the road to clear my mind. I felt really good when I was done. I was back in a better head space and I was ready to relax! But then this happened! The bus aka The Sequoia had a really bad flat. When I got out of the car…

View Post

Race Recap: St. Jude Memphis Marathon

Race Recap: St. Jude Memphis Marathon

Please excuse me while I talk about this race with great emotion.  This race was supposed to be my first race last year but we all know what happened.  This year it was Willie’s first marathon!  When we arrived in Memphis, I felt like I was running a marathon for the first time.  I was nervous.  I was excited.  I didn’t know what to expect.  There was only one thing I was interested in: watching Willie cross the finish line. Willie has a strict “no running with me” rule and I had to abide by it.  It’s probably a good…

View Post

The St. Jude Memphis Marathon is happening…

The St. Jude Memphis Marathon is happening…

Willie and I hopped in the car to drive to Memphis for the big marathon.  Willie will be running his first marathon and I’ll be adding another state to my marathon quest.  It’s a moment for me but it’s a BIG moment for Willie. That’s why he drove the entire 8 hours.  But we didn’t listen to Serial which an incredibly addicting podcast.  It’s so good! This morning we went on short shake out run. Riding in the car for 8 hours will kill your legs. Plus, I had a less than desirable run on Wednesday. No one wants to…

View Post

It’s time to get your HIIT on!

It’s time to get your HIIT on!

It’s time to change up those workouts people.  When I feel like I need a change, I take a HIIT. HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training.  It burns A LOT of calories and gets in everything that you need.  Cardio and strength in one killer workout so it’s one of the best.  I have a love/hate relationships with HIIT workouts because I know the workouts are going to be intense so I hate them.  I love them because I definitely see improvement in my body and fitness after doing these workouts for a while.  The key is to stick with…

View Post

It’s #GivingTuesday: The children of St. Jude …

It’s #GivingTuesday: The children of St. Jude need our HELP!

Brown Thursday, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, those are all over.  It’s time for #GivingTuesday. So what is Giving Tuesday all about? Getting together to celebrate generosity by giving! We give all our money to the stores so why not give to help out a great cause. Last year we raised $2500 for the children of St. Jude. This year our fundraising goal wasn’t quite as high but we would still like to give back. Can you help us raise a little bit more money? Last year this was supposed to be my first marathon but it was canceled. It…

View Post

The pie hit the trash so let’s …

The pie hit the trash so let’s try something new

There’s nothing wrong with Thanksgiving eating but there is a problem with leftovers.  It’s especially hard to be one of those people who HATES to throw food away.  Continuing the Thanksgiving eating for many days after Thanksgiving can be a problem. I woke up yesterday and saw a lot of food in the trash including a full pecan pie, angel food cake and some macaroni and cheese. Willie was serious about it. It’s time to move on. It’s marathon week! It’s not my first marathon but it was supposed to be my first marathon this year so I’m excited to…

View Post

The day after Thanksgiving

The day after Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving yesterday. I was hosting this year which took up a lot of time.  It was hard to keep up with everything and keep blogging.  I’ll give you the short version of the holiday.  On Wednesday night, we had a little get together with some friends.  I didn’t get a chance to take pictures because I was running around like a crazy person, but I did get one with my good friend Julie. You might remember Julie from her story.  Check it out if you haven’t!  She just keeps getting better! On Thanksgiving morning…

View Post

My Thanksgiving eating tip

My Thanksgiving eating tip

I’m so excited.  I love the holidays because this is the one of two times the family gets together and we have a good time. Of course there is always reason to give thanks and to eat some good food.  It’s always hard during the holidays to slow the eating down when you’re being tempted so much, right? I know I’ve already posted the tips on how to stay in control over the holidays but I want to stress this to you again.  Thanksgiving is one day so you should enjoy it.  But remember it’s one day! I normally get…

View Post