Muffin Man

Another day off from school.... woo-hoo!!!! Don't get me wrong, I love my job. It's just nice to have a break from the busyness every once in a while.

This morning, I slept in. It. Was. Wonderful!! Nate came home from lunch and helped me finish up these Pumpkin Muffins. I found a new lady, Ellie Krieger a couple of weeks ago. I ran across her on the Food Network one day and did some research. She's a registered dietitian and makes really great food. We've tried two recipes of hers and so far, she's 2 for 2! I like her because she doesn't completely eliminate all fats and sugars from her recipes. She's good at cutting back on the things that won't completely change the taste or texture of a great meal.

The other recipe I've tried of hers was her Chinese Chicken Salad. It took a while to get everything cut up, but we put it in a veggie-saver Tupperware and it kept for over a week. Of course, we kept all the toppings and dressing separate and added them as we ate. I rented her book from the library, and I think I'm going to try to keep my eyes open to find it on sale. It's got some really yummy looking things and the photos are beautiful! I'll let you know when I try another recipe. I'm sure it'll be delish!

We're headed to mom and dad's for Easter. My brother is going with us this evening. Mom's rented movies and we'll spend a lot of tomorrow helping her cook for Sunday. We usually meet Grandma and Grandpa at the mall for coffee in the mornings, too. I just can't wait! Next weekend, Nate's grandparents will be in from Washington, so we'll be with his family for that.

We've also registered for our first race together! We're running the Novartis fun-run on Saturday, the 18th. It's a short 2-mile run, and a fun place to start. We both used Christmas money to get a good pair of running shoes from the Running Company in January. We've been trying to rack up the miles on them for the past few months. We've bounced in and out of a routine since then, but the last few weeks have been really good. I made a personal break-through last week and have been feeling great running ever since. Nate's always running faster and farther than me, but we use the treadmills at the club house, so we can still run together. When we move into the house, we'll have to learn to run at the same pace. He said I can keep the pace, but I have a feeling I'll still need to pick it up a bit to give him a good work-out. :)

Well, I'm off to pack. I'm meeting Crystal and Addison in a half-hour for some afternoon shopping. Better get a move-on!

Happy Easter, everyone! Try to find some time to reflect on the holiday and the events that took place. Don't let it just pass by!