Taking a Walk Break

It seems to me, we don’t always realize how run down we get until we give ourselves time to breathe. Trust me when I say I was more than well aware of my need for my rest day on Saturday. My workouts on Thursday and Friday left a bit to be desired and I just felt myself trying to plug along to finish out the week. Friday night, I met Nathan and some of his coworkers for happy hour and then we had possibly the best Chinese meal we’d ever had!

Five Spice Hot and Spicy Pork Shoulder

Chicken Clay Pot

Nathan got some serious side eye when he ordered the pork shoulder after saying “I know, you want healthy.” So healthy.. right. It was darn tasty though! We had an easy and quiet Saturday morning before deciding to head into the city. We chose a new spot to check out—Noe Valley—and we loved it! We had a great lunch at Savor, went for a nice walk around a few blocks, and stopped for a little sweet treat on our way to Dolores Park.

Fabulous salad with anjou pear, roasted red pepper, caramelized walnuts, and a huge hunka salmon.

Almond milk peanut butter, chocolate, and the cheesiest cheesecake froyo I’ve ever had!

Busy, beautiful day at Dolores Park

Enjoying the beautiful day!

After a pretty relaxing day and quiet night, I thought I’d be roaring to go yesterday. Turns out my body was still craving lots of rest. I slept until 9! Usually I’m lucky to make it to 7 so I’d say that was a huge success and took it as a sign when I was still not feeling up for hitting the gym. We had another quiet morning and then went for a nice 4 mile walk by the water with a lunch break halfway. I definitely had Lindsay’s post about taking walk breaks on my mind.. it’s nice to have that reminder sometimes.

My favorite dungeness crab I’ve had yet!

Another sunny day!

After a quick trip to the grocery store and a little food prep, we’re set for the week! It was another great weekend and it just reminds me how lucky I am to be married to my best friend.

And a super exciting side note, we’re going home for Thanksgiving! Actually, we’re going home for a whole 2 weeks so we can celebrate Thanksgiving, my cousin’s wedding, and Jilly’s first birthday. I’m beyond excited for it and had to keep it a secret for a few days until my cousin got her wedding RSVP from us. But the word’s out now!

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Leftovers
Monday – Thai basil turkey and lemongrass cauli rice bowls
Tuesday – Smokey chipotle turkey burgers with Mexican corn fritters and side salad
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – Sesame carrot noodles with chicken and broccoli
Friday – Yom Kippur dinner –> matzah ball soup, brisket, potatoes, and roasted brussels
Saturday – BREAK FAST! I don’t care what I eat 😉

Food for Thought

Do you ever had one rest day turn into two?

Link Love #31

I have a random request for all of you, specifically those of you in the bay area: I’m looking for a Passover seder to go to next week. If you know of any places to go or have friends in the bay area that might know of anything, help a girl out! I’ll definitely be drooling over the recipes below next week.. 😉

Health

9 Traits Naturally Thin Women Have Towards Food – Lifting Revolution

9 Traits Naturally Thin Women Have Towards Food – Lifting Revolution
Why You Need More than One REST DAY – Cotter Crunch
6 Essential Truths I Learned From Winter Exercise Hibernation – The Sweet Life with Ericka
Effortless Eating: Nutrition Made Simple – Eat, Lift, & Be Happy
Transitions – Love Life Surf

Fitness

18 Ways to Change Up Your Running Routine – Greatist

18 Ways to Change Up Your Running Routine – Greatist
No Equipment Required Conditioning Interval Workout – Your Trainer Paige
Factoring Fitness At Work – Mom’s Little Running Buddies
Crank It Up {Workout} and Principle of Overload/Progression – Fit ‘N’ Cookies
60 Minute Boot Camp Workout – Peanut Butter Fingers

Food

Avocado Citrus Crunch Salad with Oat Croutons and a Buttermilk Drizzle – How Sweet It Is

Avocado Citrus Crunch Salad with Oat Croutons and a Buttermilk Drizzle – How Sweet It Is
Goat Cheese and Brussels Sprouts Skillet Pizza – Love & Olive Oil
Salsa Verde Chicken and Black Bean Burritos – Bev Cooks
Carrot Cake Banana Bread with Thick Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting – Ambitious Kitchen
Brussels Bacon and Leek Fritters – Bell’alimento

Food for Thought

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

What I Ate Wednesday #76: Newbs

Yesterday I took an impromptu day off from the gym. In my head, it sucked. But when it hurts to move your legs to get out of bed, it’s really a good sign. And after chatting with a few friends blends, I decided that I should get over myself and listen to my body. That said, I still couldn’t sit still all day so I did some quick workouts every hour. But guess what, I’m alive! An extra rest day didn’t kill me and, in fact, was kind of nice. Whoda thunk?! Hopefully now my legs will consider forgiving me and go back to moving like normal.

Speaking of normal, we’re finally back to our regularly scheduled meal plans this week, but I did try some new fun things on Monday.

[Breakfast]

This iced coffee promptly reminded me that I needed to buy some straws.

Another rendition of the sweet breakfast scramble. Topped with nut butters and granola.. what else?!
– 1 egg
– 3 egg whites
– 1/2 banana; mashed
– 2 tbsp coconut flour
– Splash of almond milk

Mid-Morning Snack

Wild blueberries really are so much better.

Frozen wild blueberries are my new favorite. And the kiwis out here are pretty awesome!

[Lunch]

I’ve been addicted to eggs lately.

No huge salad is complete without a fried egg on top. And if you’ve never had the pizza veggie burgers from Trader Joe’s, get on it! I’m pretty sure Nathan even admitted to liking them.

Afternoon Snack

This is my kinda dr!

This is a new-to-me brand of kombucha and it was great. Unlike some other brands, it didn’t have that noticeable fermented tea flavor [otherwise known as gym socks.. ha!] and kind of tasted like apple cider. I really enjoyed it.

A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

I’m still celebrating National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Day…….

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

ALL THE BARS!

One of my faves.

A few weeks ago I was sent a box of the KIND Healthy Grains bars to review. Because I’m a big fan of KIND bars anyway, I was really excited to try their new product line. These bars are essentially their healthy grains clusters in bar form which makes it even easier to take with you. These bars are all around 150 calories and have 6-9g sugar. Not bad for a quick bite! I really enjoyed the Maple Pumpkin Seed bar but of course my favorite was the Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate!

[Dinner]

I went back for more potatoes. That didn’t last long!

Out of our ordinary, I decided to make baked pesto chicken parm. This might be the first time we’ve actually had pesto in the house but I think it’s going to be used up pretty quickly.

[Evening Snack]
Finished off the night with an apple. And more puffins. Because why not?

Food for Thought

What are your thoughts on multiple rest days per week?
What’s your favorite sweet and crunchy snack?
Have you tried the KIND Healthy Grains Bars yet?

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Five Things Friday

Another Friday, huh? Where does the time go?! I can’t believe it’s almost February. Wasn’t it just Thanksgiving?

1. Honestly, I’m kind of ok with a couple of weeks flying by right now. My parents are coming to visit in 2 1/2 weeks and I can’t wait! I probably see them more now than I did when I lived in Baltimore because of Skype, but it’s really not the same. It’s going to be nice to have them out here. Nathan and I keep trying to tell them, but I don’t think they realize how much food and drink is going to be involved in their trip 😉
2. Speaking of my parents, they just got me the best Hannuka/birthday/anniversary/whatever else gift.. the NASM personal trainer certification course! My book should be delivered next Tuesday and I fully plan on buckling down and getting it done. I’m really excited to start something new and I see this certification taking me in so many different directions in the future. Not to mention, I might love this post a little extra now. Thanks, Paige! [I also have a little deal for you if you’re interested in a NASM certification. Check it out below!]
3. I can’t be the only person that has trouble with rest days. I know I need at least 1 day off per week but my mind thinks it’s a good idea to always keep going. And then I stand up and realize that my legs hate me and don’t want to move at all. I’m not alone, right?
   

   I look that cute when I pout too..

4. Wednesday I went to “Office Fitness” yoga with the SweatGuru team and it turned out to be exactly what I needed. I always go into yoga thinking I’m not sure if I really feel like going and by the end of the class, I feel so good. Seriously, not much beats the feeling at the end of a yoga class.
   

   Such an awesome team, too!

5. Superbowl Sunday is upon us! Nathan and I are planning on staying in and doing the old pizza and wings bit, but a little more fancified, of course. I made a big batch of naan Wednesday so we’re going to do naan margherita pizzas and Korean BBQ wings. I’m sure I’ll figure out a way to get some veggies in there too.
   

   I completely follow this logic.

Thanks to Julie’s NASM post, I was able to get a discount on my CPT course and I’m happy to be able to give you a discount offer too! I spoke to Michael Golembewski and he said that if you mention my name or blog when signing up, you will receive a 10% discount. Just give him a call at 602-383-1263 or email him at Michael.Golembewski@nasm.org and don’t forget to mention Barr & Table!

Food for Thought

If you could start a new career, what would you choose?
What are your plans for the Superbowl? Which team are you rooting for?