Now that's amore.

Caught Doug's cold. Fail. It started to hit me last night at quiz. Woke up this morning feeling like crap and skipped my workout. Kinda bummed. I was planning a 3 mile run to round me out to 20 miles for the week, but I felt like some extra rest would be the better choice.

I don't feel terrible... I made it to work, but I still feel out of it. Congested. Sore throat. Headache. I may/may not leave early for some hot nap action. We'll see.

Anywho, before the germs set in last night, I was feeling pretty good. I ran two miles after work to sort of "re-do" the crappy 2 mile walk/jog session that I did earlier in the morning. Tuesday night, my mom took me out to dinner. Margaritas were had and waaaay too many chips were consumed, along with salsa, queso and a big ol' pork burrito, which I totally inhaled. Came home and had wine and an array of sweets, thus having a crappy night's sleep. Lack of sleep + dehydration + bloat made for the worst morning run attempt ever. But I redeemed myself later in the day and it felt great.

After the run and a shower, I headed to the kitchen. I munched on a hummus salad while I waited for my latest creation to bake in the oven:



Salmon pizza. (The salmon slices are hidden under the tomatoes.) I've been trying to use up the last of the smoked salmon I got for my lox adventure and this. was. the shiiiiz!

Took a tortilla wrap and topped it with: mozzarella, green chile, red onion, smoked salmon and tomatoes.



Yes, the green chile was the odd man out, but it really did add a great touch (I'm biased. So what?).

I was so pleased with how it turned out that I made it again for breakfast this morning! Also looking forward to my banana/PB overnight oats and Greek yogurt for lunch. Brought some grapes, carrots, bell pepper and hummus to munch on in between.

I hate to miss Zumba again since I skipped it last week, but I'll just go with the flow and see how I'm feeling. I've got an awards dinner tomorrow night and a weekend away in the San Luis Valley, so I need to nip this cold in the bud!

Hold me, I'm in lox.

Not sure this morning could get any better, folks.

I woke up, threw on my sweat band, slid on my lifting gloves and did a quick custom routine:

• 1/2 mile run
• 10 push-ups, 20 one-count deadlifts (60 lbs.)
• 1/2 mile run
• 10 push-ups, 20 one-count deadlifts
• 1/2 mile run
• 10 push-ups, 20 one-count deadlifts
• 1/2 mile run
• 45 sec. plank, 20 two-count deadlifts

Pretty simple, but went by fast and felt really effective. My goal was to get in 2 miles of running and work on my upper body/core in between. Mission accomplished. And yes, doing 20 reps of deadlifts means my weight is too light, but when it finally dawned on me to slow down and do two-count reps, my god, such a difference! I've really grown to love deadlifts with my my barbell. Dumbbells are ok too, but the barbell makes me feel like more of a bad-ass.

The whole circuit took just over 30 minutes and of course, left me dripping. I need to not be so lazy and come up with more quick 'n' dirty routines like this, especially for Saturday mornings when my motivation isn't always the best. I haven't done a custom routine since my first one in January.

After the workout, I showered and got ready for my quest to the store for tomatoes and red onion, amongst other produce items. Why tomatoes and red onion, first thing in the morning? Well, this broad was on a holy mission to make lox & bagels.



We went grocery shopping last night and I got the bagels, smoked salmon, capers and cream cheese, but totally spaced the tomatoes and onion. Feck.

Before I left this morning, I made a quick smoothie with 1/2 cup thawed frozen strawberries, about 1/2 or 2/3 cup chopped papaya, 1/2 cup light soymilk, 1 scoop of Green SuperFood and a bit of granulated splenda. AHHH! This was so good! Papaya is indeed perfect for smoothies; it came out super creamy with just the right amount of thickness. Will probably repeat this and add bananas and blueberries. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

ANYWHO. Enough about smoothies. While the smoothie was good, it didn't change my life like this plate of radical:



Moment of silence here, kids...

Easily the best new thing I've tried in a few years. Used one of those new Thomas Bagel Thins (lightly toasted), cream cheese, capers, red onion, tomato (sprinkled with S&P) and a few different varieties of smoked salmon from Costco (dill, peppered and plain).



So damn good. And I'm sure it would be even better with a higher quality Everything-flavored bagel. Doug enjoyed it and he doesn't even like salmon!

For the record, I'm not Jewish. But I've wanted to be since I was about 14 or 15 for some reason. Or at least marry a Jewish dude. I've made an exception for Doug. He lacks the Jew-fro that I long to get my fingers tangled in, but if he'll eat lox and bagels with me, I suppose it all balances out in the end. *Wuh-ink*

Best breakfast ever. I'm torn between having it again for lunch or practicing self-control and waiting until tomorrow's breakfast. We'll see how this new love affair plays out. Stay tuned!