working out for Disney

[Sans Souci]

Hello-
I've been working out still. I just get a little blah this time of year and I keep to myself.

I've also been preoccupied with making macarons. OMG. I can't tell you how vexing it's been. These little buggers are so difficult to make correctly. I am going on a cruise with my friends next week and I am making a half dozen for each of my friends. The shells have been cracking while baking, not growing "feet" or being totally hollow. Yesterday, I tried to remove them from parchment paper and they wouldn't come off without destroying them.


I have spent $100 so far and made 10 dozen screw up macarons. They still taste good and my freezer is overflowing with macarons, but they are not acceptable to give as gifts.

I have one presentable batch made. This is filled with homemade lime curd.
.


Here is a batch where the shells came out perfectly, but the orange curd was too runny. This was my second batch of orange curd.



So, I need 2 dozen orange macarons and 2 dozen lemon. I’d really like to get this done no later than Sunday. Each batch takes a few hours and has a million steps involved. What was I thinking?

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I did know you did a PTR. I'll have to check it out.

You sound incredibly busy. I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but maybe try to find some time for a little breather for yourself-even if it's just sitting with a book and a cup of tea. I got stressed out just reading your first paragraph and you're running training for races, too. You don't want to run yourself down and get sick.

The PTR is sort of an ongoing thing. It helps me vent and organize my thoughts about this whole process...as well as share all of my shopping and booking fun. We are getting a kid free night this weekend, so maybe that will help. The training actually seems to be helping me stay sane and I'd like to think it's helping keep away illness. I'm still mixed on races, but I am starting to crave the training runs.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Hello-
I've been working out still. I just get a little blah this time of year and I keep to myself.

I've also been preoccupied with making macarons. OMG. I can't tell you how vexing it's been. These little buggers are so difficult to make correctly. I am going on a cruise with my friends next week and I am making a half dozen for each of my friends. The shells have been cracking while baking, not growing "feet" or being totally hollow. Yesterday, I tried to remove them from parchment paper and they wouldn't come off without destroying them.


I have spent $100 so far and made 10 dozen screw up macarons. They still taste good and my freezer is overflowing with macarons, but they are not acceptable to give as gifts.

I have one presentable batch made. This is filled with homemade lime curd.
.View attachment 409548


Here is a batch where the shells came out perfectly, but the orange curd was too runny. This was my second batch of orange curd.

View attachment 409549

So, I need 2 dozen orange macarons and 2 dozen lemon. I’d really like to get this done no later than Sunday. Each batch takes a few hours and has a million steps involved. What was I thinking?

Those looks sooooooo DELICIOUS! I've never tried making macarons, but I hear they can be extremely temperamental. My friend wanted to do a bunch for her daughter's bday...the test ones were great...but the party ones were a disaster. I've heard that they are very sensitive to changes in the weather. The flavors you've made sound amazing! I love all kinds of citrus curds.

 

[Sans Souci]

The PTR is sort of an ongoing thing. It helps me vent and organize my thoughts about this whole process...as well as share all of my shopping and booking fun. We are getting a kid free night this weekend, so maybe that will help. The training actually seems to be helping me stay sane and I'd like to think it's helping keep away illness. I'm still mixed on races, but I am starting to crave the training runs.

It sounds like a well-deserved kid-free night. I hope you and your husband have something fun planned!

 

[Sans Souci]

Those looks sooooooo DELICIOUS! I've never tried making macarons, but I hear they can be extremely temperamental. My friend wanted to do a bunch for her daughter's bday...the test ones were great...but the party ones were a disaster. I've heard that they are very sensitive to changes in the weather. The flavors you've made sound amazing! I love all kinds of citrus curds.

Thank you. They are so temperamental. I switched to "Italian macarons" and they seem little more sturdy for traveling and I seem to get better results using this recipe. I made the mistake of trying to trying to make a batch the day Dorian passed by off the coast. It was really humid and rainy here. But then I wondered how they make macarons in humid places like Singapore and Hong Kong.

I am filling them citrus curds because I am hoping they will withstand heat better than ganache or buttercream. I am bringing them down in a cooler (carry on) and I am whacking them in the fridge as soon as I get to BLT. I also thought the citrus theme was appropriate, since we'll be in Florida.

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello-

I did a really sweaty yoga class this morning. Did it move! I definitely feel awake now.

I made a successful batch of lemon curd macarons yesterday. Two down and one to go! I need to find an orange curd recipe that is thick like a lime or lemon curd. The two recipes I have tried so far are like honey.

I ordered macaron boxes from Amazon and they are arriving today. I am hoping my macs will fit in them.

I am going out for Vietnamese food for lunch with my husband. I kind of want pho, but sometimes eating it feels like a lot of work.

 

[epcotisbest]

It has been record breaking hot down here for the past several days and that has kept me indoors more than I would like, but even with that I had a good 3-month check up the other day with good lab numbers all the way around. Was expecting the scale to lie and say I might have gained some weight, but no, no gain. No loss either but that's OK.
Decided I wanted today to be a cheat day so it was no counting calories or carbs today and I had a big ole hamburger topped with all the goodies, and a side of onions rings from a local mom-and pop place that makes some tasty stuff. If I'm gonna have junk food (however rarely) it might as well be good. This is about as far from a Big Mac or Whopper as you can get.

 

[epcotisbest]

Hello-
I've been working out still. I just get a little blah this time of year and I keep to myself.

I've also been preoccupied with making macarons. OMG. I can't tell you how vexing it's been. These little buggers are so difficult to make correctly. I am going on a cruise with my friends next week and I am making a half dozen for each of my friends. The shells have been cracking while baking, not growing "feet" or being totally hollow. Yesterday, I tried to remove them from parchment paper and they wouldn't come off without destroying them.


I have spent $100 so far and made 10 dozen screw up macarons. They still taste good and my freezer is overflowing with macarons, but they are not acceptable to give as gifts.

I have one presentable batch made. This is filled with homemade lime curd.
.View attachment 409548


Here is a batch where the shells came out perfectly, but the orange curd was too runny. This was my second batch of orange curd.

View attachment 409549

So, I need 2 dozen orange macarons and 2 dozen lemon. I’d really like to get this done no later than Sunday. Each batch takes a few hours and has a million steps involved. What was I thinking?

Presentable? If presented to me they would disappear very quickly, then there would be nothing left but crumbs and thank yous.

 

[Sans Souci]

Presentable? If presented to me they would disappear very quickly, then there would be nothing left but crumbs and thank yous.

Thanks. The orange curd was so runny, it was leaking out of the macarons. I didn't think they'd make the trip to Orlando and then onto the Disney Dream. I didn't want to give my friends something like that. My son scarfed them up in short order, though.

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning-

I did a DVD workout I haven't done in a couple of years today, so I'll probably be sore tomorrow. I used to struggle with all of the push ups in this workout and I didn't today. I credit that to doing lots of yoga.

I finished my macaron saga last night. Some of the shells weren't quite perfectly round and my third attempt at non-runny orange curd was marginally better. They are not filled as much as the others, because the curd is just not as thick and I didn't want it running out of the sides. My husband told me to just wrap it up, that I've made an honest effort. (Honestly, I enjoyed the distraction and it kept me from ruminating on my failed FA attempts.) I've been doing this for two weeks and I have thrown out *so* many shells. They are made with almond flour, so it adds up. I think orange curd is just not as thick as lemon and lime because oranges are not as acidic as lemon and lime. I have them all in the freezer now. I'm sitting here wondering if grapefruit curd would be any thicker. lol

I am going to work on my Halloween costume for the Halloween party on the cruise today. It's simple and it packs very easily.

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello-

I did a low key, upper body stretch class this AM. It was one of those classes where you hold a stretch for a few minutes. I feel so tight in some places and I am trying to fix that. I'm not gonna lie, it's boring and there is some discomfort involved. Not pain, but that discomfort you feel when you're a bit tight and you're trying to loosen up. I get a little frustrated in these types of classes, too. I think it's because I am so tight and I feel like I shouldn't be with all of the yoga I do. LOL

I boxed up my macarons and they are taking up so much space in my freezer. I am certain they are going to be damaged when I fly. My friend is working my flight and I am sitting in her section, so I am going to ask her to help me put them somewhere where someone won't try to put their wheelie carry on on top of them. This is my best set of macarons. All the other boxes are a motley assortment of sizes. Some are not even centered. They must have "slipped" when I put them in Tupperware to freeze. I may or may not get bows for them. I feel mentally done with them.




I'm going for a walk later on with my husband. Then, I am making a lasagna to freeze, so my husband doesn't have to worry about cooking dinner when I am on my cruise. (There's no room for frozen lasagna, though. Oops.)

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It sounds like a well-deserved kid-free night. I hope you and your husband have something fun planned!

We're so boring! We got some bbq take out and watched college football. I at least convinced my brain to go back to sleep after waking up around 6am.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Hello-

I did a low key, upper body stretch class this AM. It was one of those classes where you hold a stretch for a few minutes. I feel so tight in some places and I am trying to fix that. I'm not gonna lie, it's boring and there is some discomfort involved. Not pain, but that discomfort you feel when you're a bit tight and you're trying to loosen up. I get a little frustrated in these types of classes, too. I think it's because I am so tight and I feel like I shouldn't be with all of the yoga I do. LOL

I boxed up my macarons and they are taking up so much space in my freezer. I am certain they are going to be damaged when I fly. My friend is working my flight and I am sitting in her section, so I am going to ask her to help me put them somewhere where someone won't try to put their wheelie carry on on top of them. This is my best set of macarons. All the other boxes are a motley assortment of sizes. Some are not even centered. They must have "slipped" when I put them in Tupperware to freeze. I may or may not get bows for them. I feel mentally done with them.


View attachment 410424

I'm going for a walk later on with my husband. Then, I am making a lasagna to freeze, so my husband doesn't have to worry about cooking dinner when I am on my cruise. (There's no room for frozen lasagna, though. Oops.)

The macarons are absolutely beautiful! Lasagna sounds pretty great too.

Have you tried foam rolling to help with any of the tightness? I don't do it as often as I should, but it seems to help.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

So, I'm not sure what was up with me on Friday, but I couldn't drag myself out of bed and I was so drained that I needed mini naps all day...before just crawling into bed around 4 and sleeping until 9. And I was back in bed around 11pm! I know...I've got so many things going on that my body finally said SLEEEEEEP!

I woke up bright and early on Saturday and got out for my "long" run. I have that local 10k next weekend, but I stuck to my training mileage for the 10k/half plan that is starting up and now overlapping with my original 10k plan. So, I went 4 miles. i didn't push myself as hard as I could but I put up decent numbers and finished the run with a really good negative split. Now, if I could have similar results next Sunday. The only worrisome part was some pain in my toes. I used to get this when distance walking and it was diagnosed as a nerve issue that just comes and goes. I also made up for the missed Friday workout between yesterday and today. Which reminds me...I wasn't able to get on the bike right after my long run yesterday. The girls had a scrimmage and I had to clean up and get there. My legs were so achy because of it, but it was so much better after I biked.

I'm sort of dreading this week. We officially enter the busy season at work tomorrow, I have to get the pups to the vet for weigh ins for their meds, I need to bake for the older one's dessert social for choir and dance on Saturday, the younger one has a car wash on Saturday for her select softball team, both kids have opening ceremonies and games on Saturday for their rec softball team, and then there's all of my training and the race. I need three of me!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

So, I'm not sure what was up with me on Friday, but I couldn't drag myself out of bed and I was so drained that I needed mini naps all day...before just crawling into bed around 4 and sleeping until 9. And I was back in bed around 11pm! I know...I've got so many things going on that my body finally said SLEEEEEEP!

I did that yesterday. I woke up at 10 am. I was like, nope, and I went back to sleep until 12:30. Then I woke up, stayed up for a while, and passed out on the couch at around 3. Woke up at 6. Went back to bed by 11.

I found out this week that my thyroid hormone levels were wayyyy off, so we had to increase medication. Between that and going to Hershey again on Saturday, I'm sure my body had just had enough.

Taking another break from the gym today. I'll try again tomorrow.

 

[Sans Souci]

We're so boring! We got some bbq take out and watched college football. I at least convinced my brain to go back to sleep after waking up around 6am.

Sometimes, we do that, too. I'll just make up some dips and snack-y things and chill out on the couch with a movie. There are times where I feel like getting ready to go out is a lot of work.

 

[Sans Souci]

The macarons are absolutely beautiful! Lasagna sounds pretty great too.

Have you tried foam rolling to help with any of the tightness? I don't do it as often as I should, but it seems to help.

Thank you. The lasagna was tasty. I made the gravy in the Instant Pot and it had some unusual ingredients. It had soy sauce, fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce in it. You couldn't taste those ingredients, but they made the sauce very savory.

I have tried foam rolling, just not consistently. I find it very painful and not a "good" painful--my IT band . Even when I use light pressure, it hurts. I think I need to work up to it. This is only going to get worse as I get older, so I am trying to stay supple/flexible as long as possible.

 

[Sans Souci]

So, I'm not sure what was up with me on Friday, but I couldn't drag myself out of bed and I was so drained that I needed mini naps all day...before just crawling into bed around 4 and sleeping until 9. And I was back in bed around 11pm! I know...I've got so many things going on that my body finally said SLEEEEEEP!

I woke up bright and early on Saturday and got out for my "long" run. I have that local 10k next weekend, but I stuck to my training mileage for the 10k/half plan that is starting up and now overlapping with my original 10k plan. So, I went 4 miles. i didn't push myself as hard as I could but I put up decent numbers and finished the run with a really good negative split. Now, if I could have similar results next Sunday. The only worrisome part was some pain in my toes. I used to get this when distance walking and it was diagnosed as a nerve issue that just comes and goes. I also made up for the missed Friday workout between yesterday and today. Which reminds me...I wasn't able to get on the bike right after my long run yesterday. The girls had a scrimmage and I had to clean up and get there. My legs were so achy because of it, but it was so much better after I biked.

I'm sort of dreading this week. We officially enter the busy season at work tomorrow, I have to get the pups to the vet for weigh ins for their meds, I need to bake for the older one's dessert social for choir and dance on Saturday, the younger one has a car wash on Saturday for her select softball team, both kids have opening ceremonies and games on Saturday for their rec softball team, and then there's all of my training and the race. I need three of me!

Wow. Your body was definitely telling you to give it a rest!

I have nerve issues, too. Sometimes, I get a sharp, shooting pain in my rt glute. I went to physical therapy for it about 5 years ago, but I never kept up with the exercises she gave me (which, incidentally, involved a foam roller ). But nerve pain is not fun, wherever it's located.

Is the busy season when you do that overnight work and you come home at 4 AM? That sounds stressful. Can you buy a dessert for your daughter's social, instead of baking one? That might take the pressure off a bit. You've got enough going on this week!

 

[Sans Souci]

I did that yesterday. I woke up at 10 am. I was like, nope, and I went back to sleep until 12:30. Then I woke up, stayed up for a while, and passed out on the couch at around 3. Woke up at 6. Went back to bed by 11.

I found out this week that my thyroid hormone levels were wayyyy off, so we had to increase medication. Between that and going to Hershey again on Saturday, I'm sure my body had just had enough.

Taking another break from the gym today. I'll try again tomorrow.

I hope you're back to normal soon. At least you know now when you feel exhausted to get your thyroid checked.

 

[Sans Souci]

OK-I just wrote a long post and it disappeared in the ether. I'll come back when I am not so frustrated.