This Week: Workouts, New Gig & Things I’m Looking Forward To

August 4, 2014August 3, 20146 Comments

Good morning! How was your weekend? I was on the Cape with RM and some of his family (including two adorable little boys!) and although the weather was less than to be desired, we still had a great time. He and I grabbed a quick dinner at Jeveli’s in East Boston before making the trek to the Cape, which was smart because we avoided the 93 South daily traffic nightmare. The rest of the weekend was spent sleeping in (finally!), playing with the babes, drinking (lots of) wine, cooking and playing games- have you played Heads Up? SO FUN! I’ve mastered one of his mom’s ciambotta dishes, so I made that as well as some baked kale. Everything was so good and it was nice to be away from the grinds of the city for a little bit.

Last Week’s Workouts

Monday- RM and I were still in Chicago, but we both got up for a little gym sesh first thing in the morning. I did 25 minutes on the elliptical before completing a little HIIT workout consisting of 15 exercises of 45 seconds on, 15 seconds rest. It was good!
Tuesday- I had all intentions of going to check out a class at a new-to-me gym, but since we got in really late on Monday night- errr Tuesday morning (1am style), I was exhausted and knew that if I wanted to food shop, cook dinner and get to bed at a reasonable hour, the workout had to go. I was very ok with that decision.
Wednesday- Since I wasn’t teaching my Thursday night double, I doubled up on Wednesday. The girl who teaches before me on Wednesdays teaches a killer class so it was fun to have my butt kicked. We did A LOT of burpees! I also taught my class after and did probably 75% of the workout.
Thursday- I went to a class at a new-to-me gym. It was actually a really good class- we did cardio (kickboxing!), weights and core work.

Friday- I went for a 3.5 mile lunch time run and then did some core work (push-ups, planks, Russian Twists, Side Planks, etc.). I was happily surprised by how good the workout ended up being- all in a lunch break!

Saturday- Mostly a rest day. RM’s sister-in-law wanted to workout with me so we ended up doing about 30 minutes of yoga/pilates/core work/squats in the living room. I was actually pretty sweaty by the time we finished!
Sunday- Initially it was going to be another rest day but by 12:30 I was getting antsy and starting to bug RM so he suggested that I go for a run, haha He’s always hell bent on making me rest so the fact that he was encouraging me to run was a nice change… I must have been really annoying 😉

This Week’s Workouts

Monday- By the time this post goes up I will have taught my Monday morning Muscle Work class and done some cardio. I know I always say this, but it’s so true: it sucks getting up but my Monday is so much better when I know my workout is done before 7:30!
Tuesday- We have an “all hands” meeting at the Boston Harbor Hotel on Tuesday and Wednesday so I’ll get up before that to get my workout in.
Wednesday- I might double up again, but I may just run before I teach UXF Burn.
Thursday- Not sure! Might go to that class that I went to last week again. We’ll see.
Friday- Probably a rest day.
Saturday- I’m subbing a class at the new-to-me gym that I’ve mentioned earlier in this post. It’s called Chisel, which I think is mostly a muscle class. I hope they like me!
Sunday- Not sure- maybe another rest day. My parents will be here so my mom may want to walk with me which would be fun.

New Gig

As I’ve mentioned, I may have a new little teaching gig. I know, I know. I just gave up my Thursday double because it was too much and here I am adding more on again. Don’t worry, though– nothing has been added to my schedule as a permanent class- I’m just on the sub list for now. The best part about the gym is it is literally at the end of the entrance for my new office, so it’s super convenient. It’s an all women’s gym called PUMPS and I love what I know about it so far. I have been to a number of classes and the instructors are great and the member base seems really dedicated. I’m excited about having a new place to workout and meet new people!

Things I’m Looking Forward To

This is a busy week, but I’m excited about it. I get to spend Tuesday and Wednesday at the Boston Harbor Hotel for a work conference with my entire company, which is a great way for me to meet more people. Tuesday night we are going on an Oddessey cruise around Boston Harbor, which is always a good time- I just hope we have good weather. On Thursday night, I am going to my sister’s apartment to make pizza and have wine. We haven’t seen each other in a MONTH, which is unheard of for us so I’m really looking forward to it! And, lastly, and what I’m most looking forward to is the fact that my parents are coming down on Saturday to spend the night! Mom and I are going to get pedicures during the day and then RM will come over and we are going to cook a nice dinner for my parents. I’m going to learn how to make his mom’s sauce- can’t wait for that!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? How many rest days did you take? Did your weekend plans get ruined because of the weather? What are you most looking forward to this week?

Catching up {Workouts and Life}

August 1, 2014July 31, 20146 Comments

As I read other healthy living blogs, I’m happy to see that I’m not the only one feeling like there just isn’t enough time in the day or week to accomplish everything on my to-do list. Sometimes blogging just has to take a back seat, and even though I sometimes feel guilty about it or stressed to get posts written, realizing it’s OK to take a break is so refreshing. Sarah wrote a post earlier this week that hit me hard. It was as if I was writing it myself! I’m finding myself in a recent job change, increasing love for fitness and teaching and no longer just being on my own. Being in a serious relationship and moving to that “we” thing is awesome, but it’s also a big change for someone who hasn’t had that in a longggg time. My normal blogging time and teaching time and “Monique” time is just not the same as it used to be and I wouldn’t change that for the world. As we grow up, our priorities change, right? It’s such an exciting time, but sometimes it can be a little stressful! Sarah’s post was a great reminder to not let myself get stressed out over these types of changes, but to embrace them and live life. Blogging will always be here, but random nights with the bf or friends of family won’t- it’s more important to DO those things, rather than sit at home, writing a post because it’ll “screw up my schedule” if I don’t.

And, with that, let’s catch up on some stuff!

Workouts- Last week

Last week was my last week teaching my Thursday night double, which was totally bittersweet! On top of that, RM and I headed to Chicago with some friends so my weekend workouts were a bit different than usual. Overall, though, it was a great week of workouts. We did SO MUCH WALKING when in Chicago. Our hotel was about a mile from all the action (just in the wrong part of the city), so getting to and from anywhere was at least a 2 mile walk.

Monday- After work, I ran 3.5 miles and then did the workout listed at the bottom of this workout post. I kinda died a little…

Tuesday- I went to a BodyPump during work since I had a hair appointment after work. What is it about BodyPump that gets me every time?!
Wednesday- I ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill before teaching (and doing most of) UXF Burn. I’m not sure what we did to get so dirty?

Thursday- Last double:( In SHRED, we did 3 rounds of stations and then we did some across the floor cardio and partner ab stuff. We had a big group and everyone seemed to enjoy it! Kickboxing had it’s biggest crowd to date and we worked super hard!

Friday- Nothing. We had an early flight so there was definitely no morning workout for me! We did do some walking, though.
Saturday- I got up and ran 4 miles, although I think my mapmyrun GPS wasn’t working because it was saying I was running all sub 8 minute miles… highly doubt that! After, I did some core work at the gym and then RM wanted to go for a walk so we went on about a 45 minute loop- we were walking so fast!

Sunday- We had all intentions of going to the gym at the spa before our massages, but a late lunch got in the way of that. I did walk for about an hour in the morning while getting breakfast and Architecture tour tickets.

Catching Up- Life

The past couple of weeks have been so busy!! I feel like I’m on auto-pilot going from one thing to the next. Anyone else feel this way? I have a full recap of Chicago coming soon, but besides that, here are some things going on:

My garden is growing so much! Over the past couple of weeks I have picked kale and green beans, and both taste so fresh!

I recently started reading The One and Only by Emily Griffin for a book club that my college friends and I started. It’s really just an excuse to get together to drink wine, but we decided to throw a book in the mix, too!

I had to buy new Tom’s when walking around in Chicago and I’m actually happy about it because I’ve been meaning to buy a new pair for a while now. Love this blue!

I’m heading to the Cape this weekend with RM and his brother, sister-in-law and their 1 year old son. I think the weather is supposed to be crappy… why can’t it be nice when I have time to go to the beach?!
My parents are coming next weekend for my mom’s birthday- any good meal suggestions?

Questions for you: When’s the last time you skipped workout for sleep? Have you had any garden-fresh veggies this summer? Do you read Emily Griffin books? Are you in a book club?

My 5 favorite quick and easy (but relatively healthy) dinner ideas

July 29, 20143 Comments

I am sure I’m not the only one with a schedule this summer that leaves little room for much “real” cooking, right? Throughout the winter months, I seem to have much more time to spend hours in the kitchen whipping up delicious and healthy meals, but there’s something about the summer months that causes my schedule to fill up so quickly! With that said, I’m often left with figuring out what to cook that will not take much time (when I get home from the gym I’m STARVING- read: Hangry) yet still be tasty and healthy.

Here are some of my favorites!

Quesadillas

I love all types of quesadillas because they are so versatile and relatively quick and easy to put together. Sometimes I’ll just do cheese but I try to spice them up a little by adding in chicken and peppers and onions. Lately, when I have leftover roasted veggies I end up putting those in my ‘dilla- a great way to use up leftovers without getting bored and feeling like you’re eating the same thing over and over.

Eggs

I usually do them scrambled, but sometimes I do hard boiled or over easy… Heck, sometimes I even microwave them for the fastest and easiest type of egg! I try to incorporate some type of veggies or greens (spinach or kale) to add in a little exta nutritious value. I usually top my eggs with slices of avocado and salsa- makes for a super tasty meal! RM will often make us frittata which is a fun way to change up my normal egg consumption.

Quinoa bowl

Even if I don’t have a lot of time to cook a real meal, I will usually whip up a batch of some staple items: quinoa, chicken, roasted or sautéed veggies, sweet potato, etc. and one of my favorite things to do is throw them all in a bowl together! RM laughs at me every time I suggest eating ‘quinoa bowls’, but they are so easy, delicious and healthy that I think they are a very suitable dinner idea… And good idea at that!

Smoothies

I’m not talking your regular old fruit smoothie. I’m talking a smoothie packed with protein, flaxseed, chia seeds, almond butter, coconut oil, spinach and then some fruit. Regular fruit smoothies are loaded with sugar and very little protein or “staying power”. Although it’s “natural” sugar, you still want to be careful not to incorporate too much, especially first thing in the morning which will likely kick up your sugar cravings for the rest of the day. RM has a Vita Mix and I always ask him to make me a power smoothie when I get home from the gym.

Pizza on a wrap or flatbread

I used to loveee English muffin pizzas (heck, who am I kidding, I still love them), but I have started to turn to wrap or flatbread pizzas because it looks and feels like I’m eating a real pizza! I usually just top them with cheese (because it’s quickest and easiest), but sometimes I’ll add peppers or other veggies. The beauty is that if you broil them this dinner takes no time at all! I try to use wraps that are high in fiber and protein (some have more than others).

A tip to make these basic meal ideas even healthier and easier? Prep a bunch of veggies at the start of the week so you can easily incorporate them into whatever you put together!

Questions for you: What’s your quickest/easiest meal you throw together during the week?

Weekending: Red Lantern, BBQ, Grocery Shopping Fail and Festa Italiana

July 22, 2014July 21, 20146 Comments

Good morning! How are you doing today? I slept terribly on Sunday night because of a weird stomach ache, so I feel like I’m still catching up on sleep. This past weekend was perfect in so many ways. Even though the weather was not great and ended up causing us to cancel a Cape trip, we still found lots of fun things to do. I have to admit, after having been on the road for the past number of weekends, it was nice to stick around Boston for a bit!

Friday Night

After work on Friday, I ran some errands (including trip to Lens Crafters where they replaced my glasses for $25!! So happy I bought the protection plan. Best thing ever!) and then came home and sat on my back patio for a while. It was nice- I haven’t had a chance to do that enough this summer. And, my dad told me to “watch my garden” for 10 minutes a day… does watching it for a half hour count for 3 days worth of watching? It is coming along quite well!.

Later, RM and I went to Red Lantern for dinner. I had bought a Living Social deal a while back that was due to expire soon, so it was the perfect time to use it! Although the prices are rather high for both drinks and food, everything we had was delicious and I would definitely go back. Even better? They have a whole Gluten Free sushi menu which is awesome.

Saturday

After teaching a very sweaty kickboxing class, I went to get a pedicure at Queen Bee Nails- my favorite place to get them! Between my nails and new toe color, I’m going a little bright with my colors this summer. It’s a fun change!

In the afternoon, RM and I headed to my friend Amy’s apartment for a drink with a few other friends before going to a summer BBQ at Rachel and Dan’s apartment. We had lots of good food and about a million good laughs while playing Cards Against Humanity. That game gets funnier every time I play it!

The best part about Saturday afternoon parties? You still get home early… I am so old!

Sunday

I woke up and did some yoga and core work while RM made us some delicious Pumpkin Walnut Banana Protein Paleo pancakes. I’m not a big pancake person but these are amazing because they actually keep me full for a long time!

Once we were digested, we headed out for a long power walk. I think we covered about 3.5 miles before calling it quits to *attempt* grocery shopping. Have you heard about all the Market Basket drama?? We hadn’t, so you can imagine our faces when we walked in and were faced with this scene:

It was the craziest thing ever- we literally couldn’t even shop because there was NOTHING to choose from. So frustrating. I hope everything gets settled and back to normal asap!

We headed to RM’s mom’s house for a late afternoon lunch/early dinner. She is from Italy and makes the most amazing food, which yesterday included Eggplant parmesan with home grown eggplants. Wow. It was SO good and I’m so happy she gave me leftovers to eat this week!

Later in the evening, we met up with some of his friends/family at the Festa Italiana, which is an Italian Festival/Fair in Newton. There was live music, beer/wine, lots of fair food and rides. I love stuff like this so I was in my element!

In addition to some delicious Carlo Rossi (I can’t say that with a straight face…), we had some oysters and an ice cream cone. No wonder why I was up all Sunday night with a stomach ache- those are dumb things to mix in one night!

All in all, though, it was a really great weekend… the only thing missing was hanging out with my family 😦 I miss them!

Questions for you: Have you been to Red Lantern? What’s your favorite Sushi roll? Where do you get your pedicures? Have you been to any BBQ’s this summer?

Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna

July 10, 2014July 9, 2014Leave a comment

I’ll be honest: I haven’t done much cooking this summer. Between busy weekends, spending a lot of time with RM and cooking with him, having things after work and really just not having motivation to cook in the heat, I’ve been subbing out real meals with easy substitution meals (eggs have been a big hit here). But, a few weeks ago I made time on a Sunday night to make a recipe I found in the Hannaford’s “Fresh” Magazine. Have you ever read through one of those magazines? They are free with a purchase of $20 or $25 or more and always have the best recipes in them!

The recipe was really easy to follow and not overly labor-intensive (does anyone else feel like Cooking Light recipes are super labor intensive??) and I was a big fan of all of the ingredients!

Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna

Ingredients (from Hannaford’s Fresh Magazine- Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna)

2 large zucchini
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
11/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbsp. reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 (23 to 26 oz.) jar marinara sauce
1 (8 oz.) pkg. part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare the zucchini: Trim ends. Use a mandolin slicer or very sharp knife to slice zucchini lengthwise into long, flat noodles.

2. Layer zucchini on paper towels and sprinkle with salt, then cover with more paper towels to absorb moisture. Let noodles sit while you prepare the quinoa.

3. In a large saucepan, combine quinoa, broth, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, and oregano and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Gently stir in cream cheese, pepper, and basil until incorporated.

5. Assemble the lasagna: Pour enough marinara in the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch pan just to cover the bottom. Wipe zucchini slices dry and lay about 4 slices over the sauce. Spread half the quinoa in a layer over the zucchini, then sprinkle with a third of the mozzarella cheese. Top with a third of the remaining sauce, then another layer of zucchini, remaining quinoa, half the remaining cheese, and half the remaining sauce. Top with a final layer of zucchini. Pour on remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

6. Cover pan with foil and bake until zucchini is tender and cheese is brown and bubbling, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove foil during the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking so cheese will brown. Let rest for 10 minutes, then slice into rectangles and serve.

Source: Hannaford fresh Magazine, May – June 2014

The only thing that I would change about this recipe is subbing out the 2 tbsp of cream cheese for a wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese. I thought the quinoa/cheese/sauce mixture was a little bland and think that by adding a flavored cheese the flavor would have been intensified. I would also add more seasoning to the mixture to jazz it up. Otherwise, I followed the recipe pretty much to a T and really enjoyed eating it throughout the week.

Although there’s protein in quinoa, if you wanted to add a little extra you could certainly add in some ground chicken or turkey or beef- I think that would be delicious!

If you’re looking for other lasagna recipes, check these out:
Summer Squash and Zucchini Lasagna
Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms, Kale & Ground Turkey Lasagna
Butternut Squash, Kale and Goat Cheese Lasagna! (the pictures aren’t showing up in this post for some reason- I have to fix it!)

The Zucchini and Summer Squash Lasagna recipe is quite possibly the most popular recipe on this little blog!

Questions for you: What’s your favorite type of lasagna? Do you like the traditional version or do you like to change things up? Where do you get most of your recipes from?

Burpees to Bubbly

Because good workouts deserve bubbly rewards!

Category: Dinner

This Week: Workouts, New Gig & Things I’m Looking Forward To

Catching up {Workouts and Life}

My 5 favorite quick and easy (but relatively healthy) dinner ideas

Weekending: Red Lantern, BBQ, Grocery Shopping Fail and Festa Italiana

Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna

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