Getting my sweat on!

It may be over 80 degrees out all this week but the best place to sweat for me is Bikram yoga!

I did it for the first time about a year ago and as hard and miserable as it truly is there is no better feeling afterward.  My mind and body both always feel amazing and when I add it in to my normal running and lifting routine I can see my body transform.  I haven't been in quite a long time so I was happy to get back into last week. 

For anyone that hasn't heard of Bikram before it is a style of yoga that is done in 90 minute sessions and consists of the same 26 moves and 2 breathing exercises repeated every time.  The kicker is that the room is heated to 105 degrees with 40% humidity!  Even just standing in the room would make you sweat so trying to stay active in it is hard, it is truly a physical and mental test.  My favorite part about it is that since your muscles are super warm it is much easier to get in a deep stretch which has helped with my running and lifting.  Also as much as I hate sweating I can tell that my skin is so much better from all of it lol!

Anyone want to know what it is like for the first time can check out this amazing article from buzzfeed!  You walk out looking like a hot mess and the first thing you need to do when you get home is lay out all of your clothes because to say they are gross would be a major understatement.  Also I usually go through 2 full water bottles while I am there and then another with an electrolyte replacement when I get home.  It def isn't for anyone but I love having it in my routine!

Plan for the tonight is to get in a 3 mile run since I am officially in training for my 10K coming up in 3 weeks and my marathon relay portion in 8. Then I am taking a normal yoga class at a new studio just a few blocks from my house that just opened last week.

I also have to share that I basically had the most amazing lunch that I am now addicted to. I have a bunch of cooked quinoa and shredded chicken in my fridge so I decided to mix it up with some hummus, feta, roasted red peppers, and artichoke hearts for an amazing filling for lettuce wraps. I love Mediterranean food and this hit the spot. It was also ice cream social day for my group so of course I partook because well my willpower is nonexistent and no one was every happy by denying themselves ice cream!

Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

In an attempt to get back into my healthy eating routine after a few weeks off I really wanted to try something new. I love love love stuffed peppers and have made them in a few different varieties over the years. This week I decided that I would try to make a Mexican stuffed pepper that would be both filling and flavorful to get me back on track. I am pretty proud of the result and it was a great use for the shredded chicken I make at the beginning of each week. You could also sub in any other meats or just take it out completely in order to make this dish veggie friendly. I didn't add any cheese to the stuffing mixture but rather choose to add it on top when I was reheating them throughout the week for my lunches; I also added a dollop of plain Greek yogurt on top for a sour cream taste with a kick of added protein. These will for sure become part of the normal dinner rotation!

 

Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

 

 

Ingredients

3-4 Bell peppers with seeds and tops removed

1 cup black beans drained and rinsed

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup corn

4 oz shredded chicken breast

1/3 cup favorite salsa

1/2 T cumin

 

Cheese, sour cream, Greek yogurt toppings optional

 

Directions

1) In a medium bowl combine beans, quinoa, corn, chicken, salsa, and cumin.  Mix completely and test for seasoning and spice level

2) Place bell peppers in baking dish and fill evenly with quinoa mixture

3) Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until peppers are softened (adding a little water to the bottom of the baking dish will also help the peppers soften while baking)

4) Enjoy!

Weekend recap!

I could not have asked for a more perfect weekend!  Since this was the first one with the BF away I knew it would be hard but my girlfriends stepped up to the plate and made every day awesome. 

On Friday I decided to keep it low key and drank some wine with some close friends and played cards against humanity.  Seriously it is the most hillarious game and it def gave me a good dose of laughter therapy!

Saturday my friends had planned on going to a wine and food festival but the weather basically demanded that we postpone the festival and soak up every ounce of sun next to the pool.  There are a few apartment pools in our area but there is only one that basically turns into a party every weekend.  It has been nicknamed ROHAB because it is the perfect bit of rehab after a long week.  Bonus there was also a super cute pomeranian pup that was running around and made instant friends with our group, dogs make everything better!!  Saturday we were there from 11-3 before we dragged ourselves inside to clean up and head to the festival.  The wine and food festival is a really cool small event where you get to try a variety of wines from all over.  It was fun to be there with such a big group!  From there we just kept the party going with some drinking games and then we headed to the bars.  It made for a long, late, and perfect summer Saturday!

 Sunday we decided to nurse out hangovers and head back to the pool for some more sun!  It was another perfect day and we couldn't pass up the opportunity since there may not be many more left.  I got a little too much color but it was so much fun none of us wanted to leave.  We capped off the night with a "family" dinner at P.F. Changs that is going to be a new Sunday tradition!

Overall it was really such an amazing weekend perfect friends, perfect wine, perfect weather, the only thing missing was the BF but I made sure he got to enjoy it from afar by sending him and obnoxious amount of pics lol!

I'm back!

So to say I have been MIA is an understatement!  So many changes have occured in the last month and I am finally at the point to get back into a new normal routine.  So what has been going on.....

Well the BF has officially moved.  Back in April he decided to attend the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business MBA program, which required an obvious move and a lot of preperation.  Both of us were excited for him to begin something so big and life changing and the actual move came up on us so quick.  The weekend before we decided to throw a huge party with everyone of our closest friends so the BF could see everyone one last time.  The party was a blast and it felt so incredible to have so many friends there with us to support him.

 

 

Even though the weeks leading up to the party were fun we were also trying to move me into my new apartment and get the BF all packed up, needless to say with work, school, packing, emotions, etc it was exhausting!  The only perk was that I think I was too dang busy to actually realize what was happening which was a good thing at the time since I didn't become a complete hot mess HA.  That Tuesday after my workday we finished packing up the Uhaul and headed out for MN. 

 

We planned on doing the whole drive at once but we actually stopped right at the Wisconsin border for a quick nap (only slept 3 hours) at about 2 am.  The whole trip took us about 16 hours and in all honesty it was miserable.  The only perk was being stuck in the car with the BF, but we both decided that when I make the move we will be paying to have my stuff shipped for me! 

Once we arrived it was all about quality time and soaking up as much of eachother as we could.  Most days we spent at the pool and nights were about exploring the city.  To be honest it was one of the best weekends we have had which was perfect, until I started to realize it was coming to an end.  Saturday night I was a total wreck, since everything was perfect I hated that I would have to leave and it would be another month before we could have that time again.  And lets just say the amount of crying in the security line of the airport for my one way flight back was a little embarrasing. 

Thankfully the BF is the most amazing man in the world and knew that leaving would be so much of a struggle.  I arrived home to the most beautiful roses and such a heartfelt card.  It really did make me realize why I loved him so much and that he will be the person to make a long distance relationship worth every minute apart.

 So where is life now.... thankfully I am only a few bottles of wine and one emotional breakdown in lol!  It has been one full week and I finally feel like I am settling into my new normal routine.  Technology is a god send and between texts, phone calls, and facetime I feel like I haven't missed a moment of his new life in MN.  My girls have also been more amazing then I could have ever imagined.  The frist few days my phone was flooded with advice, funny stories, encouragment, and care from those who are closest to me, and even a few girls I am just starting to really adore.  I knew my friends would be there but having this much support has made me realize how truly lucky I am!  Only 4 more weeks to go until I get to visit again and until then I know my girls will make everyday special.

I am trying to concentrate right now on finishing school (only 2 weeks to graduation) and getting my eating and workout routines back on schedule.  The few weeks of moving and parties left me not feeling so hot about myself so I am finally back on track and ready to get moving again.  This started as a place for me to keep myself accountable and share my food and workout routines so I plan on keeping that up from now on!