I think it’s time I kick the bottle. Disposable water bottles that is.

I do a relatively good job of using refillable bottles, but I could do better. And when I read that one Brita Pitcher filter can replace as many as 300 standard 16.9 ounce plastic water bottles (300!) it made me stop and do better faster.

Brita teamed up with Nalgene to help reduce water bottle waste with its Filter For Good campaign. Great idea! Now we can continue to have  great tasting water with less waste.

Want to enter the drawing to WIN a Brita water pitcher and a Nalgene refillable water bottle? Then go to www.filterforgood.com, take the pledge to reduce water bottle waste, drink some water, and then tell us in the comments section what else you pledge to do better this week. The winner will be announced on Thursday, April 29th.

Now I really must go drink some water and see what’s on tap for the day.

I do not have a green thumb…just ask my neighbors.

But this year I’m determined to grow something other than weeds. So I was pretty stoked when Jen gave me this Topsy Turvy tomato planter.

If all goes “As Seen On TV” then…

• I can avoid breaking my back like all of the real gardeners
• I should have tomatoes 4-6 weeks faster than all of my broken-back neighbors who plant tomatoes in the ground
• Peter and all the other rabbits in my hood will go hungry (again this year) as this contraption grows on a hook and not close to the ground.

• You will see more tomato recipes on this site than on the Food Network

And if it doesn’t work? I’ll just fix it with a little tomato paste.

Now I really must go tend to my garden, I’ll ketchup with you tomorrow!

I broke up with almonds last week. That’s right. I had it.

I was becoming way too obsessed so I threw him out of the house.

But, I’m a glutton for punishment so this week I decided to give him another chance.

So now we’re dating again.

I hang out with him in the bulk bin aisle at the grocery store so we can just spend together in small doses. But when I’m there, sometimes I hear his cousin peanut butter calling my name.

I’m torn.

I kind of have a crush on peanut butter, too. He’s quite, how should I put it? Smooth.

Now that I think about it, I think it would be best if almonds and I were just friends. So maybe I’ll invite him and his buddies over for…

A Protein Bar Mixer

• 1 whole egg
• 5 egg whites
• 2 cups vanilla protein powder
• 1/3 cup flax meal
• 1/3 cup nut butter
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/4 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup walnuts

Whisk together the eggs and your sweetener of choice. Add the protein powder, flax and salt to the mixture. Stir in the nut butter and fold in all of the crazy nuts. Pour the batter into a 9×9 pan coated with non-stick spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Now I really must go pick up some beer nuts…I hear they’re toasted!

In honor of Earth Day, I went out and bought myself the most fuel efficient vehicle on the planet…

A bike.

And, in celebration of Earth day I’m going to reCycle…I’m going to cycle twice. Because that’s how I roll.

Want to join me?

I’ll give you 4 really good reasons to bike on Earth Day (or any day for that matter):

• Biking burns carbs not carbon dioxide
• Biking costs $0.00 per gallon
• Biking is solo-powered
• There is no Planet-B

Plus, bikers don’t get speeding tickets and they get the best parking spaces. Ok, that totally has nothing to do with Earth Day, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless.

Switching gears.

Q. Do you know the hardest thing about riding a bike?

A. The pavement.

Now I really must go put my Earth Day gift away and reTire for the night.

Guess whose Dad got his 5th hole in one last week? MINE.

The guy is a legend.

When I asked him if it was luck or skill that enabled him to get yet another hole in one he simply replied, “Yes”…because funny runs in the family.

Can you imagine what that must feel like? I can not because golf does not run in the family. Ok, scratch that. Golf runs in my family, just not in me.

But, it got me thinking.

When was the last time I had a hole-in-one kind of moment?

Was it when I placed 8th in the state swim meet for 100 meter breaststroke for the entire state of Rhode Island? [Grin!] Or was it when I crossed the finish line at my (one and only) triathlon? Or was it when I set a personal record deadlifting a few weeks ago?

Nope.

It was when I heard my dad made this shot.

Congratulations, Dad!

When was your last hole-in-one kind of moment?

Now I really must go tell my driver it’s time to go hit the iron.

In anticipation of the upcoming Earth Day celebration I thought I’d get the party started early and go green. Sorta.

Angela suggested I come up with a healthy green tea muffin so I stepped into the Fitness & Spice test kitchen and out popped these…

Lean Green Tea Muffins

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar substitute (like stevia for baking)
  
• 1/2 cup natural applesauce
• 3 T extra strong brewed green tea (or 1 T green tea powder)
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Whisk eggs and sugar substitute together, then stir in the natural applesauce and green tea. Add the oat flour, oats, and cinnamon to the mixture and stir. Pour into mini muffin tins coated with nonstick spray.  Top with a sprinkling of oats and bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Makes approximately 20 mini muffins.

If you decide to make these muffins, please don’t use cute little paper muffin liners like I did or they’ll stick, go au naturel instead…you’ll save your muffins and a tree. I knew there was an Earth Day lesson in this post somewhere!

Speaking of lessons…did you know green tea contains two natural chemicals that regulate appetite, mood, cravings, and energy? Green tea also contains compounds that block fat storage. So, when making these muffins, go greener and brew a cup of green tea just for you!

Now I really must go drink some decaf green tea and get ready for a good night’s seep.

I quit my gym last week. That’s right. I quit.

Remember the episode of Friends when Chandler tried to quit the gym?

Well, my experience quitting the gym didn’t go exactly like that. They didn’t even bother asking me why they just had me sign a form. You would think after 5 years of membership they would have asked me why I was leaving, begged me to stay, or threw me a farewell party, but I got nothin’. But that’s cool, my mind was already made up.

It’s time for a change.

So I joined the newest gym in town. Here are 8 great reasons why I picked this gym:

• It is in close proximity to my house and Starbucks.
• The personal trainers and the majority of the members look like they are in better shape then me…hello, motivation!
• They have a cardio theater (a dark room with a movie theater screen packed with cardio equipment).
• Their spinning bikes are off the chain! So to speak.
• They have updated equipment like this amazing little medicine ball ab machine
• The price was right! Even though negotiating the rate was as painful as buying a new car. But who’s complaining?
• The guy that gave me the tour had me at hello.
• I’ll make new Friends.

New location, new equipment, new people…I think this little change will be good for me and my workouts.

Now I really must go, but before I do I was just wondering, can you spare some change?

My dog went to the groomer last week and got a report card.

His overall score? Awesome!

Now I’m sure if I went to the salon last week my groomer stylist would have given me the same assessment, right Matt?

But since this site isn’t about how great my hair looks let’s talk about my Fitness & Spice report card for the week:

• Weight training. I started a new program this week and, as I wrote in my fitbook, it was humbling. B-
• Cardio. Don’t ask…right, Jodi? right, Carrie? F
• Nutrition. I overdosed a bit on the almonds. Twice. Otherwise it was a successful week. A-
• Water. Not too shabby! A-
• Recovery. I took an entire day off from workouts this week which is rare! But I should have gotten more sleep. B

My overall rating? About a B-average. Be average? UNACCEPTABLE!

How was YOUR week?

My goal for next week? Straight Awesome’s.

Now I really must go do some push ups since I’m already grounded!

Q. How do you make a blueberry shake?

A. Take it to a scary movie.

Hold your applause until the end.

A friend of mine recently suggested that I shake up the flavor of my protein shakes by substituting sparkling water in place of water. The result? A sparkling success!

Here’s the scoop…

• 1/3 cup Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1/3 cup Berries
• 1 cup Sparkling Water (plain or flavored)
• Ice

Blend. Enjoy!

Adding sparkling water put a refreshing twist on my protein shake without adding any calories. I can’t wait to experiment with other colorful combos.

Now I really must go to the gym and add some dumbbell flyes with that shake.

Impulse shopping is nothing new to me, but kettlebell training is brand spanking new.

When Shay posted a link to a DVD her trainer created, I jumped on her kettlebell bandwagon. I was looking for a DVD that would teach me proper technique and give me a good workout and that’s exactly what I got with Alysia Gadson’s Ultimate Kettlebell workout DVD‘s.

Alysia describes kettlebell training as “cardio under load.”

She’s right.

My heart and my muscles were pumpin with her workouts.

In case you’re curious, here’s what’s included on the 3 DVD’s:

• An intro to kettlebells including weight recommendations, proper form, history of kettlebell training, yadda, yadda, yadda
• 3 sweaty 30-minute workouts
• A 15 minute butt-kicking bonus swing workout and a series of stretches

Here, take a look:

What I like most about the Ultimate Kettlebell DVD’s is that there are no bells and whistles. Scratch that. There are plenty of kettlebells on the DVD, just not a lot of extra noise. Alysia really keeps the focus on form, breath, and doing the work. I like her style.

Now I really must go thank Shay and the kettlebell queen and then go play on my swing set.