Follow that food truck

I've been reading about food trucks and seeing stories on the mobile gourmet vehicles that seem to be "on the go" in cities like San Francisco and New York. But, to be honest, when I envision a food truck it resembles the Lee's Catering trailer that fills my little Honda with fumes of greasy gut-bomb breakfasts that I often have the unfortunate luck of sitting behind at traffic lights. Let me tell you, I have been enlightened! Thank you MIHO!

Glass of Green

I wanted to share my latest green drink concoction with you. This was adapted from a recipe found in Whole Living magazine, they have a special section dedicated to eating raw foods. While I'm not ready to commit myself to an all raw diet, I do believe it has health benefits and it is something to aspire to (don't tell my husband!). Meanwhile, this green drink is a good first step!

You'll need:

• 1/2 honeydew melon
• 1 green apple
• 1 inch. ginger root
• 1 stalk celery
• 1/2 cucumber
• bunch of kale (tough stems removed - if not it can be very bitter!)

Juice all and enjoy! Makes two servings - the calorie content per serving is somewhere in the 80 - 100 calorie range.

Total Body Circuit Workout

Do you ever find yourself on your way to the gym not sure of what exercise routine you should conquer? You are committed to giving an hour of your day to exercise, but you are feeling uninspired and left wondering what body part should I work on today?

I had this exact mental battle with myself yesterday morning on my way to LA Fitness. I reached into my bag of tricks and pulled out a hand-copied note of a total body circuit I compiled from several routines published by Oxygen or Women's Health Magazines.

To complete this routine do each exercise back-to-back as one circuit with no rest. Complete the entire circuit three times, resting in-between to allow your heart rate to drop. Do 12-15 reps of each exercise using a weight of dumbells (when approprate) that is challenging.

1. Squat with overhead dumbell shoulder press
2. Push-ups with feet on exercise ball with leg raises (complete one push-up, then lift right leg, then left leg off ball - move on to second push-up and continue)
3. Plank position with back row
4. Hip thrust with skull crusher
5. Sumo squat with barbell curls
6. Sit-ups on exercise ball

If you have questions, let me know! This is a great workout to touch each bodypart, get your heart rate going and can be completed in about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Good for a laugh

My corworker forwarded this to me today. At first I thought he was attempting to entice me to consider moving to Minnesota (our San Diego office is closing and relocating to MN), but quickly realized this was just good for a laugh. Couldn't resist sharing with all of you!

My Grandpa

Today would have been my grandfather's birthday, July 12th. My grandpa is the kind of man that left a legacy in his wake. Growing up he was just "my grandpa" but years later I would grow to understand that he was larger than life to many people besides me.

As a kid I wasn't aware of the impact he had on the people he knew and the community he lived in. It wasn't until he passed away that I would get a glimpse of the number of lives Grandpa touched.

My favorite memories of Grandpa are simple things like the way he smelled in the mornings of Old Spice and Listerine. Or the fuzzy "old man" sweater he would wear in the winters, going to USD football games and being embarrassed to wear the huge mum boutonniere he would buy us for Dakota Days or how calm he was when he would take me out driving before I got my license.



Me and Grandpa several years ago



But Grandpa was more than scratchy, wet kisses and old stories of meeting baseball legends; he was Dean of Men at the University of South Dakota, he was involved in his local church and community, he was a math professor, a referee, a father and a friend. There are so many questions I wish I could ask and lifeevents I wish I could share with him. But I do know he is in my heart and I think I'll hold on to the idea that he is there watching and guiding me through life, giving me a gentle push in the right direction when I need help staying the course.

My grandpa was my hero.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!