coffee

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.

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

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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!)

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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.

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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!

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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

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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.

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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.

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IMG_3545IMG_3117They 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.

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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!

bootcamp is no joke

Man. All my prior beliefs about what “makes” a workout are being shattered.

I woke up this morning and had a quick bowl of breakfast before heading over to bootcamp.

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a delicious combination of Kashi go lean and honey nut cheerios. Sliced banana on top and almond milk. Pretty food 🙂

I was planning on running to bootcamp (it’s a little over 2 miles each way) but I ended up deciding to sleep in instead. Thank goodness I did that because I definitely go my running in during the WOD.

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Sweeeeet lawd. Doing jump squats directly after running is not a treat.  It ended up being 8 rounds, so a mile total, of 200m sprints. Phew!

Needless to say, my mindset of “a workout has to be an hour in order to count” is quickly being wiped away. This workout was only about 20 minutes, plus a 5 minute warmup, and I was wiped out. These crossfit workouts are mentally and physically challenging in no way I’ve ever experienced (except back in high school when my basketball team did plyometrics with the boys football team during the offseason).

The best part about today’s workout?

ImageI finally got to use kettlebells!  I’ve been hearing about how effective kettlebell workouts are for awhile now but I always just stare at them at the gym, too nervous to do it alone. Being in a group environment where everyone is learning as they go along makes it so much easier to try new things.

I came home and snacked on some super ripe honeydew melon before running out the door to meet up with some friends from college for lunch.

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I am lucky in that I made a big group of girlfriends my freshman year of college and we’ve been close ever since. Now that we’re all graduated and moving in a million different directions, it’s nice when some of us can find a random afternoon to grab lunch or coffee, or to even just catch up over the phone.

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Love these girls so much!

Four of us met up at Portillo’s for lunch (a Chicago favorite)

Chopped salad FTW!

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This salad has everything. Little bits of pasta, blue cheese, chicken, and chopped up lettuce. It normally has bacon on it as well but I always ask to skip that.  It’s a huge portion (which you know I lurv) and a treat every time I get it.

I just picked up Zman from a work retreat and we went to get his oil changed. I grabbed Starbucks while we waited for the car to be ready.

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Grande coffee with pumpkin spice and topped with soy milk.  (Did you know they put FOUR pumps of syrup in a grande?! It was delicious but man is that excessive. I’m going to try two next time. I hate drinking my calories and want to make an exception for pumpkin since it’s my favorite, but four pumps of syrup is a recipe for disaster and sugar cravings allll day).

Now Zman and I are packing for a quick trip to Dallas for the weekend.  I told you I have a serious case of wanderlust, didn’t I? 😉

Have a GREAT weekend!

Kale Fail

I HAVE to start by sharing the best part of my day: breakfast.

We’ve run out of coffee at my house so my Dad has to grind beans each night for the next morning. I can’t believe what a difference that makes–it tastes so delicious!

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I would eat this breakfast sandwich every day for the next thirty years. It was THAT good.

Whole wheat english muffin, 2 eggs with spinach, 1 veggie sausage patty, a sprinkle of shredded swiss cheese, and raspberry jam. Ehhhhhmahgod. It was a sweet salty compilation for the ages. That, plus the fresh coffee made for a magnificent morning.

Not much to report today. I got my hair done and did P90x yoga.

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Boo!

Today was definitely a yoga day. These 5 mile runs every other day have been taking a toll on my hips and legs in general. I hate stretching and icing but it’s oh so important to the thing that I do love (running) so it’s necessary to get in some yoga time every week or two.

What I like about P90x yoga is its intensity. I’m all for relaxing and meditating but it needs to be a good workout at the same time. P90x does just that. It’s pretty long (90 minutes!) but today I just did 70 minutes because I got caught up doing frog pose for too long instead. That realllllly helps stretch out the hips and I just couldn’t bring myself to move on!

In other even less exciting news, I tried to make kale chips today.

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Granted my kale was on its last leg, but damn–it smelled bad, looked bad, and tasted bad. I even closed my eyes and begged my fairy godmother to turn it into a big tray of Doritos, but alas, all I was left with was a kale fail. Oh well.

Lunch before work was fajitas!

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Plus a few dates:

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Love love loveeee me some dates.

Confession: my sweet tooth has been RAGING lately. Ladies, you know what I’m getting at. So aside from these dates I had one too many pieces of Dove chocolate today along with constantly picking at a bag of semi sweet chocolate chips. Even as I type this I’m dreaming of pressing “publish” so I can run downstairs and get some cookie dough ice cream. I’m not perfect–sugar is a beast! Sometimes I just have to let it win 🙂

Tomorrow is going to be a great day–Jazzin at the Shedd Aquarium downtown! Prepare yourselves for pictures overload. The Chicago skyline along the lake is too good to pass up.