I feel like I am getting the hang of this early morning workout thing. For the record, I would like to be clear about what constitutes an "early morning" for me. If I'm working out by 7 that's basically the middle of the night. You crazies with your knuckle lights who hit up the streets before the bars close from the night before are my idols.
My biggest problem with waking up and working out straight away (aside from sheer laziness) is that it's COLD. Yeah, yeah...I know I live in Georgia and I need to give it a break. But in the morning it's still cold so I feel the need to bundle up while I walk all of 18 feet from my closet to the room where I workout. I think it's a pretty dang sexy look:
By "sexy" I do mean a little creepy. I don't where my impish face came from but let's blame it on the early morning, shall we? This morning the workout was 35 minutes of spin with intervals whenever the chorus of the song came on. I also did about 25 minutes of upper body and core work. Not my favorite thing in the world but I'm working on it.
Last week I told you about my risotto fail and I decided that I would never again make any menu item that includes the instructions "stir for one hour" ever again. Enter: rice cooker risotto. I was a little nervous that it would all burn but it worked out really well and required less than 5 minutes of effort from me.
I made brown rice in the rice cooker with a giant pile of kale tossed right in there. Instead of water I used chicken broth but kept the broth/rice ratios the same as usual. It took about 40 minutes in the rice cooker and then right before serving I folded in some mozzarella and Parmesan cheese so it could melt and topped the whole thing with some cooked chicken breast. I kid you not - this totally tasted like risotto. And I got to be lazy!
I think it's important you all realize how difficult it is for me to take a decent photo of my dinner. One of my cats is the cutest thing ever but also a total fatty. Seriously - he will eat anything he can get his hands on and will even lick my hands if I eat something sweet. Here he is desperately trying to get in on the risotto action:
For the record, he's my favorite cat. We bond over food.
Have you ever made risotto? Love it or hate it?
Let's say that this was my first successful attempt at making it. And yes, foodies - for the record I'm sure I broke like 8 risotto commandments but it tastes the same to me! I love seafood risotto and when I see it on a menu I pretty much always order it.
What is your normal wakeup time (weekday and weekend)?
It's pretty much the same every single day - 7 am right now. In the summer I wake up earlier and in the winter later. Weekends I might sleep in until 8 unless I have an early long run planned.
My biggest problem with waking up and working out straight away (aside from sheer laziness) is that it's COLD. Yeah, yeah...I know I live in Georgia and I need to give it a break. But in the morning it's still cold so I feel the need to bundle up while I walk all of 18 feet from my closet to the room where I workout. I think it's a pretty dang sexy look:
By "sexy" I do mean a little creepy. I don't where my impish face came from but let's blame it on the early morning, shall we? This morning the workout was 35 minutes of spin with intervals whenever the chorus of the song came on. I also did about 25 minutes of upper body and core work. Not my favorite thing in the world but I'm working on it.
Last week I told you about my risotto fail and I decided that I would never again make any menu item that includes the instructions "stir for one hour" ever again. Enter: rice cooker risotto. I was a little nervous that it would all burn but it worked out really well and required less than 5 minutes of effort from me.
I made brown rice in the rice cooker with a giant pile of kale tossed right in there. Instead of water I used chicken broth but kept the broth/rice ratios the same as usual. It took about 40 minutes in the rice cooker and then right before serving I folded in some mozzarella and Parmesan cheese so it could melt and topped the whole thing with some cooked chicken breast. I kid you not - this totally tasted like risotto. And I got to be lazy!
I think it's important you all realize how difficult it is for me to take a decent photo of my dinner. One of my cats is the cutest thing ever but also a total fatty. Seriously - he will eat anything he can get his hands on and will even lick my hands if I eat something sweet. Here he is desperately trying to get in on the risotto action:
For the record, he's my favorite cat. We bond over food.
Have you ever made risotto? Love it or hate it?
Let's say that this was my first successful attempt at making it. And yes, foodies - for the record I'm sure I broke like 8 risotto commandments but it tastes the same to me! I love seafood risotto and when I see it on a menu I pretty much always order it.
What is your normal wakeup time (weekday and weekend)?
It's pretty much the same every single day - 7 am right now. In the summer I wake up earlier and in the winter later. Weekends I might sleep in until 8 unless I have an early long run planned.
I think I have made risotto but I can't remember for sure. I do know I like to eat risotto! YUM!
ReplyDeleteMmmm... love risotto. I made an asparagus risotto last year for Easter and it was awesome!
ReplyDeleteI usually wake up at 6:15 if I don't run before school. If I do run before school, it's 5:15. Sooooo early. But I love it because I am done with my work day by 3:30pm. Weekends I'm lucky if I sleep past 7:30am.
Great job working out in the morning. When it's cold, I just want to stay in my warm bed so good for you for hauling your butt out of bed.
ReplyDeleteI've made risotto before and yes it is slightly tedious. I do love that you made it in a rice cooker :)
I relieved to see someone else's cat on the kitchen table. I haven't made risotto and I still can't seem to master the rice cooker... it is all boil-in-bag over here.
ReplyDeleteLove risotto but it's a pain in the ass to make. Stirring or whisking anything for prolonged periods of time always kills me. Your cat is too funny, my pups do the same thing when food comes out.
ReplyDeleteThat looks and sounds really good! I've actually never had risotto... I should probably change that huh.
ReplyDeleteI'm up at 7 too, but honestly would sleep till 9 if I could.
I get up about 8 each morning. Any running before 9am pretty much is the middle of the night for me too.
ReplyDeleteI totally feel you on the cold in the mornings, it has been freezing in the mornings here in NC and I cannot get out of the bed! So I haven't been doing my morning workouts recently, mostly at night...but it's just too cold! lol
ReplyDeleteYou have a favorite cat? I didn't realize that you were one of THOSE cat owners. Tsk tsk, I'm calling PETA.
ReplyDeleteI like risotto - made it once, should make it more often.
ReplyDeleteMy husband wakes up at 7 a.m. which means . . . SIGH . . . so do I. Sometimes I work early in the morning and get up at 4:45 a.m. while other times I work later in the evening until like 8:00 p.m. so I don't have to go to work until much later. Kind of depends on the day. REALLY HATE waking up early to run. Do it as infrequently as possible - races, of course, seem to always be early and a few times in the summer for long runs when the forecast is like 115*, I'll reluctantly start a run at like 6 a.m. but know it's ONLY out of safety that I do so (heat stroke is no joke).
Your cat cracks me up. Have you considered writing a blog post from the cat's perspective or in the cat's "voice" - that would be hilarious! Just a thought. I'd read it . . . and probably laugh my booty off (I could use loosing some booty so . . . start writing, huh!). :)
I've made a potato risotto before- so unhealthy, but delicious.
ReplyDeleteI wake up at 5:45 on week day mornings (I leave the house at 6:30 to be at work by 7- I'm a teacher) and as late as the dogs will let me sleep on weekends, so generally between 8 and 9.
I haven't made risotto, I mess up every 3rd or 4th time I make regular rice so I'm not going there yet. Love your fat kitty! What a doll! I miss having a cat.
ReplyDeleteI have to workout In the evenings...I am up by 5 every day just to get to work on time. No way could I get up an hour earlier to work out!
ReplyDeleteI get up at 7 too and 5 was ROUGH today. Tuesdays are going to slowly kill me or cause me to sleep until lunch on Wednesdays.
ReplyDeleteI've never made risotto but I do think I've had it! Can't you tell I'm a foodie?!
I sometimes make risotto in a dutch oven and bake it once the liquid boils. I take it out and stir it once in awhile and it works pretty well. I love my dutch oven!
ReplyDeleteI dunno if you read Joy the Baker, but she JUST posted a recipe for baked risotto:
ReplyDeletehttp://joythebaker.com/2012/03/baked-lemon-risotto/
Love eating it; hate making it. My arm was rubber and so was the risotto.
ReplyDeleteI have never made risotto for that reason....stir one hour! But, I am intrigued by the previous comment re. baked risotto.
ReplyDeleteLove risotto, its one of my go-tos when I run out of ideas .... but hubby makes it these days because he cooks so much better than I do!
ReplyDeleteLove risotto! But it takes a lot for me to make it rather then get take out from the Italian place down the street. I can get up early, no problem. But throw in a workout and forget it. I can't run before 8am. My legs just don't work....or my brain.
ReplyDeleteRisotto is good but usually not worth the effort. I think I've made it twice, once was OK and once was terrible because it was some sort of butternut squash risotto...yuck!
ReplyDeleteI pretty much always wake up at 6. Every once in a while, on a weekend, I'll crash and sleep til 10, but that's not very often.
ReplyDeleteI love risotto, but I've never made it.
I made it in college and it took forever but it was amazing. I had Eric made some recipe that took a lot less time recently but now I forgot where I saw it! During the week, I usually wake up in the 5am hour (unless I suck and can't do it) and it seems the earlier I wake up during the week, the later I sleep on the weekends....
ReplyDeleteDid you wake your husband up to take that picture? I totally would have.
I'll take the "people with knuckle lights are my idols" comment as a personal compliment. Thanks :)
Awww a roly-poly kitty! My cat is always on the kitchen table too. We started the bad habit of letting him finish our plates when there are leftovers and now he is used to it. This cat will seriously eat anything!
ReplyDeleteaww kitty! Too cute :) I love risotto but don't have the time or energy to stir it for an hour! Wake up time is 715 during the week (use to be later but now with a puppy I have to get up earlier). 8ish on the weekend.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, your cat made me laugh so so hard. HA....7 is early and you are sexy! I hear you on the cold and that is why I live on my treadmill in the winter. It is so hard to get out of a warm bed and go out into the cold. GREAT JOB!!
ReplyDeleteI love risotto and don't mind making it if that's all I'm making, but I find it stressful if I'm making that as a side and have to work on something else - the rice cooker is genius! I'm with you on the cold, sometimes I leave a jacket/long-sleeve tee on till I warm up a bit!
ReplyDeleteThat is the cutest picture of your cat! OMG!!! I love it. My alarm usually goes off at 7 and I am trying my best to actually get out of bed at that time but it is not always easy! Once I move I want to start getting up at 6 so I can get my workout in before work.
ReplyDeleteRice maker risotto? Where you don't have to stand and stir? Sign me up!
ReplyDeleteI have a fatty cat too and he's just soooo cute.
ReplyDeletebahahahaha. omg. that cat is so hilarious!!!! one thing i have never understood about riley is how much she could care less if she eats. all was right in the world once i got zoey and she eats a full bowl of food and then cries because there is none left. my thoughts exactly ;) hahaha. i love food :)
ReplyDeletetotes used to drape the comforter over myself while changing from pajamas into real clothes after waking up in the morning. now that i live/sleep with another human being, i feel bad about whipping the comforter off him so that i can maintain body heat. i still do it. he's a heavy sleeper.
ReplyDeleteSilly kiitty; just wants to be in on the action!
ReplyDelete