Wknd Hello: Hiking and Brunch

Posted on May 27, 2012 | 2 Comments

Hey! Just popping in to say hi. It’s been a fun and busy weekend so far with lots of walking and lots of heat (yay the thunderstorms stayed away!)

Today, we’re in Maryland- went hiking in the morning and it was SO pretty, I just had to share it with you. East coast hiking/woods are so different than what we have in Cali.

We hiked a little over 4 miles before we had to come back.

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And after the hike, out for brunch! Veggie omelet and delicious berries

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Yum! Now time to get ready for tonight’s wedding…

I love Maryland so much- If I didn’t live in Cali, this would be my first choice place to move.

–You? Where would you live if you couldn’t live in your City or State?

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Posted in Weekend

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Eat a Burger This Weekend! Memorial Day Fun Facts

Posted on May 25, 2012 | 10 Comments

Yay, we can wear white again!!!!! It’s summer!! Happy Memorial Day wknd! Hope you are eating lots of watermelon and hanging out in sun.

I get to spend my Memorial Day wknd in Washington DC, so will hopefully be feeling extra patriotic. My healthy intention of the weekend is to eat small portions (of whatever I want). It’s easy to indulge on a busy, traveling holiday weekend and focusing on small portions will help me stay on track.

Because I love fun facts on holidays, here are some Memorial Day Fun Facts to share

photo source

1. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day
Union women used to decorate the graves of soldiers with flowers.

2. The red poppy is a traditional symbol of Memorial Day (many veterans still wear them to mark the day).

3. Americans have observed Memorial Day since 1868 (after the Civil War), but it wasn’t made a national holiday until 1971. In 1971, Congress declared the celebrations to take place on the last Monday in May. Before that, different states celebrated on different days.

4. And about BBQs (of course! It’s memorial day!) Here’s how the main dish ranks bbq-wise– Americans make hamburgers 87% of the time, steak 83%, chicken 78%, and hot dogs at 76%. What about the veggie eats?

5. Monday (Memorial Day) is also National Hamburger Day.

So enjoy! Eat a burger this weekend! And thank a vetran too.

Happy Memorial Day!
– What are you up to this weekend?
– If you’re grilling, what are you planning to make?

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Posted in fun facts friday

5 Things I’m Loving Lately

Posted on May 24, 2012 | 6 Comments

My long weekend begins! When you’re reading this, I’m likely flying over the midwest somewhere….hopefully asleep or reading a magazine.

But on to more interesting things….. Thursday Things: Here are 5 Things I’m Loving Lately:

1. Yoga– my love! you’re back!
Okay, so it’s only been two weeks back after my long hiatus, but I’m really enjoying my new Monday night class. It’s a little late in the evening and I may or may not have fallen asleep during shavasana this week, but yoga’s amazing and I feel so much happier and relaxed afterwards.

2. Waking Up Early on Weekends
Weird thing to love, I know. The past few weekends, I’ve woken up at 6:30am every day. It’s actually been really nice because I can make the weekend days feel so much longer and get so much done. It was extra helpful in my recent sunday-only-wknd.

3. Mint Oreos.
Thank you, Jared, for introducing me to the best invention ever. No, these are not healthy. Yes, they are delicious.

4. Sunsets.
They have been so pretty lately. (This one taken froma deck at a friend’s house)

5. These Quotes
—The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. -William Arthur Ward

– Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

–When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. -Patanjali

Okay, your turn!

– What are some things you’re loving lately?
– Anyone else playing hookey for an extra long memorial day wknd? – Favorite quotes?

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Posted in fun, life and love

WIAW # 21: It’s My Friday

Posted on May 22, 2012 | 15 Comments

Today’s my Friday! I’m leaving Thursday for a super long 6-day “weekend.” We’re going to DC for a wedding and then up to New Jersey. I’m excited- I went to college in DC and it still feels like my second home, even though I haven’t been back for a while. Only problem– forecast calls for Thunderstorms every single day. Fingers crossed it changes.

Happy for another What I Ate Wednesday too! Visit Jenn’s page for more fun posts.

Here are my eats from Tuesday:

Morning exercise: The day started off with a mile long swim! I usually don’t count my laps and just swim for a specific amount of time (usually 30 mins, sometimes 45), but today I counted so I could make sure to go a whole mile. It felt great!

Breakfast was post-swim, eaten at Starbucks. Coffee with soy, an enormous banana, and a greek cobani yogurt with a spoonful of jam.

Lunch was raw swiss chard for a salad, topped with half of a leftover stuffed pepper that I was too full to eat at dinner the night before. Hit the spot. I heart leftovers.

Snacks: Juicy watermelon.

And my favorite snack lately– a version of chocolate milk: unsweetened cocoa powder, unsweetened almond milk and a spoonful of sugar, all whipped up in a blender. It’s not as chocolatey as the real thing, but does the trick when I am craving chocolate or sweets.

And dinner was a veggie plate with Swiss Chard, zucchini, and a carrot. Plus an egg topped with nutritional yeast on the side.

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Hope your day is going well!

–What’s your favorite summertime food?
–What’s your favorite snack lately? I need new ideas to bring to work!

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Posted in what i ate today

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Stuffed Peppers and Puppy Kisses

Posted on May 22, 2012 | 5 Comments

Last night, I made Stuffed Peppers for the first time. I love that they’re a one-stop-shop for a meal. You get your protein, carbs, and veggies all in one dish!

I made a variation of this recipe, which is a mix of couscous, meat, cinammon, tomato sauce and other yummy things. Among other things, I added kale, carrots, and more peppers to the insides. I used red, orange, and yellow peppers instead of green. I used grass fed beef. And I didn’t add the onions.

Result? Not bad. Not bad at all. They were good. Savory with a touch of sweet. And very, very filling. Couldn’t finish one. Also, aside from the long 45 minutes in the oven, the prep work was fairly quick and easy.
Next time, I’ll vary what I put inside a little bit more. But otherwise, makes a colorful meal!

Someone else got a good dinner too. It was Charlie’s birthday weekend

I made him a mini-grass-fed-beef-burger. He loved it, of course. And ate it in T-minus-3 seconds.

Yes, I ended up cutting it up more so he didn’t choke

He also got doggie-cupcake treats from the bakery that he shared with his dog friends. How cute are these?

Yes, I spoil my dog a little bit. I enjoy it. And the puppy kisses at the end of every day make it more than worth it.

– Dogs– Feed them human food or only dog food?
– Stuffed Peppers- What’s your filling suggestions?

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Posted in Recipe

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A Short Weekend

Posted on May 21, 2012 | 14 Comments

Hey!

Who watched the eclipse last night?   I heard it was most visible from the West Coast, so I was excited to see it.  The peak was supposedly at 6:33pm…..so around that time, we went up to my roof.

Looks neat in the this photo, but I think we might have been too early and missed the real peak.  It got darker, but I couldn’t see the full covering.  After 10 minutes or so of staring at the sun, we were getting hungry so went downstairs to continue the evening.  BUT- I saw a bunch of friends’ photos of the eclipse on facebook today and it looked so neat!

Otherwise, the weekend felt short.  I worked all day Saturday (led a volunteer event with 200 girls aged 5-10 years…..totally exhausting! but they were adorable) so Sunday was my only catch-up time.  Luckily, the weather was gorgeous and so I spent plenty of time outside.

This weekend, I:

drank green smoothies.  I took a little green smoothie hiatus the last couple weeks, so am happy to have them back in my life!

ate watermelon.  charlie wanted some too.  it was his birthday this weekend- happy 3rd birthday to my favorite furball.

went to the bakery for cupcakes.  so hard to choose!

and spent quality time in the park and out and about with these guys

Plus a lot of unpictured stuff like, saw a Tom Petty Cover Band (fun!), went out to dinner for date-night, tried a new recipe for stuffed peppers, went running, worked on projects, watched the finale of Hawaii-50 (enyone else like this show?), and got my hair cut.

Enjoy your Monday!

– Who watched the Eclipse? And what did you see?
– What kind of cupcake would you choose?  Choc & PB, Choc & Mint, PB&Jelly, Double Chocolate, Vanilla, or Red Velvet?

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Posted in Weekend

Eating at a Table

Posted on May 18, 2012 | 3 Comments

Hey there! It’s Friday- Yippee! My Healthy Intention yesterday was to eat every meal sitting down at a table, without any distractions (tv, computer, etc).

And it was so nice!!

I don’t know about you, but I tend to always have AT LEAST one distraction while I’m eating. It’s become a habit to eat breakfast on the couch whille watching tv, flipping through the newspaper, and reading blogs. There are days too when I’m running late and eat stanging up. Lunch is usually at my desk while I’m writing an email…or reading a blog. Dinner’s a little better and I’m more likely to be at a table….but still, there are many, many days when I’m mindlessly in front of the tv….or *eek!* eating in my car as I’m running to an event (so not satisfying!).

So, today my goal was to make time to slow down and eat without distractions AND NOT IN MY CAR!

Breakfast was sourdough toast with strawberry jam

I ate it sitting at my kitchen table, staring at the window and thinking about my day. It was really nice and calming.


Lunch: I was in a meeting from 9am until 1pm, so I was starving when I got out. If I didn’t make this my healthy intention of the day, I would have just eaten in my car. Instead, I waited till I parked at my office and sat outside on a bench. It was windy, but still much nicer than sitting at my desk!

I didn’t snap the photo until I finished eating, but there’s my empty tupperware for evidence that I actually sat outside and ate :-)

I did eat snacks at my desk…but that wasn’t part of the challenge so it was ok.

Dinner was easily eaten at the table. I went out with 7 girl friends for wine and tapas. We had a great time. I took only a dark photo from my iPhone, but including it anyways!

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Healthy Intention Challenge success!

—How often do you watch tv at mealtime?
—Which meals do you eat at the table vs couch?

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