Sleep Please!

Did anyone else have a sloooow morning?  I woke up to my 5 a.m. alarm, but I accidentally fell back asleep until Cleo’s purring woke me up again at 5:19.  Whoops!  I must admit, this is the first time I was happy one of my furry children woke me from my blissful slumber.

I headed off to the gym and began my new workout.  Well, I actually started the June workout yesterday, but I didn’t really give it 100%.  Today I pushed myself a little harder.  I did 35 min on the stairclimber and finished up with leg work.  Don’t worry, I’ll post the workout later this week.  It’s a good one; I can already tell!

I want to share a recipe with you really quickly.  No, I didn’t make it up on my own.  You can get it at A Year of Slow Cooking, and it’s called Balsamic Chicken with Spring Veg.  It’s not my favorite, but it was perfect for a slow day off from work.  While the crock pot cooked all day, I was able to prep other foods for the week, run errands, and do some laundry.  (The fun doesn’t stop.  Gag.)  Anyway, Kevin likes this one, and we ate it with brown rice.  I also substituted low-sodium soy sauce and a bit of black pepper for worcesteshire sauce due to the HFCS.  It’ll feed us 2.5 nights.  Hurray for leftovers!

Now that I’m back from vacation and life is resuming its normal routine (sad to be back, but happy to get back to the routine), I can finally accept the Smile Award given to me by Kaila at The Healthy Helper.  Thanks Sweetie!

The Rules:

1. Smile!
2. Write 3 Things You Like About Your Looks
3. Write 3 Things You Appreciate About Your Personality
4. Write Something You Find Beautiful in Other People
5. Award As Many Other People As You Like & Let Them Know

Here it goes…

1. Smile!
2. I like my hair, calves, and cheekbones.
3. I like my laid-back attitude, my sense of humor, and my smilieness (new word?).
4. I find people’s smiles beautiful.
5. Due to how busy I am today (always hard getting back in the swing of things), I’ll skip this for now with *hopes* of sharing additional link love at some point in the future!

Did everyone else have a good weekend?  Did you have a hard time getting back into the swing of things?

Trader Joe’s Needs to Pay Me!

With as much as I blog about TJ’s, I think I deserve to see a wee bit of their advertising budget coming my way.  After vacation, we found the cupboards bare.  (Did I just say cupboard?  Is this a Dicken’s novel?)  I knew a big shopping trip was in order, so naturally, I decided to hit up my local TJ’s.  No, it’s not as awesome as the one in Los Angeles, but it’s still pretty darn cool.

I am doing “real food” June.  It’s a silly thing I’m trying, which was very inspired by Lisa Leake at 100 Days of Real Food.  While I think eating real and wholesome foods is not silly, I feel a little silly doing it.  Let me know what you think of them in the comments.  I have pasted the rules below, but please check out Lisa’s blog for more details, recipes, mini challenges, and even her experience completing 100 days of real food on a budget.  (I’m all about the budget!)

The Rules: Things to Avoid

1. No refined grains such as white flour or white rice (items containing wheat must say WHOLE wheat…not just “wheat”)
2. No refined sweeteners such as sugar, any form of corn syrup, cane juice, or the artificial stuff like Splenda
3. Nothing out of a box, can, bag, bottle or package that has more than 5 ingredients listed on the label
4. No deep fried foods
5. No “fast foods”

I’m not so sure I can really do this, but it’ll be fun to try.  I think the rule about “5 ingredients” is particularly silly – only because it’s so subjective.  What if one of the ingredients is terrible for you?  I’m totally reading into this too much.  Try and pick things with ingredients that sound wholesome.  For instance, I just got cheese from TJ’s with five ingredients, but it was the most wholesome cheese I could find.  Speaking of TJ’s, I wanted to blog my experience.

I started out with this.  It is a list of my (and Kevin’s) meals for the week and the respective shopping list.

My List

I then got all this for $78.  Whaaaa?  Yes!  I scored all the loot for two people for a week (no eating out) for $78.  The meat isn’t organic, but it is all-natural and antibiotic-free.  The eggs, quinoa, beans, and a few other things are organic.  I do what I can.  I’m no superhero.

Food, Food, & More Food

I’d like to add that I only had one coupon.  That’s why you see the Morningstar Veggie Burgers in the pic.  I do not consider them a “whole food,” but Kev may want to snack on them at some point this week.  If not, they’ll keep in the freezer until the end of June.

By the way, when you put your groceries in one end of the kitchen and try to put them in the fridge, your cat might do this for attention.

Speed Bump

It’s okay though.  Kitties like it when you shop at TJ’s.

Let the cat outta' the bag.

Memorial Day Weekend

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!  It is a happy weekend, isn’t it?  I had fun on vacation, but I can’t wait to get home!  I miss my bed, my furry children, and my friends.  Kevin and I will get in late from the airport tonight, but we have a cookout planned for tomorrow.  I love playing hostess.  🙂

My last full day in Cali was very entertaining.  I had half a TJ’s sprouted wheat bagel with light whipped cream cheese for breakfast, along with a green apple and some coffee.  Then I tried my first Physique 57 class out in Beverly Hills with the FitSugar reps.  It was sooooo hard!  The workout was so different from anything I usually do, and my thighs were on fire.  Considering the “newcomer only” special was $210 for one month, I don’t think I’ll be doing it again any time soon.

FitSugar Twitter Pic - YAS Studio

I then rudely stole kindly accepted a Larabar from Kellan to feed my aching muscles.  Our next class was YAS.  YAS was 30 minutes of spinning followed by 30 minutes of yoga.  I love spin, and I was amazed at how well my body took to it.  My legs were hurting walking into the studio, but they felt better after only a few songs.  Perhaps the upbeat instructor and her amazing playlist helped.

I had never done a yoga class before, so I was pretty intimidated.  It wasn’t hard though.  Actually, after the Physique 57 and the spin, stretching felt really good.  My body was so warmed up from the spin that I got much deeper into the poses, especially pigeon and downward facing dog.

Mmmm... eggplant n' tahini sauce

I then got a delicious eggplant wrap from TJ’s for lunch and met Kevin at the W Hotel’s rooftop pool/bar.  It was crazy!

WET - Pool Bar

At 3 in the afternoon, some guy shook up and sprayed a $3,900 bottle of Dom Perignon on a few scantily clad females.  Kev and I soaked up as much people-watching as we did sunshine!  I stuck to Amstel Light, and I was shocked to see a $75,000 bottle of champagne on the menu.  Whaaaaaa???  (No, that’s not my cigarette butt in the picture below!  haha)

We then cleaned up for happy hour and dinner.  We had a happy hour at a mediocre pub, and then we hit up Wood and Vine for dinner.  Yes, it was at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine.  I guess it’s kind of a pun?  Anyway… we split a tapas plate, and our favorite cheese we tried was a Spanish goat cheese with the consistency of cheddar, so not a spread.  The cheese is technically called, “Queso de Cabra.”  It paired perfectly with our Stone IPAs.  Beer + Cheese = Heaven  We also split a small plate of seared scallops.

Stone IPA @ Wood & Vine

We then contemplated hitting some of the hot spots, such as Whiskey A Go Go or the Sky Bar, but we decided to just go to bed.  I felt I got a club experience all afternoon at that pool.  As always, thanks for reading!  Time to pack and hit the road.

Joining the Circus

Oh man!  I have sooooo many pictures from yesterday; I don’t know where to begin!  I guess it makes since to recap the day from the beginning.  For those of you who may or may not have been following my trip, I’m still on the Hollywood fitness vacation I won from PopSugar, or more specifically, FitSugar.  I met with nutritionists and had some awesome meals on Tuesday.  Then I made a mini workout video for FitSugarTV with Jeanette Jenkins on Wednesday.  Read on down to learn more about Thursday’s activities.

As I previously noted, I didn’t get as much of a workout Wednesday as I had hoped at the video shoot, so I made a last-minute decision to get in a quick workout before the PopSugar Inc. people picked me up from the hotel.  (I felt like I really needed one after my bagel, light cream cheese, and cashew breakfast!)  I only had 20-25 minutes, so here’s a rundown of my off-the-cuff, arm-circuit sweat session.

• 5 Minutes Elliptical – It’s a warm-up, but you should get a little winded.
• Circuit Set 1: Wood choppers (1 10-lb dumbbell, sets of 12 reps each side), Standing two-hand bent over rows (2 10-lb dumbbells, sets of 12), Alternating dumbbell curls (2 10-lb dumbbells, sets of 10)
• Circuit Set 2: Stiff-leg deadlift (2 15-lb dumbbells, sets of 12 reps), Squat with shoulder press (2 10-lb dumbbells, sets of 12)   <- you do the shoulder press as you come to standing from the squat
• Circuit Set 3: Pushups (regular, sets of 10 reps), Dips from side of bench (sets of 12 reps), Overhead dumbbell press for triceps (1 20-lb dumbbell, sets of 10)

I did each circuit three times before moving to the next one.  This should be quick, but don’t do the moves too quickly.  Just limit your rest time in order to keep the heart rate elevated.  I finished in 25 minutes.

I had a quick shower, and PopSugar Inc. then took Kev and I to their studios for hair, makeup, and lunch (No, Kev did not get hair or makeup!).  For lunch, I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with avocado (hold the cheese, bacon, and mayo) with a side salad.  Nothing to write home about… well… I blogged about it, but it’s not picture- or detail-worthy.

I was supposed to be filmed using the ridiculous-looking Elliptigo product.  For shizzle, these goofy things sell for about $2k.  When my turn came to try it out, I kind of freaked out.  I saw myself totally falling over sideways.  I never learned to ride a bike, so I wasn’t sure about the whole momentum thing you need in the beginning.  It just seemed too awkward for me.  Kev gave it a quick whirl though, and he did great.

I got a small, but Kev got the mini. Bad choice Kev!

Instead of sticking around for the rest of filming, they let us walk around Santa Monica before the next activity.  Sweet!  I had my first Pinkberry experience before hitting up the beach.

I touched the Pacific!

After beaching it up a while, Kevin and I met the PopSugar folks on the Santa Monica pier at the Trapeze School of New York.  Yup, the next activity is trapeze school!  You had a really great view of the beach from the top, and I think my legs got a little workout from it.  I didn’t feel tired, but my hamstrings were a little sore later in the day.  PopSugar was nice enough to let Kevin do it too!

Flying Tiff

After returning to the hotel, Kev and I got gussied up for dinner.  We didn’t eat until 9:30 pm due to the traffic returning from the pier, our showers, and the fact that we split some champagne and cheese/crackers in the room.

Bustin' out the Bubbly

We hit up Cleo for dinner, which was great.  The restaurant features tapas-style dining, so we started with the Brussels sprouts.  I prefer my version, but Kev really liked these.  They were more oily and salty, but they added vinegar and capers.  Delish!  We then tried lamb shawarma.  It was different and not covered in any sauce, just perfectly blended spices.  Next was the beef cheek tagine.  Amazing!  I had never tried beef cheek, but I make a chicken tagine at home that I just love.  Apparently tagine and I get along very well.

Yummy - Not Pretty

Kevin and I ended the night in our hotel’s very swanky lobby bar.  The hotel’s club was full or privately rented out, so there was some overflow in the lobby.  It was great watching all the people, and it was worlds apart from what I’m used to seeing.  Although it was fun, all the beautiful (nearly naked) women kind of made me feel insecure and very self-conscious.  I wasn’t really able to end the night on a good note, but I still had a really good time.  Perhaps I’ll do another post on such insecurities at some point in the future.

Sorry that was so long!  Thanks for reading!

*PS: Kaila over at Healthy Helper gave me a blogger award.  I didn’t forget about it, and I’m excited to post it.  I think I’ll do it as soon as I get home and things slow down a bit.  Thanks Kaila!

Jeanette Jenkins Workout

Good morning!  Here I am in the lobby, loving some complimentary coffee and Internet.  I enjoyed another Trader Joe’s bagel with whipped light cream cheese in the room, just like I did yesterday.  Kevin and I began the day Wednesday walking around Hollywood… and making another trip to Trader Joe’s.  The TJ’s is so much bigger here!  We saw the Chinese theater, the Kodak theater, and lots of shady stuff in between.  Bail bonds, anyone?

Can you see the "Hollywood" sign? It's there. Promise.

Popsugar Inc. picked me up and brought me to the studios just in time for lunch.  We all had salads, but the salads came with hard, greasy breadsticks, which I ate and sort of enjoyed.  I’m not the kind of girl to turn down bread!  I got a quick makeup touch-up before Jeanette arrived for our shoot.  (Recognize that outfit from my race day???)

Sweating on Camera

Group Shot

We filmed a quick workout video that should be posted on FitSugar some time in June.  I hope it’s soon!  I thought I was going to get to workout with Jeanette, but all we did was the video.  Luckily that was still pretty cool.  I just wish I had known to workout on my own at the hotel before arriving.  Jeanette sweetly offered to mail me a collection of her other workout DVDs.  Yay!  I think she felt badly that I didn’t get a workout.  🙂  Nice lady.  Very high energy and very loud.  But very nice lady, indeed.

After the shoot, I was driven back to the hotel.  I quickly showered, and one of Kevin’s friends picked us up to show us the town.  We ate sushi (well, I had seaweed salad and salmon sashimi) and drove around to see the sights.  I really wanted to hit up some of the bars we passed, but Kev and I were pretty worn out again.  Sigh.  Tonight, we will see a hint of night life.  It’s “the thing” to do here, and I can’t believe we still haven’t!

Food, Nutrition, and More Food

Hellooooo!  After checking into the hotel yesterday, I power walked my happy butt down to Trader Joe’s.  I was so glad Kevin was with me; Hollywood is a scary place!  He got scotch, and I got sprouted wheat bagels for breakfast.  We made it back to the room just in time for Kellan and Susi from PopSugar, Inc. to pick us up for activities.

We rode (in a Prius… so Cali) to Real Food Daily in Santa Monica to meet up with Willow and Stephanie of C & J Nutrition.  Willow and Stephanie analyzed some of my regular meals and gave me some tips about nutrition.  I couldn’t say there was too much new info, but they seemed very knowledgeable and super friendly.  They also gave me a few tips on cooking fish, an admitted fear of mine.  Kev and I split the Not-Chos.  Since Real Food Daily is a vegan restaurant, the chips were covered with a delicious cashew “cheese” sauce instead of actual cheese.  They were delicious!

Is it bad to eat nachos in front of registered dietitions?

Kevin and I had a few hours to walk around Santa Monica before meeting up with Kellan and Susi again for dinner.  It was surprisingly chilly.  I thought Southern Cali would be hot, hot, hot.

Santa Monica Pier

My 1st Pacific Ocean Experience

Yes, if you recall from yesterday’s post, I packed a lunch on the plane.  So yes, the nachos were second lunch.  My belly wasn’t loving the time change!  I usually eat dinner at 6:30, but we were meeting for dinner at 7:30, which is 10:30 Eastern Time!  I was glad for nachos, and I was excited for dinner.  We ate at True Food Kitchen, another foodie dream.  Susi took photos of all her food, which reminded me to do the same.  I must admit, I felt a little silly doing it because she actually gets paid to do that sort of thing – I just really like food!

Panang Curry with Shrimp

Dinner was great, but dessert was amazing!  This was my first rhubarb experience, and lemme’ tell ya… it won’t be the last!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

When Kevin and I were at TJ’s, we purchased a bottle of champagne to enjoy at the end of the evening, but when we got back to the room, we kind of just passed out.  Travel is exhausting… especially in a tall pair of Steve Madden wedges.

California Dreamin’

Hello from the airport!  Although sitting in traffic, getting a random pat-down in security, and paying too much for my caffeine fix is not a good time, I’m still in a pretty darn good mood.  I have a good lunch packed; I’m not at work.  Most importantly, I’m about to leave for California!  If you read yesterday’s post, you’ll know why, and you’ll also know this is my first trip to the Golden Coast.

About that lunch… does anyone else pack lunches for random places?  I like to pack lunches for trips to the mall, the airport, or just about anywhere I can get away with brining my own munchies.  Today’s lunch is an apple and “peeb” quesadilla.  I hope it’s not smooshed in my bag!

Apple & PB Quesadilla

I may be a little odd, but I’m not the only one who hates paying for overpriced, mediocre airport food.  Check out this post over at The Smart Kitchen for more on eating and traveling.  (By the way, I didn’t get a workout in today because I need to save my energy for the time change, and I ate Kashi GoLean cereal for breakfast.  It feels odd not having a three-part breakfast!)

I tried to take a pic for you guys, but I failed.  Can you see me?  I know you can at least see the plane, and I guess that’s cooler than I am anyway.  I wanted to ask Kev to take my picture in my cute pink dress with my bright pink rolly bag, but I think we’re both a bit too embarrassed.  Who knew airports were so crowded on Tuesdays???

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

Once we land, our room probably will not be ready, so we plan to leave our goods with the bellman and head straight for Trader Joe’s.  I want to get a cheap bottle of champagne (for celebrating tonight), and breakfast/lunch stuff for the week.  I don’t think our trendy hotel will be putting out a crappy but convenient continental breakfast!

Around 3 p.m., the FitSugar people will pick me up for my consultation with C&J Nutrition.  Due to the time change, we’ll be ready for dinner by then, but we will have to wait until our official dinner starts at 7 p.m.  I’m excited about my foodie meal, but when you usually eat at 6:30 p.m. and have a 3-hour time difference, your stomach might start eating itself.  I think I’m going to be picking up extra snacks at TJ’s!

Trip Details

Yesterday’s post mentioned a trip, and now you get to hear the details.  I won a trip from FitSugar to Hollywood, CA.  Woohoo!  We get to stay in a sweet hotel, enjoy a nutrition consultation with C&J Nutrition, a fitness consultation with Jeanette Jenkins, and do all sorts of workouts.  Although we have the evenings free to see the sights, I don’t think we’ll party too much since I have to get up at 5:00 a.m. for the workouts.  Thank goodness I’m used to that!

We leave tomorrow for the trip, but don’t worry, I’ll bring my laptop and camera so that I can document all of our activities.  Although I wish there was more room in the rigorous schedule for sight-seeing and relaxing, any day on vacation is better than a day at work, right?

I can’t say I agree with Jeanette’s logic in this clip.  In fact, I believe the opposite, but it’s always good to hear new perspectives.  Maybe I’ll learn some good stuff I can share with you all.

Tomorrow morning I might try and squeeze in a little pilates before flight, but today I had a regular gym session.  I did 20 minutes on the elliptical before hitting the weights.  In order to fit in the elliptical, I had to skip one exercise and superset a few others, but I made it work.  The elliptical felt gooood after the hard run I had Saturday.   (BTW, just found out I got 3rd place for my gender/age group!)  At least I allowed myself to recuperate on Sunday.  Kevin, a buddy, and I all went boating for a few hours.

Capt. Tiff

I got burnt to a crisp a little toasty, but I’ve got to be tan for Hollywood, right?  I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it!  Have a great week, and be sure to check in with me tomorrow to hear about our flight, nutrition consultation, and foodie dinner.

What are some must-do, must-see, or must-eat things in Hollywood/LA/Santa Monica?  I need some tips!

My Top Three

Howdy Bloggies!  I hope everyone is having an excellent weekend.  Mine has been pretty darn good so far.  As regular readers know, I had my race yesterday, and I was pretty excited about it.  I celebrated in the evening with three of my favorite things, pizza, beer, and the Mister.  We tried a new pizza place (new to me, anyway) that happened to be hosting a beer tasting.  Coincidence?  I think not.

I tried two of the beers (in mini cups) and both gave me great respect for the brewery, NoDa Brewing Company.  The first was a delicious IPA  that was chock full of hoppy goodness.  I like the name, Stretch Beerstrong.  It was on the high-end of my alcohol tolerance level, but it was bursting with so much citrus flavor that you did not even notice the ABV, which came to 7.something%.

Sample of Stretch Beerstrong

The brewery’s other beer was a Choco-Loco Porter.  I was not a fan.  It had a very chocolate taste that also hinted of ultra-sweet roast coconut.   The beer was thick and heavy, though not too strong of alcohol (6.2% ABV).  Even though I was not crazy about this beer, I feel it was more the style that I didn’t like.  The brew itself seemed creative, unique, and artfully crafted with a blend of top-notch ingredients, so I still respect the brewery for this nearly undrinkable beer.  Make sense, right?

NoDa Brewing Company’s beer cannot yet be purchased.  They *should* have growlers available by July and kegs available in October.  Hurry up and get brewing!

We also had pizzaaaaaa!  Kev got a better one, and I was jealous.  He at least let me trade a piece.  Mine was still pretty darn good though.  He had goat cheese and kalamata olives.  I had bbq chicken.  MMmm!  I enjoyed my dinner with a Franziskaner Hefe, though I sort of regretted that beer choice.  It suited the weather, but the hefe made for a poor pairing with my pizza.

BBQ Chicken Goodness

We had two friends come over last night after dinner to just sit, chat, and wrap up the evening.  We plan to pack this morning and go boating in the afternoon.  Pack?  Yes, I said pack!  We’re taking a trip, but I’m not telling you any more about it until Monday.  You’re not going to believe the deets!

Mediterranean Veggie Bowl

I mentioned the ingredients to my Mediterranean Veggie Bowl in a previous post, but I’d like to take a moment and post a real recipe for it.  I plan to add more veggie bowl recipes in the future.  This is partially due to requests, but it is also to help break the mold from frozen meals and deli meats.  I eat my fair share of frozen meals and deli meats, but I try to avoid both when possible.

Frozen meals, such as those made by Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, etc., are expensive.  While they don’t successfully keep me full, they do pump me full of artificial flavorings/preservatives and tons of sodium.  I have decided I’d prefer making custom meals with ingredients I trust on Sunday, then packaging them up for lunch every day.  Luckily, I’m one of those people who can eat something for 4-5 days in a row before getting sick of it!

As for deli meats, I’m not going to go on a huge rant here about those.  I eat them.  My family eats them.  It’s not the end of the world.  However, they are worth avoiding or at least limiting when possible.  There’s a myriad of reasons, and Google will be happy to help you find the ones that tug your heartstrings.  Arguments discuss the treatment of the animals, the quality of the meat, the way packaged meats harm the enviroment, and more.  You can check out a quick recap here if you have time.  No matter your opinion, you can see why I’ve recently fallen in love with my own veggie bowls!

Mmmmediterranean

Mediterranean Veggie Bowl

• 3 servings quinoa
• 2 packages chopped frozen spinach (10 oz each) (kale works well too in this)
• 1 white onion (or whatever’s in your pantry)
• 1 package of fresh “Baby Bella” mushrooms (or sliced button mushrooms if you prefer)
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp basil (I used dried)
• 1 TBS oregano (again… I used dried)
• 1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes (drained)
• 1 can garbanzo beans (or cannellini beans) (drained and rinsed)

Steps

1. Begin cooking quinoa according to package directions.  Meanwhile, chop onion and defrost spinach in the microwave.
2. Pour olive oil in pan to warm.  Add onion and mushrooms, and cook until softened.
3. Add garlic to pan.  Stir and be careful not to burn.  Add spices and stir until fragrant (about 1 minute)
4. If quinoa is finished cooking, add tomatoes, beans, and drained spinach.  Stir until heated.  Add contents of pan to pot of quinoa and other goodies.  Stir.  Let cool just enough to package into 5 equal servings.

The total per serving (assuming 5 servings) is 244 calories.  That’s not a lot, so some of you may want to add an additional can of beans, which would bring the total to approximately 321 calories per serving.  If you don’t care about calories, then I would recommend adding feta.  Feta makes everything betta’!  Lastly, I’d like to note that the vitamin C in the tomatoes helps your body absorb the iron from the other ingredients, such as spinach and quinoa.

After a race, you may be too tired to clean your house, but you may still have the energy to build your kitties a two-blanket and two-box fort.  (I think I liked it more than they did.)

Fort Entrace

Forts = Fun

Cleo Attacking the Fort