Author: Lauren @ ihadabiglunch

Losing my “Spill it Sunday” Virginity

Sundays are usually a quiet day for me in terms of blogging. In fact, it’s rare that I post on a Saturday OR Sunday, just because I’d rather be out and about than typing away on the ol’ laptop. But today I decided to finally join in on the fun that Arman brings us every week and link up with other bloggers for “Spill It Sunday”. Plus you all want to get to know me a little better, right? I knew it.

1. What’s your middle name?

Rosemary – the name of my Dad’s mom, my paternal Grandma. I never met her but I like having her name because it feels like I have a little part of her in me.

2. When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?

Being the indecisive person I am this always, always changed. I do remember when I was really little I thought I wanted to be a librarian. I would take books from around the house and pretend to “scan” them and a few weeks ago I even found a log detailing the books that I let my family “check out,” with due dates and fines and everything haha. Apparently I was a real stickler as a child.

3. What do you keep in the glove box of your car?

Napkins! I hate when I’m eating or I need to blow my nose or something and I reach into the glove compartment and there are no napkins in there. One of life’s little frustrations that I try to avoid 🙂

4. Name one food that always seems to go bad before you eat it?

Bread! Which is so weird because that never used to happen to me but for some reason Zain and I keep coming across moldy bread midweek.

5. What was the last workout you did?

I don’t know if this counts as a real workout but I biked to run all my errands yesterday! Other than that I did an elliptical workout on Friday.

6. When was the last time you got the giggles in an inappropriate moment? What did you do?

This is a funny story that I don’t think my parents even know about. My brother and I have a game we’ve played at church since we were probably 12 years old. During Catholic masses we all stand and hold hands while saying the Our Father and Steve and I have always played “who can squeeze the other person’s hand the hardest” game. It usually ends up in stifled giggles during church, especially lately because I realize how old we are still playing this game and it makes me laugh. We joked the other day that one day we’re going to be 30 years old in church doing it and one of us is going to break our hand and when the paramedics ask what happened we’ll have to tell them we were playing a game. I can’t wait for that day.

7. If you had to pick one song to play continuously in the background of your everyday life what would you pick?

It changes a lot but this week I’ve been loving playing this song while I walk to work. It’d be a great theme song!

8. What would you do if you got 25 hours in a day while everyone else was still stuck with 24?

This sounds dumb and predictable but I’d definitely use that time to work out. Sometimes it’s tough to fit in a workout when you don’t want to miss out on things with friends! How great would it be to wake up and have an extra hour to sweat before work but it didn’t cost you any sleep or time with family/friends?

9. Pick a great picture of you/your family/your friends and tell us the background story of what’s happening in it.

I have to cheat and use two pictures – my parents were trying to get a nice family picture of my brother and me during a family vacation a few years back (back when I was into the whole bleached bottle blonde business). My brother scooped me up (I hate being picked up) and the following pictures happened:

Don’t ever joke about dropping a girl! Just don’t do it haha.

10.What’s your favorite quote/song/image when you need a little inspiration?

Have a beautiful Sunday! I can’t wait to read about all your weekends!

Yoga Loft Chicago

One of the coolest perks of my job is we get to try out a variety fitness studios and classes in the city. Sometimes they come to the office and we do a group workout in one of the conference rooms but this past week we were lucky enough to be invited to Yoga Loft, a gorgeous, almost hidden studio in the heart of the River North neighborhood.

All I knew before stepping foot in the studio was it was going to be a “sculpting” class. I assumed that since it was a sculpt class at a yoga studio it would be yoga + weights and maybe a little more movement than the usual yoga class. BOY was I wrong. But let’s rewind…

We walked into the small but well-utilized space and were immediately faced with rows of dark wooden cubbies for our belongings, a variety of weights to choose from, Dixie cups full of water and a wall of yoga mats. From the second we walked in it was a very warm and welcoming place.

Next we met Tim, who was our teacher for the day. I should have realized when he said he was a personal trainer that we were NOT going to be doing yoga, but I remained blissfully ignorant to what lay ahead.

All 15 of us grabbed some five pound weights, headed into the studio and sat down on mats already waiting for us. The room was hot as could be so I knew it was going to be a doozy.

Now, onto the workout. After a quick five-minute “warm up” (a term I use lightly because it was tough in and of itself) we jumped right into a 40 minute bootcamp-style workout. Now, I’ve tried just about every workout: spin, body pump, Crossfit, running, yoga, etc., but these 40 minutes were by far the toughest I’ve ever experienced.

We performed two circuits, including some of the following moves:

Moving pushups (moving side to side after each one)
Burpees + jump with knees to your chest
Pushup + lunge + jump lunge to the other leg
Planks
Forward and back kicks + punches
Mountain climbers
Sumo squats
High knees

I could keep going but you get the picture 😉

The intensity of this workout plus the heat in the room made for a hilarious picture. All 15 of us were slipping and sliding on our mats, and I even fell a few times while trying to hold a plank. The longest break we had was 15 seconds, a well-deserved rest that only came two or three times during the workout. Needless to say, it was the quickest 40 minutes of my life. After it was done we all looked around at each other and couldn’t believe we had just been moving like the for 40 whole minutes!

Now that is some good old fashioned sweat! (Plus a side of some serious forehead)

I left Yoga Loft feeling better than I have in months. They aren’t lying when they say that exercise gives you a serious high. I could have flown home on that endorphin rush!

The thing I’m most excited about is that Yoga Loft is offering new students an incredible deal: two weeks of unlimited workouts for $35! Anyone who has gone to a small studio in a big city knows just how expensive they are, so this is a steal. Megan and I are definitely going to go back for the next two weeks and get our sweat on again – we’re addicted!

If you’re from Chicago and want to check it out with me, I’d love to go with you in the upcoming weeks! Just check out their website, see if it’s something you want to test out, and let me know! I’m always looking for new fitness partners in crime 🙂

Questions:

When was the last time you had an amazing workout?
Do you belong to a regular gym or a small studio?
Any ideas for how to make a little extra cash so I don’t have to sell a kidney to keep going to classes like this once my two weeks are up?

a weekend of firsts

First time trying squid ink pasta

Twas spicy. And different. Good in a unique way. Zman and I had date night at RPM Italian (owned by Giuliana and Bill Rancic) and after hearing rave reviews, I decided to try this squid ink pasta topped with crab which tasted great and made me feel fancy. I’ll definitely be back to try another dish because everything looked incredible, but I wasn’t blown away by the place – especially by the service. As a former server I know the little tricks of the trade when you’re trying to rush a table and our server was definitely rushing us. She brought out our appetizer WITH our entrees and asked if we’d like to see a dessert menu while we were still eating. Not impressed. But hey, now I can say I tried it!

First time making French Toast

It took an hour, way too much butter, and I wanted to go back to bed afterwards. The effort was worth it though, especially for leftovers, because this was killer. So delicious (and this is coming from a girl who’s never loved french toast in the past).

First time doing a squat-a-thon

Because it’s T-minus 2 weeks until I need to squeeze myself into a bikini and I’d rather squat til I drop than do something crazy like give up pizza.

First lazy “summer” weekend in Chicago

A beautiful run, a two hour adventure walk and $5 worth of frozen yogurt.

And last but certainly not least, first time signing a lease! (No, college doesn’t count)

Zman and I are officially moving in together in Lincoln Park! We came, we saw, we conquered. In other words, we toured an apartment, fell in love, and signed all within six hours. We didn’t ask nearly enough questions but it’s next door to a Starbucks so I don’t really see what could go wrong.

Big things happening here! So tell me…did you have any “firsts” this weekend? If not, what was the best thing you did all weekend?

Have a great Monday!

Citrus Butter Shrimp (recipe)

Since summer is coming, I thought now would be the perfect time to share one of my all-time favorite recipes for citrus butter shrimp. It’s the perfect summer dish because it allows shrimp to bask in its pure glory while also drowning in melted butter, lemon and red pepper flakes. Ok maybe not perfect for summer…you have to put up with the oven, heating up the whole house—but thou shalt sacrifice for delicious food, n’est-ce pas?

Regardless…

As warm weather peeks its head out I start to crave simpler foods. This dish covers all the bases, and I hope you’re inspired to make it as well!

**Also Chelsea just informed me that today is National Shrimp Day! Am I psychic or what??

]

Citrus Butter Shrimp

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 pound raw shrimp (16 oz bag)
1 lemon
4 tablespoons butter
Red pepper flakes
Optional: oregano, thyme, garlic salt, etc.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350
Thaw, clean and take the tails off your shrimp according to package directions (I used TJ’s organic raw frozen shrimp)
Melt butter in a pan (I used a 9 inch circular pan) by placing it in the oven for a minute or two. Then take the pan back out of the oven.
Slice the lemon and layer the pieces on top of the butter
Arrange the shrimp on top of the lemon/butter mixture. Stir around so all the shrimp is getting some butter action.
Sprinkle the shrimp with red pepper flakes (I used just 3-4 shakes, or a tablespoon)
Place in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through
Take out of the oven and ENJOY!

If the amount of butter scares you off, never fear! Much of it is leftover in the pan. It’s just a wonderful cooking agent that really brings out the beauty and simplicity in shrimp. Plus, if butter scares you, you have bigger fish to fry (no pun intended).

No panko, no frying, no bread, nada. Just simple, beautiful citrus butter shrimp. I squeeze a little extra lemon over my final serving, but do whatever floats your boat.

Questions:

Are you a shrimp lover? What’s your favorite recipe?
What’s one thing you’re looking forward to this weekend?

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND and don’t forget to grab your mom some beautiful tulips for Mother’s Day!

white cheddar tequila trout (it’s not what you think)

Oooo how gross is that title? But it got you to click, right? Bwahaha my master plan is working – shock and awe will keep you all coming back for more! In all seriousness, though, isn’t it funny how you can churn out content almost daily for entire blog posts and then it’s time to come up with a title and you’re like “Uhhh….”. Oh the irony….

I promise I’ll have a recap soon of my juice cleanse attempt (emphasis on the word attempt) but I really feel like I’ve committed a major blogger sin by skipping out on “What I Ate Wednesday”. When I first started reading food blogs (Kath Eats Real Food was my gateway drug) that was my favorite part! Scrolling through photo after photo of snacks, sandwiches, skillets, and everything in between got me through the day when I was working at my first summer internship. One of the first realities I faced when I started blogging was no, you can’t just upload iPhone photos of fish and veggies every single day and call it a healthy living blog. These types of outlets require covering a vast number of topics, and food is just the tip of the iceberg. But hey, we all love a good photo dump every once in awhile, right? So in homage to my blog-obsession roots, I’m going to share some of the best things I’ve eaten in the past week or so.

Lentil soup – it never sounds good but 9 out of 10 times it knocks my socks off

Trader Joe’s chicken and verde salsa burritos (an incredibly easy frozen food option) alongside some tortilla chips, salsa and peas. I’m a pea freak lately!

Tequila and good conversation mix very well 🙂

Why has no one told me about this white cheddar mac and cheese before? I about died and went to heaven

Deep dish from the Art of Pizza in Lakeview – my new favorite (the two pounds of cheese per slice helped)

Overnight oats – never pretty, always delicious

Easily the best sandwich I’ve had in awhile: chicken, roasted tomatoes, pesto, arugula and provolone.

Food Ease hot bar inside Water Tower place: Joe’s Crab Shack Roasted Tomatoes, Herb Roasted Trout, and Roasted Potatoes. Talk about a high-class lunch!

I will never turn down a Chipotle date with Zman 🙂

Let’s end the post with something I’m grateful for today: I’m grateful for the ability to read! Can you imagine never learning that basic skill? I love reading about other people’s life experiences and creative writing pieces so I’m very appreciative that I grew up in a place that values education.

Okay…now let’s hear from you!

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten in the past week?
What’s one thing you’re grateful for today?

hey. let’s do a juice cleanse.

Surprise! I’m going on a juice cleanse.

Don’t worry – it’s only three days. I’m not that crazy. I solemnly swear I won’t whine, complain, or list off the types of food I’d rather be eating in alphabetical order (animal crackers, bruschetta, cashews, donuts….). I’m going to take this juice cleanse like a man. I bought a three day package from Peeled, a Chicago-based juice bar located in Lincoln Park. Six juices a day for three days, totaling eighteen bottles of juice over the course of three days. No caffeine (kill me), no food (KILL ME), and no alcohol (I’ll survive). I’m allowed green tea, which I’ve never been the biggest fan of. But to be honest that’s probably because when it’s a choice between coffee and green tea it’s not even a competition. Today, Tomorrow and Thursday are the big days! Just in time for date night. So without further ado, let’s get a closer look at the six daily drinks I’ll be guzzling:

Drink 1 Green Lantern: Cold pressed and chock full of chlorophyll rich kale, romaine lettuce and spinach, iron-packed parsley, alkalizing celery and lemon, immune-boosting ginger, vitamin C rich cucumber and naturally sweet apple, this is the most essential drink of the cleanse program. Green Lantern is a liquid multi-vitamin with the combined nutrienst of 5 servings of raw, nutrient-rich vegetables.

Drink 2 Haute Lemonade: The alkalization continues with spicy Haute Lemonade. It’s naturally sweetened with agave nectar and organic Grade A maple syrup. Lemons diminish the oxidative effects of nasty free radicals, and this tangy blend not only fires up the metabolism, it cleanses the intestinal walls of the digestive tract.

Drink 3 Maroon Five: Beet, carrot, apple, lemon, and ginger move quickly through your bloodstream, liver and kidneys for continued detoxification

Drink 4 Green Lantern: This is your body’s opportunity to absorb the greatest quantity of nutrients. The further we cleanse, the more easily the vitamins from whole foods infiltrate our system.

Drink 5 Maroon Five: Water-soluble vitamin C continues to neutralize free radicals in the blood, kidneys and liver.

Drink 6 Cashew Dream: At the end of the day, your body’s energy is in its most natural state. This deceptively decadent cashew milk is the perfect nightcap to a day of healthy drinking.

So what’s the point? Let’s get a few things straight.

Why I’m Doing a Juice Cleanse

Not to lose weight. Not because I think it will detox my body of all my “toxins.” Not because it’s May and I still feel like I have that extra layer of love all over my body. So why am I doing it?

To give my body a break. Do you realize how hard your body works to digest food? And not that it’s a bad thing, I mean, that’s its job, right? But I want to give my digestive system a break and see how it feels.
Because I’m curious, alright?
Groupon.
Because my life revolves around food. And while that’s not necessarily bad, I wonder what my life will be like when I’m not planning meals, prepping food, snacking and eating. And dreaming about eating. Food is the center of my life, and it will be a nice break to have six “meals” ready for me every day.
Because I love fruits and veggies. So why not?

What do I want to get out of this?

Eat slower and with more purpose. I’ve been eating WAY too fast lately, to the point where I have indigestion after almost every meal. That’s not okay.
Discipline. I want to finish something I start.
Focus on things other than food for a few days.
“Start Over”. I know what clean eating is. I used to be MUCH better at it. It sounds like a lame excuse but these past few months have been rough. Between the weather and the stress of having two jobs (one being an unpaid internship) for almost a year I’m lucky I didn’t gain twenty pounds. But I definitely feel heavy, clunky, puffy. It’s time to start over. Spring cleaning, if you will.

Questions:

Ever done a juice cleanse? Any advice for me?
Would you ever go on a juice cleanse?

the sunshine award: I promise I’m unique!

Holla at my fellow Chicagoan SuzLyfe for nomiating me for the Sunshine Award! You know what that means…you’re about to learn new, random, unique things about me! I never in a million years thought that strangers on the internet would want to know intimate details about me, and I wouldn’t be creeped out by it. In fact, it only seems appropriate that you all get to know more about what makes me, me, other than my insatiable love and need for food and a good sweat session. So without further ado….

1. I have been to 12 different countries. My favorite place was Prague in The Czech Republic, and my lease favorite was Venice, Italy. I haaaated that place. It was a claustrophobic girl’s worst nightmare.

2. Speaking of that, I’m claustrophobic. I had a traumatizing experience when I was little where I got trapped crawling through a dark tunnel, with someone in front of me and behind. It was the worst feeling of my life and I’ll never forget that panic. Ever since then, I can’t be in small, dark, enclosed spaces, and if I’m locked in somewhere, I have a panic attack.

3. In high school I pierced my cartilage with a safety pin (it didn’t end well)

4. My head is too big to fit into hats. I just tell myself it’s because I have too big of a brain 😉

5. I ate so much cereal in college that some of my friends referred to me as the “cereal killer”. I even went as that for Halloween once.

6. I have a twin brother!

7. Austin is my favorite city in America

8. I lived in Washington D.C. for a summer – and in two months made some of the best friends in the world. We still talk today!

9. I’m in a sorority – Pi Beta Phi

10. I was a barista in college. It was a humbling experience but also one of the most fun. I wish everyone could work in the food industry for at least a year because it really gives you a whole new outlook on life. Plus, I got free drinks whenever I wanted, so not only did I make money but imagine how much I saved on coffee throughout college!

So there’s that! I feel like you know me on a whollllle new level now. But now I need to hear some random things from you! Tell me something unique about yourself! Give me some workday entertainment.

taking a new path

It might seem like a cliche but there are few things in life scarier than taking a new path. When I say that, I’m speaking figuratively and literally. For example, we all have those “routes” that get us home at the end of the day. That comfort level, that calmness we have being in control of how long it will take us to get home, is part of the everyday routine. Unfortunately, I think that we get too used to that comfort level and it translates into how we want to run our entire lives. It’s such a wonderful feeling to be in control that it becomes like a drug, and the minute you feel like you don’t have control it’s so easy to get anxious and worried.

In church we call it undo worry. I think it’s important to remember that this weird thing called LIFE was happening longgggg before we were born and sometimes it takes us in all different directions. Sometimes we itty bitty humans don’t really have much of a say in what happens. But that’s no cause for anger, self-harm, self-medication, or worry, no matter what form that could be. I think we all have different ways of handling life’s uncertainty, and while it’s something I’m still working on, I really admire those who turn to things like yoga, meditation or journaling. I’m quick to turn up the music full blast (in fact I just blew out my headphones the other day…whoops) because silence and solitary time just doesn’t work for me. I like noise, I like people, and I like “productivity”. It’s almost as if I believe that if I ignore or drown out my worries then they’ll go away. I’m starting to realize, however, that that’s not how life works! Dealing with your feelings, whether it be fear, worry, or even joy is something that needs to be proactively handled, not pushed under the surface until it comes out at an inopportune time.

I have doubts about where my future is. I have a little inkling about what path I want to go down but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s not the path I’m “supposed” to go down. Just as it’s scary to take a new path literally, it’s scary to imagine myself veering off my figurative plans. And while I can listen to as loud of music as I want and pound the pavement until I forget what I was even worried about, eventually I’m going to have to face this worry head-on. Eventually I’m going to have to have the courage to commit to a path, whatever that may be. No one minds an indecisive 23-year-old but I’m pretty sure this attitude won’t fly in few years 🙂

So how am I going to start taking a more proactive approach to my life? JOURNALING. I love to write (duh), but I especially love to hand-write. So I’m going to treat these next few months like a class, taking notes and studying them regularly, to see if I notice a pattern in my feelings or thoughts. I’m not sure when the final exam will be, but hopefully I’ll be prepared 😉

I’m also going to make a conscious effort to do things outside my comfort zone, make last-minute plans and take paths that I’m not used to, hoping that I can get used to not being in control all the time. I’ve actually been doing a great job of that lately and want to continue, because I’ve realized that sometimes the best plans are the one you make at the last second!

Last night I took an early-evening run through the city, on a path that I didn’t map out, didn’t know how long it would be and didn’t time myself. It was such a breath of fresh air from my usual patter of running from point A to point B, not to mention the run flew by because I was constantly turning corners, weaving through people and avoiding cars shooting through alleyways. I ended up running 4.69 miles. Anyone who knows my running style knows I usually hate those kind of numbers but I just stopped when I arrived home and called it a day. This run was a metaphor for how I hope these next few months will be, and if that run was any indication of the future, letting go of control will be just fine.

And this morning I’m headed to work wearing my compression sleeves under my jeans. Can you tell?

Ahhh the ultimate runner’s ruse 🙂 You’re welcome for that shot of my big, boney feet

Questions:

How do you deal with “undo worry”?
Are you afraid to stray from the path that you think you should be on?
What’s one time you “just went with it” and how did it turn out?

What I Ate Wednesday

It’s gonna be a fast one today, guys. In typical “me” fashion I hit snooze one too many times and am now scrambling to get everything together for work. But how could I rush off and not share my eats with you? That would just be selfish. I can’t wait to see all your food pics today…I’ve been seriously struggling in the creativity department (especially for dinner) so I need some inspiration! As always, thanks to Peas and Crayons for hosting! Maybe one day I’ll learn how to link up to the WIAW post (I allllways have trouble).

Breakfast

2 egg omelet with spinach, peppers, scallions and cheddar cheese

Lunch

An “everything but the kitchen sink” salad: mixed greens with blue cheese, candied walnuts, scallions, strawberries, hardboiled eggs, and Panera’s poppyseed dressing

Snack

Recycled photo: roasted sweet potato with peanut butter (plus a biiiig cup of coffee unpictured)

Dinner

Veggie wrap: whole wheat wrap topped with basil-white bean hummus, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and swiss cheese. Plenty of tortilla chips on the side

Dessert

M&Ms!

Zain left this sweet note for me made of M&Ms, my all-time favorite candy. It was such a sweet treat 🙂 my trick to keep myself from eating the whole bag in one day (not the single serving bag of course) is putting them in a shot glass. On bad days, I have two “shots” but if I savor them, I’m satisfied with just one. They’re addicting so this is a great way to eat them in moderation.

And just because it’s Wednesday, buy yourself some flowers. Maybe Spring will get the memo.

when “health tips” make you scratch your head

I love health and fitness magazines. I know that everything is online now and innumerable healthy living tips are just a Pinterest board away, but there’s something really fun about grabbing an issue of Shape or Self and flipping through the pages.

However….I think it’s important to remember a few things about these magazines.

Take the healthy eating information they give with a grain of salt. Everyone’s different.
Can there really be “breakthrough” “revolutionary” “no-fail” healthy eating tips every single issue?

Now, I love the workout ideas and oftentimes I walk away with a new tidbit of information that I personally find helpful. But sometimes I read something that makes me scratch my head.

For example, this Shape article I recently read:

“How Food Texture Affects Your Calorie Intake”

They explain that according to new research published in the Journal of Consumer Research, people perceive foods that are either hard or have a rough texture to have fewer calories. In other words, you consume more calories. I was blown away by this “fact”! This is a perfect example of a tip that I quickly breezed by.

Since I started eating healthy and exercising regularly, I’ve developed little habits that help me keep my portions and food choices in balance. One of the most helpful habits I’ve used for years is changing up the texture of my food to make it more satisfying. I add nuts to my oatmeal, my peanut butter has to be crunchy, I add raw vegetables to my salad, and chia seeds to my smoothies. It has to be one of the top tips I would tell people if they’re trying to lose weight. So how does that align with this new “research”? I suppose I don’t know which I would eat more of, hard or soft bite-sized brownies, like they did in the study, but I have to disagree that food texture negatively influences my healthy eating habits.