Tag Archives: workout

Vacation At Home

by

Some people find that having visitors is stressful, but I think it gives you a great opportunity to be a tourist in your own city.  It does help that my visitors are my (funny, easy-going) parents and they pay for everything!  When you have guests it’s like you get to take a vacation at home because they force you to view your city with fresh eyes.

Let me tell you though, vacationing at home can be exhausting! We’ve been falling into bed after 1 am every night and this post is two days in one because I just couldn’t make myself sit down at the computer before bed last night.  Even with double content I’ve got to keep this quick because otherwise it’ll be another post-1 am bedtime and my parents leave early tomorrow.

Tuesday morning started with a very unvacation-like trip to the orthodontist.  But then I took my parents to breakfast at Sweetness 7 Cafe.

S7C is a totally adorable coffee and crepes place; I plan on bringing a good book and camping out for the day eating crepes very soon.

I ordered an iced black tea,

and my parents and I split 2 crepes 3 ways.

Kiss Me I’m Irish – plain crepes with syrup and a cracked fried egg in the center.

Irish Blessing – caramelized fresh apples with melted brie.

Apparently we went Irish for breakfast, and the choice served us well.  I don’t have much experience for comparison but these are the best crepes I’ve ever had; so eggy!

After breakfast we walked a third of the loop around Delaware Park so my parents could see the Buffalos.

I continued to get my sweat on by taking advantage of their hotel gym while they got ready for the day.  30 minutes on the elliptical at random level 6.  It was amazing to have access to a tv at the gym, especially because I was the only one in there and I could control the remote.

Our next activity was a trip to the Albright Knox Gallery.

I wanted to snap a picture of practically everything, but I controlled myself and stuck to a few favorites.

The first day with a new set of retainers is always super painful so I went with a liquid lunch.

A Vega Vanilla-Almonde Shake and Go Smoothie packet that I grabbed from the co-op on a whim.  The flavor was good but not great, and this didn’t do an awesome job of sating my hunger, but I was definitely pleased with this –

And it’s just as well that I was left a bit hungry, because my best meal of the year was coming for dinner.  Don’t let the pictures fool you (why are restaurants always so darn dark?!), Scotch and Sirloin is basically a must-go!  I never would have ventured there if it hadn’t been for Groupon, but I am so glad that I crossed my fingers and bought the deal.

Adam and I split a bowl of crab bisque to start.

I also got a plate from the salad bar.

Romaine with mushrooms, artichokes, cucumber and French dressing.  Plus a slice of the best bread I’ve had since Great Harvest, super duper doughy.

For dinner my dad and I split the two best things on the menu: Fried shrimp,

and the double lobster tail with drawn butter.

Like butter dipped in butter!  We were so impressed with this meal, I can’t even tell you.  I ended up eating three fried shrimp,

most of one lobster tail,

and all of the veggies.

For dessert we ended up at a candy shop on Elmwood with an ice cream counter.

I went with Ciao Bella Gelato, a half scoop each of key lime pie and malted milk ball flavors.

Fashion note – How cute is the back of this shirt?!

I actually bought this years ago in college but it has a strange, unflattering band around the waist so I’d worn it maybe once or twice.  I can’t believe it took me so long to think of pairing it with a high-waisted skirt.

We sat outside of The Spot to eat our ice cream and I also drank a small, non-fat, iced Chai.

– – – Insert time (not enough!) to sleep. – – –

I picked my parents up bright and early this morning for breakfast at Panos.  I got the 2-2-2; french toast, sunny side up eggs, and hash browns.

I ended up eating one egg, 1 piece (1 half slice) of french toast, and all of my potatoes.  The amount of leftover food was a little annoying considering I ate exactly the portion of the 1-1-1 – from the kids’ menu – that they wouldn’t let me order.  However, after taking a bite of my dad’s blueberry pancakes I decided that Pano’s can do no wrong and a little wasted food isn’t a big deal.

Coffee #1 of the day was a tall iced coffee with skim milk from Starbucks.

Did I mention that I’m exhausted?

My parents are sleeping at our apartment tonight so I took advantage of their gym one last time before they checked out.  10 minutes of walking on the treadmill and 30 minutes on the elliptical.  I also carried both of my parents’ suitcases up our three flights of stairs and I’d like to count that as strength training!

Our big activity for the last vacation day was a long walk down Elmwood.  We stopped in to basically every store and I definitely discovered a few hidden gems.

Mid-afternoon we grabbed lunch from the Globe Market.

1/4 lb each peanut noodles and Thai vegetable salad.

Meh.  It wasn’t terrible but I’m honestly not a big fan of Globe.

Whether due to hunger or exhaustion or increased physical activity, hunger hit me hard this afternoon. We ran a bunch of random errands and during that time Adam and I split some new flavors of candy,

and I drank a chocolate milk.

Dinner at Chester’s Cajun Grill was a meal Adam and I had been looking forward to ever since we tried the Smoked Bourbon Chicken Sandwich at the Taste of Buffalo.  Of course we had to get the sandwich.

It wasn’t good!!  I can’t even tell you how said this made us.  It wasn’t terrible, but we could only rate it a 5/10 and the sandwich we tried at the festival was a 9.5/10.  I ate most of my meal but only because I was hungry; even the fries were pretty tasteless.

Thank goodness we had good company.  We ended our evening with a final trip to the Spot to sit and talk; we are going to miss my parents so much when they fly home tomorrow!  Coffee #2 – a grande, iced Americano with skim milk and two sugars – was actually consumed at 11 pm so I could make it through this post.

And I’m done; phew!

Dinner for Clean Schmucks

by

Unsurprisingly, things took longer than I expected, as they always do.  I may not have read my Nancy Drews or cooked a big dinner, but we did manage to make the house sparkle.

This afternoon I went to hot yoga, which was wonderful.  I’m not sure if it was the new timing or the fact that I skipped a bunch of workouts this week, but I did have to rest through a few poses.  And I skipped camel entirely!

Mid-cleaning, I made myself tuna salad with half a can of solid white albacore, pickle relish, and Miracle Whip.

Are you a mayo family or a Miracle Whip family??

I decided not to cook dinner and the only ingredient that couldn’t be pantried was zucchini.  Yeah I just turned pantry into a verb.  Having to eat was perfect because it meant I just needed to fill in dinner with a grain and get some fruit into my day.

Fruit came in the form of 1 serving (sipped straight from the bottle) of Bolthouse Farms Amazing Mango.

And then I ate half a slice of Buffalo chicken pizza,

with the aforementioned zucchini, which was roasted.

Dinner. 

Quick, easy, and at some point today I hit all the food groups.

My parents don’t get in until close to midnight so Adam and I are entertaining ourselves watching “Dinner for Schmucks.”  He’s never seen it before but I watched it with Camile on the first night of BlogHer!

Two Weeks Too Early

by

I want to tell you that I ate a late lunch because I had a meeting, but really this is a late lunch post because I sat for 30 minutes waiting for a meeting that’s actually not scheduled for another two weeks.  Whoops!  I think I was so excited about getting started on the study I’m participating in that I somehow missed the July 25th part of our Monday meeting.  I tell you more about the study when I know more… in 2 weeks!

Breakfast came right on time; from the taste of it blueberries are having their moment this month.

That’s two servings of cinnamon Puffins with skim milk and a big handful of blueberries.

My aunt introduced me to the cinnamon Puffin and blueberry combo and it’s pretty genius.

Eating before yoga – for me at least – was genius as well.  I know a lot of people like to practice with an empty stomach, but having a little fuel made the class a lot easier for me.  I couldn’t necessarily stay in (or even start!) all of the poses, but I didn’t have to stop to rest once!  60 minutes of 90* yoga, done and done.  As I tweeted on the walk home, I think I’m really going to like this month –

I thought I had a 2 o’clock meeting, so I took the world’s fastest shower and scurried over to campus right after yoga.  I was starving so I ate a Vanilla Almond Luna Bar on my way.

After 30 of the longest minutes of my life it occurred to me to check my e-mail and I realized I was an idiot.  A hungry idiot.  When I got home I snacked on a serving of Chip’ins with salsa while I waited for my lunch to get done in the oven.

My oven roasted lunch was worth the wait.

Green bean fries,

and corn on the cob.

My socks are officially rocked that I can make corn in the oven, the only thing keeping me from eating it every day was the fact that I hate dirtying a pot for something Adam won’t even eat with me.  Per my Google search, I slathered the naked corn cob with Smart Balance Light, secured it in a tin foil packet, and baked at 450* for 25 minutes.

I’d love to try corn on the grill, but alas, we have no grill.  How do you cook your corn?

Not So Souper

by

I waited too long to eat this afternoon and ended up crazy, ravenously hungry.  I ate two Dr. Kracker pumpkin and cheddar flat breads.

Adam and I also finished off the last of his chips and french onion dip (probably 2-3 servings each).

True Story – I poured the chip crumbles into the last of the dip and ate the mixture with a fork; it was epic.

Not the best pre-run meal, but aching belles be damned, we ran anyway.  2 miles down Elmwood in 20:40.  I may have been running 7 miles in May, but we are starting from scratch fitnesswise.  We made a loop that hit 2 miles halfway through the 2nd lap, so with our walk home we brought our total to 2.8 miles (4 miles total today).

Our dinner plan was a simple soup, so we showered and got bed-ready as soon as we got home.

I’m not gonna lie, I moved this meal up in our weekly meal plan so I could use my new mug I scored at an antique store for $1.

To fill my cute mug, Manischewitz minestrone.

I’m not gonna lie, this soup was inedible.  I undercooked it but I’m pretty sure it would have been terrible regardless.  Gag me with a spoon, literally!

After we poured dinner down the train I was ready for bed, both in dress and energy level.  All the food in the house required time to become meals and take-out was money we didn’t want to spend.  So I threw a cardigan on over my nightgown and we headed to the Co-op.  Which is how I ended up making my final walk down Elmwood (5 miles total for today!) in this –

This is my life people, some times I’m embarrassing trend-setting in the name of food.

And Adam and I ended up splitting a bagel with cream cheese for dinner.

It was perfect.  But veggies are high on tomorrow’s agenda.

Taste of Buffalo

by

It’s been a fabulous Saturday!  It’s always great spending time with the husband (he’ll have most weekends off during this section of his clerkship) but it was nice to have fun activities to do as well.

After yoga I had to shower, go to the campus library to do some printing, go to the post office, and go to the bank before I could get my hands on some food.  Thank goodness our first fun activity was the Taste of Buffalo, a food festival with offerings from all the local restaurants.

We bought 30 tickets (ie spent $15) and we’re very impressed with what we were able to get on such a cheap date. 

Buffalo natives – if you haven’t been yet please keep in mind that Adam used more than half of our tickets so my food eaten isn’t totally representative of $7.50 spent.

P.S. I need to be honest about what a fatty dork I am; I printed off the menu from the website and arrived at the festival with a circled, highlighted list –

Adam and I shared and I ended up with many fun bites.  One bite of fried cheese ravioli from Cecelia’s.

One tiny bourbon glazed shrimp from The Grill at the Dome, which was the biggest waste of money of the day.

A small glass of berry chai smoothie that Lipton was handing out for free.  This free sample was actually the 2nd best thing I had all day!

Adam and I split this smoked bourbon chicken sandwich from Chester’s Cajun grill and it was the #1 favorite for both of us.

Half of a gourmet watermelon popsicle from Sweet Melody.  This was delicious and I wish I could have downed the whole thing but it was just too drippy.

Among other things the husband also tried catfish nuggets and a huge cup of Cuban roasted pork.  We definitely discovered a few restaurants that we want to go check out.

We parked near our old apartment and walked to the fair which meant we got in a little more than 2 miles in total wandering.  It was just hot enough that stopping at The Spot for a diet pop on the walk back was pretty damn exciting.

As we talked about our favorite bites we realized that I hadn’t actually gotten all that much to eat (Adam was stuffed!), so I grabbed hot bar when we were picking up groceries.

Peak of season delicious watermelon and pineapple,

plus a random assortment of veggies.

During our downtime this afternoon I also snacked on a serving of coffee ice cream with blueberries and chocolate syrup.

You wouldn’t expect that combo to work but it totally did.

Dinner was also an expected win.

Breaded buffalo chicken – Marinate.  Roll in panko.  Bake at 350* for 38 minutes.  Eat dipped in blue cheese dressing.

Plus asparagus that we threw into the oven during the chicken’s last 20 minutes.

The chicken was taken totally over the top thanks to a sample of KC Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker’s Program.

I always forget how much marinating does for the texture of chicken, it was like butter!  The marinade itself was tasty too, a nice vinegary buffalo without an excess of spice.

For our evening entertainment we cashed in a Groupon for a Broadway light show at the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium (conveniently located on my campus).

I really don’t want to share my opinion because Adam and I actually hate most musicals, which obviously colors our review.  I will say that the show was not the most exciting hour I’ve ever spent, and Adam claims to be having Vietnam War-esque flashbacks.  The high point of the activity was that the husband and I got to say planet-AIR-ium to each other a million times.  <– don’t get it?  watch this.

Winners All Around

by

First off, congrats to the winners of my Everyday Health, My Calorie Counter giveaway –

Laura and Sharon, e-mail me (emilyhwaxATgmail.com) so we can get your books sent out.

Secondly, congrats to me!  Hot yoga was awesome and got me in a much better frame of mind.  Technically I only did “warm yoga” – a 60 minute session in a 90* room – but I was pouring so much sweat we can go ahead and call it hot (or, not).  I’m out of shape in general, and I haven’t practiced yoga in a few years, so this class was haaard.  I had to stop twice and sit in child’s pose but I still got in a great workout.

I rehydrated when I got home with a O.N.E. Coconut Water with pink guava.

I am pretty hungry, but our plans for the day are packed with foodie fun so I’m holding out on my appetite for now.  Buffalo people – if you see me at Tops Taste of Buffalo please say hi!

Grog Not Groggy

by

After my run this morning I joined my parents for an hour and a half bike ride.  I burnt the crap out of my forearms yesterday so I ended up biking in 85* weather in this –

Worth it.  We rode all around the path and over some gorgeous bridges.  I so wish I’d had my camera but I couldn’t figure out a place to put it.

We came home for a refreshing breakfast.

0% Plain Greek Gods Yogurt with a strawberry honey straw, blueberries, peach, and Great Harvest granola.

I have maybe a half serving of granola left and my heart is breaking.

Getting lunch was not my strong suit today and I will admit that I was a little cranky this afternoon.  We did do some fun things though, like explore a neat farmer’s market.

I grabbed an iced coffee from a stand at the market.

But traded iced in for hot as soon as I saw this –

Grog style coffee?!  With a little skim milk.

I swear it did taste like buttered rum!

We also traveled to the mecca.

I bought sushi (spicy and regular brown rice California rolls) for lunch but I only ate three pieces.

Yucky City, way too much (mushy) rice.  If I had been closer to the store I would have returned it but I was eating on the car ride home.

I split these Sunkist gems with my dad for dessert.

Yum City.

My grumbling tummy was very happy when dinner was served.

Side salad with peas, radishes, spicy ranch, and dill cheese curds.

Corn on the cob so tasty it blew the corn I bought in Buffalo out of the water.

And quesadilla with sautéed onions and peppers, turkey sausage, shredded chicken, and colby and sharp cheddar cheese.

With a small turtle blizzard for dessert.

I’ve been pretty well fed this vacation.  Nonetheless, I can’t wait to go home to my husband tomorrow and hear about his first week back at school!

My Abusive Relationship

by

Get ready for the tabloid post guys, because I’m about to talk about my abusive relationship with running.

Running makes my lungs feel like they’re on fire and my legs feel like jello.  Running has me questioning my sanity.  Running can make me feel lazy and worthless.  But I can’t give it up.

Sometimes I stray.  I can’t resist the call of the warm, safe couch.  I get complacent and forget about running for a while.

But running is so exciting, it always pulls me back in.  I think “this time, things will be different.”  They never are.  Running always punishes me for my lack of loyalty.  It’s my fault; think if I was faithful, running would stop hurting me.

Even during the bad times, I still love running.  There are good times.  Running can be my rock during stressful periods.  Running doesn’t ask for much, just my sneakers and a bit of time. 

When I stick with it, running makes me feel like I can do anything.  Running helps me feel the breeze against my face.  Running helps me clear my head and think.  Running makes me feel strong. 

I ran 1 mile in 9:15 this morning.  It sucked.  And I can’t wait to do it again.