Weekly Bites #17

Oh haaayyyy guysssss! I didn't fall off the face of the earth... I just decided to plan most of my wedding in two week's time. Lol. I keep joking that this must be what happens when a Marketing Director plans a wedding. When I plan events at work, we take care of the big components first and then all of the details a bit later. I was on auto-pilot, can't help it. Whoopsie!

Anyway, clearly I'm so excited and find all of this planning stuff VERY fun. That being said, it's nice to be back to somewhat of a normal routine again this week. And, I did manage to take some food pics over the last few weeks so I'm bringing it back with Weekly Bites! Since my schedule was a little cray, my meals probably look a bit different. Let's get to it!

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Dinner (was sick at the time): Bone broth with chicken, spinach, and rice noodles.

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Morning after engagement = glazed donut to the face. THE BEST.

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I hosted Easter again this year and would usually have a whole post dedicated to that but, I didn't take many pictures this year. These are the leftovers... my pork tenderloin, asparagus bunch, and the delmonico potatoes that my sister made. Yum!

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Lunch: Chicken Caesar salad at b.good. I've mentioned this salad before because it's SUPER light compared to most caesar salads. 

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Lunch: Brown rice avocado/salmon sushi from Whole Foods. (ah, clearly didn't food prep the last two weeks)

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Lunch: This is the kale and brussels sprout salad from b.good. It was REALLY good. The acorn squash really made it delectable.

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Dinner: Game-changer salmon with roasted potatoes and roasted asparagus.

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PSA: Via foodler, you can get delivery from Regina Pizzeria out of the North End into Southie. HAND CLAP! We got the cheese and an antipasto.

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Dinner: This didn't photograph well, but, zoodles with chicken sausage and pesto. I made the pesto last summer with all the extra basil I had from my garden. I froze it and simply had to defrost it and heat it up to make this :)

Well that about wraps it up... I should be back to a more regular blog posting schedule now that things have cooled off a bit. Have an awesome week! xo

Weekend Sunshine: ENGAGED!

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Hiiiii friendssssss! So, if you've seen any of my social mediums these last couple of days you may have noticed that I had a pretty spectacular weekend. Yes, Rob and I are engaged! Ahhh!

Many of you have asked for the story so I'll give you the readers digest version today. Here it goes!
Rob and I had taken the day off on Friday because I hosted Easter Sunday so we figured that it would be smart to start cleaning and prepping on Friday. Being the organized event planner that I am, I had all kinds of tasks for us that day which included moving around furniture, running errands, cleaning (scrubbing), hitting the gym, and prepping some of the food. Earlier in the day, Rob asked me if I wanted to go for a walk later in the afternoon because the sun was "finally going to come out". Being one that never turns down a walk around Castle Island... I, of course, said it was a great idea. What I didn't know, was what Rob had in store for us that afternoon. What I also didn't prepare for was gloomy weather and a tired back from all of my 'tasks'. 

Oye, poor Rob. Apparently he planned on getting us out the door for the walk around 3/3:30. During this time, I was still organizing my newly arranged living room and finishing up some cleaning. One hour went by, then another.... both of our families knew what was supposed to be happening and apparently were waiting patiently by the phone. 

Rob kept asking me when we could go for a walk... I looked at him like he was crazy for wanting to leave the house before our tasks were complete. Finally, 5:30 rolled around and I begrudgingly went for this walk that he so strangely wanted to go on. When we finally got outside, I didn't think I was dressed warm enough so I went back inside, put on more layers and then FINALLY headed out.

Rob must have been ready to throw in the towel!

So we start walking and I think I stopped complaining? I'm not totally sure but, I did notice that Rob was acting a little funny and was looking around us a lot as we walked over the bridge and closer to the fort. He pointed to the fort and asked if I wanted to take that sidewalk up. Well, you can guess what happened next! Minutes later, he said all the nice things, gave me the most perfect piece of jewelry that I've ever seen in my life, and we were engaged. I've never been happier.

Castle Island has been a special place to me for just about 10 years. I've run that loop probably thousands of times, thinking about my past, present, and future. I've run at sunrise and sunset. I went for my first run there with my best friend Kim before we moved into our old place in 2006. I remember immediately feeling at home there. I've moved in and out of Southie and I've always made my way back, finally buying my place here in 2012. I remember what I thought were my last runs around Castle Island and the first ones when I made my way back to this neighborhood. I remember the first walk that Rob and I went on around the island and every time he's lapped me when we went out for runs separately. I now have the best and most incredible memory to add to that list. Anyone that knows Rob, loves him. He's the best guy and I feel so blessed that I get to marry him.

The End. xo

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Weekly Bites #16

Good evening, good evening, my friends! I'm home early because I'm rocking a REST DAY. Yup, I'm so sore from my last two classes at The Club that pretty much every muscle group in my body hurts. Sore to the touch, actually. Plus, I slept like crap and I'm fighting a cold that wants to make an appearance. I'm sharing these very important details of my life because... for those of you that struggle with this... it's VERY OK to take an unplanned rest day. I'm sure some of you are thinking "um, big deal... you're taking a rest day [insert eye roll]" but, there are also a few of you that struggle with going off-schedule.  I get it, I used to really struggle with taking rest days in general, nevermind unplanned ones. However, the most important thing I've learned about health and fitness in my 32 years is this... LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. I say that phrase all the time, but, when it comes to health... listening to your body trumps everything else. Cravings, tiredness, too much energy, lack of energy, stress, etc. Your body is telling you what it wants... listening is key. I know that resting today, fueling my body, and getting adequate sleep will make me feel 100% better tomorrow during my workout. Plus, rest days are when the magic happens... they are just as important as training days. Muscles repair and grow bigger and stronger during periods of rest, making them an integral part of a training schedule. Got it? Ok great.

Moving on, it's time for "Weekly Bites". I have another solid array of eats to share with you again this week and once again, I'll mark them GA or NGA for those that are interested. Let's get to it!

This was dinner after a big event I had last week. It was late, Rob worked late, and so we went to the freezer for options. It was actually delicious lol. Veggie burger, two fish sticks, and Alexia sweet potato tots. (GA except for ketchup)

I refueled again properly in the morning with a smoothie bowl.  (GA)

Random lunch: Spinach salad with slivered almonds, hemp seed hearts, fig dressing and an ezekiel english muffin with almond butter and cinnamon. That popcorn is the Quinn brand kale popcorn - it's good! (GA)

St. Paddy's day dinner: Open faced roast beef sandwiches on Irish soda bread with sliced sharp cheddar, mustard and micro greens paired with sweet potato and kale chips. (GA)

Oh hey, another smoothie bowl. (GA)

Friday lunch: This "roasted butternut" salad from b.good is SO SO GOOD and surprisingly filling. (GA)

Friday dinner: Salmon prepared the way my mom always made it when I was growing up. We joke that this salmon makes salmon-haters love salmon. (It worked, Rob doesn't like salmon!). Ready? 1 tbs of dijon mustard, 1 tbs of brown sugar, and a dash of cayenne pepper... mix the ingredients and spread on top. Bake on 475 for 12-15 minutes depending on thickness. DELISH. (GA)

Made use of the leftover roast beef and greens on Saturday to make a bit of a cleaner version on a small tortilla. YUM. (GA)

Dinner on Saturday night at Pastoral: This pasta dish was on special... mushroom, guanciale, EGG, carbonara. HEAVEN. Delectable! (NGA)

Dinner yesterday: Organic ground turkey tacos with spinach, avocado, and a sprinkling of cheddar paired with sweet potatoes. (Pretty much GA - the mild taco seasoning doesn't affect my GERD).

That about wraps it up - what were you favorite eats of the week?? xo