Adventures in Green Bay!

Happy Easter Season All!

I hope everybody had a fantastic Easter!!!

This past weekend, Kyle and I had the opportunity to spend our Holy Week [or as musicians call it, Hell Week], in the land of the frozen Tundra: Green Bay!

I have been DYING for this weekend to happen!  Kyle has not been back to Green Bay since Christmas and there wasn't enough time for him to explore the city back then.  Now with the nice weather and the Easter Vacation we lined up we were able to go all over town!  I was happy to share the Green Bay that I see with Kyle!

Let me break down how our weekend went!

Thursday:
This was my birthday!  Loved that I didn't have to be at Boston Store...loved I got to spend the day with my kids.   I also enjoyed the birthday wishes from the crew at Power Pump as well as at school.  Kyle gave me flowers and treated me to breakfast at Citrus Cave and a yummy desert at Mocha Moments.   One of my kids lent me a "Hello Kitty" sash to wear for the day!

After school I met up with Run Janesville and pounded 6 miles! I had a great birthday run with the crew, especially John, who kept me going even when I wanted to quit!   Kyle joined up afterwards at O'Riely's!  Then we drove up to Green Bay to enjoy a beverage with my parents at "La Vie Boheme."

Friday:
We woke up to nice sunny weather in GB!  I took Kyle out for a run.  We went running around Greene Isle Park!  I was super excited to show Kyle Greene Isle because that is where we are going to have our wedding photos taken after the wedding!  Kyle and I ran 3.1 miles with an approximate 10:15 pace.

Later we went for a walk in Downtown Green Bay.  We started with wine tasting at Captain's Walk, followed by walking across the river to Cafe Madrid.

I LOVED the food at Cafe Madrid!  OMG!  Talk about amazing Tapas! Here is the food that we ate!

Pork with Baguettes 

Chicken Caprise 

Stuffed Mushrooms

Orange Glazed Meatballs [my favorite!]

Three Goat Cheese!

After, we went to the Wildlife Sanctuary to check out where we are getting our engagement photos done.  We walked around the trails and counted how many ducks and geese we could find.   I was very happy that Kyle got to see where we were going to get our engagement photos done.  He is now even more excited about going to get them taken!

That evening we went out with my family and Brian and Scott.   Even Chad dropped out for a little while!

We started at La Vie, but traveled to "The Black Boot" because we couldn't stand the music.  We tasted some amazing wine and had great food, BUT, I still favor "La Vie Boheme" because of their kind hospitality and reasonable prices with good quality wine!

Saturday:
Busy, busy, busy day!  I ran 10 miles in the AM for marathon practice.  Then Kyle and I went to meet up with Auron and Jamie at Titletown.

Kyle fell in love with the food.  We decided that it was going to be the place for our rehearsal dinner:)     We also had AMAZING service as well!  The waitress was kind, helpful and extremely understandable! I was amazed on how Auron has gotten so big!  I loved that he was super good for the waitress! He smiled all the time, except when I was trying to get a picture of him, stinker;)

Then later, we met up with Kristina, Leah, Brittany, Katherine and Adam for Kristina's birthday celebration!   We went to Phin for dinner, followed by Smart Cow for desert.  It was great hanging out with everybody again!  I enjoyed very much that Adam was able to join us all the way from Port Washington.   Kristina loved her gifts; 31 bags and cast iron pot.  (Me, jealous!)

As for the meal...I enjoyed my entree, but both Kyle and I felt the service wasn't "up to par."  We both were pretty squished with the little to no space we had.  The water lady was obnoxious.  I was sick of her putting the pitcher of water OVER MY NEWLY DYED AND STYLED HAIR EVERY FIVE MINUTES!  I couldn't even drink any of my water in between her visits!  I also didn't like how the waitress handled the "clams" incident either.  But I won't ramble anymore.  The clams were good and the company was fun, that's all that matters:)

Later that night we met up with Zoe and Kayla for a ladies night! WOOT!

We enjoyed a night out in Downtown Green Bay!  I was super happy to hang out with Kayla on a social level, instead of just social networking each other from 166 miles away! 

Sunday:
After a wonderful mass, my family went to Fox Harbor for lunch and drinks.  We were pretty excited to run into our old friends; Kathy and Joe!

I was super happy mom and dad were able to finally meet up with them!  Afterwards, we met up with some more family and then we drove back to Janesville!

We had a great time up in Green Bay!  We are excited that the next time we are going up to GB will be for our engagement photos and for my half marathon!  I cannot believe it's only a month away! AHH!!!

Have a great night!

<3
Em

A [Poor, Overworked, Catholic] Teacher's Wish List!

Hey Everybody!

It seems like everywhere on Facebook there is this craze to sell things.  That's a great way to get rid of old stuff and invest in new stuff that you would otherwise pay a pretty penny for. I've been proudly selling things on Amazon and getting some investment back for it.   Every penny I can scrape for our future together is going to help pay off all of the obnoxious debt that I complied thanks to my 3.5 Mistake at UW-Green Lame and my 3.5 years of good quality education at Saint Norbert.

Likewise, I bet you are the type that would like to get something out of your things.  I sure don't blame you!  It seems we are all living in a financially-difficult society.  I'd like to help out you out too!

Currently a lot of my things are my co-teachers, who has been more than generous for me to use her things.  I sure would have had a boring classroom if I had to start from the ground up last year.  But this year 2, where I know what I want my room to look like.  What I would want in my room for "best" practice, blah, blah, blah.  Plus, it's only fair to contribute, especially since I have advanced myself financially with 2 additional jobs.

Who wouldn't want to make this place a better place for kids?

 If you have anything on this list that you are willing to part with for a reasonable price, I would be more than happy to provide you with that service!

Below is my teaching wish list.  It's short.  It's sweet.  It's a good list.

Miss Bielinski's Wish List:
1] Books 
2] Games like Battleship, Scrabble, Boogle [games that have numbers or letters as the main focus.  Games that kindergarteners could play.]
3] Collections of things [bunch of paperclips, bottle caps, play coins, soda pop tops, real feathers]
4] Books 
5] Blocks, marbles, jacks, legos [the "old-school" toys]
6] Trains and Cars!
7] Kid art activities [stamps, ink pads, stencils, rulers]
8] Books 

and...please...yes...I could use..

9) Anything Spanish-Friendly! 

These things would benefit currently about 90 lovable, cute, and amazing children!

Thanks for reading...more to come soon!
<3
Em

Taking Old and Making it New!

Hey All!

Happy Tuesday!  APRIL IS FINALLY HERE!  The question is...where is SPRING?  It's cold here in Janesville!  Can it get warm please?  I was very lethargic today; probably because of the cold and the fact I did not sleep very well last night.  [Whoops!]

I love the month of April because it counts down to my birthday!  I love celebrating my birthday!  My friends and I always know how to have a good party and a good time.  Last year, we went out for sushi and then hung around the house, taking about 10,000 pics of us!  Here is one of them:

This year we are doing The Color Run on May 3rd to celebrate [despite the fact my birthday is earlier than that]. That's going to be a fun time! The night before we are going to an Irish pub where I hope to indulge in something yummy with a helping of some good fresh Pino!

Again I was going to post something about traveling and fitness, however again, something "got in the way."  This time though, the "got in the way" thing was a happy accident and not a rant.  So here I share my story:

Last night I made an AMAZING dinner and I want to share it with you!

Last week I made Mango Tilapia.  It's a good dish, but the problem is I created a lot of extra "mango salsa."  So much mango salsa that I couldn't just use it for chips and dip.  No--I needed to make something with it.

So gathered my spices and other goodies and cooked and cooked...

And my Sweet and Sassy Taco Salsa Meat Mix was born!

Super easy...and super spicy! [I love super spicy foods!]  I had to eat it with chips otherwise I would have burned my mouth.  I found it pretty filling, although I would have liked to added something else to compliment the spicy salsa with it.  Next time I'm thinking an avocado might help cool the spicy taste a bit.

Here is my recipe:

Sweet and Sassy Taco Salsa Meat Mix
half of a container of ground turkey meat
2 tablespoons of hot spicy sauce [I used Verde Salsa!]
onion
2 slices of Swiss cheese, cut into small squares
Mango Tilapia Salsa [tomatoes, garlic, mango, lime juice and cilantro all combined together in a blender.]
1 tablespoon of lemon juice [or juice of one lemon]
1 tablespoon of paprika, Chile powder, red pepper flakes and powder ginger
mole sauce [I used a heavy lime juice sauce.  Any sauce from a can of chipotle beans or jalapenos can be used.]
pepper to taste
fresh cilantro, to garnish

1.  Brown meat for 2-3 minutes.  Add spices and mix thoroughly.   Allow to cook for an additional minute more, allowing the spices to give a strong aroma.
2. Add mango salsa and mix together for another minute, stirring continuously.
3.  Add sweet cheese, onion and hot spicy sauce.  Continue to cook until the cheese is mostly melted. 4.  Add mole sauce and hot spicy sauce.  Mix together.  Squeeze a lemon or add lemon juice over the meat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
5.  Add fresh cilantro, serve warm over tortilla chips!

What makes this clean?  Well, I used as many natural ingredients as possible.  Yes, I added some "bottled" ingredients [the mole sauce and hot sauce technically fall under the processed foods], however those ingredients were made from the most natural products possible.  I therefore believe it is a "clean dish."  However, if you are worried, you can always just use jalapenos instead. And if you cannot get a hold of "mole sauce" just add some extra chili or some other spice that will "spice up your life!"

What did you think?  Want to give my recipe a try?  Anybody that does, please let me know how it works!  Let me know what your twist is on it and what you'd do differently!

Happy Healthy Cooking!

<3
Em

Self Doubt and You!

Hey Everybody!

I was going to write a blog post about traveling and how to eat and workout on a trip, BUT this issue has come to my attention.

The "I'm Not as Good as You" issue.

It makes me sad to see so many people feel like they have to be "fast" or "go far" in order to feel like their fitness has any value.  That's not true.

Again, I repeat: not. true.

It.

Is.

NOT.

True!

You enter your fitness at your level.  You run the miles you can go.  You go the speed you can go.  Lift the weights that you can lift.  Never feel ashamed of your fitness level.  It is YOUR level.  Set a goal and challenge yourself to rise to the level you want to be. That's how the weak get strong.  The walkers become runners.  The students become yogis.  Practice makes perfect.   It will take many, many, many times to see your increase in your fitness level, but it is happening!  If you are continuously challenging yourself and setting new goals; YOU WILL DOMINATE!

Surround yourself with people that understand what your true value in fitness are.  Work out with supportive and kind fitness freaks; ones who push you to strive in a healthy way!

I ran weekly with a group of runners who are, to be bold, much faster than I am.  Let's face it.  they are fast!  I am always the last person huffing and puffing in the back.  Physically I cannot pound out 7 minute miles.  Not right now! And probably not next week either.

Instead of being sad and going home crying, posting status after status on how horrible and lazy I am, I focus on what I want.  I work with what I have.  I have my body, my experiences and my goals.  I set my own fitness goals and work out how to achieve them!  You can do the same!  Saturday I managed to get a PR [according to MapMyFitness] while today I had a nice sllllooowwww run.  Both times nobody cared!  Everybody was happy that we all worked our hardest and showed up!  One of my favorite parts of running club is when I am coming towards the end.  I'm dead last, by a LOT, but there everybody is cheering me on!  Then, we all cheer and give each other high fives!  Everybody is proud of everybody's accomplishments.  Not ever did somebody poke fun or make anybody feel bad for their fitness level!  It's all in good time!

I know it is hard to get out of that mindset.  Let's face it; your ultimate goal might be so out of reach you deem it not possible to ever do.  You might be stuck in your rut; because you do not know where to start.

Look no more.

Here are 5 Affirmations to help you feel better about your fitness level (and how to push through that workout.)

1) I go hard, intense with a little bit of rest, so I can go home!
2) Fit girls don't look pretty at the gym.
3)  I've got this b***h.
4)  There is no quit in fit.  You can do it!  There is no quit in fit.
5) I'm lapping the couch potatoes.

And remember...

Somebody will always be faster than you.
Somebody will always work harder than you.
Somebody will always be stronger than you.

But to the person that is sitting at home wishing for it,
Or the person who cannot gather the energy for it,
Or the person who is struggling for it,

That person who is always faster
Always working harder
Always stronger

is you!

Think about it!

<3
Em

Day 16: Fitness Apps and You!

Hello!!!!

So just as I promised, I am here to give you part two of awesome fitness apps for you to use!  

I don't have as many to share as the cooking apps, but that's okay!

1) MapMyFranchise 

Price: Free + 2.99 purchase for MVP Level

Come and Get Me!

There is a whole franchise with this app!  Map My Run, Map My Walk, Map My Bike...etc.  They are all the same in essence.  I love this app because I can turn on the GPS device and it will let me know what my pace and my distance are!  I can see what my other friends are doing and rant and rave about their success! Purchasing the MVP level helps you track your routes without having to make them!

2) Couch to 5K

Price: 1.00

Come and Get Me!

Are you a walker looking to expand yourself into the running world?  Look no more than this app!  Couch to 5K is a coach that gets you from walker to runner status by training you to run that first 5K!  I like this app because it trains you how you should train; in intervals over a longer period of time.  

3) WOD

Price: Free!

Come and Get Me!

If you are looking into getting with the CrossFit crowd, but cannot afford the membership look no more than this app!  WOD offers videos and workouts of different types of CrossFit activities that will get you sweating in no time!  Plus there is a newsfeed with articles about best practice with CrossFit and recipes to help you get going!  Each workout has a video to correspond with it so you are not walking into any workout blind!  Work to aspire!

4) All-In Yoga

Price: Free or upgrade to 4.99 (on sale now!) 

Come and Get Me!

Want to stretch more? Yoga is your app!  Yoga allows you to make up your own salutations according to your fitness level while also offering you some pre made routines to help you get inspired as well.  This app can be on you iPad but also your desktop computer too.  Each move is timed so you can get that full stretch for a good length of time.  There is no music in the background so you can put your own meditational music on instead.  The one downside is there is no true "meditation" section.  You will have to come up with your own after the app track is finished.  The upgraded version has 25 pre made workouts as well as pre made videos and more! 

Do you know any good workout apps that you would like to share? Please let me know so I can rant and rave about it!

<3

Em