A Homemade Thursday

Sometimes, in the midst of a crazy week, nothing feels as good as a comfortable but cute outfit, yoga, and homemade food.

I enjoyed a homemade breakfast for the first time in ages since I took today as a rest day.

IMG_2708 (640x478) IMG_2711 (640x478) I enjoyed fresh strawberries with a side of Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat toast and egg whites. I microwaved the egg whites then topped them with mild salsa.

The few extra minutes to get ready meant that I could also try a new outfit combination and have time to change four times!

IMG_2712 (478x640) Unfortunately, my husband couldn’t take the time to take a non-akward picture. Oh well, regardless I was able to switch this skirt up by pairing it with a different top, shoes, and belt.

My work day was a complete blur since I started the morning in meetings at Macy’s and then ended the day in meetings back at the office. While I was sitting in meetings, poor little Justin Bieber was getting beat up by a crazy masked man.

Justin Bieber's crazed middle-aged fan was taken into custody and issued a summons for disorderly conduct Thursday afternoon.

By the end of the day, I felt about the same way this Bieber fan felt after waiting outside Macy’s Herald Square for two days straight.

Luckily, I had this lovely site waiting for me at home.

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After a 20 minutes  of shoulder opening yoga poses, I headed into the kitchen to whip up a homemade dinner. It’s been a long week for both of us and we agreed that even though takeout or delivery is easy, nothing tastes as delicious as homemade.

IMG_2713 (640x478) IMG_2715 (640x478) I was able to repeat Sunday’s beet and arugula salad with the leftovers in the fridge while Bo prepared lemon and garlic sautéed spinach and sautéed mushrooms. The main dish was Trader Joe’s chicken patties. These are seriously one of our favorite Trader Joe items. They are perfectly seasoned, our perfect cooked in a pan or grilled, and are healthy!

Now, it’s time to relax and let go with Hall Pass. Hopefully it’s good for a few laughs.

What is your favorite Trader Joe’s item?

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Beer Bottle Vases and Wine Dates

I’d love to start this post off with a Happy Thursday, as you all would expect, but I can’t really do that. What I can focus on is that the week is finally looking up.

This week has been a tough week and some people have noticed it. I’ve had a few not so happy tweets lately and I haven’t been blogging more than once a day.

imageLast night, Bo and I cancelled our weekly movie date night because of my rough day. Somehow I don’t think red teary eyes and an exhausted girl make for a sexy date. But, since we chose to come home, I was greeted by an amazing flower delivery, compliments of Melissa. She saw that I was having a rough day and spread some joy.

IMG_2605 (640x478) IMG_2604 (478x640) I know, we’re classy with our beer bottle vases. Clearly I need to buy this as soon as possible since our Simon Pearce registry was never completed.

The rest of my evening can be described by this picture.

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Which in turn, is one of the reasons why I slept until 8:15 this morning and clearly missed my Central Park run. Oh, that and the fact that I can barely sit down after yesterday’s intense ViPR workout with my personal trainer.

But, a wine induced sleep was exactly what I needed, because my outlook today was far better than yesterdays.

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I brightened everyone’s day by wearing a smile and bright colors all day in our very stressed out office.

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IMG_2616 (478x640) Somehow these are the two pictures Bo took this morning before work. Neither are perfect but the outfit has quickly become one of my favorite summer go to work outfits! It’s comfortable, bright, and fun! (The sweater and skirt are both from Anthropologie this year.)

I stuck with my normal breakfast and lunch since I know that stress can easily lead to unhealthy habits.

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I made time for the yoga mat tonight with another installment of Yoga for Runners from Yoga Download.

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It felt wonderful but I couldn’t help wishing that I was doing yoga in Bermuda again. Was that trip really only two weeks ago?

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I may have also had a second date with my wine glass. I mean after all, this is a health and wellness blog and wine has been found to have great health benefits, right?

The health benefits of red wine are plentiful: it has powerful antioxidant properties that are derived from the red pigments in grape skins (members of a family of compounds called proanthocyanidins); it contains tannins that can help reduce the risk of heart attack by hindering the formation of blood clots; and studies have shown that red wine can raise levels of HDL, the protective form of cholesterol.

Question: How is your week going thus far? What are you looking forward to this weekend?

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New Discovery: Yoga Download Shoulder Opener

 

Happy Tuesday!

Unfortunately, today was the second Tuesday in a row that work has kept me from my favorite class at Equinox.

IMG_2599 (640x478) But, unlike the past, I didn’t let a stressful day keep me from my yoga dreams.

IMG_2597 (640x478) I came home, rolled out my pink yoga mat, lit my favorite new candle, and searched iTunes for some yoga videos.

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Luckily, I found that Yoga Download has a free podcast which means I can enjoy 20 minute guided workouts for free! Each podcast also features an easy to print yoga pose guide. Just search Yoga Download on iTunes for over 40 free podcasts!

IMG_2601 (640x478) After a long day at the office and sitting in front of the computer, I chose the Yoga Download: Shoulder Opener #1  podcast.

It was the perfect mix of relaxing poses like the above and challenging plank and thread the needles poses.

image I can’t say enough wonderful things about these wonderful 20 minute sessions. They are free, easy to follow, can be done in the comfort of your own home, and leave me feeling relaxed and ready to conquer a homemade dinner!

Tonight’s dinner was another healthy and easy dinner inspired by Theodora’s pasta bowls: whole wheat pasta+vegetables+protein. In less than 15 minutes we whipped up a delicious dinner that was a nice change from our usual takeout or chicken and vegetables.

IMG_2596 (640x478) Tonight’s mix included spinach with garlic, white wheat rottini pasta, chicken meatballs, and vegetable primavera.

What is your favorite easy dinner combination?

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