From Cupcakes to CrossFit

Out of Shape Woman Does CrossFit, Likes It

This just in: I went back to CrossFit this morning. It was a beating. And I liked it.

I got up at the crack of dawn to pay some buffster coach to force me to lift weights, do lunges, lift weights while doing lunges, run 800 meters, do more lunges, and do an unjustified amount of air squats. There were 4 of us in the session, and I was by far the worst. I don't care. CrossFit workouts make me feel like I'm going to puke, which makes me feel weak, but that barf-y feeling also makes me feel empowered. For the rest of the day I felt like if I could survive the morning, I could do anything. To prove it, I climbed a mountain. Okay, so maybe I didn't climb the whole mountain - my legs were tired.

{Cowles Mountain, San Diego}

Current Stats:
Weight: 143.6 lbs.
Body Mass Index: 22.5% (I used this calculator, not sure how accurate it is.)
Waist: 31.0 inches
Hip: 40.5 inches

I'll report back May 1st with new stats. In the meantime, mainly Paleo/Primal diet (with some alcohol, date night exceptions), and CrossFit 3xs a week. Yay for A Spring of Self-Improvement!

Weekending, Easter.

{Flavio and Silvia, Easter brunch 2013}

{Guiri, Coronado}

{Running errands. Dog is my co-pilot}

{Special Easter chewy}

When I uploaded these photos, I realized 3 out of 4 are pictures of my dog. I felt a little lame. Does anyone (besides me) care about another pic of my dog bounding down the beach? Why didn't I take better photos this weekend? And then I realized these photos are a sign of a fantastically restful three days. I have been mentally wound up and stressed this semester, so a quiet weekend of running mindless errands, baking, time outside in gorgeous spring weather, sushi, lounging in front of the TV, and a lovely Easter brunch with my mother-in-law was just what I needed. The weekend may not have produced the most exciting pics, but it did me some good.

It's Monday afternoon and I am giddy to be Off. This. Whole. Week. (!!!) On the Spring Break Itinerary: Hiking, reading, spring cleaning, Paleo cooking, a couple happy hours, beach with Guiri, Indian food with friends, oh..and Crossfit. I started this morning. It was tough, but good. More soon...  xo

This Bunny Likes Carrot Cupcakes

My love for cupcake baking knows no bounds. And to my delight, I've become the (un?)official cupcake baker for my husband's office. Guys, they actually request my cupcakes. Being a baker is one of my many secret dream jobs so this is a major thrill. I like to put on Edith Piaf, don my frilly apron, and as I whisk and frost, I pretend I am a famous Parisian pastry chef known the world over for my petits gâteaux. But, I digress.

I made Easter-themed carrot cupcakes for them this week. Recipe below.

I'm missing the Annual Adult Easter Egg Hunt at my parents' house this weekend. Flavio has to work, so we can't make it. Sad face. It's a highly competitive race for plastic eggs, some of which contain chocolate, some of which contain $20 bills (!!) Bummed we're not there. I'll have to eat my feelings. Thank god for carrot cake. And at a zillion calories per bite, thank god I gave most of it away.

Hope your weekend is filled with Easter treats and something sweet. xo

***

Carrot Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Icing
Makes 12 cupcakes



For cupcakes:

4 medium carrots

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

Coarsely grate enough carrots to measure 2 cups using large teardrop holes of a box grater.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl.

Whisk together oil, eggs, brown sugar, grated carrots, and vanilla in a large bowl, then stir in flour mixture until just combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on rack, about 1 hour more.

For icing:

{the secret ingredient}

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese at room temperature
  
• 2 cups powdered sugar -- sifted
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• Fresh raspberries for decorating
  

Make icing:

In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the mascarpone on very low speed until just combined. (Be careful; once you've added the mascarpone, excessive beating can make the frosting curdle.) Stir in the vanilla extract.   NOTE: I used my food processor as my mixer is broken, and it worked fine. If using a food processor, hand-mix in the mascarpone, or it will curdle.

Decorate cupcakes with a pastry bag and tip -- it's easier and prettier than any other method. If you don't have a pastry bag/tip, load all the icing into a freezer-size ziplock bag and cut off one corner. Instant cake decorating trick!  I used Wilton's Icing Gel to paint on the carrots. 

Cupcake recipe from here.
Icing recipe from here.

Our Secrets to a Happy Marriage: 1.5 Years In

In honor of this week's national discussion on the right to marry, I'd like to do something I'm completely unqualified to do: Dole out unsolicited marriage advice...

As my last Weekending post revealed, Flavio and I are not without our moments of marital strife. I am hotheaded and can go from 0 to 60 in no time flat. I cry and want to talk/bark things out immediately. Flavio is the opposite. He is a silent storm, quiet and contemplative in the heat of the moment. I want answers and solutions right now. He wants time and physical distance, which makes me crazy. Obviously, my putting up my dukes and his running away won't solve any problems. {Although, his approach of bringing-things-down-a-notch before continuing is obviously the superior option.} So tonight, I fed my beloved some wine and coyly asked him, "What do you think makes for a happy marriage?" He got suspicious, laughed and told me it was a "loaded question", and pretended to be too busy to answer. I asked again and he replied with a word both surprising and wise:  Balance.

Here's his take:

"What I like most about our marriage is our sense of balance. A happy marriage means the two people stay balanced between being both individuals and partners. You can't lose your individuality - that's what attracted you in the first place and that's what makes you a good partner. By staying an individual in the partnership, you balance each other out...you complement each other. We have similar interests, but then we also like doing things apart. We have serious conversations, but then we laugh and make fun of things together. You're sensitive and feeling, and I'm practical and logical. You like to talk and I like to listen. You like to bake and I like to cook. You do the dishes and... you do the dishes. Balance."

Ha! Is he a wizard, or what? So insightful.

Here's my take:

The secret to a happy marriage comes from realizing it's not all rainbows and roses. There are good days and bad days but if you're in it for the long haul, you realize the bad days don't mean doom, they mean an opportunity to grow together. When there are tough times, and there definitely will be, you have to work through it together. And sometimes, you just have to let stuff go {I'm still working on this part}. Even after our worst fights, after I've cooled down a bit, I see the bigger picture, the 50+ years in front of us, and I'm never left questioning whether things are going to be okay. I know they're going to be okay because I know we have a solid foundation and we will work through the rough patches together.

Advice in a nutshell: Remaining an individual in the marriage makes you a better partner; see the bigger picture and work through the tough times together. That's our advice, a mere one year and eight months into marriage. Not like we really know what we're talking about yet. Check back with us in 20 years.

For a more qualified take on marital bliss, this article on 15 Marriage Secrets is enlightening and funny. And here's my mom's best marriage advice.

I hope the Supreme Court rules in favor of marriage equality this week. We all have the right to marriage's tribulations and triumphs.

Thanks for reading. If you have any tips for a happy relationship, I'd love to hear. xo

{Photo above from our wedding day: July 22, 2011}

Movies That Never Get Old

{Some of our DVDs. Are DVDs going the way of the dodo? With Apple TV,  I think so...}

Are there movies to which you can't say no? You know, movies you've seen a million times, but will watch for the millionth and one time, just because you love them so? I'm not talking about true cinematic masterpieces (like Cinema Paradiso or Casablanca), just movies that suck you in, and that you can't resist watching over and over.

Here are 10 of mine, in no particular order. I've seen each of these so many times I can practically recite every word, but they never get old.

1.  Sideways
2.  Dumb and Dumber
3.  Love Actually
4.  The Departed
5.  As Good As It Gets
6.  Good Will Hunting
7.  Romeo and Juliet (the Leo/Claire Danes version)
8.  When Harry Met Sally (and pretty much anything Nora Ephron)
9.  Lost in Translation
10. Bridget Jones's Diary

Which movies make your list?

A Spring of Self-Improvement

{Monarch visitor to our house. Spring is metamorphosis time!}

Our financial fast ends this Saturday and Flavio and I declare the following:

We feel pretty great about the whole enterprise and don't want to see it end.

I'm looking forward to writing a complete reflection on the fast soon but in the meantime, I'll just say it's been an awesome exercise in mindfulness. We're going to keep the fast going beyond Lent with a less-strict version. I'd highly recommend a financial fast for all.

In the spirit of mindfulness (and because I love projects), I have another declaration:

Let this be a Spring of Self-Improvement! A spring cleaning for the house, body, and spirit.

In addition to keeping our financial fast going, we're/I'm welcoming spring with the following challenges:

** Major spring cleaning of our house. Donating and getting rid of stuff. Inspired by this article.

** 30 days of Paleo/Primal eating: April 1- 30. We like to do 30 days of paleo a couple times a year to re-examine what we're eating. We notice that when we're not eating grains, we tend to eat more veggies and whole foods.

** I'm doing it. I am going back to CrossFit. Reason: Winter brought a steady diet of wine and baked goods, and I need to wear a bathing suit in public soon. I start April 1. Eeeks!

Let the self-improvement continue...

{My husband at CrossFit. This will be me in 30 days.}

Weekending

Saturday morning brought clean sheets and fresh coffee. But somewhere between the clean sheets and the coffee, things got grumpy. Nothing was wrong, really - sometimes you're just crabby. We had so much scheduled, I felt overwhelmed. Dog training, sheep herding lessons, buy groceries, clean the house, laundry, Flavio helped a friend move, etc. It wasn't bad stuff, just felt never-ending. All I really wanted to do was laze about, have a leisurely brunch, and then read my book in the sun. I took a deep breath and we pressed forward with our busy day. I barked at Flavio a few more times as we ran from one commitment to the next, but by nightfall we were happily tangled on the couch, eating chocolate pudding and watching movies. All was well again.

For obvious reasons, Saturday is not pictured. Sunday made up for Saturday. We did everything our hearts desired. Slept in, strolled the farmers' market, frolicked at dog beach, Flavio barbecued, I baked, Guiri lounged about, we ate good food, and we snuggled in to a mini-marathon of our fave show, House of Cards. It was a good day.

I'm on spring break from Navy college, but still teaching at SDSU until Thursday. A lighter schedule this week and come Friday I'll officially be on break. Can't wait! I need it.

Some scenes from Sunday..

{ranunculus from the market}

{so happy}

{lounging in the sun}

{first strawberries of spring}

{pretty lady}

{not sure this pic captures it, but the evening springtime light in our place is magical}