I had the BEST time at BLEND! The weekend came and went so super fast, but it was a lot of fun and I can’t wait until next year to do it all again. I mean, can we talk about the loot I got.

So much great stuff and this is only some of what I brought home. I have so much protein powder, granola, sports bars, etc for the next few weeks if not months. I even had to check an extra bag just to make sure I got everything home. It was worth the extra $ since I’m saving more with not having to buy pre/post workout fuels.

On top of the swag I got to hang out with some amazing bloggers and meet everyone in person. I get to see some of the Atlanta bloggers occasionally and this weekend I got to meet so many more. It’s great getting to know everyone face to face after spending most of our time online. I definitely stayed up past my bedtime chatting and laughing, but it was so worth it.

And let’s not forget about the food.

It goes without saying I wasn’t hurting for food this weekend. Everything was so good and I got spoiled by having such a beautiful breakfast layout each morning. That is something a girl could get use to!

The weather was less than to be desired on the hike, but that worked out just fine because I got to break in my rain jacket. The rain wasn’t a total downpour but more of a heavy mist so I was still able to take some pictures of the amazing views.

I had such a great time and have so many great memories from this past weekend. BLEND is a trip I hope all bloggers can go to and have just as much fun. It’s an experience I hope to have again next year.

Now for the Giveaway winner:

Send me an e-mail with your address and I’ll send you a Bestowed box to try. 

What did you do this weekend? Do you have blogger  meet ups where you live?

My bag is packed and I’m ready to go!

I’m an over packer so today I pulled everything out I may want to wear and edited down what I really needed. I had a few helpers that didn’t really help, but the company was nice. Well, I say it was nice. I’ll be packing my lent roller too.

I’m off to Park City, Utah for BLEND and am so excited and nervous all at the same time. I’m going way out of my comfort zone taking this trip because I don’t know anyone else. Yes, this is a blogger event and I read so many of the girls’ blogs, but I don’t know them in person. I’m excited to get to know all the girls I’m rooming with and having a weekend of new experiences, but it’s still scary.

I’ll be sure to take tons of pictures and share all the details of the trip. It’s going to be great!

Remember how I was going to grocery shop and avoid the Whole Foods hot bar since I had it so much this past weekend?

Yea, so last night when I got off work around 8 after an almost 12 hour day I DID grocery shop. The catch was that it was at Whole Foods where I found my way at the hot bar. This was jerk chicken, steamed kale, plantains, and un pictured corn and rice that I had before I realized I hadn’t taken a pic.

I didn’t go crazy and pile my plate too high so it wasn’t a $16 meal(it happens so easily) which made the bill less than I planned.To round out my meal I had a huge bowl of fruit.

I have to admit that after a weekend of non stop coconut milk ice cream I did meander to the freezer section of the store and stare at the different flavors. I wanted to buy some so bad, but couldn’t bring myself to spend $6 on one pint. And I knew I had my fill of sweets for a few days and needed to take a break.

Is there such a thing as too much flax?

I noticed I have a lot of flax in various forms(PB, vitamins, meal, bread) and got curious about how much is too much? I don’t take all my flax at once and make sure to drink lots of water through the day when I do take it, but I wonder how much I’m actually getting. A dash of meal here and a bite of PB there doesn’t mean I’m overdosing, but it really makes me wonder and now I’ll really be keeping an eye on it.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for your Bestowed box.

This Friday I leave for BLEND and I’m so excited! I’ve organized my packing lists and have just about everything that I need. It’s so hard to narrow down all the things I want versus all the things I really need. I’m an over packer for sure. It looks like it’s going to rain(30% chance) when I double checked the weather which is a total bummer, but it meant that I got to go shopping!

*I’m lucky nobody tried to jack my bag;)

I’ve been putting off getting a rain jacket for the longest time. This was a real splurge too, but I need a good one so I can use it for a long time so it’s worth it. I have a snow jacket with a shell that I wear all the time, but it doesn’t have a hood and is way too big for a Spring/Summer rain jacket. Another reason I’ve been putting off buying one is that I wanted a blue color rather than pink. I’m “girly”, but that doesn’t mean I have to love pink. It was either this color or a bright orange, and since I wasn’t going for the cross guard look I chose this one. I really do like the color and it’s nice and bright so I’ll stand out which is also a plus when walking Harper on rainy days and people aren’t paying attention while driving(always happens).

This past weekend we went to NC and I ate so much coconut milk ice cream.

Probably a pint(or 2) on my own when it was all said and done. Now all I want is more. I’m hooked. It’s so good and I don’t feel gross and bloated after. I’ve had it before and loved it, but this weekend solidified it for me. Travis isn’t a fan which means more for me!

The Whole Foods hot bar was also eaten in excess.

I didn’t take any other pics, but this one is pretty much like all the others. Lots of spinach, kale, edamame, broccoli, rice, grains, chicken, etc was on my plate each time in some form or fashion. It’s so easy to get spoiled my a healthy buffet line and now that I’m back to reality I need to go grocery shopping so I don’t find myself going broke at Whole Foods.

When we got home I checked the mail and found my Bestowed box that was sent to me.

I was super excited about it not only because it’s awesome to come home to presents, but I love the box-a-month mailers.

“Bestowed is the creation of Heather Bauer who is a nationally recognized nutritionist and author. Each month, Heather and her team of health and diet experts carefully curate 5 product samples that have caught their attention. Items like nutrition bars, snacks, breakfast cereals, and supplements are just a few of the categories considered.”

The box they sent me included:

• Teechia Super Seed Cereal
• Good Eating Salads book
• Sun Cups Dark Chocolate Sunflower Butter Cups
• Navitas Coconut Water Powder
• Way Better Snacks Sweet Chili Tortilla chips
• Larabar Uber
• Everyday Califorinia EVOO

I love the idea and am such a huge fan already. In this month’s box I received so many great brands that I’m already familiar with like Larabar and Navitas as well as a few I’ve not heard of before and am excited to try. And since I’m trying these out Bestowed is offering to give one lucky reader their own box as well as a discount on a membership to everyone else who wants to try it for themselves.

For a chance to win like the Bestowed page on FB and leave a comment that you did. Pretty easy, huh! Giveaway closes Saturday and I’ll announce a winner on Monday!

Do you have a clothing splurge you’ve put off until the last-minute?

Have you tired coconut milk ice cream? What’s your favorite flavor?

May is starting to drain me and rid me of vitamin D. It’s rained pretty much every day since the beginning of the month. The sun did come out towards the end of the day today so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will stay for a few days.

Since it’s been nasty and rainy the past few days I haven’t worked out so this morning I headed over to Crossfit in hopes of whipping myself into gear.

The workout was titled “The Great Gatsby” and included:

5 Rounds:
20 Burpees
15 Hang Power Cleans (135#/95#)
400m Row or 450 m Run

This was all done after a warmup of 30-20-10 sit ups and jump rope.

I hate burpees! I would rather do pull ups if given the choice. If you’re not familiar here’s a picture of their sequence.

The worst! I texted Travis this picture in hopes of some sympathy. I was a hot mess!

I’m glad I did it though even if I ache all over. And in the spirit of The Great Gatsby once I got home I remembered the movie soundtrack came out and downloaded immediately.I normally don’t buy music but have purchased JT and Gatsby so they must be good right? I think so at least. I’m so excited to see the movie. I’ve already told Travis I will be dragging him to see it. I’ve seen my fair share of awful movies(Olympus Has Fallen) for him so he owes me one;)

As far as food goes I’ve had some pretty delicious meals.

My breakfasts have been pretty plain and more on the convenient side as a grab and go. Chobani(flavors vary) with granola and some type of fruit.

Lunch was a turkey sandwich I picked up from the market with avocado, cucumbers, carrots, sprouts, spinach, and tomato on wheat. On the side I had homemade kale salad and chips.

And to top off my meals I had a sweet potato for dinner with some pumpkin seeds.

I’ve had a sweet potato in some form every day for the past few days and I LOVE it! I can’t get enough!

Now off to relax!

Are you excited for The Great Gatsby? What is an album you’ve purchased lately?

I’m so glad the weekend is so close. We have a few things on the agenda that I’m pretty pumped about. It’s going to be a full weekend of seeing friends and family and I’ve really been looking forward to it, so I’m counting down the hours!

This was me waiting for the train nine minutes after the time it was supposed to come. Annoyed, tired, and ready to get home. Luckily I already had a quick bite before I left work so I wasn’t hungry. Otherwise it would have been a much angrier pic. I wasn’t in a bad mood, but I had my mind set that I was going to be home sooner than I actually was and was totally bummed.

On the flip side, once I got home I dove into the last remaining Oatmeal butterscotch cookies I had made a few nights earlier. We went to an outdoor play that was set up picnic style so I brought these and they were a hit.

These are SOOO good and are one of my standard go to recipes when I make cookies. I always get compliments on them and little do people know(until now) that there is only 1/4 cup of sugar in the whole recipe. Of course, this doesn’t include the butterscotch chips but they’re still super good.

Below are a few links I’ve bookmarked and you may like too! Hope you’re day was great!

Here are a few links that might be of interest:

Spring Pasta Recipes-NYTimes.com

May Beauty Buys: Oprah.com

Improve your memory: Glamour.com

HAPPY MONDAY!!!!

It’s going to be a GREAT week! I don’t have anything in mind as to how or what will make it great, but I figure if I put it out there there’s a greater chance of it being AMAZING!

The forecast this weekend called for lots of rain, but I’m so glad that it held off until yesterday. After work on Saturday it was nice enough for a run and I was in the mood for a long one. Harper and I covered about 4 miles through the neighborhood and were tuckered out once we got home. I’ve only been doing Crossfit for two weeks but can really tell my muscles are getting stronger and in turn tighter. I am the worst at stretching and my work schedule has changed again so I haven’t had a yoga class to help get out all the kinks. I will be putting yoga on my calendar this week for sure because I’m in dire need of a good hip opening class.

Last weekend I went to a baby shower for one of my best friends and I’ve had chicken salad on the brain ever since.

Chicken salad croissants were served and I’m pretty sure I had a half-dozen. They were so good! I’ve been trying to make the most out of our groceries so this weekend I decided to use one whole chicken to make two different chicken salad recipes. That way I could get a double dose of my craving!

The first one I made is more on the traditional side. I added dried cranberries and chopped roasted pecans for a tart and crunchy flavor.

For my second chicken salad I made a much lighter version that included cabbage, red onions, red pepper, and rice vinegar. I was weary of the vinegar at first, but it works really well and actually binds all the other flavors together.

It’s hard to say which one is my favorite because both are so good, but I think it boils down to the mood I’m in. I love a good mayonaise based chicken salad every now and then, but sometimes I just want a salad that has chicken mixed in. I would probably pick the Cranberry Pecan version as a weekday lunch with some crackers and the Vietnamese chicken salad for a picnic or as a pot luck dish in Spring. Either way you can’t go wrong!

What is your favorite version of chicken salad?

Today I had a much-needed day off from work. I’ve been working long hours this week, all on my feet, so it was nice to have a non weekend day break. I got a few things done around the house that included laundry, prepping food for lunches and dinners, catching up on some DVR, taking Harper on a nice long walk, and relaxing!!!!!

Can we discuss how I need a proper ottoman?

It’s always nice to have the occasional day off in the middle of the week where you can do absolutely nothing! They’re few and far between but I’m all about a good mental health day. It also gave me a chance to make my meals and take my time eating them rather than be rushed like my other eats this week.

Breakfast was my trusty favorite of toast and eggs with fruit.

I made my toast with the Flax Ezekiel bread I was sent the other week.

The nice folks from Food for Life were nice enough to send me two loaves and I’ve just about finished both on my own. I LOVE it! I take flax supplements regularly so having extra in my bread makes me feel extra healthy;)

Since I’ve started Crossfit my protein intake has been in need of a little help so I made a huge crockpot full of beef chili with all kinds of beans.

I’ll be eating on this for a while but that’s good since I find myself always in need of a fast lunch and dinner on busy days.

After lunch Harper and I had a nice walk and when I got home needed a good snack before heading to the evening Crossfit workout.

It was a toss-up between celery and peanut butter or an apple, but the apple won out. Celery isn’t as filling and always leaves me hungrier than when I started. I’m so glad that I had this combo because the workout at Crossfit was pretty intense and I needed the fuel.

When I got home from the gym I started dinner which was a salmon salad with hearts of palm, red peppers, and green onions on top of romaine.

I topped the salad with balsamic vinaigrette and it was so good! Next time I’ll serve it with bread because though it was good it was missing a little something. It could have been missing dessert, but I’ve also had my fair share of sweets this week so I may have been craving sugar due to withdrawal;)

 Do you have week days off occasionally?

I’m so glad the weekend is almost here. This week has had its moments where I’ve wanted to scream, but for the most part it’s been very good. Yesterday when I got home from work I tried on the new workout shirt my sister-in-law sent me.

I fit perfectly and was so comfortable on my run. It was muggier than I’ve been use to recently and was super sweaty, but this shirt kept a lot of the moisture away so I didn’t feel gross after. If it wasn’t $60 I would buy one in every color.

Travis had been traveling and his flight got in just in time for dinner so after my run we headed out for pizza.

I had the spinach and mushroom with added pepperoni and we split a salad.

I love that we are walking distance to our favorite pizza and mexican place because it allows for extra calorie burning which makes extra room for dessert.

Butter pecan is my go to flavor when there’s not a non dairy option. It’s so good!

I was a little worried about having pizza and ice cream the night before a Crossfit workout, but luckily the workout wasn’t too bad. It was more of a max lift test rather than an actual workout. I was a little lost in the beginning because I was under the impression we were lifting our max weight then doing reps but I was wrong so I think I could have lifted more, but this is what I did:

• 1 Rep Max Squat 65lbs
• 1 Rep Max Press 55lbs
• 1 Rep Max Deadlift 100lbs

Not too shabby. I’m pretty sure I could have squatted more weight, but like I said I thought I was going to be doing multiple squats so I wasn’t trying to push it. Either way I was really proud that I could pick up 100lbs and not pass out right then and there. Now I can only go up!

Have you tested your max strength lately?

I had a great Crossfit workout this morning and was so excited to share with you all about it. I was going to tell you how I hate jumping exercises and I found myself rocking the box jumps in my first attempts. I was going to tell you how I didn’t realize there were muscles in my legs that could burn so much from doing tons of squats and that I am really looking forward to yoga tomorrow.

I was going to tell you all about my fun new workout and why I started Crossfit in the first place. I had a whole post ready to sit down and write but after the horrifying events in Boston it doesn’t feel right to talk about how great my workout was. It just doesn’t seem right. I don’t feel good about it.

What happened today shouldn’t have happened and it makes no sense to me what so ever. I can’t imagine what everyone is going through. How scary it must have been to be running in a race you’ve spent months training for only to be detoured without any idea why. Without knowing if your family who came to watch is ok and not being able to call them because the cell service has been shut down. It makes no sense.

It makes me sad. It makes me angry. It makes me afraid.

I’m sad because so many people are severely injured and were innocent bystanders cheering on their families,friends, and strangers in this historic race. I’m angry because I don’t understand how people can be so evil. I’m afraid because one of my goals is to run a marathon and now I’m afraid there will be copy cats. I worry that now any race I run(I have one this weekend) I will be so worried about an explosion that I won’t want to run anymore. I run at least three times a week and have goals and dreams of running a marathon someday and now that dream seems less likely because of this event.

It makes no sense to me how this could happen.

I think back on the half marathons and other races I’ve run and how the groups of people who stand on the streets to cheer on strangers running past really lift my spirits. Fans of the runners, whether they know them or not, are just happy to hold up their signs letting the runners know they are awesome and can do it! It makes my heart heavy to think how these friendly faces where the ones who were injured the most today.

To me it makes no sense. I will keep Boston in my heart and hope they find the sons of bitches who did this.