>30 mins = 3 lives

>Happy Birthday to our little man, Michael! He’s one today!

Lil nugget, only a few weeks old

Who’s blossomed into quite the little yogi

 And still steals my heart, every day.

* * *

The last few days have been rough. I have been out of my beloved SunWarrior for over a week. But alas, yesterday it arrived! Chocolate aaaand vanilla 🙂 

Side note: does anyone else hate the SunWarrior packaging? I applaud the new ego-friendly bags, but mine make a huuuge mess! I end up putting them in larger zip-lock bags.

First up, a protein cupcake!

(Recipe here)

Last night I worked 3-11:30pm and I am not lying when I tell you that for the last 3+ hours of my shift, I was dreeeeaming of a protein cupcake. Filling, healthy, protein-packed, and DELICIOUS! I can’t vouch for how it tastes with other protein brands, but it is ahhhhh-mazing with SunWarrior.

* * *

As I’ve mentioned in my last post, I’ve been working like a mad woman. On days when I work 3-11, my routine is to wake around 10, eat breakfast, savor some coffee (I’d be lying if I had only one cup), catch up on the news/favorite blogs, then head to the gym. 

Since having to be on the unit (I work on a transplant floor at a hospital) at 3pm, I’ve been packing my scrubs and getting ready at the gym. I would be lying if I said that I miss my own shower. Don’t misunderstand, I have a great bathroom/shower, but something about leaving the gym all clean (and often relaxed from the sauna/steam room, in my case) leaves me feeling fantastic and ready for the day. Do those that shower at the gym enjoy it as much as me?

Leaving the gym has one drawback, however. It’s very close to my favorite salad joint, Chop’t!

Love a hearty, healthy, protein-packed salad post-workout!

Spinach, arugula, roasted turkey, avocado, tomatoes, edamame, red grapes, cucumbers, and balsamic vinegar.

* * *

Another reason, I’ve been hitting the gym a lot lately is because it’s been coooooold here! Saturday I ran an 8-mile loop (loop as in circle, as in once you’ve run far enough there’s no turning back). I’m not going to lie when I say that at one point, I started to cry because my body temperature was so low I really believed that I was becoming hypothermic. Normally, I dress much warmer (hello, Under Armour Cold Gear line) and always carry a cell-phone/debit card in case I need to call for a ride or hail a cab. But this time, I foolishly ran out the door in my regular spandex and thin fleece jacket. No hat. No gloves. Idiot.

Fuh-reezing

I completed the 8-mile loop in a sub 8-min mile, and attribute the pace solely to the fact that I wanted to get home FAST.

* * *

After getting my body-temp back to normal, I met some friends at Mai Thai, my favorite Thai restaurant in DC. Fantastic food and drinks. We chatted, ate, sipped some delish drinks then headed out for the night.

Oh, and this lovely lady was there too!

 

* * *

Ok, kiddos, I’m out. Have a fan-freakin-tastic day! But first, please take a moment to consider the following…

You can do this during a lunch break. 

30 mins = 3 lives. Worth it? 

* * *

Have you donated blood before? 

>What a day!

>Hellooo! Do you like the new format? I think it’s perdy 🙂

Today was an incredible today. I wish everyday could be like this. I started the day with an early morning run (3 mi) with Seth along the canal and Potomac river:

I stretched, showered and ate my FIRST OVERNIGHT OATS!

– 1/2 cup oats

– 1/2 cup coconut kefir

– 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

– 1/2 tsp flax seeds

– frozen pineapple

– 1 tbsp unsweetened red. fat coconut

– stevia

This morning I mixed it up and served it with 1/2 diced banana. SO SO SO GOOD!

Caffeinated and dressed in my professional best, I headed out the door for a JOB INTERVIEW. In case ya didn’t know I recently left my PhD program to pursue a career in clinical medicine. To apply to physician assistant programs I need to have at least 1,000 hours of direct patient experience. So to obtain this, I took an American Red Cross Nursing Aide course in July and today (!) got a JOB on a TRANSPLANT MEDICINE BRANCH! So excited 🙂

After interviewing I came home to revamp and snack-it-up:

Special K Savory Herb crackers + FF cottage cheese = tastes like pizza combos to me

Can’t get enough of wasabi peas

Then made my way to BodyPump class. I am LOVING BodyPump these days. I love feeling STRONG. Ironically perhaps I came across this ad in Oxygen magazine:

Love it.

For lunch I was craving a hearty protein Green Monstah:

Chocolate SunWarrior, frozen strawberries, oats, spinach, tbsp almond butter, ice H20, stevia, pinch xanthan gum

I decided since I GOT A JOB, that why not take the rest of the day off (from thesis-ing) and hit the POOL before volunteering! 

Ahhhhh.

To end a fantastic day I caught up on Real Housewives of DC – and PS, it is SO WEIRD to see my neighborhood on TV. Funny story for those of you that watched: Seth and I went to the American Polo Cup event the year prior. Guess we’re some pretty important people, eh? haha.

Aaaaan we enjoyed some cocktails. Au Natural strawberry margarita for Setho:

And a white wine spritzer for yours truly:

1:1 Chardonnay + soda water, frozen mangoes & strawberries, ice (and a side of pup)

To keep the good day going we headed to Jazz in the Sculpture Garden to meet some friends for wine and a picnic. DC/VA/MDers: this is a Friday evening must!

What’s better than listening to soothing jazz and sipping sangria in a sculpture garden as the sun goes down????

Alright kids!!! I’m off to bed! My best friend Alyson (that just got a job in DC!) is visiting in the morning! Have a great weekend!!!

XX,

Laur

>Doneee

>Hi LOVES!

How are you?? I’m GREAT! Today was my last day of clinical! It was 40 hours at a VERY nice nursing home/assisted living facility. Seriously if you’re looking for someone to wipe your bum, clean your catheter, feed or bathe you – I’m your girl 😉 hahaha

Right after clinical ended I headed immediately here:

For one of these:

^ Reece’s cup McFlurry! GREATLY deserved, I think 🙂

Besides the great experience gained in the class, getting to know the residents was amazing. I will admit that in the past the thought of working with the elderly kinda freaked me out. But once I got there and saw how fragile and helpless these people are I had such compassion for them. It’s hard to believe that these 90-something people once led full and often FASCINATING lives. Each one had a unique story and I really learned a lot aside from the technical skills. Exhausting week, but very worth it 🙂

Sad it’s over, I’m glad to be back to my normal routine which will be:

1) Getting a JOB (as a nursing aide; to obtain patient care experience required for PA school)
2) Getting back to my workout schedule
3) Finishing my thesis and applying to PA programs (!)

1) I reeeeally want to work in an oncology unit or hematology/transplant since these areas are still my passion

2) I just want to RUN RUN RUN! Since clinical required us to be on our feet and moving (sometimes dashing frantically) for 8 hours per day, I had NO ENERGY to run when I got home.

3) Finishing my M.S. thesis (on the generation of antibody-drug conjugates for you science geeks like me 🙂

But for now, I’m chillin with Kels (sister) on the couch, catching up with Sir DVR, and savoring this guy:

^Sangria! Great (and easy!) recipe here

Alright loves, have a great weekend!!!!! XOXOX

**QUESTIONS: Have you ever taken a week off from exercise because you’re completely SPENT from a new job? How do you adjust???

Who watched the Lakers vs. Celtics game??? Great game, but as the Bostonian I am, I was quite upset 😦

XX

>Nurse Lauren to your service

>HOWWWDYYY HOOOO,

Happy Monday, y’all! Hope your day was spendid. I had my FIRST DAY OF CLINICAL TODAY!!! I seriously can’t believe how much my life has changed in the last month! In case you don’t know I left my PhD program (currently declaring my MS) for a career as a physician assistant (PA). You can read more about WHY I made this decision here. A requirement for PA school is a TON of DIRECT patient care experience. At first, this really bummed me out as I had NONE. But now I think having this experience will make me a much better and compassionate PA in the future.

To obtain these hours I’m completing a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) course at the Red Cross and this is our week of clinicals! I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t a liiiiitle nervous – OK petrified (!) but that all subsided after the first hour and I REALLY LIKE IT! I can tell this is going to be a great week and can’t wait to report more later on 🙂

^How cool is this old ad I found?? source

Now that I’m home I’m completely EXHAUSTED. 1) I slept in waaaay too late the day before so I was wide awake when I should have been sleeping and 2) I was antsy in anticipation of the day. Thankfully, my lovely Manfriend decided to cook us dinner while I caught up on these girls (since I was busy gettin ready for class last night):

source

Seriously, what could be better after a long day? Kourtney, Khloe, vino, and a Manfriend cookin’ up a feast sounds pretty good to me!

Action shot:

Vino:

^I usually don’t order Malbec, but as Seth’s much more the wine connoisseur then me, I trusted his choice. And it was GREAT! I’d say it’s somewhere between a syrah (my favorite!) and a Zin. Smoky start and smooth/fruity finish. YUMM.

Meal:

^Trader Joe’s Tomato and Basil Chicken Sausage with sauteed onions and peppers in a whole grain pita. SO GOOD!

Traditional (aka PIG) sausage normally creeps me out. The thought of ingesting pig intestines makes me squirm, BUT CHICKEN sausage does nothing of the sort! In fact, it’s GREAT!

Aiiiight peeps, gotta get ready for tomorrow. Clinical STARTS at 7am! Early bird over here!!!

Have a great Tuesday!!!!!

Lauren