Author: Lauren @ ihadabiglunch

exercise myths

With all the thousands of “rules” about how to get fit and stay healthy, it’s hard to know what’s right. For the most part, there really are no rules. It’s all about trial and error and figuring out what fitness routine you can stick with. If you work out best in the morning, work out in the morning. Sure you’ll read contradicting stories–one today saying that morning workouts are best because working out on an empty stomach = fat loss, and one tomorrow saying working out in the afternoon is best because it’s when you’re most alert so you’ll give it your best effort. There’s no winner when it comes to googling weight loss. You’ll just end up feeling more frustrated than when you began.

I came across a cool image the other day, highlighting common myths about exercise. While I don’t think it should be seen as a group of rules to live by, most of the myths/facts are good things to keep in mind when you want to commit to a healthy lifestyle.

In other words,

drink water
perform high intensity exercises
pick some types of protein that you like and eat those to supplement a workout
don’t count on your cardio machine to be correct when it comes to burning calories
eat a balanced diet (but never supplement a “bad day” with a crash diet day–talk about a yo yo effect)
don’t rely on the scale to tell you what’s what (I’m 10 pounds heavier than I was 5 years ago but guess what? I feel great!)
don’t try to spot reduce

Most importantly: don’t give up!

Sometimes I think our bodies are designed to test us. You might work out for a month and step on the scale and see nothing, or even a weight increase! Or you might feel bloated and terrible because you’ve been stuffing yourself full of extra broccoli in an attempt to be healthy. Whatever you do, don’t give up. That’s your body’s way of saying “are you sure this is a new lifestyle?” If you stick with a new and healthy routine, eventually it will become your lifestyle and your body will react accordingly.

I hope you find these tips helpful!

Question:

Which myth have you been guilty of believing?

I’ve always thought that working out on an empty stomach leads to more fat loss. And while it might not be directly related to fat loss, it’s definitely what works best for me personally. Morning workouts get me on an endorphin high all day!

weekend eats + active rest

there’s only one thing that can make a Monday better. looking a pictures of beautiful food. I did a really good job of eating like a queen all weekend. for the sake of the blog, of course 🙂

Spinach, pepper, onion, and cheddar cheese omelet with a side of buttermilk pancakes and potatoes

Zman’s strawberry crepes with whipped cream and strawberry sauce

Shrimp salad with jicama, black beans, corn, tomatoes, queso fresco cheese, avocado, and a honey-lime-cilantro vinaigrette

Chicken pad thai

Everything bagel sandwich with an egg and some cheddar cheese

Green bean base (instead of pasta) with marinara sauce, Parmesan cheese, and garlic bread

2 egg omelet with spinach, red peppers, onions, veggie sausage, cheddar cheese and red pepper flakes. Black coffee on the side

So yeah. A lot of eggs were had.

In other news, I took the weekend off from working out. After Friday’s workout, which kicked my butt, I just wanted to take it easy.

I highly recommend this workout to anyone at any fitness level. It’s very straightforward and you don’t need any equipment besides a kettlebell. Don’t have one? Use a gallon of milk or something of similar weight!

The rest of the weekend was all about walking, or as I call it “active rest”. Rest days don’t have to be all about lounging on the couch. You can give your body a rest from the intensity of tough workouts but still get your blood flowing and legs moving. Walking is a great form of active rest and I’ve found it’s a great thing to do when it seems like your whole week has revolved around a computer screen. On Saturday alone Zman and I walked 6 miles all around the city. Those three hours were perfect because they were sans phone, computer, or music. It was all about talking and exploring. It was also a gorgeous time to walk through the city, especially Lincoln Park, because of the falling leaves and chilly temps that just make you want to head to Starbucks for a piping hot cup of coffee in their red holiday cups.

First things first, we walked to Zman’s flag football game.

It was the playoffs, and even though they lost it was still really fun to watch (especially because it had rained the night before so people were slipping and falling with every turn thanks to the mud. Pretty entertaining stuff)

After the game we walked to The Original Pancake House on Clark Street for breakfast. We passed some crazy leftover pumpkins on the way:

Adorable 🙂

Once we got to breakfast I thought about getting their Dutch Apple Pancake, which they’re famous for, but in the end I went with my favorite: veggie omelet with cheddar cheese. I think this wins the award for best omelet in the city (maybe that’s because it also wins most cheese inside an omelet, but that’s neither here nor there…)

Can you tell breakfast is my favorite meal of the day?

We also stopped by Megan and Christina’s apartment to see their new foster cat!

Meet Samson! He’s a speedy little guy so taking a picture without a blur was tough! Seriously one of the cutest little kittens in the world! I don’t know how those two are going to give him up after their two week foster period is up…

Then Zman and I began our long walk of the day, passing by Lincoln Park Zoo, Lake Shore Drive, and other parts of Chicago we hadn’t been to yet.

The rest of the weekend was pretty mellow and just included Thai food, friends, and a little marathon of one of our new favorite shows:

http://frontpagemag.com/2013/ben-shapiro/gay-wedding-bells-for-modern-family/

Do you watch Modern Family? Spencer, Megan, Zman and I sat around for almost five hours on Saturday night watching episodes and it never got old. So funny!

Not much to share from yesterday because I had to work from 12-7 at the restaurant so nothing too exciting there. But tonight I’m heading back to the city after work for a girls night to watch the Bears v. Packers game. Nothing weird about that, right?

roasted pumpkin seeds (recipe)

Happy Halloween!!

How talented is my dad? Such perfect pumpkins!

It’s officially the start of the busy holiday season! Thanksgiving is going to be here before we know it and then Christmas is right around the corner. It’s the same thing craziness every year, but these next few months is my favorite time of the year. I love the anticipation of the holiday season (and the fact that holidays are pretty much centered around great food)

Today I’m going to share with you one of my favorite ways to use those pesky pumpkin guts! It’s a messy job, but the finished product is a perfect crunchy snack.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (adapted from Oh She Glows)

First, start out with a big ol’ pumpkin. The bigger the better. I used the seeds from both the pumpkins in the picture above and the smaller one actually had a bigger percentage of seeds, but I wasn’t in the mood to seed 10 small frys. Your best bet is to grab a huge pumpkin and hope for the best!

Grab a very sharp knife and carefully cut off the top. After that it’s as simple as grabbing all the guts out and putting it all into a giant bowl. Now comes the fun part…the sorting! Do your best to separate the seeds from the rest of the goop, and you’ll eventually be left with this:

When you’re left with just the seeds, rinse them VERY well until they’re almost totally clean of any leftover pumpkin. Lay on a paper towel to dry.

Once you have the seeds all ready to go, fill a medium pot with water, add a few shakes of salt, and pour in the seeds.

Bring the water to a boil. Once it’s bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Drain.

Lay the seeds once again on a paper towel and dab them until they’re dry.

Once the seeds are dry, lay them on a cookie sheet so they are all spread out in one layer. A little overlapping is fine.

Drizzle the seeds with olive oil. Rub the oil into the seeds and stir them around so it gets evenly distributed. Finally, sprinkle with sea salt (or table salt, which I think actually works better for this. The sea salt didn’t stick very well for my batch). Remember, don’t add too much salt–just a few shakes at first. You can always add more as you taste test, but nothing’s worse than realizing your snack is waaay too salty and you can’t turn back.

Put the seeds in a 325 degree oven for 20 minutes, taking out halfway through to stir. You’ll probably hear some popping while it’s in the oven–that’s nothing to worry about. When you take them out taste test a few and see if you need to add more salt.

I’ve heard of people adding lots of different spices to their pumpkin seeds: garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, cinnamon and sugar, etc. The best part of pumpkin seeds is they are so versatile so you can make them into whatever kind of tasty snack you choose!

Pour into a cute little dish and serve alongside some candy corn for a treat. This is a great snack to have on hand while you’re handing out candy to all the little ghouls and goblins coming by. It’s also a really healthy alternative to constantly reaching into the candy bowl. Even if you alternate candy-seeds-candy-seeds you’re still upping your omega-3 fats, antioxidants and vitamin E and lowering your intake of high fructose corn syrup, Red 3, and Yellow 5. Definitely not a bad thing!

Have a great holiday!

Question:

Anyone dressing up today for Halloween?

WIAW: snack monster

So I have to admit it…I’ve been pretty bad about documenting a whole day of eats. With the end of the month coming up and November deadlines for projects and applications approaching, I’ve been elbows-deep in excel spreadsheets, food blogs, and career websites. So while I have been snapping away, they’re kind of all over the place.

I’ve taken a quick break from bootcamp thanks to a killer cold/possible viral infection. Burpees + constant sneezing + my asthma just don’t mix. So workouts have been a little different the past few days. Yesterday I hit the elliptical and did a few rounds of dips off the edge of a chair and pushups. I used to be one of those people who pushed it even when I was sick, and that has always backfired. I’ve finally learned better and now always take a break when I’m feeling under the weather.

I think the easy workout yesterday helped because today I ran for the first time in awhile! 4 miles on the treadmill.

Do you seeeee meeeee?

Aside from my treadmill being haunted (it kept changing speeds on me!) it was a great run. I did speed intervals for the 4 miles ranging from 6.8 to 8.0. It was a sweaty one! It really got me wanting to start running again. I always go through phases.

Even though I’ve taken a few days off of bootcamp, I still feel like my muscles are stronger than ever. It’s an amazing feeling to see your hard work pay off! Please forgive the narcissistic selfie.

Breakfast

Well, I’m back on the breakfast sandwich bandwagon. My cholesterol was creeping up on me so I’m now using 1 egg instead of 2. Absolutely no difference and it’s one of my favorite breakfasts so I’m happy I can keep it around.

Morning Snack

I decided to be a good food blogger and finally try Kombucha. Look, I really want to like it. It’s supposed to make you feel great! But I couldn’t get past the vinegar taste that the cranberry was trying desperately to cover. I know I have to finish it because it was suuuper pricey but man, my tastebuds aren’t going to be happy. I’ll report back if it has some miracle healing powers over me, though. That’d be nice!

Lunch

My usual combination of tuna salad, lettuce and tomato, accompanied by a granny smith apple.

Snacks

A little while later I ate another granny smith apple with peanut butter. I actually ended up only eating half the apple and throwing some chocolate chips in the peanut butter because, why not?

Dinner

Dinner was some of my mom’s leftover tofu and vegetable pad thai. Big Bowl you have so many delicious things but I don’t care how great you are, you don’t make good pad thai. So there’s that. Eaten while watching the World Series (Go Red Sox!)

And just because I was a snack monster the past few days, one of my late-night snack obsessions:

Russ’ popcorn! Anyone who has had a sleepover at my house KNOWS my dad makes the best popcorn on the planet. This is the best late night snack and I enjoyed in Monday night after the game.

the perfect chocolate chip cookie (recipe)

There are few things better in this world than a chocolate chip cookie.

In a world full of pumpkin-this and espresso-infused-that, sometimes all a girl wants is a piping hot chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven.

Over the past few years I’ve tweaked a few different recipes and I finally came up with my perfect cookie: crispy edges with gooey insides.

Lauren’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold, unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tightly packed light brown sugar
1.5 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 large egg at room temperature, beaten
Semi-sweet chocolate chips (1/2 a 12-oz bag)
Optional: extra chocolate chips, walnuts, or Heath bits. I’ve tried them all and they’re delicious

Directions

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars together on low speed until it is lump-free, about 3 minutes (use a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a hand mixer)
Stop the mix and scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle
Add the vanilla and egg and beat on low speed for 15 seconds, or until fully incorporated. Don’t overbeat!
Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle
On low speed, add the flour mixture. Beat until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the chocolate chips and any additional ingredients you want to include. Use a spatula or spoon to stir them in, not the mixer.
Refrigerate the dough for two hours (or up to 24 hours). This is an important step so don’t think you can skip past the waiting part. Also it’s a good idea to keep it in the back of the fridge so you aren’t tempted to sneak half the cookie dough while it’s still raw 😉
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Adjust racks to lower and upper thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (this makes clean up suuuper easy).
Spoon the dough onto the prepared baking sheets using a tablespoon. Make sure the dough spoonfuls are 2 inches apart on the sheets.
Bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on how “done” you want them. I usually don’t go more than 10 minutes because I like to live on the edge and risk salmonella from underdone insides. It’s your life!
Whatever time you end up using, make sure to take them out as soon as you see the edges turn brown. They will continue to cook on the sheet when you take them out so you don’t want to wait too long to take them out.
Tip: I always switch the trays halfway through to ensure even baking
Let cookies rest on the sheets until they are set to your preference. Finally, place them on a cooling rack.

Enjoy with a big glass of milk and an episode of 30 Rock. Liz Lemon would approve.

100th post!

Well there’s not much to say except I can’t believe I’ve stuck with blogging for 100 whole posts. Considering it took me years to even get the courage to start one of these things I’m really impressed with my commitment to “I Had a Big Lunch”. It’s been so much fun documenting my healthy living journey and even though it has become a bit of an obsession (i.e. taking pictures of eveeeeerythingggg), I’m so happy to run this little ol’ blog.

The end of today can’t get here fast enough. Tonight I’m leaving for my first-ever HOMECOMING as an alum. To say that I’m giddy like a little kid on Christmas is an understatement. I can’t wait to dance in the slimy bars, prance down the quad, and visit my friends at the coffeeshop where I used to work…it’s all going to be a blast.

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/forum/showthread.php?99935-Where-did-you-go-to-college/page3

I can’t wait to go home!

Of course before I can go off and celebrate for 48 blissful hours I have a million and one things to take care of. I just sent in a final project for work, packed a dinner for the car ride (mom status), and snuck in a workout that will let me justify my nonstop pizza and beer consumption this weekend.

So without further ado, just a few of my favorite things from this past week.

Avocado

I’ve been throwing this bad boy into just about everything. Omelets, sandwiches, and of course guac. Let’s just say it’s been a fat-filled week (in a good way!)

Midweek drinks with friends

I was so lucky this past week because I got to spend some time with one of my oldest and dearest friends. Frank and I have been close ever since religion class freshman year of high school. We’re both still in the suburbs most days so it was great to grab a drink with him after work.

I also got lucky and was invited to a company happy hour with Zman downtown, so I finally got to check out the bar I’ve been dying to visit, Howl at the Moon!

No pictures from inside, but just imagine two guys playing piano and a bunch of drunk businessmen. That about sums it up! It was so much fun and I can’t wait to go back on a weekend.

New Workout Moves

Yesterday we took some time to learn the proper overhead squat technique. It was actually pretty tricky! You basically squat while raising a bar over your head.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/raise-the-bar-how-to-master-the-overhead-squat.html

Look how good I look! Just kidding. Lawlz. But this is essentially the movement. The only problem was that for about 12 hours after the workout my left hand was asleep. It had that “pins and needles” feeling all day. That feeling has gone away today but it’s been replaced by some serious shoulder pain. I think I’ll stick to straight cardio/couch-laying over the weekend to let my muscles rest. Has anyone ever heard of that “pins and needles” feeling happening after lifting weights?

Pugs!

Ughh I’m too obsessed with these guys. I send out pictures of pugs to my friends more than I’m willing to admit. They’re just the cutest.

They just tug at my heart strings every time.

Coffee

I’m sure this needs no further explanation. Now that the temperatures have dipped into the 40s, there is nothing better than coming home to a hot cup of coffee.

Thanks to everyone who reads and supports this blog! It’s such a fun hobby for me and I really appreciate all you guys–there’s no way I’d have made it to 100 posts without all of you. It started with just my mom and dad reading this to support my silly love of health and fitness and has now become a great outlet for support and sharing with tons of other bloggers and friends. Thank you!

WIAW

Well guys, I almost forgot it was Wednesday. The days are all blurring together since during the week I usually follow the same routine.

It’s definitely time to shake things up.

I’ve been looking into volunteer opportunities near where I live or in the city. I’m not sure how I could fit it into my crazy schedule but last week at church the priest said something that really made me think.

He said “If you’re feeling lost, serve others, and you’ll find yourself.”

http://refreshingwatersblog.com/2013/07/23/lonliness-series-part-2/

Even though I’m still working on finding the perfect path for myself post-grad, I can easily still help people who are less fortunate. My identity doesn’t have to be based on what I have or what title I’m working towards, but maybe for now I just need to look outside myself and I’ll find the answer.

Between crafting and working it was hard to come up with anything spectacular in the food department, so bear with me. I’m not usually a crafty person so I’m really proud of myself for getting it done!

Breakfast

Overnight oats with chia seeds, almond milk, peanut butter, and cinnamon. I’ve met so many people who don’t have a clue what overnight oats are, and I’ll tell ya they’re really missing out. You basically prepare oatmeal the night before and instead of putting it on the stove or in the microwave, you put them in the fridge. I like the way the oatmeal keeps its shape and doesn’t get all mushy. It’s a lot chewier than standard oatmeal, but for some reason the more texture a food has, the more satisfying it is to me.

Lunch

Lunch was more like brunch, since I had a few slices of quiche that my mom brought home from a local French restaurant. It had mushrooms in it (as well as spinach and onion) but they were easily avoidable and I picked them out as fast as I could. No fungi for this girl.

I did some crafting throughout the afternoon–like I mentioned I’ve been wanting to paint a pumpkin for a few weeks now. Well, it tested my patience but I finally finished.

Before:

After:

Also, I had a beautiful view from my kitchen while I worked. It was a gorgeous day here!

Dinner

Dinner was nothing special–a veggie burger with cheddar cheese, grilled onion, tomato, and a side of watermelon. You can tell watermelon isn’t in season anymore, but hey, it’s still sweet and refreshing no matter the time of year.

I snacked on a lot of candy at work…it gave me a stomach ache you’d think I would learn my lesson after the first few pieces, but man, I forgot how good Air Heads are!

I went to an early morning bootcamp session so that I’d have time to get all my other stuff done during the day. Sometimes it’s not the most pleasant to wake up that early knowing a full day of work is ahead of you, but I always feel better once I’ve exercised.

Not the hardest workout overall, but it was pretty tough on my shoulders and hips. We do squats or some kind of squat variation every day (wall balls and sumo deadlifts took care of that today) so my hips are always sore. I’ve just come to accept it as an everyday grievance 😉

I broke it up by doing 5 rounds of 10 reps. I finished in about 16 minutes and ended with a few minutes of jumping rope to make it a full 20 minute workout. Done and done!

Keeping my fingers crossed that this week speeds by–it’s homecoming at my university so I’ll be roadtripping down to campus with my friends to celebrate. It’ll be my first time back since graduation, so I know it’ll be a fun weekend!

Question

Are you crafty? Do you make time for creative projects?

the anywhere workout

“I don’t have time”

“I don’t have the right equipment”

“I don’t have the money for a gym”

These are just some of the dozens of reasons why people choose not to work out. First the little excuses start to build and then all of a sudden you’re stuck in a rut and don’t even know where to begin.

Back in high school I never worked out on my own. I think that’s the case for many people when they’re younger–they rely on team sports to get their exercise. Those days were great, but eventually it becomes your own responsibility to keep your body healthy.

Today I created a quick workout that you can do anywhere. You don’t need equipment except your own two feet and it won’t cost you a cent. Plus, it’ll be done in 20 minutes or less, so even if that means setting your alarm a little earlier or squeezing this in on your lunch break, it’s possible.

Feel free to give this a try on one of those days when you just don’t feel like heading to the gym. Make sure to blast music–that always makes workouts so much more enjoyable for me!

For a point of reference, “get-ups” involve laying on your back, sitting up and standing without using your hands to support you. For swim kicks, lay on your stomach and extend your hands forward like you’re reaching for something in front of you. Then move your arms and legs up and down, never letting them touch the ground.

If this workout seems too challenging for you, scale it back! There’s nothing wrong with scaling a workout down to your fitness level. Do your pushups on your knees, do walking lunges instead of jumping ones, or only hold your plank for 30 seconds. Just don’t look at a workout and give up on the whole thing because a few of the moves look too difficult. Work your way up!

Get your sweat on!

weekend eats & halloween treats

I do my best to eat fun meals throughout the week, but nothing beats weekend food. Going out to eat, ordering take-out with friends, stopping at random donut shops or happy hours…isn’t that just the best?

So here are the best things I ate this weekend, along with some inspiring quotes I came across that I like to keep in my phone as constant reminders/affirmations. It was a great weekend spent with friends, and even though it seems like it jumped straight from summer to winter, I took a few walks throughout the city and took in the beautiful cold air. Chicago goes all out with Halloween decorations and I love it! I’m a big holiday person…if I could always be celebrating something, I would be happy. That must be why I like fall so much…always a new holiday coming up. I even saw some Christmas displays! Too soon?

Today’s the day I get into full-on Halloween mode! I’ll be painting my pumpkin today as well as coming up with some treats to make to celebrate the holiday. Here are some ideas I got from good ol’ Pinterest:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/110971578291906422/

http://www.craftytexasgirls.com/2013/10/13-healthy-halloween-treats.html

http://tidymom.net/2012/halloween-pumpkin-pancakes-with-black-cinnamon-syrup/

http://foodfamilyfinds.com/halloween-caramel-dipped-apples-recipe/

So many options–we’ll see what I actually get around to making 😉

Question:

Do you get really into holidays? Which one is your favorite?

friday favorites

1. Reads

I started this book a year and a half ago (that says a lot about how much I like reading) but I’ve decided to get back into it. My eyes really need a break from staring at a computer screen all day and this really is a fascinating book! I studied abroad in Paris and even though it’s set in the past (following Jackie O), reading about the city of lights brings me right back to the tiny purple apartment I shared with a sweet older french woman. I could see the Eiffel Tower from my window and it was truly a dream–reading this book takes me right back there.

Oh, Paris.

2. Eats

Candy corn and peanuts. Enough said. Don’t knock it til you try it!

3. Music

So much good music lately! Thank goodness the radio is starting to change it up a little. Have you noticed how the same six songs just keep playing over and over? I was going a little crazy!

4. Buys

My whole life I never cared much about fashion (school uniforms allowed us to pretend fashion didn’t exist), but recently I’ve been really into it. I had an Express coupon so I picked out a few fun pieces for fall.

5. Things to look forward to

Kellie’s birthday party in the city tonight! A big group of friends is getting together and taking a trolley all around the city. It should be a blast!
Flag football on Saturday. Zman’s team might need me to play, which would be so much fun! That’s not to say I would’t enjoy sipping on a pumpkin spice latte from the sidelines, but I haven’t played since high school gym class and I love flag football.
Pizza. The best weekend tradition a Chicago girl could ever ask for.

Have a great weekend!

Question

What’s something you’re looking forward to this weekend?

i had a big lunch

Because dreaming about food and fitness was no longer enough