Hair and Makeup Trial!

Today was my hair and makeup trial for the wedding.  I was a little nervous because I'm not too particular about what I want for hair and makeup and I was unsure about if I would be able to make a decision about what styles to do. 

Before I left I started with a nice filling breakfast:

don't worry there's actually oatmeal under there

1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup almond milk, craisins, a cut up apple and a spoonfull of peanut butter

Then it was off to the salon.  I got my hair done first and I think it turned out pretty well:

I wanted loose curls swept to the side and then I picked out a comb to put in it since I'm not wearing a veil.

I'll have some peiced down on the side, but on the acutal day of we're going to cut them a little shorter.

Then it was time for makeup!

I think she did a really great job on my makeup .  I wanted some purple to bring out my green eyes but I didn't want to look overdone.  The woman used bare minerals makeup which I'm thinking of buying for myself I liked it so much.

I dropped by my parents house to show my mom and dad, then went home to make a quick lunch.

Blueberry chobani, deli flat with peanut butter and apple butter, and some veggies with hummus.

Then it was time for errands. Matt and I ran out to the mall which was a nightmare.  So crowded. Then we went to take care of his parent's cats and go to the drug store.  When I got home I wanted to do some sort of workout.  I did a 40 minute yoga workout.  I wanted to keep it simple today since I'm planning a longer workout at the gym tomorrow morning!

Dinner:

My mom gave me a huge bag of portabella mushrooms.  I decided to make a big "stirfry."  First I cooked up a bit of every veggie I could find.

mushrooms, brussel sprouts, asparagus, carrots, celery

Then I mixed in some quinoa, black beans and cheese and topped it with a falafel leftover from dinner last night (Matt and I went out to a Mediterranean place with a groupon I had).

I also had some hummus and pita on the side. YUM.  And I had a rice crispy treat for dessert!

I'm really glad today went well.  One less thing to worry about.  I think half my hair fell out in the shower after I took this baby out though haha.  I guess that's what a pound of hairspray does. 



Getting Some Aggression Out!

Today was a little on the frustrating side. I don't want to get in to too many details, but I just found out that my work will not be giving me very much at all in the way of helping me pay for my grad classes.  Now I have to reevaluate what the right decision is for me and my future.  I had a lot on my mind when I got to the gym.  Usually when this happens I have some of my best workouts.  I started with this weights workout:

Then I moved on to some abs work on the bosu ball similar to my workout on Monday.  Then I moved on to cardio! I did 30 minutes on the eliptical random setting level 9.  I alternated going at a normal pace for 1 minute and then sprinting for 20 seconds for the whole 30 minutes.  I was pretty dead when I finished, but if felt good.  And the plus side was that I worked out most of the stress before I walked in the front door to my house.

I see a little muscle poking out there!!  I'm glad no one has walked in on my taking pictures of myself in the girls locker room at my gym hahah. 

When I got home Matt helped me whip together a yummy dinner. We made chicken quesadillas on the griddle.  My quesadilla was stuffed with cheese, chicken, spinach, black beans and green peppers.

And I always dip my quesadillas in hummus.  It's so good I swear. 

Here's to hoping tomorrow will be a better day :)

60 Degree Run

Today I was so impatient to get out of work so that I could enjoy the nice weather.  We are having strangely warm weather once again this winter.  The next 3 days are going to be in the 60s! When I got out of work I changed and went out for a run around UD campus.  I finished 4.4 miles in 39 minutes (8:51 pace).  The backs of my legs were still a little tight from the weekend, but overall it felt great to get outside and run and not be completely bundled up.

the temp right after my run

cruising home with my sun roof open

When I got home I was starving! Good thing I made dinner ahead of time so all I had to do was warm it up.  We had Chicken and Spinach Casserole for dinner.  I cooked up some whole wheat pasta and added that to some the garlic, chicken and spinach I had cooked together in another pan.  Then I added a handfull of mozzarella cheese and baked it at 350 degrees for 25 miniutes. EASY

With a spinach salad on the side.

Large amounts of chocolate have also been consumed in the past couple of days. It's that time...what can I say.  1/2 a week a month I have absolutely no self control!

Ouch, My Body

Today every part of my body hurts.  I'm not even being dramatic I swear.  My back and forearms hurt from rock climbing, and my calves, the back of my thighs and abs hurt from my workouts on Saturday and Monday.  My body was telling me to slow down today.  I needed a rest day...don't mind if I do!  I got home from work and went on a walk with this little guy around the neighborhood.

When I got home I was craving something sweet, something pumpkin and something with protein in it.  I did a little searching online and decided to make these:

Pumpkin Protein Cookies

Recipe:

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup applesauce

1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup vanilla protein powder

2 tbsp agave nector (b/c I didn't have molasses)

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup craisins (so much better than raisins)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all ingredients together.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (makes 12 cookies) and bake for 20 minutes. 

The cookies turned out pretty well.  They were a little mooshy at first, but I think I just went at them too soon.  They started hardening up a little with time. 

In other news...it's going to be 60 DEGREES here tomorrow!!!!! I hope my muscles are feeling better by tomorrow so I can go out for a run after work.  This is the warmest it has been since the fall and it's going to stay there for about 3 days, so I have to take advantage of it while I can!

Day Off Fun

Today I had off from work and Matt decided to take off even though he didn't have the official holiday so he could hang with me....cuz I'm awesome.   We were a little slow to wake up which I quite enjoyed.  When we actually did wake up we ate a quick breakfast and then went to the gym.  I started out my workout with this abs workout with a side of legs.

I found some of these exercises in my Fitness Magazine:

And I found some on their website:

source

this plank pike up is killer!

Then I went and did 10 minutes on the bike and 20 minutes on the treadmill doing some hill work which killed my calves.  Right now my whole body hurts. My arms are pretty sore from rock climbing yesterday. 

Lunch:

I've been crazy about eggs lately and today was no different.  I cooked up some spinach and then poured some of my egg whites over them.  I had the eggs on a whole wheat deli flat with the most AMAZING cheese spread on it.  There's a place around here called The Back Burner and they make a cheese spread called Better Cheddar that is so addicting.  I wasn't sure how it would taste with my eggs but it was pretty much the best thing ever.

After lunch I went out to the mall on a mission.  Find a dress for my bachelorette party that is coming up in less than 3 weeks.  We are going to Atlantic City, so I figure I should get something a little out of my slightly preppy comfort zone.  I went in about 7 stores....and found nothing haha.  I'm so bad at shopping.  I'm sure I'll find something eventually, or just wear something I already have.  When I got home from the mall it was already time to start dinner. I had big plans tonight.  I found a recipe on pinterest that looked so good I had to give it a go. 

Cranberry and Walnut Stuffed Pork Loin

I followed this recipe, but I cut my pork loin in half since it's just Matt and I and froze the other half for later.  The hardest part for me was butterlying the pork loin, something I've never done before.  It turned out pretty well though.  I basically cooked boxed stuffing (minus the butter they suggest) and mixed that with craisins and walnuts.  Then I butterflied the pork loin and stuffed the mixture inside and then rolled and secured with toothpicks.  Then I seared the pork for a couple minutes per side and finished it in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

YUM. I'm pretty sure I'll be hitting up the leftovers for dinner tomorrow night. 

Snack:

Microwaved banana for 30 seconds with a spoonfull of peanut butter, greek yogurt and some granolla.

My Weekend In a Nutshell

My weekend has been great so far...besides the lack of sleep.  Matt and I went out to dinner on Friday night and then out for drinks with friends.  Something did not agree with Matt and he was up all night getting sick, poor guy.  We were both pretty tired on Saturday morning.  I started out my morning with a nice big bowl of oatmeal:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats, 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, handfull of craisins, cut up apple, and a spoonfull each of peanut butter and apple butter.  I have finally cured my aversion to oatmeal.  I just can't eat it by itself.  I have to have fruit cut up in it or have it mixed in yogurt...I'm weird. After my breakfast I left for my usual saturday morning workout! I love weekend workouts b/c I can get a lot more done. I started with this workout that left me  sore the next morning:

Then I hopped on the treadmill and ran 4 miles.  I warmed up for a mile including a 2 minute walk and then I went from speed 6.0 up to 7.4 by increments of 0.2 and ran at each for 2 minutes. I looked like such a hot mess afterwards.  I wish I could be one of those people who "glows" and doesn't sweat like a pig.

Lunch to refuel:

Random veggie scramble:  brussel sprouts, carrots, broccoli and peppers sauted and then I added some liquid egg whites and topped it with cheese.  Apple Cinnamon Chobani on the side :)

And now for the highlight of my weekend: Wine Tasting At The Rent's House!

My dad is in charge of all of the drinks for the wedding.  He wants to have a red and a white at each table for dinner and then have some other options at the bar for cocktail hour.  He went to a local liquor store with our menu and the people there recommended some choices for wines to go with the appetizers/entrees.  So my dad got a bottle of each and we invited some friends and family over to rate them.   Going in to this I thought there might be 5 or 6 wines.  I walked in and found 15 bottles of wine looking me in the eye hahah.

And a table set up with one white glass and one red glass for each person along with a pen and paper for ratings. 

Along with the wine we had strawberries, lots of cheese and crackers and of course chocolate!  I ate wayyyyy too much chocolate. I have serious problems lol.  All the wine was awesome and I would be happy with any of them at the wedding. 

 I think my mom and dad should go in to business after this one. My mom stayed up until 1:30 in the morning the night before getting descriptions of all of the wines.  This picture was taken after all 15 were tried haha. 

Now you would think I would sleep like a rock after this, but somehow I didn't.  I woke up at 8:30 not feeling rested at all. Matt and I went rock climbing, ran some errands and took champ for a walk. Then I really wanted something light for dinner so I cooked up some tilapia, asparagus and sweet potatoes.

And the absolute best part of my weekend?? It's not over. I have tomorrow off!!

Anyone else out there ever hosted their own wine tasting??