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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Blogging from 20,000 feet and more photos

Good morning friends! Right now i’m enjoying the one benefit to flying AirTran– free Wi-Fi in flight!
First of all, I apologize for the lack in posts this weekend but it was a busy one. Sometimes you have to step back and focus on what is in front of you versus worrying about all the other things going on. This weekend I focused on one of my best friends, Meg, all weekend! I spent Friday through Sunday celebrating her upcoming wedding. It went a little like this (pictures will be added tonight):
Friday:
My AirTran flight from LGA-ATL was delayed two hours but I was saved thanks a late lunch from the Au Bon Pain in the terminal and enjoyed grapes and a Asian Chicken Salad while I waited. In addition I finished my most recent book via iTunes and started reading this month’s Womens Health. Meg and her sister Katie picked me up at the airport around 9:30 and then we headed back to Meg’s adorable townhome in Smyrna. We stayed up chatting for the next few hours. She also treated me to a dinner of leftovers which not only answered my stomach’s roars but also introduced me to some great South Beach recipes. I posted the recipe for her crustless quiche on Saturday here.
Saturday:
After eight lovely hours of sleep, Meg and I enjoyed an hour long walk around Smyrna enjoying lots of catch up, wedding talk, and hills. We followed that with some morning tv (did you know some states like NY are delaying tax returns due to their economic sitauation?! Thanks GMA for that bit of news) and breakfast. I forgot how much I love GrapeNuts! Meg’s fridge was FILLED with amazing fruit that her sister and mom had purchased for the bachelorette weekend. Therefore we enjoyed a delicious mix of breakfast ingredients:
1/4 c GrapeNuts
1/8 c Maple Granola
1/2 c Cheerios
1/4 c Skim Milk
2 Crustless Quiche heated with some ketchup
This breakfast was perfect because it kept me full for over four hours which was needed since we were en route to Chatea Elan for her bachelorette! We headed up to Chateau Elan to meet the six other ladies who’d be celebrating with us. We were dissapointed that our villa wasn’t ready when we arrived around 1pm so decided we’d go off-site to find lunch. Just down the road we discovered a little cafe/bistro which delighted everyone’s cravings. Some girls enjoyed the fried green tomato blt while others dove into fresh, impressive salads. I wanted to make sure that I kept my eats in check since I knew tons of snacks and wine would be eaten later that day and night. I ordered the Black and Blue salad with the bleu cheese and dressing on the side so I could portion it myself. I added grilled chicken for some additional protein. This HUGE salad was only $6.95. I forget how inexpensive most things are back in Georgia!
After lunch we headed back to the resort and were able to check into our villa. The villa was perfect for the 8 girls as it had 3 bedrooms, 5 beds, and 2 bathrooms. After chatting and getting to know each other we headed over to the main house to enjoy a winery tour and tasting. We learned one very important fact- wine depends on the soil and clearly Georgia doesn’t have the best soil. We enjoyed plenty of laughs and were definintely “that group” laughing through the entire tour and honing up to the fact that we didn’t LOVE the wine. But, we had a blast none the less.

After the wine tasting histerics a few of us headed to the local Publix to pick up some snacks and wine since we didn’t purchase any at the Chateau Elan store. Four girls in a Publix with nothing but bachelorette thoughts is dangerous. Our checkout gal must have thought we were crazy as the goods included the following:
-3 bottles of wine
-hummus
-new Triscuts and Wheat Thins
-3 cheeses
-whip cream
-chocolate syrup
-Saran Wrap
🙂 What can I say? We had fun! After the outing it was time to make Meg blush as we enjoyed her good/bad gift and shower. She had a blast and we all got to know each other very well during the process! The rest of the evening was spent on random song fests, laughter, lots of wine, and then dinner back up at the main house. No bachelorette is complete without at least some inappopriate male guests. During dinner two men who had enjoyed FAR too much wine decided to break up our party by dragging their chairs over to our table and embarassing the soon to be bride. This was more than a bit annoying due to the fact that our server brought our meals out just as the men were joining the group. Therefore it was 10 minutes before any of us tasted our food and it was cold by that time. Oh well, their hilarious antics while inappropriate at times, did end up in a reward of a free bottle of Riesling for our table in addition to the complimentary champagne we enjoyed when we were seated. Not too shabby.
After dinner, Katie surprised us with her latest baking extravaganza. She worked at a bakery in Macon two years ago and since then has been quite the baking sensation! She has an amazing talent for decorating cakes in yummy chocolate. She made a delicious vanilla cake with buttercream icing which was decorated with adorable white chocolate undies and bras that she made! The other cake was chocolate cake covered and filled with chocolate ganache and then covered in chopped Reese’s cups. I kid you not! It was incredible looking but FAR too rich for my tastes. I definitely enjoyed the Reese’s cups that adorned the outside of my piece though.
Sunday:
I woke up bright and early in hopes of squeezing in a quick run before Jamie and I had to leave for the airport. One mile in I could tell that a full run was not going to happen due to dehydration. I took a note from Meghann and others and embraced this by doing a mini bootcamp. I jogged for 10 minutes and then would stop for a 5 minute power walk and then completed the following:
40 mtn climbers
15 pushups
15 lunges each side
40 mtn climbers
I repeated this circuit of run/walk/strength for 45 minutes before returning to the villa. Upon returning to the villa I joined the other girls for a delicious breafkast of fruit, bagels, and cheese. Unfortunately, the rest of the day went down hill from here. Jamie and I arrived at the airport by 12:15 which gave me 2 hours of reading before my 2:15 flight. But, my flight was delayed 3 times and then finally cancelled! I was not very pleased with the way AirTran handled the debacle either. I ended up being rebooked on the Monday 8:12 flight. Luckily, Meg and her fiance Spencer happily rescued me from the airport which just meant I had the chance to spend more time with Meg! We spent the afternoon downloading pictures and visiting Victoria’s Secret so she could exchange some of her latest gifts. I took advantage of this trip and bought some super comfy goods as well. I love their newest line! Meg and Spencer were kind enough to invite me to join them and their friends at dinner. I forgot how much I love Mellow Mushroom. Started over 20 years ago by some Georgia Tech and UGA college students, Mellow Mushroom delivers healthy and quality ingredients by way of huge salads, calzones, and pizzas. Meg and I tried to find a happy balance by sharing a garlic knot, ordering lil’ salads which are HUGE, and enjoying 1 piece of pizza each. The mini Greek salad was filled with cucumbers, tomatoes, banana peppers, mixed greens, carrots, olives, and some Feta cheese. I’ve really enjoyed asking for cheese and dressing on the side lately as it lets me portion everything myself. By 9pm we were both exhausted and fell asleep before our heads even hit the pillow!
Sorry for the long post but i’ll update with links and pictures later today once i’m able to download the pictuers to my computer. I promise I took plenty! Have a great Monday and hopefully by the time you’re reading this I will have safely arrived back in the land of rain aka NYC and hard at work.
Song of the day: Black Eyed Peas Imma Be
P.S: Has anyone seen that the weather in NYC is supposed to be amazing (60!!) this week but return to rain and wind just in time for the Half Marathon? I’m just hoping that weather.com is wrong as usual! 🙂

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Breakfast isn’t important…

*Psyche!* Remember that saying from middle school? Okay, so I finally had a catchy title though it’s 100% false!

Have you found yourself in an breakfast rut? Do you only have five minutes to eat a quick breakfast either on your commute or as your morning emails are loading? Do you enjoy a warm, comforting cup of caffeine in the morning instead of a nutritious breakfast? Have you resorted to eating bars just because you’re short on time or space?

The next few posts will be dedicated to on the go and office meal ideas, first and foremost, breakfast! Breakfast is thought of by many nutiritionists and dieticians as the most important meal of the day. Not only does it provide you with the energy to have a great and productive day, but it is also linked to many health benefits such as weight loss and improved work performance.
-lower cholesterol levels
-improved concentration
-increased strength and endurance

Okay, so now we know that breakfast is the wonder-meal but how do you make it work harder for you? The magical answer includes PROTEIN and WHOLE GRAINS! Didn’t you ever wonder why your cereal left you craving another bowl just moments after you’d finished slurping the milk? Or why the “Special K” diet only works for control freaks who can go without giving into hunger cravings. Well, the answer lies in the fact that this great weight loss cereal contains little to no fiber and protein. In addition, if you only use skim milk with it your breakfast includes no healthy fats, protein, or fiber. That is just a recipe for disaster. This same result comes from eating white flour bagels, white toast, and other “empty breakfasts.” Okay, so you have no time, I get it.  You’re too busy to worry about breakfast. You don’t want to lug a super uncool lunch box everywhere. You workout at the gym before work and can’t keep something cold. I know, there are 100 excuses because i’ve heard them all from coworkers, roommates, and even myself over the years. Below i’ve provided my favorite example for each issue.

My fridge/pantry are empty. I need something I can buy on the go!
Starbuck’s Spinach and Egg White Wrap: This truly is one of my favorites! Enjoy warm gooey goodness filled with feta and sundried tomato flavor combined with the egg white protein and whole wheat wrap. Moreover, their nutritional stats are pretty impressive too!
Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 wrap 144 grams

——————————————————————————–
Amount per Serving
——————————————————————————–
Calories 240 Calories from Fat 90
——————————————————————————-
% Daily Value *

Total Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 3.5g 18%
Cholesterol 140mg 47%
Sodium 730mg 30%
Total Carbohydrate 29g 10%
Dietary Fiber 7g 28%
Sugars 3g
Protein 13g 26%

I have to eat in the car and don’t want to stop to buy something every morning
I absolutely love overnight protein oats for a car breakfast that will keep you full for hours while also meeting your taste buds’ requests.I first saw an idea for this on Tina’s site and then Eating Bird Food. I took their recipe inspirations and have created my own mixture:
1/2 cup oatmeal (old fashioned oats)

1/2 scoop vanilla or banana protein powder
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (Almond Breeze)
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon chopped pecans
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Mix together, cover with saran wrap, refrigerate overnight, and then enjoy the next morning! Don’t forget to pack a spoon! 🙂

I don’t have access to a refrigerator or microwave
All you need to enjoy this recipe is a few minutes the night before and a lunch back with an ice pack ala middle school. This recipe can also help you save a few dollars because it’s super cheap, delicious, and packs the protein and fiber combination! I’m definitely not calling this my own as I have seen it all over the internet and blogs.
1 chobani/greek yogurt
3/4 c Kashi Go Lean
1/2 banana or 1/2 cup of other favorite fruit combination
1-2 Tbsp flax or chia seeds
Stir or layer together in your favorite Tupperware or on the go Rubbermaid container. Once again, remember to pack a spoon and ice pack. Fowl yogurt DOES not make for a good breakfast!

I hope these help, at least a bit. I know the famous oats are missing from the list but I figured that most people know the glory of oats already. If you don’t then definitely hop on over to the queen of oat’s site, Kathy’s Ode to Oats!


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