>Date day

>Who am I???

This girl was up at 5am(!) and packed in 4 miles before her 7am hospital shift today. I know, right?! Today (and tomorrow) I work 7am – 7pm so in order to get in those miles, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

See, I swear I was actually up out of bed!



I ran around downtown Georgetown to be safe (this is the main shopping area near me) since it was dark. The only people out were a few cars, delivery trucks, and a couple of girls heading home in their Friday night’s finest. You know what they call that right? Walk-O-Shame! ha

Funny story, I explained this concept to my mom one weekend when she was visiting me during college. She couldn’t understand why so many girls were wearing club attire at 9am on a Saturday. To this day, she still points out, “Walk of shame!” whenever we see someone remotely dressed in bar-ish attire in the morning.

* * *

Little rewind to yesterday, The Manfriend and I had a “Lauren and Seth day”. We planned to wake early, hit the gym, then get on the road and explore Alexandria, VA (he’s never been). But umm yeah, that didn’t happen. We woke at 11am (to our defense we both worked past 12am the night before), had a leisurely breakfast on the deck (sun was shiiiin’)…

Vanilla-Banana-Berry- Protein Parfait (vegan)

recipe adapted from Ohsheglows.com

(Combine night before)
 1/4 c oats

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (SunWarrior brand, yo)

1 T chia seeds

1/2 T flax seeds

1/2 c almond milk

1/2 c water

cinnamon

nutmeg

1/2 t vanilla extract

stevia, 1 serving (or sweetener of choice)

(Next morning)

Throw 1 frozen banana (broken into chunks) into food processor (+ a little non-dairy milk for mixing) and you’ve got banana fro-yo! Layer oat mix, fresh fruit (I used blueberries) and fro-yo & savor every bite! <–It’s that good! Told ya I’m obsessed!

Seth made cantaloupe juice. Which was interesting 🙂

 And we hit up our favorite running trail for a quick 2 miler before the gym.

Look what we spotted on the way!

I wish I could genetically engineer ducks to stay ducklings (alas, I now know what do do with my master’s degree!). Wouldn’t they make the cutest pets?

Soon after, it was BodyPump time! I missed slept through the 9am class so did my own version. Muscles were trembling!

I snapped this pic to show you my dorky running shoes. I think they’re (f)ugly, but they are the best shoes I’ve ever found! They’ve recently been discontinued them so pretty soon I’m going to find a new bestie (they are probably my 10th pair). Anyone else strut around in ugly running shoes for the sake of performance?

* * *

The rest of our “Seth and Lauren” day was spent having lunch on the deck, walking around sunny Georgetown, wine tasting, and finally landed back on the couch for a movie night.

What’s your ideal date-day?

Can you recommend a new pair of running shoes for these high-arched feet?



>Hot n’ cold

>

Guess what? Saturday I completed my last long run (10 miler!) before the half marathon on Saturday. I didn’t train too much for this one (running wise) but I did do a lot more strength training and yoga. Last month I ran a half in 1:45 and my legs never felt better. No tight IT bands, no sore hip flexors – Nada. Thank yooooou, yoga.

After yesterday’s killah BodyPump class (I upped my weights. Wait, is ‘upped’ even a word?), I threw together a rather tasty meal, if I don’t say so myself. Don’t be fooled, this one required little cook time and no skill whatsoever. But twas delicioso, I assure you. Lately I’ve been really digging foods that incorporate both hot and cold combos. Think salad plus roasted sweet potato, quinoa with diced veggies, spiralized zucchini with tofu and steamed veggies. You get the picture.

Grilled tofu over a bed of hot & cold veggies

….And dressed in Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette (Trader Joe’s brand)

The players

Firm tofu, pressed & diced (see below for cooking instructions)

Steamed then broiled bok choy & cauliflower (sprayed w/ olive oil before roasting)

diced carrots, tomatoes

dressing (chilled)

After pressing, toss in 1t olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat and mix occasionally (~7 mins).

Toss until browned

Yeeeee-UM.

* * *

Last night’s dinner was incredible. What? It’s my blog I can brag 😉 This one is for you meat eaters. Actually, you can just nix the animal and it would be just as tasty.

Bison benefits over traditional red meat:

– Lower in fat/calories

– Leaner, lower saturated fat

– Higher in iron, protein, and B vitamins

– Greater levels of omega-3’s and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid)

– Usually grass fed (look for this label) and free roaming

-Free roaming reduces susceptibility to illness and need for antibiotics

source

Bison & Quinoa stuffed peppers

Ingredients

peppers, 6, stems and insides removed

quinoa, 1 cup

bison (*optional, for the meat eaters), 1 package

sweet potato, 2 medium, cubed

yellow onion, 1 large, chopped

mushrooms, 1 package, sliced

black beans, 1 can

jalapeno, 1/2 t finely diced

veggie or chicken broth, 4 cups

garlic, 2 cloves, finely diced

chili powder, 1 T

cumin, 1 t

olive oil

sea salt, pepper

1) Lightly dust sweet potato in olive oil, sea salt and pepper and bake in oven for ~30 mins at 425F (on baking sheet), flipping cubes at least once during coking. Remove when browned. During step 1, prepare steps 2-5.

2) Over medium heat, cook quinoa in 2-3 c broth. Set aside.

3) Over medium heat, add 1 T olive oil, garlic, mushrooms, and onions to frying pan cook until onions brown and mushrooms become soft. Set aside.

4) Boil peppers for ~5 mins until soft. Remove from water.

5) Cook bison over medium heat (until browned) in 1/8 cup broth + 1/4 t jalapeno. Set aside.

6) Combine quinoa, bison, sweet potatoes, onion/mushrooms, beans, chili powder, cumin, half of diced jalapeno (1/4 t), and mix. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

7) Stuff peppers and bake for ~10 mins at 425F (to reheat stuffing)

Served alongside roasted green beans (Side is optional. These protein-packed babies are very filling)...

Bon Appétit!

What are your favorite hot n’ cold combos (besides Katy Perry)?

Have you tried bison?

>On the menu

>Hi kiddos. Happy Friday!!!! DCers, how amazing is this weather today? This week has been N-U-T-S! Work-wise (three 13-hr shifts), workouts, hanging with friends – I’ve been quite the busy bee. Despite the chaos, I’ve still been fueling myself pretty fabulously.

In an attempt to lower our grocery bill(s) and prevent throwing away uneaten veggies (nothing makes me more sad than throwing out uneaten produce. Such a shame.), we’ve decided to choose 3-4 meals at the beginning of the week and buy specifically for the recipes, creating our own pre-set menu. I would like to do this for all 7 days per week, but unfortunately I eat a lot of meals at work.

Enter meal #1:

Sesame-crusted tilapia & sauteed green beans

(15 min prep and cook. Adapted from Clean Eating magazine)

Ingredients:

1 lb tilapia (3-4 fillets)

fresh green beans (12 oz)

1/3 cup low-sodium veg/chic broth

2 T minced fresh ginger

1 T fresh lime juice

2 T soy sauce

2 t honey

4 tsp olive oil

1 T sesame oil

2 T sesame seeds

sea salt, to taste

pepper, 1/2 t

Directions (15 min meal):

Preheat oven to 425F. In a small bowl, whisk lime juice, soy sauce, 2 t ginger, 1/2 t sesame oil, 1 t honey. 2 tsp olive oil. Place fish on tinfoil lined baking pan and pour lime juice mixture over top, turning fillets to coat. Sprinkle sesame seeds (~1.5 T) evenly over top and bake for 8 mins or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Meanwhile, heat 2 t olive oil in a nonstick pan on medium. Add ginger and cook for ~1min or until fragrant. Add broth, beans, 1 t honey, salt, pepper, cover and cook for 5 mins or until beans are bright green and tender-crisp. Remove from heat, and 1/2 t sesame seeds.

Drizzle with pan juices and additional honey (~1/2 t) to taste (I added a teeeeny bit more honey plus sea salt to mine and it was perfect)

* * *

Other blog worthy (easy!) meals have included:

Blueberry Muffin overnight oats w/ coconut chia topping

(Night before)

1/2 c cooked oats (cooked in 1 cup H20)

1/2 mashed banana

1/2 c frozen blueberries

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (SunWarrior brand)

stevia, 1 serving

sea salt, pinch

cinnamon, nutmeg, pinch each

splash milk (I used ~1/8 cup almond milk)

Chill overnight

Then add 1/4 c Light Coconut milk (I buy Whole Foods brand canned coconut milk) + 1 tsp chia seeds…

Love.

* *

Blueberry pancakes made from garbanzo bean flour!

(Topped with stevia-sweetened fat-free Greek yogurt, crushed walnuts, and teeny drizzle maple syrup)

Pancakes (makes 2 medium sized pancakes):

1/2 c garbanzo bean flour

1/4 c egg whites

1/2 mashed banana

1/2 c frozen blueberries

1 t vanilla extract (all natural version)

stevia, 1 serving

cinnamon, nutmeg, ~1/4 t each

sea salt, pinch

Spray non-stick a pan with cooking spray and cook over light/medium heat until bottom is browned and bubbles appear (~3-5 mins). Flip, cook an additional 2-3 mins and enjoy! Top with fruit, yogurt, nut butter or maple syrup.

^These are to.die. for. It’s crazy how the consistency is exactly like traditional (restaurant style) ones!

* *

Salad monsters w/ hummus salad dressing

Seriously people….

+

+

Beans, tofu, nutritional yeast, cilantro (optional), and balsamic vinegar

Yields the most incredible salad

And even better?

Protein-packed Garbanzo bean flatbread (socca) alongside..

Ingredients:
(Makes 3 small flatbreads)

3/4 c garbanzo bean flour

1 c water (Can add more if desired. Should resemble pancake batter consistency)

1 T olive oil

1 garlic clove, finely diced

small hand full fresh basil, finely chopped

1/2 t sea salt

 1/4 t black pepper

Directions:

Whisk ingredients, spray pan with cooking spray and cook over medium heat (~3 mins). Flip when bottom is browned and small bubbles appear. Cook an additional 2-3 mins.

* * *

I just realized I have two races coming up! The National Half Marathon and Cherry Blossom Ten-Miler – both here in DC!

Anyone else running? It’s funny because last year I ran the same half on a whim. I’m especially excited since my legs are feeling great due to more lifting and yoga and less repetitive cardio.

Speaking of yoga, I just purchased a promo package at a new studio ($35 for 5 classes!). I think heated vinyasa and power yoga are becoming my new favorites.

Q’s

Running any spring/summer races?

Do you also choose meals at the beginning of the week? Has this helped budgeting?

*Recipes coming up*

Buffalo chicken salad

Quinoa stuffed peppers



>I’m bacckkkkk

>Hi friends! I am quite relaxed after a nice lil vacay from all forms of communication. Well, not all forms – I haven’t had a phone for 4 days now and to be honest, I have a been loving and hating it all at the same time. I’ve relyed on the phone application in Gmail when I’ve needed to make a call and Verizon’s website for free texting. <—Good tools to know!

This morning I went for a leisurely walk with the pup and usually I’d be checking my phone, calling friends/family, texting, Tweeting – you get the picture. Without my lil friend, I was able to really enjoy the walk, soak up the sun, and be present. Next time you’re out of a walk, jog, etc. leave it home. You have a voicemail for a reason 🙂

So what have I been up to for the last few days? Well I’ve…

– Worked…..quite a bit .
– Shopped….quite a bit (mostly for food and other boring things. Well food is fun but it’s no clothes)
– Rested (!). Got 11 hours of sleep last night!
– Squeezed in some good workouts, including a long run (8.5) miles today
– Am sticking to my “I will lift more” promise

And best of all: Have had a blastttttt with my friends!

Here are a few pics from Saturday night.

(hehehe)

We ate at my favorite Thai restaurant, Mai Thai (affordable, trendy, and deeeeelish food) and enjoyed a few cocktails. I rolled with champagne while the rest savored their signature Mai Thai’s. Pretty tasty, but a liiiiitle too sweet for me.

Thai and Japanese are my favorite food genres before a night of dancing. No one feels particularly comfortable dancing the night away with a belly full-o-Mexican or Italian (or perhaps that’s just me). 

The weather was ahhhhamzing. We went to a local bar in Dupont Circle and danced the night away on their gorgeous rooftop. 

Spring is just around the corner…

 I can feel it!

* * *

With the arrival of this gorgeous weather, I’ve been craving cold breakfasts in place of my usual protein oats, pancakes, cupcakes, etc. Two very quick meals that I love to make are:

#1 Chilled overnight oats

Combine and stir:

1/3 cup cooked oats

1 serving protein powder (*see below)

1/2 c fresh or frozen fruit

1/4 c milk of choice (almond, soy, hemp, low-fat, etc.)

sweetener (1 serving, I prefer stevia or Truvia)

teeeny pinch sea salt

Spoon into glass/mug and throw in fridge

Next morning:

Add 1 t chia seeds and/or crushed nuts (walnuts, almonds) for crunch

Enjoy!

And quick breakfast #2 (I make this one when I have 0.25 seconds of time to spare the night before)

Yogurt & fruit bowl

Night before combine & refrigerate:

1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt

1/2 cup frozen fruit 

sweetener (1 serving stevia or Truiva)

Next morning:

Stir & add 1 t chia seeds for crunch and healthy omega fatty acids

*Attention SunWarrior Protein loverssssss*: The other day I ordered a new bag of vanilla SunWarrior protein from a company called Vitacost.com (was very pleased with price and quick shipping, btw). To my surprise the goods arrived in a shiny gold bag, quite different than the bags I’ve grown accustomed to. 

VS.

Since I was younger and heard about ‘food tampering’ I’ve always been super weary of questionable packaging. For some reason this new bag plus its press on nutritional info labels kind of freaked me out and I was unsure if I actually ordered a legitimate SunWarrior product. Plus the scoop was 1/2 the size of the traditional one. 

So being the nut-job that I am, I sent a quick email to SunWarrior.

Hello,

I recently ordered your vanilla protein through a company called Vitacost (http://www.vitacost.com/) and my protein came in a shiny gold bag. The green product labels were stuck onto the bag (in a professional way) rather than printed on the bag, like your green bags. Do you know whether I ordered a legitimate SunWarrior product? I am nervous to try it. Also, on the packaging it says one serving equals 1 scoop; however, the scoop is 1/2 the size of the traditional one. Does this mean one serving is actually two scoops?

And I received the following response:


Hi Lauren,


Yes, those bags are legitimate. We are upgrading to a stronger bag, and these stronger gold bags are temporary until our stronger printed bags arrive. The new scoop is the correct serving size. The old scoops were too big. I hope this helps.


Thank you,


Jennifer

This means I’ve been getting 2X as much protein as you thought. To think of it, there are 47 servings per bag and I don’t recall my bags everrrrr lasting that long. I don’t have a problem with the extra serving, but this stuff is a lil pricy so I will be cutting back to the true serving size.

* * *

In completely random news, I’m in lurrrrve with Black Cherry Berry Tea (with a splash of almond milk)

Aaaaand, I can eat Chop’t salads any day of the week…

* * *

Alright kidds, I’m off to BodyPump! Have a great night everyone ❤

>Catch up

>Good Morning Blogworld, let’s get this week kicked off right! Mmmmm K? I stared my day off with Starbucks (it was sooo nice out I haaaad to go for a walk rather than make one myself) and enjoyed a filling bowl of overnight chocolate-pumpkin oats when I returned. As the warmer months approach, I crave cold/refreshing breakfasts. Think green smoothies, fruit and yogurt, and chilled oat mixes.

Today’s breakfast is an all-time favorite. I never did understand why pumpkin is a fall thing. If they sell it in March, I will buy.

Pumpkin spiced latte chilled overnight oats

Night before, combine and mix:

1/3 c oats

1/2 c pumpkin (pure canned pumpkin, not pie filling)

1 scoop chocolate protein powder (SunWarrior brand)

3/4 c almond milk

1 tsp instant espresso

stevia, 1-2 servings

pinch sea salt

Next morning: 

Add splash almond milk (if too thick)

 1 tsp chia seeds (for crunch) 

 Devour!

* * *

In my lack of weekend posting, I have a few recipes to share with y’alllllz. I wish I could say I was out living it up, but sadly I was workkkkkking. Hospital shifts from 7am-8pm leave little brain power and I generally choose this over my computer. 

(Saturday night post 13 hrs on feet. So good, btw.)

You understand, right?

OK, onto some weekend eats!

Breakfasts

Greek Yogurt, fruit, & chia

3/4 c fat-free Greek yogurt (sweetened with thawed strawberries and 1 serving stevia)

partially-thawed mangoes

1 tsp chia seeds

1/3 c Go Lean Crunch cereal

Green smoothies

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (SunWarrior brand)

frozen banana

frozen strawberries

frozen blueberries

hand full fresh spinach

 1 tsp spirulina (probiotic)

almond milk

ice

Lunch/snacks

Madeshift Indian food!

1/5 block firm tofu, cubed

hand full frozen spinach

1 c steamed veggies

1/2 package eggplant punjab 

Kale chips

Kale misted with olive oil

Dusted with sea salt, pepper

Roasted at 425F for ~15 mins (flipping once)

Dinner

(inspired by UneVieSaine)

Steamed veggies (brussels, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans)

ground Quorn (meat-free crumbles)

1 T sunflower seeds

Lite honey mustard dressing

Homemade pizza!

Crust made from veggies, flax, egg & spices. 

Recipe coming soon! (almost perfected)

* * *

I’m off to BodyPump then work for my last shift before a few days off! 

How are you getting your week off on the right foot? 

>To drink or not to drink?

>Good morning,

I came across this picture the other day and literally can’t stop laughing every time I see it. Thought it might start your Monday off right. source

But here’s my favorite pup, obviously (post water slurp). 

I have the day off today (!) so it will definitely be a Michael and me day ❤

* * *

After a conversation about drinking, I started to think about how my relationship with alcohol and how it’s changed over the years. 

Like many college students, I drank a lot. A typical weekend consisted of [heavily] drinking Thursday – Saturday. We’d “pre-game” to insure we were arriving to a party tipsy and further drink throughout the night. The next day I’d generally spend in bed (until about 12pm), eat a massive drunken brunch, clean the evidence from the night before, then start making plans for the next night. 

To be quite honest, I could drink the amount of a 200 pound man. And that to me was cool. I still ran marathons throughout college so considered myself “healthy”. But looking back, I would have been so much healthier without the binge drinking

I’m not sure what clicked or when I stopped going out for the intention of getting sch-wasted (maybe I just realized I’m not 21 anymore), but I have a much deeper respect for my body. Perhaps it’s a coincidence that at the same time I also rid my kitchen of diet foods (and disordered eating thoughts) and focused on food that’s actually whole food. But that’s another topic in itself..

Today I still go out. I go out to bars. I go dancing. And I still love wine. But what’s changed is my relationship with drinking. No longer do I consumer certain drinks because they will get me drunk (hello nasty cheap college vodka). I chose a glass (or two) of wine because I genuinely like the way it tastes or splurge on a skinny margarita, because face it – those things are delicious. 

Do I feel awkward around others drinking heavily? Not any more. At first, I was annoyed when they 283,923th person asked me why I wasn’t drinking more. But like any habit that people don’t understand or practice themselves, they will ask (hello, healthy eating!). 

Am I perfect? No way. And I’m okay with that. I’ve never been an all-or-nothing type anyways. From time to time, I split a bottle of wine with a few friends and get a little giddy. But tipsy does not equal wasted, and I’m very fortunate I now know the difference.

So here few thoughts/tips on how I still have a crazy fun social life and still love my liver.

– Next time you’re at a bar take a quick scan of how many people are actually holding drinks in their hands. Yes, many may have just finished a drink but you don’t know that for certain. Similarly, if you don’t have one people aren’t going to point and laugh at you. What do they know? And unlike you, they aren’t scanning the room for non-drinkers.

– Ask for your water, soda water, etc. in a glass (rather than plastic cup) and garnished with a lime. 

– Before you go out, make the next day’s to-do list. This will reinforce the importance of not being hungover the next day when friends are shoving tequila shots in your face.

– Lie. There have been times when relentless friends simply can not comprehend that a 10-mile morning run or yoga class is more important. In times like these, I’ve just said “No thanks. I’ve had a migraine all day.” Who would know the difference?

– Splurge on a fancy schmancy martini or margarita over delicious food from time to time. We all know I love my skinny margaritas, but these days they are a treat rather than a live-saving necessity.

– Consider a white wine spritzer. These are my new favorites. Not only are they incredibly refreshing, they’re 50% less alcohol than wine (half wine, half soda water). So if you order two, that’s only 1 glass of wine.

– Savor your wine and drink it as if you were at a tasting. At my recent wine tasting party, I probably tried 6-7 types of wine, but only tasted. This probably added up to 1-2 glasses max.

* * *

OK, onto some food 🙂

Last night I made a new dish based on Lauren’s recipe. Twas fantastic.

>>Mexican-style Cheesy Chili over Spaghetti Squash<<

(serves 5-6)

This dish is incredibly cheesy tasting but so healthy you almost think your taste buds are playing tricks on you. But aren’t those foods the best? 

Ingredients:

1 large spaghetti squash

1 package ground extra lean turkey breast

1 can diced tomatoes w/ mild green chilies

1/2 jar salsa

1 can black beans

1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese

4 wedges light Laughing Cow cheese

6 T nutritional yeast

1 T chili powder

1 t cumin

1/2 t black pepper

Directions:

(Squash)

Boil squash in large pot for 30 mins (skip to turkey directions while boiling)

Slice in half, remove seeds with fork, and scrape squash into bowl with fork

While squash is cooking..

Spray pan with non-stick spray and brown turkey over medium heat

Add tomatoes/chilies and beans and satay until cooked through

Add remaining ingredients and cook over low heat until cheese melts

(Secret ingredient!)

Enjoy!

Protein-packed, nutritious, and absolutely delicious (if you’re into cheesy Mexican tasting meals. Who isn’t though?) I can’t get over how unhealthy it tastes! 

* * *

Well I’m going to enjoy my breakfast and coffee and relax until BodyPump. 

Low-fat Greek yogurt with leftover fruit from the blogger party

Have a wonderful day!

*What are your favorite healthy foods that taste not-so-healthy?*

* * *

I’ll leave you with some funny pics from Saturday night…

>I’m a hot mess

>Hey guys, how the heck are ya? The lack of posting this weekend was because I worked the entire thing. Yep, 7am – 7:30pm, Saturday and Sunday. How fun, right? It actually wasn’t all that bad. I had a dinner party on Friday to celebrate my bff’s bday and now I’m parked on my couch happily enjoying my day off. Feet are thanking me 🙂

* * *

This morning I woke looking like a complete disaster. I’m just not one of those girls that rolls out of bed looking pretty…

source

(More my style)

source

This morning I literally stepped out of bed and into the car to drive my sister to work. I didn’t care too about my appearance because the car was parked right out front. All was clear until a coffee craving hit. I haaaad to have Starbucks. 

Now, do I go home and change, then go back to Starbucks? Orrr do I strut my disheveled hot-mess-of-a-self and lion hair? 0.22 seconds of debating later, I chose the lion. I kept thinking, if I was a celebrity and photographed I would end up in the back of the magazine under “What Were They Thinking?” or “Stars without makeup: Eeeeeek”!

What kind of gal/guy are you? Do you not leave the house without some prep work? Or do you embrace the train wreck look?

* * *

On another note, I was feeling generous when a nice homeless man asked me for money outside of Starbucks. Having only plastic on me, I purchased him a hot chocolate and spiced cake. I figured not all people like coffee (although I find them freaks, haha) and I wanted a food that he could save for later if he wanted. I walked out of the store and happily gave him the food explaining I didn’t have money on me and what did he do??? He was pissed! 

Ahhh well, I tried. What’s your approach on giving money? I’ve lived in cities for the last 8 years so being asked for money is almost a daily occurrence. I really don’t like giving money because of the fear it will be spent on alcohol/drugs and generally choose to give food. What do you think? 

* * *

After being put in my place by the homeless man, I made a massive breakfast…

Berry Pecan Protein Pancake

1 scoop vanilla protein (I used SunWarrior brand)

1/3 cup egg whites

1/2 mashed banana

1/2 cup frozen berries (raspb, blue, blackberries)

1 t flax seeds

1 T crushed pecans

pinch baking powder

pinch cinnamon, nutmeg

1 T organic maple syrup

* * *

15 mins of digesting later, I hit the road for BodyPump class. The class was great per usual, but the lovely instructor decided to sing along to most of the already lame music. Thaaaaanks! <—sarcasm

On the way home I stopped at health food Heaven to for a ginormous protein-packed salad from Whole Foods. Mmmmm.

Spinach, arugula, steamed brussels/zucchini/summer squash, roasted turkey breast, raw veggies, 1 egg, sunflower seeds, garbanzo beans, topped with a little cayenne and sea salt. So so good!

* * *

Before I go, I wanted to show y’all some nutritional info from a popular brand of deli turkey. Browse the ingredient list if you will…

Barf. Seriously spend the extra $0.40 and buy the all-natural version.

* * *

Are you a hot mess in the morning? Do you own it?

What’s your approach to giving money to the homeless?

>A taxing night

>Thanks for your crock pot suggestions on yesterday’s post. If you still recipes to share, please do! I’m a slow-cooker virgin…hehe

* * *

Last night I Tweeted that I had a very [emotionally] draining night at work. Without sharing too much information, a situation brought me back to last spring when I lost a good friend to suicide. Since his passing, there is rarely a day that goes by when he doesn’t cross my mind. Brian was an avid runner and I often find myself thinking of him when I see a beautiful sky, have a crazy endorphin high, or just find peace while hitting the pavement. Suicide is never the answer and with time things will always get better. I just wish he knew that.

* * *

In more uplifting news, I’ve managed to make some good (and clean) eats over the last few days, despite the chaos and long hours at work.

I’m not going to lie. Lately I’ve been eating oatmeal every.single. day for breakfast. I can’t get enough!

Peanut Butter & Banana spiced Oats

In da bowl:

1/3 cup oats, 1 t chia seeds (soaked overnight in 1 cup almond milk)

1/4 cup egg whites

1/4 cup peanut flour

1/2 mashed banana

1 T Greek yogurt (makes it super creamy)

Truvia (all natural, zero-calorie sweetener)

pinch sea salt (brings out sweetness)

cinnamon

nutmeg

**

 Chili topped sweet potato

Ingredients:

Baked (aka microwaved) sweet potato

Chili (Amy’s organic chili, black bean salsa, chili powder, cumin)

Dollop Greek yogurt <—-tastes just like sour cream!

**

Organic Chicken Pot “Pie” w/ polenta topping 

(makes two pies)

Ingredients (all organic):

2 chicken breasts, boiled and diced

Cream of chicken soup (2 cans)

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 head broccoli

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

5 celery ribs, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 hand fulls fresh green beans

1.5 cups H20

1 roll polenta

1 t basil

1 t oregano

1/2 t sea salt

1/2 t pepper

(Polenta)
1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Mash polenta until crumbled
3. Bring to boil l in 1.5 cups H20
4. Add spices and cook reduce to medium heat for 5 mins

(Pie)
1. Combine remaining ingredients
2. Drain excess liquid (picture below is before draining liquid)

(Bake)

1. Top pies with polenta mixture and bake for ~45 mins until veggies are soft and polenta starts to brown. 

2. Broil for 3-5 mins to further brown topping

3. Dig in!

* * *

Alright, I’m off to break in my new Garmin watch (wooo!) then take a BodyPump class before heading to work.

What are your workout plans this week? Trying anything new?

>And I’m D-O-N-E

>Well I completed all of my Christmas shopping. And it only took me TWO trips. SUCCESS!

source

The first trip was incredibly successful. On the list:

– Mom
– Dad
– Brother
– Sister-in-law (to be)
– Michael (puppy)
– Secret Santa

Kelsey (sister) was my shopping buddy. We even hit up Dog Fish Ale House for dinner. If you’re a beer drinker and from the DC/VA/MD are, chances are you drink this stuff. I, on the other hand, am not a beer drinker. I never did like the taste. Wine is my thang.

We started with a bottle of Cabernet recommended by the server:

It. was. disgusting. 

I’ve never sent back wine before (unless it was corked) but this one tasted like sugar-y, syrup-y, grossness. I do not recommend.

This one, on the contrary, was pretty fantastic:

Dinner was good. Kels and I split the grilled salmon:

Veggies sauteed in olive oil rather than butter

And seared ahi tuna: 

And a side of steamed spinach (drizzled in EVOO, lemon, S&P)

* * *

Today I had the day off. I woke around 10am, caught up on the news, and made a breakfast classic..

The Protein Cupcake

Combine then microwave 1 min 30 seconds:

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 T egg white

pinch baking powder

pinch sea salt

cinnamon

stevia

water to moisten

Frosting

1/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt

2 T peanut flour

stevia

teeny bit of sea salt

(recipe inspired by Toneitup‘s protein pancake)

* * *

After digesting, the Manfriend and I jogged to the gym (1 mile each way), then I BodyPumped while he lifted and jump roped (fun fact: my brother and bf are crazy-good jump ropers)

We lunched on Soup courteous of Amy then I hit the streets for day #2 of holiday shopping. Fortunately Georgetown has amazing stores so I didn’t have to walk far. And after 2 shopping trips, I finished the Manfriend’s gifts and I’m D-O-N-E!

* * *

For holidays, birthdays, etc., are you an early-bird shopper or procrastinator like me?

>It’s confession time baby

>Like the title? I promise an explanation in a sec…

Today I had the day off. That meant what it usually does: Waking up around 10am, making breakfast and a big ole mug of coffee, catching up on the news and my favorite blogs, then hitting the gym. Today was no different. Is that weird? Do you have a “routine” on your days off?

Breakfast was Raspberry Vanilla Oats

1/3 cup oats

1 cup almond milk

1 t chia seeds

1/2 t flax seeds

stevia, cinnamon, nutmeg

1/4 cup raspberries

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (added after cooking)

pecans to garnish

I didn’t capture any pictures of my coffee but I can estimate for you my caffeine intake was quite high today. It was one of those mornings. I did capture a nice pic of our back deck..

We have SNOW in DC! 

Now onto the R&R of the day…

Confession #1: My sister and I recently reached a milestone. We successfully re-watched all 10 seasons of [the old-school] 90210:

Now let’s do some math: 

10 seasons x 30 episodes/season = 300 episodes
300 episodes x 45 mins = 225 hours or 9.33 days of 90210!

Why am I admitting this again??

———————

For lunch I was in the veggie mood..

Veggies and hummus

And then snacked on yogurt and fruit…

1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt, frozen raspberries, frozen pineapple, stevia

———————

When my eyes were ready to bleed from watching too much Donna Martin, I ventured to the gym for a 30 min spinning class followed by BodyPump. I seriously can’t get enough BodyPump. I love feeling STRONG!

After a muscle-pumping sesh, I refueled with an easy peasy big bowl of thai curry veggies & chickpeas:

Step #1: Boil veggies

Butternut squash, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans

Step #2: Drain. Add spices (curry, turmeric, coriander, S&P)

Step #3: Dress in Thai Curry sauce

This stuff is amazing

Step #4: Savor

——————–

Ok, and now for Confession #2: I’ve been reading a lot of other blogger’s winter skincare routines. It got me thinking: What’s my skin care secret? And then I immediately thought, do I want to share this secret? Not because I want to keep the magic to myself, but because it’s a little embarrassing. If you happen to watch Real Housewives of NJ, you know that Caroline shaves her face because she claims it keeps her face super soft and is the best exfoliant that she’s ever tried. Well I have a problem, I have the worlds most dry nose. No matter what I do, it’s always flaky in the winter months. So I figured, why not shave my nose? I tried it, and viola! I’ve been doing this once per month all winter and no more flaky dry skin on my nose! TMI?? Perhaps! 

Well there you have it!

Do you have any embarrassing beauty secrets?

Do you have a “routine” even on your days off?