Run Happy

I can't tell you how amazing the weather in Baltimore has been the past week. With the exception of one drizzly morning, it's been a continuous stream of brisk fall weather that I love. The skies are blue, the leaves are falling, and the sun still shines. You couldn't ask for better weather to run in so I've been taking full advantage of that these past few weeks. The other day I found a great 6 mile loop that runs through the most beautiful neighborhoods with giant monster mansions. It's really entertaining to look at them while I run and admire their architecture/wish I lived in one :)

I took this collage of photos while on that 6 mile loop the first time last week. Since then I've done the same one a few more times, and have taken some of my running friends on the trail too. 

If you're lucky enough to live in a city where there is decent weather in the fall months, I beg you to take advantage of it and just go for run or even a walk outside. I can't tell you how rejuvenating it feels to give your body a break from the stuffy indoors, for a little exercise in the fresh air. It does the mind a world of good. I swear I come out of an outdoor run feeling like a new person. I don't think anyone ever comes in from a nice relaxing run outside regretting that they did it. So trust me, it's always worth it. 

 Okay enough with my run outside before it gets too cold! rant. Onto regular foodie updates! 

Smoothies for breakfast! Last week I used the ingredients above: banana, Vega chocolate protein powder, almond butter, spinach, and Café Latte (made with almond milk!!-awesome whole foods purchase). This smoothie tasted just like a mocha frappuccino from Starbucks...only better. Definitely the best combo I've made in a while! 

A noteworthy dinner-quinoa with spinach and kale blend, and one of my mom's homemade sweet potato veggie burgers--doesn't get much better than that.

Just a random snack for a day in the library (big exam on Thursday ugh). 

Did you know they came out with KIND bars that have a third of the sugar! I love Kind bars but have always felt the need to limit how much I have them as a snack because they usually are high in sugar (aka 11-15g per bar). But when I saw these, I could have jumped for joy. Not only do they have WAY WAY WAY less sugar, but they taste BETTER than the regular ones. If you see them anywhere, definitely buy in bulk...or at least that's what I did...

Way to go KIND! 

Saturday night I went out to dinner with friends to a local sushi place. We shared steamed edamamé and then I got two smaller rolls-rainbow and spicy tuna. 

Breakfast just this morning--small bowl of fruit, Light and Fit raspberry yogurt (only 80 cals), and a slice of Ezekial sprouted grain toast with...

Another great recent Whole Foods find--Peach Delight Jam made from only peaches and sugar, and another bonus, they use way less sugar than most of the other jams on the market.

A little snacky-snack to fuel me through some work before I head for a run. Apple, GF pumpkin bread, and a soy chai latté (literally can't get through a day without one)

Speaking of chai lattés, one of my favorite places in Charles Village, Carma's Cafe, now has almond milk! I stop here at least 4 times a week for a chai so I was really pleased to see that they now offer almond milk in addition to soy for those of us who try to avoid whole or even nonfat milk. How accommodating of you Carma's! 

Before I leave you, I want to get back to running for a sec. Does anyone else listen to audiobooks while running or even just working out in general? Obviously music can be an awesome way to power through runs and can motivate you like no other, but if you enjoy reading, try downloading an audiobook and taking it on a run with you. It's just as easy as listening to music, and can be a really nice distraction. 

Last fall when I ran the Baltimore Half Marathon, I listened to The Davinci Code throughout the race, and it was great! I felt myself becoming so involved in the story, that I often forgot my legs were hurting and I was exhausted. 

Right now I'm finishing up a book called Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter. It's been on the best seller list, and my must read list for a while now, so I finally started it about a couple of weeks ago and am almost done. Really cool story that spans different characters' stories over a number of decades. Love, Hollywood, the coast of Italy, what more could you ask for?! 

Here are a few of the other books that are at the top of my must-read list:

If anyone has read any of these, let me know!! I don't know which one to read first! Also, any other book suggestions are always welcome!

Have a great Monday y'all!! 

I leave you with a cute pic of my little and I, she's the best. 

<3 Phi Mu!! 

Finally Back! ☺

Hi guys!! I realize that it's been far too long since my last post (August?!). To be honest, I'm not sure what exactly compelled me to take a break from the blogging. I think that after this past summer, which if you've been following for a while, you know that it was no walk in the park, I needed to just take a break from a lot of things that were creating extra noise in my life.
The blog is something that I love doing and it brings me a lot of joy to write and have friends talk to me about it. Actually writing it has been a huge source of calm in my life. When things get crazy, it's nice to have a forum to just type away about things that I love--food and staying healthy. But with that being said, the past few months required a major focus on school work, and so I had to go on a bit of a hiatus from blogging.
But I'm back now and ready to post tons of awesome workouts, recipes, and the usual updates of course.

Let's start out with some foodie pics, since that's my favorite part!

Just a few pictures of breakfasts I've enjoyed over the past few months. My favorite is the oatmeal, which is the perfect thing to have before trekking to class in the freezing cold. It's already getting too cold for my liking here in Baltimore. 

Stovetop oats with almond milk, hemp and chia seeds, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Blueberries mixed in and a bowl of raspberries on the side!

This isn't my normal breakfast but I guess I was feeling weird this particular morning. This is just a big plate of fruit with Mara Natha almond butter on the side to dip the apples in (and eat by the spoonful...)

Again with the fruit?! Yes...plus there's Siggi's Icelandic yogurt to dip the fruit in. I think I've mentioned this before but Siggi's is sooo good for you. It's my favorite yogurt on the market because it packs a protein punch and has the same thick and creamy texture as greek yogurt, but it also has a very low sugar content and is only 110 calories per container. Good deal!

A slice of Ezekiel sprouted cinnamon raisin bread toasted, with Siggi's Yogurt + raspberries on the side! 

Another yogurt bowl: Siggi's Yogurt, berries, flax seed and granola sprinkled on top. That's lemon water on the side. I try to have either a glass of warm water with lemon squeezed in or cup of green tea every morning just to get my metabolism kick-started for the day. 

Okay now the pictures just get a little random but I'v been stock piling them in my iphoto for the past few months so they have to go up now...

Lunch one day while I was home for a week at the end of the summer. 

Again this was at home because I could never make this myself. Mama Shelley is the BEST cook I know. This particular meal was especially amazing. Roasted brussels sprouts, quinoa, and teriyaki glazed scallops. 

Summer night treat-fro yo!!

Hey mama <3 

 Back to school! Homemade dinner with Kylie :)

Quinoa, sautéd veggies, and avocado all thrown together in one big delicious bowl. Fruit salad on the side!

There's this great little place by our campus called Pete's Grill. Everyone raves about it so I was really excited to finally be able to try it. My egg-white veggie omelet and home-fries were really great. I can see why this would be the best hangover food.

Ummm....I like almond butter I guess?

Cheese night with one of my best friends (and big!) here at Hopkins-Jordan! We try to make this a weekly thing. Cheese+crackers+wine+venting about life can be the most refueling part of the week.

Right before school started, Joey and I took an overnight trip to this great bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere Virginia. It was run by the two nicest guys who got up every morning and made an elaborate breakfast for the guests. This particular morning was peach french toast, fruit and yogurt parfait, extra fresh fruit on the side! 

The bed and breakfast was right on a farm and our cottage had a back porch that was super relaxing. 

Cows! 

Okay enough pictures of food et al. Time for a few workouts I'm challenging you to try! 

These are all workouts I found just by browsing through Pinterest. I've tried the leg one and it was great. I plan on doing the full-body one after a quick treadmill run later today. Let me know if you try any of them! Or if you have any other circuit type workouts that you feel work well then definitely tell me about them so I can post them (and give you credit obviously)! 

Finally, I've posted about Fit Sugar before but lately I've done this quick 10 minute circuit a couple of times a week just as a supplement to my normal workout, and let me tell you, the first time I did it, I woke up the next day very sore!..in a good way! Give it a try! 

That's all I have for you today, but I'll be back later this week and plenty more. No more long breaks for a long while. It feels good to be back! Have a great Tuesday!! 

An End to Orgo and Jet-setting the East Coast

Guys, first and foremost, I have been really bad about taking pictures of eats lately. The end of summer classes was a whirlwind of a struggle so I promise there wasn't much in the way of really appetizing looking meals. 

BUT THEN

Orgo was finally over and I met my parents in NYC for the weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday. We ate tons of good food, saw some amazing broadway shows, and shopped a little. Basically it was a 48 hour period of de-stressing after a summer that was really tough on me mentally and emotionally.

Restaurant recommendation alert!!-Go to Zé Cafe next time you're in NYC. It's a very small and cozy restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It used to be a flower shop and is still owned by the same people so a lot of the decor is earthy with lots of beautiful (and real!) flowers throughout the space. Not to mention that the food was just amazing. Wow, I can't recommend this place enough. 

A few pics from the weekend...

Of course the only picture of food I took the whole weekend was of my breakfast parfait....

Happy birthday Mom!! :) 

After that crazy fun weekend, I then headed up to Maine to visit Joey at the lake-front resort he is working at for the summer. This is the second time I have seen him all summer and the 5 days I was there flew by.

When Joey wasn't working (meaning I was reading and sleeping), we were hiking, going to flea markets, paddle boarding, and taking a day trip to Portland!

Fresh blueberries to pick on the trail!

Freezing cold pool we jumped into at the end of the hike!

Beautiful Lake Kezar 

As far as workouts go, I've just been fitting them in whenever/however I can. In NYC I listened to my body and took a day off. The next couple of days I was doing my standard 4 mile (ish) run with some intervals, and then abs and a little strength training if I had time. 

In Maine, there was no gym so I ran outside most mornings. It was actually really great for my legs because I haven't run outside in a while. Also, the terrain there is pretty hilly so I definitely felt sore the next day. My butt isn't used to that uphill anymore! 

Now I'm back in Baltimore for a few days just hanging out and getting a few things done here before I head home to good ol' Charlotte for 8 days. My last little vaca before school starts :) Can't wait! 

My dinner last night...nothing too exciting, but I finally remembered to take a picture of a meal so I had to add it in here. 

Seaweed salad and shrimp from Fresh Market, carrots and corn cakes with hummus, apple, and a few slices of cheese on the side! 

Alright, I'm off now to hit up a new yoga studio I discovered yesterday. They have a hot power yoga class that I really want to try. I'll be back soon with a more informative post. I think a new recipe to share with you guys is in order! 

XOXO

Photo-Heavy Updates

It's been a while since I've had time to do a regular old update post so get ready for lots of pictures of food and friends that will make your mouth water (the food...not my friends...hopefully?)

You haven't been a true resident of Maryland until you've savagely torn apart fresh caught crab for consumption....

So much Old Bay! 

Pretty view of the sun setting over the harbor while nomming on those crabbies.

DC day trip with friends! The temperature was in the 100s that day and we walked a ton, but it was a really fun day filled with sightseeing, shopping, and of course...

Georgetown cupcakes were a must!

From top left going clockwise: chocolate peanut butter, vanilla birthday cake, lemon cream, mocha, mint chocolate, and red velvet. 

Note: this was SIX cupcakes shared between THREE girls....not even sorry about it.

 Back tracking a little (sorry these pics are a little out of order)...I decided to take a very last minute trip down to Myrtle Beach, SC over 4th of July weekend to visit with my family and surprise my G-Daddy (aka-grandpa) for his 75th birthday! 

I flew into Charlotte where my mom picked me up and we drove 3.5 hours to the beach. It was dinner time when my plane landed and I was starving. Thank goodness my mom, being her usual thoughtful self, packed a dinner for me because she knew I wouldn't want any fast food :) 

Dinner included quinoa, broccoli, apples with almond butter, and fresh cut cantaloup. Does she know me well or what?! 

Dinner to celebrate my Gdaddy's birthday was an ever-popular pot of low country boil. I love this dinner so much. The best part are the little steamed shrimpies and corn! Mmmm. 

Both my G-Daddy and Gandy (grandma) have birthdays within a couple weeks of each other, and both turned big numbers this year (75 and 70 respectively). We had coconut cake and homemade butter-finger ice cream for dessert. Happy birthday you two!! 

After all the delicious food over 4th of July weekend, it was time to get back to my own home-cooked meals. This particular night it was quinoa mix with spinach and edamame. Scrambled egg whites on the side. 

Dessert: 4 squares of dark choco (90 cals total) and a cup of hot tea in my favorite smiley face mug (remember when Joey painted it for me?...check out this post)

Another random dinner: corn cakes with roasted red pepper spread, and sautéed spicy shrimp

Next day's lunch: spinach salad with quinoa, goat cheese, and leftover spicy shrimp

Lunch at work: apple with almond butter packet, corn cakes, carrots and celery with hummus, and mixed nuts and raisins. 

Whole Foods grocery shopping...no joke one of my favorite things to do is grocery shop. I'm going to do a whole post about it next week so look forward to that one!

Dirty chai made with almond milk from Whole Foods. I love that they have soy milk, almond milk, and even rice milk there for you to ask for in your coffee.

Breakfast to go: plain non-fat greek yogurt with fiber O's (whole foods brand), flax, a little agave nectar, and berries on the side. 

Lunch from Whole Foods: fruit salad with cheese and a cup of vegetable soup.

Homemade pizza! The crust was bought fresh from Whole Foods and on top we put pesto, mozzarella, spinach, goat cheese, tomatoes, and garlic. It was absolutely amazing.  

Hot breakfast: apple oatmeal with strawberries and a sprinkling of cinnamon 

Lunch one day this week: grapes, corn cakes, apple, and a cup of Siggi's vanilla yogurt. 

And just for fun because this little guy is leaving me soon :( 

Alright I'll leave you with my favorite song to workout to this week...don't judge...it's a really embarrassing one...

"We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus....

I can't believe I'm actually putting this out there for the public to see. 

Enjoy!! xoxo