Day 459 - Here Fishy Fishy

I know, I know; I showed you a picture of fish yesterday. But, those fish we did not eat, which is a shame I know. But this fish, this fish I did eat. And it was so good!

Up there you see it as I placed it on the grill. It rests on a cedar planked soaked in water & lemon juice. The fish, Steelhead Salmon, is seasoned with a fish seasoning I bought in Seattle (the fish I did not buy in Seattle), and crusted in Onion & Garlic Macadamia Nuts. The came from Hawaii and from this package to be specific...

Here is dinner after it came off the grill...

Before I closed the grill I tossed in a handful of apple wood chips while cooking to give it a lovely blast of sweet smokiness.

As good as it looked coming off the grill I must say it looked its best when I plated it...

Yes, I was in the mood for fruit with dinner. or maybe I was in the mood for sweetness without the bad news from the sweets in the candy counter or bakery aisle.

That dinner was a great way to cap off a great workout. After worked I got my youngest off the couch to join me for C25K-Week1/Day2. The 93F heat was definitely a challenge. A slight breeze tried to take some sting out of the heavy air but to little avail.

Cameron is a soccer player in high school so you would expect him to look at this workout as a walk in the park. But it was quite the opposite for him. He has become quite out of shape since the end of soccer season his freshman year. Even though he hit his final growth spurt over the past six-months, oh how we hope it is his final spurt; his appetite spurted as well and not with a desire for healthy eats.

Thus he struggled to make it through the 60 second jogging segments and his walking segments were quite slow. He knew it, and wasn't happy about it. Soccer tryouts are in a couple of weeks and the start of his sophomore year  five weeks away; yes summer break has begun its descent for landing.

Myself, I got through D2 much better than D1. A day of good eating and anticipation of the workout helped that progression occur. Later this week I will get Day3  in and conclude the trio of workouts that make up a week. Hopefully I can grab Cameron for another workout; doubt he shares that same hope.

Got any recent successful grilling experiences to share?

What about exercise experiences?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 451-452: Clean Butt Thanks To Lady Luck

Monday's colonoscopy was all good news. The best part of the news was the fact I do not need to go for another one for 3 years, thank you!!!

Lady Luck was with me in the morning as I was first up on the list for my colonoscopy Monday morning, a 7:30 a.m. appointment. It couldn't have been 7:35 a.m. when they were knocking me out. Good thing too as the power went out shortly after 8 a.m., just minutes after I began waking up, the procedure complete. Those who were there, all prepared and waiting for their turn, they had to wait until the power came back on. Sure the back up generators kicked in and the placed looked as if all was normal. But apparently they are not allowed to start non-emergency procedures while on back up generator power.

That was nearly 24 hours ago. At home, our power is still out. Oh I hope they were able to get the hospital's power back online yesterday morning so that those folks waiting for there colonoscopy could get it done. It would score very high on the Suck-O-Meter if you had to reschedule that appointment after starving the day before & flushing out the plumbing that night. Hence why Lady Luck was with me in the morning.

Since our power is still out, I think Lady Luck left me, left the county it seems, as soon as the storms moved into our county yesterday morning. The storm swept through the area swiftly but it's brief stay was enough time to deliver a potent hit. I am one of the nearly 1-million Chicagolander's who lost power right away. As of this minute about 350,000 are still without power including us.

Well, speaking of this minute; I am at work where it is cool, there is internet (hence the blog post), there are cold beverages... the kids however are at home where it is hot, there is no internet, there are angry cats, and no cold beverages. I suppose I should feel bad for them.

Last night we grilled out for dinner. Since I wouldn't allow anyone to open the refrigerator of freezers when the power went out, we had to either make do with what was in our pantry or find something at a store to grill. Earlier that day when I had my son out learning to drive I noticed that one of the grocery stores was open for business. They were selling what they could via generator power. We snapped up a package of frozen chicken breasts and Ho-Ho's. So we had grilled garlic-ginger chicken, seasoned corn (from a can), and Ho-Ho's (kids felt these would help them through the heat of the night).


After dinner the kids we besides themselves since there was no internet, no television, no xbox. I had an emergency radio on listening to the news, but that did nothing to entertain them. So we broke out some old-school entertainment and played Monopoly. As the day was turning to dusk light became an issue. But we fared well making use of flashlights.

For the record, Cameron kicked all of our butts, it wasn't even close.
 

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 351 - Opening Day, Family Day, Now Sunday

Last day of spring break. For the kids, no doubt they are less than thrilled. For me, I'm Ok with it. Time to get on with the 83 things I have on deck at work, time for Cathy to get on with her own concerns where she works, and time for the kids on with finishing this school year.

Spring break has been fun sans the medical madness. Brief update on that madness, went for the MRI of the left knee yesterday. Hope to get results in advance of Thursday's blood test and oncologist appointment.
Back to the fun...

Friday Cathy & I went to Chicago Cubs opening day. Great time, minus the fact that the Cubs lost. It was a first for us in that we attended the game from a Rooftop venue. If you aren't familiar with Wrigley field, the apartment buildings along the streets along the outfield have stadium seating on their rooftops. The owners of these buildings have long cashed in on the fact that the games can viewed from the upper apartments & rooftops, and of course the Cubs get a piece of their action. Here is a cell phone pic which does no justice to the view we had...

As you can see the lights are on for the game, for an afternoon game. It was a dreary, cold, rainy day. Not rainy enough to delay or cancel the game, but dreary enough to make sitting outside less than enjoyable. Luckily for us these top floor of these apartment buildings are no longer apartments. They are bars complete with food buffet & big screens; food, drink and warmth all included in the price of the ticket. So this was our view of the game for most of the afternoon...

One bad pitch, hit over the wall for a grand slam, that one pitch is the only tarnish on our great day.

Yesterday we had the G'Mas & G'Pa over for dinner, no real occasion; just because. They wanted something special, so we smoked them pork shoulder and prime rib. I was off my grilling game  as I overcooked them a tad; shame on me. Cathy made up for my miscue with a fine job on the sweet potatoes and green beans. Along the way the the two G'Mas got together and made a bottle of wine go from full to empty. Conversation was largely a mix of the college visits to come, medical this & that and of course politics. A couple of pies for dessert capped off a great relaxing day with family.

So as I said, the last day of spring break is here, another day to make great. Off now to get in some exercise this morning before enjoying NASCAR this afternoon and Hockey this evening and who knows what else amongst it all.

What are you going to do to make this a great day?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 104 - Miles & Fillets

Home again and that means the hard work has resumed in earnest.

My son Andrew & I were going to go tackle Stanton Hill yesterday but the soccer team was using the field adjacent to is so it didn't seem like the right time. So we went off to Grant Forest Preserve instead. That preserve is divided into two loops, a north & south. Each loop in itself is a good workout. There is also a trail that connects the two loops. Combined the total distance is 5.6 miles. Since I was looking to replace the challenge of the hill workout we walked them both and covered that distance in 84:19 minutes. A great walk and time spent with my son.

Eating was dialed in yesterday as well. First day back so we had to hit the stores and stock up. Enjoyed some fresh fruit during the day and some grilled halibut for dinner. Eating out is fun, trying new restaurants is something we look forward to especially when we travel, but cooking at home is hard to beat at times.

Halibut is an awesome fish, I've never caught one on my own, hope to make it up to Alaska someday for that pleasure. Hey, did you know, The largest Alaskan halibut ever caught while sport fishing was 459 lbs? A mighty big grill would be needed for that catch.

Just a great tasting fish and one that is very versatile for cooking with. It stands up to grilling, bakes well without disintegrating, absorbs flavors well or tastes great on its own. Oh and cats, cats will flock to you when you bring it inside from the grill to set it on the table. If cats like it then it must be good; no?

Last night I made two fillets, one was rubbed in a buttermilk-ranch powder which I picked up at Williams-Sonoma as an impulse buy, one of my better unplanned grabs. The other was dusted in a spicier concoction - so sorry I didn't take any pictures; that why you get that Native American tribal art picture of a halibut instead.

Walleye is my favorite fish to eat by far, but I think Halibut is a close second. Third, probably tuna (not in the can silly) which I like raw or with just a quick sear.

What is your favorite fish and how do you like it?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 90 - Versatile Blogger Award

Good morning everyone. Let's see if I can pull this post together quickly. I've been pushed by Jody to go tackle Stanton Hill often and this morning she is getting her wish; this one's for you Jody! Many of you may know Jody, but some may not. She is a very popular and accomplished blogger and I highly recommend reading what she has to say. Actually, I would suggest you start with her post HERE from yesterday re: The 2010 Team Sarcoma Initiative. Great cause and amazing job she is doing in leading the fight on this rare form of the beast. But I don't recommend her post from today, oh no. It is about pancakes,yes PANCAKES! The pictures she has there; amazingly! Be warned, they are so inviting - you don't want to be like me and actually start sniffing the pc screen in hopes for just a small whiff. I said sniff people, not lick or nibble! What do you think I am goofy? Seriously, check out all of her posts, sniff the screen, and join her cause if you can,and say Hi.



Thank you to my friend at First Steps for honoring me with this Versatile Blogger Award!

Rules, the rules for the award are as follows:
1. Thank the person giving the award
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs.
4. Let your nominees know about the award.

So let me play by the rules now...

1. THANK YOU once again! If you are not following First Steps, you should!

2. Seven things huh. So far I have shared 17 unknown facts with you with past awards, and I don't want to give you any duplicates; thinking... Ok, here are my 7 for this award...

1. I have dyed my hair light brown for about 8 or so years now. If I didn't I would be all grey. I don't mind grey hair, but I went grey in my late 20's and that was just too young for me. So in my mid-thirties I learned to dye in and do so once a month.
2. My wife does most of the work on the bills. She is an accountant/financial management type and it all comes natural to her. Oh how I love my wife!
3. My favorite band is Chevelle, hands down! 
4. I believe what comes out of Hollywood has never been as anywhere near as good as it was when John Wayne was alive. 
5. I grill our dinners outside 80% of the time; cooking indoors pales to cooking outdoors. 
6. I have stared down the barrel of a gun and into the eyes of the man willing to pull the trigger and talked my way out of a bad ending.  
7. I bond with my kids while playing darts; the more we play the more talk. The more we talk the more I am involved, I know, I understand and thus the more I can influence their making better choices.

3. For nominating 15 newly discovered blogs, I am not sure 'what newly discovered' means really. Newly discovered by me I suppose, not new to blogging necessarily. That's my interpretation. My 15 here are mostly newly discovered by me, some not as new as others but hey I have only been here 90 days now - In no order of anything here they are...

1. Kristen-Conversations With My Inner Skinny Chick
2. Luke-The Super Fatlete
3. Christine-Phoenix Revolution
4. Michelle-The Garlic Chronicles
5. Seth-Fit WIth A Purpose
6. Dan-At Darwin's Table
7. Going For 96
8. Lisa-In Weigh Over My Head
9. Allan-Almost Gastric Bypass
10. Debbie-Weigh Down
11. Michael-Free The Wolf
12. Vickie-Vickie's Voice
13. Rick-Fat Bastard
14. Lynda-Taking Less Space
15. Grace-Grace's Fat Chance

 4. On my way to do that now... enjoy the award folks, my pleasure to honor you. I could have honored so many many more too!

Go gett'em this Friday!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 42 - Scallops & Dumbbells

Welcome to the weekend Bloggers, a holiday weekend at that!

Scallops anyone? There on the left you see last night's dinner, bacon-wrapped scallops hit with some mesquite seasoning; these came off the grill 5 seconds after I took that pic. Accompanying them were some fresh green beans lightly sauteed in garlic - Oh my it was good!

Ok, enough food chat. Let's talk exercise shall we? My dumbbell routine has been on my mind so I thought I'd share it below. For all of these exercises I do 3 sets of 12 reps; except the 10th exercise which is a repeat of the 1st but for the 10th exercise I do 7 sets of differing reps; 6, 9, 12, 15, 12, 9, 6. Why do I do that for exercise 10? Really I don't know if it is wise or not, but it seemed to make sense when I cooked it up as a means to give the arms some added attention. Probably a guy-thing. My dumbbells range from 5 to 50 pounds. Currently I use from 10 to 25 pounds depending on the exercise and muscles involved.

1-Seated Concentration Curl

2-Lateral Raises

3-Two-Arms Triceps Extension

4-Bench Press

5-Triceps Kickback

6-Lying Fly

7-Shoulder Press

8-Kneeling One Arm Row

9-Straight-Arm Pullover

10-Seated Concentration Curl (again)

Aren't those animated gif's cool? They are them from dumbbell-exercises.com which I've found to be quite informative. The above dumbbell routine was put together on my own before I found this site. My idea was that it is supposed to strength train a variety of upper body muscle groups in one exercise session. Now having looked a bit more at this site and specifically at the page for Workout Routines for Dumbbell Exercises I wonder if I need to mature my routine a bit. I probably do but I'll need to do some more reading first and of course welcome advice from you.

Any thoughts? Is this routine something a trainer would give a thumbs up to, or, cringe in horror at? Do I need to modify it to do more to target specific muscle groups vs. trying to do them all in one session?

May you have a Magnificent Saturday!

Got any big plans for the holiday weekend?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!

Day 41 - What a Week

Been an odd week in that stuff that is not usually part of our routines have had to be handled.

Monday was actually a normal day in most respects. Although coming home late to nearly nobody home was odd. That was the day I did a short 30-minute burn on the elliptical vs. wasting my time watching television. Never did that before.
Exercise, check; got in 4 trips up the stairs at work too.
Healthy Eating, check; actually since I got home late my dinner was very light so maybe I under ate.

Tuesday my wife was out with friends taking in a Cubs game (they won), so I got the kids all to myself to feed dinner. That really wasn't abnormal. What was however was that my son Ryan was eating his final meal before having his wisdom teeth extracted the next day. So I gave him the choice of what to have for dinner. He chose the Bento Cafe for some sushi (pictured to left).
Exercise, check; got in a great session with the dumbbells, and three trips up the stairs at work too.
Healthy Eating, check; the sushi rolls you see in that picture I did not eat. Those sauces are usually high in fat & sugar. Instead I had some tuna sashimi and a bento-box with salmon(3, maybe 4 oz. tops), a green salad and rice. Oh that sounds so good, when we going for sushi again?

Wednesday morning was spent at the oral surgeon with Ryan. He's a bleeder so it took a while before they would clear him to go. Here you see him after we got back home. Knocked out from the earlier anesthesia and later on some vicodin before sitting on the couch. With gauze still in mouth we had to wake him up after we saw he had nodded off; didn't want him swallowing and choking on it. But not before we took this picture to share with friends & family :-)
Exercise, un-check; took the day off.
Healthy Eating, check; I ate excellent all day before my son Andrew & I went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. Look there, below, that's my basket of wings. What is that you say, how can I say that was healthy? Well let me tell you. Before disturbing that beautiful basket of heaven I put the six smallest wing pieces over by that celery and the six largest pieces into a take home box for my other boy Cameron (he ate them for breakfast Thursday - like me he is a wing addict). The sauce on these is Spicy Garlic which is their lowest carb sauce so not much unwanted sugar.

Thursday morning Ryan was up at 4:15 a.m. and needed a little help with his medicines but overall he is working hard at being a man and dealing with the pain and nuisance of having four less teeth in his head. In the afternoon I went with my wife to her doctor's appointment. Thankfully we received good news on her and the fear of possible surgery for her this summer has been erased.
Exercise, check; got in a 60-minute session on the elliptical in the morning. I worked from home both Wednesday & Thursday this week so no trips up any stairs to speak of. After dinner my wife & I went out for a 30-minute walk to end the day positive.
Healthy Eating, check; excellent meals and snacks capped off by firing up the grill for some sliders. Lean ground beef seasoned by a pro (me) and grilled to a perfect medium-rare (some to medium for my wife). A simple fruit salad to go with those delicious mini-burgers. I had my sliders (appx. 3 oz. each) without the buns and half the cheese the old me would have draped over them. Topped off with a couple pickles and a bit of my home-made salsa (oh it is good!)... why am I describing them so, here they are; see for yourself...

Why am I writing this food crazy post, it has me starving now :-o

Friday, well lets see what it brings. Back in the office for the days work. This being the Friday before a holiday weekend I'll likely cut out of here early assuming nothing needs attention. If I do, I am getting in some more cardio; perhaps a walk around a forest preserve.

So, How has your week been?
 
Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!