Packing Time

 

It’s that time again.
Time to pack my bags for a weekend at home in Fort Wayne.  Packing is definitely not on the top of my list when it comes to “things I look forward to doing” no matter how excited I am for the trip.  For some reason, the shorter the trip, the more bags I pack.  I am always worried and stressed that I will forget something.  It’s like I forget that if I forget my toothbrush, there just happens to be a grocery store less than 5 minutes from my parent’s house.

Packing has been slightly easier recently due to the fact that I get ready at the gym every morning.  I just keep all of my “getting ready” stuff in a bag so that when I go to the gym I just grab the bag, which makes it nice to just “grab the bag” while packing for a little trip home.

Breakfast

Breakfast was another smoothie…slightly more attractive than yesterday’s breakfast 😉

A tasty strawberry banana smoothie topped with half of a zucchini breakfast cake for my morning serving of starch, veggies, and a little bit of fat.

Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie Bowl

• 1/4 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/3 frozen banana
• 1 scoop Sunwarrior protein powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 4 ice cubes
• 1 packet stevia
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• a little bit of water to get things movin’!

Workout

I decided to make this my rest day!  Usually I take Sundays as my rest day, but since I am heading home I am going to a Body Pump class tomorrow with mom, and I am planning on heading for a run on Sunday.

Another factor in my decision to take this day of rest was the fact that I don’t have to be at work until 11am today!  Seriously, what a better way to start a Friday?  It is kind of like having an adult snow day.  At work, we have an all company sales meeting from 11am-5pm.  The meeting is located downtown, and my office is located North of downtown.  Because I live South of downtown, my boss was kind enough to realize how much unnecessary extra driving going into work would require, so she told me to just go to the meeting.  I didn’t complain one bit!

So, the morning will include getting ready for my trip home, blog stuff, and a little bit of relaxation!

Craft Update

FYI….the craft turned out great!  However, I can’t share pictures…YET!  Don’t worry, you will know soon 🙂

Weekend Reading Material:

• Best Superfood Mix-In for Smoothies Fitsugar.com
• Grab a Sweet Snack Before Making a Decision Health.com

 

 

 

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!

Let the Packing Begin

Yesterday started out bright and early with a 30 minute elliptical warm-up at the gym followed by a strength training workout focusing on my legs.  I must admit that after running 7 miles the day before…my legs were a tad bit tender.  After the workout there was plenty of foam rolling to ease some of that muscle soreness.

I then came home, quickly (very quickly) showered, got ready, and whipped up three egg whites, and apple and a tablespoon of peanut butter.  I forgot how much a really like apple and peanut butter…it seems like ages since I have last had it.

Brian and I then headed out to get my car fixed.  It had been shaking a lot while I was driving it and making this weird popping noise, and the engine light was on so Brian and I decided it was time to take her to the shop.

While my car was at the shop, Brian and hung out with his mom at Einstein’s bagels.  They enjoyed onion bagels with veggie cream cheese while I sipped on an iced coffee.

It was then time to head to the outlet mall.  Brian and I are going to be taking our engagement photos in about two weeks! (I can’t believe it is coming so soon!) and Brian wanted to pick up a couple of new shirts.  I have been wearing the same shoes for running, teaching group fitness, and just about everything under the sun since October so I was in the market for a new pair of group fitness shoes and a separate pair of running shoes.

The pair of shoes that I got for group fitness I really love.  They are the Adidias Fly By W.  According to the information provided online they are very breathable and for a person with a neutral foot position (that’s me!) that wants lightweight cushioning.

I wore them on a walk with Brian last night and thought they felt great!  The pair that I bought for running I have read a lot of mixed reviews about.  They are more for someone who needs a very sturdy/stiff shoe who overpronates.  I don’t fall into that category and don’t want to risk being in pain when I run.  I am going to think about it a bit more, but I may return them.

We then went to pick up my car, which she now works like a charm, and then got back to the apartment to start packing.

It really wasn’t that bad once we finally got started.  Now, I am just ready to get everything boxed up and be done with the whole process.

While Brian and I were unloading the drawers and cabinets in our living room Brian found something…the last Easter egg!

I hid that one 😉  Must have been a pretty good hiding spot if it took us two months to find it!

We then had leftovers from the night before for dinner and headed out to walk around the city.  The weather is so nice and warm, there was no way we couldn’t take advantage of the beautiful night.

Today

Today was another early day for me.  I started by working on another component to my “special project.”  Here is a hint as to what part of this project is.

Buckwheat pancakes for breakfast with a special blueberry sauce.  They were both delicious and tasted great together.

Now, off to teach a spinning class and pack pack pack!

I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday!

I Did It!

It all fit surprisingly!  And I guess I was being a little dramatic when I said one bag.  I am checking one bag and taking a carry that is actually pretty good sized.  When Brian and I went to New York City last winter for just under a week I took the same carry on, but I used that as my only luggage…so it can fit a lot 🙂

The middle bag has the majority of everything in it, the one on the right is my carry on, and the little bag on the left is what I will bring in my personal bag.  I just have to decide which bag I want as my personal bag!

 

Now, I am just worried about the weight…the bags feel a little heavy so I will have to figure out a way to check that. I know that I packed way more clothes then needed so I think I will take some out and plan my outfits a little differently.

 

 

Dinner

After I got done packing, I put on real clothes (I was still in my workout stuff) so that I could make an early dinner then head over to hang out with Bella!

A couple of months ago, Brian and I dog sat her her and we are doing it again!  She is such a cutie, Brian and I are looking forward to having a little furry one back in our lives for a little bit 🙂

 

I then made dinner.  Tonight’s meal was Autumn Mac and Cheese from How Sweet Eats (yet again!  I love her recipes!)  I made this recipe once last year around this time and ABSOLUTELY loved the perfect autumn taste it brought to the table.

 

What makes this mac and cheese so special are all of the little add ins, like brussel sprouts and onions…

Butternut squash and apples…

All mixed in with a smoky cheddar cheese sauce and topped with bread crumbs…tastes just like fall 🙂

Brian has another one of his volleyball games tonight, but in the mean time I am going to play with my iTouch (it’s really making me want an iPhone) and download some new apps!!

Time to Start Packing

I woke up this morning with a sore butt and thighs.  The Jeanette Jenkins video that I did yesterday was called Booty Boot Camp, but while I was doing it I didn’t expect myself to be sore the next day….I guess I was wrong.  I always love the feeling of being sore the day after a new workout because it really feels like I worked myself hard!

 

Still, being sore is no excuse to skip a workout so I found a new video to do today.  I found a 20 minute Active Sculpting video on the Exercise TV web site for free.  Before completing a video I completed the following:

• 20 Burpees (example here)
• 20 lunge blasts (do a lunge then switch legs back and forth three times then lunge again)
• 20 side by side shuffles touching the ground before switching to the next side
• 30 reverse crunches

Breakfast

I didn’t even take the time to shower or change my clothes before making breakfast.  I made myself a coffee smoothie to supercharge me through my to-do list today.

The smoothie included bananas, spinach, coffee, and cocoa powder 🙂

Packing

The big TO-DO on my to-do list today is my packing dry run.  On October 22, I am flying to London to begin training to be a Fitness Director on board a cruise line for just under a year.  It will be an amazing opportunity and I am so excited to finally begin.  The negative??

I can basically bring one suitcase.  I have a hard time bringing one suitcase when I go home for the weekend.  Now, the bag is very large, but packing is always such a daunting task.  This dry run will be good though because I usually wait until the very last minute to pack and end up forgetting something, hopefully this will totally eliminate the stress of packing 🙂

Does anyone have any tips about packing the most items in a minimal amount of space??

Friday Happiness and Headin’ Home Again

Today is just a beautiful Friday outside!  Work went by suuupper fast, and by the time I got home I was hungry…not famished.  Looks like it is a great day so far.

I made myself a blueberry smoothie and actually drank it through a straw rather than eating it out of a bowl like ice cream.  I also had celery sticks and hummus, and a couple of nut handfuls that went undocumented.

Now, it is time to pack for Fort Wayne once again…gotta looove packing 😉 This weekend is my best friend from high school Chelsea’s bachelorette party!  I have never been to one and I am so excited.

Don’t forget about the giveaway!  You only have til midnight 🙂