Bad Blogger

I've been a very bad blogger.  I don't feel like I really have a lot going on, but all of my days have been absolutely packed.  I've been taking a few pictures here and there, though, so I'll use them to share what I've been up to.

First things first - I've successfully woken up in time to do 6AM workouts 3 times since I last posted.  Luckily I just stumble blearily down to the basement, so I don't have to worry about my bangs sticking up everywhere.  Although I don't love waking up that early, I am always so happy to get my workout in first thing in the morning; if I wait to exercise after work, something else almost always comes up and I don't get around to it.

I'll write more about the Physique 57 DVDs once I've done them a few more times, but so far I'm a fan!  I've done the classic 57-minute DVD twice and the 30-minute ab and arm booster DVD once.  The workouts are definitely tough and I struggled to get through a few of the exercises - mainly the ab routine!  After I did the classic DVD for the first time, I could really feel it the next day in my booty and my lower abs <-- good signs!  I particularly like incorporating the ball into the workouts - I could really feel the burn in my inner thighs, which is great since that area is typically difficult to target.  And the ball also greatly increases the effectiveness of the ab exercises, from what I can tell (as evidenced by my extreme shaking, haha).  So far so good!

Check out these beautiful flowers which greet me when I go to work:

I still need to work on improving my lunches - this is basically what I've been eating every day (apple, carrots, bell pepper, sugar snap peas, Larabar).  Tasty, but I could use some more variety and creativity.

Someone wants to share my lunch.

I've been mooching off my parents so far, but today I finally stopped at TJ's to get some food of my own.  Hopefully that'll help me to mix things up a bit.

My haul:

Brown rice cakes, seaweed snacks (excited to try these for the first time), beer for a Memorial Day party, spinach, steamed lentils, Greek yogurt (it's been too long! Can't wait to dig into this container), sunflower seed butter, raw unsalted almond butter, natural peanut butter, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, salsa, cherry and cashew cookie Larabars, B vitamins, white bean basil hummus (sounds interesting - can't wait to try it), dry roasted unsalted pistachios (I haven't had pistachios in SO long, very excited for these), sweet potatoes, and a baguette to go with bruschetta that I'm planning to make for the Memorial Day party.  Oh and there are some medjool dates hiding somewhere in there, too.  There have been so many desserts and treats around lately and I've been over-indulging, so my plan is to snack on a medjool date to satisfy some of my cravings for sweets.

I think Barbie was out shopping while I was at TJ's.  See that bubblegum pink Mercedes convertible?

A new favorite snack of mine:

Whole wheat bread with peanut butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and some granola that my sister made.

I had a coffee date at my favorite local coffee shop (Angel Falls) with my BFF who was in town from DC.  I got a cortado, which is 6 oz. of milk with 2 shots of espresso.  Bzzzz.

I brought some work with me to do after my friend left.

More coffee today.  It wasn't actually 95* out, but that's what my car was reading when I first got in.  Great day for iced coffee!

Plus a chocolate cookie with walnuts (both from Panera).  About those medjool dates to satisfy my sweet tooth...

Other happenings include a day at the racetrack.

The muscle cars were my favorite.

But the semi with a jet engine was pretty cool, too :)

I got a little overzealous with my library holds.  Lots to read/ watch/ listen to!

Last but not least, did  you know that wiper blades don't come in pairs?  You have to buy two separate packages.  Mmhmm, I didn't know that.  Also, I decided which brand to get based on the packaging.  (Bosch won, clearly.)  That's logical, right?  I'm such a sucker for marketing/ good design.

And I think I'm all caught up now.  Hope you enjoyed that hodgepodge of random stuff.  Oh, one more thing - I've already worn my new maxi dress twice and have gotten compliments each time.  Success!  So if you've been hesitant to try one on, I say go for it!  It's super comfy, and looks very chic, in my opinion.  I mean, come on, doesn't a floor-length dress make you feel fancy?  I've already got plans to wear mine again this weekend, haha.

Off to tackle a million and one things on my to-do list.  See ya later!

Song of the day:

"Beekeeper's Daughter" by the All-American Rejects.  I know, I know, but I had to.  I have a soft spot for AAR (I get nostalgic every time I hear any song from their debut album - it instantly takes me back to summertime in high school, driving around with my best friends, singing along with the windows down).  I got to meet the band one time at Warped Tour (yup, I definitely thought Warped Tour was the coolest thing ever when I was in my wannabe-punk stage) - the guys had a signing tent - and I can assure you that Tyson Ritter is just as beautiful in person.

I even got a picture with Tyson <-- prized possession, haha.  

Hooked on Pancakes

(Do you remember those commercials for Hooked on Phonics?  I wonder if that still exists...)

I've really been loving making brunch on Sundays recently.  This past Sunday I decided to make these strawberry shortcake pancakes.  I was a little impatient and didn't let them cook quite long enough, but other than that they were delicious!  Coffee on the side.  Buzzzzz.

I topped the pancakes with some sunflower seed butter, seared banana slices, and fresh strawberries.  I don't think I can ever go back to syrup.

I enjoyed the pancakes while reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  Have you read it yet?  It took me a little while to get into it, but when it got good, I really couldn't stop reading.  I had tried to finish it the previous night, but couldn't keep my eyes open when I had about 60 pages left, so I finished it while eating brunch.  So.  Good.  And very disturbing, too.  I can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy!  Probably after finals... :(  But maybe in Florida :)

In an effort to save some money, I decided not to do a big grocery store trip last week and instead just picked up some fresh food from GFS.

I got that huge bag of spinach, 13 bananas (some to eat fresh, some to freeze), a huge container of grape tomatoes (which are really flavorful!), and a big bag of carrots for $14.65 - not too bad!

In the spirit of being economical and not having time to cook much, this is what a lot of my meals are looking like lately.  Basically, I just pull out whatever is in the fridge/ freezer and put it together.  I had a plate of strawberries, grapes, and grape tomatoes with hummus for dipping.

And a bowl of cooked couscous, cooked bulgur, rinsed black beans, frozen edamame, frozen corn, and fresh spinach - all stirred together and heated up in the microwave.

After my classes today, I went to the gym and tried out the circuit workout I put together over the weekend.  I'd definitely call it a success - it challenged me, but I got through it and felt great afterwards.  I'll type it up in a chart or something and put it on here soon.  And my gym friend did some push-ups with me today - so cool!  I felt like I had way more energy with her rocking them out beside me.  I warmed up with 7 minutes on the elliptical and then did this treadmill workout after the circuit routine, followed by stretching.  Left me sweaty and exhilarated.  Going to the gym feels even better when school is stressing me out!

Post workout protein smoothie:

That lovely sludge had 1 cup almond milk, 1 T ground flax seeds, 1 T natural peanut butter, 1 scoop vanilla Sun Warrior protein powder, lots of spinach, a frozen banana, and 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, plus two ice cubes.  Not much to look at, but it tasted good!

Time for a shower, dishes, dinner, and paper writing :/  I might have to sneak New Girl in there, though - it's only half an hour, so it will make a perfect study break.  'Til next time!

Awesome sunset last night:

Song of the day:

"Take Me Home to Marlyebone" by Patch William.  My BFF Maryam told me about this band, and she found out about them because she met the drummer at a party while we were in college!  I can't get enough of their music - their lyrics are great, the songs are catchy, and I kind of love that you can actually hear their British accents.

I Forgot My Forget-Me-Nots

This is what happens when you grocery shop on an empty stomach:

My dinner last night was courtesy of Whole Foods.  I went grocery shopping after class and some errands, and since I didn't know what I was going to do for dinner, I decided to swing by the hot bar.  I ended up loading up at the salad bar instead of the hot bar.  I got lots of goodies: wheat berry Waldorf salad, carrot and beet salad, garlicky kale salad, szechuan green beans, roasted veggies, charbroiled eggplant, lentil salad, and tabbouleh.  The wheat berry Waldorf salad was my favorite - great flavor combo with apples, raisins, and yummy spices.  I found the recipe on WF's website and definitely want to make it myself sometime.

I had half of a strawberry kombucha to drink, and picked up some plums as well.  Aaaaand I got a cookie for dessert.  I'm definitely having chocolate cravings lately (gave it up for Lent) and find myself staring hopelessly into my cupboards and fridge at night, and then eating something that doesn't actually satisfy me.  So I decided to preempt that problem by getting a pumpkin cranberry cookie - I think it was a good decision :)

I cut up a plum and some strawberries - so excited for summer fruit!

Pencil for size comparison!

I was also SUPER excited to find this huge container of strawberries at GFS for $9.99 (where I like to buy huge bags of spinach and frozen fruit in bulk, among other things).  I think that I startled the cashier with my overjoyed exclamations about the strawberries... but that's fine.  I have a feeling that all of my meals are going to include strawberries for awhile.  And that's perfectly fine with me.

I was also really excited by the colors of these eggs I picked up - so pretty!  I can't wait for farmers' markets to start opening soon.  When I lived in DC, the mom of one of my roommates had chickens and sometimes she would give us fresh eggs; they really are so much more flavorful and a real treat.

Every time the weather warms up, I get the urge to plant things.  Unfortunately, I can't say that I've had much luck in the past... nevertheless, the urge hit me again, so I'm going to give it another shot.

I have a basil plant already (which could actually use some TLC...) and I'm going to try growing some lavender, chives, rosemary, and forget-me-nots.  Forget-me-nots are my favorite flowers!  I grew some when I was really little, maybe 5?  And they actually did really well!  I was so sad when we moved from my first house when I was 7 and I forgot to dig them up and bring them with us to our new house, haha.  If I could do it when I was 5, hopefully I can grow them now at 24.  We shall see.

I pulled a chair right up to my kitchen window so I could see the sunset as I ate dinner.  It was another unseasonably warm day, and I wished more than anything that I had a balcony or porch.  I did the next best thing - ate as close to my open window as possible.  One side of my window has a screen and one side doesn't, so I opened the one without a screen to pretend like I was outside.  I was really scared of a bird flying in, though.  But the danger was worth it.

I will never get tired of this view.

This afternoon I did a repeat of Tuesday's workout, with 7 minutes on the elliptical for a warm-up, finishing up with stretching at the end.  I think it was a combination of the tough treadmill workout and this warm weather raising the temperature in the gym that left me drenched!

If you want to enter a fun giveaway for a natural mascara, check out this post by Colourful Palate.  (I want to start spelling things the British/ Canadian way - colourful looks so much prettier than colorful!)

Hope everyone had a great day.  Are you ready for Friday??

Reader question:  Do you have a green thumb?  Or more of a black thumb, like me?


Interesting Articles:
5 Easy Ways to Manage Cortisol, The Stress Hormone
What 100 Calories Look Like: Easter Candy (This made me glad I resisted my urge to buy a HUGE container of jelly beans at GFS!)


Song of the day:

Another throwback song - "Punk Rock Princess" by Something Corporate.  Takes me back to my youth.  And my desperate wish to be "punk" :)  I actually got to interview the lead singer of Something Corporate (and Jack's Mannequin), Andrew McMahon, over the phone one time, and he was super nice.  I had a very brief stint writing music-related articles for the Cleveland Leader, and that interview was one of them.  I always thought it would be amazing to be a music writer for a magazine like Rolling Stone or Spin.  Anyone a fan of Almost Famous?  Love that movie.

Bangin'

Happy Friday!

Hope everyone's weekend is off to a good start.  My day was full of running around.  I'm really lucky to not have classes on Fridays, and I'm not working this semester, so I like to use Fridays to get a lot of errands and things out of the way.

This morning I went to the gym for some cardio (elliptical and stationary bike), then showered and had a quick lunch before starting my errands.  My first stop was Whole Foods where I hit up the bulk bins and stocked up on some staples.

Clockwise from the top left: raw walnuts, nutritional yeast, raw sunflower seeds, golden raisins, raw pecans (my favorite nut right now), lentils, oat bran, pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds), and sesame seeds.

The guy working at the cash register was really friendly and I learned that he was from Haiti, and he randomly asked me if I spoke French, so I got to use un peu of my rusty French!

Sipping this right now - delish!

2 of my favorite recent finds are this hummus and these whole wheat pitas.  They're both made locally in Cleveland, which is awesome, and they taste delicious.  The hummus is particularly amazing - it has a short list of good ingredients, just 33 calories per 2 tablespoons, and it's only $6 for this huge 32 ounce tub!

Next I stopped by the bank to get a roll of quarters (for laundry, fun).  Then it was my most fun stop of the day:  the salon for a haircut.  And a new look - bangs!

I haven't had bangs since middle school, so this was a pretty drastic change for me!  I hope I'll be able to make them look like my hairstylist did - it seems like no matter what I do, I can never make my hair look as good as it does after a fresh cut and style.

After the salon, it was on to Target and then my new favorite store, GFS.  It's like Costco or Sam's Club, except much smaller and you don't need a membership.  Even though it's kind of small, they've got a lot of great items at amazing prices. 

I'm loving these HUGE bags of spinach - this is the 3rd one I've bought in about a month or so.  (The fork is in the picture for size comparison.)  And it's only $5.49!  I've been using spinach in salads, scrambled eggs, quiche, and green smoothies.  Yum!  I also stocked up on a bunch of frozen fruit so I can make more smoothies in my new blender :)  I'm officially ready for warmer weather.

I'm off to fix something for dinner, clean up around here, and later I'm heading out to celebrate a friend's birthday.  Have a great night!

Have you found any great deals recently, or have any new favorite grocery store finds?

PS My goal is to change my background picture at the beginning of every month.  This month I put up a picture I took a few winters ago while I was up at my family's cabin in Michigan.  The lake was frozen over and people were ice-fishing on it - pretty cool!

Song of the day:

"Cat Claw" by The Kills.  The Kills is made up of Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince (famously, or infamously, married to Kate Moss).  Alison Mosshart is seriously the coolest girl ever; I got to see them live in DC and it was an amazing show.  She oozes sex appeal.  And rocks some sweet bangs :)