"Everybody Wants to be a Cat"

I have come to learn recently that cats sleep all day, everyday. I think they're really cute when they sleep so I take far too many pictures of Joey's cats sleeping in different cute positions. I don't know what else to do with them but put them here, so enjoy. 

Gump

Moses

Nap time with Mo 

Gump sleeps in the weirdest positions

Honestly,  I wish I could sleep as much as they do! Instead, my day-to-day summer schedule is breakfast, work, lunch, LSAT, gym, dinner, LSAT, TV, sleep. There are a few variations on that depending on what my friends and I are doing, but by 10pm, I'm exhausted and ready to crawl into bed. 

Somewhere in all of that, I got to meet my family at the beach for the 4th, and have some pretty amazing meals...

Dinner before leaving for the beach was made by my friend Alice and I. This delicious meal included salmon stuffed with feta and spinach, sautéed broccolini and summer squash, with whipped sweet potatoes (my absolute favorite food lately). 

Then it was time to drive to Cape May to spend time with family and friends <3

Morning run along the pier 

Seafood dinner! We tackled live lobster this time...and I mean literally tackled them. It was quite the ordeal getting those live guys into the pot. 

They were huge!! 

In addition to the giant lobsters, we also had clams, seared scallops, and raw oysters (which I didn't partake in..not a huge fan of raw oysters). Everything was so delicious and I was stuffed afterwards!

It was a rainy day on our second day at the beach so we found ways to entertain ourselves indoors...not sure why we thought this was a good idea?

Beautiful Cape May Sunset 

While shopping in the town of Cape May, I saw this sign and laughed because it's SO true for me. I have become a coffee addict and it's pathetic.

Dinner  on our last night in Cape May was at the Blue Pig Tavern. They offered a lot of great options from freshly caught seafood to pasta and a great cheese board :) 

Dad wanted me to take a picture of his dinner. Linguini bolonaise which he said was very good!

Duncan's seafood pasta was awesome but...

My perfectly grilled swordfish with beat risotto was probably the most amazing dish I've had from a restaurant in forever. I ate every bite and hardly wanted to share any of it!

On our way out of town, we stopped in a little shop that boasted fresh fruit smoothies and vegan ice cream! I got their green smoothie and it was perfectly refreshing and a nice change of pace from all the heavy food I ate over the weekend. Sometimes all I need is a green pick-me-up to feel like I have reset my digestion in a way.

Spinach, almond milk, pineapple, banana, and ice!

We also stopped into a peanut-butter shop on our way out of Cape May. Yes you read that right...a PEANUT BUTTER SHOP. It was awesome. They had all different types of nut butters and flavored peanut butters. Along with other peanut products, jams, and peanut butter baked goods. AND you could taste anything!! I should have taken pictures but I was honestly so overwhelmed/excited to be in there that I didn't even think to get out my camera. It was heaven on earth. I ended up leaving with their classic salted peanut butter and their hazelnut butter which actually didn't have any hazelnuts in it. I swear it's better than Nutella. 

Back in Balty for weekend lunch with friends at Artifact Coffee. It's a favorite of my friends', but it was my first time going and I was not disappointed! I started with a soy honey lavender latte and shared a bran muffin with Es. For my main, I ordered this sandwich: Spike's greenhouse on spelt bread with kale, onion, cheddar, cucumber, shaved summer squash, and special sauce. It was really substantial for being vegetarian..definitely kept me full until dinner time.

Cooking dinner with Es (per usual)-broiled talapia with TJ's pineapple mango salsa (highly recommend it!) with a side of quinoa and baked asparagus with shaved parmesan. We have really been stepping up our cooking game! Go us.

Dooby's coffee is my favorite in Baltimore and lucky for me, it's on my way to work! It's definitely a pricy soy vanilla latté but the quality makes it worth it. If you live in the B'more area and enjoy a really good cup of coffee, I highly recommend it. *They also have really good oatmeal and baked goods :)

Maybe it's time I talk about some fitness stuff since this blog is supposed to be about healthy living. I get too carried away with the food sometimes! 

So the workouts as of late have been really varied-

1. Running outside *when it's not too hot* 

Last week I went on a trail run with my favorite running buddy, Katie, who is back from her semester abroad in Chile. It was so nice to run with her again and catch up on our semester apart. So happy she's back and excited for more runs this year!

2. Strength training with Joey

-no pics but it kicks my ass

3. Circuits complements of Kayla Itsines

-these are great quick cardio sessions that get your heart rate up and your muscles on fire...especially leg day!

Trying really hard to look happy after a Kayla workout but secretly dying.

Food Food Food : Smoothies & Sandwiches

It's been a little while since I did a post dedicated to food updates so here's a look at my eats as of late! 

Smoothies!-In Baltimore's blistering humidity, there's nothing better than a refreshingly cool smoothie made with real fruit. 

Strawberry banana and peach mango smoothies from Milk and Honey--a local food market deli and café in Mt. Vernon 

This is the "Agent Orange" smoothie from Liquid Earth--a vegan/raw restaurant in Fells Point that specializes in fresh pressed juices, smoothies, and of course vegan and raw food options that are amazing. I always say that if I could make things like they do at Liquid Earth, then I could easily be vegan. You don't even miss the cheese!!

Sandwiches!-For whatever reason, I've been really craving sandwiches lately. Usually a big salad or wrap sounds better to me but sandwiches have been my main jam this month.

This is a 3-seed health bread, avocado, tomato, and arugula toasted panini from Milk and Honey. It was seriously spectacular. I would have one every day if I lived closer. 

Out to Dinner!- Went with two friends to this great local B'More restaurant called Ryleigh's Oyster Bar. I'm not a huge fan of raw oysters, which is of course their specialty. But the rest of their food is great too. It's a laid back bar type atmosphere...perfect for watching the world cup games while enjoying delicious food that is well above bar quality. I will definitely be going back there soon!

We started with their grilled octopus appetizer that came with roasted red bell peppers and balsamic glaze. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the octopus was cooked. It wasn't too chewy at all. 

We obviously had to get an order of the cheesy crab pretzel...another one of their famous appetizers. I told myself only to have one bite but come on...IT'S A CHEESY CRAB PRETZEL for crying out loud! We easily devoured those guys.

Main course: seared scallops with brown rice and lemon aioli. Another slam dunk. I know that scallops can be a bit controversial because of their texture but I love 'em. I actually could have had a few more than the three they served me :P 

Yet again, another sandwich. I picked up some sunflower spelt bread from the market and have been using it for my sandwiches these past couple of weeks. Between the bread went homemade tuna salad, hummus, goat cheese, and mixed lettuce. Apple on the side per usual.

And less than a week later, I was back at Liquid Earth for lunch with friends. I had the "powerhouse sandwich" which included tomatoes, sprouts, munster cheese, and mushrooms on multigrain bread. For being a traditionally vegan restaurant, they threw a giant piece of cheese on my sandwich, but I wasn't complaining. 

Random fruit salad for breakfast one morning.

The BEST homemade dinner I've made in a while: Feta and artichoke stuffed peppers! We used this recipe but subbed quinoa for the rice. They were so easy to make and packed in a punch of flavor with a spicy kick from the chili flakes. I will most definitely be making this dish over and over again.

So there's the eats of the past few weeks! I'm off to Cape May, NJ in a couple of days to celebrate the 4th with my family at the beach. Updates to come from there :) 

Hellish H.I.I.T--but actually awesome, so do it.

This H.I.I.T workout was designed by Joey (who is now officially a certified personal trainer--woohoo!!). It may not seem so bad when you first look at it, but you have been warned...it's really really tough. Try it out next time you don't have a ton of time but want to get in a really solid sweat inducing workout.

HIIT

For time:
.10 mile sprint at 85% effort
10 pushups
10 kettle bell thrusters
10 burpees
^repeat 10 times!!
1 mile run

In the end, you will have sprinted a mile, done 100 pushups, 100 kettle bell thrusters, and 100 burpees! Not to mention that last mile you kicked ass on (most likely). Do it once a week and time yourself each time to see your progress each week. The first time I did it, it took me 30 minutes to do the 10xcircuit and then I ran an 8.12 mile. The second time, it took me 27 minutes to do the first part with an 8.06 mile at the end. So it's a steady improvement but my goal is to break 25 minutes for the first part and then run the mile in under 8 minutes. I'll let you know when (if) that happens ;)

Let me know if you try it out! I've said it before and I'll say it again and again-- I really love hearing from y'all!!

Special thanks to Joey for writing up this killer workout!

Recap and Groceries 101

I know it's been way too long! It proved to be a whirlwind end to the year with finals, end of year events, and too many friends graduating from Hopkins.Then it was off to Charlotte to spend a nice week at home and to see my younger brother graduate from high school (he's off to run at Boston College next year!).

Lol- Congrats Ev!

We love our G-Daddy

After that relaxing week of family time, I was jetting off to Aruba with my two great friends. We had such a blast--there was sun, clear blue ocean water, a lazy river, snorkeling, scuba diving, drinks, and as always..amazing food. I can't even begin to explain the plethora of fresh fish that I had at almost every meal. And to top it all off, we even managed to work out every day while there!


We were primarily doing the circuits from the first week of Kayla Itsines' 12 week training guide while there, but we also incorporated a few days of low intensity, long workouts like walking, jogging, and biking. Usually we knocked out the workouts in the morning before heading out to the pool/beach so that we wouldn't have to worry about doing it later in the day after a draining day of laying in the sun ;) I highly recommend working out in the morning while on vacation because there's nothing worse than a) thinking about it all day while you're trying to relax with a poolside cocktail and b) having to come in from the beach earlier than you wanted to because you have to get to the gym before dinner. Basically it's just sad all around so knock it out in the morning!

A few notable pics from the best/much needed vacation :)

Post-workout smoothies

Some lunch-time frozen beverages. It's vacation, so we indulged! 

My first time scuba diving! So amazing.

But enough about the vacation (although I could go on and on about it all day long)...onto the point of this post!

Grocery Shopping 101!! 

I got a few requests to do a post about what I generally buy each time I go to the grocery store and since I was long overdue for groceries post-vacation, I thought I'd document the trip to Harris Teeter (which is much like Giant, but a lot nicer and with more variety in my opinion).

My cart at the store..I clearly had a lot to stock up on

The fruit: apples (bought at farmer's market), bosc pairs, lemons, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and cantaloup. I'm a HUGE fruit person so I tend to buy a lot of it..any thing from berries for smoothies, to bananas for cereal, to cantaloup and apples for cutting up for a quick snack...i like it all

Breakfast items: Kashi Raisin Vineyard cereal (a new buy, it's pretty good and not too sweet which I like), vanilla almond milk, lots of greek yogurt, and fresh-squeezed OJ

Veggies: Sooo many veggies here...spring mix, celery, tomatoes, zucchini and squash (from farmer's market), brussels sprouts, onion, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, and "pico de guaco" (salsa+guac in one container-great for salads and wraps!)

Protein: Faux-chicken strips, tuna, chickpeas, and black beans

Grains: a lot of quinoa, crackers for snacking, and "flat out" wraps (a new try, but I definitely will be buying them again. So soft and only 100 calories..plus flax!)

Miscellaneous: Peach green tea, EVOO, edamame hummus, goat cheese, lemon herb aioli, and almond butter 

Tuna salad wrap and a pear on the side for lunch...this has been my exact lunch for a few days in a row now. 

Kashi Raisin Vineyard cereal with strawberries and a banana, mini flax waffle on ze side!

So there you have it! That's mostly the things that I buy when I go to the store...obviously not the exact same things are purchased every time, but hopefully you get the general idea of the things I tend to purchase.

Also, some of those items were used in recipes--such as the lemon herb aioli being used to make a tuna salad (recipe to come soon!)--so if they seem a bit random, that's probably why.

That's all I've got for you today, but I must say that I'm really happy to be back blogging again. It truly makes me feel so blessed when people tell me they read the blog and have missed it while I took that hiatus. Hopefully that won't have to happen again anytime soon! I'll be back tomorrow with a great circuit to try!