I have posted this before, but since it’s such a family-favorite I thought I’d post again. My kids (ages 4 and 6) love this recipe. It’s fun and easy to make together.

Michelle and Maggie’s Pumpkin Soup

One yellow onion
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon)
Dash ground pepper – to taste
3 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth

Chop the onion and caramelize with olive oil in pan. In large crock pot or stock pot, add pumpkin, nutmeg and pepper. Slowly add chicken broth and heat thoroughly on medium heat. Stir occasionally.

Before serving, pour into blender or food processor and blend until smooth, will appear creamy. (Bonus, the kids won’t see the onions!)

At the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

I can’t believe it’s already October. I used to associate October with fall color, Husker football and Halloween, but four years ago that all changed. October is breast cancer awareness month and to me, it’s all about pink! On Sunday, my family and family-friends gathered together for our 4th Annual TeamSANDY walk in Omaha’s Race for the Cure. Sandy is my mom, my best friend, and a breast cancer SURVIVOR – 4 years now! We also celebrate my grandmother, 91 year-old Margaret, a 9-year SURVIVOR!

I will never forget the day my mom was diagnosed. I had just left my OB doctor’s office with the news that we were having a BOY! I called my mom the minute I left and she didn’t answer. She didn’t answer her cell, home or work lines. My dad didn’t answer. THey’d been eagerly anticipating our news so I knew that something was very wrong. I knew her test results were due that day and knew it couldn’t have been good.

I remember pulling over on the side of the road, calling my husband and telling him that he needed to turn around and come get me. I couldn’t drive the rest of the way home.

At the time, we knew nothing about cancer and were about to get a crash course. The next week, my mom had a radical mastectomy, followed by several months of chemotherapy. She finished chemo and had a blood transfusion

two days before my brother’s July 30 wedding that year.

I thank God that my mom and dad were able to dance at that wedding and for her healing and recovery. I still have my best friend and that my kids have a vibrant, fun, loving grandma!

Running just isn’t the same lately. I’ve been slowed down by an injury, and it isn’t even my own. My faithful running companion of the past eight years who helps me feel safe and always pushes me to keep going is injured and I am suffering. I’m not talking about a human partner either. My favorite running companion is my dog, a 95-pound weimaraner that looks more horse than dog.

My dog, Orion, injured his leg when running off leash in the woods by our house. The vet has ordered him (me) to rest for at least four weeks. We’re on week two and I’m as lonely as can be. I don’t know what to do with my hands when I’m not holding the leash and I have no one to “talk to” and keep me company in the early morning hours. I’ve lost all motivation without him and I can’t stand to put on my running shoes and see the look on his face when I tell him “no” at the door.

No wonder Dr. O’Keefe writes so many “prescriptions” for dogs.  Seriously, there are lots of studies out there that document better fitness in dog owners.  And for good reason.  Orion is there every morning waiting for me to run.  He’ll even tap my shoulder with his paw if I try to sleep in.  He knows the sound of the drawer where I keep my running socks – he goes crazy whenever it opens and can hear it from anywhere in the house – amazing!  I can’t even spell the word R-U-N without him getting excited.

Two more weeks without my best running buddy - how will I handle it?

Last Saturday employees of CardioTabs and Good Things Health made a strong showing at the Kansas City Start! Heart Walk benefitting the American Heart Association. As a frequent participant in charity runs and races of all lengths, I was absolutely inspired by the sheer number of people who came out just to walk or to show their support for friends/family with heart disease. There were no timing chips and no prizes for the first walker to the finish line, but still thousands of people came to the event.

This is one event where setting a PR was out of the question. We simply walked and had a good time. I even refreshed my CPR skills! Every once in a while it’s good for the competitor in me to take a rest and enjoy the walk.

I think I can speak for our entire staff when I say that we had so much fun meeting long-time customers and new faces, too. We gave out hundreds of samples of omega-3 and had such great reviews! I’ll be posting pictures soon so check www.cardiotabs.com for them.

More great news: CardioTabs is giving 15% of all product sales that use promo code IHEARTKC to the Kansas City chapter of the American Heart Association. Valid through June 30th.

I did it! Stomach bug and all I qualified! For some reason, the Boston Marathon has always been my gauge. Qualifying for and running it would make me a “real” runner. I thought I’d feel different in some way upon making it, but I don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited, but maybe it’s because I never took the time to “revel in the moment” at the end. I started to tear up and get excited, but the very moment I crossed the finish line, that stomach bug had me looking for the nearest restroom.

The race really did go well. My first half felt terrific and in the last 10K, I knew I had the Boston time nailed so I relaxed and had fun with it. My brother, his brother in law (who is also a friend of mine) and my husband, who all happen to be named Jason, ran the last half mile of the race with me and those are moments I’ll never forget.
I think the real finisher’s medal should go to my parents and kids. My mom and dad got the kids up very early to watch the race and helped my husband shuttle them from spot to spot along the race course. They did a lot of work and were there every few miles cheering me on. I should also thank the other Michelle. She was running my pace for the whole first half and had a ton of crowd support – I think she knew the whole city. I just pretended it was me that they were cheering for.

Boston April 2011, here I come. My good friend and running partner will even be joining me! Thanks to all of my friends and family for the well-wishes. We did it!

Go figure!
It’s marathon week. 18 weeks of training and all has gone perfectly well. I’m finally in the taper week and guess what? My first illness of the year – a darn sinus infection has to get in my way. I have asthma and these things usually lead to breathing problems for me. I am really hoping to have this gone in a couple of days. I’m drinking tons of extra fluids, eating only healthy foods including tons of color and I made a call to my asthma doctor. I have been trying to get some extra sleep, but was up all night worrying about being sick. Ugh!

Fortunately taper week is a time for rest. I had a scheduled day off today and only a 3-mile run tomorrow. Wednesday is just four miles and then Thursday and Friday are completely off. My schedule calls for a very easy one-three mile run on Saturday and Sunday is the full 26.2. I always look forward to a few days of eating lots of carbs!

I am determined not to let this nasty sinus infection ruin what could be a great run, but I’m going to need all of the help I can get! Keep your fingers crossed!

I’ve been stealthily training for a spring marathon without really making it official. I wanted to make sure I could get through the training before I committed by actually telling people I was doing it. I wasn’t worried about the physical demands, but more so about life’s other demands and balancing it all. I almost completely quit about a month and a half ago and my husband saved my efforts. He knows I’m a much better wife and mother when I’m getting the “me-time” that exercise provides. About two and a half weeks ago, I made it official when I registered for my home-state Lincoln Marathon. I’ve done the half there many times before and I love it. The course runs right through the University of Nebraska campus, past my old sorority house, etc. The whole run is a trip down memory lane and I never know who I’m going to run into on the course as I have lots of old friends and acquaintances that do the race.

I’m getting pretty excited for this one. I’m not stressed out about hitting a certain time and I’m feeling really good. My last long run was this past Sunday and I felt great for most of the 22 miles. I don’t know exactly what it is this time around, but I have not been overly sore or tired after any of my long runs. In fact, I’ve felt like I could run the next day (but I’ve been good and taken the day off). Last year I was tired and always sore during spring marathon training and I had trouble meeting my goal on race day. This year, I was loyal to the post-run ice bath (my kids find that hilarious – they fill the tub with ice for me and like to wait for the noise I make when I get in). I also upped my omega-3 dose post-run. I took two extra omega-3 softgels on my long run days and the day after. I’ve also stuck to a training plan (the best I could with a job, grad school, and keeping my kids priority #1).

By Michelle Kruse

I love outdoor exercise. The scenery is better, the hills, the freedom, the fresh air, everything. But, I require a temperature at least in the double digits before I head out for a run. The current temperatures and wind chills in Kansas City make outdoor exercise dangerous and I mean I’m stuck indoors. While walking and running outdoors are the perfect form of exercise, you can’t expect to start walking for exercise in January unless you have a back-up plan.

The key is having something to do that works for you. If you have convenient access to a gym, consider joining in January when rates are low. Just make sure it’s easy for you to get there and not out of your way (that way you can’t make excuses). Most gyms offer free consultations with trainers to show you how to use equipment and how to get started. Take advantage of all the free services you can and take notes on the exercises they show you.

Don’t limit your indoor exercise to the traditional “gym.” Community centers often offer great workout equipment at an affordable price. There are indoor pools to join, aerobics studios, dance classes and even mall-walking clubs (FREE!) to join. Simply find an activity you enjoy, check out the atmosphere (you’ll be more inclined to stick with it if you like the people there) and make a commitment.

As a working mom of two young kids, exercise is all about convenience. There is not a gym conveniently located to us, so we turned part of our basement into a workout area. We spent the money we would have paid for gym memberships on a treadmill, bike trainers (set your outdoor road bike up on one of these inexpensive pieces of equipment), free weights and some yoga/aerobics videos. Having different equipment helps annihilate boredom and cross training is key to getting in great shape.

Be creative. Some days I just don’t feel like yet another treadmill workout. When I feel the need for a change, I often borrow exercise DVD’s from the local library or trade with friends. I scour through fitness magazines for new weight lifting and circuit training routines to break the monotony. I also have an addiction to Redbox movies and books on CD (free at the public library) to get me through treadmill and stationary bike workouts.

Have a goal. Your exercise goal shouldn’t be about pounds lost. It should be an achievable fitness goal. A great goal is to train for a 5K – local charity walk/runs abound and are a great motivating force. Start small with your goals. Maybe you can only make it through five minutes of an exercise video now. Make your goal to make it a little further every time. Before you know it, you’ll be moving on to more advanced videos.

Be realistic. Some days it’s nearly impossible to squeeze it all in. On those days, I’ll spend about 15 minutes before I get in the shower jumping rope, doing jumping jacks or just stretching – anything to get my body moving.

By Michelle Kruse

Redbox Junkie,

I don’t watch much TV, with the exception of Go Diego Go and Hannah Montana.  If it weren’t for The Office, I wouldn’t watch it at all.  I haven’t seen many movies since having kids – no time and I can’t stay awake long enough!  However, the constant rain and dark mornings are leaving me no choice but to hit the basement treadmill.  BORING!  I would rather run in sub freezing temperatures outdoors than have to do even 10 minutes on a treadmill.  During the winter, I have to have major motivation to stay on the treadmill.

Last year, it was Sex and the City.  It was a lot more fun starting my morning with that show on DVD instead of the morning news.  I could run through the entire episode without boredom, and I couldn’t wait to get downstairs to run again so I could watch the next episode.  This year:  Redbox.  For only a buck this self-proclaimed cheapskate can make it through an hour plus run on the treadmill without dying of boredom!  Plus, I can’t wait to get home and watch my movie.  My only rule:  I must not watch without motion – I have to run, walk, bike, or lift the entire time I’m watching the movie.  It may sound silly, but the reward of actually watching a movie in its entirety is enough to keep me in the basement working out.  Another bonus, I can choose any girly romantic comedy I want because I’m the only one watching it!

By Michelle Kruse

And the Winner is…..
A recent study was performed to discover which states were the top 10 “brainiest” states in the nation. Unfortunately, it looks like my home state of Missouri has a way to go. (I’m originally from Nebraska and they didn’t fare much better.) So who were the winners? The study determined that the following ten states have the healthiest brains:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. Maryland
3. Washington state
4. Vermont
5. Connecticut
6. Colorado
7. Massachusetts
8. New Jersey
9. Maine
10. New Hampshire

Researchers reached their conclusion by devising a score based on over 21 factors, and looking at data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The major factors included diet, which made up 36% of the score, physical activity 25%, mental health 24%, and social well-being 15%.
These experts suggest that the key to maintaining brain health is eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, exercising (30 minutes a day), playing games, learning new things like languages, taking up new hobbies, and of course eating omega-3 fatty acids from fish and nuts.

It is interesting to note, that almost half of the diet score was based on fish sales and the consumption of the omega-3 fatty acid, DHA. With our brains made up of almost 60% DHA, it is no wonder that this omega-3 fatty acid impacted the results. (Are you getting enough?) Most experts recommend 500-1,000mg DHA + EPA per day. However, individual needs vary. Personally, I take a little more (4 CardioTabs Omega-3 fish oil softgels daily), because it really helps my dry eyes. Wearing my contacts is a lot more comfortable when I’m taking that amount. I’ve experimented a lot to come up with my “magic number.” During both of my pregnancies, I made sure I took at least three CardioTabs fish oil softgels daily to help ensure I received enough DHA to support myself and my developing babies. I also breast fed both of my children their entire first year because of all of research on the benefits of breast milk (side bonus: it helps melt away the baby weight). During this time, I continued to take fish oil because I knew that this was the most important time of my children’s lives for brain and eye development and the only way that they were going to receive the benefits of omega-3 was if I consumed it. Another mom-perk – consuming DHA from omega-3 fish oil may also ward off post partum depression – the theory is that baby takes so much of mom’s DHA that there isn’t much left over for mom’s brain. For me, CardioTabs Omega-3 was the perfect choice during pregnancy and nursing and also now because it is higher in DHA than most omega-3 fish oils available.

So remember the advice of the experts and tell your friends and family – you may catapult your state to the top 10.