Uncategorized

a day at the beach

It was a perfect 75 degrees in downtown Chicago today, complete with a beaming sun and comforting breeze. It was definitely a beach day.

I made plans to meet up with some friends at Oak Street Beach for the afternoon, so I knew I had to get a workout in beforehand. On a day when you’re rocking a bikini you definitely have to have the confidence and endorphins in your body that only come from a good workout.

Crazy enough, I’m still sore from Monday’s bootcamp workout, so I took it pretty easy and didn’t work the muscles that were still sore.

I spy with my little eye….one of the only people working out in the gym! I went on the elliptical for 45 minutes, alternating resistance every 5-10 minutes to keep it challenging.

Followed by the best and greatest ab workout of the past 30 years:

Oh 8 minute abs, you’ll never go out of style.

I got showered and ready to go, but of course didn’t miss breakfast.

1 cup Kashi GoLean Crunch, 1 banana, 1.5 cups almond milk

I had to walk from my boyfriend’s apartment to the beach where my friends were. I say “had to” like it was a tough walk, but really it looked something like this:

Tough view, I know.

Well, besides getting burned (I’ll never learn) and being surrounded by a camp full of 11 year olds with iPhones (crazy), it was a gorgeous day at the beach.

After about 3 hours Megan and I got antsy, so we decided to leave and take a walk down Michigan Avenue. Since Megan just moved back she hasn’t explored Chicago in awhile and it’s just so nice to stroll down the main streets, taking in the shops, sights, and everyday happenings of the city.

Hint: walk in, get free sample, walk out. Day=made

One of the most interesting things happening this weekend in Chicago is the Windy City Rubber Duck Derby. It’s an event where people can “adopt” a rubber duck and watch as it is placed in the Chicago River and competes against other quacks in a floating race to the finish line. The event benefits the Special Olympics, and I think it’s just one of the coolest ideas. Plus all the banners around town to “Adopt a Duck!” were too cute.

We grabbed a late lunch before I had to catch the train home.

I had a Nicoise Salad! It totally reminded me of my time studying abroad in Paris. It was made up of tuna with capers, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, a few small roasted potatoes, tomatoes, and butter lettuce dressed with a Dijon vinaigrette. Baguette on the side, of course 🙂 This was so refreshing and filling at the same time (and worth it, even though it was a very expensive middle-of-the-day meal).

I had just a few minutes to spare before I had to head to Union Station to catch the train home, but Megan and I knew we wanted to take a picture at The Bean for fun on such a sunny day. The Bean, aka Cloud Gate (but you’ll never hear a Chicagoan call it that), is essentially a sculpture that sits in the middle of one of the biggest parks in Chicago (Millennium Park). It won a design competition about a decade ago, and while some people said it wasn’t possible to construct and wouldn’t be popular anyway, it has become a Chicago sensation.

I mean, come on! It’s just so unique. There’s nothing in the world quite like seeing a reflection of yourself.

Oh, and did I mention it’s Tourist Central? It’s always jam-packed with people trying to Instagram their reflection or come up with the coolest new pose to do in front of it with their friends. We just had to sneak a quick, cute picture in. And I’m glad we did! It was the perfect ending to a long, fun day.

The train ride was longgggggggggg (and I almost got away without paying but my Honest Abe ways got the best of me). It was made better by this (surprisingly) delicious iced coffee from Corner Bakery.

Caffeine is appropriate no matter the hour.

I hope you all felt the sunshine in your cities today too! It finally feels like summer 🙂

Bea’s Bran Muffins

Bran muffins can be tricky. Well, muffins in general can be tricky. You never know if you’re biting into a healthy, wholesome snack or a oversized sugar bomb. Sadly, bran muffins are often the worst offenders. Most recipes contain healthy ingredients like wheat bran, walnuts, and raisins, but often in way too big of portions.

Luckily, my family still has a recipe from way back in the day when my grandma used to make bran muffins. Original recipecard and all:

How cool is that?!

Anyway, besides being incredibly healthy, these muffins are delicious. They’re not crazy sweet so when you bite into a raisin it’s extra special 🙂

I love that I can continue to show my late grandma love by baking these muffins. They’re perfect for a light breakfast (if you add some protein and fruit on the side) or a quick snack.

Bea’s Bran Muffins

Ingredients

3 cups All-Bran (cereal)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup raisins
2 cups walnuts
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cup while wheat flour
4 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Combine cereal, oil, and raisins and pour boiling water over them (mixture 1). Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, molasses. Add that to cooled mixture 1.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt: add flour mixture to cereal mixture 1, stirring just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Cover batter with plastic wrap and let stand 15 minutes, preferably an hour.

Preheat oven to 400. Bake in greased muffin tins for 20 minutes, or when a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs.

Enjoy!

Question: what’s your favorite type of muffin? I love lemon poppyseed or fresh blueberry ones!

Concrete jello legs

There’s no other way to describe my run today.

My watch had no battery so I set out on a 40 minute run this morning. My legs were already achey when I woke up but I figured a run would help shake that feeling. So, so wrong. Each step felt like a combination of jello legs as well as lifting concrete blocks at my feet. Not the most fun run but hey, air squats and jumping lunges will do that to you.

I switched up breakfast today and made a mexican omelet.

Terrible photo of a falling-apart omelet, but it tasted great. It was two eggs, green pepper, onion, tomato, jalepeno, and two veggie sausage patties. This kept me full for awhile!

I spent the rest of the morning researching laptops (mine is on its last leg and needs to be replaced asap). My bank account is definitely going to appreciate that purchase. I also applied to two more full-time jobs which always takes a lot of time (thanks to individualized cover letters). After all that screen time I needed to get out of the house. I made a grocery list and was on my way!

I came across the strangest fruit while at the store!

The bottom item is called “cucuzza sqush”, followed by the orange “horned melon” and the sea creature-like “rambutan”. Never ever heard of any of these haha but on a day when I’m bored I might pick one up and try something out with it.

I made it out with some great purchases!

And passed up some not-so-necessary ones 😉

My favorite purchase of the day was something that I’ve been eyeing for awhile now.

Machego cheese, brie, and a small jar of fig spread. Ever since the grocery store had samples of sharp cheese and sweet fig spread, I knew one day I’d have to take the plunge.

I’m so happy I did because it made a delicious lunch when I got home!

I’ll be back later tonight or tomorrow morning (depending on how late work goes) to share a healthy muffin recipe with you! Enjoy your Tuesday!

Kicked my butt

Breakfast today was a quick egg sandwich, as usual.

Confession: I was hungry 30 minutes later and ate this homemade bran muffin.

I know what that means…time to switch up my breakfast. I’ve been loving the breakfast sandwiches but at some point my body gets over it and it seems to not hold me over as well. I know that scientifically that makes no sense but hey, everyone is different, right? 😉 Looks like tomorrow I’ll have to try something new.

Today was a special day workout-wise.

See, I’m usually that person who does one or the other–fast cardio one day (zoning out on a dreadmill), weights + stairs on the other, abs when I’m feeling particularly motivated. There aren’t many times you’ll find me alone in a studio at the gym doing a bootcamp workout. I admire the people I see doing them, because I know they’re the most bang for your buck, but to be honest I just feel stupid doing them alone.

I was a member of a local bootcamp during winter break last year and I absolutely LOVED it. I loved the team atmosphere, the blasting music, the intensity and the quickness. That’s why I know I’d love CrossFit as well. There’s just one problem: the cost. I purchased this bootcamp on Groupon (holla!), but normally it is $197 per month. Total malarkey.

However, today I just didn’t know what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to run, I didn’t want to lift, and I didn’t want to stay comatose all day, like I know I could.

I was in no mood to work out.

After some good ol’ fashioned blog motivation, I was inspired to take some hints from The Fitnessista’s Awesome August workout and create my very own bootcamp. I got in the studio, got over myself, and just did it. Bonus: I felt like a badass.

Beat the Boredom Workout

Warmup

Walk for 10 minutes at a 6.0 incline on the treadmill (3.5 pace or more)
50 air squats
10 pushups
20 girl pushups
1 minute forearm plank

Workout

Quarter mile sprint on the treadmill at 9.0 pace
20 bicep curls (each side)
20 tricep curls (each side)
20 bicep curls
20 tricep curls
40 alternating jumping lunges (20 per leg)

Repeat Workout 3x (KILLER)

Cool Down

1 minute forearm plank
20 pushups (regular or girl)
50 air squats
End with quarter mile run

Wheeeeew.

This kicked my butt.

I’m not going to lie…I almost fell off the treadmill during that last quarter mile sprint–it felt like my legs were just going to crumble. But, as my body always reminds me, I can do anything–so I womaned-up and got it done!

I had to go into work for just a few hours to work a private party but I made sure to pick up a delicious salad as a left–it’s definitely one of my favorites to take home from the restaurant.

Mexican chopped salad featuring shrimp, avocado, black beans, corn, jicama (love love love in salads now), radishes, and a homemade honey-lime-cilantro dressing.

The fact that it is massive only adds to my love for this salad.

Now I’m in bed post-dessert: brownies made by my amazing aunt! My dad brought them home after seeing her a few days ago and gahhh they are so so delicious. Especially when microwaved and topped with vanilla ice cream.

Who says Mondays are the worst day of the week?

scenes from the weekend

Aside from feeling sick on Saturday and pretty much slothing it up all day, I had an amazing weekend. My best friend Megan and I went to separate colleges after high school and have tried our best to visit each other at least once a year, but now she’s all moved back to Chicago! It’s so great to have her back. I spent much of the weekend catching up with her. We’re both in the same boat for the next few months (unpaid internships whadddup) and it’s so nice to have someone who can relate. Post-college life is definitely strange!

As usual I took plenty of pictures of our shenanigans so without further ado, scenes from my weekend!

Cruising down Lake Shore Drive

Homemade cookies for our friends on Friday! Chocolate-Toffee-Chip yumm

Megan and me 🙂

Reunited with my college roommate wooo

Never skip breakfast: Starbucks iced coffee with soy, a banana, banana bread Gnu bar

When you forget your socks and have to wear your boyfriend’s….Cute lookThis make me wonder how all the residents of Chicago aren’t marathon runners…if I lived here permanently I would never stop running the lakefront path

Thought-provoking billboard on my run: LUST, RUST, DUST

Burrito Beach baja chicken tacos…10x better than Chipotle (but I did miss the guac)

Taken while waiting in line to get Garrett’s Popcorn (you know it’s good when there’s a line for popcorn)

As we walked home along the Chicago River there was a family getting off their boat with huge plates of food. As we we passed them they yelled to us to offer us sandwiches! I’m never one to turn down free food so I grabbed a turkey sandwich and put it in the fridge for later. You guys…the bread was the softest thing I’ve ever held…I wanted to take a nap and have that sandwich be the pillow

It was such a great weekend that even the stop-and-go traffic on my way home didn’t rain on my parade.

I hope you all had an amazing weekend and that the weather is as beautiful for you as it is here. I just want to be outside all day! Summer is finally here …better late than never 😉

Callous Help

Woo hoo nothing like a little TMI on this TGIF!

As most people know, runners’ feet are not the prettiest. They’re often rough, crackled, or even covered in nice little blisters or callouses. My feet are no different. Pair that with their size (11!) and let’s just say that my feet are not my best feature.

That’s the way the cookie crumbles for athletes. We put up with aches and pains and not-so-pretty features because, hey, we work hard.

Now, it’s no secret that I like to run. Like, it gets me uber excited.

But yesterday as I was pounding the pavement I started to feel a pain in my big toe. When I got home I took a look and I have callouses on the side of my big toe as well as on the ball of my foot. They’ve been around for awhile but they’ve never hurt until today. Now, there are plenty of ways to treat this. My first thought was YES an excuse to get a pedicure! But then I realized there are 600 things I’d rather pay $30 for than having someone touch my feet. So I turned to google.

After looking up lots of at-home solutions, I found one that seemed easy enough–and it worked! My feet are a lot smoother and the pain on my big toe has gone away.

So here’s a simple way to help your calloused feet:

Mix 6 tablespoons of baking soda into a large bucket of very warm water. If you don’t have a bucket feel free to use anything you can fit your feet into–just make sure to wash it well afterwards 😉 Soak your feet in the water for 15 minutes and then dry with a clean towel. Use the Ped Egg ($10 at Walgreens and very worth it) and in short, fast strokes rub each callous back and forth for about 5 minutes on each troubled spot, or as long as the skin still feels warm and soft. When you’re done, make sure to wipe your feet again with a clean towel to make sure they’re completely dry.

I hope you runners out there can use this tip! It definitely helped me and it was a lot cheaper than a pedicure!

A day of randomness

So much happened today! Starting, of course, with breakfast.

English muffin topped with chunky peanut butter, chia seeds, flax seeds, cinnamon, and bananas (plus coffee on the side)

It was my Mom’s first day at her new job (Congrats, Maja!)

She’s been getting ready for this day for awhile now so I’m glad she’s finally started!

Then I took a quick trip with my Dad to the Farmer’s Market. Not a lot of pictures because how many weeks in a row can I show you pictures of corn and berries. But one cute thing I did see…

Haha I loved it. Side note, I tried my best to get my Dad on board with adopting a kitten while we were there, but alas, he was strongly against it. Something about money blahdiddyblahblah.

I went to the mall afterwards to use some of my Victoria’s Secret coupons and of course got pulled in to a few more sales.

That awkward moment when you’re in Nike shorts and a sports bra and you’re pulled into a 40% Banana Republic sale to try “real people” clothes on. I walked out with a $70 sweater for only $23 so hey, it was worth it.

When I got home I knew I had to get a run in before the afternoon heat so I headed out on a (brutal) 6 mile run. At 5.25 miles my lungs felt like they were going to fly out of my chest so I took a break. Not my best run (by far) and I even ran this 6 mile run a few seconds slower than my 10K this weekend, but hey that happens. I’m still proud that I was able to get this run done.

After I showered I had the most random afternoon. My Grandma used to live with us (5 years ago) and after she passed away we put all of her old clothes in a closet. We just pulled them out this past week and my Mom asked me to try some of it on. Turns out Grandma in the 1940s had some killer style. A lot of it was timeless, including this cute checkered blue skirt and forest green jacket.

Free, classy clothes for the win!

Wow what a random day. It ended, as usual, with a shift at the restaurant. It was a gorgeous night so I spent a lot of time serving people on the patio. Just as I was about to leave, the head chef announced she had made all the employees a “family dinner”. This is what I love about working in a restaurant.

It was an old family recipe but included brown rice, chicken, a ton of veggies and spices. It tasted like jambalaya without the sausage. So simple and perfect. I asked for the recipe so if I get it, I’ll be sure to pass it along!

Thanks for putting up with my random day! I hope your day was as fun-filled as mine was. Now it’s time to get ready for the weekend–I’m spending the night in the city with my best friend who just moved back, and am going to a wedding on Saturday. Busy busy!

BlackBean&Lime Salad (recipe)

Workout today was an hour-long spin class full of hills and sprints, plus a quick 15 min upper body workout afterwards. It was nice to get back at it after taking a few days off!

To make up for the fact that July is over (unbelievable), I figured a new summer recipe was in order. Let’s just keep pretending it’ll always be flip flops and dress weather, okay? I recently made a huge batch of this salad for a summer party and it was such a hit that I knew I had to share it on the ol’ blog. Not only does it make fantastic leftovers alone, but you can add things to it to bulk it up into a meal or simply scoop it up with tortilla chips if you need a quick snack.

BlackBean&Lime Salad

3 cups cooked black beans
2 red peppers, chopped
1 cup sweet yellow corn
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 jalapeno peppers, minced
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Combine all of the above and make sure to let it sit for at least 2 hours in the fridge before serving. You may find that you need to add more lime juice/olive oil/red wine vinegar to taste if you like a saucier salad (I was going to write “moist” but I know how much that word bugs some people. With “saucy” I guess I’m just admitting that this salad has a bit of an attitude). Serve as a side dish, with tortilla chips, or add grilled chicken for a healthy, hearty meal. Enjoy this dish while summer lasts!

PS This recipe serves 8-10. Feel free to double or triple the deliciousness!

Rest Day(s)

So today and yesterday were rest days. I just needed them. Sometimes I have a lot of guilt for taking days off (especially two in a row) but last week I felt like I pushed myself really hard, and my body is telling me to take it a little easier this week. So that’s that!

It’s been rainy and cold here lately (so much for July weather) so I woke up this morning craving a big bowl of oatmeal.

1/2 cup oats, 1 cup almond milk, pinch of flax seeds/chia seeds/truvia, 1/8 cup of chopped pecans, and 2 cut-up peaches

Basically peach cobbler for breakfast!

The rest of the day was pretty boring. My mom and I went out to get her a new phone and on the way we got a flat tire (womp womp). It took forevvvver for AAA to get there, but at least we were next to Starbucks.

I got a venti berry hibiscus refresher. I’ve been having a lot of cold symptoms lately so I’ve been avoiding coffee, but the need for caffeine never dies. This is a great, delicious alternative!

After we got everything figured out we finally got to the Verizon store and chose her new phone. My mom starts a new job on Thursday (woooooo!) and they’re paying for a smart phone for her! I was the first one in my family to get a smart phone (I got it as a graduation present), and now it looks like the Lehockys are slowly starting to step into the 21st century 😉

Lunch was one of my favorite sandwiches in the world.

Whole wheat bread with cucumbers, lettuce, tomato, sprouts, red onions, swiss cheese, and a little bit of herb mayo (from a local sandwich shop near the Verizon store). It’s sad that I’m cool paying $7 for a veggie sandwich, but the family that owns this place must add some other secret ingredients because it tastes oh so good.

Despite my laziness and cold symptoms I headed off to work for another busy night at the restaurant. I spent the whole shift starving (why is it that rest days make me soo hungry?) and luckily the cooks were cool about slipping me a huge twice baked potato topped with vegan chili and cheddar cheese.

I added a ton of tomatoes, onions, and jalepenos to sneak some more veggies in there. It was so hearty–my whole day of eats was so “fall-like”. Definitely not like the summer salads and smoothies that I usually crave this time of year. Everything is turned upside down, it seems.

See you tomorrow!

Question: do you ever crave hot food in the summer, and cold food in the winter?

Little Goat Diner

This weekend I had the pleasure of trying one of Chicago’s up-and-coming restaurants. Or, I guess I should say, her little sister. Many people have heard of “Girl and the Goat”, the restaurant that opened up a few years ago on Randolph Street by Top Chef Winner Stephanie Izard. It’s famous for its 3 month long reservation list and funky “shared plates” atmosphere, but let’s be honest: sometimes when you’re hungry you’re just not prepared for that much flair.

That’s where Little Goat Diner comes in.

Stephanie opened Little Goat directly across the street from Girl and the Goat originally as a bakery and possibly a small breakfast joint. It soon turned into another huge success and expanded into the large diner that is known and loved by Chicagoans today.

Z-man and I arrived around 8:30 on Sunday night hoping to score a table. We knew we would have to wait (there are always people lined along the front entrance waiting for a table) so we grabbed a menu and looked it over.

This place has everything! From cheap diner eats to comfort food and everything in between, picking just one style of food seemed next to impossible. Even after the 30 minute wait I still had no idea what I was going to choose.

Sadly I’m not a big meat eater so eating goat was out of the question. And as I’ve said before, Z-man is the plainest eater on earth. But regardless of our preferences, we found so many things we wanted to try. The things that stood out to me were their cream cheese crab dip, Fat Elvis pancakes (smothered in peanut butter butter, bananas, and bacon syrup), the pork and toffee crunch milkshake (yes, in the same shake), and a seafood dish called “Boo Boo Baise” (for what reason I still don’t know).

This had to be the most random menu I’ve ever stumbled upon.

Needless to say, we took our stomachs for a ride and chose a few dishes to sample.

First up was a dark chocolate crunch pancake–complete with chocolate malt butter

I was hesitant to order this (dessert before dinner is ingrained in my head as blasphemy) but I’m so glad we did. It was amazing. It was the most chocolatey thing I’ve eaten in a long time, and the texture that the little malt pieces added was such a cool addition.

For our main courses we each decided to go with our sassy waiter’s recommendations, even though they were a bit out of our comfort zones (I was planning on bee-lining for the tuna melt).

I ordered the Fish Tostadas

Three tostadas topped with crisp whitefish, shallot aioli, chickpea and onion salad, and a harissa vinaigrette. It was really good!

Z-man loved his sandwich too (and I loved him for not ordering a plain burger)

The “Los Drowned” sandwich: braised beef, avocado, butterkase cheese, pickled peppers and onions, and spicy mayo.

The highlight of the meal, however, was the french fries!!!

These. were. incredible. They’re called “smoked fries” and for good reason: they tasted like the lovechild of french fries and bbq potato chips. They were like “open-mouth-tongue-falling-out-gotta-roll-it-back-in-before-i-drool-all-over-the-table” good.

Sweet lord.

My stomach was mad at me for the rest of the night for forcing so many types of food into my body at once but I didn’t even care. It was a meal to die for. Next time I go (which will be soon), I plan on either ordering breakfast (Croque monsieur omelet, I’m coming for you) or picking from a bunch of their sides. They have mac and cheese, buttered dinner rolls that I could smell from across the restaurant, and I really have to have the hot crab dip. The best thing about this place is I feel like not only could I go back, I have to go back just to try a dozen other things. I’m already planning my next trip. And who knows…maybe one day I’ll even be grown up enough to make it to Girl and the Goat. If the little sister restaurant is this good, I can’t imagine how great the other one is!

i had a big lunch

Because dreaming about food and fitness was no longer enough

Uncategorized

a day at the beach

Bea’s Bran Muffins

Concrete jello legs

Kicked my butt

scenes from the weekend

Callous Help

A day of randomness

BlackBean&Lime Salad (recipe)

Rest Day(s)

Little Goat Diner