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A Day In the Life

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I always love when bloggers share what an average day might look like. As bloggers, we get to be picky and choosy about what we post and share with our readers, so some of our lives still remain a mystery, right? Or, you may wonder what the heck we do on a day to day basis that doesn’t make the blog cut. I’ve got a full day of events for you today. It was on a day I teach, which is a fairly standard day for me (used to be way more standard, but thankfully I’ve cut back on teaching so it’s made my weeks a little lighter). Enjoy!

Wednesday

6:25am- Alarm goes off. Re-set for 6:35 for extra cuddle time and a slower wake-up/get out of bed time. I find that the rest of my day is literally pretty go-go-go, so if I can take 10 minutes to just rest in bed and slowly wake up, it makes for a much more enjoyable start to the day. Try it!

6:35- Get up, get dressed, do my make-up and run water through my hair to liven up the curls.

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7:00- Leave and head to Wakefield for work.

7:30- Get to work and have breakfast. Lately I’ve been having gluten free muesli and a half a banana. I also usually have some type of bread/muffin- I LOVE pastries and treats, but since they are not-so-healthy, I’ve been finding paleo recipes where they use almond meal and/or coconut flour instead of regular flour and the sweetener is usually honey or maple syrup. Little steps!

7:30-11ish- Work. I have my morning snack around 11, which is the other half of my morning banana, almonds and a rice cake with almond butter (usually).

1ish- Lunch. I used to eat a salad and yogurt every.single.day, but over the past 6 months or so I’ve switched and started eating more paleo based lunches, high in protein to keep me full and fuel me for the afternoon. I forgot to take a picture of my lunch on Wednesday, but here’s an example of what some might look like.

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(meal prep!)

2pm- I went for a walk after lunch. I try to do this daily, but unfortunately it doesn’t always happen, so it makes for a long day when that’s the case!

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The rest of my lunch break was spent making my workout for my class that night.

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4:30- Leave work and head to Cambridge since I have to teach at 6:30.

5:30ish- Start my own workout. I usually run outside or on the treadmill before I teach. Since I don’t do the whole class, I like to get my workout done beforehand.

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6:30- Teach UXF Burn. These members bring it every week and they are always ready for whatever crazy things I throw at them.

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7:45- Finally head home! The only thing on my mind is: get home, eat, shower and go to bed.

8-8:15- Get home, eat (thanks to Sunday night meal prep, I can easily reheat a healthy and nutritious meal), shower, pack my lunch and pack my bags for the next day.

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9-9:15ish- Finally sit down to relax! I usually catch up on some emails and social media/blog comments, but try to shut down all electronics by 9:30. I’ll watch whatever is on TV just to zone out and unwind.

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10- Bed time! As you can see, my days are fairly long, so if I don’t get to bed early, I’m screwed!

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And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed seeing a little more of a glance into my day-to-day.

Questions for you: Tell me about your day! When do you get up, leave for work, get home, go to bed, etc.?

 

This Week: Workouts, Fitness Events & Things I’m Looking Forward To

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Good morning! How’s your Monday treating you so far? I’m gearing up for, yet another, big week. Lots of fitness events and teaching are going to keep me fairly busy, but you know what? There could be worse things 😉

Tuesday night, I’m able to participate in another New Balance Girls Night Out event, which I’m SO excited about. This time, there are 2 workout opportunities: a run and a bootcamp. Seeing as though it will be dark out and I don’t have great luck running in the dark, I think I’m going to opt for the bootcamp. Can’t wait to see some of my Boston blogging friends 🙂

The other fitness event I’m contemplating attending is MANIA. I went to 2 days last year and loved it, but considering I just got in an accident and will have some extra expenses based on that, I’m not sure it’s the best way to spend my money. I can only go on Friday, so I’m going to look at the schedule to see if there are courses that would interest and benefit me. I learned so much last year, so I have a feeling I’ll end up going. Any other instructors planning on going at all?

Last Week’s Workouts

I had some great workouts last week. I taught 4 classes, went to a class, ran outside for the first time in a LONG time (holy quads the day after) and generally felt pretty strong and excited to workout. The only day where I felt like I should have skipped the workout was Tuesday. By the end of the day I started feeling kind of crummy… stuffing, eyes hurt, super tired. Yes, I realize those are all signs that should have lead me to skip my workout, but it was a class I love going to and I figured I could just push through it. I did the class, but I could tell my energy levels weren’t there. Lesson learned! I’ve been much better about resting and listening to my body, but I’m clearly not entirely there yet- some day!

  • Monday- I taught my 6am Muscle Work class and then did 10 minutes of the stair stepper after. The class was a good mix of strength, cardio and core so I didn’t feel like I had to do much after… I really did those 10 minutes to catch up on my social media 😉
  • Tuesday- I went to my favorite instructor’s bootcamp at the Wellington BSC. Unfortunately, I didn’t think the class was anything special, but it was still nice to do a workout I wasn’t teaching!

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  • Wednesday- I ran a 5K before teaching UXF Burn. I incorporated some Halloween moves and it was a fun class!

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  • Thursday- Thursday was my rest day- I walked for 20 minutes during lunch and then walked to and from the T later that night to meet my friend, Liz, in the city for drink.
  • Friday- I worked from home on Friday since I had a dentist appointment in the morning so I was able to go for a run around my neighborhood. I ran 3 speedy (for me) miles and finished with a whole bunch of core, upper and lower body exercises. I was sore on Saturday from the run, oddly enough.

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  • Saturday- I subbed for the other instructor, Missy, since it was her birthday on Friday. There was a great crowd, including some of my “front row” and we worked super hard!
  • Sunday- Another rest day. I was actually pretty sore from Saturday!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I’m subbing the 6:30pm Cardio Kickboxing class at the Watertown BSC- if you’re in the area, come sweat with me.
  • Tuesday- I’ll do a bootcamp workout for the New Balance GNO event- can’t wait!
  • Wednesday- Probably a treadmill run before teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- Rest day
  • Friday- Probably going to MANIA, which means I’ll be doing about 3 hours of working out… maybe more… I’m not mad about it!
  • Saturday- It’s my regularly scheduled Saturday to teach at the Oak Square YMCA… I’m going to a wine fest later that day, so if you plan on coming, be prepared to help me earn all those wines 😉
  • Sunday- Rest day #2

Things I’m Looking Forward To

This is another fun week for sure- between subbing, the NBGNO event, MANIA and teaching my cardio kickboxing class, I get to be surrounded by other fitness loving people and that makes me really happy 🙂 I’m also excited for the wine fest on Saturday with a bunch of my girlfriends. We went in March and had a blast, so I’m sure this year will be no different. We have reservations at Stephi’s on Tremont after which is another thing I’m looking forward to. Lastly, I’m excited about a quiet Sunday with RM- we have a million recipes we want to try, including homemade yogurt, nut milk and nut butters, so hopefully we can tackle one of those!

Questions for you: What was your best workout from last week? What are you looking forward to this week?

Quick and Easy Chicken & Veggie Pasta Bake (gluten free!)

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A few weeks ago, my sister and I ended up both being home at the same time on a Sunday night. We had been texting earlier in the day with regards to what we should make for dinner. She had picked up some new-to-her pasta at Target, so I suggested that we use that and the veggies I had leftover in the fridge to make a pasta bake. She was bummed that she bought a gluten free pasta on accident, but we both agreed that you couldn’t tell the difference whatsoever!

The beauty about pasta bakes- similar to stuffed peppers– is that you really can’t go wrong. You use what you have in the fridge for veggies and go from there. If you don’t have meat, no biggie- make it a vegetarian dish! I happened to have half a pound of ground chicken in the freezer so I was able to defrost that and it was perfect.

gluten free chicken and veggie pasta bake

Ingredients

  • 1 package of gluten free pasta (regular, if you didn’t accidently by gluten free like my sister did 😉 )
  • veggies of your choice- we used onion, red pepper, zucchini and summer squash- probably 1/2 cup of each
  • Ground meat- we used 1/2 lb. of ground chicken, but you could use turkey or beef or none if you wanted to have a vegetarian dish
  • 1/2 jar of marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup of cheese (mozzarella was our choice)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350*. Cook pasta according to the back of the package.

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2. While the water is heating and the pasta cooking, cut up and sauté your veggies. When the veggies are soft, remove from the pan and add in the ground meat. Sauté until completely browned.

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3. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to a big bowl. Add in the veggies, meat and sauce and mix so that everything is coated with sauce. Pour in a 8X8 or 9X9 casserole dish and bake at 350* for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has a golden brown appearance.

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We broiled ours a little and this was the end result:

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This meal hit the spot on a cool Sunday evening. It was also a dish that- surprisingly- reheated really well! I’m not a huge pasta person, but every once and a while I crave and enjoy a nice pasta dish.

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Questions for you: Do you ever make pasta bakes? What are the ingredients you like to add? Have you ever had gluten free pasta?

 

Weekending: Shuck Yeahhh! {Wellfleet Oysterfest}

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Although this weekend started off terribly, things turned around much faster than I would have thought and the rest of the weekend was one of the better ones I’ve had in a long time. Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way, so we can focus on the good, right?!

RM and I had plans to go to the Wellfleet Oysterfest, but since RM was going down early on Friday to play golf, that meant I needed to head down on my own. Rather than putting miles on my car (I lease it), I asked if I could drive his since he was getting a ride with a friend. He parks at the Intercontinental, so on Friday evening, I trucked it into the city by T and got his car. Long story short, I ended up getting in an accident within 2 minutes of being out of the garage. Ugh. Both the other driver and I were fine, but I have NEVER felt worse in my ENTIRE life. The other guys car needed to be towed and RM’s had some pretty bad damage, too. Needless to say, I didn’t want to drive, in traffic, all the way to the cape and put on a good face in front of the others, but luckily it all worked out. RM was super understanding, everyone else was really supportive, and the wine was flowing…. all in all, a terrible start to the weekend, but after calls with the insurance companies yesterday, I THINK I will just have to pay the deductible. RM was already planning on trading in his Jeep, so this was just a nice push for him to do that.

….. and on to the better, happier parts of the weekend!

After some wine, RM’s cousin started cooking. He and his wife had made homemade gnocchi and tomato sauce and they also brought fresh swish chard and red peppers from their garden- talk about a delicious dinner! We also played Cards Against Humanity, which was the perfect way to end the night.

Saturday morning I woke up and as soon as I realized the car accident wasn’t a dream, I immediately started feeling really down. To help, I decided to go for a run. It was a speedy 3 mile run with some bootcamp stuff mixed in. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and my mood was totally changed around after!

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After breakfast, we all packed up and headed out… but first? #letmepackaroadie

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(mom, aren’t you proud? it wasn’t my idea, but I thought you’d love it- especially refilling the Copa bottles… he learned from the best!)

I had never been to the Wellfleet Oysterfest, but I can assure you it won’t be my last time attending! The whole thing was amazing- so much food, so many vendors, so many things to buy, an awesome band and a wine bar… hello, wonderful! We totally scored on weather, so that was just icing on the cake.

We stopped for our first round of oysters at the first vendor- they were awesome!

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From there, we wandered around, checking out the different food spots and vendors. Here’s a rundown of everything we ate: oysters, crab cake, ear of corn, fried clams, fried lobster tail, fish tacos, French fries and a cookie… and a glass of wine and beer to wash it all down 😉

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I think we got a little over zealous with the food, but it was all so good and there were so many options you’d only eat when at an event like this, so it was well worth it.

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The fest ended at 5 on Saturday so we headed back to the house RM’s friends were renting, which was walking distance from the fest. RM’s nephew wanted to hold my hand the whole way… my heart melted a little! Such a sweet boy.

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We had more wine and some snacks and played with the little ones (3 of them under a year and a half!) before hitting the road to go back to Cotuit. It was a relatively quiet night consisting of pizza (I know… just what we needed) and laughs and a decently early bedtime.

We hit the road early on Sunday and RM and I went to the Hingham Whole Foods to do our groceries for the week. It was such a nice store! I was able to do so much food prep when I got back: delicious chicken & veggie crock pot soup, paleo pumpkin banana bread, purple kale and a veggie, chicken and gluten free pasta bake… so good!

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So, even though the weekend had a rocky start, it ended on such a good note- I wasn’t ready for it to end, but luckily this weekend has a bunch of fun stuff lined up, too 🙂

Questions for you: How was your weekend? Have you ever been to the Wellfleet Oysterfest? When is a time you allow yourself to really indulge on foods you normally don’t eat?

Weekending: Baby snuggles, Dry Bar, a Wedding & Lots of Errands

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Hi there! How are you doing today? This past weekend was a good one- just what I needed after a stressful week.

After work on Friday, I headed to my friend Jess’s apartment in the North End to hang out with her, some other SMC friends and Jess’s sweet little baby girl, Nora. Jess had Nora in August, but because of everyone’s crazy schedules, we hadn’t had a chance to meet her yet. Snuggles with her was the perfect way to relax me 🙂

The rest of the night was spent passing the babe around, drinking wine, eating pizza and just hanging out. They’ve got an awesome little deck off the living room so we bundled up and headed out there to finish the night.

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After teaching on Saturday, I headed to Chestnut Hill to cash in my Groupon for a blow out at drybar in Chestnut Hill. Have you guys ever heard of drybar or been there? If you haven’t, it’s a salon that only washes, dries and styles your hair. Their slogan, “no cuts. no colors. just blowouts.”, is a perfect way to describe their services. What I loved about the place is that it’s such a girly-girl activity! They charge $40 for a blowout which also includes a cocktail… because cocktails make everything more fun, right? I couldn’t help but have a glass of champagne during my 12pm appointment. I literally did burpees and then had bubbly… so fitting 😉

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I was given a “menu” which had all of the styles listed out. The names were names of cocktails and I went with the Cosmopolitan as it was a loose, wavy style.

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Never mind the blowout, I could have had my hair washed for an hour- the scalp massage was so wonderful! From start to finish it was the most relaxing hour, and such a fun way to treat myself to some pampering! Unfortunately, the weather sucked and therefore my hair did not keep the look I got at the salon, but oh well. Nothing you can do!

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Later in the day, RM and I headed to Beverly to attend his cousin’s wedding. While it was freezing during the outdoor ceremony, it was very thoughtful and heartfelt… I just wish I could’ve had a glass of wine to help numb the cold temps! I didn’t take many photos during the night because I was meeting so many people and didn’t want to be that girl taking a million photos, but I’ll say it was a super fun wedding. His family likes to have a good time and we danced all night!

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We slept in until almost 10am on Sunday, which is a very rare occurrence for me. After breakfast we went for a nice walk to soak up some of the nice weather.

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After our walk, we split ways and I headed out to do some major errands. I’m having a party in a few weeks and wanted to get festive decorations so I headed back to Assembly Place with my first stop being Christmas Tree Shops. I love going there to get decorations as they are super cheap!

From there, I did a little shopping at the stores and scored with a great dress at Banana for $12 and new sneakers at Reebok for $50! My last stop was TJ Maxx where I finally was able to find something for the wall above my mantle. What do you think?

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I also decorated the hall area- I love how festive it’s starting to look!

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After decorating and cleaning, I finally made dinner. I sautéed a bunch of veggies and cooked some chicken and made a very tasty chicken and veggie stirfry.

And that sums it up! I could’ve used another 4 hours on Sunday to get everything done, but that’s ok. Although this week is busy, I’m going to do my best to stay calm and focus on one thing at a time. I have so many blog posts I want to write, but I’m going to try to not stress about getting those done if I’m tired and not getting home and sitting down until 9pm each night. I need to give myself more time to unwind at night!

Questions for you: What did you do this weekend? Have you been to drybar? Have you decorated for the fall or Halloween?