Author: Lauren @ ihadabiglunch

Problem Areas

I was recently watching The Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda and they did a little story called “4 Bathing Suits That Will Flatter All Body Types.” Obviously this is not a new concept — it’s that time of year when the thought of trying on bathing suits sends many women into a full-blown panic. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but when I really started to listen to the words being said, I got angrier and angrier.

The hosts were calling out women’s “problem areas” and repeatedly calling them “issues.”

What were some of these problem areas?

Broad shoulders

Wide back

Not having a “plethora of boobs”

Cellulite

First of all, I understand there are different body types out there and it’s great that there are different suits that make all women feel confident. However — we need to change the LANGUAGE we use when we speak about these matters.

Having CHARACTERISTICS does not an issue make.

Playing down certain features and trying to appear smaller should NEVER be a goal broadcast to women across the country.

Can you imagine how RIDICULOUS it would look if we paraded men on TV in their board shorts and pointed out similar things?

“Well, John, you’re looking great today but if your biceps could be a quarter of an inch bigger I think you’d really see an uptick in your self-worth”

“Bill! Looking good! Tell me, though, why did you pick a short that accentuated your kneecaps that way? They look a bit wobbly!”

It would be absurd. But with women, we’re so numb to it that it’s happening on national television.

Yes, we all want to look good in a swimsuit. I’m not so delusional that I think there will be a day when we can walk around like men do in a standard-looking swimsuit with no makeup on (and maybe buzzed heads?) Most of us are feminine and like showing off what we’ve got. So I understand the need to advertise different kinds of swimsuits in order to help women of all shapes and sizes find the one that’s best for them. But I’ll say it again: the LANGUAGE needs to change. There is nothing “wrong” with certain areas on your body. These aren’t “problems” that need fixing.

In my humble opinion (and remember, I’m just a girl with broad shoulders and cellulite so take what I have to say with a grain of salt…) here are some problem areas that we should work on:

Arrogance

Insincersity

Indifference

Cruelty

Hostility

Pretentiousness

Selfishness

Intolerance

Pessimism

Greed

What are we doing to fix those?

Grocery Haul: It’s Spring, Yo

The sun was out, it was 75 degrees (dropping steadily today but who am I to be a Debbie Downer?) and my fridge was close to empty this past weekend. You know what that means! I know we’ve talked about this before, but grocery shopping is one of my favorite hobbies. Sometimes I let my fridge get to the bare minimum JUST so I have an excuse to go wild at Jewel.

I am so cool.

Anyway, I love seeing what other healthy living bloggers buy at the grocery store and I haven’t shared my loot in awhile, so here ya go. It’s good to see what people actually buy and eat, instead of what people claim to buy and eat, ya feel me?

This week’s grocery haul:

Produce

2 red peppers
1 green pepper
2 sweet onions
2 limes
3 sweet potatoes
1 lb carrots
1 bunch scallions
1 bunch celery
4 bananas
3 mangoes
1 cored pineapple
1 bunch asparagus
1 container cherry tomatoes
Spring Mix lettuce

Meat/Eggs/Bread/Dairy

Ezekiel Sprouted Bread
Whole Grain English Muffins
Dietz & Watson Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast (no artificial colors, flavors, fillers, extenders or MSG)
Phil’s Cage-Free Eggs
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Snacks/Other

Tortilla chips and salsa
Smartfood Cheddar Popcorn (unpictured)
Wheat Thins
Brookside Dark chocolate Gogi & Raspberry
Semisweet chocolate chips
Herbes de Provence

Cost: $90.08

Luckily I already had some frozen chicken breasts from last week’s trip so I’m planning on using those up before I purchase more. This week I will probably have to pick up more protein and bananas, but otherwise I should be good until Memorial Day. I do have grand plans of hitting up the Lincoln Park farmer’s market this Saturday so hopefully I’ll get next week’s produce prepped early and will be inspired to cook even more!

One of the things I love most about healthy living blogs is that there isn’t a strict definition to what makes each and every one of us “healthy.” We post pictures of the cheesiest, largest pieces of pizza one day and then share our excitement for fresh arugula the next. It’s what makes us balanced people. I love when bloggers are transparent with what they actually eat and spend on food. I know that I spend WAY more on food than the average 24-year-old. That being said I don’t buy expensive clothes, shoes, makeup, hair products, etc. It’s a give and take. It works for me, and it makes me feel good.

Some of the fun things I’ve thrown together with my groceries so far:

My new favorite snack: mangoes + strawberries

Homemade Provencal Quiche + spring mix with EVOO/balsamic/garlic — recipe coming soon!

Black bean + cheddar nachos

Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Skillet (Via Theironyou.com)

Questions:

How often do you go grocery shopping? I usually go once every 7-10 days, with random stops at Trader Joe’s in between if I see one. I can’t pass those up without getting something.
Any tips for saving money at the grocery store?

Tina’s Sara’s Lauren’s Favorites

I know the internet is vast, but the blogger world is small. So if you’ve seen this post 100x in the past few weeks, I apologize. I just know how much I love getting to know all of you, and it seems like it’s been way too long since I’ve divulged any fun personal information. A girl can only talk about food + fitness for so long before people get to saying “uh…who is this again?”

It’s LAUREN!

So thank you Tracy Anderson who inspired Tina who inspired Sara who inspired me. Saving empty-headed writers all over the blogosphere from having to create new content is much appreciated.

My Favorite…

Song That Amps Me Up

This changes daily, but today?

Way to eat eggs

Omelets. The bigger, the better.

Podcast

The Jillian Michaels Show! I absolutely love that woman. She can do no wrong in my book (and when she does, she fesses up to it). She’s a real human being, a humanitarian, and an incredible example of fitness. Not to mention she’s funny! Plus her DVDs kept me from gaining 75 pounds when I studied abroad in Paris and a) ate macarons every day and b) got the side-eye any time I tried to run in public.

Kind of Date

Cooking together. Pick out a recipe, go to the store, get the ingredients, go back to his/your place, and make it together.

App

I wish I could sound enlightened or deep, but it’s easily Instagram. Food porn central, yo.

Item in my closet

My Swiftly tops. I’ll spare you the “I love lululemon” speech, but I live in them, whether it’s the long sleeves, short sleeves, or tanks. They are the bomb.com

Gifts to give and receive

Instead of giving tangible gifts, I love planning “dates” with people in my life. This has been my thing for the past six months. I come up with activities we can do and put together a day to spend time together. Unless someone explicitly wants something, I think thoughtful dates are a much better gift, no matter who you’re giving them to. At least, that’s what I love to receive 🙂

Pizza topping

Easy! Green peppers and onions. And cheese. But that’s implied, right?

And because it’s the weekend, just a quick thought to reflect on:

Neat, right?

Question:

Pick one and GO!

SoulCycle Chicago (Studio Review)

I know I know…I still owe you a review of my doughnut-making class. But since I feel like I’ve been sharing nothing but indulgence lately I think it’s time to maybe kinda remind you folks that I kinda sorta workout too. No, I don’t just spend my free time at eating donuts, sampling cheese at farmers markets, and racing to see who can get to the bottom of their margarita fastest (although these are definitely some of my greatest extracurriculars).

A few weeks ago I had the awesome privilege to try out the new SoulCycle studio in Chicago thanks to WCBC. It’s located in the Old Town neighborhood right off Division and Wells (for locals, the closest L stop is the Clark/Division Red Line).

Photo courtesy of Sara, who takes photos at events like a good blogger!

First impression? Paradise. Why? The entire place smells like a grapefruit. I hear they sell the candles that make the whole place feel like you’re swimming in a pool of citrus, but I’m sure they cost $40 a pop. One of these days I’ll splurge…

The grapefruit-coated air perked me up upon entering and I was re-energized for my workout. I attended a 6:30pm class, which is a lot later than I like to exercise in the day. I’m usually sluggish by that point and more often than not, I’ll end up bailing (especially if I’m working out alone). I appreciated walking in to such a friendly lobby with such an energized feel to it (meeting up with Susie, Erin, Erica and Sara added to the energy as well).

The lobby was clean, bright, and welcoming. I know it may seem insignificant but walking into a studio that is floor-to-ceiling glossy white with bright yellow accents literally brightened my eyes and gave me a boost of energy before I even had my cycle shoes on. Before you head into the studio, there is a common area for you to change into your shoes and place your belongings into lockers. The lockers don’t require locks (one of my favorite parts about any gym), but instead a four-digit code to open and close. They weren’t overly large lockers, but then again most people don’t carry a bag the size of a toddler like I do. I peeked inside the bathroom/changing area and saw a wall full of mirrors ready to accommodate the dozens of women I’m sure get ready for work here in the morning. I didn’t see them myself but I know the facility has showers as well, which is another huge plus.

The studio itself contains 51 bikes, with the instructor’s bike on a platform so everyone has a good view. It isn’t stadium seating like other studios have, but I actually liked this layout better. It emphasized camaraderie and teamwork. Everything about the workout screamed “We’re all in this together!”

As for the workout itself, I came in having a lot to compare to. I’ve done spin classes for years, from the YMCA to XSport and all the way up to Flywheel which is where I’ve been regularly attending since I moved to Chicago. So how does SoulCycle compare to any other spin class I’ve been to?

The Workout

45-minute classes, including hand weights (very light, 1 and 2 pound weights) and other choreography such as core movements and push-ups
Riders typically burn between 500-700 calories (obviously this number depends on a variety of factors. This is just an estimate).

Pros

Class is spent mostly in third position. It truly felt like a workout from start to finish.
Staff members are in the room before class ready to help any newbies get situated on their bikes
The music is bumping! It was current and I loved every song they played. They also do specific rides with specific types of music (think Britney Spears or Red Hot Chili Peppers rides) which is freaking awesome. One time I woke up at 7am on a Saturday for a spin class and walked into 60min of 80s pop. I wanted to rip my hair out. This eliminates that from ever happening again!
The room does not go completely dark, but is instead is accented by fake candles. I liked the ambiance. It felt like a cardio workout in a yoga environment. Yes please.
The instructor was incredibly passionate about being there. Nothing better than an instructor who is full to the brim with passion for what they’re doing!
The facilities are gorgeous. Crisp, clean, white walls accented by bright yellow motivational sayings displayed at every turn made it feel like a very high-end experience.
You can go on their website and really get to know the instructors, listen to music that has been featured in classes, read blog posts, etc. I love when studios are up-to-date with technology and social media.

Cons

This can be a pro or a con, but there wasn’t any competition. No monitors, no way to know exactly how much torque to add (“turn your knob up three times” “turn your knob down a quarter turn” etc. etc. can get confusing and I felt like I might have been off for a bit). I appreciate numbers when I work out, so this was challenging for me.
I know that the point of SoulCycle is to be spiritual (it has its name for a reason), but at points I felt uncomfortable with it. Now, I know this is what some people look for. I can definitely tell this workout attracts the “I’m spiritual, not religious” crowd. And I’m all for having beautiful, meaningful experiences when I’m connecting my mind and body. I mean, sure, throw some spirit in there too. But I prefer my spiritual moments during exercise to be organic, and at points it felt forced. There were times when I felt like I should have been having a moving experience based on what the instructor was saying (there were a lot of mantras and motivational sayings being yelled out), but I wasn’t. Knowing me, I was probably resisting because I don’t like people telling me what to do or how to feel (#rebel). That kind of environment definitely isn’t a deal breaker for me, but it’s worth noting that that’s a HUGE part of what SoulCycle is.
You knew this was coming: the cost. Let’s not mince words here. Attending SoulCycle regularly is a status symbol, and for good reason. You pay to be part of a dedicated fitness community. You pay for support, accountability, wonderful facilities (showers, water, shoes, THE GRAPEFRUIT AIR, etc.). But as with any studio, it is quite an expensive habit. I’m lucky enough to work for a company that allows me to explore studios like this. Not unlimited, but enough that I get to try things out and decide what’s worth it and what isn’t. If I had to pay the drop-in fee, I would probably attend SoulCycle once a month, with friends, before a killer brunch. I would need to make an event out of it. SoulCycle’s pricing is outlined below:

Overall, I liked my experience! I didn’t fall head-over heels in love with it but I liked it enough that I will probably go back every now and then. Many of our educators at lululemon work there now as well so it will be easy to get a group to go and support our team. I love when workouts aren’t just an hour of sweating but instead are places of gathering for our fitness community. And SoulCycle definitely knows how to maintain a supportive community.

Like I said, I had fun attending with friends so I can definitely see this being a monthly girls get-together where you get sweaty at SoulCycle, hit the showers, and then spend the afternoon at brunch mimosa-ing all the calories you burned and reveling in the positive attitude you leave there with.

If I had to sum up SoulCycle in one phrase, it would be: “You never know until you try!” Go in, and see if you get hooked! I know many, many people do!

……now does anyone seriously know how to get my hands on one of those candles?

Fun Fact: 10,000 riders take SoulCycle classes every day

Say what?!

Questions:

Have you ever been to SoulCycle? If not, would you want to try it out?
What’s the most you’ll pay for an exercise class (drop-in fee) or gym membership?
Is exercise spiritual for you?

Weekend happenings: Mother’s Day in Madison

This past weekend my family and I took a mini-vacation to our home-away-from-home: Madison.

We lived here for three years when I was a kid so every once in awhile we take the two hour drive to the capital of the cheese state and get our farmers market on (because Madison holds one of the greatest Saturday morning markets in the country).

We ended up with some asparagus and tomato plants, plus my own personal loot:

Lemon poppyseed bread, honey sticks (a childhood memory from this market), and six-year-aged white cheddar cheese. I tried just about every cheese sample in the place and settled on this. It will definitely go well with the fig jam I have waiting for me at home.

I was disciplined enough to hit up the hotel treadmill in between the market and church. This is a rarity for me when I’m on vacation, but it just goes to show that I’ve been bit by the running bug hard again. A quick four miles where I increased my pace slowly from 9:13 to 8:20 every mile or so.

Me and all my friends!

On Saturday night we went to my mom’s favorite restaurant, Louisianne’s, a lively cajun restaurant hidden below a quiet Madison street. The minute you descend down their dark velvet staircase you’re transported to New Orleans, live music and all.

It was quite dark inside, but we split a bottle of sauvignon blanc, crab puffs, and all sampled each others entrees: crab cakes and cheesy artichoke toasts for me, steak for Steve, Cajun andouille and seafood pasta for dad, and Hawaiian swordfish for mom.

Dessert was a dream. We all got different dishes (indulgence at its finest…) and shared. Normally I’m not a fan of sharing food, but when everything is equally delicious, I absolutely love getting to try it all. And this is the case at Louisianne’s–everything is outstanding. The highlights for me were the frozen peanut butter and key lime pies.

Mother’s Day itself was all about Sue, so we slept in, enjoyed a slow continental breakfast at the hotel (aren’t those the best?) and did a little more casual driving down memory lane throughout Madison. We walked around our old preschool (correction: I was carried)…

…ate some insanely delicious Mexican food at our old stomping grounds, Pasqual’s:

And ended the trip, of course, with a trip to the best custard stand of all time: Michael’s. Their turtle sundaes are topped with salty, roasted pecans, a taste I remember distinctly even though I ate them regularly decades ago. I’ve been unable to find a turtle sundae just as good ever since so every time we’re in town we stop by.

All in all it was a quiet weekend spent with my family and nonstop eating, two of my favorite things. We’re lucky that even though my brother and I are both 24 years old, we’re still able to take family vacations together once or twice a year. Not to mention I should have no problem running my butt off this week with all the sugar I consumed! Good lord. (Worth it).

Question:

How did you celebrate Mother’s Day?
What’s your favorite part about hotel breakfast buffets? I’m a sucker for a good make-your-own omelet bar 🙂

Summer Lovin’ (tell me more, tell me more)

I’ve been spending every free minute outside. Between the warm air, the cool breeze, and the sunshine inching later and later into the evening, I feel like I’m smack dab in the middle of July. No complaints here!

I said yes to a last minute invitation to the White Sox game Wednesday night. I hadn’t been since it was Comiskey Park (sup 1996) so venturing to the South Side felt like an adventure in and of itself.

I had zero expectations of a White Sox game since I am a Cubs fan (only because of the Americana aspect, not because I actually have any interest in or intelligence of baseball), but it was fun! It was fairly crowded for a Wednesday night and I joined my roommate Colleen and two of her friends for what turned out to be an exciting game. Granted, I didn’t watch much, but the conversation and food were killer.

U.S. Cellular Field definitely has its food priorities in order. So. Many. Options. From Wao Bao to Hooters, tamales to pirogi, the options were overwhelming. In an attempt to stay on track with my healthy eating, I ordered a turkey sandwich. When you see the following picture, remember the ingredients are healthy. Please ignore the fact that my sandwich could feed a family of four.

Hell yeah! This turkey club was the Buckingham Palace of turkey clubs. There was APRICOT JAM on it. AND guacamole. And other stuff. Too much other stuff. No wait…no such thing.

#noregrets

You know how as soon as you eat something salty you just have to have something sweet? Insert soft serve cone here.

And because apparently we weren’t spoiled enough on Wednesday with nice weather, Mother Nature decided to grace us with the best day in the past 365 days (I’ll go head-to-head with anyone who challenges that) yesterday. Thank goodness because I had a track workout scheduled and I was not about to deal with Tuesday’s fog again.

This is what I love about Chicago. In the shadows of buildings as tall as the sky, you can always find hidden parks, and it suddenly feels like your own little haven. Not to mention I always run into someone I know — Erin came to the workout! I was so happy to see her, especially after getting smoked on Tuesday during the tempo run. It felt good to see a familiar face! Or should I say, familiar feet.

We started out with a half-mile shakeout followed by dynamic stretching and an explanation of the workout. The track workout consisted of 5x400s (400m=one lap) and a timed mile run. The 400m were broken up into 200m at 5K pace (uncomfortable, challenging) plus a 200m recovery jog to get our heart rates back down. Practicing that pace took so much out of me–I was exhausted! However, I had no choice but to recover for five minutes and then pushed it for a timed mile, something I haven’t done in years. To put that in perspective, the last time I was timed for a mile, George W. Bush was President. Let that sink in. I ran in 8:16, which, while isn’t Olympic by a longshot, is an exciting place to start. Dave, the running coach and marathoner extraordinaire (remember when he ran 100 miles in 24 hours??) is going to take my time and develop a pace chart for me to use during training. That way, I’ll be on top of improvements and will be able to continue to push myself.

Group shot!

As I lay my head on my pillow last night, I realized I have barely been in my apartment in the past 72 hours. I never used to be an outdoor person, but now that I live on my own and am 100% in charge of how I spend my time, you can bet I’ll be using my apartment as a homebase to cook and sleep, but that’s about it for the next few months. HELLO SUMMER!

It’s almost time: time for street festivals, free concerts at the Pritzker Pavilion, movies in the park overlooking Lake Michigan, the Lakeshore Path so jam-packed with people that you almost want to get mad (but you can’t because you’re too excited to share the joy with them), strolling the Green City Farmer’s Market at 9am scoping out the best breakfast taco to eat, maneuvering Divvy bikes down busy city streets because the thought of getting on the stuffy CTA is unbearable, parking yourself on a patio and drinking a fizzy cocktail for hours until the sun goes down, walking to the beach at 10am and staking your claim on a patch of sand until someone asks you to join their volleyball game, grilling out on makeshift patios…….

Can you tell I love the possibility this summer holds?

I’m headed to Madison with my family for Mother’s Day Weekend tomorrow! Get ready to see pictures from the most beautiful farmers market in the world.

Questions:

If you had to pick ONE activity to do every day this summer, what would it be? Just one! Run, drink sangria, pet a koala…go!

Leave Your Ego Behind

It’s officially that time of year.

The air is fresh, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the paths are cleared.

It’s running season. For real this time.

No more “I wonder if it might start snowing” or “The temperature went up 20 degrees in the past five minutes. Sure wish I didn’t wear two layers!” garbage running that’s been thrown our way thanks to some split personality weather. Things have calmed down and now “The Weather” is only 60% of daily conversation here instead of its usual 85%.

Since I have committed to two races so far (half marathon in July and marathon in October) I figured it was time to lace up the ol’ Asics and hit the trails. I’m working as a run coach for our store so on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for the next few months I’m committed to running my butt off (having others hold you accountable helps out a lot). Yesterday was our first run as a group (tempo), and I learned a very valuable lesson:

In order to accomplish your goals, you have to start at day one. On day one, you are a novice. You will get smoked. And you’ll hate it. But you have to leave your ego behind.

I’m not used to being bad at things. That’s not to say I’m not bad at anything, but anything I haven’t excelled at I’ve quit, so as not to humiliate myself. And I can’t say for sure that I’m “bad” at running. But it certainly doesn’t come naturally to me. I dreaded the mile run all throughout school. One mile. I picked it up as something to do to stay in shape during college. It wasn’t a competition, because it was just me and the sidewalk.

When I run, I run lazy. That is, I run for fun. I usually set out to do anywhere from 4-6 miles at a ~9:15 pace. I have never done speedwork, tempo runs, fartlek, or anything like that. I honestly don’t even know what those words really mean. And even though I consider myself a runner, I had a pretty huge shock waiting for me today at our first group run.

The ten of us met at the store and started a quick warmup. I was feeling confident and strong, until the tempo run began. We were instructed to run 20 minutes out, 20 minutes back, for a total of 40 minutes. The first ten were a warmup pace (aka our normal pace, which for me hovers around 9:15), and the second ten were supposed to be a pace 30 seconds faster than normal. The third chunk of ten minutes was a pace 45 seconds faster than our base pace, followed by a cooldown ten at our warmup speed.

Sounds simple enough, right? I thought so too. Until we took off and I realized five of the ten runners were pacing 6min miles.

See that group in front of me? That’s how far behind I was. At that was the closest gap I had the whole run.

The feeling of watching people run faster and further away from you SUCKS. It’s completely out of your control. You’re only as fast as you are in that present moment. No matter how quickly I moved my legs or swung my arms, there was no way I was going to catch up. I was so, so angry at myself. I gave it everything I had and didn’t even care that I was basically wheezing and dry heaving as I passed other runners. In the end, I ran those 5 or so miles at an incredibly fast speed….for me. My splits ranged between 8:28 and 8:45. I was damn proud!

The moral of the story? Everyone starts somewhere. This is my first marathon. This is the first time I’ve ever viewed running as a competition. I didn’t casually meander onto my Varsity basketball team in high school. I spent years in the gym learning the game, practicing moves, and mastering fundamentals. Running is no different. It is my new sport, my new team. The team just happens to be me, myself and I. And right now I just have to leave my ego behind, accept that for now I am slower than many other runners, and be excited to get better.

That’s where I am right now. I feel like a sponge, ready to soak up all the running information. I’m excited to get better. I’m tired of only doing things I’m good at. Because when you do that, you don’t grow. I’m proud that I set a goal that will actually be difficult to accomplish, and you know what? I might fail. I’ve never set a goal before that I might fail.

Have you?

But so what? So what if I fail? Who is that hurting? My ego? A figment of my imagination? WHO CARES! I read a quote the other day that resonated with me then and even more now that my ego is feeling pretty bruised:

The ego desires perfection. The inner-self lives in authenticity

Even though we are all at different paces and have different goals, we are all on the same path. At the end of our run we were all back on equal footing in our dedication, passion, and love for the sport.

That being said, if anyone in Chicago is looking for a running group, we meet at the lululemon Rush store in the Gold Coast on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6pm and Saturday mornings at 7am. Tuesdays are tempo runs, Thursday is speed work, and Saturday is a long run. I’d love to share the joy of running with you 🙂

Welcome Back!

It’s good to be back on this beautiful May Monday morning! How’s everyone doing today?

You know I love sharing jams so let’s start this post on a high note. Press play and read away!

First, the big news: I’m officially running in the Chicago Marathon this fall! (pause for celebration)

I’ll be running on behalf of Girls On The Run, where I volunteer. If you remember, twice a week I head to a local elementary school and teach a group of eight year olds about running, self-esteem and self-expression. It’s TOUGH — I don’t know how you teachers do it (so. much. energy)! But we’ve bonded now and I love it. I’m excited to be part of an after-school organization that teaches young girls so many valuable lessons.

Did I mention I’m freaking out a little? 26.2 miles? At the end of half marathons I always wonder how people double that mileage. I guess I’m going to find out!

I’m also back to eating fruits and veggies with every meal (no exceptions). Shoutout to mother nature for finally persuading me to crave things other than melted cheese and butter. It feels so good to fill up on foods that don’t have ingredients, but ARE ingredients, yafeelme?

Cereal killer breakfast of Product 19, Kashi, bananas, blueberries and almond milk

Chicken burger with asparagus (steamed with salt and pepper)

This hummus rocks — sometimes simple is best

Egg wrap with squash and cheese

New favorite combination (add peanuts and some grilled chicken and it’s a really filling meal)

But don’t worry I still always make time for the favorites:

Get outta town. My second home, otherwise known as Velvet Taco, outdid themselves with their weekly special (on the left). It was a pulled pork taco with gruyere cheese and other deliciousness that I can’t remember but had an X-rated love affair with. The #19 Bacon Egg Frittata taco was killer too: eggs, bacon, tater tots, chili butter, smoked cheddar, ranchero sauce, and micro greens. I’ll be making a list of my top five favorite tacos from here soon, I promise! Aren’t they gorgeous?

In other random happenings, we had AcroYoga in the window at the store this weekend. It was sick. People are so talented!

In my own sweaty pursuits, I tried SoulCycle last week with some of my favorite Windy City Bloggers. Review coming soon (I’m full of the “coming soons” lately — such a slacker).

In sum, yes, it was SpiritCycle. Tristafe included. #findyourbliss

And last but not least, it’s finally sunny and 75 in Chicagoland! All those winter months we put up with are worth it the minute patio season is here. I’ve taken so many walks lately for absolutely no reason and I love it. Not to mention everyone is in such a good mood! All hail the blessed sun!

Have a great week, folks! I can’t wait to catch up on everything I missed last week!

Questions:

Is it finally spring where you live?
What’s your favorite food combination lately?
Have you ever tried SoulCycle? What did you think?

BRB

I’m taking the week off of writing to finally finish my NASM textbook! Considering I started studying in September (and have already had to extend my deadline once), I think it’s time to really get down to business. I said I’d finish the book by the end of April, and since that’s Thursday, it’s time to get cracking! See you next week!

WIAW: not your average hump day

Well, it’s another Wednesday. But not your typical hump day! The Chicago Marathon Lottery is closed, it’s Earth Day, and I officially have watched the “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” season twice on Netflix.

If you’re late to the party, WATCH THIS SHOW. The theme song alone is worth a watch. I tried finding the ringtone in the iTunes store but it’s not identical, making it useless.

Alright, you didn’t come to my corner of the internet to be peer pressured into binge-watching yet another show, right? No, it’s Wednesday, so you know what that means:

Thanks Meghan for hosting this week!

Breakfast

A classic — two egg omelet filled with cheddar cheese, peppers, Morningstar sausage, onion powder and red pepper flakes. Oat bread on the side topped with butter and jam (I decided to mimic a restaurant and add butter this one time and it was perfect. I don’t think I can turn back now…)

Lunch

I was home for lunch so I was able to whip up a pretty elaborate dish. My new favorite, the Chile Lime Chicken Burger from Trader Joe’s with a side of steamed broccoli (plus lots of extra ketchup and bbq sauce on the side and a few handfuls of tortilla chips).

Dinner

I worked late which resulted in heating up leftovers of my Thai Noodles (this plate x2). Roasted asparagus on the side (overcooked, but still delicious. I’m so happy it’s asparagus season!)

Snacks/Dessert

As I’ve told you, I’m a snacker. Throughout the day I had some stovetop popcorn made with olive oil and salt, lots of handfuls of chocolate chips, and some greek yogurt banana bread.

I’ve gotten progressively worse at taking photos of my food as I’ve continued as a healthy living blogger so thanks for bearing with me. What was the best snack you came up with this week? I’m struggling. I need more snacks that are easy to carry around in my purse. Any ideas are welcome!

PS I’ll be back soon to share my experience at a DOUGHNUT MAKING class last night 😀 To say I’m excited to share what I learned is an understatement.

i had a big lunch

Because dreaming about food and fitness was no longer enough

Author: Lauren @ ihadabiglunch

Problem Areas

Grocery Haul: It’s Spring, Yo

Tina’s Sara’s Lauren’s Favorites

SoulCycle Chicago (Studio Review)

Weekend happenings: Mother’s Day in Madison

Summer Lovin’ (tell me more, tell me more)

Leave Your Ego Behind

Welcome Back!

BRB

WIAW: not your average hump day