Pumpkin Seeds. The. Best. Ever.

Ah, Roasted pumpkin seeds.  Does this bring back any childhood memories?  Carving pumpkins and then getting to eat the slimy seeds? Or perhaps a memory of trying to do them without Mom for the first time and almost burning the house down? Or, maybe that's just me.
Well I rediscovered pumpkin seeds as an adult a couple years ago thanks to my best friend, KayCee.  She made this recipe before a road trip to Portland and we proceeded to eat about a gallon of seeds.  G.I. distress, later?  You bet!  We met our fiber quota for the next month!
But really, this recipe kicks some serious butt, in more ways than one!  (no pun intended, lol) Of course, if you've been reading my blog you can guess that they are spicy, but they are also healthy and full of healthy fats, protein, a little vitamin A & K, plus lots of minerals.

Here's what you need:
Do my seeds look different than yours?  Mine are pepitas, which are the seed found inside the shell of your ordinary pumpkin seed.  Did I take hours to shell out my pumpkin seeds myself?  Heck no! I bought them in bulk at the store.  Carving messy pumpkins in a travel trailer does not sound fun to me, so I took the easy way out.

Place a few cups of seeds on a baking sheet (no need to grease).
Drizzle with a few tablespoons of worchesterhire.  This doesn't have to be a precise measurement, but enough liquid to coat all the seeds well.
Another fun fact, did you know worchestershire has anchovies in it?!  How do you say worchestershire?
"Wor-chester-shi-re"
"Wor-sh-sh-sher"
"Wor-sh-sher"
I prefer option # 2.  Probably all wrong, but it's fun to say.

Now for the heat.  Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp of cayenne (more or less depending on your preference). I love cayenne because it gives you a nice kick without the long burn of other hot peppers. Also about 1/4 tsp of sea salt.

Stir really well, until everything is coated and spread the seeds evenly.

 Place in preheated oven (350*) for about 20 minutes (give or take).  Checking and stirring every 5 minutes or so.

Continue until the seeds are deep golden brown and have a good crunch when you pop them in your mouth.  Be careful, they go from perfect to burnt in a flash, so check them a lot towards the end.

Now sit down and enjoy with a seasonal Oktober beer!

Disclaimer:  High Class Trailer Trash is not responsible for lack of self control when trying to stop eating these morsels.  We are also not responsible for "fiber belly" if eaten in excess!

Peace & Love!
D

Recipe in Full:
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
2 c. pumpkin seeds (pepitas or the real ones)
3 Tbsp Worchestershire
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Coarse Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 350*.  Place seeds on baking sheet and top with seasonings.  Stir until seeds are well coated, add more worchestershire if needed.
Place in oven for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until deep golden brown and crispy.

Fall Fitness Fun

Shape up or ship out, people!  This is a great time of year to get your butt in shape.  I'm always motivated in the fall to be in tip-top shape.  This year I have double the motivation.  Usually my motivation is to take full advantage of the favorable weather, because it will soon be gone, the holiday food starts pouring down my throat and winter takes hold on my booty.  So I try to get a jumpstart to this downward spiral.  This year my second form of motivation is to take the next year to get in killer shape for Greg and I's wedding.
I feel that balance is extremely important when it comes to physical activity.  Just doing one type of exercise will quickly lead to a plateau and boredom.  So my rule is to mix it up, keep the body guessing and kick your own butt on a regular basis.  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, baby and when you finish a killer burn, you just feel that much more accomplished.  Being outside everyday is essential in my opinion, it just makes you feel good, really gets those endorphins pumping. Plus, exercising outside has a double bonus of getting the outdoor high and the exercise high.  It rocks.  You won't find me inside the gym.  OK, enough of what makes me feel good.  What's most important about your workout is that it makes you feel good.  Every body is different, so find what feels good to you and make a habit out of it.  It takes 21 days to make a habit, so get after it!

I remember when I first started running, by choice, for exercise.  No coach told me to, no PE teacher either. When I was about 18-19, I decided to become a "jogger", and that I did.  I started by "wogging" (walk/jog combo) 1-2 miles or until I was just plain pooped.  Running 2 miles without stopping was a pretty big deal for me at that time.  I slowly worked up to 3-4 miles about 3 times per week and I've eventually ran multiple half marathons (13.1 miles) and even 1 full marathon (26.2 miles!).
That's the history on me becoming a runner.  As for my other exercise passions, yoga and hiking are it.  I've practiced yoga since I was old enough to drive myself to yoga classes, so that makes me a 10 year yogi veteran.  I've even started teaching yoga in the last year.
My hiking passion started when I started college.  I began hiking 2-3 times per week and had never felt stronger.  Hiking is the best workout ever, in my opinion.  On the uphill you have calves quads, glutes and core engaged and on the downhill you have hamstrings, glutes, and core.  If you add trekking poles in the mix you can even get an arm workout.  It's total body baby!  Love it.

PS(This is the only pic that's really me!)

My latest fitness kick is quick, high intensity strength routines that I follow from bodyrock.tv  I absolutely love this site. It gives you free workout videos that require little, if any, equipment.  They are short and sweet, too, which is essential for me if I'm doing any strength routine.  I need it to be zippy because I get bored.  I also like strength routines to mainly use my own body weight for strength because I tend to bulk if I lift heavy weights, and this site does this amazingly.  Plus, this site is a positive, wellness-minded community to be a part of.  It's a fun site to follow, but user beware....the chick in the videos can be a little distracting, but I still love it.

If this pic doesn't get you in gear, I don't know what will!

As for Nutrition, I'm focusing on meeting my veggie and water requirements. With nutrition, I feel it's more important to focus on meeting nutrition needs instead of restricting this or that.  Plus, when you focus on something like veggies and water, it automatically helps you eat less calories and get more nutrients.  Double BONUS! Woot!

So get out there and get fit with me!
Please share some of your fitness stuff with me so I can keep mixing it up on a regular basis.

Peace & Love

My First Speeding Ticket....

By popular demand, I will tell you the story of my first speeding ticket.  I have been asked repeatedly to tell this unfortunate, but apparently funny story.
Believe it or not, living in the 5th wheel without a real job leaves me with some spare time.  Shocking, I know.  Because of this, Greg's boss asked him if I could drive to Salt Lake City to pick up a co-workers wife, because if the "husband" missed anymore work, they were going to fire him.  The "wife" had an appointment with the immigration office to get her green card and she didn't know how to drive, so I reluctantly accepted the request and drove Greg's truck the 3 hours to SLC.  When I showed up to pick her up, I found a sweet Filipino lady, a baby, a dog and a truck full of crap waiting for me at a dive hotel.  Great!  So I packed it all up, the dog rode shotgun with me and the "wife" and baby rode in the back seat.
So we are cruising along, the dog is sitting on the console, inches from my face, staring at me.  The "wife" is sitting in the back with the crying baby and each time the baby cries, she TAKES IT OUT OF THE CAR-SEAT!  As you can imagine, I was quite surprised to have all of this surrounding me and was ready to get this 3 hour drive over with.  So we continue our drive, the "wife" continues to have the baby out of the carseat, she's nursing, and the dog is still staring at me.

About a mile from our exit, we pass a cop, I think to myself, "no big deal, I'm only going 5 over."  And he whips out and turns on the lights.  I yell, "Put that baby in the carseat, NOW! We are getting pulled over!"  So I take my sweet time pulling over, while the baby gets buckled in.  I put on my blinker, check my blindspot and slowly pull over.  THANK goodness she got the baby in the carseat because I probably would've been hauled off in handcuffs.
So the lovely, gentleman (NOT!) of an officer walks up and gives the usual spiel ... "ma'am I'm Idaho State Police, bla, bla, bla ... do you know why I pulled you over?"  And I think to myself, hmm... I'm speeding, I have an illegal immigrant in the backseat, there's a baby out of it's carseat, and there's a little yapping dog staring in the officers face ready to bite him at any moment.  So I reply, "No sir, I don't have a clue."
Without even a moment for explanation he replies, "License and registration, please."  So I rumble through Greg's glovebox for an unexpired registration and hand over the papers.
He returns and hands me a citation for going 84 mph in a 75mph zone!  Just like that!  He didn't even give me a chance to fake cry, bat my eyelashes or try to make up a story about having to go to the bathroom, NOTHING!  Come to find out the speedomoter was off in Greg's truck.

I was crushed.  Not only was this whole trip a joke, but I ended up with my first speeding ticket to boot!   I felt like I'd been on a winning team, undefeated for 10 years of driving.  And then, boom, I lose.  It was like losing the Superbowl, so heartbreaking to end such a long winning streak.  Total defeat.
So Greg gets home and I tell him the story in all my depressed glory.  He looks at the ticket and immediately notices that the kind officer made some major mistakes: I gave him the registration for the 5th wheel instead of the truck, so he recorded that I was driving a 2005 Montana trailer (which is impossible), and he also writes down my incorrect weight off of my drivers license!  He said I was 20 pounds heavier than I actually am!  Total bologna!!!!  What an jerk! Of course, I won't be able to be there for the courtdate to fight it.  So I write the lovely State of Idaho an $85 check.

And that's not the end of it, I later found out that the "wife" actually has a drivers license, but she chooses not to drive because the baby cries (boo freakin hoo!).  And last, but certainly not least, the "husband" gets fired anyways 2 days later.  Damn the luck.
Hopefully there's not many more stories like this to come, but my guess is that there probably will be.  Stay tuned for more adventures, good and bad.
Share your most ridiculous cop story or joke to make me feel better. Thanks for reading.