Yowsahs. It looks like the new Carrots ‘N’ Cake design didn’t go over too well. But, I’m working with my web guys to make some changes, so please hang tight. Hopefully, we can workout the kinks in the next few days. I’m trying my hardest to turn the negative into a positive! 
Lunch
I pretty much wanted to eat only baked goods for lunch today, so I threw together a light lunch of salad with feta crumbles and Goddess dressing to save room for dessert. So very CNC of me, right? 
On the side, I had a couple of Seeded Spelt crackers.
I love these babies. Actually, I pretty much love all crackers. Well, carbs, in general!
After lunch, I cheered myself up with some baked goods. My baking “experiment” resulted in soft, moist Sweet Potato Blondies. Oh, yes, it did!
Sweet Potato Blondies
Makes 16
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup mashed sweet potato
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350*F.
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Blend well.
- Pour batter into a greased 8X8 baking pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until top of blondies begins to brown.
- Allow to cool before cutting.
- Eat and enjoy!
I love the flavor and consistency of these blondies, but, the next time that I make them, I’d double the recipe for a thicker bar. These ones seemed too wussy.
Workout
Mal and I are officially in Week 2 of marathon training! (FYI: My workout schedule is now the marathon training page. I’ll continue to update it every week until the marathon and then the regular schedule page will be back.)
Today’s work was “Track Workout 1.” Unfortunately, it’s still raining here in Beantown, so I hit the treadmill at the gym instead.
Track Workout 1
2 lap warm up, 6 X’s 400M, 2 lap warm down, 1 lap rest
Pace based off of 5k race time
Here’s the workout that I did on the treadmill this morning:
- 0.50 miles @ 6.3 mph (9:30 pace)
- 0.25 miles @ 7.0 mph (8:30 pace)
- 0.25 miles @ 6.3 mph
- 0.25 miles @ 7.1 mph
- 0.25 miles @ 6.3 mph
- 0.25 miles @ 7.2 mph
- 0.25 miles @ 6.3 mph
- 0.25 miles @ 7.3 mph
- 0.25 miles @ 6.3 mph
- 0.25 miles @ 7.4 mph
- 0.25 miles @ 6.3 mph
- 0.25 miles @ 7.5 mph (8:00 pace)
- 0.50 miles @ 6.3 mph
Total: 3.75 miles in 35:52
At times, I felt like I was cruising on the treadmill, but I also got really tired on the last two 400′s. I actually ended up walking for a little bit to catch my breath.
I’ve never really done speed work as part of my training, but I hear that it’s very beneficial. I’m looking forward to doing this workout again in a few weeks to see if my speed has improved.
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I really like the new layout Tina, very funky and I like having little intros to different posts. Makes it much easier to flick through and see which ones I have/haven’t read. Hope any kinks get ironed out, you have done a great job! I love reading your blog, it’s really helping me to get a more balanced approach to eating and exercise. THANKYOU!
Sweet potato blondies? I’m in love.
That blondie recipe looks amazing!! I am definitely trying it out – and taking Evan’s advice about the chocolate chips
I’m not sure what the kinks are, but I love the look of it!
I love the way your photos look in the new design – they REALLY pop and I love how bright the whole page seems. I do agree with earlier comments that the site seems much more commercial (with an over-emphasis on ads, even if that is just a psychological effect).
The page does look quite different (in comparison w/Firefox) in Explorer. It looks “better” as a visual effect overall (more symmetrical and balanced, which mostly corrects the effect that ads dominate half the page), but the extreme left of the page is cut off and the header is stretched out.
Good luck with working out the kinks! I think the new site looks amazing.
Those blondies look so good and so easy to make!
I can’t believe some people don’t like the new CNC. Oh well, think positively!
Awesome MURPHY at the top!! Love it!
Hmm – tried to make the blondies…even doubled the recipe. They didn’t turn out so great looking. Taste fine, but kinda chewy. Maybe they need a leavener added? Still taste yummy (I added mini chocolate chips).
For those of you experiencing browser issues please be sure to update to the latest version of Firefox, IE, Safari, or Chrome to ensure you have the best experience. Updating will also ensure your browser is clear of bugs and has updated security fixes.
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Windows users can also turn on ClearType since Windows sucks at not having this on as a default. You can follow this and turn it on: http://www.digitalsurvivors.com/archives/000558.php
Just finished baking a batch, but I added 1/3 cup chocolate chips and doubled the amount of cinnamon.
They’re cooling on the counter now, and I can’t wait to cut into them. They smell divine.
What a GREAT and easy recipe! I’ll have to try that for sure!!
Oh, my gosh! I’m going to have to bookmark that recipe. It looks amazing!
Oh boy, sweet potato blondies, yummo
I’ve been making the blondies made with chickpeas that you made a couple of weeks ago. I think they’re good but a lot of my friends questioned the recipe! The sweet potato blondies look great though and I’m sure I could sell them on this one! They’re next on my list to make. Good luck working out the kinks with the site!
I like the new site!! I love little cartoon Murphy!
Those blondies look ahhh-mazing!
Hey Tina, Don’t let the feedback get you down. Use it to improve and remember that change is always hard…whether it’s your life circumstances or simply the blog you read every day
you’re still you, and people will still read what you have to say!
Boooo!
I cant see the picssss
Ohmygosh, those blondies look so outrageously gooey and divine. Bookmarked for the weekend!
Hey Tina,
Just wanted to chime in and say I think your new layout looks great. To me, it seems much more organized than what you had before, and it is easy to navigate. I love your colour choices, your header is tooooo cute, and the fonts you selected look absolutely great.
I hope negative feedback didn’t get you too down. At least you know your readers are willing to tell you the truth, which is what matters in the long run. And thank you for trying to make changes to appease the majority of your readers.
Finally, thanks for the message of “turning negatives into positives”. I think we can all benefit from looking at the brighter side of things more often.
Blondies look amazing and I love SP in ANYTHING! I’m trying desperately to avoid wheat (since it doesn’t like me nearly as much as I love it!) so I’m thinking of making this w/ almond meal but not sure the conversion. I’ll look it up, try it and let you know how it goes. Good job on the marathon training! I’m in my 2nd (3rd maybe???EEK!) of a 17 week marathon schedule for the California International Marathon in December and I’m having fun watching your progress too!
I was surprised to read that the new design didn’t go over well because I think it looks fantastic! I’m sure there’s behind-the-scenes issues though. Changes are hard whether in real- or virtual-life! Good luck =)
I like that there is multiple posts on the homepage. It helps me go back and first read the posts I have not read and then read to the newer versions. Some people just don’t like change, do what you want with your blog. Have an awesome day!
I’ll definitely try your sweet potato blondies with the hope that it’s going to be a start of my healthy diet.
Thanks for sharing this! I’m running my first one in May and wasn’t sure exactly what other workouts I could do during the week besides running.
What youre saying is totally true. I be aware that everybody must say a similar thing, but I just think that you put it in ways that everyone can understand. I also enjoy the images you set up here. They fit hence well with what youre attempting to say. Im sure youll reach a lot of people with what youve obtained say.
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