Rambling weekend

What a weekend it’s been! I got back this afternoon from my jaunt to the “shore”. It definitely had its highs and lows, but I’ve been going there since I was a born, and it’s like a second home to me. Highlights included tubing:

I sit on the boat and chat while everyone takes turns tubing. I've tried it enough times to realize that it's just not my thing!!

Partying with friends:

Blondies

Mike is such a sport with my endless photoshoots :)

Clutching the bag of tortilla chips, of course. 

And a completely inappropriate piece of Pirate’s Booty. Feel free to keep scrolling if you’re not quite as immature as us:

It’s clear from a lot of my posts that I get incredibly nostalgic, so it should come as no surprise that I whipped out the old iPhoto files when I got bored this afternoon for a little trip down memory lane:

Summer 2009

Summer 2008

Summer 2007

Summer 2006

It’s always a little strange to look at pictures of yourself where you look noticeably younger, isn’t it? The summer 2006 one was taken the day I got my license- I remember feeling so cool when I got to make the drive myself.

I kind of took a break from foodie photos over the weekend, since I ate most of my meals with groups of people and spent a lot of time snacking randomly as well! Of course, no trip to the shore would be complete without a stop on the way down for several pints of fresh strawberries:

And I also made a batch of blueberry muffins when I had three hours to kill before everyone else woke up on Sunday!

After a weekend of muffins, Wawa, brownies, beverages and snack foods, I was definitely looking forward to some clean eats when I got home:

Salad beast with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, onion, pickles, tempeh and Dijon mustard

Tofu noodles, veggie marinara, nutritional yeast and Veggie Patch falafel balls

 

Lots of Jersey strawbs + TJ’s chocolate for dessert (I’m rereading Prep for the fiftieth time…one of my favorites!)

I just realized what a completely rambling and random post this is. I blame it on the collective 8 hours of sleep I had this weekend….I do have some fun post ideas up my sleeve for this week though!! I start my nutrition internship at the hospital tomorrow, so I better rest up. Hope you all have a fantastic Tuesday!!

Where is your “second home”? Is there anywhere you feel just as comfortable as in your own house?  The shore is definitely mine- it’s synonymous with summer and fun!

Do you like to look at old pictures? I love it. My walls are plastered with snapshots…whenever I’m feeling down, looking at fun moments with my friends and family always cheers me up!

Just fabulous

Good evening loves!! Thank you so much for all your comments on my last post- I realized I’m definitely not alone in my worrying! So many of you mentioned your significant others as the person who calms you down, which I really think is a testament to just how much we women worry. I always love reading everyone else’s perspective on difficult problems and situations!

My posting schedule is going to be even more erratic these next few days, because I’m leaving tomorrow for the shore- Memorial Day weekend is the official start to the summer season! I’ll post once or twice if I have down time (which is likely, since the friends I’m going with tend to sleep late).

TJ’s High Fiber cereal, fresh raspberries and almond milk

Yesterday started off with a bowl of cereal and a six-mile run. The run itself wasn’t too hard, but my knee started hurting about halfway through. Since I had pretty minimal knee pain while training this winter, I’m convinced the humidity and change in air pressure have something to do with my discomfort; in any case, I’ve made the decision not to run in the half tomorrow morning. I’m 100% okay with my choice, which I think is a good indicator that I’m doing the right thing! I snacked on an apple when I got home:

I met one of my best friends for lunch at Cosi before going to see a matinee of Sex and the City 2. Of course, I got my favorite hummus and veggie sandwich, and absolutely hit the jackpot with my slice of bread- it was super thick, chewy and still warm from the oven. Delicious:

I snuck some snacks in my purse for movie enjoyment. I shared both with Maggie, and we both agreed that the apple flavor in the Heart Thrive wasn't very apparent, though it was a filling snack! She's not a fan of mint flavored things, but I loved the deep mint and smooth texture of the chocolate.

Though the movie was nowhere near as good as the first, I still loved it. The fabulous clothes and hilarious one-liners (and Liza Minelli singing “Single Ladies”) definitely made up for the far-fetched plot and sometimes cheesy moments! I’ve always loved SATC for the honest yet funny way it deals with relationships and dating, and one of my all-time favorite quotes comes from it:

“But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.”

Words to live by, no? I left the theater feeling fabulous, and dying for a pair of Louboutins.

After the movie, I met up with Mike for dinner at an Italian restaurant near his house. I got a grilled veggie pizza sans cheese, which I ate every last morsel of:

We went back to his house and baked a batch of TJ’s truffle brownies to enjoy before hanging out with some friends for the evening. I ended up sleeping over at a friend’s house, so didn’t get a picture of this morning’s breakfast- a carrot cake Clif bar and an apple.

I got home this morning and immediately got my workout on: a combination of days 4 and 5 of the Summer Shape Up. I did:

• Lunge and lifts (12 on each leg)
• Plie squats (15)
• Pilates side leg lift (12 on each leg)
• Stability ball hamstring curl (15)
• Frog crunch (12)
• Bosu calf raise (on stairs, 15)
• Leg extensions (12 on each leg)
• Prone glute lift (12)

I did the circuit three times, then moved onto a 20 minute yoga for runners podcast. All worked and stretched out, I made some lunch:

Salad beast with lettuce, carrots, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, Veggie Patch falafel balls and TJ’s guacamole hummus

Grapes and pecan-date rolls for dessert

I snacked on a bowl of cereal with blueberries and almond milk while addressing yet more invitations (I’m about halfway done!):

For dinner, I whipped up two tofu quiches for my parents and I. Mine contained a block of firm tofu, a chopped tomato, half an onion, a handful of chopped spinach, ¼ c nutritional yeast and garlic powder, while I made theirs bigger with the addition of mozzarella. I also had an unpictured slice of rosemary loaf on the side:

Simple and yummy. Dessert was a bowl of strawberries with chocolate sauce, plus two coconut lover cookies:

I’ve also been nibbling at some mixed nuts and the chocolate shoe I got my mom for Mother’s day- we’ve eaten most of it already J

Well, I’m off to pack and get to sleep early- these next few days will be tiring! I probably won’t be spending too much time at the computer, so please forgive my lack of commenting. Hope you all enjoy whatever you’re up to this weekend!

Do you have a favorite quote or mantra? I have a few, but my favorites include the SATC one above, Jack’s monologue from the dinner scene in Titanic, and 1 Corinthians 13.
What makes you feel fabulous? Heels always give me an extra confidence boost!

On Worrying

I’ll admit it: I’m a worrier. I worry about whether I’ll have enough apples left until my next grocery trip, about how much traffic there will be on my way to the mall, about what the heck I want to do as a career, about whether I’ll be happy in twenty years. It’s no secret that women worry more than men, so I guess it’s normal to some extent, but sometimes I even worry that my worrying gets in the way of living my life. I don’t like jumping into situations where I don’t have a plan; in my ideal world, everything would be mapped out before hand, and my jump would be more of a step. Planning makes me feel safe and in control, even if it does tend to suck the fun out of things. But it’s a false sense of security, because everything can always change in a second, whether a friend bails on a well-organized party or a huge wrench is thrown into my life plan.

I’m fortunate to have two people in my life (both men, whoda thunk?) who constantly remind me to stop worrying and start living. Through both their own actions and interactions with me, they show me that oftentimes, letting yourself go with the flow makes you far happier than scheduling away your life. After all, if you have no expectations, everything is kind of a pleasant surprise. Dreams and goals and motivation are all crucial to succeed, but, as the saying goes, it’s about the journey, not the destination. If you’re trying to get somewhere in order to be happy and are absolutely miserable along the way, chances are that one achievement won’t change the way you feel about life in general. Happiness isn’t something that comes from other people- they can contribute to it, but you have to be capable of creating your own happiness in the moment, despite what life throws at you. It’s useless to worry about what is, isn’t, or will be. If you’re truly happy with the path you’re on right now, then you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.

I want to have faith that things will turn out the way they’re supposed to, that there is a plan for me, but that I’m not the one to create it. I want to have the courage to chase my hopes and dreams for the future, but the humility and faith to accept whatever curveball God throws at me. It’s a cliché, but it’s true that life just wouldn’t be as fun if we knew what was going to happen. I’m nervous for the bad, but excited for the good that I never saw coming. In the wise words of Ida Scott Taylor,

“Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering.”

*   *   *

 Nature’s Path SmartBran, Vanilla Sunrise, blackberries and Almond Breeze

Yesterday’s was day 3 of the Fitnessista’s Summer Shape Up; following the plan, I did a 20 minute Yoga for Runners podcast followed by 24 minutes on the elliptical while watching the newest DVRed episode of The Hills. It worked up quite an appetite for my breakfast-for-lunch bowl:

“Overnight” oats with ½ c rolled oats, a mashed banana, ½ c almond milk, 1 T chia seeds, 1 T flax seeds, 1 T chocolate rice protein powder, 1 packet of Justin’s chocolate almond butter, and mounds of fresh raspberries

The afternoon was spend addressing envelopes for my brother’s wedding invitations (a few of you asked if it was my wedding that was so stressful…heck to the no. Not for several years, at least!). Afternoon snacks:

Ezekiel brown rice tortilla with pizza sauce and a sliced tomato, nuked in the microwave; Trader Joe’s dark chocolate

Mike and I had a sushi date for dinner. I got the sashimi platter, which came with miso soup, and I also split a dragon roll with him:

After dinner, we went out to ice cream, where I got an “iced coffee”- basically a latte made with chocolate soft serve ice cream instead of milk. Holy deliciousness:

The rest of the evening was spent chatting about life on his porch in the wonderful 85-degree heat. I’m obsessed with these warm temperatures; while others complain about the heat, I relish it. Give me some iced coffee and good conversation, and it’s pretty much a perfect night J

Today’s agenda includes a run, lunch with the bestie and a matinee showing of Sex and the City 2. So. Excited. Hope you have a wonderful day, loves!!

Are you a worrier, or do you go with the flow? Are there any people that calm you down and help you to live in the moment? For those of you who aren’t worriers, how to you keep your worry-free mentality?

Wedding planning

Morning, sunshines! Happy hump day already- I’m headed to the Jersey shore for Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, so this is one week I’m excited to see go. Only a few days stand between me, a cone of sprinkle-topped peanut butter custard, a giant blinking ferris wheel and lots of guidos. Cannot. Wait.

Yesterday I woke up to a bowl of TJ’s High Fiber cereal, Nature’s Path SmartBran, blackberries and Almond Breeze:

The morning was spent gymming it up to the Fitnessista’s Summer Shape-Up. I did 30 minutes of sweaty song-chorus intervals on the elliptical, as per the plan, and then did some reps on the leg extension and leg press to strengthen my knee. I finished it up with some stretching before coming home for lunch.

I made a repeat of Sunday’s salad beast with spinach, tomato, cucumber, onions, the last few servings of Daiya cheese, and a mountain of salsa. On the side I had a sliced mango and a few Brazil nuts:

I learned on Friends that Brazil nuts aren't actually nuts, they're seeds. And they're primarily grown in Bolivia. Silly name.

The afternoon was spent assembling invitations for my brother’s wedding. I snacked away at the last of my millet puffs in almond milk:

Something about the warm weather has had me craving cereal 24/7 recently. I'm happy to oblige.

Plus an apple with Sunbutter:

I catnapped for a bit before making dinner for the fam. Angela's humnut pizzas were on the menu: . 

Roasted asparagus, green salad and a whole wheat loaf rounded out the meal.

Dessert was a big bowl of fresh strawberries with homemade chocolate sauce:

The fam also shared the Mother’s Day present I got my mom but forgot to post- it was a dark chocolate shoe topped with gold dust from Jacques Torres. Neat, no? I demolished the entire base and had trouble falling asleep due to my sugar high.

The evening was spent finishing the wedding invites and discussing the wedding. Watching the shows on TV, you’d expect wedding planning to be filled with extravagant cake tastings, eccentric planners, demanding brides and a ceremony that somehow assembles itself while everyone focuses on the reception. Of course, things are never how they look on TV, and we’re all finding out the hard way that wedding planning isn’t exactly a piece of cake (corny pun intended)…it’s stressful! I joked to my dad last night that I was eloping, and I think he hoped I was being serious. I know it will pay off in the end with a beautiful and fun celebration, but for now, it's a lot to think about. My job for today is to address as many invites as I can, since I have the best handwriting in my family. Bring on the hand cramp! 

Hope you all have a wonderful hump day loves!!

PS- I’ve decided to start responding to comments in the question section. I’ve tried emailing anyone with questions individually, but since Blogger doesn't provide your email addresses, it's time consuming to look them up individually. If you ask me anything you’d like an answer to, just check back in the comments!

What are your plans for Memorial Day weekend? Any fellow “shore” goers?

For those of you that are married, what was your wedding like? Big, small, stressful, relaxing? For those of you who aren’t, what do you envision your wedding to be like?

Coconut Lovers and Whoopee Pie

Hi bloggies! I have to say, it feels strange to be posting in the AM, but since my schedule will be all over the place for the summer, I’m going to experiment with different posting times for awhile to see what works best for me.

Yesterday was kind of random, food-wise. I had cereal for breakfast (obviously):

Nature’s Path SmartBran, Nature’s Path Vanilla Sunrise, raspberries and Almond Breeze

As I mentioned a few days ago, yesterday marked the start of the Fitnessista’s Summer Shape Up! I tailored my workout for the day around it and did:

-15 minutes of intervals on the elliptical (2 minutes 1 resistance, 30 seconds 10 resistance)

- bent-over fly (12 reps with 5lb weights)

- side lying lateral raise (12 reps on each side with 3lb weights)

- ultimate toe touch (12 reps on each leg)

- seated bicep curl (12 reps on each arm with 5lb weights)

- bent over row (12 reps on each arm with 5 lb weights)

- reverse crunch (12 reps)

- stability ball back extension (12 reps)

- crunches on a stability ball (15 reps)

- regular crunches (50)

- lifted leg crunches (50)

- medicine ball twists (50)

- leg lifts (25 on each leg)

I especially liked the stability ball back extension…there are very few exercises that let you “feel the burn” in your lower back, but this was one of them!

When lunchtime rolled around, my stomach was feeling kind of funky for no reason. I kept things easily digestible with more cereal and fruit:

Nature’s Path Millet Puffs in Almond Breeze (x2) and strawberries, plus some brazil nuts for fat and protein

That afternoon, I made a second batch of coconut cookies with some slight modifications. They turned out great! They’re very coconutty, so if you’re a fan, they’re delicious!

Vegan Coconut Lover Cookies

1c rolled oats

½ c coconut flour

½ c unsweetened shredded coconut

1t baking powder

2t vanilla extract

3T coconut butter

2T coconut oil

½ c agave syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, thoroughly combine oats, coconut flour, shredded coconut and baking powder. Melt the coconut butter and coconut oil by microwaving for 30 seconds, then add agave and vanilla extract. Whisk with a fork until evenly combined, and add immediately to dry mixture. Working quickly, drop by rounded tablespoon into greased or lined mini-muffin pans. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, or until tops and edges begin to brown. Remove from oven, and allow to cool COMPLETELY before removing from muffin pans.

I didn’t take too many tastes while I was cooking because my stomach still felt funny, but I sampled one later in the evening and loved how much the coconut butter shines through. I snacked on a TJ’s dark chocolate stick and some leftover green salad from Sunday night, topped with mustard:

 

Yesterday evening, I had the last of Mike’s mom’s Food for Life classes at Whole Foods. I packed a light dinner for the car:

Maranatha almond butter on Ezekiel bread, plus an apple

Last night’s class covered antioxidants and healthy weight loss. I learned a lot of interesting information on antioxidants (such as beta-carotene and lycopene) and their effect on free radicals in the body. It’s fascinating that by eating just a few servings of colorful fruits and veggies a day, it’s possible to decrease your risk of certain cancers exponentially…we all know veggies are good for us, but there’s nothing like statistics to make people sit up and listen.

The cooking demonstration covered an “Asian Persuasion Coleslaw,” “Zippy Yams and Collards,” and “Artichoke and Lentil Stew.”

I loved the coleslaw especially- it included peanuts and sesame seeds for a nice crunch! After class, I headed over to Mike’s to hang over for a bit, where I enjoyed an unpictured Trader Joe’s whoopee pie in celebration of his older sister’s birthday. Mike couldn’t believe that I’ve never actually had a whoopee pie before, but as with any sweet treat, I loved it!

I also wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who commented on my last post regarding the half marathon. I talked it over with my dad, and I’m going to try to run a few times this week and see how I feel before making the decision. If my body feels okay doing it, I’ll run it regardless of the time I end up with; if I’m in pain or feel physically tired, I won’t. All of your tips, input and support has really assured me that it’s okay to back out if my heart isn’t in it- there will always be more races, but this is the only body I get J Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

What’s your favorite antioxidant-rich food? I love berries and eat them almost every day with breakfast but I’m also a huge fan of tomatoes.

Have you ever had a whoopee pie? Did you like it? I’m such a nerd, but I feel like the name is too fun not to like them!