What I Ate Wednesday #126: We Ate It All

No really, aside from breakfast, we haven’t eaten at home in a week. If there was food to be had, we had it! [And then some..] But don’t worry, we all got in our 10,000 steps pretty much daily. Plus, I dragged Mom to barre again. It was a tougher class this yesterday than it was last Thursday and I bet she’s cursing me right about now.

Mom and Dad are heading home today and I’m bummed. I can’t believe a week went by so quickly and it was so nice having them here. Anytime I told people that all of our upcoming visitors would be staying with us, I got a “ohhhh, geeze!” But we loved it. It also didn’t hurt that my mom can’t sit still so she was always cleaning something up or putting something away! I’m so not ready to get back to real life but for their last day, we made sure to make it nice and relaxing.

[Post-Barre Breakfast]

Our first trip to Mama’s Royal Cafe on Broadway was delicious! They’re pretty well-known around here and now we know why. I got their special omelette, chock full of kale, sweet potato, and gruyere with a side of fruit, potatoes, ACME sour levain toast, and lots of coffee. We’ll definitely be heading back there for breakfast or lunch soon.

[Lunch]

Oh. I did say lunch, right? Well, after hiking through Mountain View Cemetary in Oakland [sounds bizarre, but it really is a beautiful place.. and much of a hike!] we made our way back to Cato’s Ale House for a brew and late lunch. I had the roasted beet salad with feta, candied walnuts, and chicken. More importantly, however, the 21st Amendment Kilt by Wildfire Scotch Ale is deeeelicious!

[Dinner]

Late lunch calls for a late dinner. We’d planned on cooking, but that didn’t happen once over the course of the week. Instead, we walked down to Ohgane, a Korean BBQ restaurant, for dinner. My parents had never been to one and this was our first time trying this particular restaurant. We went through multiple rounds of the little banchan plates along with the Galbee [short rib], chicken, and shrimp. The charcoal grill at the table was fun and gave the meat such great charred flavor. Another repeat restaurant, for sure!

Like I said, I’m bummed that my parents are on their way home today but it’s been such a fun week full of amazing food, lots of walking, and just great quality time together. I can’t wait for them to come back again.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be doing hours of cardio and eating boiled chicken and asparagus for the rest of week 😉

Food for Thought

Do you go out to eat with visitors or prefer to cook at home?

#MomAndDadInCali

I had every intention of having this post scheduled and ready to go early this morning. Until I fell asleep on the couch last night while we were watching House of Cards. I blame it on the beer all the excitement 😉

We’ve been having such a great time with my parents here. I don’t mean to leave you hanging, but hey, life just gets in the way. So let’s do a little recap so far.

Thursday

Post-barre muscles with Mom!

Farmers’ market lunch.

Mmm!

Salmon & Hamachi Kama. A new favorite.

Friday

Ooh that pizza..

WE WILL NOT!

Saturday

A fun trip to Oxbow Public Market. Let the drinking begin!

Sunday

Blue Bottle Coffee.. strongest in the world! Ha.

My 2 favorite Orioles fans.. right?

The best chick peas ever.

Sunny day selfie.

The beginning of the end.

The best ending to our beer-filled excursions. Our most favorite ice cream from Ici.

Now excuse me while we go drink and eat some more!

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite part of having company?

Link Love #73

I have to admit, I totally expected yesterday to feel like 2 days. And today? Oooh, it’s a doozy! But there were a few things that made the day a little easier. Before I even got out the door, I got a picture of this little cutie.

I can’t believe how big she’s getting! And look at those little curls. Gah she’s the cutest!

And finishing up my shift at my first job, a gym member came in with this guy.

Such a sweet dog. I wish they came in earlier so we could have played more! Sometimes it’s the little things that make the day better. And to make your day a little better..

Health

How Weight Training Can Help You Keep the Weight Off – The New York Times Well

How Weight Training Can Help You Keep the Weight Off – The New York Times Well
Key Nutrients for Marathon Training – Elisa Zied via Carrots ‘N’ Cake
Why You Should Think Twice About Vegetarian and Vegan Diets – Chris Kresser
How to Eat Clean: The Do’s and Don’ts of Healthy Clean Eating – Clean Eating Veggie Girl
Stop Hacking Life – Carla Birnberg

Fitness

5 Ways to POWER UP Your Push Up – Cotter Crunch

5 Ways to POWER UP Your Push Up – Cotter Crunch
Weekend Warrior 2: The Trifecta Workout – Lifting Revolution
Legs + Abs + Arms Boot Camp Workout – Peanut Butter Fingers
Barre Ab Burner {Video} – Fitessista
Build a Better Butt – Pancake Warriors

Food

Paleo Chocolate Coconut Tart – Eating Bird Food

Paleo Chocolate Coconut Tart + Healthy Valentine’s Day Desserts – Eating Bird Food
The Last Chili Recipe You’ll Ever Need – Coconuts & Kettlebells
Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – Lexi’s Clean Kitchen
Nutella Oatmeal Cookie Shake – How Sweet It Is
Cuban Fish Tacos with Citrus Mango Slaw + Chipotle Lime Crema – Half Baked Harvest

Food for Thought

What was one of your favorite posts from the past week?

What I Ate Wednesday #120: Spicy & Smoky

Friends, if you have yet to try a barre class, get with the program! Better yet, if you’re in the Oakland area, join me at Truve for Teresa’s class! My 2-for-Tuesday line-up of Suspension Sculpt [TRX] followed by barre hurts so good. Teresa is also my comic relief in the morning. And sometimes we pretend that we’re ballerinas.

It’s good times.. promise. That said, my abs and hammies are on fire today! It’s the real deal.

Backtracking a day, Monday was a pretty normal day of eats but delicious, nonetheless.

[Breakfast]

It’s so hard for me to not make more nut butters as I run out, but it’s less to move. I’m almost down to 1 jar! The horror!

[Lunch]

I’m always much happier to bring my own salads to work for lunch than to go buy something. I’ve been on a serious kale kick lately. I massaged the kale with balsamic vinegar, a little EVOO, whole grain dijon, and a pinch of salt. It’s awesome. And Trader Joe’s chicken sausages have been making my life easier. They’re already cooked so I just slice one up real quick and we’re good to go!

[Afternoon Snack]

Over the weekend, I made Lindsay’s gluten-free cranberry white chocolate chip pumpkin bars and it was delicious broken up over some Greek yogurt.

[Dinner]

Dinner was a new one—chicken bacon fra diavolo with potato noodles. It was totally different from our usual dinner fare and quite tasty. Don’t fret.. the recipe will be up tomorrow 😉

[Evening Snack]
I decided to save you from the picture of my cottage cheese and apple. It’s not the prettiest sight you’d ever see but it’s a delicious combo!

And now? It’s back to packing! Happy hump day!

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite class at the gym you’ve taken?

Fabulous Food & Our Weekly Meal Plan

Hi friends, happy Monday! I hope you had a great, relaxing weekend. Mine kicked off with an early power yoga class at Truve.

So not fair.. they’re both yoga instructors!

I’m not much of a yogi but good lordy, my body was sore! I think I need to hit up yoga a little more regularly and get some stretching in. Later, I grabbed lunch with a friend at what may just be my new favorite sushi spot. It just so happens to be about 10 steps away from where I’m moving!

Friday night was our night out on the town. Nathan and I made a deal to go out to eat less on the weekends so we really went for it!

Beer #1: Perennial Abraxas

If you can get your hands on this beer, you don’t want to miss out. It’s one of the most complex beers I’ve had and it really makes its way through each of the spices as you drink it. The cinnamon stood out the most but there’s also just a hint of spice at the very end. Amazing.

2 Meat + 2 Sides: Chicken & pork with cauliflower salad & cowboy beans with burnt ends. Also added a hot link!

Whenever we go to Perdition, we split the 2 meat plate. It comes with 2 sides + pickles and bread; we’d had the pork and chicken before but never tried the hot link so we decided to add that too. It was so much food! But of course, we ate the whole thing. It was wonderful and I definitely went to sleep fat and happy that night. Ha!

Saturday I was so ready to head back to Truve for barre; I’m officially addicted and it may just be my new favorite class. I was also ready for a much lighter day of eats.. and Sizzlefish 😉

Sizzlefish shrimp & kale salad with ALL the veggies!

Digging the Atlantic Cod!

It was nice to stay in and use up some of the extras in the fridge and freezer before we move! Speaking of moving, we had to scedaddle yesterday for a couple hours while our place was being showed to potential renters so we took advantage of a gift card and went out to lunch.

A nice, lighter beer paired with a kale and brussels sprout + salmon salad was calling my name. Delicious! [But more on that later..]

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Crispy Thai pork [+ turkey] lettuce wraps with cucumber salad
Monday – Cuban chicken & black bean rice bowls with fried bananas
Tuesday – Turkey burgers with roasted potatoes & side salad
Wednesday – Grilled chicken/fish & brussels
Thursday – Leftovers
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Leftovers

Food for Thought
Have you ever tried barre?

Link Love #66

We had the best dinner last night. For realz. We planned on having a nice roast turkey breast on Sunday for dinner but when I saw the sale on turkey breast ($.99/lb what whaaaattt!), we didn’t realize it was frozen until picking it up at the store.. Sunday afternoon. Whoops! But we brined the turkey overnight, seasoned the crap out of it, and popped it in the oven. It was sooo good!

I also had some sweet potato latkes leftover and we roasted a bunch of carrots. And do you see the sprinkling of salt?

Oh, that’s some special salt. That’s some truffle salt. It made the dish. I don’t think I can top that dinner for the rest of the week now! Good thing there are lots of leftovers 😉

Health

Whole and Healthy: 5 Reasons to Embrace Self-Improvement – Joyce Cherrier

Whole and Healthy: 5 Reasons to Embrace Self-Improvement – Joyce Cherrier
Eating Clean vs. Orthorexia – T-Nation
Why Setting “Just for Today” Goals Might Work for You – Your Trainer Paige
Intuitive Eating – Learning to Love Food Again Love & Zest via Run to the Finish
The Basics | Carbohydrates, part II – Nutrition Stripped

Fitness

Jillian Michaels’ Kettlebell Swing Reminds Us That Trainers Are Like Doctors – Lifting Revolution

Jillian Michaels’ Kettlebell Swing Reminds Us That Trainers Are Like Doctors – Lifting Revolution
15 Minute Arms and Abs Bodyweight Circuit – Peanut Butter Fingers
5-Move Action Core Workout – My Fitness Pal
Holiday Barre Blast Workout – Fitnessista
8 Total-Body Moves that Double Results—in Half the Time! – Shape

Food

Thai Coconut Cabbage Soup {Paleo} – Cotter Crunch

Thai Coconut Cabbage Soup {Paleo} – Cotter Crunch
Chocolate Coconut No-Bake Baklava Bites – Peas and Crayons
3-Ingredient Chocolate Bark (with a bunch of add-ins) – Yeah…immaeatthat
Deep Dish Spinach and Prosciutto Quiche with Toasted Sesame Crust – Half Baked Harvest
Braided Cardamom and Chocolate-Hazelnut Bread – Floating Kitchen

Food for Thought

What’s one of your favorite posts from the past week?

Link Love #60

As I was walking to work yesterday, I was thinking about how chilly it was. It was like, 58 degrees, you know. Freaking cold! Ha! In just 1 short year, I’ve gone from laughing at people bundled up when it was almost 60 to wishing I had bundled up more. In just 2 short weeks, Nathan and I are going to be back home in Baltimore [for 2 weeks!!] and I can’t help but laugh about how cold we’re going to be.. and when I say laugh, I really mean cry. Oooh boy, we’re going to be in for it. That said, I’ll put up with the cold weather to see this..

Come on, is that not one of the sweetest things you’ve ever seen?! It’s going to be a good time and I’m looking forward to getting some of those snuggles for myself. Just 2 more weeks. Powering through! And to help you power through your week, enjoy the posts, friends.

Health

Wellness Wednesday: Perfectionism + 8 Things To Help You Relax & Stress Less – Ambitious Kitchen

Wellness Wednesday: Perfectionism + 8 Things To Help You Relax & Stress Less – Ambitious Kitchen
How to See Results From Working Out – Running on Real Food
How To Survive A Level 5 Meltdown of Epic Proportions When Your Pants Don’t Fit – Beauty and the Box
The 5 Ways We Burn Calories Every Day – Your Trainer Paige
56 Reasons to Lose Weight BEFORE the End of the Year – Workout Nirvana

Fitness

Core Couch Workout – Pumps & Iron

Core Couch Workout – Pumps & Iron
Barre/HIIT Combo {video} – Fitnessista
Step-By-Step Guide To Master The Kettlebell Turkish Get Up – Lifting Revolution
Work Out Wednesday: 3 Not Your Average Ab Workouts – She’s Wicked Healthy
Should You Focus on BIG Muscle Groups in a Workout? – Cotter Crunch

Food

Warm Toasted Caramel Coconut Gooey Chocolate Crunch Bars – Half Baked Harvest

Warm Toasted “Caramel” Coconut Gooey Chocolate Crunch Bars – Half Baked Harvest
Homemade Paleo Almond Joys – Fed + Fit
Brussels Slaw with Tahini Dressing and Za’atar Crostini – The Lemon Bowl
Pumpkin Beer Cheese Soup with Maple Chili-Spiced Popcorn – Destination Delish
Chocolate Chip Pear Blondie Bites – Hummusapien

Food for Thought

What’s one of your favorite posts from the past week?

Fitness Friday: Working Out with fitmob + Athleta Giveaway!

There’s an awesome new fitness trend that is making the ability to take a bunch of classes at different gyms more readily accessible. As someone who has lived in an apartment complex with a gym for the past 3 years, I find it hard to want to pay for a gym but at the same time, feel like I’m missing out on some of the fantastic classes that are available for gym-goers. Enter fitmob.

Founded by Snapfish co-founder and entrepreneur/VC Raj Kapoor as CEO, tech guru and martial arts champion Paul Twohey as CTO, and worldwide fitness expert Tony Horton, fitmob is a San Francisco-based company that is described on the their website as:

“An authentic fusion of fitness, community and technology. fitmob combines the power of community with the convenience of a mobile platform to create a fun, affordable and rewarding workout experience in your neighborhood. It’s a new fitness movement with YOU at the center.”

They have a huge array of classes ranging from cardio and strength to barre, yoga, TRX, and more. For just $99/month, you’re able to attend classes with over 75 studios and trainers to choose from as many times as you can get your butt to class! In addition to their Passport program, they’ve also introduced MobTribes, described as on their website as:

“…a shared personal training that’s fun, affordable and all about results. You’ll be matched with a top-rated personal trainer to lead workouts at a convenient location picked by your MobTribe of 4-6 friends.

Your MobTribe will meet twice a week in a 6-week program designed for results! We’ve done plenty of research and studied the science of shared group training.

With MobTribes you’ll get personal attention, nutrition tips, daily activity tracking and off-day workouts, without the price tag of personal training.”

I had the opportunity to attend one of their workouts, Weapons of Ass Reduction [love the name!], last week but unfortunately couldn’t work out the commute with my work schedule. I absolutely plan on giving this a go and checking out a bunch of studios in SF, along with some of their own workouts, in the near future. How could I pass on the opportunity to push my limits? Eeeexxactly!

And now for the giveaway!

Want to enter for your chance to win a $50 Athleta Gift Card? [You do. The new winter line just came in!] Click here to enter and keep cross your fingers!

If you’re free, join fitmob + Sweat Pink #HolidayFitList Twitter Party on Tuesday, November 4th from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. PST. More details on the event coming soon!

Food for Thought

Do you prefer indoor or outdoor workouts?

I received the opportunity to take part in the fitmob campaign through my ambassadorship with Fit Approach. All opinions are my own.