Weekend Full of Events

Hello friends!

Sorry for the slight blogging hiatus.  This weekend was action packed with a lot of fun activities, and a little bit of behind the scenes blog work (more on that later this week!).

Saturday started out with my Body Pump class.  I am getting more comfortable with Pump each week, and I find myself adding in more little jokes, singing a bit more, and just having more fun with everything overall.  I absolutely love starting out my weekend with this amazing class and workout.

 

After teaching Pump, I headed over to visit Brian at an open house for the student run dental clinic that he is a part of.

I was able to meet the dean of his program as well as some of his class mates.

 

The facilities were so new. I was very impressed by how nice everything looked.

 

 

Once we were done with the clinic open house, it was time to shower and clean up for the evening.  We had not one but two cookouts to attend.  The first cookout was for Brian’s clinic group in dental school, and the second was for our friend, Tori’s, birthday.

 

 

 

 

It was a perfect night to be outside, so the cookouts were great to have as our evening plans. At the dental school cookout, everyone brought a different dish, and there was such variety!  I brought my homemade hummus along with some veggies and pita chips.

 

There were so many things to sample, I didn’t know what to pick.  The dessert table looked pretty darn tasty, so I kept my pickings pretty small in order to save room.

Celery with some corn and bean salsa, corn chips, potato salad, more veggies, cheese, and some plantains.  Yum!

 

After our food settled, Brian and I shared some goodies from the dessert table.  Not quite sure what everything was, but there was a little chocolate and peanut butter goody…that little gem was by far my favorite!

 

After chatting and hanging out for a bit, we then headed over to Tori and Kegan’s house.  We were happy to celebrate Tori’s birthday, but we were super excited to meet the newest member of their family…

TEDDY!  Isn’t he adorable!?

 

We spent the evening chatting outside, drinking a little wine and just relaxing…so perfect!

 

Sunday

I made sure to limit myself to one small glass of wine last night early in the evening because I knew that I was heading out for my long run today.  9 miles was on the agenda, it felt oh so good to check it right off the list!

 

I then made a delicious breakfast of carrot cake pancakes for Brian and I (recipe coming soon..), showered up and got ready for the day.

 

Brian and I had plans to attend Dig IN-A Taste of Indiana with Tori and Kegan.  This event showcased Indiana growers and their high quality dishes in sample sized bites in the beautiful White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis, IN.

This event was so amazing, and I can’t say enough great things about the people, the food, the atmosphere, about everything…so I will be dedicating an entire post to this wonderful event later in the week 😉

 

 

After Dig-IN, Brian and I were definitely ready to go home.  We ran a couple of errands, then came back home to prepare for the week.  We weren’t exactly starving for dinner, but we needed a little somethin’ somethin’ in our bellies, so I whipped up some veggie and cheese plates.

 

The cheese was from Trader’s Point Creamery.  Trader’s Point is an organic dairy farm in Indianapolis, IN.  They had a booth with delicious gazpacho soup at the Dig-IN event, and while we were in line I think that we just hit the lucky spot because the marketing manager just happened to be standing there and gave us some cheese to take home to sample!  You know how I feel about free things…

She didn’t just give us any cheese, she gave us some of their famous Fleur de la Terre.   This cheese was slightly salty, and had a slightly sharp flavor…so delish!  I made sure not to eat it all and save some for a recipe later in the week 😉

After such a busy and fun weekend, I am more than ready for a good night’s sleep.

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

What was one fun thing that you did this weekend?

• Attended the Dig-IN A Taste of Indiana event…can’t wait to share the details soon!

A Dirty Trick and Delicious Egg Salad

Yesterday, Brian, Kate (a good friend from Butler), and I all pulled a dirty trick on someone.

We told one of our dear friend’s, Caitlin who just graduated from pharmacy school, that we would not be able to make it to her graduation party in Chicago.

That was a lie.

Kate drove up from Louisville to meet us in Indy so that we could all drive up to Chicago together to surprise her.

We needed a little fuel for the three hour drive, a mocha light frappacino fit the bill for me!

Once we arrived, we had to take cover and hide so that as soon as she came into the kitchen we could jump out and yell “SURPRISE!”

We got her good!

She was so surprised to have us there, and I am so glad that we were able to make the trip.

She then spent a little time opening some gifts.  Of course, Brian and I wanted to get her the best gift possible.  So, we got her a car. A Mini Cooper to be exact….a mini Mini Cooper 🙂  The doors open, and it moves when you pull it back on a flat surface.  She will definitely get some good times out of that little gem.

We then spent the evening drinking wine, visiting, and just hanging out.  It was a perfect night, and I am so glad we were all there together to celebrate Caitlin’s hard work.

Congrats Caitlin!

We stayed the night at Caitlin’s then woke up bright and early to get back to Indianapolis today.

Lunch

When we arrived home, it was about lunch time.  I was pretty hungry and egg salad sounded delicious to me!  I honestly can’t even tell you the last time that I had egg salad, so I had to text my mom to double check on the ingredients that I wanted to use.

I remember my mom making egg salad sandwiches when I was little, and I absolutely loved the tanginess of the mustard with the creaminess of the egg.  So delish!

Delicious Egg Salad

Yields: 2 Servings

Nutrition Information:  Calories 119.8  Fat:  4.3g  Carbs:  4.5g  Protein:  16.9g

Ingredients

• 4  hard boiled egg whites
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 1 celery stalk
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp mustard

Directions:

Begin by hard boiling your eggs.  I used the good old Krups egg cooker, but you could do it the old fashioned way by boiling the eggs in a pot of water.

I then peeled all of the eggs, and removed some of the egg yolks.  I combined all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mashed it together with the back of a fork until it was my desired consistency.

Then, you are able to serve the salad any way you like!  It would be great as a sandwich or a wrap, great to eat on it’s own.  I served mine up with a big bowl of spinach, cucumbers, and tomatoes.  So summery and soooo good!

The salad was completely delicious, and tasted exactly as I remembered it tasting even though I subbed some Greek yogurt for the mayo.  I know that sometimes subbing Greek yogurt for the real deal mayo sounds great but can end up tasting not so good, but honestly this recipe is perfect for subbing.  You will not miss the fat, you will not miss the flavor, and you will not miss the calories or extra protein 🙂  This swap is totally worth it.

Question of the Afternoon:

• What childhood meal have you been wanting to recreate recently??

My New Favorite: Frozen Cherries!

Last night was a pretty simple and great night.

After arriving home from work, I immediately changed my clothes so that I could get between 7 and 8 miles in on my running log.  My time wasn’t that great, there were lots of stops and starts due to stop lights, but I logged 7.5 miles.

Due to a kind of wacko schedule, I have been completing my long runs in Friday evenings after work.  When it comes to working out, it is ALWAYS easier for me to do in the wee hours of the morning…so running after a full day of work is tough for me.

In order to prepare for my long run during the day yesterday, I made sure to do a couple of things thanks to some comments on a post on the Fitfluential Running Board:

• Eat well throughout the day. (I packed extra snacks so there was no chance that I would be hungry or lacking energy)
• Drink plenty of water. (I tried to drink a full large Tervis of water every hour!! Boy did I go to the bathroom a lot!)
• Get up and move around. (I tried to get up and move around when I filled my bottle each hour.)

I think all of those tips were great, and I felt much better than last week when I went for my evening run.

After the run it was time for dinner (gotta refuel!) and grocery shopping.  It was just a quick trip to the store to purchase some veggies, cheese, eggs, and Greek yogurt.

 

Then, it was time to relax…such a nice, stress free evening!

Breakfast

While at the grocery store yesterday, I had the urge to purchase something new.  Frozen cherries.  I have seen them in the stores many times, but I never thought that I would like them so I never purchased them.  Well, I saw a little recipe that Runner’s World tweeted yesterday that called for frozen cherries.  The recipe sounded delicious…so I bought some, and boy am I glad that I did!

Seriously, those little gems taste like sweet sweet candy and I could probably eat the entire bag in one sitting!! Yum!

I made sure to incorporate them into my smoothie this morning:

 

• 1/2 cup frozen cherries
• 1/3 frozen banana
• 1 cup unsweetened original almond milk
• 3/4 scoop protein powder of choice
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp instant coffee
• 1 packet Truvia
• ice cubes for thickness

The cherries gave the smoothie a creamy milkshake-like texture and it was OH SO GOOD!  I just kept mmm…mmm…mmm..ing my way through it 🙂  Thank goodness Brian wasn’t awake so I didn’t have to share with anyone 😉

Workout and Afternoon Plans

Now, I am off to practice Body Pump then teach it.  Then, Brian and I are headed out for a super secret surprise trip…don’t worry, I will tell you tomorrow!

Have a great Saturday!

What New Foods Have You Fallen In Love With Lately???

• Frozen cherries!!

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?

Minnie’s Diner

Yesterday morning, Mom and I had a breakfast date at a new-to-us eatery, Minnie’s Diner.

About seven weeks ago, one of my mom’s good friends, Teresa, found out that Minnie’s Diner was on the market for sale.  She had been a long time friend of Minnie and was a frequent guest of the restaurant.

When Minnie was running the show, this little diner was quite the happening place.  There were regular customers, new comers, and everyone was more than welcome.  After Minnie lost her battle to cancer nearly five years ago, the restaurant simply didn’t have the same heart and passion that Minnie brought to it, and the restaurant’s business began to suffer.

Since purchasing the diner, Teresa and her partners, have put so much effort into completely revamping the restaurant and getting everything back in business.  This past Tuesday July 17 was the first new day of business, and things have been rolling ever since.

After our little visit, I would have to say that their efforts have been a success!!

The menu consists of breakfast and lunch dishes including eggs, omelettes, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, grilled chicken sandwiches, burgers, and a ton of other delicious items.

All of the food is cooked right in front of you, with the customers having front row seats to the kitchen and the opportunity to chat with the restaurant staff as the meals are prepared.

Teresa and her son cooking breakfast

Mom and I both opted for the veggie omelettes.  Mom’s came with extra potatoes and a side of toast.

I opted for the delicious veggie omelette as well, and a large bowl of plain oats.

Overall, it was a great experience.  The staff was kind, accommodating, and very friendly.  I can’t wait to see where the new management and staff will take Minnie’s.

So, if you are ever in Fort Wayne, stop into Minnie’s diner and check out what the menu has to offer!  You won’t be disappointed.

 

 

Rough Ride Home

I am home for the weekend in Fort Wayne, but I did not have an easy road getting there last night.

 

 

That would be my car, with a giant flat tire on the highway.  Luckily, it didn’t cause any accidents and I was safely able to pull of the road.  Shortly after I pulled to the side, a kind police officer stopped to help me out, call the tow truck, and wait with me until everything was finished.  He even stopped traffic on the highway to get everything moved over into the far lane.  What  great help he was!! I couldn’t thank him enough.

After my adventure on the highway, I finally ended up at home about an hour later than planned.  Thankfully, my mom had a delicious meal of salmon, sweet potatoes, and veggies all plated up for me and ready to go.  I was hungry and the food tasted good!

My mom made a new rub for the sweet potatoes and salmon that is to die for!  Don’t worry, I got the recipe and will share later 😉

 

My mom and I then spent a good portion of the evening trying to photograph our dogs…we finally gave up and deemed them both cute in person, but horribly un-photogenic!!

 

This Morning

Today, Mom and I got up nice and early to head to a diner owned by one of her friends.  Literally, they just reopened the doors on Tuesday!!  I’ll go into more detail on Minnie’s diner in a later post 😉

We both had veggie omelettes, mom’s with a side of potatoes

 

and mine with a side on plain oats.  I seriously think that was on of the biggest bowls of oats I have ever seen!  Tasty, but I couldn’t finish it.

 

We then ran a couple of errands including mailing a package to a special giveaway winner (yes, I know the giveaway was a while ago, but we have been in contact and she understands!)  It should be there by Monday!

 

Next on the agenda was Body Pump.  I had to have a sub teach my class for today in Indianapolis, but I made up for it by attending class as a participant this morning.  I upped my weights today…and all I can say is OUCH!!! (in a good way of course!)

 

Then, it was time to head home, shower, and eat some lunch.  For me, lunch included tuna with some low fat cottage cheese, cucumbers and carrots, some leftover sweet potatoes from last night, and grapes and berries.  So summery and tasty!

 

 

Now, I am off to get a new tire for my car, meet up with a friend, and mom is at a baby shower.  Enjoy your Saturday!

Friday Ants in my Pants

It’s Friday the 13th!

Any spooky plans on the agenda today??  None for me, however, my day is off to a great start, and I just know that it is going to continue to be great.

 

Breakfast

I started out the morning with a delicious and creamy bowl of overnight oats topped with some blueberries and peanut butter.  Yum in the tum.

Workout

I then completed a super sweaty, intense, high intensity elliptical circuit that completely beats the boredom that can occur while using a cardio machine…trust me, I’ve been there.

And now, I am headed  to work….with the Friday ants in my pants.  I swear that it is almost impossible to sit still and focus for me on Fridays…don’t tell my boss that!!  I am so excited for AFTER work, because I have a special surprise date night planned for Brian and I.  He has no idea what I have up my sleeves!! 🙂

What are your Friday night plans??

 

The Boys Area

Good Friday Mornin’!

The weekend is within reach, and I can hardly wait!  This morning, I was actually able to sleep in.  I must say, not having a 4am wakeup call was pretty glorious.  Usually, I complete my workouts in the morning before work, but today I am going to complete my long run for the week…after work.  Wish me luck!

Breakfast

I woke up in the mood for almond butter, and since we had a ton of almonds…I made some!  It seriously took less than 10 minutes.  Yummm!  10 minutes to warm, creamy, homemade almond butter…sign me up!

The next thing on my list of things to eat this morning was a smoothie bowl.  I miss eating these throughout the week because I eat half of my breakfast before I workout or teach and half in the car after, and smoothies are a little bit difficult to split up.

This was an almond and blueberry smoothie (almond milk, blueberries, and spinach to give it a nice blue green hue!).

I have made blueberry smoothie with spinach before, but I have never seen a color like that!

The color of my breakfast reminded me of those crazy colorful ketchups.  Even though they tasted just like regular ketchup, I always expected them to taste different…like grape or something.

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Anyone else expect a funky flavor to accompany the bright color?

Workout

Moving on…

Last night I taught a 30 minute functional core class, but beforehand I wanted to complete a legs and core routine.  Actually, I wanted to attend Body Pump, but sometimes I know that I just need to focus on my individual muscle groups so that I can work to lift heavier in Body Pump!

So, I arrived at the gym already to go with my iPod strapped to my arm, and my workout routine in hand. I have gone to the weight room…often called “the boys area”, several times in the morning before work and never thought twice about it, but today when I was at the gym in the evening during peak hours I got nervous.  The entire room was filled with guys and one other girl, and I was intimidated.

I slowly walked around the room, seeing what equipment I needed and where it was placed, thinking the entire time that the room full of big, muscular guys was wondering what the heck I was doing in there.  At first, I wondered why I felt this way.  I had been in there so many times before so, this anxiety just didn’t make sense.  Then, I realized that the only time I had completed a workout like this was with someone else.  Having someone else with me instantly gave me confidence in the past.

Then, I had a reality check.  No one was judging me, no one was wondering what I was doing there, no one cared about me….except for me.  I realized that if I acted confidant, than no one would even question my presence in the “boys area.”

I simply changed my attitude, acted confidant, and completed my workout.  It. felt. good.

Question of the morning:

What was your workout today?

Today, I am doing my long run and I am a little nervous because I am doing it at the end of the day rather than the beginning.  Does anyone have any tips or pointers for completing a long run at the END of the day???

Wrong Time Zone

As soon as I got home from work, I put on my PJs, unpacked my lunch bag, popped dinner in the oven and packed all of my snacks, lunch, and dinner for tomorrow.  Dinner was ready, lunch (and meals for tomorrow) were packed in a flat 25 minutes…I would like to call that record breaking.

I roasted up some green beans, the last of my broccoli and cauliflower, and baked a Morning Star Farms Grillers Chik’n patty.

When I was shopping for these burgers at the gym, I have to admit that I didn’t really want to buy them because they were named “chicken,” but they really actually tasted pretty good.  Especially with a little salsa on top.  Good thing I liked them, because I made the same thing for dinner tomorrow night too!

Time Zones

This past weekend, my mom had a conversation with me explaining the different time zones.  Growing up, Indiana never experienced daylight savings.  Then, all of a sudden as a teenager we joined the club and had daylight savings…and I still haven’t gotten used to it.

Indiana has a couple of different time zones, which makes travel extra confusing sometimes.

Anyways, the point of this being that I got home, rushed to get all of my to-do items finished so that I could sit down and watch my webinar on coaching indoor cycling classes at 7pm….Central Time.  Indiana is on EASTERN TIME…oops!

So, the webinar is at 8pm and I had a little extra time to write this post 😉

BTW…Happy First Day of Summer!!  I’ll end the night with a question..

What is your favorite summer treat??

Mine would have to be ice cream 🙂  I love ice cream anytime, but I find that it tastes so much better in the summer when  you can eat it outside!

Special Food Request?

Last night, I went to bed a little later than planned so that I could pack for my weekend away with mom.  Mom has been planning a little mini vacation to her home town of Grand Haven, MI for us and we are leaving bright and early in the morning, so right after work I am heading up to Fort Wayne. I can’t wait for some mother daughter quality time!

Workout

This morning, my workout was a thirty minute total body weights routine, much like the one that I  completed on Monday.  Usually, I try to head to the gym for my Friday morning workouts, but since I am heading out of town after work I wanted to spend a little extra time at the house double checking everything to make sure that I wasn’t forgetting to pack anything.

Breakfast

Breakfast was something I have been missing dearly with my early morning workout classes and baked oatmeal breakfasts eaten in the car….

a SMOOTHIE!  Today’s mix was creamy and delicious and everything that I have been missing.

Blackberry Peanut Butter Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup frozen blackberries
• 1/3 frozen banana
• 1 handful of spinach
• 2 tsp peanut butter
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 packet of stevia
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in the blender and add in about 3-5 ice cubes and a splash of water to get things moving.  Enjoy!!!

How Picky Are You?

So, this morning on the news one of the stories was about a man who ordered a sandwich from a restaurant and was unhappy with the way it was made, because the restaurant would not fix it or give him his money back…HE CALLED THE POLICE!!!!

I can’t believe that he called the police over that sort of situation, but when I started thinking about it…when people make my food differently than requested I get pretty frustrated.

When I go to restaurants, I typically have some sort of special request and have a lot of questions.  I can remember one time when I was younger and at a summer festival, I ordered “pizza on a stick”…classy I know, but I was a kid and anything on a stick is better than not….anyways, I ordered pepperoni and they gave me pepperoni and sausage, and I have never been a sausage pizza girl.

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I didn’t realize it until I had already bitten into it, and I was NOT eating the rest.  My dad didn’t want me to take it back, but as a stubborn child who knew what I wanted (pepperoni pizza on a stick), I marched right back to the food stand, explained my problem, and was rewarded with a brand new pizza on a stick…sans the sausage.

I am also pretty picky when it comes to salad dressing (it must be on the side), and soup (it must be screaming hot).

Question of the Morning:

• What special food requests do you make, and are you really irritated if they aren’t met or do you just let it go???