ashleyd /

Kickstarting Cinco de Mayo and Southern Caviar

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Happy Cinco de Mayo! I knew today may include more chips and salsa than the average day so I started out the morning with a killer kickin’ workout! I’m often inspired by fellow bloggers kick boxing workouts but have always been intimidated by the moves and jumps. After hearing a few friends rave about Akin’s Cardio Kickboxing class at Equinox I decided today was the perfect day to try!  I LOVED IT! He was very friendly and took me through the moves before class started so I was more comfortable. In addition, his music was upbeat and definitely woke everyone up at the early hour of 6:30! After the hour class I was drenched through my t-shirt and already feeling my quads and arms from the punching moves, kicks, and squats.

I arrived at the office this morning greeted by Cinco de Mayo everywhere! There were emails galore about happy hour drinks
and my manager, whose roots are in Mexico, decided to treat our office to lots of this:

and…
in honor of the holiday. Our area was definitely the most popular as everyone kept sneaking in to grab a plate filled with chips and salsa. If salt intake and calories didn’t exist I could survive on chips, salsa, and guacamole alone! I love the flavors in the gourmet salsas that exist on the market today. I grew up on Tostitos salsa and chips but now I am obsessed with Green Mountain Gringo salsa and flax tortilla chips. These Trader Joes Veggie and Flaxseed chips are amazing!
I tried my best to avoid these during the day and even used a few tactics which were pretty effective:
-Keep my water bottle front and center on my desk and ensure it’s full all day long
-Enjoy my grapefruit mid morning snack and afternoon pear to keep hunger at bay
-Move the chips to different areas of our office area so they are no longer on the table next to my desk
These tactics worked quite well and I only enjoyed a plate full of chips and salsa during the day. This allowed me to feel fresh and energetic when our work happy hour started and even continue the party to the second location where we had a mini high school reunion. Bo and I had the great opportunity to catch up with five of our fellow high school alums at a local irish bar in hopes of avoiding the crazy Cinco de Mayo crowds. Yup, you read that right, Bo and I actually went to high school together.  It was great to catch up with our fellow Georgia transplants.
I’m exhausted and fully intend to do nothing besides watching The Parenthood in the vertical position on the sofa the rest of the evening! I hope you all have a great night! Tomorrow I’ll be reviewing Fitnessista’s newest lifting routine and Cheribundi! Until then, here is the next recipe from last weekend’s Diamond Derby Housewarming Party- Southern Caviar! Southern caviar has nothing to do with fish or their offspring. Instead, it’s a colorful and healthy dip that is a favorite at Southern gatherings and parties! Better yet,  it is inexpensive, fast, easy, and transports well! It was a big hit on Saturday  night and the leftovers have made the perfect salad topping!

Ingredients

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles (recommended: Ro-Tel)
  • 2 cups chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh jalapeno peppers
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 (8-ounce) bottle Italian dressing (you can use light or fat free if you prefer)
  • 1 (4-ounce) jar chopped pimentos, drained

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate mixture overnight. Serve with corn chips or veggies!

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Piles of Cardboard+Paper+Ten Hours of Work= Exhaustion

This morning Bo and I woke up bright and early ready to take on the day of unpacking and moving in. We wanted to get as much done today as possible since tomorrow will include a few hours of celebration in the morning. We’re going to Forefront Church with Lauren and Casey before a birthday brunch to celebrate Lauren’s 26th birthday. We headed over to Starbucks for coffee and breakfast since our fridge was basically empty.
After this short but gorgeous walk our day consisted of 10 hours straight of unpacking boxes, breaking them down, recycling the paper filling each box, figuring out our apartment layout, and random trips to Bed, Bath and Beyond and the Container Store.
These are the only pictures I have thus far since I can’t find my camera cord in the mess. I’ll leave you with this exciting note though. My two favorite things about the apartment are at either end of our 710 square foot home; a 80 sq foot walk in closet with California Closet design and shelving and a HUGE walk in pantry also equipped with California Closet shelving! I’m in heaven after not having a pantry for the last year!
I’m so excited for this walk in closet! I even have a shelf for my yoga mat, weights, band, and DVDs!
Hope everyone had a lovely Saturday and good luck to all the ladies running the MORE Half Marathon tomorrow in Central Park. Melissa and I ran this together last year and sweated through the 13.1 miles since it was humid and over 85 degrees! At least this year promises to be cooler. 🙂
Bo and I are curling up on the sofa with an easy dinner and the first episode of Treme. Has anyone watched it?


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A Pret Surprise and Workout Happy Hour

*Don’t forget to enter my Pearly Whites giveaway here!**
Yesterday our office was a ghost town due to multiple all day meetings taking place. This was the perfect environment for a productive Friday. In addition, yesterday’s cloudy skies made me happy that it was Friday intsead of Saturday. My ideal week is when it’s overcast Monday through Friday morning and then gorgeous Friday evening through Sunday evening. I know, that’s demanding a lot but a girl can dream can’t she.
Lauren suggested we try somewhere new for lunch since we both normally have a big salad every day. We’ve tried almost everywhere within a block or two of our office but I realized I’d never journeyed into Pret. She was craving one of their baguette sandwiches so we headed that way. The place was packed! I was immediately impressed with their salad and sandwich assortment. Pret is the perfect lunch spot for people who want quick combination options to go. For example, their sandwiches are all offered in full or half portions and they have both large and small salad options. I quickly chose the beautiful tuna nicoise salad as I was craving something a little different.
It was even more gorgeous when I opened it back at the office. My lovingly handmade salad was absolutely divine and the fresh cucumber and olive flavors blended with the egg and tuna perfectly. I loved that the lettuce base was arugula which provided a peppery flavor combination. This hearty salad packed a whopping 30 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, and 310 calories. The lemon shallot dressing I chose to top the salad had a great rich flavor that highlighted the freshness of the salad. I only needed 1/4 of the container since the salad’s flavors and freshness stood wonderfully alone.
Unfortunately, my soup choice was not quite as delicious. I was intrigued by their miso soup and decided to try it instead of their chicken soup. However, my medium miso soup included ONE measley piece of tofu and maybe four pieces of kale. It was an utter failuer and left me immediately regretting my choice.
I only had three sips before pouring the rest down the drain. Luckily I had a bag of Baked Lays in my desk drawer that were able to jump in as a perfect backup.
Bo and I decided to meet at Equinox after work since we’d set the alarm clock for PM versus AM that morning. We thought it’d be fun to take their Body Conditioning class together before staying for half of a spin class to ensure we had a great Friday workout before our date night. We both rushed from work to make it in time for the class only to find a room packed to the gills! I forgot how much room step platforms and weight equipment takes up in a studio. I’ve become accustomed to group yoga classes which only have a mat and block as tools. I have mentioned on Twitter and the blog lately how much i’ve been missing Body Pump. Since I thought this would be very similar to Body Pump I fought the urge to leave and made myself a spot. The class was described as:
Informed by the latest findings in exercise science and functional exercises, instructors focus on strengthening and fine-tuning major muscle groups. This cutting-edge workout makes use of various equipment.

Carl was a hilarious instructor who kept the class interesting and the music flowing. His attitude was light hearted and he wanted to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves since after all it was a Friday night. The class was not Body Pump but it was cutting edge and focused the majority of the time on my “trouble areas” of arms and thighs. I enjoyed the class and will most likely make it a weekly addition. His spin class directly following was VERY intense filled with climbs and sprint intervals. At the thirty minute mark my thighs were screaming and I was more than elated to head out since Bo and I had to shower before our dinner reservations. Overall, we both LOVED working out together on a Friday night. It was a great way to start the evening, refresh our energy which is often drained after a long Friday, and feel relaxed and happy before going out!

Our surprise date night post will come later this afternoon, after our spur of the moment long run is completed. We just found out that the leasing office will be showing OUR apartment ALL day today since we’re the only apartment available with a May 1 lease that offers a balcony. Lovely. Glad we cleaned this morning. Hmmph! The bears ARE NOT HAPPY with this sudden change of plans. Oh well, long run here I come!


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