a WIAW freak out

This is going to be short and sweet, unlike I had originally planned.

…my roommate and I just realized, 7 days before we have to decide to re-sign our lease, that Tague did the wrong math (kinda humorous, at least LOL) and our rent is actually going up MUCH more than we thought. Needless to say, these little girls are having major anxiety and googling like mad women. Sidenote: Any help is HUGEEELLLYYY welcomed and I promise to give you lots treats in return. Craigslist ain’t cuttin’ it this time.

Breakfast – bagel Wednesday!

whole wheat everything

with a much needed caramel soy iced coffee

Lunch – salad beast with spinach, strawberries, goat cheese, walnuts, and balsalmic dressing.

I actually made my salad early this morning before I saw Gina’s status! woop. great minds think alike

I had it with a couple of these chips I just became obsessed with. UM, one day and the bag is almost gone!?!

Snacks – way too many unpictured starbursts & jolley ranchers, double oops! I actually forgot to eat my banana an hour before the gym because of it. triple oops.

Dinner after a sweaty ab class – a semi-mexican hodge podge; peppers, onions, black beans, corn mushrooms, zucchini, squash, cheese, and TJ’s cilantro dressing.

Dessert – more freak outs and maybe some wine.

WIAW, and Justin Timberlake’s butt

Happy hump day, and more importantly- happy WIAW!

Before I showcase my eats- I feel the need to brag. For the past two days in a row Alyssa and I have worked out right next to (I mean sharing weights from the same rack/sitting on side by side benches) THIS FACE. Photo:

is this real life?

Apparently sexiest man in the universe JT records here in VA Beach and has chosen our amazing gym as his place to get fit. Basically- holy shit. I haven’t said one word to him and I’ve barely stared because I have a huge fear that if he is too bothered he will change gyms and leave my life forever. Hunk of the world, you are JT. I will admire you from three feet away.

This morning I woke up after dreaming about Justin Timberlake’s sweaty abs to a rumbling stomach!

Breakfast was a bowl of plain cheerios with almond milk, peanuts, and chocolate chips. If I said “Nom”, I’d say it now.

i spy chocolate

Also served with coffee+almond milk/my first jug of water for the day!

hey to court and a pre-romance d$

Lunch time! Hearty whole-wheat with turkey, cheese, and Smart Beat mayo. If you like mayo…try this. I think it’s amazing.

scarfed down in 8 seconds flat

Also with lunch I got a little wild and heated up the end of a bag of frozen spinach mixed with some peanuts.

odd? yes. delicious? yes.

My not yet consumed snack will be a Think Thin bar..Told ya I’ve been loving lately!
And for dinner! D$ and I will be eating leftover lasagna. I made it last night and definitely impressed myself, not to mention my man! Girlfriend points, that’s what it’s all about here. It’s also all about ridiculous wall paper. We’re renting. Have no fear.

ta-da!

Don’t mind the top.. cooking in clothes you’d wear to the club provides bonus girlfriend points, and those count the most.

Off to spend the rest of my day with these suckers! I’m working on a book launch for my job and it’s getting pretty exciting up in here.

i'm no dummy!

I’m anxiously awaiting my afternoon gym date with Alyss and JT. He better be there today! And he should be- my mom texted me last night and said, “Are you going to be in his next video? Maybe he likes your butt.”

I like his too. And YES JT- I can dance.

life in pictures

Hey, all! I’m here to update you on our life as of lately while Jamie works! I figures pictures would tell the best story.

$5 pitchers @ The Boxx

coming home to an Edible Arrangement from Danny after the gym!

Spinach pizza post gym

beach fun

birthday margs

the nachos I had to try @ Lunasea

oops – Menchie’s. Only $3!! 16 Handles, please take notes.

making our own fun in the rain

brunch @ big sam’s

post pool dinner at baja sandbridge

pretty view over the bay

matching our cups

fun at the pool

cake batter!

twenty-four!

bed head.. and candle blowing

what I ate on Wednesday

Gotta love Wednesday, because the week is half way over you get to read about what the beautiful people of the blog world eat thanks to, Jenn! And yep, still going strong with what I actually ate ON Wednesday.

Wednesday is Bagel Wednesday for me (free bagels in the office!), so needless to say, like pretty much every Wednesday for the past 9 months, my day started with a whole wheat bagel. (…yep, that’s a lot of carbs.)

The bagel had some flax seeds, what I believe are sunflower seeds, and another unknown seed.

Please help! I’ve already come up short with no resolution from someone..

please is optional

I also started my morning with some apple juice because I saw a child with a juice box on the way to the subway and it looked delicious. Yep, I take drink recommendations from children.

so.. I didn’t pack my lunch. :O I got a salad from Just Salad in a reusable bowl (extra toppings, AND green… but can someone wash it for me? )

I couldn’t even tell you why I picked what I did, it’s what I hate about creating my own.

Strawberries, blueberries, dried cranberries, radish, cucumber, low-fat aged white cheddar, and almonds with raspberry vinaigrette.

Meh. Why do I choose these things? I can't be trusted on my own..

Two little bears were calling my name when I got back from lunch..

And then the 3pm antsy oops.

Late afternoon snack to fuel me through a sweaty after-work gym sesh:

For dinner, I looked to this lovely book I got many Christmas’s ago from my sister.

I decided on the Mushroom & Goat Cheese Calzone recipe since I still have some whole wheat dough left in the freezer and nothing else was calling out me. (One for dinner, one for lunch tomorrow.)

Portobellos, button mushroom, red onions, garlic, and pepper that were sauteed in olive oil.

Add some herb goat cheese and thyme on top.

Ta-da! This is where I thought.. “Oh god, can I do this?”

I cannnn!!

But I’ll confirm that when I let you know how they turn out..

PS, just think… next Wednesday may very well be what WE ate!

spring is actually here!

I’m a happy girl today – you know why? Today was the first day there was not a thunderbolt or rain cloud in the weather forecast. PURE SUN. yahoooooooooo!!!

I’m extra pumped because this morning was my first spin class, ever! My co-worker gave me a 7-day Equinox pass and today started my week of living like a gym-queen. If you don’t know what Equinox is, I have heard it is one of New York City’s most expensive gyms. (If not, most.)  My teacher was great.. he said ya’ll, Jamie.. and picked some fantastic beats to start my morning out right – sweating like crazy. Unfortunately, I am a spin newbie and didn’t even realize my bike didn’t have straps and my feet kept slipping off. Oops. I live and learn, kids. After the class, I didn’t have too much time to check out the rest of the gym, but did get some squats and weights, as well as a quick run home.

(source)

Yesterday, I made a summer themed salad for lunch to entice the sun to come out. Guess it worked, huh?!

Who else over-toppingizes (yes, I made that word up) when making a salad?! I can’t help it..

what's left

Today’s celebration of the weather? A bright colored dress and Bryant Park!

not yo cheese

Aside from a lil harsh self-talk lately, I feel like I have been living the past two weeks as a master of life. Seriously. I mentioned that Danny and I moved in to a roomy house just three blocks from the beach (we also live with his long-time buddy Mark) and I am absolutely obsessed with this life so far.

Anyway- reasons why I’ve been mastering life lately.

1. I’ve found the best nachos on the planet. Seriously. Actual fresh grilled chicken with tons of guacamole? Oh. My. God. Does it make it healthier that I eat all the good stuff with a fork and leave only the chips for Danny? Boys like, chips..right?

not. yo. cheese. remember when i was going to avoid dairy? oh..

2. I’m mastering the art of parking illegally at the beach. On Saturday Danny, Mark and I all went out for Mexican food and I suggested we park at the local Wendy’s. Seemed brilliant and fool proof. The best part of this? Post lunch Frostys!

please avert your eyes from my hairy legs

I explained that I’d feel like a horrible person if we used their lot and didn’t purchase anything, and that I really wanted only a baby sized frosty. Danny and Mark decided they wanted baby frostys too, so the convo went like this:

Wendy’s Lady: What can I get for ya’ll?
Mark: Hi, we’d like three baby frostys, please.
Wendy’s Lady: You want three chocolate junior frostys?
Mark: No, we’d like three baby frostys please.
Wendy’s Lady: You want the junior frostys?
Mark: Are junior frostys baby frostys?
Wendy’s Lady: Yes, junior frostys are baby frostys.

SUCCESS. And because all good lists come in threes…

3. Everywhere I go lately, I’m cheesin’ HARD. I can’t help smile when all I see is beach, sunshine, and a boy who makes me ridiculously happy.

could my smile get any bigger?

VA Beach, you have my heart.

smelly deli

After an intense workout at my new favorite class yesterday plus dancing like a drunken wild fool last night (cinco de mayo is officially my new favorite holiday that I don’t understand yet celebrate passionately, see below phone conversation for proof) I woke up STARVING. You’d think the 1am Smartfood Popcorn would’ve held me over. Really.

is this real life?

I drank a protein smoothie for breakfast, snacked on some remaining popcorn and asked Danny to take me to lunch. He’s been talking about how great this “Tad’s Deli” is so we made the trip. The egg salad sandwich sounded perfect- I am usually all veggie but knew I needed some protein to qualm this wild hunger.

egg salad on sourdough

At first I was pumped…the egg salad looked simple- JUST eggs..not too creamy and full of unnecessary junk. I needed pure to balance out the 900 margaritas of last night.

The verdict: no flavor. Nothing. No spice, no kick. No dill. Worst. Egg. Salad. EVER. I hardly ever complain- I considered sending it back but since I work in restaurants I really don’t consider that an option. At one point I thought I was chewing on part of a napkin, and it was the bread.

Danny and I brainstormed. First, we added chips.

maui onion, the winner

Still lame. We couldn’t seem to find any flavor in the jalapeno chips either. Does tequila kill taste buds? The solution to fix a lame sandwich- Texas Pete.

improvements.

thumbs up for finishing

As I’m typing this, I really should have just sent the damn sandwich back. I didn’t do it because A. I’m leery of what could happen to my new food and B. I was wondering if my taste buds were shot, or my congested sinuses were to blame.

Do you send food back that you don’t like? I would if something wasn’t cooked correctly, but sending this back because I didn’t like it seemed to be my own fault.

a family 5k

Jersey was perfect..I wish I could have stayed longer! Danny and I actually left our costumes at home in VA Beach, and I opted for a more traditional outfit…one including my new Nike Tempo shorts so i could race in a local 5k with my brother!

The race wasn’t my best. I originally set out to beat my PR of 25:23…but one mile in my stomach was in some SERIOUS pain. I thought I could hold out my 7:50ishh pace but the only way it would’ve happened was if I was running straight towards a porta potty… I finished the race in 25:33 but was SUPER excited for my brother! It was his first ever race and he finished in 24:13. (With no training what-so-ever…damn kids.)

bro&me

Despite my failed attempt at a PR, I managed to snag third place in my age group for females, and my bro placed third in his as well.

It was so fun to run with my brother, even if he was about a minute ahead the whole time. The race was to benefit research for SIDS, and after explaining the saddness to my brother he said..”Oh, I thought we were running for STDS.”

Post race my mom made us wraps filled with smoked turkey, cucumber, and cream cheese. (Yes..I’m having a hard time quitting dairy, hence my pain. I’m ridiculous.)

with pretzels&pinapple!

Post 5k we took this little girl for a walk..

piper!

then headed out to Haddonfield..where I was lucky enough to score a running related gift from my parents! More on that soon.

Edit: My official results!

                         age|#in              p. 2
 o'all                   grp|age   age  sex|#fin
 place age s  TIME  pace plc|grp  group plc|by sex
  53    23 F 25:36  8:13   3/26   F2029  10/113  F

it takes two, baby

One of my favorite combinations in life is grilled cheese with tomato soup. They just belong together – like Rachel and Ross. I’m feeling out of sorts and a bit sick today so it was the perfect time to call in the dynamite duo (not to be confused with Jamie & I.)

Cosi seemed like the perfect choice. Not only are they incredibly close to me, but their multigrain bread tastes awesome and has a whopping amount of protein in it – which is something I tend to slack on at times.

Their tomato soup is amazing, as well. Not too thin and not too thick – with some chunks of tomato hiding in there! Plus, the side is only $1.99 and it’s the perfect dipping size.

That is heaven, my friends. Now if only I could find a cupcake somewhere…

Unfortunately, it’s back to work for me! So instead of eating one, I’ll be day dreaming about customizing my own Baked By Melissa cupcakes.

(Source)

A new location is being built close to where I work and as I’m sure you can tell I’m already jumping up and down on the inside about it.

happiness, is a cold hoagie

Sometimes when you’re sick (Bronchitis, really. I raced- with bronchitis.) and uber cranky, all ya want is your mom’s home cooking…some real comfort food. Because my mom is six hours away, I settled for a meal that reminds me of South Jersey- a Wawa hoagie.

wawa!

Whole wheat shorti with sweet peppers, hot peppers, roasted peppers (holy vitamin C), lettuce, tomato, parmesan, oil, and vinegar.

colorful!

And a sick and sweaty looking happy girl I was, race T and all.

semi-crooked, i blame the driver

Danny was telling me about this amazing five star restaurant  and how incredible it is and yadda yadda.. I asked him why he hasn’t taken me yet, and he said “Because you’re ALREADY my girlfriend.” I told him I’d settle for Wawa, but that means that I no longer have to shave my legs since he is ALREADY my boyfriend.

Pre-doctor’s office yesterday I ran two miles and had to come home- the coughing was so extreme that I hopped into my car as a sweaty beast and drove to Patient First- a walk-in medical clinic. After finally getting my much needed meds, I went over to the gym for some EASY strength training. It felt great to pump some iron (something I’ve seriously been neglecting- my weights). It seems as if I will be limited to weights& yoga for the rest of the week, until my lil lungs are healed!