Road Trips

Today’s lunch was quick and cold.  I stumbled through my parents fridge (where we are staying this weekend) and created an ‘end of summer’ fruit smoothie.  While summer still has some days left, it’s hard to believe we are in the final day of August.  September is practically here and after arriving in Ohio last night…it’s already colder here.  Yep, it’s true.

In the smoothie you will find Chobani Mango Greek Yogurt (enough protein for some staying power), lots of frozen peaches, 2 ice cubes and organic milk.

I drank that with a side of almonds and a quick sandwich and off for more Ohio excitement.

Road Trips

Since Ed and I moved to Maryland from Ohio, road trips have been a part of our lives often.  Long weekend trips usually start on an evening after work and arriving somewhere around midnight.  In order to stay on budget, we usually pack enough food to keep us from eating on the road.

I LOVE this bag! I found it at Target on Clearance for $8 this year and its perfect for traveling.

In the bag this time we packed grapes, watermelon, salad, granola bars, yogurt, almonds and water.  We try to keep things on the healthier side since we I have a bad snacking problem when I’m stuck in one space for 6 hours.  Popping grapes in my mouth instead of chips or cookies seems like the better choice.

As tasty as these things were, we needed some substance and still made a quick stop by Wendy’s for a burger each for dinner.

Niagara Falls – September 2008

Before Ed and I ‘officially’ dated, what seemed like every weekend was filled with a day trip to somewhere within a reasonable distance.  Our first day trip was probably one of the biggest and most memorable to Niagara Falls, on the Canadian side.  It took just over 3 hours to get there and it was my very first trip outside the country.  For a few hours we visited the falls, mini golfed, ate a very tasty Italian dinner and checked out the casinos before heading back that evening.

Columbus Zoo – September 2008

After Niagara Falls, other trips included while we were dating:

• Columbus Zoo
• Toledo Zoo
• Pittsburgh Zoo
• Kentucky
• Cinncinnatti, OH
• Presque Isle, PA
• Detroit, MI
• Hocking Hills
• Renaissance Faire (Southern Ohio)
• New York City (We took a bus trip that drove us overnight.  We spent 12 hours in NYC before hopping back on the bus home)
• Among many others…

Top of the Rockefeller Center – New York City, NY – December 2008

All these trips included a lot of getting to know each other conversations and car games that we still bring back on our long car trips today.  Who knew that all these road trips would prepare us for our car rides when we moved out of the state together.

While the trip from Maryland to Ohio is much longer then most of these trips, we thought we would be smart and leave the seat in the back open for the non-driver to take a nap if they wanted.  We figured that would be much more comfortable then the passengers seat.  While it worked for a while, I was really missing a bed.  After waking up at 5 AM, working 9.5 hours not to include rush hour traffic, I tend to turn into a pumpkin around 9:30 PM.  It was a tight squeeze back there.

We eventually made it and are settled in at my parents for another crazy busy weekend with friends and family.

How do you pack for a longer road trip?  How do you pass the time?

Pho Saigon 54

Today, a co-worker asked me to go out for lunch instead of my usual workout routine.  It took me all of 5 seconds to forget about the workout I planned to do today and say, “YES!”  I rarely go out for lunch on working days.  It’s one of my many ways to stay on budget, but it’s so nice to escape once in a while too.

I suggested someplace different that my co-worker had never heard of before.  I believe her reaction was pretty priceless at the mention of Pho.  “What?!?”  Was her reaction and take my word for it, it was priceless.  Maybe she thought I was cursing at her?

We headed to Pho Saigon 54 for our lunch outing and some traditional Vietnamese cuisine.  I had been here once before and was looking forward to the same smells and flavors that this Vietnamese dish had coming my way.

We both ordered the healthy white meat chicken pho dish.  The soup dish was delivered over a heaping bed of rice noodles garnished with green onions and fresh cilantro in a savory broth.  On the side, the waiter brought a healthy plate of crisp bean sprouts, sweet Thai basil, fresh jalapenos (I just skipped over these bad boys) and lime wedges.

“Ooooh…Pho”

I filled up my bowl with a good amount of bean sprouts and squeezed a large amount of lime juice into my bowl before digging in.  It was so yummy and also wallet friendly.  A small bowl (24 oz) was more than enough for me.  I even had some leftover to bring home for Ed.

Leftovers

Won’t he be thrilled 😉

This meal ended up being exactly what I needed before the long drive back to Ohio for holiday weekend festivities!

What are your plans for Labor Day weekend?

Unique Races

Today’s lunch workouts were quick and challenging.  I warmed up with a short and sweet 20 minute cardio session on the treadmill all at a 1.0 incline.  I ended it with an abdominal workout before heading back to work.  Those jack knife sit ups got me good this time around and I love doing Russian twists.  I feel the burn through my whole abdomen working.

(Source: Itty Bits of Balance)          (Source: Back on Pointe)

Due to lack of time, lunch was quick a much more filling than anticipated.

Lunch

I prepared two ham wraps that included apple wood ham, spring mix greens and horseradish mustard on corn tortillas.  I included a side of carrots and a black plum.  For a cold beverage, I whipped up a peach vanilla protein drink.

In there you will find…

• 1 Yoplait Vanilla Yogurt
• 1 big scoop of cottage cheese
• 1 White Peach
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)
• 2 ice cubes
• Soymilk, enough to get everything moving

Unique Races

Yesterday I had a conversation with a friend about running races in the future.  We always seem to email each other when we find the next best race or challenge that we want to try.

Warrior Dash Maryland – May 2012

I’m more adventurous when it comes to choosing my races.  There are SO many unique ones out there that it’s hard for me to run one more than once.  I like the challenge of the unexpected hill or obstacle that I didn’t see coming.  After a quick Google search, I came up with some of the most unique races I could find in the United States.

1. Krispy Kreme Challenge, Raleigh, NC – Runners are required to run 2 miles AND eat a full box of donuts before running 2 miles back to finish.  My question is, are you disqualified if the donuts come back up?
2. Impossible 5K, Woodstock, GA – Two things make this 5K unique.  1) It takes place at 1:50 AM.  2) It takes place on Daylight Savings Time.  Therefore, your time when you finish will most likely be in the negative digits!  Impossible in any other race?  Uh, yeah!
3. The Zombie Chase – “The Only 5K Worth Dying For.”  Um, CREEPY!
4. Wife Carrying Race – Husbands complete obstacles while wives enjoy the ride on their back.  Yeah…no. This is actually a sport for some!  Check out this video from the UK on YouTube.
5. Muddy Buddy – First you need a buddy—who will also get muddy.  Run 6 miles with 5 obstacle separations that are mysteries for everyone.
6. Halloween Half and 5K – Said to be the “craziest” Halloween Race out there and it’s all down hill!
7. Twinkie Run, Ann Arbor, MI – Runners run two loops and have to indulge in a cream filled Twinkie each loop.  Every Twinkie you eat means 1 minute off your time.  Bring them on!
8. Dog Day 5K, Minneapolis, MN – A race for man and his best friend.  Have a small dog?  Strollers welcome 🙂
9. Santa Speedo Run, Boston, MA – Strap on your holiday Speedo and run through the cold streets of Boston in December.  Sure to be a crowd pleasing event.
10. Beer Belly Run, Green Bay,  WI – Ever half mile, indulge in a cold one.  Beer belly not required to enter…

Well, there are 10 of the most unique races I could find.  Notice how many of them require eating bad food.  How do you keep it down?

It’s pedicure night with my friend, Tina and Le Madeline’s for some yummy coffee drinks after that.

Enjoy your afternoon.

Question of the Afternoon:

What crazy races have you seen/participated in lately?

Check out my new pages at the top of my home page.  Use them for quick references for workouts and recipes I’ve featured on my blog!

Georgetown

Dinner tonight was quick and plentiful.  I used leftover steak from our dinner last night to make a large salad.

Steak salad with spring mix greens, fresh corn and carrots with Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

I added a peach raspberry smoothie on the side for a nice and cold addition.

In this smoothie:

• 1 cup of Chobani Peach Greek Yogurt
• 1 White Peach
• 1 handful frozen raspberries
• 2 ice cubes
• 1 scoop of cottage cheese
• Enough soymilk to get everything moving

Perfect for a humid afternoon

Last night, Ed and I spent the evening walking around the Georgetown waterfront.

It was the perfect evening for a walk along the water and through old town.  After all the walking, we stopped by one of my favorite sweet places for dessert.

Georgetown Cupcake from TLC’s “DC Cupcakes”

Yes, it was a sweet night for sure at Georgetown Cupcake.  From the top left we have Blueberry Cheesecake, Vanilla Birthday Cake, Honey Banana , Toffee Crunch, Red Velvet and Cinnamon.   We have been sharing ever since last night and as of tonight, all of these babies are GONE!  They really know what they are doing at Georgetown.

I had been here once before when I came to DC for work while living in Ohio.  DC Cupcakes on TLC had just began airing, so I ventured off to find them.  It was SO hot that day that by the time I had made it back to my hotel, the frosting’s had melted together.  All were just as good though.  I had picked up three on that trip.  All the cakes were as light as I remembered and the frosting was perfectly creamy.  I am not usually a frosting fan, but I was sure to get some in each of my bites with these cakes.  My favorite was the Honey Banana and Ed’s was the Red Velvet.

Cupcakes are a favorite for both of us.  It was our wish to have cupcakes at our wedding reception instead of the traditional tiered wedding cake.  It was the perfect balance of formal and modern.

Our Wedding Cake

Our top tier was red velvet cake, which is Ed’s favorite cake of all time.  We had five cupcake flavors for our guests to choose from.  When they announced it was time for cake, no one thought twice about waiting to try their favorite flavors.

We did traditionally keep two cupcakes for our one year anniversary in the freezer.

Our Wedding Cupcakes

They look okay, right?

“Not so much…”

The cake was okay, but I think I broke a tooth that icing was so sweet!  Cute tradition, but we did not get very far…

And that’s, that!

At least this time, the cupcakes stayed in our mouth.  Which is more then I can say for last year.

Messy!

Now that your sweet tooth is wide awake, lets get to today’s workout!

I started with a treadmill interval.

(Source: In Sweetness and in Health)

The first two rounds of this workout, I did not go above the 8 mph speed.  However, the second two rounds I did the workout exactly as it was outlined.  Woo hoo!  You have to celebrate the small milestones.  That 9 mph is tough!

Just in case all those cupcakes were still setting up camp around my lower regions, I ended my workout today with a short lower body workout.

(Source: Back on Pointe)

Next time, I think I will incorporate weights into this workout so I can feel the burn much faster.

Off to finish some assignments and to bed.  Goodnight everyone!

Question of the Evening

What kind of cake did you have at your wedding?  Were you traditional, modern or extreme?

Backtracking

While I am looking forward to posting our impromptu date on the blog later on today, lets backtrack a bit shall we?

Before the fun in the evening came, I certainly didn’t miss out on a lunch workout I pinned last week.  I concentrated on my arms this time around.  My legs needed a break from the weekend.  After a quick warm up, I chose my weights and followed the below routine.

(Source: Fit Fab Cities)

Although the name of this workout is intending summer time arms, I wouldn’t mind keeping them the whole year through.  I did the above workout 3 times through and increased my weight each time.  The last set of pushups were super shaky!  I could write a whole post about how much I don’t like pushups.  We’re working on our relationship, but I almost always opt for the knees on the ground pushups.

“Girly pushups if you must.  Although the burn is still pretty prevalent.”

By doing this, I’m still getting the burn I need without compromising form.  With small reps like these though, its not a bad idea to consider giving the full pushups a try every other time too.

This was a great lunch/quick workout.

I’ve been doing some research on the blog and hope to have quite a bit of things added on this week.  Check back on new menus and options.  Don’t forget to “Follow” by email by clicking the tab to the right of the screen 🙂

On to work.  Happy Tuesday!

See you at lunch!

Our First Anniversary

Ed and I are celebrating our First Wedding Anniversary today!

“Our Wedding Day – 08/27/2011”

As some may have read, we started the celebration a little early on Saturday when we decided to spend a date night out at Seasons 52.  We had such a great time!

Now that my blog is getting pretty consistent, I thought our anniversary day would be a great day to introduce the man I love (and often is mentioned on here) and our story of how we became husband and wife.  Don’t worry folks; I plan on leaving a lot of the “sappiness” out.  Some stories are only meant for the ones who know them the best 🙂

In fall of 2006, a friend of mine asked me to pray for a friend of theirs.  To this day, I can’t remember why I was asked to do this except that they were in need of the extra prayer at this particular time. I kept to my promise and spent a lot of my prayer time praying for a man I had never met for circumstances that were unknown.  All I knew was his name and he lived in California.

“Disney World – 9/2011”

Ed and I met in April 2007 at a wedding rehearsal.   I lived in Ohio and he lived in California.  After our introduction, Ed’s first words to me were “Hi, I’m Ed, I heard you have been praying for me?”  I obnoxiously yelled “Yes!” with excitement as I finally had a face to go with a name.  We spent only 24 hours getting to know each other in the span of wedding activities.  However, after a memorable introduction, a very memorable hair cut and some exchanged talking and laughing throughout the reception, Ed left back to his home in California two days later.  Never to be seen of again…or so I thought.

“New York City – 11/2008”

In August 2007, I was surprised to see Ed at a friend’s birthday party.  He was leaving California and moving back to Ohio.  We went out to a late lunch with a friend that day where he and I fought over who would pay the bill.  He won, but I put up a good fight.

“Virginia Beach – 6/2010”

We would see each other at random events for the next year, but it was a group vacation to Florida in August 2008 where sparks started to fly and glances were exchanged.  Ed and I secretly found opportunities to have alone time together and separate from the group to just talk.  When we returned to Ohio, Ed made it a point to ask to hang out more often.

“Presque Isle Road Trip – 6/2009”

For a full year, Ed and I planned and experienced many events together as friends from day trips to new restaurants and new activities.  In July 2009, Ed finally got up the courage to share his true feelings.  Soon after that, things between us became official and very soon after that, shared with each other that we wanted to be married one day.

“Hocking Hills – 05/2010”

After a year and a half of dating, Ed asked me to be his wife on March 17th, 2011.
Ed is the most genuine man I have ever met.  While he has shared in some experiences in life that many of us will never imagine, he always enters a room with a smile on his face.  He is quite the practical jokester.

“Skydiving – 09/2010”

He makes me want to be a better person and sticks by me when things are tough.  He never claims to have all the answers, but he always has the amount of time to sit and talk until its all okay.  He works hard for our little family and always refers to us as a team in every decision we make.

“Hersheypark – 12/2011”

While he is busy finishing his master’s degree, working full time and tirelessly finding new DIY projects to make our little apartment a home on a budget, he always offers to clean the “big” dishes after meals and never hesitates to help fold laundry without being asked.

“Mexico – 09/2011”

We share a love for God, life, travel and new experiences.  Since our wedding day in 2011, we have visited 7 states, 3 countries and many cities that all included dozens of new activities, restaurants and adventures.

“Honduras – 09/2011”

What started as a promised prayer soon turned into a love story between me and my best friend.  It’s hard to believe we’re already this far and exciting to know that “this far” is only temporary.  We have much more life to live and our journey is not over yet.

“I love you, Edward.  Happy First Anniversary.”

Lazy Sunday

After last nights meal, I woke early before church to get a small, but meaningful workout in.  I started off with a 20 minute incline workout.

(Source: Peanut Butter Fingers)

After walking home from the gym, I used some free time before getting ready for church to follow this workout in my living room.

(Source: Fit Fab Cities)

I only had time to do the 5-4-3-2-1 Workout one time through before getting ready, but it did leave me sweating.  The only change I made was during the 2 minute interval where I exchanged the jump squats for low squats.

For breakfast, I made a Strawberry Peach Protein Smoothie for Ed and I to share.

Ingredients

• 1 White Peach (skin can be left on)
• 1 handful frozen Strawberries
• Soymilk, enough to get everything moving
• 1/2 scoop Protein Powder (optional)
• 2 ice cubes

Strawberry Peach Smoothie

Perfectly cold and fruity for my taste buds.

After church, today became a low key Sunday thanks to all the rain. We should be expecting my brother-in-law and his friend to pop in at any point this afternoon for a visit.

Hope you are enjoying a lazy Sunday as well!

Date Night – Seasons 52

Last night, after we spent most of the day completing our assignments and cleaning, Ed and I got all dressed up and went out to a late dinner at Seasons 52 to get a head start on celebrating our first wedding anniversary this week.  We had a Darden gift card to use from a Christmas present from my aunt and uncle, so we were excited that it was good on a restaurant that we had not tried yet.  (They are not located where we are from in Ohio)  After I screwed up the original reservation (I made it for the restaurant in VA instead of MD), Ed saved the day and realized that the Virginia location is only 15 minutes or so past the Maryland location.

So, we hopped in the car for another Virginia night out.

We got to Tyson’s Corners a bit earlier then expected and browsed the mall inside.  Once seated, we were were introduced to our waiter who explained the menu to us.  We were in the Summer season menu and it was full of appetizers, entrees and drinks the were surely getting my summer taste buds ready.  The best part, every dish on their menu is said to be under 475 calories.  Now, once you read through this post, you and I will both know I probably went over that number.  Let’s just enjoy the fact that this number may have been possible if we weren’t celebrating.

First up, I ordered my drink of choice.

Watermelon Refresher

The Watermelon Refresher had rum, muddled watermelon, lime juice and agave nectar.  While I like rum, mine was really kicked into high gear tonight.  Warm and refreshing to say the least 🙂

Ed and I opted for the Maryland Crab, Roasted Shrimp & Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms under Parmesan-panko crust for our appetizer.

Being “Marylanders” now, Ed and I can’t get away from always enjoying some good crab meat.  The Parmesan-panko crust stole the show though and was perfectly crusted across the whole dish giving each bite a taste.

Our entrees were difficult to pin down, but we eventually settled on one for each of us from different parts of the menu.

Ed’s Entree

Since we were in celebration mode, Ed chose the Piedmontese All-Natural Bone-in Strip Steak, 11 oz.  served with fresh string beans, cremini mushrooms and a side of rice.  I had a bite  (or two) of it myself.  Marinated in a tangy and white wine sauce, this steak had a perfect flavor.

My Entree

I chose my entree off the fish and seafood side of the menu and I was thrilled with the decision.  Grilled Boneless Rainbow Trout served with parsley new potatoes, roasted rainbow carrots, broiled lemon and fresh string beans.  The trout literally melted in my mouth and I had no problem eating every last bit.  Ed couldn’t resist a few bites himself.  The vegetables were all super fresh and lightly seasoned.  The string beans were the winner overall and the potatoes a close, CLOSE second.

Dessert wasn’t far behind where their “dessert menu” includes bringing all of their mini-indulgences out to you in a nice table scape where you choose right there which one you would like to indulge in.  Ed commented on what a good business tactic this was.

“Seriously, how could you only choose one after seeing them all?”

Mini-Indulgences

We were both good and each chose one dessert for the end of a fabulous meal.

Ed chose Mocha Macchiato and I chose (no surprise) Key Lime Pie.  Naturally we both took a swig of the others and I will honestly say that Key Lime won!  Hands down, no contest.  But I’m biased.  Key Lime will always be my favorite.  These desserts were perfectly portioned and creamy.  I didn’t feel one bit guilty the whole evening.

We had a great meal to celebrate one year of wedded bliss and more to come.

Cheers to marriage!

Saturday Workout

This morning was a fantastic run near Lake Elkhorn  with my husband.  He decided to work on his sprint work and I was energized for a longer, slower pace.  I ran off the normal routine and ran somewhere between 5.5 and 6 miles when I caught up with Ed.  We finished right before the rain started.

On our way home, Ed and I talked about the people we encountered while running.  We decided that people are much friendlier on morning runs then late afternoon runs.  Maybe that’s not completely true or maybe its the absence of extra afternoon heat that puts everyone is a better mood, but I probably exchanged a “good morning” or “hello” with more the 60% of the people I passed today.  What a great way to start of the morning and keep you going during a long sweaty workout.

After all that cardio and a good stretch, I made Ed and I a big plate of scrambled eggs and half of a whole wheat bagel spread with some chocolate Philadelphia cream cheese.

The scrambled eggs includes:

• 5 eggs beaten (2.5 each)
• Soymilk
• Red Peppers
• Broccoli
• Mozzarella Cheese

The cream cheese had been sitting in our fridge for some time now and I hadn’t had the courage to try it.  Ed liked it and I tolerated it, but it wasn’t something I will be craving for in the near future.  If I’m going to splurge with cream cheese, it’s going to be with original flavors.

According to My Fitness Pal  – around 400 calories for the above meal

While eating I sent in one of my assignments and Ed ran off to run errands so I could concentrate on the next one.

Happy Saturday!

In My Cart – Harris Teeter

As I have pointed out before, I enjoy saving money using coupons and shopping sales for everything.  Not only do my husband and I save money for school, a down payment on our first home, and fun times to be had, the thrill of savings a serious amount of money is actually a lot of fun to me.  Seeing our savings grow and “shopping our cabinets” for dinner instead of spending our time rushing to the supermarket or wasting time (and calories) on take out is essential for this house.

Growing up, my mom was consistent with preparing healthy and balanced meals on a daily basis.  We always had to drink our milk (which I would often fight) and any other drink was not acceptable.  It’s something I appreciate now and implemented in our daily dinners as well.

I went to Harris Teeter this week for fresh produce and yogurt on the brain.  In addition, I was on the search for some special ingredients for a super-secret anniversary dessert this weekend for my husband.  The stereotype with using coupons is that they are all for products “people don’t use, don’t need or unhealthy items”.  This week was not a week we needed to worry about meat as we are stocked up quite nicely for a while on that.  In addition, I had to keep in mind that we were leaving for Ohio next Thursday for the long weekend.

“We can’t come back to fuzzy grapes now can we?”

My cart after I came home.

The above picture before coupons and sales would have cost $93.82.  Coupons and sales applied, it cost me out of pocket, $38.75.  In addition, I received $2.00 off my next order which brings my final total to:

$36.75!  A 60.83% savings!

I’m already saving for the next shopping trip.

My cart included:

Everyday Foods – 10 Yoplait yogurts, 2 bags of whole wheat bagels

Fresh Fruit – grapes, peaches, apples, plums, bananas, watermelon (not all pictured)

Vegetables – corn on the cob, bagged salad, sweet onion

Meal Items – 2 boxes of mussels, lunch meat

Snacks – 3 boxes WhoNu chocolate chip cookies, goldfish (I didn’t plan on getting these, but this is an inside joke between Ed and I and they were on sale), Fiber One brownies, 4 boxes of Simply Go Gurt (We like to eat these frozen)

Baking Items/Misc. – Cream of Tartar (for a special anniversary dessert I’m planning), brown sugar, white vinegar, plain gelatin

Check out that price…Ouch!

For just under $37, I think I did pretty well.  I’m no “Extreme Couponer”, but I do believe that I can live a pretty healthy lifestyle saving on items other than mustard, cereal and candy (common coupons).

So, there is my cart breakdown for this week.

Now I ask you…

“What’s in your cart this week?”