Music Monday

I only have four today, but they're still winners.

SHEL are four sisters from Fort Collins and I met them when they opened for Lord Huron a few weeks ago. It was fun hanging out with them and Lord Huron after the show. They're so cool and wicked talented, and they're gonna blow up...you watch. I've been telling everyone about this song.

I also suggest you get The Great Gatsby soundtrack right meow. It's incredible. I couldn't pick just one song to share from it.

Xoxo,

Kirsten Leah

Coffee Table

We're still in the process of getting internet at our new place and blogging on my phone is a pain. It'll be a short one today.

Nick made a gorgeous little coffee table (actually it's quite large) and I wanted to brag about it. It looks like it would be in a West Elm or Anthropologie catalog for hundreds of dollars, but only cost about $25 to make. It required steel tube, wood, stain and some screws. And Nick and his mad skillz. With a 'z'.

When the table was just a pipe dream...bahaha...

Nick chose the dimensions and welded it together to make the frame...

He then cut wood slats and attached metal tabs to hold them with screws underneath...

A little dark stain and dulled metal finish, and it's made its home in our living room.

It's so pretty! When we finish the living room I'll show you the whole effect, but that probably won't be for a while. 

Xoxo,

Kirsten Leah

Music Monday

Long time no see! I've been so busy with moving, training and having fun that I haven't had time to blog. Here we go again with some sweet tunes...

I'm also in love with Ghost and Gales' cover of "Stacks" by Bon Iver

Check out Carlos Serrano's other stuff. He's pretty good with the mashups.

*I've just heard the breaking news. Let's keep those affected by the Boston Marathon explosion in our thoughts and prayers. This is appalling and sickening.*

Xoxo,

Kirsten Leah

Things That Made Me Feel BA This Week

- Running two miles in under 17 minutes. 16:37, to be exact. On a couple occasions I've run a mile in the 7s, but it really sucks. It'd be sweet to get two miles under 16, or 15...or 14? Ehh...

- High-fiving strangers during runs. Running trails can be a drag, and when you're passing someone who's winding down as you're getting started--and they high-five you when you pass--it's awesomesauce. That gives me motivation to kill it. Also, there's an extra set of treadmills at my gym upstairs, but just like three together, and this guy and I were running side-by-side; we started at the same time and kept the same exact pace for four miles (I had my incline at 1.5%, and he didn't, though...just saying), and he finally slowed to cool down. When he stepped off, we fist-bumped. Fist-bumping counts, too.

- My leg/butt workout Tuesday. I destroyed my legs Tuesday. Deee-stroyed. I'd gone on my run that morning, so in the afternoon I was feeling loose and fresh in the gym. This is what I did:

• 25 (24") box jumps; 25 (30") box jumps
• Push Bosu ball around track
• Lunges around track w/ 8 lb. medicine ball overhead (100 lunges total)
• Pistols (1-legged squats) on Smith machine - 3 sets of 8 each side (I'm working on doing these without the assistance of the Smith machine; it just helps with the balance aspect)
• Squats - 16 just bar to get form (45 lbs); 12 @ 95 lbs.; 12 @ 115 lbs.; 12 @ 125 lbs.
• Plie squats - 12 w/ 55 lb. dumbbell; 12 w/ 65 lb. dumbbell; 12 w/ 70 lb. dumbbell
• 10 reverse lunges each side (kind of a filler between two difficult butt exercises)
• There's probably a name for this, but I can't find it anywhere (I didn't look that hard). I only know of it because I saw it on someone's NFL Combine prep video on ESPN one time, and was like, "That's awesome. I'm gonna do that." So it's basically a reverse lunge with your front foot on a Bosu ball (the flat, black side), and your back leg on a Swiss ball. Center your front foot on the Bosu ball and rest your back leg on the Swiss ball, at the base of your shin. Keep your back straight and squat with your front leg, keeping your knee behind your toes, as you shift back and the Swiss ball rolls up your shin; return to standing. You want most of your weight to distribute to the back leg during the squat; your torso should make a kind of escalator move, down and back. That's the best I can explain it. So, anyway, I did these - 12 reps w/ 45 lb. bar; 12 @ 65 lbs.; 12 @ 65 lbs. People will stare. It's okay to look crazy sometimes.
• Decline leg press - 16 @ 90 lbs.; 12 @ 120 lbs.; 12 @ 130 lbs. (ours needs to be cleaned or oiled or something, because it gets caught in a couple places and kills my momentum, and pisses. me. off.)
• Leg curls/extensions--continuous (kind of a rapid fire thing): 25 leg extensions @ 45 lbs.; 25 leg curls @ 50 lbs.; 25 ext. @ 45; 25 curls @ 50; 25 ext. @ 45; 25 curls @ 50

I also added this to my list:

I was surprised when I woke up yesterday morning and wasn't sore at all, but as soon as I started to get out of bed this morning, I was like, Ah, there it is.

I'm off to run a trail because it's gorgeous outside today. 

Kirsten Leah

Recipe: Apple Walnut Protein Bars

It is a fact that I RAPPED AN ENTIRE AARON CARTER SONG while I was home alone today. I was about to jot down this recipe, and for some reason my brain thought, Here's a little protein bar recipe for you...that goes a little something like this... and then it just spun out of control. "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)"...all from a distant memory, because that's the kind of stuff that sticks in my brain. Can I name more than one of Walt Whitman's works? Nope. Can I do any algebra at all? Absolutely not. Can I belt out an Aaron Carter song, verbatim, that I haven't heard in 12 years? Turns out, I sure can.

It is also a fact that these protein bars are crazemazing, and you know I love me some protein. I don't like to brag, but I've developed something quite phenomenal. And I've been told I have a lovely singing voice. And I can say the alphabet backwards in under three seconds. And I have unbelievable organizational skills.

Each Bar = 79 calories/9g protein

I really miss cooking/baking decadent things. We haven't seen a pie in this house in a year. I haven't made a reduction sauce in who-knows-how-long, but when I finally came up with this recipe a couple months ago, I realized I still got it. Let's empty out the spice cabinet and get messy...

Apple Walnut Protein Bars:

- 4 scoops (1 cup) vanilla whey protein powder

- 1/2 cup oat flour (I put oats in my food processor & left some whole for texture)

- 2 Tbsp flax seed

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp nutmeg

- 1/4 tsp allspice

- dash of cloves

- 3 egg whites

- 1/4 cup stevia 

- 1/2 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt

- 1/2 cup soy milk

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 medium apple, grated (I use honeycrisp or fuji, and a food processor with a grater really helps)

- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8x8" dish with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Whisk together to thoroughly mix, and set aside. In a smaller bowl, combine egg whites, stevia, yogurt, milk and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix well. Fold in the grated apple and walnuts, mix to incorporate, and pour batter into the pan. Bake at 350 for 28-33 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. When they've cooled, slice 4x4 (16 total bars).

Enjoy for breakfast, post-workout, dessert, whentheheckever!

Kirsten Leah