Exploration…

May 29, 2016 Luv What You Do Biking, Holidays, Yoga BBQ, Biking, Rainbow Kids Yoga, spring, yoga, yoga teacher training

It’s been a little while since I decided I wanted to teach kids yoga…and since then I’ve had the 200 hour teacher training on my bucket list. It seems surreal that the weekend it all begins is here!

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I have been thinking about this a lot as the date approaches and not just because I am obsessing over my Anatomy PowerPoints. My main reason for wanting to take the class was to enhance my understanding and skill to make me a better kids yoga teacher. But, I also realize that this is such a unique gift that I can give myself as I explore my own yoga practice. On top of that….teaching adult yoga may be a fun way to make a few extra dollars when we move to the city. So those three reasons led me to Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) this morning at 8am!

I was super excited (and also totally nervous)! I knew that this journey would change my yoga practice and perhaps even change me! I just had to figure out what to wear on my first day : ) We started with some get to know you stuff and it’s fun to see everyone’s background and what led them to this moment.

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Then we did our first yoga practice together. Afterwards, we practiced talking through poses and then continued to get to know each other over lunch, which a few of us enjoyed outside. After lunch, we dug deep with a timeline of our lives and the option to share some defining moments. I was comfortable sharing, especially since one of my most recent defining moments was marrying my best friend last fall. This moment shaped my new identity as a wife as I shed my independent self and became part of a new family. After discussions about intention setting and affirmations, we ended a bit early, which meant I was home by 4pm.

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With the sun blazing, I decided to take a spin on my bike! It was an absolutely gorgeous day! And it wasn’t until I was half way through my 10 mile ride that I realized my drive to ride most likely came from the fact that this is my first Memorial Day Sunday in, I dunno, 6 years not doing Bike the Drive. Not surprisingly, I was all signed up for the ride but passed my entry along to my brother when I decided to do yoga teacher training.

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When I got back home from my ride, the BOY was home after spending the day with his dad. I showered and made myself a wine spritzer and we sat out back listening to music.

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The BOY made us a delicious seared tuna with broccoli while he chatted baseball with the neighborhood boys.

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We came inside early (based on the neighborhood standards) because I actually have a few patients tomorrow morning and then day 2 of YTT tomorrow night. The day was a great Memorial Day kick off to summer but also an exciting start to this next chapter in my yoga journey!

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Namaste!

Bu Bye BBQ

May 27, 2016 Luv What You Do Bread, Life BBQ, cake, Corn, Recipes, work

My office has been rocking the Taco Tuesdays lately!

***Thought I had a picture to attach here with our awesome potluck spread, but apparently I do not : )

Work is way more fun when you like your coworkers, so I am sad to say that this was our last week together. My bosses offered to throw a potluck in my honor for my last week, and they let me pick the theme, so I went with a summer BBQ. Yesterday, everyone brought something delicious to share, and I signed up for a Corn Spoonbread.

It was super easy to make and went perfectly with the BBQ chicken sandwiches!

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I was a little nervous about serving a new recipe, but how can you go wrong with Jiffy mix and creamed corn?!

Luckily, it turned out great (and everyone agreed)! We had more than enough fantastic food to eat, including these incredible desserts made by one of my coworkers!

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My second to last day went well, and I had mixed emotions about my last day today. All day, my patients (and even some of my coworkers patients) have been so sweet and wonderful! My coworkers are awesome and I know come Tuesday, I will miss them even more!

After a long last day of work with tough goodbyes, I swung by Target for some wine, and the BOY and I decided B Wubs would be an easy dinner. I sipped a beer while I waited for our take out order to be ready.

One of my coworkers’ patient’s brought in the most sweet and beautiful cake today, so I attempted to bring home the leftovers for dessert. Sadly, its current state is a reflection on my driving : )

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Cooper found the frosting before I even noticed and was happily tasting away. After wings, the BOY and I dug right in too!

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We then cuddled up for the night with some wine and a movie. Not gonna like…we are watching one of my old school favorites Adventures in Babysitting! It’s a fun way to kick off the holiday weekend, which for me is not only the start of summer, but also a whole new adventure ahead!!!

How are you celebrating Memorial Day weekend?

I highly recommend that you include this cornbread!!!

Sweet Corn Spoonbread

From Southern Bite

Ingredients

1 (8.5-ounce) package JIFFY Corn Muffin Mix
1 (14.75-ounce) can cream style corn
1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375° and lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients and mix well. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until the spoonbread is set.

Energy Snack Bites {x 2}

May 25, 2016 Luv What You Do Snacks Chocolate, No Bake, nut butters, Peanut Butter, Recipes

It’s going to be a crazy week, I think!

We are recovering from sinus infections AND post wedding fun! Sunday was nice and calm…perhaps the calm before the storm. This is my last week at my job, so I anticipate some emotion. Plus, I am prepping for my new job and had to go into the city for an all day class on Monday (my usual day off). Ugh! So I dragged myself to the grocery store on Sunday, which was a mess because I wore my Px sunglasses and forgot my regular glasses and then spent my time alternating between being the girl indoors with sunglasses and not being able to see so good. And then I got charged for 122 lemons : ) All ended well and I came home with some options for food this week although I am way more unorganized than usual.

Oh I’m sorry Cooper…am I boring you?! I guess he’s tired too…LOL!

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In between napping and folding laundry, I whipped up a few batches of energy balls on Sunday. I went totally lazy and busted out the food processor even though that’s not how the recipes were written.

Interestingly, this recipe used almond milk to pull everything together. I’ve never used that before in a raw no bake recipe, but I liked it so much that I did it again with recipe number 2!

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The texture of these bites was spot on (if I do say so myself) and even the BOY was raving about their flavor.

This recipe didn’t make as many as I thought we would both need to survive the week, so I found another recipe, similar but different, cleaned out my food processor and stated adding in the healthy stuff.

It worked out well that I had the perfect Dutch chocolate powder to use from The Spice House!

Like the recipe before, I blended with my food processor (instead of my hands) and because everything looked a bit dry, I even added in some almond milk.

Another tasty treat complete and we were all set for the week. Even if we don’t have meals planned out, we won’t starve!

Mmm! Love having homemade snacks to eat! I’m sure I will be living on these all summer long!

What is your favorite snack bite recipe?

Protein Peanut Butter Energy Bites

From The Healthy Maven (but modified a bit)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup vanilla whey protein powder (about 2 scoops)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T chia seeds
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
3 T natural honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-4 T liquid (almond milk)

Directions

Add oats, protein powder, cinnamon and chia seeds to food processor and pulse to combine.
Add in peanut butter, honey and vanilla extract. Combine again in processor. Mixture should be slightly sticky but still crumbly.
Slowly add in liquid 1 tablespoon at a time (I did this while processing). Combine until it comes together in a sticky ball that holds together. If mixture is too dry, add in more liquid but not so much that it won’t hold shape.
Roll into balls using hands.
Place in a container to set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Store in fridge until ready to eat.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites

From Chef Savvy

Ingredients

½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup old fashioned oats
½ cup ground flax seeds
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon chocolate protein powder (I only had vanilla so that’s what I used)
2 tablespoons water (or almond milk)

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in food processor. Mix to combine. If mixture looks too try add a bit more water (or almond milk).
Place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes so they are easier to roll.
Roll into 8 bites and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Another Wedding!

May 22, 2016 Luv What You Do Life Cooper, family, wedding

Okay, so I didn’t wake up Friday feeling PERFECT, but after a hot shower and a bunch of meds, I was able to make it to the gym for a much needed strength workout. The rest of Friday flew by as my mom and I ate lunch, got our nails done, and then grabbed coffee…where I ruined my nails and then returned to have them fixed.

Although I wanted to spend Friday night like this…

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I bucked up and the BOY and I enjoyed the start of his sister’s wedding weekend with the rehearsal and then dinner. We called it an early night and appreciated a good night’s sleep.

Saturday morning, we woke up to sunshine. I went for a quick 30 minute jog to boost my immune system. It was pretty pathetic but amazing to be outside in the sunshine.

Saturday started with coffee and quickly progressed to mimosas, hair, makeup, adorable robes, pictures, and eventually a wedding!!!

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The BOY and his sister…

She is a beautiful bride! The wedding was tons of fun and not surprisingly, we spent the entire night on the dance floor with our new friends!

As you may have noticed, we’ve had many weddings over the last few years. My brother and SIL in 2014, ours in 2015, and now the BOY’s sister. Our family is just continuing to grow and expand. This weekend, we added a brother in law!

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After brunch this morning, we stopped by the Minute Clinic to pick up meds for the BOY (no he didn’t want to walk again…ha ha!) because he has an ear infection. We spent our day resting (this included a 2 hour nap) and relaxing thinking thoughts of wellness. Perhaps, we had a little too much fun last night. Nah…there’s no such thing!!!

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Cheers to the new Mr and Mrs!!!

When You Convince Your Hubs to Walk 4 Miles with You…

May 19, 2016 Luv What You Do Exercise, Life sick, walking

After 5ish days of sickness, I called in reinforcements in the form of an antibiotic. I REALLY didn’t want to go this route, but I was reaching my max Musinex dosage and still feeling ill. Plus, this weekend is my sister in laws wedding!

…and nobody wants to be sick at a wedding!!! Wednesday night was a rough one with lots of coughing and so when I got to work today, I rearranged a few things to leave early. I have been feeling the worst at night, so I left around 5:30 (I know…can you believe that’s a few hours early?!) and drove home in the sunshine.

The BOY also left work early (just to see me) and I convinced him that we should walk to the store to pick up my Px. It was such a gorgeous night and I was desperate for some fresh air. I did a yoga class Monday morning, but not much exercise since. We walked and talked and truly appreciated the impromptu time together.

The night could not have been more beautiful!

The BOY and I returned home after our more than 4 mile walk, but instead of opening the door, he just walked right by and headed straight for our favorite local Mexican place. More than anything, I wanted to spend the night sitting out back (like most of our neighbors) enjoying some bubbles, but I knew that home on the couch with fluids and meds (and guacamole) was the right place to be. Total Bummer!

Thankfully, I am off work tomorrow with only a few important plans, like nails and lunch with my mom : ) Alrighty friends…my stuffed sinuses and I are off to bed. TGI (almost) F!!! Fingers crossed, I wake up tomorrow feeling PERFECT!

So Much Sunday to Share!

May 15, 2016 Luv What You Do Biking, Dessert, Life Biking, Cheese, ice cream, meal planning, No Bake, Shopping, Strength Training, yoga

Hey ya’ll! How ya been?

Coming to you from the comfort of my couch after a gorgeous (and windy) bike ride, followed by an indulgently warm shower.

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I know it’s been awhile…we had a super busy week! I started off a little slow recovering from our weekend away. But still sporting my party nails : )

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But by Thursday, I was up early for a run and Friday, I made it to a 6am yoga class.

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We made it through the week and celebrated Friday night with wine! Saturday morning, I was at the gym alone since the BOY had a bachelor party. My trainer worked me HARD using heavy weights and lots of reps. I ran a few errands after the gym and then headed back home.

Although I would have much rather been playing with my friends, I had a long list of things that needed to get done on Saturday. I spent the day doing laundry, decluttering our house, finishing some computer based learning, and making progress on my anatomy power points. At 4pm, the BOY returned home and we took an hour long nap before heading back out. He was off to finish up the bachelor party (of his sister’s fiancé) and I was going to hang out with my sister in law while the guys were out being guys.

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We ended up at a bar watching a Boy Band cover band which was pretty hilarious and brought back a lot of college memories! Then went back to her house to have some more wine and cuddle with the kitties! They are seriously so much fun!

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The BOY returned back around 2am and back home we went where we immediately crashed! We didn’t sleep as late as we wanted this morning and I woke up with a sore throat, fearing that I had caught the BOY’s cold from last week. Since we were up, we did our weekly grocery store run. As you saw on Instagram, there are many benefits of Sunday morning shopping including TONS of cheese samples.

I sipped a green smoothie as we shopped hoping to take in some immunity boosting nutrients. After the store, we came home and made bacon and eggs for brekkie. Since I wasn’t feeling well, we didn’t make any plans for the day. I took a Musinex and finished up my last computer learning module. I know that I haven’t been sharing recipes recently, but it’s not because we haven’t been cooking and baking. We’ve just been sticking with some basics and old favorites. I made brownies and knew that they needed some home made ice cream to go with them. Typically, the BOY makes the ice cream so I don’t get many pictures.

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But this time, I did the work, including chopping up all the birthday cake Oreos.

Which, FYI are amazing!!! I stirred them into the ice cream which was soft and smooth and tasted like a fresh made blizzard.

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It took a lot of restraint not to dive head first into the bowl of ice cream, so I settled with a few bites before hiding it in the freezer. During this time, Cooper was no where to be found. Weird right?! Considering he is usually ALL over the ice cream maker! I searched everywhere high and low but couldn’t lure him out of hiding. We had to run out, so we left and I was thinking that he was probably napping after our late night out. I grabbed some Whole Foods deliciousness for lunch and the BOY came home and heard a noise in the garage. Turns out…Cooper was stuck with his paw caught under a bucket in our garage all morning. The BOY said that he ran upstairs immediately to the litter box and that his paw seemed just fine. I was relieved to hear it, but we still can’t figure out how and when he made his way into the garage?!

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After lunch, the BOY (and Cooper) took a nap…it had been an emotional day for him…and I decided to break a sweat outside with a bike ride.

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It was way windier than I realized and sadly our path was flooded so I did more of a back and forth ride than my typical loop. It felt wonderful to be out in the sunshine, even though it was not nearly as warm as I thought it would be.

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You’ll note my amazing new sunglasses. They say ‘I heart Boy Bands’ on the side and were a freebie from last night’s concert. We are spending Sunday night in BBQing for dinner and watching a movie (while I continue to pack and work on slides). I definitely need an early bed time if I want to turn this cold around! So much to share this Sunday!!!

What are you sharing this Sunday?

Meal Planning 5/15/16

Monday: Crockpot Chili

Tuesday: Hotdogs and Chicken Burgers

Wednesday: Steak + Salmon

Thursday: Pasta Night

Mayday Monday

May 9, 2016 Luv What You Do Life, Travel family, meal planning, New Jersey

Today was not the kind of Monday that I wanted. I literally ran around ALL day and finally at 7pm got to crash for some down time! I was so busy that I never found time to fit in a workout. Which is a totally bummer because after our weekend trip to New Jersey, I needed to burn a few calories.

We did a quick two nighter in the garden state to celebrate my cousin’s daughter’s bat mitzvah. The weekend was full of activities and surrounded by family. It was truly an incredible time! We miss everyone already!

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Sadly, the BOY came back sick and I think that the rest of us are coming down with something as well.

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BTW, since it was a 13 year old event, my SIL and I thought it would only be fitting to take as many selfies as possible : )

We flew in late last night and I happily crashed in my bed where I slept for as many hours as possible! Then it was Monday and off in many directions I went. I treated a few patients, ran to the grocery store, did laundry, and then cleaned up our house for the real estate agent who came by to help us decide on our next step. You guys are so amazing! And I appreciate all your support and excitement with our move. You may also have to be a bit patient with me as I now have a lot of house cleaning, organizing, and decluttering to do, which will definitely take A TON of time! On top of that, I am creating my anatomy power points for yoga training and working on a state certification. We also have another big family event coming up this month…all of that means that there may be a few less blog posts. But I will try to make them fun and meaningful : )

Kind of like this weekend : )

Meal Planning 5/09/16

Monday: Thai Food

Tuesday: Crockpot Butter Chicken

Wednesday: Chicken Burgers

Thursday: Tacos

Hooray…It’s May!

May 3, 2016 Luv What You Do Life Goals

We have a super exciting month ahead. But first…the news!

I gave my notice at work this week. It was sad because I truly like my job and coworkers! But I’m excited because we are planning to move into Chicago! Insert cheers and excitement…

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We have no details yet, but I will definitely keep ya’ll posted!

For now…I do have some goals to talk about : )

April Goals

Run 10k in less than 52 minutes

So I decided not to run, but I did run 6.2 miles a few days after the race in just under 54 minutes.

Keep up the workouts!

I started out weak but have really upped the workouts the past two weeks!

Do yoga at home

Although I haven’t been doing a yoga practice, I have added in some yoga reading in prep for next month’s training.

Increase the green and eat clean!

I have definitely increased my greens…each week, I make bags of veggies for the BOY and I and that has made eating them much easier! I also still eat a lot of chocolate : )

May Goals

Get organized for Yoga Teacher Training (YTT)

Eat REAL clean

Keep up the workouts (mix up cardio and strength)

Try not to freak out with all the big changes in our lives!

Are you excited for May? What are your goals?

Sunday Seven {May Day}

May 1, 2016 Luv What You Do Life BBQ, books, reading, yoga

1. I’m BACK!!!

Been a crazy week but happy to say that I am back to blogging. Can’t wait to tell ya what I’ve been up to ; )

2. My computer…

Did a mandatory update rendering itself completely useless this week!

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3. Space Pants

I couldn’t even tell you the last time I watched Saturday night live, but watching Peter Dinklage’s Space Pants dance last night had be cracking up!

4. Date Night

Prior to watching SNL, the BOY and I had game night, which involved me kicking his booty in Yahtzee! And I got my FIRST EVER Yahtzee!

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5. Reading!

Check out all my new reading materials…yoga training her I come : )

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6. Sunday Not As Funday

I have to work tomorrow. I started my day with an intense hot yoga class (love!) but crashed by the afternoon. I didn’t want to go to the grocery store tonight but made myself go. I did a quick run for essentials and this week’s meal plans will be simple…I’m thinking lots of grilling!

7. Speaking of the Grill…

We have to decide what BBQ sauce to use on our ribs tonight!

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I’ve got big plans to get myself back to blogging this week with some fun stuff coming your way!

Tell me some of your Sunday Stuff…

Luv What You Do

Balancing a Busy Life with a Healthy Lifestyle

Month: May 2016

Exploration…

Bu Bye BBQ

Energy Snack Bites {x 2}

Another Wedding!

When You Convince Your Hubs to Walk 4 Miles with You…

So Much Sunday to Share!

Mayday Monday

Hooray…It’s May!

Sunday Seven {May Day}