Currently

Happy Friday, Y’all!

A couple weeks ago I read a similar blog post from two of my favorite bloggers Tina and Julie.  Their idea was to list what they are ‘currently’ loving and I thought it was so clever, I’m gonna share it with you 🙂

Current Music
Of Monsters and Men

I’ve been on a serious kick ever since attending their concert last week

Current Indulgence
Strawberry Shortcake my coworker brought in.

So delicious and light – Tis’ the season for strawberries!

Current Favorite TV Show
Game of Thrones. Hands down.  Daenerys is so badass, I want to be her!

Current Nail Color
Essie East Hampton Cottage

Current Toning Exercise
The Tone It Up! tummy tuck and Sunkissed Abs Workout.  Love how motivational these trainers are and that all their workouts are free!

Current Favorite Restaurant
This one is tough, we all know how much I love to eat out.  I’m going to have to go with Hopleaf in Andersonville.  Delicious craft beers and phenomenal mussels & Frites – what more could you want?

Piccolo Sogno in the West Loop takes a close second – I’m a sucker for fantastic Italian food, especially when dining on a killer patio.

Current Chicago Activity
Going on walks with Bailey and Brian and stopping at restaurants to grab an alfresco drink.

Current Blessing
My sister.

She just returned from an abroad trip in Italy and Greece.  I’m so glad she had an amazing experience and can’t wait to catch up with her and hear all her stories.

Current Drink
Coconut water! Can’t get enough of it – Zico is currently my favorite brand.

Current Wish List
A Garmin Forerunner 210 GPS watch

… My birthday is coming up, just saying 😉

Current excitement

Running the ‘United Run for the Zoo 10k‘ this weekend with my best friend and then celebrating at Chicago’s German Maifest!

Sounds like a perfect weekend to me.

Your turn!

What are your current favorites?

Mother’s Day Extravaganza

What a great weekend we just had!

Friday started out with one of our best friends from New York flying in and meeting us at our favorite bar – Hopleaf.  We stayed there all night catching up, drinking delicious craft beer and splitting an order of frites!

The next morning we all woke up bright and early to prepare for the big bachelor weekend Brian and our friend were participating in.  I made a big batch of protein pancakes to fuel our mornings and then they were off!

All of the men wore personalized Jerseys that accompanied the theme of the bachelor weekend — the groom is a huge soccer fan and part of the day-long celebration was going to a Chicago Fire game.

While the men were out drinking, my mother and sister made their way down to the city to start the Mother’s Day Extravaganza.  Before I met up with them, I went on a light 3 mile jog and completed a few Tone It Up! toning videos.

I met the family in the Lincoln Park area where we spent 3 hours shopping and strolling the area.  One of our pit stops included a bakery gem called Interurban Cafe and Pastry Shop.  This amazing bakery is located just off Armtiage in an ALLEY.

Seriously, you might miss it if you don’t look closely, but it adds a little charm to this sweet spot.  My sister and I split a homemade apple cinnamon “poptart” that tasted like a decadent apple pie.

We also picked up a few lemon spice cake pops and some homemade trail mix.  Everything was so delicious, it was the perfect shopping snack!

After we finished shopping, my sister and I headed back to my apartment and my mother headed into the city to spend the night at the Marriott with my dad.

Kristan, my sister, and I relaxed with Bailey for a few hours, ordered some Thai food and then headed out to a birthday party for my sisters friend who was turning 21!  I cannot believe my sister and her friends are turning 21… This means I’m getting old.  We’re only four years apart, but still 🙂

Sunday morning, Kristan and I headed down to my parents hotel room so we could start the Mother’s Day festivities.  We packed my mom’s gift, some coffee to go, flowers and a bottle of champagne – obviously!  My mom opened her gifts and loved what my sister and I got her – a CamelBack Hydration Pack!  My mom and dad go on a lot of bike rides in the summer and my mom always talks about how she wishes there was a more convenient way to carry around water.

She was very happy with all of her gifts 🙂

Around 11:00 a.m. – we headed over to GT Fish & Oyster for brunch!  I have been to GT several times for dinner, but never for brunch so I was VERY excited.

Of course, the food was amazing!  My mother ordered the Biscuits with Lobster Gravy which was creamy and succulent, my dad got the Homemade Lox, I got the Crab Benedict, and my sister got the shining start of the morning – the Duck Chilaquiles.

Oh my word – so many wonderful textures and such an amazing fresh taste.  Seriously, if you go there for brunch make sure someone in your group order’s this!  Way to go, Giuseppe Tentori.  What topped off the whole experience was that the restaurant gave my mother a $20 gift certificate to spend on her next brunch there!  Amazing.

After brunch, we parted our ways and I gave my sister an extra big hug because she is leaving to study abroad in Italy/Greece.  What an awesome experience that will be for her!  I studied abroad in Paris, France after my Junior Year of college and it was honestly one of the most life changing experiences I’ve ever had.  Plus, I got to learn a lot more about my favorite subject – food!

The weekend ended with my scheduled training run.  Honestly, it was very difficult to get off the couch and go run after a weekend filled with mimosas and delicious treats,  but it had to be done!  Surprisingly, my legs felt great and the six miles flew by!  It was definitely a chilly and windy run, but there were plenty of people out on the trains to keep me company.

Cheers to a productive Monday!

Walking Soccer Billboard

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

This weekend will be filled with lots of fun birthday and Mother’s Day activities that I have been looking forward to for so long.  Plus, one of our good friends from New York City is coming to stay with us that we haven’t seen since September of last year!

Yesterday went by very quickly…

I was able to step outside for lunch again and enjoy some of the sunshine before the rain clouds rolled in and brought cooler weather.  When I got back from my little walk, I enjoyed my packed lunch that consisted of a salad packed with mixed greens, carrots, cucumbers and green onions plus some soy rice crackers on the side.

I love packing salads for lunch – they are so fresh and don’t leave me feeling sleepy after I eat it.  Of course my coworkers and I managed to sneak a couple bites of the leftover cupcakes later in the day, but you only live once right?!

After work, my coed soccer team played our last game of the season.  The game was at 7:00 p.m. and I was kind of hungry so I grabbed a salad from Potbelly’s before heading out to the field.  When we got to the court, I was a little nervous that my stomach would hurt from eating right before – but I was happy and excited to play!

(Just call me the kCura/Relativity walking billboard… shirt & bag – check!)

The girls, of course, had to play pretty much the entire game because of the lack of subs we had – problem when you work for a software company and the majority of players are developers who have to work late due to a software release deadline!  Nevertheless, it was a GREAT workout to be running around for 40 minutes, and BONUS – my stomach did not hurt.

After the game, I headed home to enjoy the rest of the evening and sip on a few beverages…

To keep me hydrated, of course! 🙂

Brian and I are headed to our favorite craft beer hot spot tonight – Hopleaf, so I am consciously making an effort to make extra healthy choices during the day.  I know this will be another indulgent weekend… It’s all about the balance!

Also, side note, I ordered a new brand of protein powder that I wanted to try.  As you all know, I currently LOVE the Perfect Fit protein that I use, but I am looking to see if there are any other brands that I could switch around with.  Any suggestions?  What is your favorite brand?

Have an active and happy weekend!

Hopleaf

Rise and Shine!

Last nights dinner was INCREDIBLE.  I woke up this morning still full and extremely happy – isn’t that the best way to wake up?  Brian and I went to a restaurant/bar called Hopleaf last night with two of our friends.  Hopleaf is in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago which is one of my favorites.

When you first walk into the bar you are immediately greeted by the door man who casually checks your id while simultaneously flipping through some Earnest Hemingway book.  The decor of the place is trendy but casual – exposed brick walls, wooden bar booths, shiny beer taps and a open concept kitchen.  Hopleaf has a some-what recently added addition (since we have been there last) that really brightens up the place.

The craft beer selection is extensive.  I’m talking a 10 page booklet with excellent Belgium offerings.  The waiters are all very knowledgeable about every beer and are not pretentious about it.

To start, the group ordered a round of appetizers: Belgium style mussels steamed in Wittekerke white ale with frites, the sausage plate and a caramelized onion and goat cheese tartlet. All of this was brought to our table within 20 minutes and we could not believe how much food it was!  The mussels were succulent and juicy with a delicious aroma of shallots and thyme.  The sausage that I tried had an amazing spice to it and it was paired with a mustard dipping sauce that I could have licked straight from the container.  The onion tartlet was good – but the frites – oh those frites – to. die. for.  I’m not even a huge “french fries” fan, but these were so thin and crispy they practically melted in your mouth.  Did I mention they came with a heavenly garlic aioli?  yum.

As if we needed anymore food to stuff into our bellies, our entrees came out just as the last fry left the basket.  I ordered the Diver Scallops which came with a roasted pumpkin puree and crisp apple slaw.  It was delicious.  The scallops were cooked perfectly and the slaw added a nice acidity when paired with the earthy pumpkin puree.

The scallops were technically on the appetizer list, but I was grateful for the small portion because I was already pretty full.  The rest of the crew got the Tilapia Sandwich with gribiche sauce, the Organic Black Earth Farms Brisket Sandwich and Brussels Sprouts with breadcrumbs and bacon.  I think it’s safe to say at this point in the meal we were indulging in pure gluttony.

I highly recommend Hopleaf to anyone who loves craft beer and Belgium-style food.  Their menu is a slam-dunk, I would have easily ordered everything listed.

Happy and full!

After we left, we were walking down Clark and noticed a dog store that had all of these adorable doggies running around and playing.  We literally could not help ourselves and went inside to see what was going on.  There was an event called ‘Woof and Wine’ going on where dog owners could bring their dogs and have a cocktail while getting to know the other owners in the area.  Clever!  Brian and I went ahead and bought some dog food for Bailey to support the local store, and my friend bought her a nice treat!  It was truly a great evening with friends and food.

I have indoor soccer tonight at 9:30 p.m., which is later than I was hoping for…  but at least I can get a few things done around the apartment before I leave.

Ta Ta for now!