>Some devastating news

>Hey guys,

I have some unfortunate news to share. As you all know I’ve been working hard to train for my November 13th marathon in Richmond, VA. I’ve been doing so well and averaging a 7:54 pace during my long runs, a time that would re-qualify me for the Boston Marathon.

Recently however, I tripped while running and rolled my ankle pretty badly and now my hip flexor is KILLING me.

It’s been about a week now and it’s still too painful to run. I didn’t mention anything earlier because I hoped it would magically heal itself, but sadly it doesn’t look that’s happening. So for right now, the marathon is up in the air and I guess I’ll see how I feel within the next two weeks, but it’s not looking good 😦

So in the meantime I’ll be saying bye-bye to my favorite running routes:

And trying to stay in marathon shape by other workouts that don’t hurt my hip such as:

BodyPump

source

Spinning classes

source

Solo Spinning classes (via podcast):

Yoga:

And some other DVD favorites:

Questions:

Any advice on how to quickly heal a hurt hip flexor?

What are your favorite cardio workouts that don’t involve running?

>Countryfest = SUCCESS!

>Hi loves!

I’m backkkk! Countryfest was a BLAST! I really hope we keep up this tradition every year. I had an amazing time..

The weekend started with a nine hour road trip back home to New Hampshire. The pup LOVES the car. Check out the wind in his (fur) face…

I enjoyed spending time with the fam, laying out by the pool, and family dinners which included fresh veggies from our GARDEN:

Saturday morning I headed out for an amazing 5-mile trail run. I LOVE running in NH. So peaceful. I made myself a Green Monstah for the road, put on ma Cowgirl boots and we hit the road..

TAILGATING was SO MUCH FUN. The night before I made homemade veggie dip and garlic hummus which I sadly left at home 😦 I did however, make up for it with some other snacks. Namely, Skinny Margaritas:

1 bottle Jose Cuervo Silver Tequila, large splash triple sec (approx 1/8 tequila volume), 30 oz Orange flavored seltzer water, splash OJ, teeny splash fresh lime juice, 4 packets of stevia, Ice.

We had the grill going…

Sister-in-law-to-be on da grillll

And plenty of other goodies:

My plate (turkey burg not pictured): Grilled veggies + fresh fruit

We tailgated for 4 hours and loved every second of it. Friends, family, and a Manfriend. I was a happy girl.

Awesome pic. Kels (sister) captured in the middle.

Seth with friends Chris and Nik. He grew a mustache for the event…hahaha.

L to R: Sister, cousin, cousin, ME

L to R: Cousin, ME, sister-in-law-to-be, sister, cousin’s gf

Seth (Manfriend) + Ben (cousin)

We started out in nose-bleed seats then moved waaaay up and somehow found a ground-level row completely open and made that our new home. Twas amazing!

Jason Aldean was my favorite! LOVE him!

And we DANCED. All. night. long.

This year we rented a hotel after the concert which was worth EVERY PENNY! We headed home Sunday and had a nice relaxing day in NH. I spent the day:

– Napping

– Playing with my 4-year-old niece, Morgan

– Making dinner for the family (they requested Sweet Potato & Black Bean Turkey Chili)

– Turbofire-ing it up (I did Fire 45. Def my favorite one!)

– Girls’ Wine night! It was True Blood, Entourage, Keeping up with the Kardashian’s night 🙂

After a LONG nine hour drive, I’m back in DC. I woke craving Banana Protein Pancakes:

The rest of the day includes:

– Studying for my Nursing Aide exam on Saturday (more specifics to come)
– 7 mile run in this chiiiilly weather 🙂 Update: I ran a fast (8:02 pace) 9.4 miles! Whooot!
– Visiting my bestest at her NEW APARTMENT for some vino and girl time

How was your weekend????

Have a great night!

XX,

Lauren

>Thunderstorms yield great wine

>I have a confession: I still sleep with the teddy bear I was giving when I was born.

His name is Berry. AKA Strawberry Jones (sick name, right?). But I call him Berry for short. Hopefully I am not alone on this one like my Manfriend and sister lead me to believe…

Yesterday was quite the day. I started it out with PB + Chocolate + Chia Overnight Oats:

– 1/4 cup oats

– 2 tbsp PB Flour

– 1/2 scoop Chocolate protein powder (I use SunWarrior)

-1/2 cup FF Greek yogurt

– 1 tbsp chia seeds

– H20

– stevia

– dash sea salt

Hit.the.spot

I also delivered the Manfriend Breakfast IN BED:

Everything bagel with 2 over-easy eggs, grilled ham, and Laughing Cow cheese. Nice girlfriend I am, eh? heheh

[Insert 4 hours of thesis work (MS thesis in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology) while listening to the massive thunderstorms outside]

I love (being inside during) storms. So cozy.

During a brief storm intermission, I snuck out for a fabulous light-rain 5-mile run. Do you run in the rain. It is SO THERAPEUTIC. Seriously try it.

Feeling amazing and recharged for more thesis work, I came home to NO POWER. Bored and unsure what to do, I threw in p90x Arms and Shoulders on the Mac and got ma lift on in the dining room (our brightest room). Eh, if it works?

After 45 mins of lifting, the power was STILL not on. Then another FOUR hours went by of reading by limited candlelight. DCers: WHY does the power always go out in the SUMMER? I am from NH/Boston and the power has gone out more times HERE than when I lived in NEW ENGLAND!!!!!

So what’s a girl to do? 1) I showered in the dark. Interesting to say the least. Then 2) made dinner by candle light. Kelsey (sister) and I made one quick sweep into the fridge as to lose the least amount of cold air and whipped up dinnah.

*Sorry for the poor-quality pics. I was in the dark… 😉

Summer salad:

Romaine, tofu (medium), red grapes, diced watermelon, cucumbers served with Goddess Dressing + Nutritional yeast. Fab.

Hard-boiled eggs (fortunately we have a gas stove):

PB + Chocolate mousse for dessert:

1/2 cup FF Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp PB Flour, stevia, dash sea salt, drizzle organic chocolate syrup, drizzle Better N’ Peanut Butter

STILL without power, I threw in the Thesis-Towel, put my face on by candle (and flash) light..

..and met the Manfriend and his cousin Dan for drinks at this awesome place. <— If you live in the area, this bar is fantastic. TONS of beer, great vino selection, and FANTASTIC ambiance. Seth informed me this morning the AMAZING Cabernet I was drinking was $15/glass. Whoops 🙂 BUTTTT…we did come home to POWER!

And that brings us to today. I woke craving something TROPICAL. Perhaps it’s due to the SUN that’s finally out?? I went for a Green-a-Colada Protein Smoothie (inspired by Gina’s):

– 1 scoop vanilla protein (Used SunWarrior)

– 1/2 cup FF Greek yogurt

– 1/4 cup frozen pineapple

– 1/2 cup frozen mango

– 1 frozen banana

– 2 tbsp red. fat unsweetened coconut

– 2 hand fulls fresh spinach

– stevia

– 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (optional; to thicken)

– teeny dash sea salt (brings out sweetness)

– Ice + H20 (or almond milk)

Perfection.

So what’s up for the rest of the day???

– Thesisss
– Lunch
– Workout (Run or TurboFiyyyah)
– Pack for tomorrow’s Road trip (hint: clue in 4th picture)
– Clean apt
– Dinnah
– RHDC and Jersey Shore (hehehe)

Have a fantastic day Y’ALLLLLLL (hint #2)

-Laur

QUESTIONS:

Do you still sleep with a stuffed animal?

Have you taken any road trips lately???

>My brain hurts

>

You know those mornings when you wake after a full 8-9 hours of sleep feeling utterly exhausted? That was yesterday. But alas, I dragged myself out of bed. Correction: My growling stomach dragged me out of bed.

Breakfast was Raspberry Vanilla Overnight Oats. And they were scrumptious:

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 scoop Vanilla protein (I use SunWarrior)

1/2 mashed frozen banana

splash almond milk

1/4 cup frozen raspberries

dash stevia

Picture does no justice. I swear it was delicious.

Oh, and a couple of these..

Caribou Coffee a la Keurig + unsweetened organic soy

[Insert 2.5 hours of Thesis-ing]

Feeling like my brain was going to explode, I threw on my gym clothes, grabbed my ipod, and jogged to the gym (1 mile away) for a BodyPump class. I freakin’ love that class. Love to feel STRONG!

Starvin’ and craving PROTEIN, I whipped up some grilled chicken patties. Orrrrr, I toasted some Morningstar ChiK’n Grillers. The latter is more likely 😉

2 Morningstar patties, toasted bagel thin, Laughing Cow Light Swiss. lettuce, tomato, side of veggies and Trader Joe’s Jalapeno and Cilantro hummus.

And sipped some Kombucha:

(check out the cutie in the corner)

Patties were kind of blah. They went for a ketchup bath.

[Insert 3 hours of Thesis work]

Again feeling like my brain was going to explode, I decided to TurboFire it up!

Did the trick! Love the Fiyaaaah.

For dinner I made turkey meatloaf and sweet potato chips

Meatloaf:

ground lean turkey

3/4 cup oats

1 chopped medium yellow onion

1/2 cup ketchup

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

bake for 45 mins at 425F

(Original recipe here)

Sweet Potato fries:

 3 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and finely sliced 

Sprayed with EVOO and seasoned with sea salt and pepper

Baked at 425F for (roughly) 30 mins, flipping fries once during cooking

Last night Kels (sister), the Manfriend, and I watched The Disappearance of Alice Creed. I enjoyed.

This morning I woke ravishing and made a Mango-Coconut Green Monster Smoothie:

1 scoop vanilla SunWarrior, 1/2 cup frozen mangoes, 1/2 cup frozen pineapple, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 tbsp red. fat organic dried coconut, ice H20, stevia, 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (for thickkkness)

OK, I’m off to a doctor’s appt (just regular check-up) then:

– Thesis, thesis, thesis!

– workout

– Target (?)

– Thesissss

Sounds exhilarating, eh? 😉

Have a great day!

>R&R &R &R….

>Yes, that is my life these days. Since leaving my PhD program, I’ve been working on my M.S. thesis, applying to nursing jobs, volunteering, cooking (!), and reeeeelaxing.

Yep, I’m in Myrtle Beach.

Manfriend

Kels (sister), Madre, and me

In addition to the beautiful weather, and WARM ocean water (seriously I can’t get over how warm it is), the eats haven’t been to shabby.

There’s been the Lauren-ish ones..

Whole Foods’ Salad MONSTERRR (everything and yo mother in there):

Toasted Bagel Thin w/ organic turkey, laughing cow cheese, pepper:

French toast (whole grain toast, eggs, cinnamon, maca, mesquite, stevia, organic maple syrup):

Toasted bagel thin, scrambled egg whites, laughing cow cheese, s/p:

And the not-so-typical but incredibly delicious VACATION FOOOOD…

Tart FroYo with strawberries and bananas:

Grilled scallops:

Pineapple Mixer(s): Vodka (or rum), soda water, pineapple:

Steamed clams:

Tuna Tar Tar:

Considering all of the R&R and amazing food, I’ve been trying to get some exercise. I planned on an early morning run today but after snoozing until 10am, I decided to TurboJam it up to avoid fainting in the heat:

Tomorrow I’m gonna try my bestest to wake early and get out for an early morning run…


(Here are pics from my last Myrtle Beach beach run in January)

Whelp, time to get some FroYo and throw in a movie. Ahhh, life is good 🙂
XX,
Lauren

PS…Check out this AMAZING PICTURE I took on my Blackberry tonight during dinner..

>All in a days work

>Whelp, this is gonna be a quick one, because I am EXHAUSTED! I hope you all had a wonderful day!

Mine started with a gigantic protein pancake:

1/3 cup egg whites, 1 scoop vanilla whey protein, 1 tbsp spelt flour, pinch baking soda, 1 banana (half smashed, half diced), 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp apple pie spice, stevia, dash sea salt. Topped with 1/4 cup microwaved blueberries and 1 tbsp organic maple syrup.

Please try this ❤

After digesting, caffeinating, and catching up on the news I did the 45 min TurboFire workout (Fire 45) and ended up looking like this:

No lie, these workouts are FANTASTIC.

I had several Strawberry Lemonades to refuel:

Ice H20 + lemon juice + stevia + frozen strawberries

And reheated the leftover chicken parmesean and got back to work on the thesis train.

For a snack I was craving something tropical. I could have happily made a pina colada but that might have not been the best choice for a writing mind. Instead I made a Tropical Yogurt Mess and called it a day:

FF Greek Yogurt, frozen pineapple, unsweetened coconut, stevia

After more and more work and a long walk with the pup, I decided to make some Magic Soup since I haven’t had it in sooooo long. And a BONUS of magic SOUP in the SUMMER???? It tastes FANTASTIC eaten chilled.

Roasted Red Pepper soup, shrimp, spinach, kidney beans, sugar snap peas, edamame, carrots + red chili powder, cumin, pepper, dash sea salt

Dear Magic Soup,

I have missed you.

The Manfriend was home early tonight so after an early dinner we relaxed on the deck and enjoyed a new bottle of Shriaz:

❤

Have a great night and fantastic Thursday!

QUESTION:

What’s your favorite wine?

Do you ever make soup in the summer?

XX

>Energy please!!!

>Today I woke (after 9 peaceful hours) completely exhausted. I had a ka-trillion things on my to-do list but I literally felt like I had blocks tied to my feet and everything was moving in slow motion. I swear I could have slept 5 more hours.

To get myself going I happily ate a scrumptious breakfast cookie I prepared the night before:

1/3 cup oats, 1/2 scoop Vanilla Whey (Designer Whey brand), 1/2 banana, 1/8 cup soy milk, stevia, cinnamon, dash sea salt, dried cranberries

And a couple of these from my new darling Keurig:

Coffee, steamed soy + cinnamon

After catching up on the news and thesis-ing for a while I decided a quick workout would wake me up.

I did the TurboFire 30 min workout (Fire 30) and it DEFINITELY did the trick! It’s crazy how we sometimes claim tiredness is an excuse not to exercise when it makes you SO MUCH more AWAKE!

For lunch I had a variety of things through out the day because I was feeling snacky. And studying makes me extra snacky.

Green Monster Smoothie:

Vanilla Whey protein, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, handful fresh spinach, stevia, pinch xanthan gum, ice, H20

Cinnamon Raisin PB Oats:

1/3 cup oats, cinnamon, stevia, raisins, better n’ pb, dash sea salt. Soak oats in h20 over night. Microwave. Then add remaining ingredients.

Chilled diced apple:

Organic Fuji apple topped w/ mesquite and maca powder, Better N’ PB for dippin’

After more reading/studying/thesis-ing than my eyes could take, I was itching to get out for a short run since today was the first day in a LONG time it was not ridiculously humid. I set out for a 3 miler but ended up doing 5 miles (at 7:55 pace!). Guess my breakfast and lunch of carbs did the trick!

For dinner I made a gigantic spinach salad (not pictured) and an open faced egg salad sandwich:

3 egg whites, 2 yolks, tbsp light mayo, dash sea salt, pepper, paprika over a toasted bagel thin (looks like popcorn, no?)

Still hunnnngry I whipped up this deliciousness:

PB Chocolate yogurt: 3/4 cup FF Greek yogurt, organic cacao, stevia, Better N’ Butter, fresh strawberries

OK, time to spend time with the Manfriend.

We both clearly need to get off our laptops as its almost 1:15am!

G’NIGHT!!!! Have a wonderful Tuesday!

XX,

Lauren

>Stay cooool

>Hey hey,

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! I can’t believe how HOT it was in Washington this weekend. We’re talkin‘ about 101-104F! And HUMID enough to make your hair puff out of control in about 0.25 seconds.

How did I stay cool this weekend?

1) DID NOT RUN OUTSIDE. I attempted Saturday night but it was just too humid. It literally felt like jogging in a steam room. Fortunately enough, this lovely lady has come into my life:

Dear Chalene,

You rock.

The 8 DVDs that make up TurboFire are:

1. Fire 30 min class

2. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) 15 min

3. Fire 55 min

4. Core 20 min

5. Stretch 40 min (yoga)

6. Stretch 10 min

7. Fire 45 min

8. HIIT 20 min

KISS BOREDOM GOODBYE. These dvds are so FUN! To view short clips of TurboFire click here and here.

2) I STAYED HYDRATED! It’s super important to drink extra H20 during the summer. My latest obsession and new twist on ice water:

Ice water + teeny splash lime juice + dash stevia

And extra ice counts as H20 right????

Pina colada! 2 parts Baha Bob’s Low Calorie mix, 1 part clear rum, ice

In other HEALTHIER NEWS, Kels (sister) and I have been enjoying dinners together the last few nights:

MEAL #1: Grilled Turkey burger topped with low-fat cheddar and sauteed garlic veggies, side spiralized salad

*TIP: Olive oil has many heart-healthy benefits, but we often use way too much when making sauteed veggies. To reduce amount of oil used, first boil veggies in H20 to soften:

Next: drain H20 and add desired amount of EVOO (I add 1 tbsp per serving) and spices. Here I added Garlic Gold

Cook until browned:

For a new twist (literally, bahaha) on a traditional salad, I decided to spiralize up some zucchini instead of lettuce:

MEAL #2: Baked Chicken “Parmesan” over steamed veggies with garden salad:

DIRECTIONS:

1. Layer glass baking pan with marinara sauce and spices (I use fresh garlic, basil, and oregano)

2. Place chicken (cut into strips) on top of sauce

3. Layer more sauce/spices on top of chicken

4. Cook covered for 40 mins at 425F (cut into thickest part of chicken to ensure thoroughly cooked)
5. Top with low-fat cheese (I prefer cheddar) and cook uncovered 2-3 mins

6. Serve over steamed veggies

Served with a garden salad:

MEAL #3: Whole grain “Nachos”:

Grilled whole grain tortilla topped with salsa, black beans, dollop Greek yogurt, red chili powder, cumin

Alright kids, I’m off to bed. Have a fantastic Monday!!!

XOX,

Lauren

Random pic:

St. Patty’s day in Boston during college (4 years ago) with my best friends

>I’m a beasttt

>Hi kiddos,

I hope you’re having a fantastic Saturday! It’s HOT-HOT-HOT here in Washington, DC. I’m talking 103F and HUMID! AKA investing the time to do my hair is a no-go. What’s your weather like this weekend???

Yesterday was a lazy day for me. The weather was SO hot it was pretty much unbearable to be outside. I woke sweaty and itching for a refreshing Green Monster smoothie:

^1 scoop vanilla whey (Designer Whey brand), 1/2 banana, frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple, handful fresh spinach, ice H20, ice, 1 tsp xanthan gum (to thicken), dash stevia.

Heavenly.

After my smoothie digested, Kelsey (sistah) and I tried the TurboFire workout series for the first time. I saw how much Gina (from Fitnessista.com) liked it and needed to give it a try! Here’s a clip of Gina doing the workout and this pretty much got me hooked. The series is made up of 11 DVDs that range in various times, intensities, etc.

It’s heart pumping and so fun! For those of you with two left feet like me, I still felt like I was in a dance video. Ok not so much, but I could still follow along and seriously break a sweat.

After sweating like a BEAST, I had a huuuuge craving for Kombucha:

^Ah, I luuurve this stuff.

Then whipped up Big ole’ salad. Romaine, turkey, tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, cranberries:

Topped with nutritional yeast (noosh) and Trader Joe’s Goddess Dressing:

*Click here to read about the amazing health benefits of Nutritional Yeast.

And this new FAVORITE:

^Garlic Gold Nuggets. SO GOOD. They add amazing flavor and some crunch.

*Tip: To reduce calories in your favorite dressing dilute 1:1 with balsamic vinegar. It ‘thins’ out the dressing so you use less but still get the flavah

Later in the evening we met my uncle (who is in town for a conference) for dinner and drinks (unpictured, sorrrry). I had taco salad and two Pineapple Mixers.

^Uncle, me and Kels

This morning I woke staaavin‘ and despite the heat, I wanted PANCAKES:

I found a recipe for low-fat protein pancakes from the girls at Tone it Up.com

(You can view their original recipe here)

– 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
– 1/3 cup egg whites

– 1/2 mashed banana, 1/2 diced banana

– 1 tsp flax seeds

– 1/2 tsp cinnamon

– *Optional ingredients: Dash seasalt, maca powder, apple pie spice, frozen blueberries (I add all of these)

I microwaved 1/2 cup of frozen cherries, strawberries and blueberries added a dash of stevia and blended to make a DELISH fruit topping (I also dipped them in a little bit of organic maple syrup).

The pancakes were great! They only took 5 mins and I still can’t believe they are made from protein powder, egg whites, and banana. Next time I may add a whole banana (1/2 mashed and 1/2 diced) and a pinch of baking soda. Give em a try!

OK folks, I’m off to the gym then back to clean the apartment, do some reading, and then meet friends for dinner.

Have a great night!

XX,

Lauren

Here’s a pic of me and my niece from my birthday last week: