Hey all!

To say that this week has been stressful is putting it lightly.  I had a *huge* project due at work, so that has taken up the majority of my time (plus serving at night–it’s been a crazy week for my brain). Luckily I just pressed “send” and got it finalized and off to my boss, so it’s a huge weight off my shoulders!

I have the next few days off from the restaurant so I decided to spend the rest of the week downtown. I took the train down last night and was instantly met with a crazy thunderstorm. Like, “umbrellas-turning-inside-out-end-of-the-world” storms.  In hopes of saving my laptop and sanity, I took a cab to meet up Megan for happy hour.

Not the best picture, but I’m sure you all know what beer looks like.  Funny thing is, all throughout college I swore I’d never like beer.  And generally I still don’t. But there’s something really nice about a cold light beer after a long day at work. Plus, in Chicago it’s the cheapest option, and as someone who’s not exactly rolling in the dough now, I can put aside personal preferences for a cheap buzz.

One other fun thing about yesterday? Early morning spin class!

Very few people show up to a 5:30 am spin class. Only us crazies 🙂

Anyway, I woke up today and parked my booty at Starbucks at 9am ready to get this project DONE.  I am one of those people who is easily distracted, so I decided I wasn’t going to take any walking breaks or even look for the best dining options around for breakfast/lunch (like I usually do). I just decided to make Starbucks my home for the day.

Not surprisingly, Starbucks is a great place to be locked up all day! Minus the prices, there were tons of healthy options for me to choose from.

For breakfast I had one of their artisan sandwiches–veggie, egg, and cheese, along with a Venti unsweetened iced tea topped with lemonade.

Loving my new nickname!

Unlike the name suggests, there were maybe two peppers in the whole sandwich, but it was still a good low-sugar high-protein option so it got the job done.

A few hours later I did the obvious and ordered a cup of coffee.  Black with truvia.

Coffee did it’s usual trick of hiding my hunger for awhile, but eventually I was ravenous and needed to take a lunch break.

Since I had a sandwich for breakfast I wanted to try something different.  I got one of their Protein Bistro Boxes. While it looks small, the variety in all the snacks turned this box into a really satisfying meal!  Inside was an egg, a slice of white cheddar cheese, a piece of multigrain muesli bread, a few grapes/apple slices, and a mini packet of Justin’s PB.  Don’t get me wrong, this was devoured in less than two minutes, but it did have a great lasting effect and I’m sitting here three hours later still full.

Aside from the yumminess, it has pretty impressive nutritional stats too:

 Now I’m finished with my work week and ready for a REWARD.  I’m debating between fro yo, a pumpkin spice latte, or hot tub time. Or all the above.  I could be easily convinced.

Question: how do you reward yourself after a hard day/week at work?