My Favorites: Homemade Sweet Potato Snacks

You know what I love? Treats. Food. Any kind of snacky goodness. So when Mom and Grandma set out to make some "Sweet Potato Chews" based on something they saw on Pinterest, let's just say I was all in.

This is a sweet potato. Not the most attractive when it starts but it sure does taste good!

Be sure to peel it. Skin is yucky.

Cut into even slices so they all bake evenly. Mom did mine about 1/3" thick

Bake in the oven at 350 until they are crispy.

Wait patiently while they cool. And Grandma does the dishes.

Act uninterested when Mom waves it in your face. In truth, try to keep from drooling on the floor.

Eat the equivalent of a whole sweet potato in one night. Success.

Now Mom wanted me to tell you that the instructions she found for this told her to cook the sweet potato slices at 250 degrees for three hours!!! Um, what? Who runs their oven for three hours??? Anyways, we're thinking that the lower temperature and longer cooking time would make them more like chewies whereas these were crunchy yummy snacks. I prefer these ones, they are done in about 20 minutes. Thank goodness, the waiting is torture!!

Enjoy!

Sleepovers - Darn puppy

You know I've told you before how much I LOVE having my little friend Lilah over to play. I even love when she stays over. Sleepovers are so much fun!

Mom...where you going? What do you mean we're staying outside??? Darn puppy.

Mom...she's in my bed again!!! Darn puppy.

Mom. She's up. Darn puppy!

Buuuuuut someone needs to teach the little nugget how to sleep in. Six thirty AM? On a Sunday? She is lucky she's so cute or else my Mom might not ever let her back. *sigh* At least when you're up early you get to see beautiful sunrises like this. Have a happy Sunday!

Holidays are for napping

What is better than a nap on a holiday? Perhaps a nap with all of your family at once?

Happy birthday Martin Luther King, Jr.! In your honor, I am going back to sleep now...

Training: The Results

After much anticipation Mom and I did our very first 5K race this morning and I did a great job! I ran all 3.1 miles and I might have even enjoyed it too [shhhh don't tell her...]. Mom was a bit worried since I'd only ever run 2.5 miles in the past but once we started I just fed off of the energy of the group and the miles flew by. It was amazing.

Hey mom, when's the next one?

Today was hard

This morning was rough. One of my best friends Johnny has been staying with us the past month and today he had to go home. I sat and waited patiently for him to return with no luck :(

Fortunately a little cuddle time with Dad helped me feel better.

How much longer do you think I can milk this?

Training: The Tools

You may remember my post a few months ago about mom's training plan to make me a runner. Well, it's been a slow but steady process. The holidays hit, the in-laws came into town, the parentals went on a vacation, and let's just say the running isn't *quite* what we hoped it would be. Nevertheless we're keeping at it as best we can...

One of the best things Mom bought for running is The Buddy System. It's basically a belt that clips around her waist and then has a clip from the belt to my harness (as the leash). A few great perk:

1. Mom doesn't have to hold the leash so that she can still pump those arms!

2. I will stay close-by (dang it!)

3. The part of the leash that is on Mom's belt is not sewn in so when I get the random urge to run this way or that, I can just swing right around her and she just keeps going. And going...and going. 

It basically looks like this:

 

 Our only complaint? The "reflective" band on the leash and belt are actually quite pointless.  After just a couple of times of adjusting it, the dang stuff comes right off!

Mom tried her very best to take some pictures while we were actually using the fancy leash but apparently those turned out like this:

 

And like this:

 

So instead we will steal borrow a more professional picture from The Buddy System site:

You get the idea now right? 

Usually by the end of the run I look something like this. 

A little tired, very thirsty and smiling from ear to ear!

Our first big run is this Sunday, January 15 at the Walk, Run, Wag 5K in Del Mar. Come out and cheer us on! Mom says Pit Bull Rescue San Diego will be out there too with some of their adorable puppies. I mean, who doesn't love puppies?

My New Year's Resolution

Mom and I are sharing our resolution this year. We plan to "Wag more, Bark less" in 2012. More fun and less complaining!

What are you resolving to do this year? More walks with your furry friend? Less treats? Share in the comments!