Project Cleanse

The laundry is almost caught up, errands have been run, vacation photos ordered, and I am feeling good.

My Monday started off with my typical pre-run breakfast. I really missed my peanut butter and banana combo while I was away and was thrilled to have it this morning. Such simple pleasures I have.

After breakfast, I hit the pavement and completed a not so friendly 5-mile run. I felt like vacation has kicked my butt. I really think it was all in my head this morning and my brain kept flashing negative talk at me. I tried my best to turn the negative head talk into positive talk, but sometime it’s hard. I had to take a couple of walk breaks but still managed to finish at  a little over a 9-minute mile pace which for me is pretty good. I am hoping that today was just a “bad” run day and that my mileage and endurance progression will pick up again now that I am home and eating normal.

For lunch, I piled my plate high with veggies. In the mix was mixed greens, tomato, onion, chickpeas, feta cheese, broccoli, olives, and Newman’s Own Lite Honey Mustard.

Oh yes, I missed these salads too. I did eat salads while on vacation, but they weren’t the same. I snapped photos of a few of my salads while in D.R.

Not too shabby, right? Almost every day, they offered a salad bar that included cabbage, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, and then they mixed up other toppings from day to day (corn, peas, olives, etc). They had a few choices for dressings but I veered toward one in particular that was some sort of vinegar based mix with diced tomatoes and onions. It was light and refreshing.

The bread in the photos above was total awesomeness. I should probably try to recreate it at home. I am 95% sure that they were rosemary buns and I tried to enjoy at least one daily (along with some other freshly baked breads).

Although I tried to make healthy decisions on the trip, I also indulged in desserts daily. They had some interesting ones that I couldn’t quite figure out but noticed that many of the desserts had white rice baked into them.

**Side note: I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I ate a fish one night called Mori while at the Caribbean themed restaurant at our resort. I googled it and found out it is shark. Eek! I ate shark. That’s about as adventurous I get in the meat department. It WAS very good, though.

Now that I am back home, I am on a mission to get back on track with my healthy eating habits. Around Easter time, I lost a little control over my sweet tooth again. I have noticed that when I incorporate more added sugar into my diet like I have been lately, the energy it takes for me to run becomes greater. The last thing I need is for running to be even more difficult for me, and considering I have a half marathon coming up in less than one month (!), it is time to get back on track.

Project cleanse. I am so pumped and so motivated to get my body back to a clean slate. I’m not talking any colon cleanse; absolutely not. I will never do that and will never recommend a colon cleanse as it is highly dangerous and damaging to your digestive system, but I am going to eat as clean as possible and limit processed foods. Notice I said limit processed foods, not omit completely. These are my intentions at least. We’ll see how I hold up.

I am on a rant, and am probably procrastinating tackling the rest of the laundry. I really should really go do it so that I can finally be done with it. Also, I should go pay some attention to this little one.

Hope everyone is having a great Monday! My positive Monday talk is that I have been very productive this morning and am almost caught up with a week’s worth of laundry. I am so happy to be back and thrilled to be sharing my experiences with you. Muah!

 

 

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Well Rested, Well Fed

Well hello there! I am back from an amazingly relaxing 8 day vacation in the Dominican Republic. Vacation was filled with copious amounts of food, sun, rain, sand, exercise, and most importantly, a lot of R and R. It was perfect. I look forward to filling you in on my trip over the next week or so. I took lots of photos. Here is a brief introduction to our trip.

The first day we got there it literally monsooned. We took advantage of our balcony and played a few card games while drinking a cold beverage and getting into vacation mode.

Most nights we ate at the all-inclusive buffet at the resort but a few nights we made reservations at the hotel’s themed restaurants. This photo below was taken at the Caribbean themed restaurant. I had fish called Mori or Mauri (?) which reminds me that I want to google it and find out more about what I ate exactly. It was a very delicious white fish that did not taste fishy and had a fairly firm texture.

While on vacation, I managed to eat a lot of veggies and fruits. I steered mostly clear of the meats as I am very picky with meats plus I don’t know the quality control measures and I am bit weird with that sort of thing–hello food safety MSU. I indulged in fresh breads, pasta, rice and beans, pastries, and cocktails on a daily basis. I have more food photos which I will share later.

Every day we did a lot of this….

Note that is my bittersweet smile as this photo was taken on our last morning there. The bugs really like me in the Dominican, as I walked away with a grand total of 40 bug bites (Dana only got a few). You can see a couple of the bites on my left shoulder. They itch like crazy, but if that’s the only bad thing I can say about the trip, I am okay with that. It’s a sacrifice I can make. 🙂

I am proud to say that we exercised one way or the other every day except for the first monsoon day there. We ran on the beach, went for walks on the beach, hit the “gym” at the resort, or went for a hike.

That’s all I’m going to share today. I am off to tackle 5 loads of laundry and apply some anti-itch cream to my bites. I can’t wait to eat my normal foods again. The foods I really missed were peanut butter, greek yogurt, and my mongo salads. We already went grocery shopping this morning and restocked the fridge with all of our good healthy foods. It’s time to get back on track. I am also looking forward to getting back on track with normal workouts. Running on the beach was great and all, but there was only so far we could go plus it’s extremely challenging running in the sand. More on that later.

I am out for now. Happy to be home! As much as I love traveling and vacationing, there is nothing quite like coming home.

 

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Two Tickets to Paradise

Well friends, we are all packed up…

And we’re off. Off we go into the wild blue yonder flying high into the sky. For those of you who may have missed it, Dana and I are going to be spending a good chunk of time in the beautiful Dominican Republic. We plan to lay on the beach, swim, go on at least one tour of the countryside, hike up the waterfalls, rest, eat, drink, and do whatever the heck we want.

We do plan to continue training for the half marathon while we are there. All of our running gear is packed and we will hit the beaches a few of the mornings for beautiful, scenic jogs.

I had a hard time saying bye to this little man. He gives the most painstaking puppy eyes that get me every time.

This photo of Moose and Dana was from Wednesday. Moose was NOT that happy looking when we left for our trip. He is going to be in very great hands though and will have a blast going for walks, runs, and probably getting even more attention that he gets from us.

Paradise awaits. I am off. I have a few posts planned for you all while I am away. Hope you enjoy them. I look forward to catching up with you when I get back!

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Nacho Apple Nachos

Hello, it’s Thursday which means tomorrow is Friday. Not only is Friday my favorite day of the week for obvious reasons, but it is also the day we leave for our trip to paradise. Dana and I will be flying out to the Dominican Republic for some major R and R and we are more than a little excited.

But first things first. I had a rocky day yesterday. Let’s just say my digestive tract was a little “off” throughout the entire day. I brushed it off as a nothing in the morning and hit the treadmill for a 3 mile run. It was rainy and dark outside so I nixed the outside run idea plus, given my stomach issues at that time, inside in the comfort of my own home was probably a better idea on many counts.

After the run, I ate a fairly usual breakfast: an overnight chia seed yogurt bowl with blueberries and banana. It tasted better than normal today.

The stomach issues continued, and then came the body aches, chills, and slight fever. Really? Right now? Right before vacation? It’s inevitable though. I rarely get sick and of course it happened to me right before an amazing vacation. But guess what? I am a fighter. I am kicking back the Emergen-C and zinc, staying hydrated, trying my best to eat a healthy diet although our refrigerator is getting fairly sparse, and getting adequate sleep.

For some reason my body was majorly craving sweet all day. My breakfast was sweet as shown above, lunch was a peanut butter banana wrap without honey, also sweet. And dinner….

Sweet again. Apple nachos. I small apple sliced, drizzled with natural peanut butter, and topped with walnuts and chocolate chips. This is the toned down version of the big plate of Apple Nachos I made for a work meeting in February. This time I made it single serve. Who’s apple nachos are they? Nacho apple nachos.

An hour later, after some more packing, I grabbed a banana to munch on. Then an hour after that, I ate a plain sandwich thin, and then some Greek yogurt. Random and unexciting dinner by far.

I realize 80% of my intake yesterday was from sugar (albeit mostly natural sugars), but I had decided to listen to my body and that is definitely what it was asking for. I aim to please. As much as I would have loved a big bowl of broccoli, my body would not have been okay with that. Sugar and peanut butter only says the dietitian. KIDDING. But I do really believe in listening to your body.

I am out for my last day of work for a bit! Enjoy your Thursday.

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A Lucky Friday the 13th

I had a really great Friday the 13th. It all started off with an out of the ordinary breakfast for me which was scrambled egg whites with a little salt and pepper, topped with mild salsa. I found it impossible to take a good photo of this breakfast so don’t judge what you see below.

Work was work, but lunch break was great. I headed to Patrick’s Bakery and Cafe (I had eaten there once before) for lunch with my coworkers. I ordered the same thing as last time….french onion soup served with a piece of a baguette. I neglected to take a photo of my soup because it would have looked exactly the same as the last time , same tablecloth and all, therefore I just decided to use the old photo.

It was a very dreary day here in MN, and a bowl of soup was just what I needed, and I LOVE french onion soup. It warmed my soul.

After work, I had plans to go for a run, but since it was really nasty cold, misty, and windy outside, I decided to take it downstairs to our treadmill to run in the comfort and warmth of my own home. BTW our electrical was installed downstairs today and it looks great! We had temporary lights up down there before but now we have actually have light switches with dimmers to go along with the lights. Woo! It’s still coming a long!

Anyway, I hit the treadmill for 45 minutes doing a bit of a run/walk combo. I flipped channels between Ellen and Paula Deen and was thoroughly entertained.

Part of the reason my Friday the 13th turned out to be so great is because of this….

It’s kind of hard to read but it says:

“Happy News! You were selected as a winner in the LARABAR Very Large Sweepstakes. Your prize includes a tote bag filled with a water bottle, a 16-ct of Larabars, and 5 full-sized mixed flavors. From everyone at LARABAR, I’d like to extend a great big THANK YOU for your support and participation in our sweepstakes. Kindly, The LARABAR Team.”

I WON! I don’t win anything. Ever. I entered into the sweepstakes a while back thinking I had about a 0.05% chance of actually winning. Holy cow. I feel like the dad in a Christmas Story when he won the Leg Lamp. I was jumping up and down after I read the letter like I just found out I got into college or won a ton of money. I really truly love and enjoy LARABARs so this was a big one for me.

Maybe my luck is changing. One can only hope. I want to win more stuff, this is fun!

I can’t wait to try some of these flavors I have never tried before such as Blueberry Muffin and Chocolate Coconut Chew. Um, yum. Thank YOU LARABAR!

To make my day even brighter, this came in the mail today.

My beautifully bright swimsuit from Victoria’s Secret I ordered. Even better news is it fits. It is countdown time until our vacation now…TWO WEEKS from yesterday!

After all the excitement in the house, Dana and I ran a couple of errands including Home Depot and Target because I needed to get a couple of ingredients for our dinner.

Dinner

I sautéed 1 cup of diced onion on the stove top, then added in 1/4 cup of pre-cooked ground beef (I had cooked it a while back and froze it), 3/4 of a can of black beans, 1/2 cup corn, 1/4 cup water, and 1 Tablespoon of low sodium taco seasoning. I mixed all of the ingredients and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, I prepared lettuce cups using a head of boston lettuce. I rinsed the head of lettuce then carefully peeled off layers into cups. I also chopped a Roma tomato, and a half of an avocado (no cuts this time).

Once the filling was done simmering, I spooned 1/4 cup of it into the lettuce cups, topped them with tomato and avocado, and enjoyed a very healthy, easy and flavor-filled dinner.

Looking back on yesterday, I had a day of multiple “wins”:

  • An awesome breakfast that held me over until lunch
  • Electric work done in the basement
  • Great soup with friends for lunch
  • A run while watching fun shows
  • A giant WIN in the LARABAR sweepstakes
  • Swimsuit in the mail, AND it fits
  • Great dinner
  • And lastly, a night to relax with my boys (awwwwwww)

It was a very lucky Friday the 13th for me!

How was yours? Anything lucky or unlucky happen to you?

Continue Reading A Lucky Friday the 13th

Bright Lights, Lots of Sights, Tasty Delights

Andddd we’re back! New York was such a good time. I want to fill you in on the trip but don’t want to bore with all of the details, so I will do my best to condense without missing anything important! Less talkie, more photos.

Starting with the food.

Arctic Char over artichoke hearts, potatoes, carrots, and peas at Kellari Taverna. This was my first time eating Arctic Char and I enjoyed it. It was a more mild version of salmon.

Cinnamon Honey Oatmeal with bananas from our hotel, The Hilton in the Fashion District. We were pretty happy with our hotel. We liked staying in the fashion district because it was far enough away from the hustle and bustle where we felt like we could get away and relax, yet close enough that we could walk to our destinations and be in the middle of it all when we wanted to be.

Salad Bar from a whole foods deli down the street from our hotel. I loved the asparagus! They had some sort of Asian-inspired peanut sesame and I’m hoping to try and recreate these at home.

Caramel Macchiato from Roastown Coffee (with skim milk). Sinfully delicious.

Lazzara’s Hawaiian Pizza–which is said to have the best thin crust pizza in the fashion district. It was truly delicious.

Food not pictured: 1 lb bag of Rold Gold pretzels, numerous free apples, Peanut Butter Cookie LARABAR, and breakfast and lunch on the plane. On the flight home I had a pretty good grilled chicken salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Not bad for airplane food!

And the great company and some of the sights….

My cousin Steph and her boyfriend, Jeff at Kellari’s for dinner. Thank you for meeting us for dinner, we had a great time!

In the middle of Times Square.

 I caught myself singing many New York inspired songs throughout the weekend. “These streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you, now you’re in New York,” “It’s up to you New York, NEWWWWw YOOOrrrk,” “I’m in the city, trick,” and many more. Dana did his fair share of it too, you couldn’t really help it. It definitely is a whole different world out there.

The 9/11 Memorial Site. It is still a work in progress but is very beautiful so far.

Central Park.

 Rockefeller Center Skating Rink.

At the top of Rockefeller center at night. Beautiful views!

Check out that moon. Dana and I were the only ones who seemed to be in awe over it which was strange because it was spectacular.

We thought it was neat knowing that while we were on top of the Rockefeller Center building, the SNL cast was getting ready to tape in the NBC studio which is inside the Rockefeller. Jonah Hill was going to be hosting! We asked the concierge man if there were by ANY chance last-minute tickets but of course, no such luck. Maybe next time.

And of course, we had to end with our usual “airport” shot. I was extremely tired and combatting a bit of stomach issues, but other than that I was okay!

Now that’s what I call short and sweet. I spared showing you all ninety some photos from the weekend. You’re welcome. 🙂 I had an amazing weekend and it was so great to spend quality time with the hubby.

We are very glad to be home and were greeted with a happy doggie and gorgeous weather here in MN. As soon as we got home we opened up the house to start letting out some of the stuffy winter air. We ran some errands, stocked our fridge full of fruits and veggies, and I headed out for a walk around the neighborhood.

Now I should go tend to the inevitable unpacking. I don’t know which I dislike more, packing or unpacking. Also, I have some chicken breasts working in the crock pot so that we will have it to add to meals this week.

I hope you all had a great weekend! Happy daylight savings time!

Continue Reading Bright Lights, Lots of Sights, Tasty Delights

A Peek At Our First Night

Hello from New York!

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It was so great meeting up with Steph and Jeff last night. Here is a sneak peek of our night!

We went to a nice greek restaurant called Kellari. I got the Arctic Char and it was awesome.

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I actually utilized the hotel gym this morning and got a three mile run in. “Bikini bikini bikini” was the thought what got me out of the comfy bed this morning. I’m glad I went as I always am. Never do I regret a workout.

We are off to go explore more of the Big Apple! Catch you later!

Continue Reading A Peek At Our First Night

Two N.Y.’s

I have landed in my mystery destination! Okay, a mystery to some. 🙂

Let’s here it for NEW YORK! Dana and I have a little get-a-way weekend planned in NY and it begins right now.

We don’t have a ton planned for the weekend, and we did this intentionally. We decided we wanted a low key weekend and we would “fly by the seat of our pants” when it comes to what we will do while we’re here.

Tonight however, we do have plans. We are meeting my cousin Stephanie, and her boyfriend, Jeff for a nice greek dinner. I am thrilled that it worked out for us to get together with them on such short notice. It will be so good to see them.

The only other time I was in New York was when I traveled with my cousin Betsy and our friend Ellen. We stayed with Steph, which was an absolute blast and especially helpful considering the three of us were broke college students. We all look like babies in this photo. I want to say this was about 5 years ago?

I can’t believe it’s been that long already. I am very excited to be back.

*************

The other day I whipped up this beautiful egg white omelette.

If you will remember, I sprinkled some nutritional yeast over the top. Let’s talk about that. Nutritional yeast is fairly new to me. I guess I did hear of it a while back, but didn’t look into it much. I was flipping through Women’s Health Magazine recently and I stumbled upon it again. I have been meaning to try some and this was the nudge I needed. The description I read mentioned it having a cheesy flavor that resembles parmesan cheese. Sounds wonderful right?

But first, What is this stuff?

Nutritional yeast (aka Nooch), is a deactivated yeast. Unlike the active yeast you use in breads, this type will not rise (so don’t try and bake a loaf of bread with it). The product comes in a flake form or a powdered form. It is very popular among vegans as it is plant-based and is packed with protein although it can fit into a carnivore’s diet as well. The flavor does resemble that of parmesan cheese. It is commonly used as a substitute for parmesan.

Nutrition Quick Facts (per 2 tablespoons)

Finding accurate nutrition facts became a frustrating task seeing that each source I viewed was slightly different. With that being said, I will give you a range of data from what I found.

  • Protein: 8-9 grams!
  • Calories: 60-80 calories
  • Fat: approximately 1 gram
  • Fiber: 4-5 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 5-7 grams
  • Rich in B vitamins including B12 which is a common nutrient deficiency in vegan and vegetarian diets. B12 is most commonly found in meat.

I am only beginning to learn all of the wonderful health benefits of this new superfood.

How can you use it?

Sprinkle it on:

  • hot popcorn
  • steamed broccoli
  • omelets
  • scrambled eggs
  • pasta
  • salads
  • cook into soups

So far I have only used it on cooked rutabaga and on an egg-white omelet. I am loving this stuff. It looks like powdered gold. I have been becoming more aware of my protein intake lately. I generally don’t eat much meat at home (minus this past week) but do try and get my protein in other ways: greek yogurt, peanut butter, eggs, beans, cheese, whey protein, and now, nutritional yeast!

That’s the cliff notes version of it at least.
How ironic that the two topics in this post, nutritional yeast and New York, share the same initials. Neat, right? 😉 I am a huge nerd.

Alright, I need to go explore this city that we know don’t sleep. Right, all of you Big Willie fans? Gotta get jiggy wit it.

Have a wonderful Friday friends!

Continue Reading Two N.Y.’s

7 Healthy Eating Tips When You Are Away

Mark this on your calendar because this rarely happens…I ate a SAVORY breakfast this morning. Nine times out of ten I will gravitate towards a sweet breakfast but I figured I would go out of my usual this morning, and cook up an egg white omelet. I only set off the smoke alarm three times! 🙂 It’s very sensitive. I sautéed some onion and mushroom and then added them to my omelet along with fresh tomato. On the top, I sprinkled on nutritional yeast and then of course a drizzle of ketchup.

It turned out really well, and I even got some veggies in already! I didn’t get up for my morning workout this morning but plan to go after work. It is supposed to be gorgeous here today so I am hoping to run outside!

*****************

While amidst our vacation in California, I started thinking about how difficult it can be to eat healthy while away. I feel like no matter how hard I try, I still end up feeling a little bit “off” and not feeling so hot. It’s easy to get a little off track when you’re not in the comfort of your own home with your usual foods and usual routine.

Here are some ideas I came up with to help you stay on track when are away from home.

1. Pack a piece of fruit (or two) in your carry-on. If you need a snack, you have a healthy one right on hand. Plus, fruit is full of water which is important while traveling as it is extremely easy to become dehydrated. Veggies are great too, but not always as portable as fruit.

2. Try to eat vegetables with at least one of your meals throughout the day.

3. Pack some healthy energy bars like my favorite, Lara Bars. During vacations, we often go a long time in between meals without anything to eat. These bars pack well and carry well and are perfect for a burst of energy. Throw a couple in your purse or carry on.

4. When possible, eat breakfast at your hotel. Now, be careful with this one as many continental breakfasts can be full of low-energy carb traps (muffins, bagels, sugar-packed cereals). Try and find some instant oatmeal and get creative with mix-in’s: milk, banana, apple, peanut butter. Oatmeal has soluble fiber, which helps to keep you feeling full, longer. Better yet, throw a couple of instant oatmeal packs (from home) in your bag in case your hotel doesn’t offer it. If hard-boiled eggs are an option at breakfast, snag one of those as well. The protein in eggs will help tide you over for a while and give you a lot of needed energy for the day. Plus, free continental breakfasts are very nice on the wallet!

5. Try to eat protein at each meal: eggs, greek yogurt, fish, tofu, chicken, nuts, whatever it may be.

Fish Tacos

6. Carry a refillable water bottle with you at all times, and drink plenty of water throughout the day, at least 8 cups. Also, keep a glass of water by your bedside at night to encourage yourself to get a few sips of water in at night too.

Can you spot the water bottle?

7. Be cautious of portions while out to eat. Remember that most restaurants serve you twice as much food as you really need. Be mindful while out to eat and stop eating when you feel full. This one is hard for me sometimes because some foods are just SO good. I always regret it later though. I’m still learning too!

So there you have it, a few tips to help you to stay healthy while away from home, whether on vacation, for work, a child’s sporting event, etc. Also, don’t forget about the exercise part. Just because you are away doesn’t mean you can’t find time to squeeze in a few hotel push ups or a quick run.

Give these tips a shot next time you are away from home. Come to think of it, these are good tips for when you are home as well!

*************

Last night we headed to mom and dad’s for a birthday dinner for Dana. His birthday is tomorrow but we have been celebrating since Saturday. Lucky boy! That is how I like to celebrate my birthday too, with a birthday week!

I give mom an A+ on dinner last night. Turkey lettuce wraps with peanut sauce, brown rice, and mandarin oranges.

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It was so nice to have dinner made for us too! Muchos gracias mom and dad!

I’m off to work. Have a great Tuesday!

Continue Reading 7 Healthy Eating Tips When You Are Away

Jam-Packed Fun

Yay for Hump Day! We are half way through the work week! Alright, I hope you aren’t sick of this yet because I am almost done filling you in on the California trip.

Day #3: Sunday morning began with an awesome breakfast on the beach at The Beachcomber Cafe which is located on the same beach that we walked on the previous day, Crystal Cove. Brandon had made reservations for us a couple of days in advance because it is such a popular place. Even with reservations we still had to wait about 10 minutes, which was obviously no big deal. We are on the beach after all, so nothing is a big deal and we had a beautiful ocean view to gaze at while we waited.

It was a little chilly oceanside this morning, but we were  nice and cozy inside the restaurant. The restaurant is fairly open, but they do have a screen up to keep out some unwanted birdies and block a little bit of the wind. They also had heat lamps and even blankets! We all ordered coffee right away as we waited for our food.

Brandon, Will, and Dana

And then this piece of heaven was delivered to me. Macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup. I was a happy camper.

Next stop was the Farmer’s Market. This was my second trip to heaven of the day. Not only did they have an abundance of fresh produce, they also had so many great samples out! Not that I really needed more food at this point, but this was such a great opportunity for me to try a few new things. I tried persimmons and pommelos for the first time,  and sampled a cara cara orange, fresh raspberry, and really great flavored balsamic vinegar. They also had a bunch of veggies of course, bread from a local bakery, and more.

They had a handful of food trucks parked there which are becoming so popular! We didn’t get the whole food truck experience this time but we were at least able to walk by them and see what they look like. I know Dana has eaten at a food truck here in MN, but I haven’t yet, so it was fun for me to see them.

After the farmer’s market, we headed to Balboa Island which is a sweet little town in Newport beach. We walked the sidewalks and saw some very interesting homes. Each home had so much personality. One house could have a completely modern look, where the next has a Tuscan look, and then the next a standard all-American looking home with a white picket fence. I loved seeing all of these homes and seeing all of the beautiful landscaping in their “yards.”

We sat by the beach for a while and soaked up the feeling of the warm sun on our skin. I miss that feeling! It’s been since October or so since I’ve felt the wonderful warm sun like that.

Across the way from us is what I believe to be the actual “island.” You can take a ferry over to the other side where they have a ferris wheel, restaurants, a large beach and more. We decided not to do that this time.

We had another island to get to. Fashion Island! Fashion Island is an outdoor mall in Orange County which offers a variety of designer stores and specialty boutiques. We did a lot of window shopping and people watching. I didn’t end up buying anything while I was there, and I realized while I was there that I am really not very fashionable. I have always known that I am not a “fashionista”, but it really hit me as I was looking at the clothing designs in these shops, not liking anything I saw, and knowing that these were considered fashionable items, how much I was lacking in the style department. Oh well! I guess everyone will have to accept me for who I am, sweatpants and all. 🙂

On our way to fashion island, we made a pit-stop at a local cafe for a quick bite to eat. I was in serious need of veggies, so I decided on the cobb salad piled high with lettuce, sprouts, tomato, cucumber, egg, and turkey and ham.

It was healthy and fresh, and helped me replenish my vegetable status for the day. After we walked around the shops for a while, I was exhausted, and really wanted to just go back to Brandon’s and relax. Considering I was the lead decision maker this weekend (kidding), we headed back home to relax. Dana and I packed up our stuff, and showered and then the men got to making dinner a few hours later.

For dinner, we decided just to make fajitas at home. I was getting a little tired of eating out at restaurants and I think everyone else was too. It was a good executive decision. Take a look at Chef Dana in action. He cooks, he cleans, I am one lucky woman!

In no time, these healthy delicious fajitas were ready to enjoy.

We spent the rest of the evening watching the Oscar’s and hanging out. It was pretty neat watching the Oscar’s knowing that we were so close to the action, and because we had seen some of the outside setup on Friday when we were in Hollywood! Alas, it was time to head to the airport for our red-eye flight. We were hoping to spot some celebrities heading home after the Oscar’s, but we had no such luck. I was however able to do some quick exercises while we waited for our flight. I looked like a fool, but I did lunges, tricep dips, and even threw a few burpees in there. I was “that” girl at the airport. Like I said, like me for who I am, sweatpants and lunges at the airport, and all. 😉

We were kind of tired and I was completely slap happy at this point. Two flights, and one layover including one almost missed plane, and we were home.

Thanks for letting me relive my California trip with you all! I had such a great time as you can tell. We had a jam packed trip full of great food, friends, and wonderful sights. Dalynn, once again thank you for hanging out with us and letting us stay with you Friday, and Brandon thank you for being so great to us and showing us around! I hope to see you both again soon!

Can’t wait for our next Vaca! Back to reality for now and back to getting my diet and exercise routine on track again!

Have a great day!

Continue Reading Jam-Packed Fun
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