What I [am excited about] Wednesday

20 Comments

So far… this week has been pretty excellent!

Monday, I got an e-mail back from FitFluential, and I’m officially a FitFluential Ambassador! I’m excited, because it’s such an amazing community of bloggers!

I also ran a new PR on the treadmill, did some Jillian Michaels, had a BFF Date with Eric, and found out I’m influential about Unicorns. What? Yes. I don’t make this stuff up.

Yep, that’s my PR! A mile in 8:29 (See above.). I know that’s not fast for most of you, but I was excited aboutit! (And that’s what PRs are all about, right?) I think my weekend off really helped, because I felt so energized at the gym. Seriously, from now on, force me to take rest days, ok? Ok, good.

Anyways, on to my daily eats! This is What I Ate Wednesday Monday.

Breakfast

This breakfast is still keeping me quite satisfied. It’s unbelievably tasty. Same breakfast, same picture. Don’t judge.

  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1 tbsp cacao bliss coconut butter
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 2 handfuls of spinach
  • Whole lotta ice

Lunch

A rushed lunch at work (photographed and packed at home, eaten at my desk while answering e-mails.):

  • 1 cup chobani 0%
  • 1 scoop protein powder
  • Blueberries + Strawberries

It’s so weird how I don’t generally like dairy products, but I could eat greek yogurt every single day.

Afternoon snack:

I have some fruit almost every single afternoon. That whole no-fruit-after-2pm thing would not work for me. Monday, it was an apple. I also had a light string cheese for a little protein. I feel like an idiot when I eat string cheese at work. It’s like eating fun dip. And you just can’t look like a grown up when eating fun dip.

Dinner

For dinner, I consumed a (few) glass(es) of vino from Secco, because it was flight night, and Eric and I hadn’t had a BFF-Date night in forever, so it was long over due. We also do our  best business brainstorming when we’ve had a glass or two of wine. It’s a fact. Don’t mess with the facts. We also had some pizza. It’s all about balance, right?

What are you excited about today?

Let’s Call it a Rest Weekend

29 Comments

I had good intentions. I packed my running shoes. I remembered a sports bra. But no running happened. None. Does walking to the ice cream place count?

I wasn’t actually surprised by my lack of exercise. Since my left leg had been bothering me a little bit last week, I figured taking 3 days off wouldn’t kill me.

But that wasn’t all I rested from. I didn’t open my laptop for a solid 48 hours. Not once. (And I didn’t even check my e-mail on my phone.) I also (accidentally) left my phone at home for most of the day on Saturday.

Disconnected. And you know what?

It was fine.

I think my brain needed the digital detox as much as my body needed a rest from working out.

I’m really bad at focusing on one task, and one task only. My phone is always buzzing next to me. I practically begin twitching when I see this:

And obviously, the same reaction is true for e-mails, texts, facebook, wordpress…

Putting my phone down, and keeping my laptop closed allowed me to really spend time with my friends and family, without constantly asking “sorry, what?” as I glance up from my phone, mid-text.

And while I might have been disconnected form the world… I was snapping pictures!

Visiting Alexa’s school (CCAD) for an art show! She’s amazing :)

Eating the worlds best veggie burger.

And found some words of inspiration. (Kelly, I stole this :) )

My trip went by way too fast, as it always does, but I’m glad I got to go home and see my family, Alexa, Kelly, and Christine! (Christine, I will definitely be trying that quinoa recipe!!!) Lindsay, we really will meet up one of these days!

Do you ever need a digital detox? Do you miss out on things because you’re too absorbed in your phone or computer?

Wine, Blogger-friends, & Healthy Shakes

22 Comments

Wednesday night, we had completely random twitter-planned happy hour, and Ipanema Cafe handled our blogger-flock quite well :) (Bonus points for them, since they tweeted back to us.) Clearly, if you’re not following me on twitter, you should be. How else will you hear about these impromptu events? ;)

They have a pretty fantastic happy hour from 3-7, which includes $3 glasses of wine. Yes. $3.

Being the classy girl that I am, that’s pretty much all I need to be convinced. But they also have a great menu, as well as a little patio. Bonus, and bonus. You won’t find much menu info from their website, but that’s because they change it up based on fresh ingredients. You can check the chalkboard when you walk in.

Blogger friends turned real-life friends. Isn’t it fun when that happens?

Although the owner couldn’t be there, she did send us this appetizer on the house, which isn’t on the menu (yet) but we all really enjoyed! It was little tiny bananas, on a bed of greens, with lots of seeds (pumpkin, pepita, and sunflower I think?) and some sort of dressing that was light and lovely. I totally think this deserves to be on the menu!

After I got home, I didn’t feel like making anything fancy, but I still needed a little something before going to bed. I decided to whip up another one of these…

German Chocolate Shake

  • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp coconut butter
  • 1 tbsp caramel syrup (I use the Torani kind, but you could swap it for honey)
  • 2 tbsp unsweetend coconut flakes (plus more for sprinkling on top!)
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1-2 handfuls of ice

Toss it all in a blender, and top with a bit more coconut and caramel sauce. It tastes like a milkshake, but is healthy enough to be enjoyed guilt-free.  Click here for the full nutritional info.

I’m heading back home to visit my family in Ohio, so the weekend shall be filled with festivities!

What are you doing this weekend?

What I Ate [From the Fridge] Wednesday

36 Comments

Remember my grocery budget goal? Well I’m happy to say that I’ve been doing a much better job at working with what’s already in my kitchen, and eating out less. (That said, I’m pretty sure the $$$ just floated over into my shopping budget… but I did finally find a maxi dress two maxi dresses that don’t make me look 3 feet tall.)

Anyways, since I’m going out of town on Friday, I’m really trying to use up all the fresh produce and things that won’t stay good for long. I did a pretty good job, but it meant I ate a lot of really random small meals throughout the day!

Breakfast

Nothing new here folks. o% Chobani, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and a sprinkle of cookie dough granola.

Lunch

I needed to use up some egg whites, so I microwave-scrambled them with a wedge of laughing cow cheese, and topped them with a black bean cake and a little salsa. I know you can’t see the eggs, but I promise they’re at the bottom! I’m not a big fan of eggs in general, but mixed together, this was delicious and packed with 25g of protein! I also had an unpictured and unexciting salad, which was just romaine, a little bit of Brianne’s Caesar dressing, balsamic vinegar, and a few croutons.

Dinner #1

Tuesdays are a little strange, because I have a young professionals group from 6-8, so I took a german chocolate smoothie with me, since I knew I’d be ravenous by the time I got home if I didn’t have something to tide me over. I’ll share the recipe with you sometime soon. This was delicious!

Dinner #2

I went out for drinks and didn’t get home until 9:30, and when I got back, I was craving some “bad for me” food, so I decided to make a light version of an unhealthy snack. I’d done it with zucchini, so why not with cheese? I’m actually not even a huge fan of cheese in general, but for some reason, I was craving mozzarella sticks. I literally have no idea why.

Lighten Up! Mozzarella Sticks

  • 2 sticks of light string cheese (I used the Weight Watchers brand)
  • 2 tbsp bread crumbs
  • 2 tbsp fiber one, blended into a powder (or just substitute more bread crumbs)
  • 2 tbsp egg whites
  • Oregano, chili powder, basil, garilc
  • 1/4 cup marinara or pizza sauce (for dipping)

Cut the string cheese in half, and then length wise (or you can keep it long, I just wanted mini ones!) and pop them in the freezer for a couple minutes. This will keep the cheese from melting all over the pan. Once it’s cold, dip into the egg white, and coat with bread crumbs. Sprinkle with seasoning and pop into the oven on a greased cookie sheet at 400 for about 8-10 minutes, turning half way through.

These were SO good. I think I have a new favorite healthy-pretending-to-be-unhealthy snack. (Above is half the recipe.) The whole recipe is less than 200 calories and so freaking delicious! Not to mention 13g of protein!

What’s your favorite unhealthy snack? Do you have a healthy alternative?

Leftovers- Remixed

32 Comments

Despite my love of all-things-Mexcian (guacamole, tequila, and Eric), there were no crazy Cinco de Mayo celebrations over here. It was actually a relatively productive weekend, (and by productive, I mean I did a lot of shopping, and hanging out at the river…) but I did have Mexican food on Saturday (and Sunday), because I’ll pretty much take any excuse to eat tortilla chips ;)

Since I’m really trying to keep an eye on my grocery budget, I was doing some brainstorming for what to do with the Mexican leftovers! I didn’t feel like (another) burrito or stir fry, and I was kind of in the mood for a veggie burger.

I’d made black bean burgers before… so I figured, why wouldn’t it work with refried beans? However, I never have buns in the house, so I’m calling them Bean Cakes. That way, no bun is expected. Fair?

Remixed Black Bean Cakes

  • 3/4 cup refried black beans
  • 1/4 cup black beans
  • 1/4 cup egg whites
  • 1/2 cup whole grain oats
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (You could omit this if you dont’ have it)
  • Dashes of chili powder, red pepper flakes, tabasco sauce, and salt

Preheat the oven to 350, and then toss everything into a bowl. Drop about 1/3 cup of the mixture on to a greased cookie sheet. It should make about 4 large cakes. Then cover with foil, and pop it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, flip the cakes, then back for another 10-15 minutes. Serve anyway you like! I ate mine on a bed of spinach, topped with salsa.

Click here for nutritional info.

Yummm.

Since I made four, I’m hoping to use up the other three during my lunch-packing attempts. I’m really trying to plan ahead and pack leftovers, so I don’t keep buying my lunch at work. Usually, it’s as simple as packing it the night before, so I don’t have to rush to throw something together in the morning.

This was the perfect quick and easy dinner, after I finished a quick run with Eric.

Speaking of running, I managed to complete my goal of 15 miles last week! I was actually harder than I thought, but I’m going to attempt another 15 miles during this week as well. Since I’m leaving for Ohio on Friday, some of those miles might have to be run on Ohio ground :) (Alexa, Kelly, & Annie… I hope you’re ready for this!) And based on twitter, it seemed like everyone and their mother ran a race this weekend. It’s making me think I should re-awaken my desire to train for a half marathon…

Now I need some ideas for how to use the salad kale I picked up at the farmers market on Saturday… ideas?

Worth a Dollar (or Two)

21 Comments

I’m kind of cheap. You could call it thrifty, you could call it budget conscious, but if you ask G-love, he’ll just tell you I’m plain old cheap. (Mom, if you’re reading this, I get it from you!)

So when I bought my iphone, I didn’t even look at the paid apps. I figured there were plenty of free ones. So I pretty much refused to ever shell out .99 cents.

But over time, I realized that there were a few apps worth buying, and these are my favorites. If I’m willing to buy them… I think you’ll find them worthy of a buck or two as well.

Nike + GPS

Oh my gosh, if you don’t have this Nike + GPS, and you run at ALL ,you must download it. Don’t get this confused with the Nike + app that requrires the chip in a Nike shoe. This app works on it’s own. It tracks your distance, route, time, and allows your friends to “cheer you on” (through facebook, although you don’t have to post your runs if you don’t want to).

Livestrong/The Daily Plate

I used the SparkPeople tracker for awhile, but the Livestrong app is a little more convenient and tended to have a better database of food. If you want to track your calories, protein, fiber, anything, this tool is super simple to use. I use it every once in awhile to make sure I’m getting enough protein.

Camera Awesome

Honestly, there are tons of camera apps out there, and I’m not sure which one is my favorite, but I do think Camera Awesome is pretty cool. You can edit pictures right from your phone, apply filters, and take multiple photos really quickly. It has more features than I’ve ever played around with. If you use your iphone as your primary camera, you should consider this one!

All of those are a couple dollars, and I think they’re definitely worth it. (I mean, come on. You get could all three of those for like $6.)

Just this morning, I used my Nike + app for a run with Brittany! We ran a bit slower than normal, since we did the “Lululemon 5k” meet up yesterday. The super laid back 5K actually happens every Thursday night, apparently. (5K and Chardonnay which means it’s perfectly acceptable to stop by Cafe Caturra and grab a glass of vino after the run). Despite the crazy temperatures, we managed to crank out 3 miles with Lindsay and my friend Emily. My legs are definitely going to be sore, but I’m hopefully going to do another 3 miles tomorrow, to meet my goal of 15 miles this week!

What’s your favorite app (paid or free)?

Jumping on the Coconut Butter Train

32 Comments

I’d never even heard of coconut butter until I started reading blogs. I tried making my own once, and it turned out pretty badly. Not sure what happened… but since then, it’s intimidated me.

However, when the awesome folks at Artisana offered to send me a variety of coconut (and other nut) butter samples, how could I say no?

I was so excited when I ripped open the box and found more than just coconut butter! Look at all these cute little sample packs! I’ve never had walnut butter or macadamia nut butter, so I can’t wait to try those!

Now, my past experience with nut butter is that you can crack open a jar, and just dip your spoon in for a luscious taste. So that’s what I did.

It wasn’t pleasant.

I’m not sure what I expected but I wasn’t exactly going in for a second taste. Maybe I expected it to be sweet? I’m not sure. I was a little disappointed. I let it sit in the cabinet for another day or two before trying out something new.

Finally, I decided I’d add in a tablespoon of the cacao bliss coconut butter to a green monster smoothie. I didn’t really expect to be able to taste it, since there is so much other stuff in those smoothies.

Hold up.

This stuff is ah-maze-ing in smoothies.

(Packed in my trusty reusable cup, of course.)

Coconut butter is what they use in those “Magic Shell” things of your childhood. It gets a little bit hard when it’s in something cold. It’s literally perfect for a shake or smoothie, because you get little bitty pieces of creaminess that melt in your mouth. It literally took my protein shake a whole new level.

I’ve since traded in my tablespoon of nut butter for a tablespoon of coconut butter. Can I get a cheer for the healthy fats?

It’s official- I love it. I wont’ be spreading it on crackers, or eating it out of the jar, because that’s just not what it’s for. However, adding some amazing creaminess in a smoothie? Yes.

Thank you Artisana for sending me all of these butters to try! I’m so excited to find new ways to use coconut butter!

Who has some ideas for coconut butter for me? Feel free to leave me a link in the comments!