This is how I fuel

Defeat.

It’s something that no one likes to deal with, but it’s something everyone has to accept.  Whether you grew up an athlete, mathlete, or was in band, you probably have experienced the feeling of defeat once in your life.

Tonight was the final round of indoor soccer playoffs.  We had a game at 8:35 p.m. that was against the fourth place team – we were ranked second.  It was a good, intense game, but we did defeat them.

Immediately after our first game, at 9:35 p.m. we played in the championship game.  Is this fair?  No.  Were we tired?  We had some energy left.  Did we win?  No.  Did we leave pissed and grumpy – nope – we were the last ones out on that field and had a great time hanging out in the aftermath.

Although it would have been really awesome to have customized sweatshirts that read ‘Champions’ on the back, it was a seriously awesome season.  Also, we really did play our best games.  Surprisingly, I was not as tired as I thought I would… and you want to know why?  Okay, I’ll tell you!  I consumed some pretty rockin fuel the past two days!

You knew this was coming, right?

Wednesday night after work, I headed to the gym to complete this awesome tempo/row workout:

I feel like a lot of people I know are too afraid or just don’t know how to use the row machine, but it is such a great piece of equipment to incorporate into your weekly routine.  Here’s the thing you guys, if you don’t know how to use a machine – ASK THE TRAINERS AT YOUR GYM.  You don’t have to pay them personal training fees or anything, they will be happy to show you how to do it properly.  Trust me.

After the gym I B-lined to one of my best friend Katie’s house to devour some delicious sushi.

It seems like everytime we hang out we order sushi and I love it because Brian hates it and I never order it!  Delicious fuel #1 – check!

Yesterday on my lunch break, my good work friend Priscilla and I headed out to Siena Tavern for lunch to treat ourselves in honor of our 3 year work anniversary.  Crazy how time flies.

We order the MUST order appetizer: Coccoli

Crispy light and airy dough, stracchino cheese, prosciutto di parma – all drizzed with truffled honey and pesto.  Uhhh yum.  The flavor combination is incredible, if you go here and don’t order this you are an idiot.

For our main meals we split the Kale Chicken Cesar Salad which was light and delicious with so many great textures, plus the Pappardelle with Bolognese Sauce.

Nom nom nom.

This is a little heavier that I typically do for lunch, but I knew that there was a 99% chance I would be playing back-to-back soccer games, so I was okay with it 😉

To top off the night with wonderful fuel, Brian and I created some bomb-ass open faced sandwiches for dinner:

Toasted whole wheat sourdough, pesto, arugula, tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, avocado and… a fried egg.

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Needless to say, I was ready for the game.

Have you been doing a good job fueling your body?

5 Things to Start Your Day

1. Last night, my coed soccer team won our first round in the playoffs!

It was a really intense game, we ended up going in out sudden death overtime.

2. This recipe from Olives n’ Wine is rockin’.  Brian and I made it last night and had absolutely no problem finishing the entire thing.

I even topped mine with a little hot sauce for an extra kick!

3. This quote Fitfluential posted rocks my world.

4. IT’S GOING TO BE A BALMY 42 DEGREES IN CHICAGO TOMORROW!  A FREAKIN’ HAPPY CHANGE FROM THIS:

Everyday in the office the weather is pretty much the only topic of conversation that I hear. Fact.

5. Chipotle might be pulling guacamole from their menu.

Stupid climate change…

And that’s it – there isn’t anymore.

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!

Italian Egg Wrap

It’s a beautiful SUNNY day! The temperature outside doesn’t match the aesthetics… but I’ll take it.

The office should be pretty dead today since the majority of my team took off to go watch the NCAA Tournament.  I wish I could have joined them, but I’m trying to save my PTO days for some upcoming vacation time (VEGAS?!).

Last night I had my first indoor soccer company game.  It was an excellent workout – I played the entire game because not enough girls showed up.  Needless to say, I was exhausted when I got home around 9:00 p.m.  I knew that after the game all I would want to do was shower and go to bed, so I made a quick and easy dinner once I got home from work.

I didn’t have a lot of time to make something, but I  really needed something substantial that would fuel me during the game.

Two ingredients stuck out to me: Eggs and Marinara Sauce.

Italian Egg Wrap

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole wheat tortilla
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 1 tbs shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbs marinara sauce
• 1/2 a red bell pepper
• 1/4 of an onion
• Olive oil spray

Directions:

1. Julienne 1/2 of a red bell pepper and slice 1/4 of an onion
2. Spray a small saute pan with olive oil and cook the vegetables until translucent.  Set Aside
3. In the same pan, add more olive oil and cook your eggs over medium-high heat (I scrambled mine)
4. While the egg is cooking, warm up the tortilla on top of the stove or in the microwave
5. Add the shredded mozzarella cheese once the eggs start to set and let the cheese melt
6. Top the tortilla with the egg, marinara sauce, vegetables and wrap that baby up!
7. Enjoy!

You could pretty much add any toppings you want to this wrap, but bell peppers and onions were the only thing I had in my pantry.

It was really odd for me to eat this at 6:00 p.m… A. because it was still light out and B. because I usually don’t eat dinner until 8:00 p.m.  After I made this and told Brian all about it, he replied, “you know the average person would call this a breakfast burrito, right?”  … No comment 🙂

I am so incredibly happy the weekend is here!  Today is my “rest” day so instead of working out after work, I will be going to the salon to get my hair cut.  Lululemon and Francesca’s are both next door to my salon so I may or may not have to make a pit stop 🙂

Until tomorrow, my friends!

Late Night Sessions

Good Morning!

I’m a little slow to wake up today as I was having way. too. much. fun. late last night.

That’s right… my indoor soccer season has begun!

Actually, it begins Thursday but a good friend of mine asked if I would play as a sub in her indoor league game that STARTED at 10:30 p.m. last night.  Talk about a late workout session.  When I got home from work, I wasn’t exactly sure what to do with myself since I had all of this free time before the game started.  I’m not much of a napper, but when I do manage to get 30 minutes of sleep I tend to wake up more tired..

The game was a lot of fun!  The field house is a lot bigger than the one I play on Thursday nights and it actually has turf as opposed to a regular gym floor.

I’m always surprised how sore I get from soccer because I consider myself to be in good shape – those short sprints really get me!

Before I left for the game Brian and I whipped up a quick dinner that required zero cooking (was not in the mood).  I chopped up a bunch of fresh veggies – Lettuce, Bell Peppers, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Carrots, Avocado and tossed them together with a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to create a delicious salad.  One the “side” we had about a pound of shrimp from Trader Joe’s that we decided to eat just chilled with a little cocktail sauce.

If there is one thing you should know… it would be that Brian and I are shrimp fanatics.  We can easily go through a pound of shrimp in one sitting… maybe even more!  Exactly one year ago, we spent a week at Hilton Head Island at my parents time share.  Across the street from the Marriott Surfwatch, there is this little fish shop shack called Barnacle Bill’s (have your heard of it?) where you can buy a plethora of fresh fish.  Brian and I would walk over there almost everyday to grab fresh shrimp or a couple fillets of whitefish.  HHI is our heaven and really makes it hard for us to come back to Chicago and eat the shrimp that we buy at the grocery store.

While we were eating our store bought shrimp last night we had a little visitor who was waiting to see if anything would ‘accidentally’ drop on the floor… she’s a cutie.

Time to go to work!

Question:  Where is your favorite place to get fresh seafood?