Vacay in the Burbs

It’s Monday already? Humpf.

This weekend went by way too fast, like they all do, but it was one of the best weekends I’ve had in a while.

Friday night I took a much needed night off. No plans, no errands… just me my couch, a glass of wine and my two roomies. We ended up watching the movie ‘Lone Survivor’ with Marky Mark and it was a lot more intense than I had originally thought it would be. Needless to say, my dreams were verrrry interesting that night.

Saturday morning we slept in and causally made breakfast.

We’ve been on a real buying-coffee in the morning fix, so it was really nice to break out the espresso machine and have a smooth hot cup.

The only real plan on the agenda was yoga at noon, so I had plenty of time to relax and tiddy up before heading over.

It has been way too long since I’ve visited my yoga studio. My hips, calves , quads…. Basically the lower half of my body has been so tight from all of the running I’m surprised I’ve made it this long without it. The class was a standard vinyasa class but the flow moves that were incorporated into our workout were so beautiful. I really enjoyed the class, it was both challenging and peaceful.

When I got out of the class, I had a text from my friend Lauren who wanted to go out to one of the festivals that were going on in the area. I was in, so I went home to shower and make lunch before heading over.

Side note: I have been craving green crunchy grapes all day, everyday.  I can go through an entire bag in one day.

Before heading to the Fest, we enjoyed some drinks on Lauren’s roof and made our way over to a local Mexican restaurant for dinner.  In all honesty, we actually RAN to the Mexican restaurant because I giant storm cloud was chasing us.  As soon as we stepped foot through the door, the heavens opened up and it started down pouring.  When we were done with dinner, the rain had stopped and it was a beautiful summer night – perfect unintentional timing on our end.

We made it to the festival in time to see one of our favorite college bands play – Sixteen Candles – and of course enjoy a delicious glass of sangria.

 

Sunday we were up bright and early to flee the East Lakeview area before PRIDE festivities began.  I’ve lived in the Lakeview/East Lakeview area for the past four years and have had my fair share of PRIDE parade, so we decided to mix it up and “vacation” out in the suburbs.  Brian, Bailey and I met my sister and her boyfriend, Jason before noon so that we could head over to the local forest preserve and get in a nice 3 mile jog through the woods.

It was such a perfect day, and Bailey was really loving the change of scenery.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing by the pool.

I’m really going to miss this when my parents move away to North Carolina.  Lately, I’ve been traveling out to their house more and more to fit in my final memories with my childhood home.

Hilton Head Recap: Activities

Good morning, friends!

I’m back in Chicago from my week long vacation at Hilton Head Island.  It was an absolutely amazing trip and I can’t wait to share my recaps with you – Activities & Food.

There are different types of vacationers… those who like to take tours and have their days planned out for them hour-by-hour, those who just like to relax and see where the day takes them and those who are a mixture of both.  I tend to be the kind that takes the day as it comes, but one thing I do like to plan out are my weekly workouts/activities.  For me, vacation is not an excuse to skip the exercise, it is a chance to embrace it – especially when you are going somewhere with great weather!  Here was the breakdown of my week:

Sunday: Walking on the beach

Monday: 2 Mile run & strength

Tuesday: Vaca 5k (yes, this was an actual thing)

Wednesday: Yoga in the a.m. – Tennis with Dad in the p.m.

Thursday: 3.5 mile run

Friday: Tennis with Dad & Biking

As I mentioned in my last post, my family stayed at the Marriott Surf Watch resort on the island.  I am totally biased towards Marriott resorts/hotels.  The customer service is amazing, the amenities are great, the beds are to die for and they always have a ton of great activities scheduled for the week.

Each day, the staff at Surf Watch had a list of fitness related activities you could participate in as well as social activities.  The two fitness activities I participated in were the Vaca 5k with my dad and the Yoga with my mom.

Both were great and the staff that lead the events were so friendly and enthusiastic.  My mom was a big fan of all of the water aerobics and water strength classes – she took a class every morning – way to go, mom 😉

Some of the more social activities we went to were Brats, Brews and Bonfires – Craft Beer tastings and grilled brats and the daily happy hours at the Sea Salts Bar by the beach – obviously.

 

 

Besides the events Marriott had available to us, the island is full of all sorts of great activities.  There are tennis courts on every corner, lots and lots of bike and running paths, golf courses galore, paddle boarding and so much more.  Any of these activities are a great way to get in some daily exercise 🙂

For me, it is really essential that I plan these in advance so that I am more motivated to do them.  Also, if you are on vacation with family or friends, it is great to get them involved as well.  Workout buddies are the best!  Ta Ta for now!

 

My Health – Mind, Body & Spirit

When people generally proclaim they want to become healthier, most automatically think of fitness and nutrition.  There are so many factors that go into being ‘healthy’ that it is interesting to sit down and review day-by-day what you do to achieve this goal.  For me, nutrition and fitness are major factor in my healthiness, but so is my mental well being, my relationships and my spirit.  Now i’m not about to get all spiritual with you, but I would like to share some of the things that I do daily to try and improve my health as well as things I need to work on.

Things I already do… (sans fitness and nutrition)

Treat myself to massages

This can definitely become an expensive habit, but I only schedule them two or three times a year.  Some of the nicer gyms in my area have spa’s that are actually really affordable and have excellent service.  At my company, we try to schedule free 15 minute massages for our employees during stressful times of the year like our software regression testing.

Read

Books, blogs, magazine articles, you name it.  I love making a french press early on a Saturday morning, chilling with Bailey on the couch and reading.  Growing up, the t.v. was never on before noon on the weekends, not because it was forbidden, but because my parents really loved enjoying the mornings.

Turn off the lights and listen to music

I found this especially relaxing when I had roommates.  Just make sure to set an alarm or something because you may or may not fall asleep 🙂

Take long hot showers

I won’t post a picture of this one 😉

This is not necessarily good for the environment, but it is good for the soul from time to time.  I’m not really a bath person, but if you are I’m sure the same would work here.

Take Bailey for walks

This goes along the lines of exercise, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the location of my apartment right next to the lake.  It’s something that would be really hard for me to give up.  Taking Bailey on walks on early summer mornings when the sun is just rising over the lake with light pink touches – love.  You will never find me living in the Wicker Park/Bucktown area for this sole reason.  What path would I run on?! 😉

Uncork a bottle of “whine” with my friends

Does this need an explanation?  Not only is wine delicious, but the feeling of venting to your closest friends is exhilarating.

Things I need to work on…

Disconnecting

I would guess about 99% of us are guilty of this.  Checking phones during dinner, WHILE watching t.v., or while we lay in bed.  I used to sleep with my phone in my bed.  Now I leave it in another room so I am not tempted to check it before I go to bed or right when I wake up.  I’m leaving for Hilton Head Island tomorrow and am going to try and ‘disconnect’ as much as possible – especially from work.  But you will still see a few blog posts from me!

Meditation

Sitting in a room for an extended period of time totally quiet and focused is really hard for me, but definitely something I want to get better at.

Focusing on one thing

I tend to have brain A.D.D. sometimes.  I’ll start cleaning the kitchen and then I’ll remember that I have to to a laundry and then I’ll remember that I need to email my mom.  The list can go on, but this would definitely become a lot easier if I could also master the whole meditation thing.

Getting up earlier so I don’t rush out the door for work

Waiting until the last minute to get into the shower is my forte.  Unless, I workout in the morning.  Which will become a lot easier when it is above 30 degrees outside and not so dark and scary!

Volunteering

Although I do participate in my BvB: Tackling Alzheimer’s Fundraiser each year, I really want to make a commitment to reach out to my community more in 2014.  Helping other people is a great sense of self-worth and self-esteem.

The point of this is a lot of us, especially women, forget to prioritize our ‘self care’ – whatever that may be.  We either put work, or our kids, or our busy schedules first and don’t take time to stop and enjoy ourselves.  It is so very important to do this not only to feel good on the inside, but to radiate a sense of confidence.  I encourage each and every one of your to make a list like mine and see what you can do to improve your mental, physical and spiritual health.

Happy Friday, everyone 🙂

Bears & Bubbles

Good Morning!!!!

How was everyone’s weekends??  Here is my recap:

Fitness

Did everyone try my weekend challenge?  It was a good good challenge – those burpees really get me every time.

Saturday morning, I headed over to my yoga studio to complete one of their tone classes.  The class was great, we worked a lot on leg strength and abdominal strength, and I am still sore!

My favorite part, however, is that we always end each session with a little bit of yoga which was such a great decompressor from the craziness of the week.

Activities

Saturday afternoon, my girlfriends and I headed out to the burbs – way way out there in New Lenox to attend a BBQ/Housewarming for one of our closest friends who recently bought a house!  Her backyard was enormous – perfect for an outdoor BBQ.  They did a great job setting up for all of the guests who were coming – there were lots of places to sit and lots of things to do.  Including…

Bubble blowing.

Bubbles are fun at every age!

I stayed in Friday and Saturday night because A. I wanted to officially get over my cold and B. we were waking up bright and early Sunday to tailgate the BEARS GAME!

It was the home opener and I was so so happy that my friend asked if Brian and I wanted to tag along their tailgate.

Which brings me to…

Food

Look at this grill of meat!

I did really well food-wise everyday except Sunday 🙂  But seriously, everything on that grill was amazing.  There were meatballs, thinly sliced beef to put in warm corn tortillas with homemade tomatillo sauce, some type of bacon wrapped meatloaf and little bacon wrapped weenies.  Ohhhh yahh.

Remember that my philosophy about food and life is that it is all about the “balance”.  My eats leading up to the tailgate were all healthy, conscious decisions 🙂

Plus, I created a new quick and easy protein pancake recipe that helped fuel my tone class workout:

Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 container of Fage 0% cherry pomegranate Greek yogurt
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• Splash of vanilla almond milk

Directions:

1. Spray griddle or pan with olive oil spray at medium heat
2. Combine all of the ingredients above and mix them together is high-speed blender or food processor to create the batter
3. Pour batter on griddle and cook 2-3 minutes until the edges firm up – flip and cook for another 2 minutes
4. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Fall Veggies

I’ve noticed the slow shifting of the season on my runs outside lately.  The air is not as humid, the breezes are getting cooler and it smells like fall.  Do you know what I mean?  Yesterday I noticed that the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks which is the sure sign the fall is near.  It also means that the Starbucks in my building becomes increasingly more popular among the twenty-something female group.  I can get down with the PSL every once in a while, but it is just a little too sweet for me in the morning.  I do love to add real canned pumpkin to dishes whenever i get a chance, especially in oatmeal when I actually have the time to make breakfast in the morning.

This got me thinking, what other fall foods am I excited to cook with?  Here are some favorites I can’t wait to snag at the farmers market:

Parsnips

Ever try and make baked parsnip fries and dip them in a smokey-spicy dip?  Uh yum.

Apples

Apples have just started to reappear again in my company’s weekly fruit baskets.  Last year, Brian and I kept meaning to go to some sort of apple orchard, but never got around to it.  Hopefully we can find the time this year!

Cauliflower

We LOVE cauliflower.  I have been browsing pinterest a lot and found this dish that I can’t wait to try:

Roast Cauliflower and Mushroom Quinoa Salad in Balsamic Vinaigrette with Goat Cheese

Sweet Potatoes

Along the same pinterest lines, I am going to make sweet potato gnocchi.  Never made gnocchi before?  It’s SUPER simple, I promise you will have  a lot of fun making it.

Beets

A lot of people don’t get down with beets, but I think they are perfect when roasted, tossed in a vinaigrette and paired with something creamy and tangy like goat cheese.

Oh fall, how I love thee and how I love to cook!  Yesterday was a treat for me, however, since I have been feeling a little under the weather – still fighting this dang cold!  Brian decided to take lead on dinner and grilled up some delicious chicken with corn on the cob and an avocado salad.

We have been using a lot of the Trader Joe’s pre-marinated chickens lately because they are so easy and quick to cook up after a long day at work.  The Pollo Asado one is our current favorite – you should give it a try!

Enough food talk – how about some drinks!!?

I was browsing on of the health magazines last night and saw an article on how local breweries are starting to pair up with yoga studios for yoga sessions and beer tastings.  How cool is that?  One brewery that caught my eye on the list was Breckenridge Brewery in Colorado.  They make my FAVORITE vanilla porter, which is also a good beer to sip on in the fall 😉  The list did not include any Chicago breweries which is totally lame because we have so many.  Are you listening Chicago Micro-people?  Go find some yogis to come take a class so we can taste your delicious beer!

On that note, it’s thirsty Thursday.  Enjoy it, my friends!

Picnics and Parties

Happy Sunday!

My favorite day of the weekend 🙂

Lot’s has been happening around the Hanson-Steigerwalt household.

Friday after work, I headed over to PureWellness, the yoga studio I belong to, to enjoy some post-work week de stressing   The class I signed up for was a fusion class meaning we incorporated yoga, pilates and toning into our workout.  The first fifteen minutes was all yoga which felt great on my tight quads and hamstrings.  It also gave me a chance to clear my mind of all the craziness of the week and look forward to the weekend.  After yoga, we focused on toning our arms, then legs and finally our core.

The best part of the class was that there was only 3 of us, so it almost felt like I was getting a personal training session.  I left feelings so good and so sweaty 🙂

On my walk home, I didn’t really know what I wanted to cook-up for dinner because I was not starving, so I stopped at the grocery store and decided just to grab some “happy hour” snacks that would fill me up.

Brian and I decided to stay in and veg out on the couch since the rest of the weekend was going to be really busy.  We ended up watching ‘Intolerable Cruelty’ which I had never seen before and really liked!

Saturday started bright and early with a 5 mile run around the neighborhood with my new shoes!

I’m hooked on Mizuno’s and the first run in these babies did not disappoint!

It was really cool here on Saturday – mid 60’s – so a lot of people were out running taking full advantage of the break from the heat.  When I got home, Bailey was super rambunctious.  When a uttered the words ‘walk’ she b-lined to the foyer and practically body slammed the front door.  I took this as a sign that she wanted to go out 😉

I took her around the neighborhood  stopping at the local farmer’s market to see what was new and socializing her with other dogs.

She was loving life.

I was happy to take her out for a long walk because my company picnic was Saturday afternoon and I knew she would be home by herself for a long time.  The picnic was by the UIC baseball fields and is always a blast every year.  There was all sorts of goodies for us to enjoy such as grilled chicken, hot dogs, burgers, BBQ brisket, corn on the cob, fresh watermelon and BEER 🙂  This year, my company had Half Acre Over Ale on Top which was a delicious change from the usual light domestics!

Besides food, there were lots of games that employees kids could enjoy such as inflatable obstacle courses, water relays and Brian and I’s favorite – Jousting!

I need to work on my jousting skills – he beats me every time.

Saturday evening, we headed over to one of my best friends apartment to celebrate her 25th birthday!  We had a few cocktails at her place before heading out in the city.

She is the final one of my “hometown crew” to turn 25 … which means 26 is next. Yikes.  Mid twenties… ahhhh!

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

Run 10 Feed 10

Rise and Shine!

In my last post I talked about how I’ve been trying to figure out what my newest fitness goal will be now that I’ve completed a half-marathon.  I’ve been doing a lot of research and have made some progress.  I looked up my old yoga Studio Pure Wellness and discovered they have added a lot of new classes since I’ve left!  I went ahead and signed up for a couple of the vinyasa classes to try out the new instructors, but a couple other sessions caught my eye:

PurelyForRunners

Come experience Yoga & cross training for Runners. Get stretched, keep strong, and work out all those kinks that happen after hours of pounding the pavement. Perfect for those in need of cross-training or fighting injuries.

PureAthlete

A special class designed for the Pure athlete or the weekend warrior who wants to work hard. Classes will include circuit training, Tabata intervals, Crossfit concepts and more. Look forward to a well-rounded workout meant to compliment your running/ triathlon/ marathon/ sports regime or just for the average desk jockey who wants to feel the burn!

PureFridayNight

It’s Friday night. You want to be social but you had a long week. You want to work out but you also want a glass of wine. Let’s do both… come for a PureFusion class and have light refreshments afterwards. Meet your mat neighbor, get to know your teacher, and get the best of both worlds: a Friday night with a workout and a happy hour, all while in comfy yoga clothes.

I definitely will be signing up for each of these classes over the next couple of weeks and give them a try.  They sound really interesting and engaging!

I also have come across some really neat races in the midst of my research including the race sponsored by Women’s Health called Run 10 Feed 10.

If you run a 10k with Women’s Health you will provide 10 meals to those going hungry in your local community.  How cool is that?!  To make a direct impact on your local community just by running 6.2 miles?  Sign me up!

The Chicago race is Sunday, October 6th in Lincoln Park, but they also have races set up in New York City and San Francisco.

You should check it out and join me!

Anywayssss – yesterday was a busy busy day at work.  Lots of fun project and activities going on including a free breakfast that was catered by Jamba Juice!  I mentioned in June that my company hosted a pedometer walking competition and my team ended up winning!  Our prize was a kCura sponsored breakfast to give us the healthy boost we need in the morning!  There were small smoothies in all different flavors and an assortment of their breakfast wraps.  I chose the mango smoothie and paired it with their spinach and egg whole wheat wrap – it was so good!

After work, I went home real quick to changes clothes and then went on my first run since Sunday.  The weather was perfect!  My legs felt really good, I felt a little tight in my quads for the first mile and then after that it was smooth sailing.

I ran through the Lincoln Park neighborhood past the zoo and all the way down to the Gold Coast area.  Once I hit that I circled back up and completed my 4 miles.  My brand spankin’ new Garmin watch gave me my splits:

Mile 1:  8:35 pace

Mile 2:  8:41 pace

Mile 3:  8:48 pace

Mile 4:  8:40 pace

It felt really good to be able to run shorter mileage at my 8k and 10k pace!  I’m really looking forward to the Zooma 10k in August.

When I got home, I laid out my yoga mat and did about 15 minutes of stretching until this little stinker decided it was time to play.

Love her.

On the menu for dinner was grilled chicken with pesto, tomatoes, mozzarella and a side of sauteed zucchini.

This was super easy to make.  Brian butterflied a couple chicken breasts and threw them on our indoor grill.  When there was about 2 minutes left to cook, I spread a thin layer of Trader Joe’s premade pesto on top, two juicy slices of tomato and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.  I covered them with a lid until the cheese was nice a melty.

The zucchini was just sauteed with a little olive oil and sea salt.  Delicious!

Hope you all are having a fabulous week – get out an enjoy this great weather!

Greek Chicken Pita Pockets

Good Morning!

I am happy to announce that another race has been added to my summer training list.  One of my best friends asked me to sign up for the ‘United Run for the Zoo 10k‘ with her in June and I happily agreed.  I have never run this race before, but the course takes place through the Lincoln Park Zoo so I’m sure it will be a blast!

Yesterday was a healthy, active day.  I went out to lunch with some of my coworkers and we opted for one of the salad bars in the area.  If you work in the financial district of the Loop and have never been to the Bank of America cafeteria in the basement of the building, you are missing out my friend.  Their salad bar is AMAZING.

I packed my container with fresh lettuce, broccoli, carrots, bell peppers cucmbers, sunflower seeds, croutons, roasted beets and fennel, a Mediterranean faro salad, and a tropical black bean salad.

So filling and refreshing.

After work, I attended the yoga session for my company’s Health Week!  The yoga instructor was Katie, who is also my regular yoga instructor I visit on the weekends.

The session was great, she really challenged the group and made sure everyone got a great workout in.  I highly recommend taking a class with Katie through her small studio in Lincoln Park called Pure Wellness or contact her if you would like to set up a private lesson.  The class I usually take with her is the Vinyasa yoga class, however, she does teach other tone and Pilates type classes as well.  The studio is a small and personal, which is why I love it so much.  No one is a yoga snob and no one makes you feel uncomfortable if you have never taken a yoga class before.

Side note: The yoga mat I use is from Target, nothing fancy and it works fine, but I do get a little of slip when my hands get sweaty.  The carrying strap is also from target.

Once the class was over and all of my stress was left in the studio, I made my way over to Trader Joe’s to pick up some necessities for the week.

On the menu for dinner: Greek Chicken Pitas!

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat pita pockets
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber
• 1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes
• 1 or 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
• 2 tbs. tzatziki
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 1 lb. organic boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

I love all of the beautiful colors in this recipe!  Makes me excited for summer 🙂

Directions:

1. Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes and season with salt and pepper
2. Drizzle the olive oil into a saute pan and cook the chicken over medium high heat until cooked through
3. While the chicken is cooking, dice the cucumber and tomatoes and get all of your ‘Mise en place’ (French word for “putting in place” – having everything all set up)
4. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from heat and squeeze juice from one lemon over it
5. Assemble your pita!  I usually spread 1 tbs. tzatziki in 1/2 a pita, stuff the spinach, then chicken, sprinkle the tomatoes, cucumbers and feta and voila!

Quick, simple, fresh and oh so delicious!

After we ate dinner, I prepped the dish I brought for today’s ‘Healthy Potluck’ that I am in charge of!  So excited to see what everyone brought and to get a bunch of great new recipes!

Have a great Wednesday!

Hitchcock & Stir-Fry

It’s a rainy, dreary day here in Chicago, which seems only fitting since I fell asleep to an Alfred Hitchcock marathon last night.  My little sister and father have got me hooked on watching all of his mysteries – I’m a little obsessed at the moment.

Yesterday was a pretty tame day in comparison to the weekend we just had.  One of the more exciting things was that my company’s ‘Health Week’ kicked off’!  The week will go a little something like this:

Tuesday – Yoga Class

Wednesday – ‘Healthy Potluck’ during the lunch hour

Thursday – ‘Health Fair’

The health fair is going to be great – we have various vendors coming in such as our corporate gym sponsor, a message therapist and our yoga instructor.  There will also be activities for everyone to participate in, including taste tests (clean vs. processed), mini fitness challenges, raffles and prizes.  I am part of the ‘Nutrition’ team and we have a lot of fun activities planned for our booth – I will give you a recap later in the week!

My lunch yesterday was quick and simple.  I brought 7 of Trader Joe’s chicken potstickers with 1 tbs. of their low-sodium soy sauce.  This was also accompanied by 1 sliced bell pepper and a Luna bar as a snack later in the day.

I’ll try to start posting my lunches that I bring to work more… I know a lot of people struggle to find ideas for packed lunches.

After work I came home and did a lot of stretching – I am pretty tight from the race on Sunday.  I guess I was so eager to get my free beer after the finish, that I didn’t really spend a proper amount of time stretching.  Whoops.

On the menu for dinner was: Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry (I was set on Asian-themed food the entire day)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic brown rice
• 2 tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1 bundle of broccoli
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 3 eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook brown rice according to package directions – set aside
2. In a large deep saute pan add shrimp, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, garlic, broccoli, salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.
3. While the shrimp and broccoli are cooking, scrabble 3 eggs in a separate saute pan
4. Add spinach to the shrimp and cook for 1 minute until spinach is slightly wilted – be sure not to over cook the shrimp!
5. Remove from heat
6. Add egg and brown rice to shrimp broccoli mixture and stir to fully combine
7. Enjoy!

Some people like a lot of soy sauce in their stir fry so feel free to add more to this recipe.  Also, I usually have sesame oil on had for the stir fry sauce, but was all out! Bummer.

The rest of the evening was spent blogging and playing with this girl.

She has no concept of personal space.

Have a great Tuesday!

Stretch, Strength & Savor

Hello, Hello!

Yesterday was quite the eventful/stressful day at work in part because…

I GOT SATURDAY LOLLA TICKETS!

My coworkers are the best and all had different browsers and computers up at exactly 10:00 a.m. – constantly refreshing and holding our breath.  Right after mine was purchased, we started blasting Mumford & Sons.  Can’t wait!  I have a good handful of friends who were able to get the Saturday tickets and I also have a good handful who were too late.  I believe they sold out in about 10 minutes!  Crazy.  What’s even more crazy is that people are reselling their tickets on Stub Hub and Craigslist for double and triple the cost.  Don’t do it people!

All the anxiety must have revved up my appetite because by the time lunch came around I was famished.

Lunch included leftover turkey sausage and a salad with bell peppers, avocado and balsamic dressing. I love the Tupperware that has compartments  – It really helps with portion control and keeps everything separated.

After work, I headed straight home and was greeted by this bundle of joy!

I love that no matter how long you have been away from your dog, every time they see you they act like it has been forever.  Lot’s of Bailey Kisses for me!

Once Bailey settled down and Brian left for the gym, I rolled out my yoga mat and took the time to stretch and strengthen.  My legs were a little tight from Tuesdays tempo run, so the yoga stretches felt amazing.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to incorporate some rest/stretch days into your weekly routine, especially when you are training for races.  You need to give your muscles time to recover and stretching helps prevent injury tremendously.  If you have never practiced yoga before, there are a ton of free online videos that can show you some of the basic stretches and poses.  I am by no means a ‘yogi’, but I do enjoy going to class and taking the time out of my busy schedule to savor the hour or so I give to myself just to focus on my health and well being.

Dinner last night was quick, easy and satisfying.  I made Tex-Mex Burrito Bowls in under 30 minutes!  Don’t you just love those kind of dinners?

Tex-Mex Burrito Bowls

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 15 oz can black beans – drained and rinsed
• 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 package of your favorite taco seasoning
• 2 cups of organic brown rice
• 0% Greek yogurt
• Guacamole
• 1 cup diced lettuce
• Hot sauce

Directions:

1. In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and ground turkey
2. Saute until turkey is cooked through breaking the meat into bit-sized pieces
3. While the meat is cooking, prepare the brown rice according to directions on the package – set aside
4. Add the diced tomatoes, black beans and taco seasoning to the turkey. Mix together, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until heated through.
5. Assemble your burrito bowl!  Rice on the bottom, 1 scoop of the meat and beans mixture, handful of lettuce, 1 dollop of Greek yogurt, 1 dollop of guacamole (reduced guilt for me!) and a dash of hot sauce
6. Enjoy!

What is your favorite dish to make in under 30 minutes?