Tag: wine

They Call it “Hotlanta” for a Reason!

9 Comments

Hey friends! We’re almost through the work week! When I travel, I am always thrown off on my days, but I think I feel like today is Thursday! I got back from Atlanta around 10:30 last night and was so happy to get into bed. My flight home was less than desirable-the guy in front of me reclined his seat ALL the way and the girl next to me smelled like BO, but tried to mask it with abundance amounts of perfume. Yuck!

Tuesday morning, I got up and worked out before I started my short morning of working from home and then my long afternoon of traveling and working from the hotel. I did 2 rounds of one of my “go-to” no equipment workouts (Got 20 Minutes? workout, to be exact) and 2 rounds of the “15X10” workout that Athena posted on Instagram earlier this week (minus the 10 mins of cardio). Phew! For some reason, this workout killed me. I blame it on the fact that I am not used to working out first thing in the morning 😉

IMG_3997

The flight was productive; I got some blog posts drafted and wrote an article for work. Once I got to my hotel room, I worked until about 6:30 and then spent an hour on some trainings for the YMCA before I called it quits and headed down to the bar for a wine and dinner. While enjoying my wine (Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc- my fav!), I wrote up some kickboxing routines/combos. Lately, I can’t stop thinking about them and it has been keeping me up, so I figured if I wrote them down, it would help (which, it did. Between that and the wine I slept like a baby 😉 ).

IMG_4008

I got the fish tacos for dinner, which were a bit of a disappointment. The menu read “blackened tilapia”, but they came out as fried nuggets of tilapia. Whomp,whomp. I ate all the greens and picked at the nuggets, but they were SO fried that they were dry. Regardless, the bar was a fun place to spend a few hours. It was packed by the time I left, and they even had a live guitarist!

IMG_4009

Ok, let’s talk about “Hotlanta”… holy moly you guys. The HUMIDITY was unreal! I got up yesterday morning to workout before meeting my coworker at the client site and figured that 7am was a fine time to run. I grabbed the hotel running map (how cool is it that the hotel provides these?! Such a great way to promote healthy living even when you’re on the road!) and felt like I walked into a wall of humidity as soon as I walked outside.

IMG_4006

30 LONG minutes and 3 miles later, I finally walked back into the hotel. It was certainly the most humbling run I think I have ever had. I physically couldn’t run at my normal pace or go than a few minutes without stopping. I felt like I had never worked out a day in my life. It was awful, but also a good reminder to appreciate all of the good runs and workouts that I sometimes take for granted. The bell boy handled me this as soon as I walked in and I couldn’t have been happier!

IMG_4012

Now that’s some service! I finished off my workout in the hotel gym. They had Reebok Core Boards which made me SO happy! There is a Reebok Core Board class at my YMCA in Maine and I LOVE it! I played around on that and then did lots of core stuff including stability ball planks and stability ball v-sits (Athena I love these!!) before calling it a day.

IMG_4013

I showered, got suited up and headed to breakfast, which was AWESOME!!! Ok, so I have an issue with buffets. My issue isn’t eating too much, but rather with GETTING too much. I get so excited over all of the options: fruit, yogurt, granola, cereal, muffins, toast, eggs, potatoes, etc. that I want ALL of it. Or at least a bit of all of it. At least I was eating by myself so I didn’t have to explain myself to anyone!

IMG_4015 IMG_4016

We were in meetings until about 3pm when we grabbed a cab and headed to the airport. I was traveling with my manager, who is awesome. We grabbed an early dinner and drinks and before you knew it, I was back home! I am working from home today and tomorrow, which is a nice treat.

I hope my BSC’ers had a good class last night! So excited to be back tonight! Hoping the kickboxing routine I made up while having cocktails at the bar turns out to be suitable for teaching 😉

Questions for you: Humidity- can you run or workout in it? When you travel, do you still make time to workout? Favorite “on the road” healthy trick?

A Productive, but Relaxing Sunday

8 Comments

Hey everyone! How’s it going? I’m headed to Atlanta today for work, but I should have time to blog at the airport or hotel. I want to post my recent stations workout for you tomorrow, so hopefully I’ll find time to get that together!

I was in bed embarrassingly early on Saturday night, but the couple of cocktails I had in the afternoon wiped me out! I woke up Sunday feeling more rested than I have felt in a while- it was great! After breakfast, Danielle and I got right to the most dreaded task of the weekend: cleaning the apartment. Since we’ve all been gone for a number of weekends, the apartment cleaning sessions were severely neglected! I always at least wipe down the bathrooms once a week, but we needed a deep cleaning in a bad way. Luckily, when there are two of us doing it, we can do it in a little over an hour.

After cleaning, I drove Danielle to the airport since she is traveling for work all week. Before I came home, I swung by the Cambridgeside Galleria because I wanted to get new sneakers and a new dress from H&M. I got to the mall at 11:25 and was shocked (and really annoyed) to see that the mall didn’t open until 12:00!!! I understand a late opening on Sundays, but 12? That seems a little late! I had to practice some serious patience while I waited for the mall to open. I grabbed an iced coffee, wandered around and as soon as the clock struck 12, I was in H&M. I grabbed the dress and headed to Olympia Sports. I have and Edge card with them and had a $10 birthday gift card and a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $30 or more. I wasn’t supposed to combine them, but I put on my nicest smile and asked if there was any way they could combine them. Score for me! I got $20 off my sneaks! I tried on Reebok’s that I really loved, but they were more aimed for cross training, which is great for me, except for the fact I went there looking for new running sneakers. I ended up getting the same ones that I currently own, just in a different color.

IMG_3978

IMG_3980

I tested them out later that afternoon for a 5 mile run and I loved them!

IMG_3982 IMG_3984

IMG_3981

Between shopping and running, I was able to catch some rays on my back patio! I also enjoyed lunch out there, finally.  The weather this spring has not been conducive to patio dining, unfortunately. I also spent time cleaning up the side of the apartment. There is a path along the apartment from the patio to the driveway, but it gets overgrown with weeds SO quickly! I hate the looks of it, so I cleaned it up for the 3rd time on Sunday.

IMG_3979

———

Since I knew I was traveling this week and would be gone two nights, not to mention I won’t be around Friday night- Sunday night for dinners, I decided to keep dinner easy: spaghetti squash, sautéed veggies and the chicken tenders from Saturday night. I didn’t measure anything, just eye-balled the veggies as I cut them.

IMG_3985

IMG_3986

Paired with a glass of vino and I was a happy girl! The whole time I ran, I thought about enjoying a glass of wine when I finished… hey, anything that gets you through a run, right?

IMG_3957

IMG_3989

Other than that, my Sunday night was pretty quiet. It felt great to have a clean apartment, clean room, no laundry, etc. to start the week. Anyone else feel this way? Food prep and cleaning and organizing might be a pain to do in advance, but to me, it is SO worth it once it’s finished!

Questions for you: What kind of sneakers do you run in? Do you wear different ones for running than you do when you take a class? Do you have any “mantras” or anything that gets you through a run (or a walk!)?

Ok, I really need a grill…

6 Comments

Yeah, I mean, this meal came out SO good, but I think it would have totally topped the charts had I been able to cook it on a grill. Next gym paychecks go to: buying a grill! I don’t know how we survived all of last spring/summer/fall sans a grill, but I know that I won’t be able to do that this year. Maybe I can get my dad to go shopping with me for one (hint, hint).

Anyway, before I get into the details of the meal I made on Tuesday night, let’s chat about how much I have learned to LOVE Tuesday’s. Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching so much and love my current schedule of Monday’s, Wednesday’s, Thursday’s (double) and every other Saturday, but there is really nothing like the feeling I have all day on Tuesday knowing that I can go home right after work.  I also like that I have the option of working out or taking a rest day, pending on what I have going on after work, what my week of workouts looks like, and how I am feeling physically. The nice weather makes me want to work out more (ie: go running, walking, anything outside), so on Tuesday I got home relatively early (6:15- that never happens) and decided that I could squeeze in a quick 30 minute workout, focusing mostly on strength and core. 32 minutes later, I was done, ready for a shower, glass of wine and a meal I had planned out in my head since Sunday, so let’s get to it, right?!

———–

We New Englanders are finally experiencing the spring weather we have been waiting for since, oh, the past couple of months.  Along with the warmer, sunnier weather comes my craving for all things associated with grilling and BBQ’ing, so I decided to take one of my favorite grilling meals and make it in my oven.  And, you know what? It came out WAY better than I had hoped it would. I marinated the chicken overnight and I cannot describe in words how flavorful it was.  The shrimp was just OK, but the veggies, especially the mushrooms, more than made up for it. And, what’s not to love about corn on the cob and baked sweet potatoes?!

Chicken, Shrimp & Veggie Kabobs

For the chicken marinade:

  • 4 chicken breast tenders
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • ~1/4-1/3 cup white wine
  • ~1 tsp. ground pepper
  • ~1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • Few heavy shakes of Mrs. Dash

Veggies:

I cut up peppers, onion, zucchini, summer squash and mushrooms.  I didn’t measure, but I eye-balled about how many I thought I would need to make the skewers figuring there was really no right or wrong with how many I used.

Directions

1. Create the lemon-pepper marinade the night before and let the chicken sit in it for about 24 hours to get that really delicious lemon-pepper taste.

0292. The next day, when you’re ready to make the meal, pour yourself a glass of vino, get your apron on, and get to work!

027

3. Pre-heat your oven to 375*, wrap your sweet potato in aluminum foil and place it in the oven right on the metal racks.

4. Cut up your veggies and chicken and arrange everything so you can easily skewer however you desire.

028

031I created my kabobs by alternating veggies and chicken on some, veggies and shrimp on some and then for the leftover chicken, I just put all of the pieces on one skewer. I sprinkled on a little more pepper, sea salt, garlic powder and Mrs. Dash once the skewers were created.

5. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes (watch closely because you could need more or less time depending on how you cut your veggies and chicken). While the kabobs are cooking, steam your corn.  I also had to finish off my baked potato in the microwave since I didn’t start it early enough.

032When everything is done, place on a plate, add some butter to your corn and sweet potato (yes, this is a must) and enjoy!

035Look at those colors!! My mouth was so happy as it tasted all of the different flavors in this dish, especially the chicken. Wow, was that good! I am so excited for leftovers and think I will probably put the kabobs on a salad for a work lunch this week.

Questions for you:Do you have a grill? Suggestions for a good, affordable, no-frills grill? What’s your favorite summer meal?

Last day of being 27

8 Comments

Hey Burpees to Bubbly readers! Happy, happy Saturday to you! Have anything fun planned? I’ve got a busy day, but before I get to that, let’s catch up on yesterday! As most of you probably know, Friday’s are my “work from home” (WFH) days and after a full, busy week, it’s the best feeling to get home on Thursday after teaching a double and know I don’t have to pack a lunch or get up early to make the commute into the office. WFH on a Friday before my birthday is even better… treats and flowers and cards galore!

009 007

When I finished my work day, I had plans of going to the gym near me since I am no longer teaching my Friday night UXF in Allston (so sad. I miss you guys!), but the weather was so gross that I decided to stay in and do an “at home” workout.  I was gchatting with Athena (but, let’s be honest, when are we NOT gchatting?!) and she said she was going to use the jump rope today. Ding, ding, ding! The light bulb went off and I decided that I could get a great workout done in the comforts of my own home. I can’t tell you how nice it was to have the option to go to the gym or to workout at home or to not do anything at all!

012

So, I set up shop in the kitchen with my weights, jump rope and “Friday Five” Arms/cardio workout and got busy. I ended up doing about 60 minutes including warm up and cool down/foam rolling and time flew by!

  • 5 mins warm up (jogging in place, jumping jacks, squats, hamstring curls, knee lifts, etc)
  • 5 mins jumping rope (this is SO much harder when you use a real jump rope vs imaginary jump rope)- this round was tabata style with 20 seconds jumping, 10 seconds rest.
  • 15 minute Arm/Cardio/Core from April Arms Challenge (up the ladder)
  • 5 mins jumping rope (30 seconds jumping, 5 seconds rest)
  • 15 minutes down the ladder
  • 5 mins jumping rope (alternating leads and speed and direction)
  • 10 mins (abs, stretching, foam rolling)

60 minutes later, I was sweaty and tired and rope burned. Wait, what? You read that right, I clearly need work on my jump roping because I got whipped by the rope more time than I’d like to admit and boy did it hurt!

013After I showered, I headed out to the grocery store. On a cold, rainy, Friday night. REALLY not that fun, but it was dead and fully stocked, so I couldn’t really complain too much. As I was shopping, I thought about how great it would be if I could have a glass of wine. Wouldn’t that make grocery shopping so much better?

wine and groceriesI was so ready for wine by the time I got home that I poured myself a glass before I even took my jacket off! J.Lohr is one of my favorite wines- red and white. It’s delicious!

015I sipped as I put away all my groceries. It really made the process a lot more enjoyable, but then again, when doesn’t wine make things more enjoyable?

I was so in the mood for sushi last night, so I picked some up in my travels. It totally hit the spot! There is something about Chardonnay and Sushi. They go hand in hand in my book. Anyone else with me on this?

018Although I had somewhat wanted to go meet up with friends for dinner or drinks, the weather and knowing that I have lots of things on the agenda for today made me decide that staying in was more desirable than going out!

……

Today’s agenda:

  • getting my BSC paycheck and going to the bank
  • tanning (yes, I tan occasionally…sorry if that offends anyone, but I want a nice glow for my birthday!)
  • teaching kickboxing
  • going to Jess’s first tasting
  • getting my hair highlighted and cut (!!!)
  • getting all done up in my birthday dress for birthday celebrations!!

A little serious talk…

So, today is my last day as a 27-year-old. It’s a little crazy to think about, but I am ready for 28. First off, I am a fan of even numbers, so right away 28 is better than 27, haha. Secondly, I am in a much better spot personally at this point than I was last year, so I am excited for what 28 will bring. I have a few things lined up (expanding and growing the blog, moving into my own place, etc- more on that later) for the next year and I hope you will all stick around with me as I share my journey. I have only been blogging for a few months, but I have had so much fun thus far and appreciate everyone who reads and follows me. You have no idea how much that means to me!

Questions for you: What’s a special meal that you’ll splurge on every once in a while? Birthdays- love them or hate them? What’s been your favorite year thus far?