Weekending: Getting Into the Christmas Spirit

4 Comments

Good morning- happy Monday! Did you guys have a good weekend? Ours was relatively low-key, but that was perfect since I was pretty dead most of Friday because of getting home at 2:30 in the morning after 11 hours of traveling! Work was luckily quiet so I was able to catch up on some stuff without being interrupted. Let’s recap!

Friday

I was supposed to get together with my friend Liz and then go to a little party with my sister, but I ended up canceling on both because I was just too tired and knew I had to teach on Saturday and wanted to be rested. RM ended up coming home early from work so it was nice getting to hang with him before he went out with some of his friends that night. He offered to pick me up Whole Foods hot bar for me for dinner, which pretty much made my night. That, and being able to watch a sappy Hallmark Christmas movie and finish our latest book club book.

IMG_3392 IMG_3393

Have you guys read this? If not, YOU MUST! This was such a fantastic book and I can’t wait to read the sequel. I may or may not have balled my eyes out as I finished the last couple of pages. Ugh. So good!

Saturday

I woke up feeling great thanks to 9+ hours of sleep! I was so excited to teach my cardio kickboxing class for 2 reasons:

  1. It was my last class before Christmas and I couldn’t wait to use my Christmas playlist. It’s always a big hit and I love seeing everyone smiling and singing along.
  2. I had some awesome new lululemon pants to wear- you can never have too much mesh, right?! The best part? They were an outlet deal- $29!

IMG_3395 IMG_3397

Class was awesome! Everyone brought their serious A game and it was so fun to get in a good sweat sesh before the day’s activities.

After, I met up with my friend Jessi and her twin sister to talk wedding hair. I’m in the process of selecting someone to do my hair and Jessi’s sister pretty much specializes in wedding hair so hopefully it will work out! I was pumped to get to wear my new Stitch Fix sweater (a full review of my latest fix to come!)- it’s so soft!

IMG_3409

After hanging with the girls, I met RM at the Assembly Row shops and we grabbed a very late lunch/snack at Fuji. While the sushi was good, the rolls were very small and we were shocked that Roberto’s beer was $12 (!!!). Womp.

IMG_3411

Once we finally started to get hungry for dinner, I whipped up some roasted buffalo cauliflower and some baked butternut squash and RM cooked some spicy broccolini. We also shared some leftovers to round out the meal. It totally hit the spot.

IMG_3412

Sunday

Sunday started out the best way: with healthy pancakes! Historically, RM has always made them but lately I’ve taken that role and I have to say, I’ve been doing a pretty good job! I do not measure anything but here’s the ingredients I used yesterday: 2 eggs, 1/2 banana, coconut flour, almond meal, vanilla, flax seed, little bit of honey and some water.

IMG_3413

After breakfast, I headed out to do some errands. I wore my new Athleta sweater that I got for a SUPER deal during a recent Schoola promotion. I am in love with how comfy it is and I can’t believe I got it for $42 when it’s originally a $128 sweater. Yes, please.

IMG_3414

I also treated myself to a chai tea latte at Starbucks thanks to a very sweet member who gave me a gift card before class on Saturday!

IMG_3416

It was a pretty busy shopping experience, but I was totally immersed in the holiday spirit so it was fun! I was able to finish up most of my shopping, which will make this week easier 🙂

IMG_3419

I love the looks of a Christmas tree filled with presents underneath it. My mom always wanted to wait to bring presents down on Christmas morning (or late Christmas Eve), but my dad would always try to sneak the presents down earlier than that. I remember one year the back and forth of my dad bringing them down and my mom bringing them back up . I have to say, I like the presents under the tree before Christmas!

IMG_3431

Late Sunday afternoon we went to RM’s mother’s house to celebrate his birthday, which is on Wednesday. We had a delicious escarole soup, croquettes and a fantastic coffee cake. The rest of the night was spent hanging on the couch, relaxing before a busy week- I love our couch time!

IMG_3433

And that wraps it up! I have to go into the office today, but it’s a fun day because we are having our group Christmas party at Kings in Lynnfield. I also made my favorite Funfetti cookies, which basically make anything better 😉

IMG_3422

Have a great Monday, friends!

Questions for you: How was your weekend? What was the best part of it? Have you finished your Christmas shopping? Are you working this week? What’s your favorite holiday treat?

Five on Friday {12.18.15}

2 Comments

Good morning! This has been a bit of a crazy week because I was in the office on Monday and then in South Carolina Wednesday and Thursday and I’m home today. Needless to say, I had a hard time keeping my days straight, but what I DO know is that today is FRIDAY, and that’s pretty awesome, especially after a ridiculously long travel day home yesterday due to flight delays.

Seeing that it’s Friday, let’s get to “Five on Friday”!

  • I’m having fun wedding planning!… Finally! I really did not enjoy it at first, but, like so many of you told me, it did get better once we booked the venue and date. So far, we have the venue, date, photographer, dress and band- I’d say we are doing pretty well! I also have some ideas for our centerpieces- thank goodness for Pinterest 🙂 The only sucky thing about this whole process is that we have to wait until July for the actual event!
  • Farm Fresh Eggs- enough said. My parents always get farm fresh eggs from their neighbor and they give us a dozen every time they see us and I have to say- they are just the best! We buy the organic, free range eggs normally but those still don’t hold a flame to the real deal.

IMG_3354

  • Vega One Coconut Almond Nutritional Shake– I tried a sample of this at Whole Foods the other day and was totally sold so I bought a few sample packets and even with just water it tasted delicious!

IMG_3357

  • Lift class at Foster Fitness– If you’ve been reading B2B for a while, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve started frequenting a new gym (getting my butt kicked, get comfortable being uncomfortable). I had been going to the Fast & Furious class which is a mix of cardio and light/medium weights, but this week I finally made it to a Lift class and loved it! I am having so much fun getting into heavier lifting and the feeling of getting my name up on the board was unbelievable!

IMG_3356

  • REM-Fit Tracker– The company sent me a few different products to try and although I didn’t like one enough to review, I did enjoy checking out their REM-Fit tracker! Even though I already have a FitBit, I was interested in checking out the REM-Fit to see how it compared to the FitBit, what I liked better, what I liked less, what it could do or not do compared to the FitBit.

IMG_3019

Overall, I liked the design of the REM-Fit a lot. I liked that you could see the date and time on the front and you could see the various tracking details as you scrolled through by tapping on the left end of the device.

IMG_3382

My only complaint is that I found it difficult sometimes to hit the right spot to be able to scroll through my tracking details. Otherwise I liked how light the tracker was and that not only did it come with 2 different colored bands, but also a holder that you can clip onto your waistband or somewhere else a little less discrete than your wrist.

IMG_3379 IMG_3380

One thing I thought it had over the Fitbit was the ability to get you points for things other than just steps- it warranted you points for all sorts of daily exercises which is great for the days when I may not have walked a lot of steps but I did get in a kick ass weight lifting workout! The tracker also gives you points for sleep, but it’s not automatic so you have to click on “log sleep”, which isn’t a huge deal, you just have to remember to do it 😉 Thanks to REM-Fit for providing me with this new-to-me activity tracker! (Disclaimer, I was provided with the product but was not paid to write this recommendation. The thoughts are my own!)

IMG_3387

And that does it for me today. I was supposed to go into the city to meet a friend for drinks but after getting home at 2:30am after 11 hours of travel, I’ve decided to lay low tonight and catch up on my DVR. Whatever you do this weekend, I hope you have a blast!

Questions for you: What’s on tap for the weekend? Have you finished all your Christmas shopping? What’s your favorite protein powder? Do you buy farm fresh eggs ever?

 

{Class Review} Booty by Brabants

Leave a comment

Good morning! As I mentioned on Monday, over the weekend I had a chance to check out a new-to-me class: Booty by Brabants, by the founder herself, Kelly Brabants.

“Booty by Brabants is a fitness and lifestyle brand inspired by the Brazilian booty.” (from the Booty by Brabants site)

I have to say, the name of the class kind of turned me off initially, only because I’m not really into the whole “booty/bikini/sexy” workout phenomenon. But, I’m happy to say that even though the class screamed a certain type of sex appeal, it was still a really good, challenging, sweaty class! And, the encouragement to throw a little sex appeal into the workout ended up being fun, even though totally awkward feeling at first.

As I was checking out Kelly’s website, I couldn’t help but fully agree with the explanation of the class: Booty by Brabants classes are designed to provide a high-intensity, cardio-based, booty-shaping workout within a 60 minute time-frame. Now a weekly routine for women in the Boston area, the distinctive heart pumping and high energy movements are designed to ignite the core, booty, legs and arms. Infused by Brazilian and classical dance moves, the class strikes a perfect blend of fitness and fun.

I loved that we didn’t do only squats and lunges for the whole class. Don’t get me wrong, we did plenty of squats, but we also used bands, did jumping jacks/mountain climbers/burpees, arms using a towel and lots of dancing. Kelly’s choreography and dance songs were great because they were simple enough to catch on to and to execute the moves, not to mention the music selection was on point (most definitely some Biebs!) so besides the fact I was in my workout clothes and sweating like a pig, I felt like I was at the club 😉

This class opportunity couldn’t have come at a more perfect time for me, especially after I had just talked about “getting comfortable being uncomfortable”. While I like to think of myself as a decent dancer, meaning I have rhythm, prior dance experience and I genuinely love doing it, when it comes to dancing as a workout, I always feel a little awkward. This wasn’t always the case, but as I’ve gotten more into other forms of fitness outside of Zumba, I have a hard time letting go of my traditional sense of exercise and movement and tend to focus more on executing the moves “just right” instead of letting my body move with the beat of the music. Since I hadn’t done any sort of class involving dance in so long, I felt extra awkward and uncomfortable at the beginning of class!

But, I reminded myself that no one was looking at me except for me. Everyone was probably feeling the same way I was (well, except for the girls who clearly followed Kelly around from studio to studio, event to event!), so I just needed to embrace the discomfort. And you know what? As soon as I did that, I was able to relax into the moves a bit and just have fun. I love choreography and moving to the beat (my kickboxing class, for example) so I had a blast getting a chance to relive my old dance days!

Kelly’s energy was incredible and she did a great job engaging the class, making us laugh by being silly and giving us a sense of female empowerment. It was clear how comfortable she was in her body and how much she wanted us to be comfortable in our bodies, which is something I’ve become really passionate about. Girls were there in all shapes, ages and physical abilities and it was awesome to all be encouraged to bring out the sexy goddess within all of us. I had a blast shaking my booty and throwing a little club-like sexy flare into the moves thanks to the confidence that was radiating from Kelly around the room. It’s clear she’s got a really fantastic thing going on and her positive energy was a great thing to be around. If you’re looking for a new type of workout that doesn’t actually feel like a workout because you’re having fun jumping and dancing around, you definitely need to check out one of Kelly’s classes at the BFX Studio or The Club by George Foreman III. Also, her “Booty by Brabants” leggings seem to be quite the hit because ¾ of the class was wearing them! I loved that some of them had mesh down the sides and the colors were so fun. I wish I would’ve bought a pair!

IMG_3306 IMG_3309

 

Thanks for a great class, Kelly!

Questions for you: When’s the last time you tried a class that was different than your normal workout? How do you deal with feeling uncomfortable in a class? Have you ever been to a Booty by Brabants class?

Wednesday Workout: Christmas Themed Edition

6 Comments

Good morning! Can you believe Christmas is next week?! How the heck did that sneak up so fast? With that in mind, I thought I’d make today’s “Wednesday Workout” a Christmas/holiday theme, similar to what I did for Thanksgiving. A few of you let me know that you tried some of the workouts that I posted, so hopefully some of these will pique your interest, too!

  • First up is the 25 Days of Christmas workout that I posted last year. I decided to teach it last week and was pleasantly surprised by how fun it was! The members said it was hard, too, so there’s your warning 😉

25 Days of Christmas

  • Another fun workout that I put together when I first started teaching is the 12 Days of Fitness workout. It’s Dana’s favorite so I knew I had to share it with you guys!

New 12 days of fitness

Warm Up Your Core

Snowman Building Total Body Workout

Down the Chimney, Up the Chimney Christmas Workout

Thank you to everyone who let me share their holiday/winter themed workouts- I hope you guys find one you like and want to try try:)

Questions for you: Do you like themed workouts? Have your workouts had to suffer at all because of holiday craziness? Do you wish we New Englanders had snow?

A Healthier Quesadilla

5 Comments

Good morning! I’ve been meaning to get you this recipe, but for one reason or another it just wasn’t able to happen until today. I promise you, though, it’s worth the wait!

Quesadilla’s aren’t a common occurrence around our house, not because they’re not delicious, more because we just never think to make them. Tacos, though? You bet we keep those on a frequent rotation- I love, love, love all types of tacos and we’ve mastered a few “recipes”  (fish tacos, steak tacos). After our most recent bout of quesadilla’s, I know these will become a staple, too!

IMG_3221

For these, I decided I wanted to get creative and offer 2 types: standard peppers, onion, spinach & chicken and then another that was a little less traditional, but perfect for this season: butternut squash, brussels sprouts & goat cheese. Both came out really great and it was hard to choose our favorite since they had such different flavors from one another.

Healthier Quesadillas 3

On top of the veggies, we opted to use the mini Ezekiel wraps we had in our freezer, which ended up working out great because they didn’t get soft and soggy like traditional flour tortilla’s tend to get when you fill them with cheese and sauteed veggies. I also got all fancy and bought some nice, sharp cheeses and shred my own cheese rather than buying a bag of shredded cheese… not necessary, but it was a nice touch!

The only downside of these is that it took a little bit of time to prepare the veggies initially, but the good thing is that if you make a big batch of everything, it’s so easy to whip up more quesadilla’s the next day! Oh, and my hands got REALLY messy as I was assembling the ‘dilla’s… totally worth it, though!

Healthier Quesadillas 1

Ingredients

  • Ezekiel wraps- figure out how many quesadilla’s you plan on eating to determine how many wraps are necessary. Also, if you use bigger wraps, you may not need to make as many quesadilla’s
  • 2-4 boneless, skinless organic chicken thighs
  • 1 small red pepper, sliced thinly
  • 1 small onion, sliced thinly
  • 1 butternut squash, chopped into small pieces (I bought an organic one that was already skinless so I just had to  chop it up)
  • 1-2 handfuls of Brussels sprouts, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 handful of baby spinach
  • 1 small block of Gouda or sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 (or so) cup of crumbled goat cheese
  • EVOO & S/P/Garlic powder to taste

Directions

1. Cut up your veggies & heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add in the EVOO and sautee your onions & peppers first. To help speed up the cook time of the Brussels sprouts and butternut squash I steamed them before sauteeing them. Once they softened up, I added them to the skillet for a bit (after I had removed the peppers & onions). When the Brussels sprouts & butternut squash are done cooking, throw a handful of spinach into the skillet; remove once it’s wilted.

IMG_3215 IMG_3216

2. Once the veggies are cooked, remove them from the pan and place into separate bowls. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until they are cooked all the way through. We like to sprinkle salt, pepper & garlic powder on each side while they cook.

3. While the chicken is cooking, shred your cheese 7 set aside.

IMG_3214

4. Once the chicken is done cooking, turn the heat down on the stove a bit and place one wrap/tortilla on the greased skillet you’ve been using (why waste more dishes?!). Add a thin layer of cheese, your chicken & veggies (changes based on what option you’re making) and the put a final layer of cheese on top before you cover it with the other tortilla/wrap. Let it cook for a few minutes- at least- on each side so that the inside is nice and melty and the outside is a little crispy.

Healthier Quesadillas 2
IMG_3219

5. Once they’re cooked, slice & serve with a side of homemade (or store bought) salsa.

IMG_3230

These were such a fun Friday night meal and I love that there are endless options for the different types of quesadillas you could make. We loved these so much we ate them for lunch the next day, too!

Questions for you: Do you like quesadillas or tacos better? What’s your favorite quesadilla or taco filling?