Sunday, March 31, 2013

HAPPY EASTER!!


Hope your face deep in a basket full of candy and enjoying a peep show with your closest family and friends

HAPPY EASTER!!! 

More eggs from our dye session








Friday, March 29, 2013

Photos of awesomeness (from the last couple days)

Hey Friday! 
I thought I’d keep this short and sweet tonight with a few snapshots of the last couple of days.. you know.. all the awesome stuff I can be grateful for or just think is pretty cool. 

I’m getting a whole lot better at this whole gel-eyeliner-girly-winged-kindofthing
 I dig it :)

I found the perfect frame to showcase my little Hydro-face’s paw print at T.J.Maxx that also happens to go perfectly on the very in-progress wall collage 
 It was only $6 and was supposed to just be a table-top frame, but I finagled it to hang on the wall.
(P.S.- I made a consult appointment with my tattoo artist for next week to chat about my Hydro tattoo and I’m super PUMPED about it!) 

There was awesome coffee hangout time with Paula at Felicia’s coffee (that cookie must weigh in a pound at least.. High fiber chocolate chip cookies for the win! I didn’t have any of it.. but it looked so yum!)

Tuna is super serious- and I whipped out the flippy-floppys for real.. Hello Spring!

While hanging out with Paula we went to Target.. I found two tanks for under $3 each and a pair of pants for $7- Score! This tank is my favorite.. because it’s covered in hott pink stars.. DUH

Even though my hip hurt like a Mofo, I still managed to get my training run pounded out

I convinced myself that it would all be worth it because it was massage day! This session was supposed to be Thai massage, but Jess forgot to wear yoga clothes, and you can’t do Thai massage in jeans.. but it all worked out for the best because she kicked my ass with an hour and 45 minutes of super intense, deep tissue work- which I so desperately needed. 
I woke up this morning feeling completely (muscle) pain free- there are definitely a couple of sore spots where she really dug in- but my hip hasn’t felt this good in weeks! I felt so great when I woke up this morning I texted her.. JUST to thank her.. I don’t know how I got so lucky to find someone to barter massages.. but I’m and so grateful.. And I’m sure my body is too! 
I taught a very unstructured yoga class later in the evening.. It was one of those classes where you just can’t focus the students (or yourself- I’m probably the worst teacher in the world- lol).. or wrangle them even a little to get some good yoga work in.. so instead to ended early and went to share some sangria.. 
I love my students.. 

After a decent nights sleep (which was awesome because I slept about 2 hours broken sleep the night before) I made an awesome paleo breakfast
 With a honking big cup of coffee of course.. 
I followed it up with some attempted yoga.. Tuna still doesn’t get the concept of mom working out.. 
 So yoga quickly turned into photo-session
 These dogs are too much! 
I think I managed about 15 minutes of Tuna-interupted yoga before hitting the shower and taking the pup for a training walk.. playing Red Light.. Green light.. Good news is he still remembered the game (even though it had been close to a week since last we played) We managed 2-3 blocks around the neighborhood! 
Afterwards I took Tuna along for a ride to Wholefoods- (Sammy kind of hates the car so he only really goes in it when we are taking him to the woods for a hike) it is the only store around here that I can buy grass fed cows milk.. and I NEED it for my coffee.. I also bought some more Fage yogurt too :) 

I used some of the yogurt, a big spoonful of almond butter and some cinnamon to make a dip for my work lunch
Lunch was awesome.. Work was not.. The oven caught fire- and shit got real.. I realized I would be a terrible person in an emergency.. I freaked out a bit. Thankfully no one got hurt and it was more shocking than serious.. but I left early (which is always awesome in my eyes) and walked with $14 in my pocket.. Tomorrow’s workday is sure to be interesting! 


Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Running distance + return of old favorites + fuel

There are a ton of people out in the world that love running.. like REALLY love it- and they are good at it to boot. 
I am NOT one of those people.. 
Sure I enjoy an occasional pounding of the pavement- but the day in, day out training.. kind of blows. 
It really isn’t something I’m passionate about. 
So you might be wondering why I’m training for a half marathon in May.
Yeah, You and Me both, Hah. 

In reality, I don’t really think our bodies are designed to run long distances all the time (Or maybe at all).. it is super stressful to our systems and is kind of unnatural. (That being said, I have always been envious of folks that run half and full marathons and wanted to be part of the club- because I think they and it’s awesome!) Speaking for myself, I have always been a sprinter- during my swimming years I never really raced anything over 200 meters- and most of the time 50’s and 100’s.
But honestly, this is all about the challenge. I already KNOW I can do stuff for speed..  
I really just want to prove to myself that I can “go the distance” .. and that includes following through and checking off each of my training runs- no matter how much I want to stay under the covers or have multiple cups of coffee and waste time on Facebook. 

Hey, if your not challenging yourself, your not changing yourself.. right?

Tuesday was another 5 mile “easy" run. But first there was a return of an old favorite for breakfast
2% Fage plain yogurt, banana, Almond butter.. Oh yogurt, I’ve missed you so!
 Paula joined me on the neighboring treadmill and kept me company.. which was awesome and made the run go by fairly quickly. I felt really good after this run, and I even foam rolled afterwards. I may have even discovered why people like running long distances
Haribo gummy bears and coconut water, making 7AM 5 mile runs awesome and worth it! 
  Unfortunately, my body didn’t appreciate any of it… My right hip is very angry.. so is my left knee. 
 I went to work with something a little new in my lunch box
Plantains pan fried in coconut oil. Oh my… they are amazing. 
Plantains are super cheap (3 for $1 at my local grocery) full of good, healthy carbs and double the vitamins of bananas. Plus they are yummy :)


Monday, March 25, 2013

1st Days of Spring

Holy Crickets.. Nothing like skipping out for the whole week, eh? 
First of all- I want to wish you a Happy First Day of Spring!

Apparently RI didn’t get the memo.. and we woke up to “First Day of Spring” Snow.. 
Which was really a bummer because two days before I was brushing off the stuff too
Fingers crossed Spring really does decide to head on over.. we are WAITING!
You know you wanna ;)

 In the meantime, I’m working on getting more protein in my diet.. and more balanced meals over all. One of my lunches 
A can of tuna with salt, pepper, onion and hot sauce with cucumber slices for easy transport into my belly.. and carrots of course. 

This last week I was a snack monster. I couldn’t get enough food- maybe it was because of my period.. but I also think I’ve been lacking balance in my meals. Since I started cutting back on dairy- my breakfasts have been lacking protein and substance.. but I really hadn’t been replacing that void. This week I’m keeping better tabs on things and also focusing on water intake, adequate sleep, and actually sitting down at meal times (instead of eating standing up at the kitchen counter on the run).

It really is a challenge to fuel yourself properly when your a fitness instructor. Add in waitressing (where you have no breaks and have to inhale food when your hungry- most  of the time standing up) and you have a dangerous combo.. Not only do I eat quickly, but I’m constantly eating on the run, having snacks to hold me over (because I can’t teach/workout with a full or empty tummy) until mealtimes, and then eating super late and going right to bed.. It is a mess!
It’s time to find the balance!

On Friday James and I played hooky.. and had some much needed time together- we started off with an amazing lunch at a little italian deli James has been wanting to take me to.. And while we had an amazing spread- my phone had a fit and wouldn’t let me take any pictures.. BOO.. It was amazing home cooked food.. YUM.. 
Followed by a little dessert
 Cappuccino Crunch and Raspberry Gelato 

Tuna’s first off-leash hike!


We made some spicy italian sausage (as per my family- and now James’s tradition)
We closed out the night with a little movie action


Saturday, James and I both had to work, though he was out of the house much earlier than I was (somewhere around 5AM)
I still got up around 7 and headed out for my “long” run of the week before heading to work
(WOW my legs were exhausted for the rest of the weekend)

I had a pretty awful day at work (Quite the pattern.. I’m in the market for a new one)
But James and I had dinner and headed out for a little drinky, drink.
(Yes it’s the same ginger martini.. I’m in love)
For the first time ever, I made bar friends! James and I had the best conversation with two gentleman, both named Richard. I’m pretty sure we are all besties forever now.  
(I possibly had a bit too much to drink.. since our BFFs insisted on buying us a few.. )

I don’t have a single picture of Sunday- We did some mundane things.. like clean the entire refrigerator, vacuum and clean my car, bought Tuna some new dog food (we suspect that he has some food allergies- to chicken and eggs so far) So far, so good- no face itching or “digestive upset” Woohoo!. Went out to breakfast (I most definitely had some bites of James blueberry pancakes).. Had a real Sunday dinner (Leg of lamb in the crockpot with steamed brussels sprouts and salad) and got some rest on the couch with a couple of movies.
       
The perfect ending to a busy week!

Today
Started out with a monster cup of coffee, two eggs and a banana. Followed by a little workout- courtesy of ZWOW 61.
Then there was a frenzy of cleaning and errands- crossing off an entire page full of “To-do’s” There was a little break for lunch
Leftovers on salad- simple and awesome.
While eating lunch, I continued to read 
The book FINALLY made it to the library (I ordered it at least a month ago) and even though I’m only partially through the book- I love it.. I may have to purchase my own copy! 


Monday, March 18, 2013

The Highlights+ a WO

Hey kids- what’s crack-a-lackin? 
I’ve had a very productive Monday! How about you all?
First lets get some photos from the tail end of last week in here
Dinner Friday night 
 Shrimp Nime Chow.. I’m determined to convince myself that I like shrimp.. The peanut sauce helps ;) I never eat peanut butter anymore- so this was a double treat- because Nime Chow is seriously one of my favorite appetizers ever.. These were super yummy and had fresh Cilantro in place of the basil- which was brilliant! 
We shared a couple of sushi rolls and some seared (unpictured) Tuna steak

Saturday
I got up early to get my training run in before work- I’ve decided I need to make my long run days on Saturday so that I can have a whole day off from teaching/work/ working out.. I’ve said it before.. and I’m going to say it again.. I don’t know how you guys run 20-60 miles a week.. I’m running a fraction of that and my body isn’t happy about it! Maybe someday….
Anyway
My bosses are totally NUTS.. like really.. (It is a mother and son that own the restaurant and she is somewhere close to 80 years old and one hot shit..)
She made this model of herself to keep a close eye on the cooks in the kitchen
James went to visit a friend in Boston for the night- so I got together with my friend Paula for a classy night of "Wine and Cheese” which was really crappy cheap Yago Sangria and Smartfood popcorn.. 
I followed that up with a night of “sleep” on the couch with both of the dogs crammed next to me- I’m pretty sure they slept great.. Me not so much ;)

Sunday morning I taught a demo at a new to me studio for potential job.. Funny- I was under the impression that I actually already HAD the job.. hence teaching a demo for students to see what they were going to get when they came to my class.. 
It wasn’t until AFTER I taught the free class that the chick who owns the place told me she would “get back to me” after someone else did a demo. 
Sometimes people in this business are flakes- and I’m totally included in that- but I will tell you that I would have chosen a different day to teach a free class than the middle of my Sunday! 
I decided to blow off steam at T.J. Maxx- James and I needed a couple new bath towels- all of our old ones are from 8 years ago when we got our first place! (While they are in pretty decent shape considering.. we have donated them to the dogs) 
I found 2 awesome Ralph Lauren towels- for $7 a piece.. along with the perfect frame for Hydro’s foot print- which I immediately put on the wall 
(eventually this wall will be a frame collage as I find or make the right frames and photos- I want to keep with the black and white theme)
And then I got some new workout pants in Periwinkle! 
(Pictures will come soon)
And though I decided not to get this I am obsessed- how cute is this single serve espresso pot?!
James and I use a 9 cup espresso pot just like this for our everyday coffee- and LOVE it.. so much better than drip coffee. Too bad this little guy was $16.99.. 

James got home around 3- and I was super excited to hang out with him.. I felt like I hadn’t seen him all weekend! Before we headed out I reserved a couple of movies at Redbox (this is the first time we have used this whole reservation thing.. and it was awesome- definitely will be doing this again!) We grabbed a coffee, hit up Target and Savers before going to pick up our movies. As soon as we got home we got to work on dinner
Whole roasted chicken with a St. Patty’s Day veggie boil (which included green cabbage, carrots, onion and potatoes- to flavor the boiling water I added some bacon fat, salt, crushed red pepper and parsley) 
We watched both movies- The Help and That’s My Boy.. Both were awesome- and it was the perfect end to the weekend. 

So back to today!
Paula is getting back on board with me a couple days a week at the gym.. We met at 7AM today and went through some super sets that were inspired by a workout I saw in the last Oxygen Magazine I got.
It looked like this

Set #1- 3x thru
15 Plie squat (used 50lbs)
12 Romanian deadlifts (20lb DBs)
12 (each leg) Lunge (20lb DBs)

Set #2- 2x thru
12 (each arm) Push up Row (20lb DBs)
12 Bent over Row 

Set #3- 2x thru
12 Overhead press (20lb DBs)
12 Bent over lateral raise (10 lbs DBs)

Set #4- 3x thru
12 Biceps curl (15lb DBs)
12 Triceps kickback (10lb DBs)

Set #5-3x thru
20 Decline weighted crunch

I got home and enjoyed a little homebrew (Cranberry apple kefir soda- which is awesome BTW) in a wine glass because I’m super classy
 Followed by coffee #2 and a leftover bowl
In the bowl: bacon, chicken, mushroom, spinach and an egg topped with hot sauce- duh!
Fueled, I tackled all of the house cleaning, the bank, library, Redbox return, food prep, class prep, teaching and tax stuff- Phew.. Glad I was so productive!