So much for my wonderful sleep over the weekend.  Last night totally set me back. I tossed, turned, got hot, got cold, could NOT get comfortable. When I finally fell asleep, I had a scary dream about a blogger chasing me with a knife and when she caught me, I screamed “LEAVE ME ALONE”!  Ted was shaking me. 

The dream made no sense. I don’t know why it was a “blogger” who was chasing me, she had no face nor did any of the people standing around.  The setting was the start of a road race.  I have no idea what I did to incite the knife wielding chase.  I’m a little afraid to go to sleep tonight. Ted’s even more afraid for me to go to sleep tonight.  I might hit him harder than I did last night. Angry smile

Even after the fitful sleep, a morning run was in the plan. I hate changing my plans. Everyone says “be flexible” but I have a hard time with that. So as tired as I was, the alarm went off at 3:50 and I was on the treadmill by 4:05.  That might seem early but you get used to it after a while.  The draw back:  on the weekend you STILL wake up at 4 am!

Total miles today: 10.  It was very cold outside but luckily, no wind. Still, I kept it to only 3 miles outside and the rest a fast pace on the treadmill, 8:34 with a 3% incline.    Weight workout tonight:  Back and arms (last night it was chest and shoulders). I’m going to do one week p90X and one week heavier weights.  I enjoy lifting too much.

Cranberry Pineapple Bread

Did you buy extra bags of fresh cranberries in November or December?  I hope you didn’t toss them out if you didn’t use them? Even though cranberries peak from October to December, they can be kept in a sealed bag in the fridge for about 2 months and frozen for a couple of years. 

There’s too much goodness in cranberries to throw them out.  They are cousin to the blueberry (who is a blueberry fan? PICK ME!!!).  Half a cup has under 25 calories and hosts 2 grams of fiber.  They are rich in manganese for strong bones, healthy thyroid function as well as protecting cells from free radicals. The cranberry is just loaded with antioxidants and we all know how well they fight urinary tract infection. Ouch!

As if the cranberry isn’t loaded with enough great stuff, in the following recipe I used Eggland Best Eggs. Three Whole Eggs!  Eggland’s (my favorite of all fresh eggs).

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*This recipe is the same as my all time best  Zucchini bread recipe but I used cranberries instead. AMAZING how great this tastes!

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Makes 2 large sweet bread loaves

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  • 3 Egglands Best Large Eggs
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 12 oz bag cranberries – put in the food processor for just a whirl to chop
  • 1 cup (8 oz can) crushed pineapple – drained
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp each:  cinnamon,  ginger, nutmeg
  • *You can add 3/4 cup raisins if you like. – optional

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Prepare loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray

Beat the eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla for about 3 minutes.   Stir in the chopped cranberries and the crushed pineapple.

Sift the flour, baking soda, powder, salt and the spices and stir JUST TO COMBINE – DON’T OVER MIX into the eggs/fruit mixture. 

Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

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Don’t be tempted to cut the recipe in half. You’ll want to keep one of these babies in the freezer when friends drop in.

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What’s your favorite sweet bread?

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