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!!

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

 

 

 

Don’t Judge a Book by it’s Cover

Good Morning!

Ok,  I have to admit that my breakfast in no way shape or form looks appetizing, but I promise that this smoothie bowl tasted so good that I was practically licking the bowl clean.  I used a similar recipe to my breakfast milkshake that I made not too long ago and added some raw oats for texture.  Just sayin’…don’t judge a book by it’s cover 😉

 

A little banana, spinach, almond butter, sun warrior protein powder, almond milk, cacao powder, vanilla extract, stevia…what is there NOT to like?

Yesterday

Yesterday at work I felt like a special delivery woman!  I started out the day delivering some chocolates to a client…

And then I ended the evening delivering the office keys that I accidentally left in my purse…

Not really the best way to end a long day, but it had to be done.

I am very excited for my after-work-plans for the night…I have some crafting to get done, some packing to get done, and hopefully and early bed time!

QUESTIONS OF THE MORNING:

Have you ever left the office keys in your bag and had to return them back to work that same night???  

What is your favorite breakfast lately?

For me, it is parfaits and smoothie bowls!!!

 

 

My First Award!

***Sorry about the weird Friday/Saturday confusion and double post….I WAS EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES!!!!

Hello Saturday everyone!

After a very successful and fun wedding night I was surprised to actually feel not too tired or hungover when I woke up this morning.  My friend, Erin, got married yesterday and everything about the wedding was beautiful, fun, and perfect…I will post an update with pictures soon!

I purposely scheduled a 10am appointment today for an oil change to get me up and moving early, but not too early, so that I could make today a productive day.

Before heading out to the car place, I made myself a little smoothie bowl….

I topped it with half of a baked oatmeal and a tablespoon of almond butter.  It was so refreshing, considering the 100 degree weather outside!

I was very excited to make my smoothie because I received my protein powder in the mail on Thursday!!

For the past month, I have been trying to stomach a plant based protein powder that I absolutely HATE but couldn’t stand the thought of just pitching….well I had had enough of it and went in for the good stuff.  As of right now, Sunwarrior is by far my favorite!

My First Award!

On the 4th of July, I was surprised by a little message from one of my friends who has a blog too!  She nominated me for an award! But not just any award, my very first ever blogging award.  I am just tickled 🙂

I have been nominated by Andrea, author of the blog A Doctor in the House,  as a recipient of the Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

This award requires a few things:

1. Display the award logo somewhere on the blog.
2. Link back to the blog of the person who nominated you.
3. State 7 things about yourself.
4. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award and provide links to their blogs.
5. Notify those bloggers that they have been nominated and of the award’s requirements.

Seven Things About Me

This is always the hard part!

1.  My favorite food is ice cream, although I don’t eat it nearly, as often as I like so that it stays in the “special treat” category and I never get sick of it!

2.  The only time in my life that I was abroad was when I went to work on a cruise line as the Fitness Director.

can you spot the cruise ship??

3.  I was never considered “athletic” or into sports in high school.  I was into show choir and cheerleading….we were required to wear fun outfits, be high energy, and act super happy…count me in!

4.  I am very directionally challenged…basically that is an understatement, I can’t get anywhere without Gabby my Garmin.

5.  Before working on the cruise line, I had only taught two group fitness classes and had never used my personal trainer certification.  I actually got  certified as a personal trainer AFTER I was hired for the position!  Now, I have trained many clients and am comfortable teaching yoga, pilates, any strength and conditioning class, cardio focused classes, indoor cycling, Body Pump, core classes, and stretching classes.

6.  I broke my arm in 7th grade while riding a motor scooter at my friends house….I never have been a good driver.

7.  Since last October, I have decided to follow more of a pescatarian diet.  I eat fish, eggs, dairy, and plant based protein supplements to obtain my protein.  It may be a permanent change, it may not.  I am just experimenting with my body and trying to figure out what makes it function best!

Blogs I Find Inspiring

 1.  Kath Eats Real Food–  I started reading this blog  the summer before my senior year of college while interning in Washington D.C.  The very first blog I read! She is from Virginia, very close to D.C. which made the things she did every day and the places she went very relatable at the time.  I also loved that she was studying to be a Registered Dietician (something I hope to do someday!) And her food looks really tasty!

2.  Peanut Butter Fingers-I found her blog through Kath Eats and loved it from the start.  I too have a love for peanut butter, and love following her every day life.

3.  Fitting It All In-I think Clare is the blogger I feel that I relate to the most.  We are both similar in age, and the topics she writes about I swear…she pulls the thoughts right out of my head sometimes!  She recently obtained her certification as a Holistic Health Coach and is paving her way in the health and wellness scene day by day.

4.  Hungry Runner Girl-I LOVE reading about her funny life, and she is about to have a baby.  Her obsession with fro-yo and running makes me smile.  She has continued to run long distances all the way through her pregnancy!! (I think she is due in August!)

5.  Peanut Butter Runner-This is one of the newest-to-me blogs that I have started reading.  She is the general manager of a cross fit studio, a yoga instructor, and just completely awesome!  She inspires me because of the decision that she made not too long ago to completely trade her career in the business world for a career in the fitness and health world.

6.  Sweet Tooth Sweet Life-She is another blogger that recently made the career change into the fitness world.  She has great cupcake recipes (probably my favorite thing about her blog!) and recently started online personal training.

7.  The Identity Project-Kristen was one of my first friends at Butler.  She transferred schools after Freshman year and we lost touch, but I always remember chatting about food and fitness with her before class.  She started the identity project as a way for women to connect with each other and find their identities through faith.  A very inspiring blog indeed!

8.  Fitnessista-I love Gina’s style.  She posts about her new baby, the group fitness classes she teaches, and delicious recipes.  She does it all!

9.  Fit for my Fork-Sam is just great!  I have just recently started reading her blog, and one of my favorite things that she is currently doing on her blog is a Fit Body Fit Mind segment where bloggers guest post about their favorite health or self-help books…if you are looking for a good summer read, check it out!!

10. Daily Garnish-She is a vegetarian culinary school graduate with a brand new baby (who is adorable!) I love reading her delicious vegetarian recipes and about her day-to-day life in Seattle, Washington

11.  J’s Everyday Fashion-Whenever I am at a loss of what to wear, I turn to J.  She has great outfits, inspiration for more outfits, and tips about how to fit awesome clothes into your budget.

12.  Cotter Crunch-Lindsay is just great!  Her husband is a pro triathlon racer, and she is a nutrition manager and fitness consultant.  They are constantly traveling and racing…yet she somehow finds time to fuel their bodies well, and tell us all about it!

13.  Chocolate Covered Katie-I have always had a sweet tooth, and one of the things I love doing is healthifying a decadent treat.  Well, that is what CCK is all about!  She has found ways to make peanut butter cups healthier, ice cream healthier, and cupcakes healthier…check her out to have your sweet tooth craving satisfied!

14.  Lunchbox Diaries-Her comments are witty as she takes you through her daily life of trying to stay healthy while enjoy life.  This one really makes me laugh 🙂

15.  Steph’s Bit by Bite-Steph posts great how-to’s for various workouts and delicious and pretty meals and recipes.  Gotta love it!

Ok!  And with that friends, it is time to knock things off of that to-do list 😉  Happy Saturday!

PS My computer has been extremely slow, and I know I need to “clean” off my hard drive and put it onto an external hard drive…but I am not sure how to do that.  Any tech savvy peeps know what to do to help me out!! If so, shoot me an e-mail at trebleinthekitchen@gmail.com.  Thanks!

Milkshake for Breakfast??

Breakfast tasted like dessert this morning.

I woke up, not really craving anything in particular.  I headed over to the fridge and just started pulling things out that looked good, and I ended up making this DELICIOUS treat! Seriously, it tastes like a milk shake!

Almond Cacao Milkshake Smoothie

• 2/3 frozen banana
• 1 Tbsp almond butter
• 1 tsp raw organic cacao
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 packet stevia
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ice cubes to thicken things up

Combine all things in the blender and enjoy!  Seriously… 😉

 

 

 

 

The Bachelorette…Party

Today, I am headed to the lake and then out on the town for the night celebrating my friend Erin’s bachelorette party!

Last summer at Erin’s white coat ceremony

Because I love to pitch in when it comes to making food, I made a little Greek yogurt and spinach dip.  Again seriously addicting and delicious, I hope you enjoy!

Greek Yogurt Feta Spinach Dip

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 4 green onions
• 10 oz spinach
• dash of salt
• 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 cup of nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup of reduced fat feta
• 1 tsp of dried dill
• black pepper to taste

 

Directions

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Cook the onion, and garlic for about 2 minutes until soft.  Then, add in the spinach.  Continue to gently stir until the spinach is completely wilted down.

When the spinach is wilted, scoop it with a slotted spoon into a food processor.  Pulse about 5 times.  Next, add in the rest of the ingredients except the black pepper. Pulse until desired consistency.

Stir in the black pepper to taste.  This dip can be served cool, or warm!  Enjoy!

Nutrition per 2 Tablespoon Serving:

Calories:  32.9  Fat: 1.5g  Carbs:  2g  Protein:  3.4g

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.

source

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???

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!

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.

source

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???

Pre-Cardio Interval Snack

Good Morning!

Today is day number 2 on the job, and I am really looking forward to it.  The hotel offers complimentary breakfast to our guests, and one of my supervisors suggested that I eat breakfast there today.  It should be fun!  At least I know they have fruit, oatmeal, and coffee.

Before heading to the gym this morning, I made myself a pre-workout snack to tide me over until my hotel breakfast.

It was like a mini smoothie!  In the mix was: 1/3 frozen banana, 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup almond coconut unsweetened milk, 2 tsp peanut butter, stevia, and vanilla extract.  It was smooth, creamy, and the perfect pre-workout fuel.

Cardio Intervals

Thursday mornings, I teach Cardio Intervals.  I am really enjoying this class because it gets pretty intense and sweaty, and the group I teach is simply amazing!

Here is a look at the super sweaty cardio and strength training workout we did today:

Now, I am off to work!

After work plans:  attend and study Body Pump (it is one of our instructor’s last class!), make a delicious treat to bring into work on Friday…that is the best part of the job, someone to eat all of my treats 😉

Happy Thursday!

No Show

This morning, I was scheduled to sub teach a spinning class, but no one showed up!  With the beautiful weather outside and the Indy 500 occurring this weekend, I can’t say that I blame people for not wanting to be indoors.  Since I was already at the gym and everyone in my class was a no show, I decided to make the best use of my time and did a strength training workout focusing on chest, back, abs, and I finished off with a good and much needed session of foam rolling.

I then headed home, made myself a smoothie, put on my bathing suit, and headed out to the pool to soak up some more rays.

Today’s smoothie included a bit of frozen peaches and bananas, Greek yogurt, protein powder, water and ice, spinach, and a touch of peanut butter.

Cold and refreshing!

Some friends showed up at the pool a couple of hours later.  Matt, one of our good friends getting married this summer, was heading out on a run, but didn’t have anyone to go with. So, I quickly threw on a running outfit, laced up my shoes and headed out for a quick 2 mile run with him.

It was very hot, and we chatted the whole time.  So, even though it was only two miles, it still felt like a good workout!  We ended up completing the run with a pace of 7:55…not too shabby!

After that, it was back to the pool and time to hydrate.

Yesterday, I bought myself a little coconut water treat.  This was my first experience with Vita Coco and it was very tasty!  Instead of just trying the regular flavored coconut water, I decided to try Tropical Fruit.  While I did enjoy the flavor of the Tropical Fruit Vita Coco, I think I would like the regular better.  I really enjoy the taste of coconut water on it’s own, so I think for future reference I will either choose plain or chocolate 😉

We then laid in the sun, read magazines, and just relaxed for the rest of the day.  Eventually, I was in need of some cooler air, ice water, and dinner.

I made a delicious batch of Spinach Salmon White Wine Pasta, not only as a tasty dinner but for part of a fun project that I am working on.  More details to come later…

I hope you all enjoy your Memorial Day tomorrow!