Mar 30, 2012

And here I thought I wasn’t going to get the chance to run

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  • Running because I WANT to
  • Greek Yogurt and popcorn

I would like to just give a special shout-out to one of my best friends today! Happy Birthday Rose!! I hope you had a very special day and hope your weekend of celebrations is just as wonderful as you!

Running because I want to

And not because I have to.

Last night I had my normal grad school operations management class scheduled. I arrived to class right on time and Jackie and I walked in to find out that the teacher had “forgotten” some items at home and would be at least a half hour late. He is always saying how grad school classes should be real life like work and if I ever told my boss I wasn’t prepared for something he would tell me to reschedule and wouldn’t wait so I decided not to wait either… we left!

Now, this is TOTALLY out of character for me. Usually I get really nervous when I miss class thinking that I am going to miss something life-changing. Turns out, it was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be haha.

So when I got home I quickly realized that I had no idea what to do with myself! Having hours in the evening to just do whatever?!? I had no idea what they felt like. Usually I am running off to workout class, grad school class, or some other commitment for work. So when I sat down on the couch and started thinking about the best use of my time, I realized that I was finally getting to the point where I wanted to be with running…

Because running was exactly what I wanted to do with my time.

It was a nice 45ish degrees outside so I bundled up just enough and let my feet hit the pavement for a 4 mile run. My goal for this run was to try to improve my time. I knew distance wasn’t the best goal to set because it gets dark out and well I get hungry haha so I knew I couldn’t be gone too incredibly long.

Goal was met and I finished with an average pace around 10:40 which is faster than my 11:15ish pace so I as proud of that. As I mentioned before by the time the halathon comes up I hope to be doing under a 10 min mile but the primary goal is pretty simple..

Just finish!

This run did really make me realize that inspiration comes in so many different forms as so many different times throughout your day/life. I had a conversation earlier that afternoon with 2 girls I work with about running (they are doing a halfathon in May) and we just chatted about the things that we struggle with, the things we do well, where we like to run, our pace, our goals, and most importantly what running means to us. It was so nice to chat with them because I feel like we are all at that stage in running where we are starting to really enjoy it and we look forward to it yet we still struggle a little to meet all the goals we set for ourselves. The talk really did inspire me when I got home because I already had running on the brain and after reflecting on all of the reason why I enjoy running, it made me want to do it even more!

Here are some of the reasons why I love running

  • It’s time I get to commit to just ME
  • It’s a time to reflect on what has been going on in my life recently
  • It’s a time where I outwardly express my appreciate for my body and all that it is capable of
  • It helps me sort of conflicts I have going on in my life because it clears my head of all the “shit” that is usually in there
  • It feel good to accomplish goals
  • It feels good to depend on my feet and not on technology to take me everywhere
  • It helps my body to become stronger

So, if you are a runner? What are the reasons you love running?

 

Food I’ve Tried

I don’t know if I have ever shared this before but I am extremely picky about Greek Yogurt. Every since the Greek Yogurt bandwagon as been moving I have wanted to jump on. Sometimes I am totally successful, driving the wagon or at least sitting in the front and sometimes I just fall right off. Majority of the time I am hanging out for dear life.

Here are my general thoughts/reviews on Greek Yogurt…

  1. Chobani- I’m pretty sure this is like the #1 seller within the Greek Yogurt market but I just can’t do it. It just always seems super thick to me and something about that super thick consistency makes it hard for me to enjoy. Maybe I just need to try a different flavor- who knows but for now I assume I am not a big deal
  2. FAGE- I think this was probably the first Greek yogurt I ever tried and it was also just a little too thick for me and tasted a little bitter. I think I liked the one with the honey on the side but I remember needing to add even more honey than what came with it
  3. Yoplait- I got kind of hooked on Yoplait Greek yogurt for a while- it was one of the first ones I actually liked and I still like it- thinner and they have really great flavors
  4. Stoneyfield- I never disliked Stoneyfield and I wouldn’t deny one but I never got really into it
  5. NosTiMo- I just tried the blueberry for the first time the other day (it had fun writing on the packaging so I was immediately drawn to it in the grocery store) and I have to say it was pretty good. It was a little thick so I was worried I wouldn’t like it but I really did enjoy it. The blueberry was just enough and there were just actual specs of blueberry in it which is always a big win for me!

    6. OIKOS (by Dannon)- I literally just ate this today and I LOVED in. Go figure this one is not fat free right? The consistency was pretty perfect to how I like it and honestly I felt like the strawberry flavor tasted like I was eating a strawberry pound cake or something… that is how much I liked it! This is a winner for me and I think I’ll be getting more of it at the grocery store during my next trip!

Riddle me this: Do you have a favorite Greek Yogurt?!

Now, let’s talk a little about popcorn! I go through legit phases with popcorn. I will LOVE it for months and then not eat it for like a year and I am apparently on my phase of loving it because I have really been enjoying it! I like all sorts of popcorn- I love the occasional buttery salty kind (which I ate today at work since we always have popcorn on Fridays). I love the 94% fat free better for you popcorn (which I will occasionally put my own butter on haha). I love the bad for you caramel corn from the fair. I love the sweet salty mixture of kettle corn. And I even sometimes enjoy that colorful popcorn that you used to love as a kid.

Then I found a popcorn BAG that makes me feel like a kid again!

First off, finding popcorn at Acme is HARD. They have it like hidden on shelves near the produce not by the potato chips and nuts like they should. So after asking the boy stocking the shelves I finally got to pick out my own popcorn. I opted for a box of just regular light butter popcorn and then came across these tremendously amazing bags of kettle corn.

They actually look like a bowl of popcorn!

Amazing right? Well I thought so. Plus, this was a delicious treat. There is seriously something magical about having a snack that is both sugary sweet and salty. It’s like peanut butter and jelly… it’s just fits. Don’t ask questions.

I do recommend this so give it a try if you like kettle corn! It is really cool to see the bag start popping in the microwave and see it turn into a bowl. I tried to snag a picture of it but the light reflecting off the microwave just was not my friend so I just suggest you try it for yourself and see if you are as impressed as I clearly am!

 

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my friend and family.

Filed Under: Good Eats and Treats, Primary Menu · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Mar 29, 2012

Keep It Coming…

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Birthday Dinner Date

If you read my actual birthday post yesterday, you know that I pretty much LOVE my birthday! As a matter of fact I love it so much that I felt a little sad when I woke up today and realized that I wouldn’t have another birthday for another 365 days.

People keep warning me that the day after the wedding I am going to really feel bad… because you won’t have another one of those… well ever.

But last night I ended my birthday with a bang… Tim and I had a hot date to The Lockview Tavern in downtown Akron. I have been wanting to go here since Casey, Jen and myself attempted to make dinner plans there only to find out that they weren’t open for some reason that day (a weird sort of holiday maybe? I don’t remember). But anyway when Tim said we could go anywhere I knew I wanted to try somewhere we hadn’t been before and since we both L.O.V.E grilled cheese and because I wanted to not care about my waist line on my birthday we went to live it up with cheesy goodness smashed in between warm bread!

We actually made it there JUST in time for a few happy hour specials so I got a pomegranate martini (and I only had 1- not like my other birthday celebration at Flemings).

And in case you can’t see the true beauty of that girl right there I took a close up…

And Tim got this orange martini that had too many spices in it for me… but it did look really pretty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And because appetizers were half hour (for 3 whole remaining minutes) we decided the timing was right to order some of those too! So we opted for the macaroni and cheese bites (fried cheesy noodles- can’t go wrong) and a basket of tatter tots that came highly recommended by a co-worker.

After all of that food, even though we didn’t need it, we each ordered a sandwich since that was, after all, what we went there to get! I got the #2 and Tim got the #3 (and they need to update their menu online because I believe my sandwich was more than $6).

My review: My sandwich was good. Acceptable. Worth the money. May try it again. Tim’s sandwich was DELICIOUS. Perfect. Would have paid more. Will order it next time. Will make it at home.

There was something the spiciness of the peppers mixed in with the cheese that really hit the spot. The blue cheese dressing for dipping was also a highlight but you didn’t need it. Although Tim is amused that I dip EVERYTHING even before I try it. He keeps telling me that I should try things plain before I add more salt or a dressing yet I just can’t seem to break the habit of the dip.

We ended the evening with the peanut buttercup cakes that Casey got us from Pandora’s Cupcakes in Akron and well.. they were fantastic! Although I have to say I am really looking forward to Peggy from Just Desserts in Medina’s cupcakes for the wedding! These cupcakes were devoured while watching Whitney and some 90210! Looking forward to The Vampire Diaries tonight when I get home from my grad school class!!

 

Salmon Salad

I like egg salad.

I like tuna salad.

I like chicken salad.

So why shouldn’t I like salmon salad?

The answer is simple, I should!

We had left over salmon from the cookout with my mom the other night and wanted to put it to good use but wasn’t sure what I would do with it. I’m typically not a fan of re-heated fish. So I decided to make some salmon salad after being inspired by some blogs and recipes online. It was pretty simple

  • Shred the cooked salmon I already had
  • 1 hard boiled egg
  • Mayonnaise
  • Onions
  • Red peppers

Mix it all together, put it on some bread and you have a really taste and good for your sandwich for lunch!

This was so filling I could only eat half of my sandwich and it was so tasty that I am looking forward to making it again. The salmon egg mix is what really did me in I think. The unique flavors somehow someway blended together really nicely. All of that with a dash of salt and pepper on some whole wheat bread, some spinach, and some cut up tomato (which is hidden under there) and it is a lunch to be proud of!

My review: Loved it. Will have it again. Soon. You should try it.

 

Working Out

It probably goes without saying (since I usually update good workouts on here) that my work out schedule has been LACKING this week! Between birthday fun and and injury I sustained at last weeks soccer game I have been a little bit behind on my work out goals for the week. BUT I did at least get 1 workout in this week!

But to my injury. So the goalie and I got in a little bit of a fight till the death match at the game (he won I guess considering it resulted in no goal for me) and my knees took the grunt of the hit. Practically ripped off all of the skin on my left knee (and a little on my right) and it ended up throbbing for days! I did take a picture of it but trust me, it was extremely gross so I decided the right thing to do would be to delete it.

That darn turf really freaking hurts!

But on Monday I knew it was my one and only day to get a really good workout in (considering Tuesday was dinner with the parents for my bday, Wednesday was my bday dinner with Tim, and Thursday I have grad school class) so like the champ I am I wrapped up that knee and headed downstairs to complete a CrossFit routine.

Gross I know but I am glad I got the workout in this week! My mom had to tweak a few things for me (since I couldn’t kneel at all) but everything worked out and I was feeling great! My arms were a little sore on Tuesday but it was well worth it!!

It’s still feeling a little rough today but I can at least wear pants because I don’t cry when something touches it. As long as it heels by Sunday (when it is bound to happen again) I’m a happy girl!!!

The workout consisted of 1 minute work with 20 seconds in between and had…

  • Bicep curl and row on Pilates reformer
  • dip drive with Olympic bar
  • Skull crusher triceps workout
  • Press with the cable system
  • Sit-up with medicine ball side to side

Great upper body workout which was PERFECT for me since my injury really only held back the lower part of my body.

But oh my goodness those skull crusher triceps workout is HARD. I was just trying not to drop the bar on my head!

Filed Under: CrossFit-ing, Good Eats and Treats, My family is the best · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,
Mar 28, 2012

A VERY Happy Birthday!

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Today is a great day.

Saying it with me.. TODAY IS A GREAT DAY!

Why do you ask?

Because today is my 26th birthday!

Now, I know that some people aren’t into their birthdays. Some people hate getting older. Some people hate being the center of attention. Some people just think birthdays are not a big deal.

I am not one of those people.

I love my birthday!

So much in fact that I try to spread it out over a couple of days every year if I can and this year I was pretty successful at it! So last week, while I was in Miami, we started some birthday celebrations by having the opportunity to attend the Miami Heat game. I’m not a HUGE basketball fan but I don’t care who you are- it’s still cool to see a good game!

Then Saturday, as you may have read a few days ago, I got to celebrate my birthday with Casey and Mark. And Sunday I got to celebrate by spending the day with Kara! Then Monday I got to open some presents with Peyton and my sister!

Then last night the birthday festivities really kicked off at Sushi on a Roll in Medina by having dinner with my wonderful parents, Tim, and Peyton. We had a fantastic time! We have a traditional in our house that we have been doing for a little while now where the birthday person has to find the hidden cupcake. This cupcake contains a wonderful surprise… like make-up, gifts cards, money, or other special little birthday treats and since we were out to eat for my birthday celebrations I had to walk around the restaurant to find the cupcake!

And with Peyton’s help I found it stashed behind the water feature! YAY for a gift card to Bath and Body Words… I L.O.V.E. their hand soup and candles and always have the house stocked up on those goodies so this gift was just perfect! Thank you Mom and Dad!

For dinner we had MASSIVE amounts of Sushi which was really delicious. I wasn’t sure how authentic this sushi place would taste but I’ll tell you what it was just a casual atmosphere with great food. It is set up more like a Panera where you order at the counter and then just find a seat and the guy running the place didn’t seem to mind us laughing loudly and having a great time! Chances are good that we will be back =)

Now Peyton is a pretty picky eater and she has a tendency to want to spend more time playing than eating when we are out to eat so we had to think of some unique ways to get her interested in her food. After the failed attempt with the chop sticks we tried NO utensils and she seemed to like that for a little while!

But then, like any normal 3 year old, she got bored of that and we needed to move on to something else! So we decided to have our own little version of lady and the tramp… although I’m not sure we ever specified who was the lady and who was the tramp!

Either her skin looks very white or I am starting to darken in my old age haha

We wrapped up dinner with a family photo before taking off for a delicious treat!

After dinner we debating a while over Dairy Queen or Lemonberry (the new Fro-Yo place in Medina on the square) and Peyton and I agreed that the winner was… LEMONBERRY! This was my first time there and as you know I am pretty close to being obsessed with Menchies so I figured I would love Lemonberry and well I did!

That wrapped up my “Birthday Eve” celebration and Tim and I went home with very full bellies and a lot of left over sushi!

The next morning I woke up to a great day filled with sunshine and warm weather! Then when I got to work I was thrilled to see that my co-worker and friend Jackie had decorated my cubical for me! She did such a fabulous job!!

And on top of a very delicious box of treats from Panera she left me this adorable card (which is just so Jackie- girly and adorable!)

Casey was also there to greet me in the morning with a nice surprise from Pandora’s Cupcakes!

Tim is going to be VERY happy for these Peanut Butter Cup cupcakes after our birthday date this evening!!

And my birthday celebrations don’t end there! My other co-worker and friend Angela made me one of my favorite desserts (in the top 3 for sure) APPLE CRISP! She is a DELICIOUS chef and baker so this Apple Crisp quickly became my breakfast!

And my birthday celebrations STILL didn’t end! Alyson made cheesecake brownies, Christina brought me over a funny and wonderful card with Reece Cup treats and then after a meeting I came back to my desk and found THESE!

It is probably already obvious at this point that Tim is wonderful to me and this was just an extra special treat! There is something about getting something delivered to you at work that just makes you feel really special! It’s a very obvious and outward sign that someone loves you and that anyone can appreciate that! I don’t always know if I deserve him and how good he is to me, but I love him and appreciate all that he does for me!

And even though Jen sort of forgot about my bday until the very last minute she made me this pretty sweet sign out of post-it notes…

THEN to top ALL off…

- The bridal shop called and my DRESS IS IN! So I get to try on MY VERY OWN wedding dress this Saturday!

- My friend Renee just told me that a baby was born not too long along and I got to see her picture and she was just adorable!

 

So a special thank you to all of my family and friends who have helped make my birthday an extra special! To all of my facebook friends that said hello to my friends that baked, decorated, and hugged me to my family who loves me every day and always makes my birthday special, to the stranger on the street that smiled this morning…. THANK YOU! You all truly made this a magical day for me and I am looking forward to my date with Tim this evening and more celebration with Robin, Gary, and crew on Friday!!

 

  • What is the best birthday memory you have?
  • What is the best birthday gift you have ever received?
  • What is your FAVORITE flower?

 

 

Filed Under: My family is the best · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,
Mar 27, 2012

Shopping in the “Special” Section

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So I recently have made my way over to the “special” section of the grocery store. Acme has a special little section of their “Organic and Natural” items that I have been browsing recently and I have tried a few new delicious items I thought I would share with you!

#1: All Natural “Good Greens”

These things apparently account for 100% of your daily fruits and vegetables and they were on sale for 3/$5 so I thought what the hey give it a try and I am pretty glad I did.

I grabbed a chocolate raspberry one that didn’t even make it out of the parking lot because I was starving.

I got a chocolate peanut butter one

and I got a wildberry one

If you are having some trouble reading that packing it says that it has….

  • Omego 3
  • 12g Protein
  • 3 Probiotics
  • 40 Antioxidants
  • Low Glycemic

All of those things sounded relatively healthy to me so I was game to give them a try.

My review: pretty good. I typically enjoy a good protein/bar type snack and fell in love with Luna bars for a short time a while back. The chocolate raspberry one to me tasted a little chalky compared to the others but I found the chocolate peanut butter one just delightful. If that claim is true (and I guess it should be close to true to be on the packaging) than it was worth every bite to consume all of my daily fruits and vegetables I need.

It was also pretty filling which is good for me since I typically like to enjoy these types of snacks mid-afternoon when my belly starts growling at me.

#2 Kashi Blueberry Waffles

First off, I love Kashi commercials. I am assuming that is a legit consumer test where they walk around and make people try their cereal. That one where they open up the egg shaped bowl and BAM there is a box of cereal… pure genius I tell you.

So when Casey suggested I try to the Kashi waffles I excitedly and ridiculously exclaimed YES! Then when I realized they had blueberry I yelled to Tim from across the store quietly mentioned to Tim “look blueberry!”

Here are a few things I love about waffles in general…

  • They are easy to travel to work with
  • They make you feel like a kid again
  • I love 1000 toppings for waffles and can mix it up all of the time

So at work I enjoyed them with some peanut butter on one of them and some syrup on the other (I often can make up my mind).

And then at home I enjoyed them in a much fancier version with blueberry syrup on top with strawberries and blueberries on the side. Truly they were delicious.

My one and only complaint.. they are a little pricer compared to the not good for you at all kind which I guess is to be expected. They were around $4 for 8 waffles so I guess I’ll have to keep my eye out for some coupons on these things so I can afford them!

My overall review: Delicious. Cannot wait to buy more. I loved loved that the waffles actually had a blue tint.. looked so authentic compared to those waffles that are white as a ghost with weird sugary blue specs.

#3 Van’s French Toast Sticks

Another recommendation from Casey… Van’s French Toast sticks.

If you have a market day near you by one of your schools then you may know how delicious market day French toast sticks are. But you have your full week of sugar intake in one simple little stick which gets your belly no where… try like 10 sticks to satisfy this belly!

But these are just wonderful. You can pop them right in the toaster and they look like a piece of break except that they rip apart and turn into little French toast sticks with a hint of cinnamon that is just enough but not overwhelming.

Drawback is again the price. You only get 6 of these puppies for close to $4 so I guess it’s another opportunity for me to start finding some valuable coupons!

Since I ate these at home and I knew I was going to have a very active day I loaded up on breakfast and had one piece (or 3 sticks) of the French Toast with 2 over-medium eggs (which Tim cooked up for me- so sweet) and fruit on the side! Raspberries and blueberries.. yummy!

My overall review: Great! I will buy these again… tasted great and I know they are better for you than what I would buy otherwise. Plus, they are super easy to transport and something that Tim likes as well!

Filed Under: Good Eats and Treats · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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