Tis the Season

Yesterday, after writing an article, practicing a little body pump, putting away some laundry, and tidying things up a bit I had to shower up and get ready to attend a couple’s shower.  Even though Brian and I are both friends with Kelsey and Luke, the soon-to-be-wed couple and it was a couple’s shower, I had to go solo so that Brian could head to another friend’s bachelor party…tis the season for weddings!

After showering, I headed straight to the kitchen to quickly prepare something for Brian and I to eat before we both headed out for our wedding themed evenings.

Brian’s mom, grandma, and aunt soon came home, and his grandma had a present for me!  This cute vintage apron…

I love it!  The best thing about it…there is a pocket 😉

The dinner I whipped up was very fast and very tasty.  On a greased baking sheet, I threw on two 4 oz pieces of salmon, a small tomato, some asparagus spears, a little onion.  I topped everything with fresh garlic, salt, and pepper.  I put it in the oven on 400 degrees for 10 minutes…and voila! Dinner was served.

Brian and I then headed out on our separate ways for the evening.

When we arrived at the shower, we immediately headed out back.  It was the perfect venue for a shower!  I thought that the entire atmosphere was fun, relaxed, and just plain pretty!

And the food tasted as good as it looked!  My favorite was the vegetable tray with blanched green beans and asparagus…yummmm I could have eaten my weights worth in asparagus.

It was a great evening spent with friends.  I am absolutely loving all of the events and chatter about weddings…it truly is that time of year!

Now, it’s time to grocery shop, prep my food for the week, and practice body pump.

What is on Your Sunday To-Do List?

Strawberry 3 Times!

After showering and getting ready at the gym this morning, I tried something new.

A Tropical Strawberry flavored Shakeology drink.  I received the sample in the mail a couple of weeks ago and thought now would be as good of a time as any to try it out.  I simply poured the mix into 8 oz of water in my bottle, shook it up…got a little on my shirt and drank it on my way to work.

It tasted pretty good!  I think it would be better mixed in things like protein pancakes, smoothies, or bars simply because of the slightly gritty texture due to the rice bran protein, but I enjoyed it and drank the entire thing!

Although the ingredients list is long, there are a lot of nutrients, vitamins, and super foods crammed into that little packet.  It was a tasty treat that I will have to consider getting more of.  I wonder how the chocolate flavor tastes??

Lunch

I must have been in a strawberry mood, because I have had them three times today!

For lunch, I mixed chopped strawberries, chopped mixed nuts, reduced fat feta, red onion, canned salmon all on top of some green leaf lettuce.  I then drizzled the tasty salad with a little bit of balsamic vinegar.  Seriously, I think I have a new favorite summer lunch.

I hope that your day is going well, time to get back to work!

$80 Poorer

Yesterday when I arrived home from work, it seemed kind of crazy because the sun was still up!  It was nice to come home right after work and not really have anything that was an absolute must on the to-do list.

Before I left for work, I laid out a piece of salmon that was just waiting to be baked in the oven for dinner when I got home.  While I prepped and cooked my salmon, Brian’s mom made me a nice little salad which made a nice bed for my salmon once it was done cooking.

Yumm…simple, little thought required, quick, and tasty.  Just what I needed.

Broken Charger

A couple of days ago, my charger broke.  I am not sure how it happened, but there was no way of fixing it.  I was simply using my computer before bed, and when I went to unplug the charger from the outlet…the entire charging part with the prongs literally fell apart.  I know that I am strong, but really?? The entire thing just completely pulling apart??

A couple of months ago, the original charger that I had gotten with my computer when I graduated high school (that was so long ago!) pooped out on me.  So, me being the cheap person that I am went on the internet and tried to find the cheapest apple charger that I could find.  I found one that looked good, had pretty good reviews, wasn’t very expensive and ordered it.  When it came in the mail I actually received two!  I was ecstatic!

Well, the first charger replacement that I used just stopped working for some reason about a month ago, so I had moved on to charger number two…then this happens!  So, I was a little bit stuck.

Because I use my computer literally every day, and I had a bad experience being a cheap skate last time I just sucked it up, went to Best Buy and bought the brand-spankin’ new $80 charger….at least it came with the extension cord portion.

At first, I nearly had a heart attack…$80 in one trip! But then when I thought about that this is something that I use everyday, that I want to last me for a couple of years…the $80 seemed worth it.

The charger works great, and hopefully will last me another 5 years!! I guess I learned my lesson when it comes to technology and trying to save a couple dollars.

Lunch

As I was packing my lunch and dinner for today last night, I was trying to figure out which bag I should use, when Kate (Brian’s mom) pulled out this baby…

That lunch box is about the size of my work bag, but it is great because I can fit all of my snacks, lunch, and dinner in there with room to spare!  Perfect!  I swear that Kate has a special little thing for every situation 🙂  Thank goodness!

Question of the Morning:

• What do you pack your food in for the day??  
• Or do you just purchase your food throughout the day??

I Get A Desk and I Need to Downsize My Number of Bags

Today has been a long but good day.

I started off teaching Yoga Sculpt.  I had a great group this morning, and thoroughly enjoyed starting my morning with that class.  Then, it was time to shower and get ready at the gym for my first day of work.  That was interesting, considering the fact that Brian and I are currently packing and getting ready to move, and I packed all of my large duffle bags!  I had to use three smaller bags…let’s just say I can’t wait until I can use a slightly larger bag 😉

I was able to shower and get ready in just over 30 minutes.  I think that part of my time was taken up by trying to organize my absurd number of bags.  No worries though, tomorrow I get to try it all over again!

I then headed into the office, and arrived there in plenty of time!  I don’t have an office to myself because I think that a lot of my time will not be spent in the office, but I do have a desk!

And a nametag!

I am going to have to find some “pinspiration” and get crafty decorating my office.  My boss kept telling me that my desk is my space and I need to decorate it and make it my own…I think I can handle that 😉

Sorry, no lunch pictures! I didn’t really get a break today, I just ate quickly between meetings.  Today’s menu included, a leftover veggie burger from dinner at Brian’s parent’s house on Monday on top of a bed of tomato, lettuce, and celery topped with salsa.  I also had half an apple with some cheese and peanuts.  Tasty!

After Work

After work, I have to admit that I was pretty tired (who am I kidding I am tired still!!)  But I knew that I needed to run.  Since I ran 1 mile before Yoga Sculpt this morning, I decided that 3 miles was ok.  So, even though I was more than ready for dinner, very tired, and not quite in the mood to run, I still did 3 miles wit a pace of 8 minutes and 30 seconds. Not too shabby.

Then, it was time for dinner.  Thanks to my mom’s delicious idea it came together very quickly.  Roasted broccoli and lemon pepper salmon.

Simple, yet so tasty.  Thanks for the idea, Mom!

Now, I am off to practice Body Pump, since I record my first time teaching an entire class on Saturday and get ready for an early bed…good night!

Salmon and Roasted Vegetable Feta and Quinoa Salad

Today has been a busy day from the get-go, but first I will recap about last night’s dinner, because it was pretty tasty.

I noticed recently that with my crazy and unpredictable schedule and teaching classes at night, I often let dinners kind of fall on the wayside and end up making less than exciting things to eat.  In an attempt to change that, I found a couple of recipes that looked nutritious and delicious.  Both important factors 🙂  Last night’s dinner was a new-to-me recipe, once again inspired by Clean Eating magazine.

Salmon and Roasted Vegetable Feta and Quinoa Salad

Cook Time:  about 1 hour

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of prepared quinoa
• 1 roma tomato, chopped
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into chunks
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup of kale, just the leaves removed from the hard stems, rinsed and dried
• 4-6 oz of wild salmon
• 1/4 cup low fat feta cheese

Directions:

In medium sauce pan, prepare quinoa according to package.  Once cooked, spread quinoa out on a plate or baking sheet to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a glass baking dish (9×13) toss tomatoes, cauliflower, ball pepper, onion, and garlic.  In a separate small bowl combine the mustard, vinegar, olive oil and pepper.  Toss the mustard dressing with the vegetables.  Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven on the lowest rack.  Allow to cook for 15 minutes.  Then, remove the foil and cook an additional 15 minutes.

On a nonstick baking pan, spread out the kale.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  In a separate pan, place the salmon and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place both in the oven on the top rack for about 15 minutes.

Break salmon into large flakes.

Add the quinoa and the feta to the vegetable mixture.  Divide the veggies into two or three dishes.  Top with kale and salmon.  Enjoy!!!

Nutrition:

2 Person Serving Option Calories:  369.3    Fat:  13.2g   Carbs:  37.2g   Protein:  29.2g

3 Person Serving Option Calories:  246.2   Fat:  8.8g   Carbs:  24.8g  Protein:  19.5g

 

Now, back to my busy day…recap lata gata 😉

Picky About My Equipment

Yesterday evening I did something fun and unique…

I sang the National Anthem at an Indiana ICE hockey game.  In high school, me and my group of friends called ourselves the Lemon Sistas and sang at nearly every sporting event that needed the National Anthem in high school.  We also sang at churches and events throughout the community.  Even with all of that experience singing The Star Spangled Banner, I realized last night that this was my first  time singing at a sporting even alone.

It was an excellent experience!  I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous about slipping on the ice, but once I was out there everything was fine.  As I was singing the lyrics though, I started to think about the words too much, and realized how easy it really could be for someone to forget the words to a song we all know so well.  Luckily, I didn’t leave any words out 😉

Dinner

Last night, I made Brian his birthday dinner because tonight (his actual birthday) we are going to to eat with his parents.  Brian never really craves certain foods, or offers much input while I make the menu and grocery list for the week, but when I suggested salmon for his special meal he was quick to agree!

My mom had a salmon rub at one point (literally years ago) that had a touch of cinnamon in it, but it was sooo delicious.  The hint of cinnamon mixed with the salmon simply complimented so well and made for a flavorful dish.  Last night,  I tied to recreate that rub:

Cinnamony Salmon Spice Rub

Simply combine all ingredients in a bowl and rub onto the salmon before baking.

• Cinnamon
• Garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Ground Red Pepper

I am not quite sure of the measurements because I just started mixing and pouring and tasting, and when it finally tasted good to me, I rubbed it on the fish.  No oil needed! 

Served with asparagus, my favorite springtime veggie, this meal hit the birthday spot.

Workout

Today, I revisited an old friend, the elliptical.

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In my college days, the elliptical was my go-to.  Since I have graduated, I have been much more involved in running outdoors, and spinning when it comes to cardio.  It was nice to zone out on the elliptical for 20 minutes before I lifted some weights doing my 4 move shoulder routine, but I must say I am a bit picky when it comes to elliptical selection.

I like to be able to move forward and backward and change the incline and resistance myself so that I can create a little routine.  This machine, however, shut off whenever I switched directions or resistance, and I couldn’t adjust the incline.  At least I got a little sweaty 😉

Breakfast

For breakfast this morning, I tried something new for the second time, and both times it just hasn’t turned out the way I expected it to.

I have been trying to make Make-Ahead Oatmeal Smoothies, and they are just turning out really runny….and I know why.  It is because I am not using chia seeds.  I thought I could get away with it, I even tried to use hemp seeds instead….and it just isn’t cutting it.  The chia seeds absorb liquid and create a gel like substance, so they are great as thickening agents in these overnight concoctions, but without it…they simply get runny.  Looks like I am going to have to invest in some chia seeds…soon!

I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!  I will be spending the day on the golf course with the Maestro Open for the Indianapolis Symphony…hopefully the weather holds out!

Question of the Morning:

• Are you picky about your exercise equipment?
• What do you do to get your cardio in?  Run outside, bike, elliptical, walk, group exercise???
  

 

Happy Spring!

Today has been flying by!

So fast, that I even missed my mid-morning snack…oops!

And spring has officially sprung!  Happy first day of spring!!

The bush outside of our apartment has officially bloomed 🙂

I made up for the lack of snack (I am a poet and I didn’t even know it…) with a delicious lunch of salmon salad.  In my salmon salad I included:

• Celery
• Red onion
• Orange bell pepper
• 1/4 cup Fage Total 0% Greek yogurt (the secret ingredient that replaces mayo, it adds in a secret hint of protein)
• 1/4 cup canned salmon
• 1/4 cup chickpeas
• Pepper to taste
• Garlic salt to taste

On the side I had celery sticks (my fave!) and part of an orange tomato.  Is it just me, or do orange tomatoes taste better than red tomatoes?  😉

 

Celery sticks are honestly one of my favorite veggies.  I just love how crunchy they are and the fact that they are great dippers and they are great to eat plain as well!  On the cruise ship, I NEVER had celery sticks…literally, so I have been missing my little green sticks of joy.

 

What is your favorite veggie?? 

• Like I said above, I have always loved celery

How do you like to eat your favorite veggie??

• Although I love it plain, my favorite way to eat it is with peanut butter 🙂

Finally Home

After a 14 hour flight from Hong Kong to Chicago then a 1 hour flight from Chicago to Indianapolis I finally arrived home in one piece!!

Somehow I was able to stay awake through the majority of my flights and the entire day.  After driving around Indianapolis to see all of the new additions to the city due to the super bowl and visit my sister at her salon, Brian and I came home to visit with some friends who had come over to say hello and welcome back!  I must admit that it was strange not having any of my cruise ship friends with me, or constantly looking at the clock to make sure that I was on the ship in time…but other than that it truly felt like I hadn’t left and everything picked up right where I left off!

I am still feeling a bit jet lagged, and woke up at 4am unable to return to sleep.  So, I decided to be productive and do all of my laundry before Brian woke up to get ready for school.  It always feels good to get something accomplished first thing in the morning.

Brian and I then headed to get my engagement ring cleaned at G. Thrapp, where we had the engagement ring made.  It has literally been 5 months since it has been properly cleaned…and they could tell!  I am going to have to go back again soon so that we can make sure that it is as clean as possible.  We then hit the road to head North to Fort Wayne to visit my family.  I was able to sleep in the car a little bit, but it still doesn’t make up for the night of sleep that I missed.

We then simply hung out at home as I shared my stories and pictures from my 5 months abroad.  It is great to finally show my family who I have been talking about and where I have been!

Mom and I then got to work in the kitchen preparing dinner and dessert.  It may have been a while since I have prepared a meal in the kitchen, but I still haven’t lost my touch.  Mom started making salmon with veggies in a Romertopf clay baker.  It is one of the gifts I had received for Christmas that I haven’t been able to use yet, so mom and I experimented with the cooker and were pleased with the results.

According to the web site “Cooking in porous, unglazed clay will increase flavor, tenderness and enable food to retain its natural nutrients and vitamins.”  The dish was delicious, the salmon tender, and the veggies crisp and flavorful with no added liquid!  I am very excited to experiment with this new kitchen device.

Mom had a recipe for “The Best Carrot Cake Ever” that she wanted me to prepare, and I must say while I love clean and healthy eating, it felt oh so good to be back in the kitchen with my baker’s hat on!   Brian, Dad, and Mom went back for seconds of the cake 🙂

Now, I am off to bed early in hopes to have enough sleep to complete a good workout tomorrow!  Sweet dreams 😉

Bon Voyage

Good Morning!

 

Today, I embark on my journey and head off to London!  I can’t believe that today is OFFICIALLY here.  It sure came fast.

 

Yesterday

Yesterday, I was able to spend a nice day at home with Brian and my family (minus Kenny 😦 ) making sure that everything was in it’s place and all ready to go.

 

The day literally seemed to fly by.  I started the day with my Coco Wheats, started making phone calls to my bank about being abroad, sending necessary e-mails, packing last minute items, and the next thing I knew it was lunch time!

 

It was actually way after my “usual” lunchtime between 11 and 12, it was 1pm!  I was shocked that my stomach wasn’t growling.

 

Mom made us a delicious lunch from a Sparkpeople.com recipe.  This tortellini soup was perfect for a cloudy fall day like yesterday.

The soup was slightly spicy, and the tortellini was a fun little addition rather than plain old noodles.  I would definitely eat the soup again 🙂

 

I then decided that I needed to get out of the house, so Brian and I headed to Plato’s Closet to sell some of my old clothes, which landed me an extra $13.50 for my trip!  The rejects ended up going to the Goodwill drop box.

I didn’t realize how much stuff I was actually giving away until I had Brian take this picture.  Because I am going to be gone for a year, while packing up my clothing I really tried to downsize and take note of the things I hadn’t worn in the past year (or years!).  I have a hard time getting rid of things like that because I am worried that I may need that super short flowery skirt from high school at some point in the near future…I know, I’m crazy.  It honestly felt like a weight off of my shoulders getting rid of some old items that I no longer use giving someone else the opportunity to wear the items.

 

After those errands, Brian and I came back home.  He napped while I helped Mom with dinner.  Since this was my last meal at home, my mom let me pick it out.  So, naturally I picked all of my favorites!

Grilled salmon, asparagus, brown rice, and homemade caesar salad.  The meal was delicious and everyone raved about the salad because I put a double batch of dressing on it.

 

We then hurried to clean up the dishes and all pack into my dad’s little car to go to see the movie 50/50.

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Now, I have to admit that when my mom told me that was the movie we were seeing on the night before I leave everyone who is close to me for nearly a year I was a little less than thrilled.  I totally thought that this movie would be a tear jerker, and while a few tears were shed (but that honestly happens in most movies with me) it was a very witty, funny, and feel good movie.  Thank goodness!  I don’t know if any of us could have handled a tear jerker!

Today

This morning, I woke up bright and early to squeeze in a quick workout since I will be sitting for like a million hours (that’s not an exaggeration).  I did the same workout that I did in the lake house, quick and total body!

I showered up, made myself a little cup of coffee and had a tasty apple with peanut butter.

This made me realize that I eat peanut butter most days, and I don’t know if I will have that luxury when I am on the boat or in London.  So many weird questions keep popping up!!

Now, we are headed off to Chicago to spend the day and catch my plane!!  Wish me luck 🙂

Meeting the Photographer

Tonight, Brian and I had plans to meet with a potential photographer.  Before heading out, we enjoyed a quick meal of Caesar Salad topped with salmon.  Seriously one of my favorite meals.

We met her at a Starbucks, and I have been verrrry snacky today (I had several handfuls of raisins after dinner…) so of course I wanted to try the new salted carmel mocha light frappucino…that’s right LIGHT!  I love when the new flavors come in the light version.  Sweet and salty has always been one of my favorite flavor combos so this drink was right up my alley.  Brian, however, didn’t think that it was his cup of…frappucino 😦

Before meeting with the photographer, Brian and I thought that we should probably do a little research about what questions to ask when meeting with a potential wedding photographer for the first time…so we both did a little Google search to see what we could come up with.  TheKnot.com was a great resource as usual!

Here are the questions that we decided were important to us:

1. What is your backup plan in case of an emergency such as a broken camera, family emergency, etc.?
2. Do you have a second photographer?
3. Can we have all of the photos above and beyond the minimum amount?
4. What do you mean when you say you have a “photojournalist” style?

Another good tip was to look for a good mixture of portraits, candids, details, and scenic photos within the photographer’s portfolio.  And the last tip was to check out how well the photographer’s personality meshes with your own, because they are going to be spending a lot of time with you on one of the most important days of your lives, and they are going to be getting a little bit up close and personal.

The great part about our meeting was that she answered literally all of our questions before we even had to ask them!  I think we may have found a match…but we don’t want to jump the gun so we still have a little discussing to do.

I am headed to an early morning Body Pump session tomorrow, so I am out for the night!  Sleep tight!

 

Does anyone have a good site for wedding photography inspiration??