I Crossfitted

There’s a crossfit gym right around the corner from my place that offers a free first class. For a good month or so I’ve been checking out the next day’s workout that they’ve posted online and just kept putting off going but Thursday night I saw the workout and actually told Nathan that I was thinking about going. You know, because as soon as I say it out loud, I’m committed.

A1. 5 x 1 [Hang Power Clean + Front Squat]
A2. Pull-Up Negatives
B. 5 Rounds for Time:
12 DB Weighted Lunges
12 Calories on Rower

I had an idea of what to expect going in from all of the other bloggers that talk about it, but it’s definitely still a bit intimidating. I got there early to have a chance to talk to the trainer and check the place out.

When we started out, I mentioned to the trainer that I’d never done crossfit before. Unfortunately, she assumed that meant I never workout at all. She was very nice and accommodating but started out talking to me like I knew nothing. It was a frustrating way to start and I was feeling like I had something to prove at that point. As we went over the hang power clean + front squat and the pull-up negatives, I was determined to get the moves down solid which I really feel like I accomplished the more I tried. Success!

Onto part B, the cardio portion. I still felt like I wanted to prove myself and at the very least, not finish last. And I’d say that was a success too!

Overall, I really enjoyed myself and definitely want to go back for more! Even though I was frustrated by my initial interaction with the trainer, she was really helpful and encouraging throughout the class. Hopefully in the coming months I’ll be able to take the on ramp to get started. Not to mention all of the crossfitting bloggers I see posting pictures are serious motivation!

The rest of Friday was a ton of running around and a delicious Greek dinner date.

Hers: Lamb skewer with grilled zucchini, tomato, & eggplant, pita, & tzatziki

His: Shawarma plate with salad, grilled zucchini, tomato, & eggplant, pita, & tzatziki

Complete with garlic fries!

Saturday was  for early errands, farmers’ market, pizza, and rest. We went to Arizmendi to try out their daily pizza: eggplant, feta, and garlic olive oil; we ordered a half pizza to take home and also stumbled upon a ridiculous cheesy foccacia bread with asparagus, spinach, and red cabbage. I gladly made a nice, big salad with my leftover lamb, huge farmers’ market sugar snap peas, and some foccacia. And a little pizza on the side. What can I say, Passover really made me want bread 😉

Yesterday was another quiet day. I had originally planned a 6.5 mile hike but when we woke up to rain, Nathan and I made our way over to the gym instead. We grabbed a quick Thai lunch, got just a few things from the store, and had a relaxing day. His mom is going to be visiting this week so we wanted to make sure we were fully rested up to prepare.. we don’t mess around! Plus, Saturday is Nathan’s birthday so we will definitely be having a good time!

Weekly Meal Plan

Like I said, Nathan’s mom is going to be visiting this week so we’re going to be going out quite a bit. The goal of Sunday-Tuesday is to finish up what we already have in the house!

Sunday – Leftovers
Monday – Play by ear.. cajun chicken?
Tuesday – Saturday – Out!

Holy moly, I think come next Sunday, I’ll be quite happy to cook again 🙂

Food for Thought

Have you ever tried crossfit?
What did you do over the weekend?

Five Things Friday

Happy Valentine’s Day! Have any fun plans for tonight? We have done good stuff coming up in the next week.

1. My parents will be here in less than a week! I realize I mentioned this yesterday, but can you tell I’m excited?!
2. I stocked up on our Valentines Day dinner/dessert ingredients yesterday. On the menu:
   Appetizer: Truffle gouda with crackers and balsamic jam [from Italy!] .. Entree: Seared lamb with a cherry port sauce, Moroccan rice with pistachio and dried apricot, and roasted rainbow carrots .. Dessert: Cheesecake squares. But I can’t tell you the flavor because that’s a surprise for Nathan. There may or may not be pictures to share later 😉
3. I miss the snow a little bit but I have to admit it was awfully nice to be able to take a walk this afternoon when it was 65 degrees.
   
   My parents just got a little dusting.
4. Nathan surprised me last night by picking me up after work to go out to a point near our place and watch the sunset.
   
   It was a really crisp, clear night and such a nice way to end the day. Doesn’t hurt that he’s cute too!
5. This weekend is Belgian Beer Fest at Max’s. It is, by far, our favorite bar in Baltimore and Belgian Beer Fest is the best. Definitely missing that this weekend. We’re going to try to make up for it this weekend and while my parents are here.. I’ll report back.

Giveaway Winner!

Congrats to Tiff at Love, Sweat, & Beers! You’ve won my Peanut Butter & Co. 31 Days of Dark Chocolate Dreams giveaway!

Food for Thought

What are your Valentines Day plans?
Are you being hit by the crazy weather?

Bootcamp is Almost Over?!

There are only 2 weeks left in Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp. I can’t believe it! The first 6 weeks have flown by and I feel like I’ve accomplished so much already.

The workouts over these past 2 weeks have been either pyramid sets or high intensity circuit training. I definitely am more a fan of the pyramids. While I enjoyed the timed workouts in weeks 3 and 4, hitting a certain number of reps and sets is more my speed.

Weeks 5 & 6 Thoughts

As I mentioned in week 1, I’ve been doing this bootcamp routine along with the Love Your Body Challenge which ended on Valentine’s Day. Between the schedules of both routines, I’ve been able to really challenge myself with new workouts and push myself further. I’d have to say my biggest accomplishment thus far has been running a 10K! Before a few weeks ago, my longest run was just over 4 miles but now I’m confident that I can keep upping my mileage. Maybe there’s a half marathon in my future?

Killer. Loved it. Like I said, the pyramid workouts were my favorite; they really pushed me out of my weight comfort zone and into pressing up to 30 lb dumbells! And somehow, over 8000 calories burned later, at the end of the weekend I’m actually feeling refreshed and ready to go again! These last 2 weeks are the time to really kick it into high gear and I’m looking forward to mixing it up again. My muscles are so confused.. that’s definitely a good thing!

Favorite Meal of the Week

Valentine’s Day is always a day for Nathan and I to have a great dinner at home. I know I posted this fun Valentine’s date idea, but in reality, with the big day being a Thursday, that just wasn’t going to happen during the week.

Instead, we made shawarma-spiced lamb chops, roasted asparagus, Israeli salad [cucumber, tomato, onion, dill, lemon, & olive oil], and tahina sauce. I also picked up some fresh naan, lemon rice, and a platter of Mediterranean appetizers complete with falafel, baba ghanoush, stuffed grape leaves, and more!

Finally, for dessert, I was inspired by a Tone It Up recipe and made my own twist on their dark chocolate strawberry cups. Expect to see it on the blog soon 🙂

Previous Reviews

Best Butt-Kicking Bootcamp [Week 1]
Bootcamp – Take 2 [Week 2]
Beat Up Bootcamp [Week 3]
Bootcamp: The Midway Point [Week 4]

Food for Thought

How do you measure success in your workouts?

The Best Part of Wedding Planning

Food!

Last week my mom and I went to meet with a potential caterer for the wedding, Innovative Gourmet, and were rather surprised to find out that we would not only be discussing food, we would also be tasting!

One of the first things I said to Nathan when we got engaged was “OOH!! Now we get to taste cake!” So needless to say, I was excited! Unfortunately I arrived sans camera, so my camera phone had to do.

First Course
Chilled soup / Turkey, bacon, cheddar panini on pumpernickel bread

Both delicious and such a great combo!

Second Course
Grilled and roasted veggies / Vegetable flatbread / Duck bites with crunchy pecans / Smoked brisket on french baguette

In my opinion, you can never go wrong with grilled and roasted veggies. I ate those up! The duck was fantastic with the sweet crunch from the pecans and I loved the smoke flavor in the brisket.

Third Course
Polenta bar with shredded chicken, roasted peppers, sauteed spinach, smoked gouda, and bleu cheese.

This is such a fun idea; rather than doing the typical pasta bar, you substitute creamy polenta and put out a bunch of toppings. A make-your-own so everyone gets what they want. And each piece was equally tasty.

Fourth Course
Chop salad / Heirloom tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad over asparagus with frisee and balsamic reduction

I’m not a huge chop salad fan, but the heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad is right up my alley. I love the layered, deconstructed visual appeal of the dish, and the flavors were fantastic!

Fifth Course
Brown butter rockfish over roasted corn, carrots, green beans, & red pepper / Pistachio crusted lamb over roasted vegetables and tzatziki

The rockfish was flaky and delicious, but the lamb stole the show. It was cooked perfectly; so tender and flavorful, and the pistachio crust gave it a beautiful crunch. We took a few leftovers home, but the lamb was not one of them.

Sorry Nathan. (Not really……)

Sixth Course
A beautiful assortment of petit fours

What can I say? I’m a sucker for sweets! Chocolate. Chocolate. And more chocolate. And a few other bites of desserts, but my favorites were all of the chocolates!

This has definitely been the most fun I’ve had during the wedding planning thus far and it makes me so excited for more tastings!

As for the caterer choice? Decisions still to come…

Speak Up!

If you’re married or engaged, what was your favorite part of planning? And if you’re not married or engaged, what are you most looking forward to while planning?

Don’t forget! Today is the last day to enter my giveaway for a chance to win a case of CalNaturale Svelte! Don’t miss it.. entries accepted until 11:59pm EST! Four lucky winners will be chosen Friday morning!

What I Ate Wednesday #7 – Sunday Brunch

Sundays are definitely one of my favorite days. Morning yoga in the park, hitting up the farmers market, and on some special Sundays, we do brunch.

One thing you need to know about Nathan and me is that we love deals. Groupon and Living Social are my best friend. So much so, that people poke fun at me for work.. “Oh, you’re going out to eat? What kinda deal did you get?” I have no problem with this because as a foodie, trying new restaurants (for half price, mind you) is nothing less than awesome!

This past Sunday’s brunch was at Lebanese Taverna. It may not have been a new restaurant to try, but we absolutely love the food there, so when a deal popped up for brunch, we were on that like white on rice! Or hummus on pita.. you choose 😉

I realized when I went to put this post together that I didn’t take pictures of any of my food from Sunday, except brunch sooo here’s a quick break down!

Breakfast
Cinnamon raisin protein oats & quinoa. This recipe is coming soon and you don’t want to miss it!

Brunch
Lebanese Taverna deliciousness!

Homemade Bread
This is important enough for it’s own line. Have you had their bread?! It is incredible.

Red Sangria
Pomegranate wine, triple sec, brandy, cinnamon, basil, apples, and plums. I would order that every time!

Our Feast!
Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Lebanese Salad (cucumber, tomato, mint, & onion), Chicken Kabob, and Beef & Lamb Shwarma.

My favorite parts? The baba ganoush and beef & lamb shwarma. I could eat all of it. All day. Everyday.

Booza
An ice cream trio with Pistachio-Orange (my fave!), Vanilla Cardamom (Nathan’s fave!), and Honey (the overall crowd-pleaser.)

Clearly, it was too warm outside to let the ice cream pose for a picture, so naturally, we devoured it! Sorry. (Not really.)

Dinner
Leftover thai.. steamed bean thread noodles with fresh ginger, hu-nu, onions, carrots, baby corn, scallions,bean sprouts, pork, and bean sauce in a hot pot and a side of edamame. This comes from a place called Thai Arroy. It looks like a little whole-in-the-wall, but it is the best thai food in Baltimore!

Snack Time
Homemade peanut butter froyo. This is another recipe coming soon and definitely worth checking out! It’s so easy and much cheaper than going out 🙂

Like I said.. I didn’t do such a great job of taking pictures on Sunday, so now you’re subjected to a bad Instagramed phone picture. For this, I truly apologize.

Speak Up!

What’s your favorite Sunday tradition? Are you a Sunday brunch-er?

And don’t miss my giveaway; you have until tomorrow night to enter! You could win a case of the delicious CalNaturale Svelte! Yum!