Month: April 2013

More Weekend Catch-Up

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Hi! How’s everyone doing? Did you survive Monday? I always feel a little better once Monday is over!

Since I didn’t do much weekend recapping except for Sara’s shower, I wanted to fill you in now! Everyone left our place by 6pm on Saturday and at that point, my sister and I were ready to get out of the house. I had a $20 OpenTable gift certificate and she had a $10 UBER credit, so we decided to take advantage of both and go grab dinner somewhere. Most restaurants were pretty busy, but one of our go-to favorite restaurants just happened to have some availability! I stumbled upon Anthem Restaurant in Faneuil Hall a few winters ago when I was planning Rachel’s bachelorette party and we have been in love with it ever since! I’ve taken my parents there, work friends there, college friends there… Pretty much any time we don’t know where to go, but want good atmosphere and good food, we go there.

Anyway! Since we were not too hungry, we ordered some wine and chatted before placing our meal order.

042Once our stomachs began to rumble a little, we placed an order of their Boston Bibb salad and Margarita Pizza. Nothing too heavy, but enough to satisfy us!

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045Yum! The salad looks boring, but the dressing they use is what makes it so good!

My friend and former co-worker, JP, met us out, which is always a good time. He and my sister can be bad news sometimes, though, because they egg each other on in drinking competitions and whatnot. Youngin’s, I tell ya!

046JP was also able to catch this on camera. I have to say that she did a much better job carrying me this time. I blame it on my heels!

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I woke up Sunday feeling much better than I thought I would, which is always a nice surprise. After blogging and eating breakfast, I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and go for a walk. Danielle joined me so it was nice to have someone to talk to! We covered just about 2 miles and then I worked to get my garden ready for planting. Let me tell you, raking and tilling and pulling weeds is a great upper body workout!

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050Even though I could have stayed out in the sun and warm weather all day, I had to go in and shower and get ready for my friend Christy’s bridal shower. It was at the Daily Catch in the Seaport and it was absolutely lovely. I had never been to that location, but it was so much nicer than I had imagined. Plus, the view of the harbor on a gorgeous sunny day didn’t hurt, either. It was great to get to catch up with a bunch of my college girlfriends and be a part of Christy’s special day. It was a surprise bridal shower and it seemed like Christy was 100% surprised!

I didn’t get many pictures, but I did grab some of the adorable center pieces that my friend, Amy, made, as well as a delicious mimosa and the menu.

058It was a 3-course meal and everything that I tried was really good! I got the caprese salad to start, fish n chips for my meal (everyone deserves a splurge day or meal!) and obviously didn’t turn down a piece of cake (I am a sucker for all things dessert, especially when it involves frosting.).

After the bridal shower ended, I picked up Danielle and we hit up the grocery store. I had all intentions of making a nice Sunday dinner, but when I looked in the fridge and saw how many leftovers we had from the shower on Saturday, I decided to postpone my meal for tonight (only night I don’t teach, so I actually have time to make a nice dinner after work!). This was a big move for me… I ALWAYS make a “Sunday Dinner,” so when I don’t, something feels so off!

And, I think that about sums it up! Weekends being surrounded by best friends and family are the best, in my book, and nice weather is just icing on the cake (pun intended!).

Questions for you: What was the best part of your weekend? Do you like to garden? Do you try to make a nice meal on Sunday nights or do you prefer to cook during the week?

Weekly Workouts

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Is it really Monday already?! Sometimes I feel like I am more ready for Monday to come around than others, but today is definitely not one of those times. Between hosting Sara’s shower all day on Saturday, going out a little on Saturday night and going to my friend Christy’s surprise bridal shower yesterday, my weekend was a whirlwind and I feel like I didn’t get any down time (not that I am good with that anyway, but still). Don’t get me wrong, I had an absolute blast at all the events that I went to and I am definitely not complaining, but I could certainly use another day in my weekend, that’s all!

Let’s get to the workouts, shall we?

Last Week’s Workouts:

  • Monday- Hotel workout in NY and taught Dynamax
  • Tuesday- I took this as a total rest day, aren’t you proud?! I didn’t even do a lot of walking since I drove to work and I skipped out on the Triceps Tuesday April Arms Challenge workout. Since I was gone all weekend, I felt like I had too much other stuff to catch up on (laundry, picking up, organizing, cooking, blogging), so my workout took a back seat, and that’s totally fine!
  • Wednesday– Since I skipped my AAC workout on Tuesday and couldn’t figure out a good way to incorporate Wednesday’s workout into my class, I decided to do both of them before I taught. It.Was.Awesome. I ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill and then got busy with tri’s and bi’s and abs.

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  • Thursday- Ran through Cambridge like a crazy bag lady, taught TBC (Supersets) and Kickboxing

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  • Friday- Got up and did the burpee tabata from Thursday’s AAC workout and the Friday workout from AAC before work. It felt so good to be done my workout for the day by 8am!
  • Saturday- Got up and ran 1.5 miles and then did 2 circuits of the Sunday AAC workout (wanted to rest on Sunday and not Saturday) and did some extra core work.
  • Sunday- Walked 2 miles with Danielle and then gardened for about a half hour.

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This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- My own cardio & teaching Dynamax. It’s the first day of the new session and I am so excited!!
  • Tuesday- This might be a rest day, but if I can wake up and do something before work, I’ll do that.
  • Wednesday- Cardio and/or biceps blast before teaching UXF
  • Thursday- TBC (which, I recently learned is now called Shred or something. Not sure how I feel about that!) & Cardio Kickboxing
  • Friday- I might do a Deck of Cards workout before work, run during my lunch break, or go play in the UXF area at the Wellington BSC after work is over.
  • Saturday- Teaching Kickboxing at the YMCA. It’s been a few weeks and I’ve missed it! Can’t wait to remind them about what they’ve missed 😉 [insert evil laugh here]
  • Sunday- Rest! and gardening. I really want to get everything planted this weekend.

Your turn! What was your favorite workout last week? Any new moves or exercises to share?

Scenes from Saturday (Baby Shower Style)

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Good morning! Yesterday, we had the pleasure of hosting a dear friend’s baby shower at our apartment. As you may remember, there’s a group of us (including our moms) who have been friends since, well, forever- we call ourselves the Shapleigh Girls. Sara is expecting a little baby boy in just 5 weeks and since we live with her sister and we have a big enough apartment to host a party, we decided to throw her a shower here. I love that we have such a big, spacious, open apartment that is perfect for these types of things. And, when we get it all cleaned up, it looks even better!

I didn’t get many pictures because I was busy playing hostess and writing down all of the gifts she received (and, boy, did she receive some amazing gifts!! She is one lucky momma, that’s for sure.), but here are some that I did get. Amy (Sara’s sister and our roommate) decided to do a themed shower where all of the food related to a children’s book. I thought this idea was SO cute and it made it fun trying to find what food/books to pick.

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As you can see, the food was amazing! And the book theme came out really well. I am so impressed with Amy and her mom’s planning because it took a lot of time to get everything “just right”. I made the cookies for “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie”, but they were nothing in comparison to the crazy-cute cupcakes that Amy made. They were almost too cute to eat. Almost, being the key word. I think the meatballs were probably my favorite (no surprise there), but the avocado deviled eggs were pretty amazing, too (we did avocado to get a green tint to go with “Green Eggs and Ham”). We sent people home with lots of leftovers, but luckily there was enough for us to keep some, too!

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My sister and Sara, the beautiful mom-to-be!

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My sister and sweet little Emma Jean!

032Emma loved her Lovage baby food!

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027The original Shapleigh Girls

040Mom and her girls! (yes, I know I look like a giant next to her)

041My favorites. I cannot get over how amazing Sara looks for being just a month away from her due date.

035Gotta have a belly grab photo!

So, there you have it. Yesterday afternoon was so wonderful. Sara was showered with love and presents and support… We are all ready for the little boy to come out, so hurry up!

Questions for you: Do you like hosting parties at your place? Any friends expecting babies soon? I have a bunch- it’s crazy!

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

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So, I teased you yesterday when I posted a picture of the meal I made on Tuesday night, so I figured it was only fair for me to share it with you now! We are in the midst of getting ready to host Amy’s sister, and our dear friend, Sara’s baby shower, so things are likely a bit hectic in our household!

I bought a spaghetti squash last week, but never got around to making anything with it (I made this meal instead.), so I figured this was a great week to use it before it went bad.  Plus, after I’ve been away on a little trip where I’ve eaten out and eaten more indulgent foods and desserts than normal, I always like to “detox” a bit upon my return by eating loads of veggies.  This meal certainly helped to get me back on the right track! Loaded with veggies, chicken breast and some light cheese, you can enjoy a generous portion, guilt-free.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

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Ingredients:

  • 1 small-medium spaghetti squash
  • 1/2 cup onion
  • 1/2 cup green pepper
  • 1/2 cup zucchini
  • 1/2 cup summer squash
  • 3/4 cup broccoli
  • 1-2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2-3 thinly sliced chicken breasts, cut up into small cubes
  • 2 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
  • 2 tbsp goat cheese
  • 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbsp Italian bread crumbs
  • Oregano
  • Basil
  • Italian Herbs & Seasoning
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1-2 cups of pasta sauce
  • Little bit of shredded cheese

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Directions

1. Start a pot for the spaghetti squash (refer to this post for better instructions!) and begin to cut up your veggies. Heat a pan with a little bit of EVOO and add in the onions and minced garlic. Let those soften and cook for about 5 minutes. Next, add in the green peppers and let those cook with the onions for another 2 minutes or so.  Finally, add in the remainder of the veggies. Add in your spices of choice. I like to add in a couple heavy dashes of wine, because well, “wine not” (as my mom says).

0412. When the water is boiling for the spaghetti squash, place it in the pot and boil for 15-30 mins (depending on the size of the spaghetti squash that you get).

3. When the veggies are cooked, remove from the pan and set aside. Cut up your chicken and cook it in the same pan you cooked the veggies in.

0444. Once the spaghetti squash is cooked, remove, let cool and use a fork to get the “spaghetti” out. Once the chicken is cooked, add it to the veggies and mix together. Add in the cheeses, bread crumbs, 1 tbsp or oregano and 1 tbsp of Italian Herbs & Seasoning and a few dashes of basil. Stir well to ensure that the cream cheese and goat cheese melt. Add in 1-2 cups of sauce and place mixture into a baking dish. Top with cheese and bake for 20 mins at 375*. I broiled mine at the end to get that nice, crispy topping.

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046Get a bowl, serve yourself a nice heaping of this, and add some extra sauce on the side if you need more (I always need more sauce).

049Voila! here you go. This meal did take some time, but it was worth it. My sister came home from travel and had some and was raving about it! I think this would also freeze well, so if you made a big batch, you could have some for later.

Questions for you: Do you feel like you need a “detox” when you get home from a trip? What’s your favorite healthy meal to make or eat? I love Life Alive if I’m not cooking:)

Friday Catch-Up: Lots of different pictures!

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TGIF! This week flew by for me, but I think that is because I had Monday off. Whatever the case, I’ll take it! While I was looking through my pictures on the train ride home from the gym (no service=try to do whatever I can to keep myself busy, aka looking through my pictures), I realized that I took pictures of all sorts of things this week! So, grab a cup of coffee (or glass of wine), relax and bear with me as this post is long could go all sorts of different ways!

Eats

I planned ahead on Tuesday night and packed myself a nice, little, deconstructed taco lunch for Wednesday. I was able to eat outside, which made lunch even more enjoyable!

042Spanish rice, beans, corn, chicken, yellow peppers, onions, salsa and cheese. Perfection.

I put this together while I was making a Spaghetti Squash Casserole (recipe to come- SO good). It’s always the best time for me to get a healthy lunch together when I am already cooking in the kitchen. Since it was really cold on Tuesday, I was happy to have these babies to keep my toes warm:

039I got these for my birthday and totally made fun of them, but I’ll be honest, I kinda love them now!

Here’s a little teaser for the recipe I will post soon

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Exercises

I caught up on my April Arms Challenge workouts that I missed from Tuesday and needed to do on Wednesday.

005Wednesday’s workout was preacher curls and plank holds and I decided to do the plank holds on the stability ball. Wow! It’s amazing what a simple change up to an ordinary “staple” move can do… my core has been SO tight ever since. Love that:)

Taught a great double on Thursday, even though it was quite the whirlwind in trying to get there.

010I look somewhat put together here, but let me tell you, I was the definition of a hott mess when I first entered the gym. Let me break it down for you…

  1. I left work at my normal time on Thursdays (4:30) to have enough time to walk to the T (about 5 minutes), get on a T, go the 5 stops to Central Square and get there by 5ish (usually).
  2. I was all excited when I walked down the stairs and saw a T waiting for me- awesome! It’s the best when that happens.
  3. My first thoughts: Why the heck is it so freaking hot on this train? Don’t they have air conditioning? Why aren’t we moving yet?
  4. Turns out, there was a medical emergency and we had to stand by. I thought of walking to another T stop, but I realized that if my train wasn’t moving, no other ones were moving. Great. It’s was now 5pm.
  5. I decided to try and get a cab. The traffic in the city was miserably bad and there were no cabs. Even better.
  6. I finally got a cab and said “please take me to central square as FAST as you can”. Luckily, I had an awesome cab driver who drove so crazy, but there was still the problem of incredible masses of traffic.
  7. I realized that if I made it on time, I wouldn’t have enough time to change AND be on time… that left me with no other choice but to change into my gym clothes IN the cab. Let me tell you, putting on tight Lulu in a small space and sweating while you’re doing it is not easy. Just sayin’.
  8. I called the gym and said I was going to be late, but it didn’t look like I’d be that late- awesome!
  9. We got onto Mass. Ave and the traffic was back and there were flashing lights ahead. I realized that I was close enough where I could run and still make it on time. Mind you, I had 3 bags on me- they call me the Bag Lady at work.
  10. I paid the $24 for the cab, got out and SPRINTED (well, as fast as I could with multiple, heavy bags on me) to the gym and made it only 1 minute late. How’s THAT for a crazy race to the gym?!

012I can’t tell you how happy I was when I walked through the door of my apartment tonight. I have a serious love/hate relationship with PT, that’s for darn sure.

Other random pictures from my phone

Snuggles with Charlie

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Coffee in my favorite mug

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Spring is definitely in the air

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I won a giveaway!

My good friend, Rachel, hosted a giveaway last week and I was so, SO hoping I’d win since I LOVE jojo jewelry. Check out Rachel’s blog post for all the details, but let me show you what I picked!

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015Rachel got us beautiful diamond blings for her wedding and I wear them ALL the time. All of the Shapleigh girls were also in Sara’s wedding, and she got us a pair of bling earrings from jojo, too. I chose to get gold metal since the other 2 pair I have are silver. I’m absolutely in love with the pair that I chose! Definitely go on over to her site and check out all the bling she has to offer. You won’t regret it:)

Oh, and when I was perusing the Bling, I stumbled upon the jojo Kitsch hair ties and decided to get a package, too. Whoops!

016Well, I think that about sums it up! Thanks for sticking with me if you made it this far:)

Your turn: What’s the best part of your week so far? Any crazy things happen to you? Do you have any jojo earrings or jewelry?