Like Me? Then “Like” Me!

Last night, I made a deliciously simple meal that was nearly made of all local ingredients.

The wine was from Easley Winery, the main dish was a U-Relish Farms crockpot meal (review coming soon!), and the salad…well it came from the grocery store.  But even still the salad, crockpot meal, and wine were the perfect end to a long work day.

Like Me?

Having this blog is great because the blog time is like “me time” and I am really able to focus, write down my thoughts, get creative, and do things that I truly enjoy.  One of the great things that I love about the blog is the opportunities that it gives me and the people that it allows me to meet.  I know that I am only getting started and there is so much room for me to grow, but I continue to want to sink my teeth in and bite off more and more projects that allow me to promote a healthy lifestyle, experiment in the kitchen, meet people with similar interests, find new ways to be active, and learn new lessons.

As I have recently been researching more opportunities for me to “put myself out there”, I have come across a small obstacle.  Some promotional opportunities require a certain amount of Facebook “likes.”  Currently, I am at 89 Facebook “likes.”  Here is where I need your help.

I need your help to get me to 100 (or more!!) Facebook “likes!”

In order to make this a little more fun for you, (and for me ;)) I am going to host a contest through Saturday morning.

The prize:  Grocery List Consultation Evaluation

As a young professional and recent college grad attempting to eat a healthy diet on a dime I have a few tricks up my sleeve when it comes to saving money on quality ingredients.  I will look at what you are doing now, listen to your goals about where you would like your budget to be, what changes to your current food intake you want to make,  and look at potentially new foods you may like to try.  I want to help you save money and show you some healthier alternatives to current foods you may be eating because healthy living doesn’t have to be expensive or out of your price range!

Previously, I did a Clean Shopping On a Budget Series, and in the past year I have learned even more tips and tricks of the grocery shopping and healthy eating trade.  To check out the series, click on the links below:

• Part I
• Part II
• Part III

The consultation and evaluation will include:

• cost saving tips and suggestions
• coupon sources
• healthy food swaps
• meal preparation tips
• anything else you may need help with!

In order to enter this contest simply “like” my Facebook page, and comment down below on this post letting me know that you did!

It won’t take many to reach the 100 mark…so let’s see how far we can surpass it!

Summary

What:  Contest to get 100+ Facebook page likes

Prize:  Grocery List Consultation Evaluation

When:  Now until Saturday, August 11 at 9am

How:  Like my Facebook page and comment below telling me that you did

A Little Bit of This or That

Good Morning!

Can you already believe that it is hump day?  It seems as though this week is flying, and I am not complaining one bit about it!

Before heading to the gym to teach my Yoga Sculpt class this morning, I had an interesting first meal of a glass of almond milk (so good!), two plain rice cakes with some Laughing Cow cheese, and some unpictured egg whites.  Usually I crave something sweet first thing in the morning, but this meal totally hit the spot and gave me plenty of energy to teach.

A white but tasty meal

Survey

Do you remember surveys???  Back in the day, I used to love filling out the surveys with all of my information and the e-mailing it to my entire address book of friends!  I still love surveys to this day.  I love reading about other people, and I love answering the questions.  So, when I saw this little survey on Courtney‘s blog and on Clare‘s blog…well I just had to join the club 😉

1.Run/workout in the heat and humidity or freezing temps and snow?

It really depends on the situation.  I am resuming my half marathon training this week, and usually run my races in the summer.  On the fourth of July this year, Brian and I ran a 6 mile race in 90 degree heat and humidity…and I hit a personal record!  Who would have guessed?  On the other hand, when it is winter, as long as the sun is shining, the snow is glistening, and I am dressed appropriately, I love a nice brisk snowy winter run.

2. Have washboard abs or flat abs?

Does this mean to look at or have?  To be realistic, I would have to say flat…I don’t think I could ever have anything near washboard abs due to my body type.

3. Dr. Oz or The Doctors?

Before I had my day job, I had plenty of time to catch  up on my daytime TV, but now I don’t have time to even watch night time TV.  I guess I will say Dr. Oz because I haven’t really ever watched The Doctors.

4. Cardio or strength?

Tough one!  I love the high and adrenaline rush I get while doing hard core cardio, but ever since I started lifting heavy weights on the cruise, I have started getting a high off of that too!  I gotta say both 🙂

5. Cravings: Protein or carbs?

I would probably say carbs J  At least recently, I always love a good bowl of oatmeal, fruit, veggies…but I try to incorporate some form of protein at every meal!

6. Jillian Michaels or Bob Harper?

Recently, I have really been getting into Jillian Michaels.   She has some amazing podcasts that are very informative, and share her opinion but don’t push it on you.  They are great to listen to in the car on the way to and from work.

7. Frozen Yogurt or Ice Cream?

Although I love both, I am going to have to go with Frozen Yogurt.  I love the self-serve and adding my own toppings!

Fro Yo is kind of like ice cream 😉

8. To train: Upper body or Lower body?

I totally neglect my lower body, which I need to change.  I think I see quicker results in my upper body, therefore, I train it more often…

9. Protein powder or food with protein?

Food with protein is always the top options, and I try to get most of my protein from fish, eggs, and dairy.  There are sometimes though that I like to eat foods that don’t have a lot of protein in them, like smoothies and oatmeal.  When I enjoy these foods, I will add protein powder to supplement the protein that the meal is missing.

10. Lunges or squats?

Oh! Tough one!  They both hurt, but I am going to say lunges because for me I think they are harder, so I like to work at them more.

11. Sweet or salty?

Can I say sweet and salty?  I love a good trail mix!! However, if I am just craving something, it is probably going to be sweet 🙂

12. Workout attire: cute or comfy?

Cute.  I really like to have matching outfits, and especially when I am teaching I like to look halfway decent and not like I rolled out of bed.  Feeling like I look good always motivates me to work harder and do better!

13. Body Pump or Heavy lifting?

I have recently been working to become certified to teach Body Pump, and I love it!  However, when I complete my own workouts, the majority of the time I do heavy lifting rather than the lighter weights with higher reps like Body Pump.  I find that I am able to get stronger that way, and increase my weights in Body Pump more frequently.

14. Yoga or Pilates?

Pilates.  I used to hate yoga, then I had to learn a format and teach it on the cruise!  I will say that Yoga feels great, but if I had to pick a class to go to it would for sure be Pilates.

15. Nike or Adidas?

Well, currently, one pair of shoes is Nike and the other is Adidas.  When it comes to workout clothing though I usually pick things up at Target, Marshalls, or TJ Maxx!

16. Running on the treadmill or outdoors?

Honestly, I get so dizzy on the treadmill it is usually just not even worth trying more than walking on the darn thing, however!, Monday I tried a new kind of treadmill and was able to complete three miles!  I will always prefer running outdoors.

17. Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s?

I absolutely love both!  They are both a bit of a drive from where I am currently living, so it is like a special treat when I shop at either one.  I love the selection at Whole Foods, and I love the prices and specialty products at Trader Joe’s.  What can I say, I love ‘em both!

18. Summer or Winter Olympics?

Summer for sure.  I am loving the gymnastics, diving, swimming, a touch of running…basically it is all awesome!

20. Steamed veggies or roasted veggies?

Roasted.  I love roasting up veggies with onion and garlic pieces for lots of flava!

 

Now it’s on to you!! 

• Do you prefer strength or cardio?
• Do you prefer cute of comfy workout gear?

Florida Recap: My Brother’s Film College Graduation

Good Morning!

Yesterday was my first day back at work after being in Florida for a week.  Is it just me, or does anyone else ever feel like they need a vacation from vacation to mentally rest and prepare for getting back into the grind?

My first day back at work wasn’t too bad, except for one thing.  I had a headache lingering all day.  I had some medicine with me, and I did take it, but I am always a bit leary about popping a ton of pills in order to feel better.  Unfortunately, the meds didn’t really help and by bedtime the headache was in full swing.  I have a prescription for these headaches that I don’t like to take outside of emergency situations, and last night was one of those instances.

Lately, though, the prescription hasn’t even been working.  So, while I was able to fall asleep, I woke at about midnight with a full blown, horrible headache.  Thankfully, I was able to take another round of medicine to really kick it in the tush.  I was able to fall back asleep, and wake with no head pain.  Whenever I have one of these headaches, even if I get rid of it, I never quite feel 100% the next day.  They really take a lot of out me, and I crave one thing…carbs.  I awoke starving, and rice cakes and peanut butter sounded comforting…so before heading out to teach spin, rice cakes and PB it was.

Now, I am not sure what causes my headaches, but does anyone out there know of any remedies or preventative actions that maybe don’t involve popping a ton of pills??  If so, I would love to hear what you have to recommend or what you have tried in the past!

Now, to the fun stuff…

Florida Recap

While my family was stoked to go to Disney at the beginning of our trip, the real reason that we all traveled down to Florida was to celebrate my younger brother’s graduation from Full Sail University’s film directing program.

On Thursday evening, we were very excited for the entertainment of the night because we were attending a screening of my brother and all of the other Full Sail Film students’ films that they had made throughout their classes.

Before we could enjoy any sort of entertainment, we had some shopping to do…at Sam’s Club and Publix.  Two of my favorite stores!  My brother and his house mate were hosting a cookout after the graduation on Friday, and we needed supplies.

I love Sam’s Club, because there is bound to be a good sample that I want to try, and I am a girl that LOVES samples (and anything else free for that matter!)

Cheese please? Don’t mind if I do!

Mojito in a bag?? It was pretty tasty as well 😉

As if I didn’t already love Publix, as I was walking down the cereal aisle, I saw this little gem.

Weetabix…I ate those every single day in London, and I haven’t had them since!  If you ever get a chance to try them, I highly recommend!

Full Sail Backlot Tour

After our errands were completed and we had supplies for the cookout, Kenny gave us a tour of Full Sail which has an awesome backlot that looks just like a real little city for all of their movie making!

This is all fake

He showed us around the sets that they used while filming various projects.  One of Kenny’s projects was a cooking show in this little set kitchen!  I guess the whole food-loving thing runs in the family 🙂

He learned how to operate very high-tech and expensive equipment.  Not only did he learn how to use it, but he used this equipment to complete his projects.

Full Sail Grad Fest

After the tour it was time for the Grad Fest, where we had the opportunity to view all of the hard work that Kenny and his classmates had been putting into various films for the past two years.

Of course, they had popcorn for a little snack.

They rolled out the red carpet for these young directors and film-makers and even had a camera crew interviewing them about their experience at Full Sail.  The interviews were projected live on large TVs in the auditorium.  Pretty neat if you ask me!

The Family

The movies were amazing.  Some made me laugh, some made me cry, but all in all they were each pretty awesome in it’s own way.

Smokey Bones Dinner

We then headed to Smokey Bones for dinner with all of Kenny’s friends and their families.  The atmosphere was casual, fun, and welcoming.  Perfect for our large and loud group 🙂

I thought it was cute when they brought  out “bone bags” for my brother and grandpa when they both ordered the ribs.

At restaurants like these I always get so overwhelmed because of all of the options on the menu.  I ended up ordering the Nutty Chicken Salad, with shrimp instead of chicken.  I absolutely love salads with the sweet and savory flair going on.  This salad had dark leafy lettuce, candied pecans (such a treat!), goat cheese, strawberries, red onion, and shrimp….yum!

I thought I took a picture, but can’t seem to find it, but someone ordered a GIANT piece of chocolate cake for each of the grads.  Luckily Kenny was a little full and had to pass the plate around to the rest of the family.  Thank goodness he ordered a huge meal before his cake!

Graduation Ceremony

Friday was Kenny’s actual graduation.  It was held in the same location as the Grad Fest on the campus of Full Sail in one of their new buildings.

Because the classes were so small, each student was called to the stage with their name projected behind them like they won a game show!  I thought it was a pretty awesome effect.

We are all so proud of Kenny and his friends for graduating from Full Sail.

I think that one of the great things about Full Sail is that it allows these students to study something abstract like film making, internet marketing, music business, video game design, etc and still obtain a Bachelor’s degree.  It’s a great opportunity for someone who is completely capable of furthering their education, but can’t find the program that they fit into at a “traditional” school.

Graduation Cookout

After the graduation, we all headed back to Kenny’s house to hang out and grill out with Kenny’s friends and some of their families.

My dad, and my cousin Chuck (the one who works at Disney!)

My mom picked up burgers for everyone to eat from the grill.  I have never been a person to enjoy red meat, and was about to pick up a fillet of fish at Publix to grill, when I saw a lemon dill salmon burger.  I decided that was a better option for grilling, and I am so glad that I tried it.

Seriously, this burger was so tasty.  I purposely saved half of it for dinner so that I could savor the flavor even longer and eat it twice 🙂

The graduation celebration was a perfect way to end our family vacation before heading up to Ocala and then back to Indiana.

A beer with the same name as the school!

I am so proud of my brother, and I can’t wait to see where the future takes him!

Florida Recap: Never Too Old For Disney

Day 1:  Disney

We didn’t waste any time on this vacation.  Ever since my sister and I knew that we were going with my parents to Florida to celebrate my brothers graduation, we were asking that a trip to Disney be put into the plans.

As children, we went to the theme parks several times and have never truly out grown them.  My cousin works for Disney, and he wanted to meet up with us to spend the day in the park, Monday worked for his schedule and we made sure that it worked for ours.

We had an amazing day riding several of the rides with VIP fast passes thanks to our little family connection.

It was a long day starting with Hollywood Studios, Epcot in the middle, and ending with the Magic Kingdom.  We were dog tired at the end…but it was sooo worth it!

Pool Time

While we never actually made it to the beach on this trip, we did make it to the pool…several times.  And in the spirit of the Olypmics, we practiced some synchronized diving!

After spending the beginning portion of our day on Wednesday at the pool, we headed to Publix, which is a Southeastern United States grocery store chain…but I totally wish we had it in Indiana.

We stopped by their bakery section to pick up some fresh rolls to go with our Grandma’s planned meal of pulled pork or caprese sandwiches for those not to fond of pork (that would be me!).

Just walking through the Publix bakery made me want to buy just about every item they had out.  I love this grocery store so much because they have so many fresh items, it doesn’t seem too unreasonable priced, and it just has a nice clean look and feel.  What can I say…there is just something about the store that I like.

My grandparents were camping in their little mini motor coach (they call it the “Trek”) that they literally drive all over the country in the the Disney campground, Fort Wilderness.  This is where my family used to stay during our Florida vacations we would take as children, so my sister and I had big plans of hanging out at the pool…unfortunately, the afternoon got a bit rainy.

So, we put on the ponchos (ok…I put on the poncho), and we just walked around and explored the campground.  Soon enough, we were ready to head back for a couple of card games, and dinner.

Like I mentioned, my grandma made pulled pork for the family with a barbeque sauce that was low in sugar and absolutely tasty (I must get the recipe for that!), and caprese sandwiches for her and I to enjoy (neither of us really have ever enjoyed pork).

The sandwiches were served alongside some of her homemade secret ingredient potato salad…betchya can’t guess what’s in it.

Cauliflower! Another recipe that I need to make sure I ask for 😉  We then enjoyed some of my grandma’s favorite breakfast bread grilled with a little butter and apricot jam for dessert.  My grandma loves this breakfast bread, but she can only get it at Publix.  So, whenever she is in the Florida area she picks up some extra bread and freezes it for a special occasion.

After trying this bread, I completely understand why she carries this stuff back to her Arizona home.  It is a hearty bread with raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots, and nuts all mixed in.  Seriously…it’s good stuff.

While I love going out to eat and trying new local places, when I am with my family, I really enjoy the home cooking provided by my mom or grandma.  We can all relax in our comfy clothes, play cards, and just hang out…I love that!

Time for You to Share:

• When you go on vacation, do you prefer to eat out at a lot of different restaurants and try new things, or do you like to hang around in the evenings in your cozy clothes and just relax with some home cooking?? Or, do you like a bit of both?

How to Indulge on Vacation Without the Guilt

I love to eat healthy most of the time, but when I go on vacation (and in everyday life too!) there are certain instances where I want to indulge.

When on vacation, sometimes it can feel like everything is out of whack because you are going to sleep at a different time, waking up at different times, eating different foods, and maybe eating more sweets or treats than you would usually enjoy.

This is totally OK, and I don’t want anyone to think it’s not!  If we never went on vacation and broke our regular routines, then we wouldn’t appreciate our little routines and healthy habits…and we may go crazy (well, at least that would happen to me!).

However, when going on vacation, there are some habits that I like to bring with me so that I can enjoy the extra bowl of ice cream at night without the extra guilt.

Breakfast

We all know how important breakfast is in our regular schedule, and it is just as important while on vacation.  I found it helpful to eat a breakfast that I would normally eat to really set the tone for the day so that I didn’t feel like a slug from the get go.  On my trip to Florida, I packed a little pre-portioned baggie of Sunwarrior protein powder with me and asked my mom to add bananas, peanut butter, Greek yogurt and oats to the grocery list so that I could prepare my overnight oats for breakfast before bed each night.  It may be a little boring eating the same thing each day, but it got my day started right and I honestly looked forward to my overnight oats!

Snacks

While on vacation, meal times can get weird and I found that my family was eating dinner way later than what I am used to, so I was hungry way before it was time to eat.

One of the evenings, my mom decided to order a pizza from a local pizza place called Flippers that we had heard great reviews about.  This was definitely a treat, as I have always loved pizza but rarely eat it so that I never get sick of it.  While my tummy was growling as the pizza seemed to take forever to arrive, I made myself a little side salad appetizer as a snack so that I didn’t want to scarf down the entire pizza the minute it came in the door.   The fiber and water in the veggies and beans filled me up, but left just enough room for me to enjoy a piece of tasty pizza with the rest of my family.

Workouts

When I am at home, I workout 5-6 days a week.  The point of vacation is to relax and give the body and mind a rest.  Honestly, this is a pretty hard task for me to accomplish because I feel like my brain is always running a million miles a minute, but I find that if I plan workouts rather than schedule them it helps keep me sane!

Some mornings, I woke up and walked with mom, one morning I ran 3 miles, a couple of mornings I completed a crossfit inspired circuit that required zero equipment, and some mornings I did nothing!  Because I had a handful of workouts that I knew I could do, I was completely ok with just waking up when I was ready and seeing what my body was ready for.

After my little sweat session, I was more than ready to relax in the sun for the rest of the day 🙂

While I was searching various things on the internet, I came across an amazing workout from  Women’s Health Magazine that literally requires ZERO equipment, uses moves that we have all heard of and tried before, but puts them in 5 different exercise orders so that with only 6 moves you have 5 different workouts.  Pretty awesome if you ask me.  It’s called the “Do Anywhere Crossfit Workout” and I can guarantee that it will forever be in my workout library .

So there you have it.  I know I am not perfect, and I truly enjoyed the extra rest, relaxation, and treats, but enjoying those treats has given me more motivation to start out this month of August, and this work week on a great foot. The extra rest has left my body time to repair and left it itching to get back into the gym!

Time for You to Share:

• Do you worry about working out while on vacation?
• Do you worry about what you eat while on vacation?

Baby, I’m Back!

After an amazing week long vacation in Florida with my family, I am back home in Indiana.  I took so many pictures attempting to capture each moment, and plan to recap the vacay within the next few days, but I thought that I would start off today by recapping today and the end of our journey.

Leaving Florida

After packing up our bags and making sure that we had everything out of the condo, my family headed up to Ocala, FL.  Ocala is a small town a couple of hours North of Orlando, and it just happens to be where my Aunt and Uncle call home.  It has always been a tradition to stop at their house on our way home to fill our tummies with a delicious meal before hitting the long road home, and yesterday was no exception.

My grandparents were there too, and my grandma picked up some special treats to serve as appetizers to our lunch.

Fried Alligator

and Crab Legs

 

Now, I have tried crab legs before…and I love them!  So when it came to that dish I (and the rest of the fam) dug right in!…literally

 

My dad and grandpa stayed out of the mess.  To them, crab legs are a lot of work, for not a lot of food…but I think that the work is all the fun!

Now, as far as the alligator goes…I would be lying if I didn’t say I was apprehensive.  It took a little coaxing to get me to agree to trying a piece:

I would also be lying if I told you I didn’t go back for seconds ;)…I liked it!

After chatting and catching up for a bit, my aunt then laid out some delicious salads and toppings for us to “build-our-own” lunch salads.  Just the kind of meal I love! Create-your-own…and veggies!

Grandma and Brenna

Uncle Chris, Mom, and Grandpa

Aunt Doreen, Dad, and Me

It was a great afternoon and a great way to end our vacation.  Thanks Aunt Doreen and Uncle Chris!  And thanks Grandma for the gator and crabs 🙂

Surprise Breakfast

We then drove through the night, switching drivers every couple of hours so that we could all stretch our legs and by around 8:30am we were pulling into the Rochford’s driveway…and they had a surprise breakfast made up for us!

 

 

 

There was delicious fruit and yogurt, bagels, hashbrowns, and Greg (Brian’s dad) was making eggs however we liked…it was delicious and much needed.  My parent’s were especially thankful considering they were dropping my sister and I off in Indianapolis with another two hours to go until they reached their destination of Fort Wayne.

Thankfully, we all made it back safe and in one piece!

Sunday Prep

Rather than heading straight to bed or scheduling a nap in during the day, I decided to be productive and work on getting things done in order to prepare for the work week so that I can go to bed early and not worry about anything I didn’t have time to get done.

I made some hummus:

I baked some peanut butter cookies…seriously delish!

Greg shared the harvest from my tomato plant with me…

Two baby baby tomatoes, with a third one still green on the vine!

I really owe a big thank you to Brian’s dad…he watered that tomato plant, while I barely even looked at it!  And thanks to his water pot…we have three baby tomatoes, and they were tasty!

Getting Back in the Groove

Now, that I am back and laundry is done, I have grocery shopped, and prepared food for the week I am sooo ready to get back on track.  I absolutely love vacation and spending time with my family, but I am the kind of person that needs to function on a schedule, I thrive on it!  So, I am completely ready to dive in head first to get back into the routine of my half marathon training, Body Pump practicing, group fitness teaching, and healthy eating regular schedule 😉

Shout Out

And one last shout out (to the longest post ever…).  Thanks so much to Sam at Fit for my Fork, Courtney at Sweet Tooth Sweet Life, Clare at Fitting It All In, and Andrea at A Doctor in the House for guest posting while I was spending a wonderful week in Florida with my family.

Leaving Florida

Hello all!

It has been such a great vacation in Florida.  Today, we pack our bag (that’s right, Brian and I had to share!!) we hit the road and head back to good old Indiana.

 

See you soon!

Weekend Reading Materials:

• Where are The Now:  The 1996 Gymnastics Gold Medalists:  Buzz Feed
• Stretches to Help with You do the Splits:  Fit Sugar
• Best and Worst Fro-Yo Toppings:  Huffington Post

Staying Healthy in the Summer Heat

Today, I asked Andrea, a great friend from my good old days at Butler University, to guest post.  She recently started her healthy-living blog, and I absolutely love it!  I love reading it, and I love being able to talk about blogging, healthy eating, exercises, and how sometimes it’s nice to enjoy just a plain old good glass of wine.  After all, it is all about balance 😉

Andrea shares some great tips for staying active and healthy in the summer heat while keeping up with a busy schedule.

Guest Post:  Staying Healthy in the Summer Heat

Hi everyone!  My name is Andrea and I blog over at www.A-Doctor-In-The-House.com.  Here is a little bit about me:

I am a third year medical student at Indiana University School of Medicine and I am obsessed with all things healthy-living and science of course 🙂

Typical Day Going To Work 🙂

I just started my blog in June and I am loving every bit of it already.  My goal is to share recipes, work-outs, tips for staying healthy, and sciency facts.  Another huge goal for my blog is to meet new people and learn as much as I can about food, fitness, and everything in between!!

I met Tara when we were both in college at Butler University.  I was actually really good friends with her fiancé Brian all through college because we were both headed in similar directions- he was going to dental school and I was off to medical school.

When Tara started her blog, I was hooked from the very start.  I have been an avid reader and I can honestly say that her blog was a huge inspiration for me to start one of my own.  When she asked me to write a guest post, how could I not be thrilled??

Since it’s right in the middle of summer, Tara asked me to blog about how I stay active and healthy all summer long.  I find myself longing for the days when summer was an actual vacation and I could take as many pilates classes as I wanted while grilling out every night.  Unfortunately, I’m stuck in the hospital all day basically every day and so fitting in a healthy life-style is a challenge that I’m still facing.  I learn new tips and tricks all the time and I hope to share them with you!!

Here’s how a busy medical student stays healthy in the heat:

1.  Get outside!

Just being outdoors makes me feel better and gives me energy to make good choices throughout my day.  Summer is the best time to take advantage of long days and warm weather so whenever I can, I get my butt outdoors.  If I don’t have to be at the hospital early, I will run outside in the morning.  Just a quick 3 miles is enough to wake myself up and start the day on a great note.  If I happen to get home early, I will take my workout to a playground!  There is a great park about 1.5 miles from my house- run there, do some push-ups, lunges, and other strength work around the playground, run back- you’ve got a great workout that makes the time fly by!!

Ducks along the canal I like to run on!

2.  Get grilling!

Fire up the grill because it is the most delicious way to prepare healthy food all summer.  Plus- it saves your kitchen from heating up the entire house.  I have made grilled kabobs, Vietnamese marinated beef for spring rolls, and tons of veggies this summer.  You can check out some of my recipes on the Food page of my blog.

3.  Get prepared!

This doesn’t apply to summer exclusively.  I have found that when you live a busy life, the only way to be successful when it comes to staying healthy, is to plan ahead.  I make most of my food for the week on Saturday or Sunday (whichever day I happen to have off from the hospital).  This way, it’s a no-brainer when I am packing my lunch in the dark at 4am.  I have tons and tons of friends who eat out every day and not only does this make me cringe thinking about how much money they spend, but also how many extra calories they would save by making meals at home!

So there you have it! My 3 best tips to stay active and healthy this summer.  I try to remember every day that life is a balance.  You won’t see me pass up too many trips to get frozen yogurt, and trust me- I load it up with all the toppings!  I have to miss my workouts every now and then when I’m studying hard for an upcoming exam.  No one is perfect all the time!  But the fabulous summer weather makes it easier to get moving outdoors and be active.  And don’t forget summer produce!  I’m pretty sure I could eat a whole watermelon by myself!

These are healthy cupcakes with a secret ingredient in the frosting!  Check out the recipe on my blog 🙂

Enjoy your summer day and I hope you go do something fun outside!
//

Guest Post: My Favorite Summer Breakfast

Hello friends!  Here is a little treat for you…a guest post from the awesome Clare from Fitting It All In.  Enjoy 🙂

Treble In The Kitchen Guest Post: My Favorite Summer Breakfast

Hi guys! I’m Clare and I blog over at Fitting It All In. I write a lot about my workouts (lots of Crossfit and running), simple healthy meals, outfits, and trying to find my place in the real world. Sometimes I make really bad jokes. Come say hi!

Tara is enjoying a relaxation summer vacation in Florida (jealous) and I’m honored to take over while she’s gone. Today’s topic? My favorite summer breakfast.

I LOVE breakfast. I can’t believe I used to just grab a granola bar on my way out the door during school. Now I go to bed excited for the delicious meal I’m going to have the next morning. It definitely gets me out of bed.

In the winter I’m a big oats girl. Even down in Texas it gets pretty cold, and a bowl of creamy oats with sweet banana and sweet nut butter totally hits the spot.

But in the Texas summers I don’t need any help warming up! I tend to go for cool yogurt based breakfasts when it’s hot out. I’m a huge fan of overnight oats and love trying different flavors like pumpkin, blueberry cinnamon, and more.

Recently, though, I’ve been crazy busy. Busy enough that I don’t even want to take five minutes at night to prep my overnight oats. I want something I can throw together quickly once I get to work, but that doesn’t mean I want to sacrifice taste! Instead I’ve started to simplify my yogurt breakfasts.

Luckily my office has a kitchen and I can bring my ingredients on Monday to have breakfasts throughout the week. Here’s what I’ve been keeping on hand:

1. Plain Greek yogurt – I’ve been into Fage lately
2. Almond butter – I don’t refrigerate it so it’s extra drippy
3. Bananas – Still a constant battle to get the perfect ripeness
4. Chia seeds – I bring a little container of them
5. Cinnamon and Stevia – I keep these at the office always

After I open my lap top and go through email, I can run into the kitchen and put together a cool, sweet breakfast. I mix cinnamon and stevia into the Greek yogurt then top it with chia seeds, banana slices, and a big spoonful of almond butter.

I get my protein, fats, and carbs to keep me full, and it’s the perfect treat after a sweaty morning workout.

What’s your favorite summer breakfast?

Sweet Snacks

Hello again from Florida!  Here is a special guest post from Courtney over at Sweet Tooth Sweet Life sharing some delicious summertime treats with all of you today.  Enjoy!

Guest Post:  Sweet Tooth Sweet Life – A Summertime Favorite: Sweet Snacks

Hi everyone! My name is Courtney and I’m the author behind the blog Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life. I’m a 28-year old personal trainer and former elementary school teacher (you can read a bit more about that here if you’d like). I live up in Upstate, NY with my husband and high school sweetheart, Jay, and have lived here all of my life. When I’m not training, you’ll most likely find me blogging, in the kitchen, or spending time with some of my favorite friends and family.

Before anything, let me just go ahead and give a quick shout out– “Thanks so much, Tara, for inviting me to guest post while you’re away! Hopefully you’re having a blast while on vacation on sunny Florida!”

So anyways…let’s talk about summer for a second. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love summer. Living in Upstate, NY, I don’t have the pleasure of experiencing warm weather year-round, so when it’s here I make sure to soak it up as much as I can.

I love to dine al fresco, enjoy a cool glass of wine on the back deck, and just hang out by the pool with some yummy snacks. Oh yes…I love my snacks. I also have quite the sweet tooth (in case you couldn’t already tell by my blog title) so you can bet that, a majority of the time, there are going to be some deliciously sweet snacks out by the pool.

In case you’re like me and enjoy the occasional sweet snack now and then, here’s a few ideas for you to try for the next time you’re hanging out by the pool…or heading to a barbecue…or doing absolutely nothing at all. 😉

Creamy Fruit Dip

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Sandwiches

Cookies & Cream Cake Mix Cookie Bars

White Chocolate Oreo Cream Squares

Enjoy!! 🙂