Nice and Homey

Yesterday, I have to admit that I was a little bit overwhelmed and wasn’t quite sure if Brian and I would finish putting our apartment together.

We started with several piles that looked like this:

And ended with rooms that looked like this:

There are still some finishing touches, things to be hung, and little organizational things that need to be figured out, but for the most part it feels very homey and ready to be lived in!

After working hard to get everything accomplished, we headed to another graduation party for another one of Brian’s cousins.  We entertained ourselves with a little round of corn hole.  Unfortunately, Brain and I lost…at least we had a good time!

We then came home and got changed to head out for a 4 mile jog.  The weather was pretty warm, so we decided to take it easy and just enjoy the run and each other’s company.

Afterwards, we both felt great!  A run always makes me feel more energized and accomplished 🙂

Brian stayed home and got his hair cut by my sister, but I headed to the grocery store and found this little gem:

It is a salad packing container.  You put your lettuce and salad on the bottom, and then you can put other little goodies on the top that may make the salad soggy.

I put lettuce, broccoli, onions, and tomato on the bottom.  On the top, I put tuna salad and salsa…I wasn’t quite sure what to put in the super special extra little container on the top, so I left it empty!  Tomorrow, I will think of something.

After grocery shopping and packing lunches, it was time for dinner.  Brian’s dad made cod, squash, and onions in a parchment paper pouch.  It was deeelish!  I just love the flavor of cod, to me it is a meatier fish with a slightly buttery flavor (when cooked right).  Tasty.

On the side, a little bit of quinoa mixed with brown rice.  A perfect Sunday night meal.

Breakfast

At the store yesterday, peaches were on sale and I couldn’t wait to add them to my breakfast this morning! I made myself a bowl of egg white oats and topped them with some peanut butter and a white peach!  Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that instead of purchasing egg whites I purchased egg beaters.  They are right next to each other on the shelf, and I must have just grabbed the wrong box.  I didn’t even realize until I poured them into the oats last night.  They still tasted pretty good, so I guess the little mix-up wasn’t too terrible.

I hope you all have a great Monday!  Today, is the first day of my first full week of work 😉  Wish me luck!

Happiness Equals Success

Yesterday was a day full of doctors appointments and driving.  Until I arrived back in Indianapolis and picked up my brother, Kenny from my sister’s apartment.  He is on spring break right now, and came home from his school in Florida to visit.  He kind of has a backward spring break mentality I guess, we usually go to Florida for our week off, but since he is already there…why not come on back up to Indiana!

Once we got to my apartment, we were both ready for dinner.  I wanted to whip up something nutritious, quick, and tasty…isn’t that what we all aim for every night?  Well, let me tell you, this little meal comes together in about 20 minutes…can’t beat that!

Baked Pollock, Broccoli, and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients for one serving:

• 1/3 sweet potato
• 1/2 cup broccoli
• 1 fillet of pollock
• salt, pepper, and garlic pepper to taste
• non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

Simply begin by spraying your baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Thinly chop the sweet potato and place on the baking sheet, chop the broccoli and place on the baking sheet, and place the thawed fillet of fish on the baking sheet.  (I placed all of mine on the same baking sheet!)   Sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other seasoning you may want to try.  Place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.  Check the “doneness” of the veggies and fish at 10 minutes, if the veggies aren’t quite tender enough, or if the fish isn’t flaking yet, then put it back in for 2 more minutes.  Remove from the oven, place on your favorite plate, and enjoy!

 

After our speedy dinner, Brian, Caitlin (our friend from Butler who lives downstairs), Kenny, and I headed out to run some errands.  We were one happy foursome all packed in the car 😉

While we were at the mall, I saw something that I had never seen before…in fact, none of us had ever seen this before!  It was a parking spot with a charger for electric cars!

How neat is that?!  Someday I hope to have a hybrid or an electric car.  They are just so much better for the environment and great on mileage!  I love that Indianapolis is putting in parking spots like this to be accommodating to those who have electric cars.

 

On the way home, there was a special request to make some cookies.  Not only do I love baking for others and make sure to always have the ingredients on hand, but you have to remember that I have just been completely deprived of my baking hobby for the past 5 months…so of course I jumped at the opportunity and said yes!  I opted for the simple, classic, but always delicious chocolate chip cookie.  Or “Chocolate Chippers” in my book.  Me, my siblings, and my mom have been baking these cookies since before I could even walk.  They are probably one of the first things I have baked on my own, and they are my grandpa’s favorite.  When Grandpa comes into town, we better have some fresh chocolate chippers in a tupperwear container just for him.

Chocolate Chippers

Yield:  makes about 2 dozen medium-large size cookies (if you make them with a tablespoon you will get way more!)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla (I always put a little extra!)
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar (firmly packed) until creamy.  Then, add eggs one at a time and vanilla until thoroughly combined.  In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt , and baking soda.  Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, constantly scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure that everything gets mixed in.  Once the batter in completely mixed, add in the chocolate chips.  Scoop the dough into little balls on an ungreased cookie sheet (you can determine the size).  Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on a piece of wax paper.  Enjoy!!!!

 

Today

This morning was off to an early and busy start.  I was at the gym by 5:30am to do another 5×400 run before attending a BodyPump class.  I then quickly hurried home, showered, got ready, made myself a little coffee and then ran out to meet with Kris the owner of Avec Moi, a local eatery that offers different homemade to-go food items daily, caters an array of different gatherings, and uses fresh ingredients that are local and organic whenever possible.

Heading out for the morning

We chatted at one of my favorite, local restaurants, Petite Chou about blogging, how she started her business, tips on how to brand Treble in the Kitchen and take it to the next level, and just life in general. Right now, I am at a point in my life where I am wanting and needing to start a career.  One of the hardest things about the situation is because I have so many interests, Kris could definitely relate to me with that.  It was great to talk with someone who is pursuing her dreams while still coming up with new goals, challenges, and interests everyday.

I think that part of my struggle right now is that I absolutely LOVED my major in college, and I still love the non-profit arts industry, but I also have always had a passion for health, nutrition, and fitness.  I have never had to choose between the two loves, and I don’t want to start now…I just need to figure out how to do it all. The important thing I need to remember and constantly tell myself (and have my mom tell me) is that there is not a “right” way to do things.  The “plans” will always change and as long as I am happy doing whatever I am doing, then I am successful 🙂

Question of the Morning:

• How did you decide what career you wanted to pursue?  Did you know from day 1 that you wanted to pursue a certain goal and figured out the steps to follow in order to get there OR
• Did you have a lot of different interests and figured out your own unique way to combine them all into one unique career just for you?

I hope everyone enjoys this Thursday!

 

 

 

BodyCombat and New-to-Me Fish

Hello from Fort Fun!  (that would be my hometown of Fort Wayne).

 

About a week ago, I went to a young professionals event and met some really great people.  There were a couple of awkward silences…but that just happens sometimes I guess.  Making small talk, someone asked where I was from and I replied that I was originally from Fort Wayne.  He then went on to ask if I called my hometown anything else…???  I thought that was a strange question.  Do you have multiple names for your hometown?  He then told me that he had heard it called Fort Fun and wondered if it was true.  While I think Fort Wayne is a great place to raise a family, I think the nickname “Fort Fun” is more of a joke rather than a serious nickname…but I could be wrong.

 

Anyways…on to lunch!

After coming home from the gym, I sent out another job application, responded to some e-mails, then headed out for a 3 mile run and the next thing I knew I had to shower, pack, and get ready to head to “Fort Fun.”

I quickly whipped up a salad using the rest of the baked tofu and some chopped veggies topped with a salsa and hummus mixture.  It was delicious!

With food in my belly, I then headed out to a meeting about volunteering for a local arts organization before I officially hit the road.  Although the drive home is only two hours…sometimes it is a long two hours.  Today, the drive was long.  I was thankful to finally pull into the driveway of my parent’s home-sweet-home.

BodyCombat

As soon as I got there, Mom and I got changed into some workout gear so that we could head to one of my mom’s favorite group fitness classes, BodyCombat.  BodyCombat is a Les Mills exercise program that is pre-choreographed to music much like BodyPump and RPM.  It is a “high intensity martial arts inspired cardio program” that lasts 55-60 minutes.  It was my first time taking the class, but I have to say that I LOVED it!  My mom and I both agree that this workout is very empowering and makes you feel like you could use the punches, kicks, and ducks in an actual fight…although I probably won’t risk trying it 😉  Some of the footwork was a little bit “fancy,” but I can imagine that after attending a couple of different classes and getting used to the format things would get easier.

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Dinner

After our sweaty workout class, Mom and I were more than ready for dinner.  Mom had purchased a new (to us) fish called Swai.  I had never heard of it and neither had Mom, but it was on sale at the store so Mom thought she would give it a try.  What  a good decision!  It had a mild flavor, was nice and sturdy (it didn’t fall apart as Mom was cooking it), and tasted great with some taco style seasonings that Mom put on the fish.

I put my fish on top of some lettuce with onions, mini sweet peppers, and avocado with salsa.  Mom put her fish along with some veggies in a soft taco shell with some cheese.  We both agreed that it was delicious!

 

Mom also had a little surprise for me when I got home…a free sample of coffee for the Keurig!  Gotta love a free sample 😉

Now, we are watching Mom’s new favorite show, the New Girl.  I have heard a lot of good things about it, but never taken the time to sit down and watch it.  So far, I like what I see!

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Have a great evening!

I’m Aware

Good morning!

 

I hope that everyone’s Tuesday is off to a great start.  This morning I woke up wondering if my legs would be sore from my workout yesterday.  Although I have been able to stay active since I have been home from the cruise ship, I haven’t done a single workout that only focuses on legs.  I don’t know about you, but I LOVE the feeling of being completely sore and unable to move the day after (or sometimes the day after after) a workout.  Is that just a “me” thing, or does everyone enjoy that feeling?

 

Well, this morning I am not sore from yesterday, but I will say that I am “aware.”  I can feel in my legs that I worked them yesterday, more in specific movements, but I am still able to completely function while walking, sitting, standing, and moving my legs.  I guess I will settle for a feeling of “awareness” rather than nothing at all!

 

Here are some things that I have done in the past to help relieve muscular pain the day after a hard workout:

• Drink plenty of water during and after the workout–this will hopefully allow you to avoid the muscle soreness the day after
• Light exercise such as walking, jogging, and biking will help the muscles repair themselves quicker by increasing the blood flow to the sore and tight muscles.
• Massage–Now, I am completely new to this idea, but while working on the cruise and having the fitness center as part of the spa, I was able to receive massages to aid in my muscles soreness and tightness…and boy did it help!  I never realized the importance of massage when it comes to physical fitness.  While this won’t immediately relieve the pain, it will aid in the overall healing process of the muscles.
• Stretching and yoga–As important as I know these two activities are, especially for active bodies, I struggle to take as much time as I should to do them, yet whenever I do I feel amazing afterward and am much less sore or “aware” after an intense sweat session.

 

Yesterday Afternoon

Now that we have talked about how to avoid some of that pain associated with a new or intense workout, let’s talk about puppies!

Yesterday morning, it was very cold, but as the day went on it got warmer and sunnier, and it was a perfect day to play outside with the pups.

Just Chillin'

Playing with his favorite frisbee

After playing with the dogs, I knew Brian was coming over for a study break and for dinner.  It came together quick and simple.  I baked up a new to me fish, pollock, and placed it on top of a bed of spinach and veggies dressed with vinegar for a very light and flavorful dinner salad.

When Brian arrived he surprised me!

Beautiful spring flowers!

I love little surprises like that 🙂

 

Breakfast

Now, back to today (this post has been all over the place!).

Another bowl of overnight oats.

Today, I used almond extract instead of vanilla.  It gave it a slightly nutty flavor, which I absolutely LOVED!  I also added some chopped pear and a little almond butter on the side.  DELISH!

 

Now, I am off to cross some things off of the to-do list before heading out to a very important meeting with my dad today.  You will find out what it is about later!

 

Have an amazing day!