Luv What You Do

Balancing a Busy Life with a Healthy Lifestyle

Weekend Over May 20, 2013

Filed under: Breakfast,Life,Running — Luv What You Do @ 9:18 pm
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Our weekend (stay)cation is over and it was back to the real world, complete with laundry and car maintenance appointments.  But first, I got in one last weekend workout.  I was debating between the bike or a run this morning, and my 10 mile race only 5 days away convinced me that another run in my new shoes was the way to go.  I headed out in the heat for a 6 mile run.  The last two days left my legs exhausted, so my miles were slow averaging around 9 minutes.  I arrived back home and beelined straight to the coconut water.  I was happy with my shoes throughout and I’m figuring if they are ready for 6 miles, then why not give 10 a try on Saturday?!

 

Lunch was BBQ leftovers before the BOY and I drove out west to drop off his car for scheduled maintenance.  Nearby the car dealership is a small outlet mall with a GAP, Banana, Reebok, and Ann Taylor.  The BOY and I walked around discovering bright spring clothing.  I picked up a few $6 tops for work and an adorable black and white striped tank.  Our next step was Good Will and then Jiffy Lube for an oil change for my car.  After 5 hours out and about, I returned the BOY to the car dealership, swung by the grocery, and finally made my way back home exhausted.

 

The BOY made us another tasty dinner on the grill while I dove into laundry and a few other chores.  We have more than enough food for leftovers this week, but I have been wanting to make these Apple Streusel Egg Muffins for weeks!  Finally, I had an evening to do it, BUT after I started, I realized I only had 4 eggs left (the full recipe calls for 9).

 

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Go figure!  I proceeded on cutting the entire recipe in half.  Since I already started the apples, I pulled half out to save for another time.  Apples + Cinnamon = A Happy Combination!

 

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I stirred all of the ingredients together and baked them in muffin liners for 30 minutes.

 

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My house smelled like my favorite breakfast place that is known for their apple pancakes.

 

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My muffins turned out a little darker than expected, most likely because I added some extra cinnamon.

 

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It’s another busy week ahead, so my plan is to have these protein packed muffins for breakfast on the go throughout the week.

 

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The good news is that we had an awesome weekend.  The bad news…I didn’t get to my closet cleaned (and now I have more clothes!).  More good news…I love this breakfast!

 

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Ok friends…It’s back to the work week!

 

 

 

Apple Streusel Egg Muffins

From Fast Paleo.com

 

Ingredients

3 large apples, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (approx. 2 cups)

3 Tbsp. warm water

2 tsp. cinnamon, divided

9 eggs

1 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

3 Tbsp. coconut milk (or almond milk)

1 1/2 Tbsp. coconut flour (tough to find but I finally located it in the WF bulk bins)

1/4 tsp. baking soda

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium skillet, sauté the apples, water, and 1 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon until the apples are the consistency of chunky applesauce or apple pie filling (this took me ~30 minutes). Allow the mixture to cool before combining with the egg mixture.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, butter, coconut milk, coconut flour, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Add the cooled apples, reserving 1/4 cup for a garnish.
Spoon egg and apple mixture into parchment cup lined muffin tins—1/4 cup each. Gently spoon about one teaspoon of the remaining apple mixture onto the top of each muffin.
Bake for 40 minutes*.

 

*Note-my half batch was ready in 30 minutes and probably could have been taken out closer to 25 minutes.

 

Tidbits of Saturday May 19, 2013

Filed under: Breakfast,Dinner,Life,Seafood — Luv What You Do @ 12:03 am
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Wake up (kind of), roll over, open eyes, blink at alarm clock, 9:30! No Way!!!

Consider going back to sleep, see the BOY smiling next to me, realize that I really should get up.

Stare at pantry considering breakfast, based on options, decide to make pancakes, sprinkle them with cinnamon.

 

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Change into biking clothes, apply sunscreen, fill water bottles, prepare fuel for BRICK.

 

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Don helmet, reset watch, reset mileage, ride out towards the path.

Ride north towards Barrington, enjoy the fresh air, smile and nod at fellow bikers, turn around and head back towards home.

 

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Enjoy the green trees and cool breeze. 

 

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Ride 16.75 miles in 70 minutes, which is longer than expected.

Arrive home, ditch helmet, change shoes, head back outside.

 

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Adjust 30 minute run to 20 minutes for time’s sake, return to the path, legs feel tired, but body feels strong.

Finish 20 minute run covered in sweat, drink cold water, cool down, take a shower.

Make lunch, lucky to have random leftovers of turkey burgers and lentils.

 

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Drink lots of water, pack up a snack (cantaloupe), and drive to the movie theater.

Order an iced tea, get comfy in seat, remember why I love this theater.

 

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Watch Star Trek movie, this is a GOOD movie, you should go see this movie!

Movie is over, must use the bathroom after drinking huge iced tea, pick up wine of the month at Cooper’s Hawk.

Drive home, take a few minutes to chill out, get ready for dinner, watch the Preakness, get excited about seafood.

 

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Decide to wear white before memorial day, haters need not comment.

Drive to Bob Chinn’s, get excited about no line, sit down, order dinner, and chat with the BOY.

 

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Love every bite of dinner, drive back home, crack open wine, and sit out back listening to music and chatting with the neighbors.

 

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Is there any better way to end the day?

 

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Share a tidbit from your Saturday!

 

Five for Friday IV May 17, 2013

Filed under: Life,Turkey — Luv What You Do @ 7:52 pm
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1. Thanks for your amazing comments on my Why I Love Triathlons Post.  That was such an easy and fun post to write, and I hope that I inspired at least one person to give the sport a tri!

 

 

2.  The BOY made turkey burgers on the grill for dinner tonight.  Can I tell you how awesome it is to walk in the door after a long week of work (and a bad commute) and have him heading out to the grill to make us dinner?!

 

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3. Things have been a little crazy around here, and I currently have a pile of clothes from turtlenecks to shorts and tanks on our guest bed that needs to be addressed this weekend.  The BOY and I have a day of closet cleaning and clothing donation ahead of us.  Sounds like fun…right?

 

 

4. This week in workouts, I went swimming for 30 minutes on Tuesday (then sat in the hot tub for a good 10 minutes) and continued to break in my new running shoes with a 40 minute run on Thursday.  Weather permitted, I have a BRICK planned for tomorrow.  I am digging my new shoes and hoping they are ready for the Soldier Field 10 Miler next weekend.

 

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5.  I booked our next trip to Door County (in August), and I seriously can’t wait!  We enjoyed our dinner with some wine from our favorite winery in DC.  It was soo smooth and delicious!  We need to get back and restock!

 

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Tell me something about your Friday!

 

Meal Planning with Tony’s and the Grill May 13, 2013

Filed under: Dinner,Life — Luv What You Do @ 8:27 pm
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It’s the BOY’s first real day off all semester and so no surprise he headed straight for the grill!

This afternoon, he made us a healthy lunch!  After which we drove off to check out the latest new grocery store in town.  We are so spoiled with a newish Whole Foods, the brand new Mariano’s, and now a Tony’s!

 

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I’ve heard only great things about this store which is located throughout the Chicago area, and we now have one of our own.

 

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Their produce is extensive and well priced.  The BOY found himself lost in the meat aisle and the seafood had my mouth watering.  Speaking of watering mouths, this expansive pastry counter was filled with rich, colorful, and decadent sweets.

 

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It didn’t take the BOY long to pick out a few of the 79 cent treats for dessert tonight.

 

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We left will a full cart for a more than fair price!  The BOY went straight to the back yard to prepare tonight’s pulled pork in his smoker.  I got comfortable in the sun with a new lighter book by one of my favorite chick lit authors.

 

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It was a successful start to the week, and meal planning is a cinch now that the BOY is doing most of the work on the grill!  Although sadly tonight, his smoker yielded smoked pork instead of pulled pork.  I had an easy substitute frozen veggie burger, but I could tell the BOY was disappointed at he at his smoked pork sandwich.  Next time, I will go back to this crockpot pulled pork recipe which was incredible!

 

This Week in Meal Planning…

Monday: Smoked Pork (made by the BOY) Veggie Burger

Tuesday: Stirfry at my parents

Wednesday: Grilled Seafood (that we picked up at Tony’s)

Thursday: Dinner out

Friday: TBD

 

 

Have you ever been to Tony’s?

What is your favorite grocery store?

 

Superb Sunday {And Saturday} May 12, 2013

Filed under: Holidays,Life — Luv What You Do @ 7:14 pm
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Happy Mother’s Day!  How’s your day going?

 

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I spent the most fantastic day with my parents.  We started with a long walk through the forest preserve following some paved and some off roading paths.  Then devoured a delicious lunch before stumbling into the GAP outlet.  We finished the afternoon with a grocery cart filling trip to Woodman’s.  With the sun shining and the conversation flowing, it really doesn’t get much better than this!

 

Unless of course you count yesterday’s fun family BBQ!

 

Sadly there are no pictures of the event but plenty of stories that will be circulating for months : )

 

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The day started off early and innocent enough with the first of two trips to Starbucks for tea (me) and a breakfast sandwich (the BOY).  Then I boarded the train for the city.

 

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When I arrived, I was nose deep in almost finishing this book.  When I exited the train station, I saw this spectacular view of boats cruising down the river. 

 

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It was amazing to see the passengers bundled up and sipping their morning coffee while we watched and waved from the bridge.

 

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A few blocks down, I spotted this colorful 2 wheeled three dimensional art work.

 

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I loved it!

 

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I continued walking towards Soldier Field enjoying the views along the way!

 

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And stopped for another warm beverage before arriving at my final destination.

 

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Since I was early, I had an extra fifteen minutes to sip and read (this time really almost finishing my book).  I ended up reading the last 15 pages this morning.  This dark, twisted, thriller is a good read, so definitely add it to your summer list!

 

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A few weeks ago, my brother and some friends and I decided to volunteer for St. Jude at the American Beer Fest.  As my brother said, ‘this is combing two things that I like…beer and volunteering!’  It really was a win-win!

 

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We arrived at 10:30am, so the venue was still pretty quiet. 

 

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Well into the afternoon, the sun came out from behind the clouds and the stadium was packed with beer drinkers.  Our job was to promote St. Jude while having fun, playing games, and handing out prizes.

 

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I spent most of my day at the football toss.  I couldn’t figure out why I woke up so sore this morning.  I don’t think it was spending 4 hours of my feet, but squatting repeatedly to retrieve the footballs from the floor.  I probably did hundreds of squats yesterday! 

 

When we were done volunteering, we had time to actually check out the beer fest before heading up to Lakeview for a pre Mother’s Day BBQ with our families and friends.  The entire evening was a blur of eating, drinking, talking, sharing stories, catching up, and just enjoying being together!  It was a BLAST!

 

This weekend was an awesome way to quick off the summer season.  Luckily, I have tomorrow to recuperate : )

 

 

What was the best part of your weekend?

 

My Mom is the Best!

Filed under: Holidays,Life — Luv What You Do @ 11:00 am
Tags:

So instead of telling you all about her, I’m off to spend the day with her!

 

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But, you can enjoy last year’s post and read her beautiful mother’s day post!

 

Weird Week Ahead May 6, 2013

Filed under: Life,Lunch,Races — Luv What You Do @ 1:54 pm
Tags: , , ,

Good Afternoon!

 

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It’s been an odd start to the week as I have to go in to work for a few hours this afternoon/evening.  Then tomorrow, I have the morning off before spending my afternoon as a teaching assistant.  After a few weekends of work/travel, I was looking forward to getting back into my meal planning groove.  However, between my schedule change, the BOY’s late night finals, and a sushi date with my girl friends on Thursday, there’s not much planning to do.

 

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I did finally make it to the grocery store this morning in order to restock our house with food…specifically fresh fruits and veggies!  We were in a sad state as evidenced above by the lone garlic.

 

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With the start of May, I am excited to detox my diet.  I mentioned this in my May goals, but didn’t have the energy to elaborate.  My plan is to return to a cleaner way of eating that includes no processed foods and tons of fresh produce.  I know that spring weather, farmer’s markets, and the BOY’s love of BBQing make this a much easier task.  I also know that I have exciting races and a fun trip abroad (details coming soon) planned where I will want to look and feel my best.  Now, that’s what I call motivation!

 

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I kicked off the week with a colorful salad with tuna.  I picked up some fish for dinner tomorrow night and decided on simple and easy to prep turkey tacos for dinner on Wednesday.  That’s about as far as I got with this week’s meal plans.  I know the BOY is excited to work through his last few finals so that he can get back to the grill and his new smoker.

 

This morning I treated my tired body to a much needed day off.  After yesterday’s PR, it deserved some rest, but I am looking forward to getting back into my tri training groove later in the week.  My official race results from yesterday were posted, and I was spot on with my own self timing…

30-34 Female Jennifer 1:49:46.54 Streamwood, IL

 

What’s fun is that I placed 11/40 in my age and division and 205/850 in the entire race!  Combined with a PR, I am proud of my early season effort! 

 

Quick question for ya’ll before I head off to work…I am looking for some healthy and easy to prepare ideas for lunch…maybe even salads that can be made ahead.

 

Any suggestions?  Please post your links!!

 

Five for Friday III May 3, 2013

Filed under: Life — Luv What You Do @ 8:59 pm
Tags: , , ,

1. Yes it’s been raining again.  No I don’t want to talk about it!

 

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2. I was in a continuing ed class today (and will be again tomorrow), so I decided to take the train into the city.  The only thing worse than driving in the snow is driving through Chicago traffic in the rain, so I was happy to be sitting quietly with my new book.

 

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3. Due to some crazy city traffic, I missed my first train this afternoon.  I ran up just as it was pulling away and got a nasty blister on my left heel.  It wouldn’t be a big deal if I wasn’t running a half marathon on Sunday. Yikes!  Luckily, I had my book to keep me company while I waited for the next train.

 

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4.  I picked up my packet for Sunday’s half marathon tonight.  I am excited for my new yellow race shirt, but a little nervous for Sunday’s race.  Between fatigue, my new blister, and a knot it my back, I’m not quite sure how it will go.

 

 

5.  After a long week, I thought I’d end this post with an inspirational quote for race weekend…

 

“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

-John Bingham, running speaker and writer

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5/02/13

 

How was your Friday?

What book are you reading right now?

 

May Day! May 1, 2013

Filed under: Life — Luv What You Do @ 9:30 pm
Tags: ,

Just checking in today because it’s MAY!

 

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It’s aMAYzing what a few days of sunshine can do for the soul!  It started with 4 glorious days in Florida and continued with two gorgeous days back home.  The sun is out, the windows are open, and almost overnight the grass has turned a bright green color.

 

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It feels fantastic!

With a weekend of travel, I don’t have much to share in regards to recipes and I’m tapering before this weekend’s half marathon, so my workouts have been a bit dull (although I did run by the beach and swim some laps in Florida).

 

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Because it is May 1st, it’s time to check in on my goals although I don’t have too much insight or perspective after working another 12 hour day.  The best part of the month was without a doubt celebrating my grandfather’s 101st birthday.  And I know that with spring finally in the air, it’s going to be a GOOD month of May!

 

 

April Goals

IRONMAN March/April

     -I haven’t counted out the miles, but I know I met my swim goal and went way over on my running.  I cycled at least 100 miles (mostly indoors), but was able to get outside for one bike ride.  This was a really fun goal and I hope to find more unique goals like it!

Find (and then use) my heart rate monitor

     -Found it!  Now I just have to change the battery and bring it along on a workout.

Set up my Tri/Running schedule

     -Done!  Training is going well, and I am looking forward to May’s half marathon and June’s sprint triathlon.

Feel comfy sporting my bathing suit in Florida

     -Well…there’s definitely room for improvement in this area.

Figure out what to do with my Google Reader List (I’d be lost without it!)

     -I’m signed up on BlogLovin’…any tips???

 

May Goals

-Use my heart rate monitor

-Beat last year’s Soldier Field 10 miler time

-Detox the diet

-Update my recipe page

***Edited to add…write summer bucket list!

 

What are you looking forward to this May???

 

Marvelous Monday {Florida Edition} April 30, 2013

Filed under: Life,Travel — Luv What You Do @ 8:40 am
Tags: ,

Marvelous is spending the weekend with your happy and healthy grandpa celebrating his 101st Birthday. 

 

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Need I say more?!  Even though #Grandpa Al hasn’t totally taken off, I know that pictures and birthday wishes are abuzz on Facebook between grandpa’s family and friends!  Thank you all SOOO much for all  of your warm wishes!  They made me smile and I know if grandpa understood a blog (or knew how to use a computer), he would appreciate them too!

 

Here are a few other Marvelous Moments from this weekend in Florida!

 

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Marvelous is….

 

Waking up in Florida

 

Running along the Beach

 

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Spending time by the pool catching up with cousins

 

Eating oysters with my brother and his marvelous gf

 

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Looking through old family photos

 

Hearing old family stories

 

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Participating in a special Saturday service

 

Watching grandpa make his own dinner (at 4:30pm)

 

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Having cocktail hour on the lenai

 

Making Memories!

 

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I hope that you had a marvelous weekend!

What have you been up to???

 

 
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