Jill McCauslin, Author at Becoming Elli

Cabbage, Potato, and Sausage Soup in the Instant Pot

October 8, 2020

Fit and Strong, Food and Drink, Recipes, Veggie Challenge

It's fall once again and my heart turns to soups, including my recipe for a Cabbage, Potato, and Sausage Soup and I'm using the Instant Pot for this. If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can make this just as easily on the stove. I wanted to see how the cabbage and potato would work in the Instant Pot and it turned out great. In all of the recipes in Becoming Elli, you can count on there being a lot of recipes that include cabbage. I'm not sure why that is. I posted my basic cabbage soup recipe a while ago. Ingredients 1/2 Tbsp. avocado oil 2 carrots, chopped 2 stalks of celery, chopped About 1 lb of baby red potatoes, cut in half or quarters depending on the size 1/2 of...

#InstantPot #kielbasa #soup cabbage

The Motivation of a Race

October 1, 2020

Motivation

There’s a lot of motivation in signing up for a race, at least for me. I’m much more likely to really follow a training plan if I have something on the calendar. This year has not been a good one for racing. I think 2020 will be known as the year of no races, among other things. Buckeye Half Marathon and 10K I noticed the Buckeye Half Marathon and 10K is still scheduled. It hasn’t been cancelled yet. Of course, it’s quite possible that it will be cancelled but as of right now, it’s still a possibility. I have a several year history with this race. The first year, I registered for a half marathon and then ended up getting my sciatic injury that took me out for quite...

#Buckeye10K #Racing

How Many Steps Do I Take in a Year?

September 24, 2020

Fit and Strong, Fitness

Someone recently asked me how many steps do I take in a year. Apparently I don’t think big enough because I’ve never set an annual goal for myself. I have tinkered with a daily goal of steps and I have had weekly goals but I’ve never set an annual goal. My daily goal is set currently at 10,000 . I’ve changed that number in the past but I just leave it as is now. The question about an annual goal made me curious about what I’ve done in the past so I logged into the Fitbit dashboard and got some numbers. This was a lot easier to do on my laptop. Using the Fitbit app on my phone was more difficult to get the totals. If...

#Fitbit

First Time Swimming Since the Pandemic Shutdown

September 17, 2020

Fit and Strong

Yesterday was my first time swimming since we all went into seclusion due to the Covid-19 pandemic. My gym reopened about two months ago and I rejoined a few weeks later. A pleasant feature for me is that not many people have returned to the gym so it’s always quiet. The pool area was no exception. This time there were two people in the therapy pool and one other person in the lap pool. I had no problem snagging a lane. The five-lane pool was reduced to three lanes. Every other lane was closed to enable social distancing. The only thing that felt strange was wearing a mask from the locker room to the pool. (Right now, due to state regulations in Ohio, we have to wear...

Tuna and Sardine Salad

September 10, 2020

Food and Drink, Recipes

I never really thought I'd be writing a post about tuna and sardine salad. The mind is a funny thing. I wanted to make lunch the other day and I thought I'd make my standard salad for lunch. I like to add protein to my salad. Usually I have some cooked chicken in the refrigerator just ready to be chopped up and added to my salad. This day, however, I was out of chicken because I used all of it in my Easy Coconut Red Curry Chicken. I was back to rummaging around in my pantry where I found a can of tuna and thought, no, that's not what I want. A can of sardines was lurking behind the tuna. I remembered that I should definitely...

Ode to My Vintage Cannondale Hybrid Bike

September 3, 2020

Bike Riding, Fit and Strong

I’m not too keen on the title Vintage Cannondale Hybrid Bike. It’s hard to believe that something I own should be called vintage. I guess being part of the Becoming Elli community means that I may well own something that is considered to be vintage. Recently, I rode my old, original bike and fell in love with it again. I rode on a lovely bicycle trail, the Kokosing Gap Trail, that was paved and flat and very scenic. It was a great ride. I noticed how comfortable my bike was. It has straight handle bars, the brakes are easy to use and reach, and the gear shifter was also easy to use and reach. I never felt like I had to move my hands or position to...

#Cannondale #KokosingGap #Raleigh

Easy Coconut Red Curry Chicken

September 1, 2020

Food and Drink, Recipes

Here's how I made an easy coconut red curry chicken. I used the ingredients I had on hand and came up with a tasty dinner that didn't take long to assemble. Fast, easy, and good. It really doesn't get much better than that. I cleaned out my freezer recently and realized that I had a large bag of frozen stir fry vegetables that I needed to use sooner than later. Also, I had some cooked chicken breast that I wanted to use for my dinner. Not only did I have a can of coconut milk but I also had some red curry paste in the pantry. Probably my dish is not very authentic Thai food but it was tasty and quick so it counts as a win...

Riding My Bike Outside is Amazing

August 27, 2020

Bike Riding, Fit and Strong

Yes, riding my bike outside is amazing. I went on a short vacation recently to Catawba Island on Lake Erie. It was a perfect trip: gorgeous weather and lots of outdoor activities. We went for a bike ride at East Harbor State Park. It was my first ride outdoors in over a year. Yes, I know. Very strange. Differences between Indoor and Outside Riding I’ve been riding my bike indoors using Zwift and my smart trainer. I really like my virtual rides because I’ve ridden my bike through London (I never realized how many hills there are in London!), Richmond, VA, New York, and a variety of other places. I also don’t have to worry about traffic or other people. I’ve shared my inside riding adventures before. Getting on...

Working Out in a Mask

August 20, 2020

Fit and Strong

What’s it like working out in a mask? Someone asked me that when I mentioned that I had returned to my gym. Here in Ohio, we now have a state-wide requirement to wear a mask and my gym, at least, says that means we must wear a mask everywhere in the facility. When I work out at home, I don’t wear a mask. When I go outside to run, I usually don’t wear a mask. I often take one so that when I walk home and am more likely to encounter people, I can slip it on. Working Out in a Mask It really wasn’t too bad to wear a mask in the gym. I don’t think it affected my workout so much as my nose got itchy...

Personal Training at Home

August 13, 2020

Building Muscle, Fit and Strong, Fitness

Is it possible to have personal training at home? Yes, indeed, it is. If you’re flexible on what equipment you have available to use, working with a trainer away from a gym is certain possible. Several personal trainers around me are offering at-home services. One of the trainers said he is only meeting with clients outside, whether in your yard or at a park. I think with many gyms having been closed and then opening with limited services, there’s a great opportunity for trainers to expand where they conduct training sessions. Personal Training at Home I had an at-home personal training session recently. The trainer brought some dumbbells and resistance bands. That, coupled with some body weight exercises, made for a great workout. I worked up a sweat,...

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Author: Jill McCauslin

Cabbage, Potato, and Sausage Soup in the Instant Pot

The Motivation of a Race

How Many Steps Do I Take in a Year?

First Time Swimming Since the Pandemic Shutdown

Tuna and Sardine Salad

Ode to My Vintage Cannondale Hybrid Bike

Easy Coconut Red Curry Chicken

Riding My Bike Outside is Amazing

Working Out in a Mask

Personal Training at Home

Beyond the Basic Bowl: Creative Ways to Use Quinoa

Buddha Bowl

Vegetable Soup for a Cold Weekend

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Getting Steps Done – When There Is NO Time

Celebrating a Two Year FitBit Anniversary

Starting to See Results from the Strength Building Season

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