Finally A Weekend At Home

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It has been quite a while since my husband and I had a relaxing weekend to ourselves at home. For the last few weeks, we have been all over the place - from a long weekend in Chicago to a ski weekend at Boyne to a long weekend in Naples - and we are off again this weekend, to pay Detroit and our front row Pistons tickets a visit.

Traveling is a blast. But being home is, too. I tend to underrate the value of relaxation. [And having the time to actually put up some proper, recipe including blog posts will be nice...]

"It's hard to save bacon."

We kicked off the weekend with some seriously happy hearts, because we somehow managed to not eat all the bacon I made for lunch on Friday. If you have ever made a huge pan of bacon with your s/o and tried to not eat it all, you might know that it is a feat, indeed. We have now coined a catch phrase to reference things that are so awesome they are hard to let go of: "It's hard to save bacon."

For example...

Person A - Man, I don't want this trip to end!

Person B - It's hard to save bacon...

Anyway... we ended Friday night with the ever relaxing "watch a movie" ritual. We rented Gravity, which we still had not seen, and I thought it was... entertaining. I kept cheering for Shondra Bullet. Because that's how John Travolta would say her name. It's the little things...

Saturday, we hit the gym nice and early and stopped for a relaxing brunch at DeBoer's afterward. There was no changing in between, so I ate brunch as Workout Barbie.

So that's what my feet look like out of boots! 

We headed home, showered, and got ready to head to Grand Rapids. We are looking at real estate all over the place, and we wanted to check out a few places there. We didn't love anything we saw, but there are still a few contenders. Most of all, I was just thrilled to be leaving the house in shoes other than boots... thank you, Spring! Please stay.

Hey there handsome

After our appointments, we drove around Grand Rapids for a while and eventually stopped at Downtown Market. Our local meat shop recommended that we stop there, so I had already scoped it out online and was prepared to drop some serious cash on organic and grass fed ingredients.

Get in my belly

I was pretty impressed with some of the products, like this Jalapeno & Kaffir Lime Raspberry Preserves. I am currently abstaining from added sugar and any kind of bread I could even put this on, so I did not make a purchase... but if I were not under those rules, I would have grabbed it without hesitation.

Would it offend you if I called you easy?

There is also a stall that has a lot of pre-made, ready-to-cook meals. It's kind of a neat concept, that you could go there, browse their options, and grab something that you can just pop into the oven to cook. No cutting, no making sauce, no mess to clean up. 

Spices from the Spice Merchants

Another of my favorite stalls was spice merchants. I grabbed some Saugatuck Steak Rub (for the center cut sirloin we bought), as well as some caribbean jerk (for shrimp!).

Gross to me, amaze to my dad.

Also featured: An oyster bar. Dad, you would be loving this place...

On our way out of the market, we each got a smoothie from the juice station, and we drove back home to - you guessed it - relax for a while. We caught up on Modern Family and eventually decided to venture back into the world in favor of an arcade.

The couple that shoots pirates together... ugh, what rhymes with pirates?!

We played a few games at the arcade, which were really a lot more fun than I imagined. But, my favorite part of the night? 

The only picture I snapped during laser tag that actually turned out.

LASER TAG!!!!!! I have not been in ages, and I forgot how fun it is. It is also a little bit of a workout if you get into it - between sprinting, ducking, squatting, and such. It was a great 30 minutes and I am already begging my husband to take me back.

Sunday morning, we slept in and eventually got up to make breakfast. We barely made it to church, and then stopped at the grocery on the way home.

Looks gross, tastes wonderful

I relaxed in a hot tub for quite a while and consumed a peanut butter and jelly smoothie (protein powder, coconut milk, frozen raspberries, pb2, 1/3 frozen banana, a few drops of liquid stevia). I added a handful of spinach, which accounts for the brownish flavor above. 

And then some detox water (cucumber, mint, lemon)...

And we eventually got it together enough to make dinner. Center cut sirloin with avocado, jalapeno, and garlic chutney, and a side of coconut oil sauteed zucchini, yellow squash, and onions.

You're tasty and I love you

Overall, it was a good and relaxing weekend (and perhaps the last one we'll have for a while). I woke up this morning feeling extremely rested, and even opted to turn a morning walk into a sprint session with the pup.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• How do you relax? 
• What is your favorite way to spend a weekend?

Hurrs Cut & Life Lately

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I am awful about hair cuts. I have been known to go for over a year without one, because I just never want to spend the time or money on it. I have typically worn my hair long, way long, like so long that I swear it hardly matters how often I get it cut because there is no 'style' to uphold:

I typically don't do much to it. I am a big proponent of letting hair air-dry (no, it's not really an advocacy thing, I'm just lazy). Sure, I occasionally blow it dry or straighten it, but not much. That said, the intense cold this winter has caused me to do a lot more blow drying than normal (because who wants to go outside with wet hair in a polar vortex?!).

This means I damaged my hair a bit more than usual. When I started noticing split ends, I knew it was time for the hair doctor.

What on earth is my left hand doing?

I am typically the kind of person that just goes in and asks for a trim, but I figured that it was time to change it up a little, so I brought in this picture and asked for a shorter cut.

I love you Jalba.

The locks went flying and I emerged a shorter-haired woman! I can still get my hair up into a pony tail (barely), which was one of my hard requirements. Can't be baking and working with loose hair, y'know?

In other news, my life lately is a combination of totally lazy and not-so-lazy. 

Lazy? Who cares if you have a chic hair cut when you spend all day in Lululemon and Ellie? Seriously, I must always feel like I am going to the gym. The mere thought of putting jeans on is not interesting to me.

Not lazy? I've been whipping up this amazing lunch for myself pretty frequently lately. Cooked tiny shrimp, diced onion, avocado, feta, and tomato, with a dressing of olive oil, lemon, and pepper. Okay, to be honest, this is still kind of a lazy thing since my shrimp is already cooked and it takes me five minutes to do...

Lazy? Scraping the sludge off of my car with a super old Cosmo magazine found in my trunk instead of asking my husband where the ice scraper is. I am clearly a class act.

Not so lazy? Heading to a coffee shop to force myself to get some solid editing done. I forgot how nice it was to work at a coffee shop with a freshly prepared latte. Nespresso is awesome, but there is something about a coffee shop latte that boosts the experience for me.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• How often do you cut your hair?
• What are your lazy moments?
• Do you ever work in coffee shops, etc?

Travel Time

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If you know me, you know I'm not very good at staying in one place. Heck, I can't even work at the same table all day, and I end up moving around with my laptop from place to place.

This is especially true when the weather gets bad. As everyone knows, the midwest was completely slammed this winter. I am between Chicago and Michigan, and Chicago has been insanely cold, while Michigan has gotten more snow than ever. Basically, I'm stuck between a rock and a cold place.

I feel like there are two options here: take advantage of this crazy snowy winter weather, or simply just escape it.

Can't choose one? Me either. So, I'm about to do both.

My next two weekends consist of some crazy temperature and terrain swings. We are taking a ski weekend (okay, snowboard for my husband) up in Northern Michigan this weekend, and the following weekend I will be flying down to Naples, Florida for some heat.

I figure this way I can get the best of both worlds, but it does mean a mere 4 days in between to regroup and completely pack my bag with very, very different clothing. Oh, well. At least I won't have to do any laundry in between!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Do you like to experience and take advantage of the cold, or escape it?
• Are you planning any winter weather escapes? Where to? I feel like everyone I know is going to Scottsdale or Palm Springs. Both places are pretty solidly warm, so I can't blame them!

WOTDs, Muller Yogurt, and Gratefulness

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Muller Greek Yogurt Corner in Caramelized Almonds

After my long runs this week, I refueled with the yogurt Muller (by Quaker) sent me to try out. It was definitely delicious, and had just the right ratio of creamy to crunchy. This was their "Greek Corner" product (they must know I love Greek Yogurt!) in the Caramelized Almond flavor. It rings in at 220 calories, with 13 grams of protein - exactly what my body needs after a long run! You can find more info on that particular one here.

Now, the workouts!

This week was full of variety. I generally make a plan and try to stick to it, but it's fair to say that I fly by the seat of my pants fairly frequently, so things tend to take their own form as time goes on.

Half-dead Following My Fiance Around The Gym

Wednesday
9.5 Mile Run, Abs Work

I totally skipped my favorite ever Pilates class on Wednesday, but let's be honest, after a 9.5 mile run, my body was just not into it. Some of you big fancy runners out there probably could have made it happen, but my body just isn't used to doing that much work in one day, so I skipped. Instead, I followed my fiance around the gym and timed him on my phone as he did his weights exercise. What a good soon-to-be-wifey, eh? :) I also squeezed some ab exercises in there, but that was all I could handle.

Thursday
Weights Work, Full Body

I focused on my upper body routine: shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest, and upper back with free weights, then on machines. Then, moved down to abs on the ab crunch and ab rotator machines. Then, I topped it off with the leg press, leg extender, etc. You know, all those leg machines that are in a row at the gym. Whatever you call them... I did 'em.

Friday Before Ballet Burn

Friday
Ballet Burn

This was a first for me! I was cramming in a workout before mojitos and cuban food at Havana, so this class was perfect. It made me sweat, but not so much that I had to wash my hair (score). I was honestly really surprised that it was as difficult as it was! I was totally sore for two days. This being my first ever ballet workout class, I'm calling it a success!

Weights and Such for Ballet Burn Class

Saturday
8.5 Mile Run

Saturdays have sort of turned into my default long run days. I just end up with a bit of time to spare mid-day, so I've been trying to put it to good use. I was planning on making this another 9 mile run, but I started having some weird calf pain. It basically felt like my calf muscle was dead weight. So, not knowing what that meant and not wanting to injure myself, I pulled back to a walk for a few minutes to cool down and then hopped off the machine around 8.5.

During this run, I watched The Lucky One, with Zac Efron. I got through most of it but then finished it on my Tuesday run. It wasn't the best thing ever, but it was definitely emotional enough to keep me engaged during my run. Also... Zac Efron is pretty. And the kid in that movie is super cute. What's not to love, right?

Sunday
REST!

I almost didn't, but my fiance convinced me to have a rest day. I had blogger book club eating and drinking wine club that afternoon, and didn't find time to work out before it. When we got home around 5, it just seemed like a better idea to relax for a bit and then head over to Grandview Tavern for a bite to eat and a cocktail. I had a bowl of chili, a side salad that was delicious, and a vodka soda with extra lemon.


Monday
Body By Science (Weights), Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning

Monday morning, my fiance and I got up early to hit the gym for Body By Science. We do the whole routine together, taking turns so that we can both time each other (part of the workout is lifting continuously for 45seconds-2minutes).

After work, I had planned a recovery run to loosen up my muscles from Saturday. I was thinking something like a leisurely 3 mile run (not saying 3 miles is easy - just saying I had planned to do it at an easier pace), to get everything pumping and loosen up, but not put a ton of strain on my body.

Unfortunately, I got to the gym after work and realized I hadn't brought a sports bra. Who wants to do a 3 mile run in their underwire? Not me. So, I trekked home, stopped at the Green Grocer for some cilantro and avocados for dinner, and then did some Insanity. I used to do those DVDs religiously, so to speak. It was definitely hard going back to it, because my feet and lower legs weren't used to it. 

Watching "A Few Good Men" on the TV after my iPad died

Tuesday
9 Mile Run

So, the day after forgetting a sports bra, I arrived to the gym after work to find that, while I did indeed remember the bra, I had forgotten to charge my iPad. Is it a bad thing that this had me on the verge of a total melt down? I'm super workout ADHD, so the only thing that has been able to keep me on a treadmill for run longer than 3 miles is some serious on-demand entertainment. When my iPad only had 16%, I started freaking.

But then I told myself: It will last longer than you think. And, somehow, it did. I got through somewhere around 7 miles before it died and I switched to the TV attached to my treadmill, which turned into me watching one of the best parts of A Few Good Men. "These are the facts and they are undisputed." As a former pre-law-er and avid mock trial-er, gawd, I love that movie. No shame. 

Before the iPad died, though, I finished The Lucky One with Zac Effron. No tears were shed by me, but the characters sure cried a lot. Pretty sure the people around me thought I was watching a soap opera. Next, I watched an episode of The Mindy Project. The guy from Knocked Up was in it, and I find him hilarious.


Wednesday
Upper Body Weights & Pilates Class

Justin and I have plans tonight with our "Mentor" couple from pre-marital classes at church, so I'm aiming to not get sweaty this afternoon. After all, if I have to shower and get my hair wet, I'm a goner for the day (meaning I'll proceed with sopping wet hair and no makeup, looking like a cross between a five year old girl and a wet dog. lovely). 


GRATEFULNESS! 
Yesterday, I totally forgot to do my gratefulness exercise. Here goes:
 
Dear Sidewalk Snow that is Hard to Walk through,
I can feel you sneakily giving my calves a workout. Well played, winter. I probably needed that.
Love,
Carly

Workout Wednesday - WOTDs

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It's so cold out in Chicago that I'm actually blow drying my hair. This is quite an event, in that I generally do it once every month or two, simply because my hair is quite long and I'd rather spend time on other things. Oh, and there's always my irrational fear: flipping my head over to blow my dry my hair freaks me out because I feel like the girl from The Ring (Warning: Do not click that link if you're scared of her. I squealed in fright just because of my Google Image Search. Oh, the things I do for you...).



Now, #WOTDs... Ever see people posting on Instagram their "#OOTD?" Also known as Outfit Of The Day, it's an easy and awesome way to take a selfie without feeling too weird about it. So, if that's acceptable, I'm convinced #WOTD is also acceptable.

Workout. Of. The. Day. I tried to stick to my plan, but am hoping you'll call me on it if you think I've failed :)


Wednesday: 15 Minute Stairmaster & 45 Minutes Pilates
This is normally one of my "Choice" days, so I decided to try something new. My gym had a 45 minute Pilates class that I was able to make it to after work. It was amazing. The thing I love about Pilates, as opposed to Yoga, is that it rocks my core so hard that I can feel it the next day. And, on top of that, I walk out feeling like I'm floating on sunshine because the class is so calm and relaxing (despite my abs and upper legs wanting to SCREAM the whole time). I'm planning to make it back for another Pilates class today, if my schedule allows it.



Thursday: Bodypump
Ever since I first tried Bodypump, it has grown and grown on me (you'll see that I took two classes this past week). I'll be sharing more about my so-called Bridal Bootcamp later, but basically I am changing the way I do Bodypump in order to accommodate my fitness goals for my wedding in August (yes, this August!). I'm upping the weight on all of the upper body tracks and keeping the wait fairly steady on the lower body tracks. More on that over the next few weeks - stay tuned for a whole series of Bridal Bootcamp posts.

Friday: Skip
Friday is not usually a skip day. Generally, I do a Stairmaster Sprint and a 30 Minute CXWorx class on Friday mornings. But, I was actually out in the suburbs on Thursday for a special something (come back tomorrow to find out!). We didn't get back until fairly late, so I decided to ditch the workout and take a rest day. Basically, instead of working out, I drank coffee. In the dark.



Saturday: Arms, Shoulders, and Back Weights & 60 Minute Spinning Class
This day rocked my world quite literally. I started with some completely new weights workouts for Arms, Shoulders, and Back (Again... stay tuned for more info on these... I know, I'm a total tease. Get over it.). Basically, I totally 'destroyed' my upper body using weights immediately before destroying my lower body in a spinning class.

A note on spinning classes: Man, how much you trust the instructor really makes a difference in the quality of your workout. On Saturday, we had James as an instructor, whose classes I am pretty much obsessed with. He gives us a lot of information and warns us about what's coming. Mostly, I just appreciate that his class is well timed, well structured, organized, etc - so that, when he tells me to give it my all, I trust him and push myself to the limit instead of holding something back just to be safe. I walked out of that class totally red-faced and feeling like I was about to puke.

You can be sure that I followed this workout up with a delicious protein shake and lots of water. It was very necessary.




Sunday: Kundalini Yoga
After Saturday's insane workout, my body just needed to chill out. Justin and I took a Kundalini Yoga class, which was... interesting. Not my favorite thing ever, and I didn't feel particularly challenged by it (other than my challenge to not get up and walk out). Read my review in this post.

Monday: Bodypump
Yet again... Bodypump. The instructor on Monday is a different woman than the Thursday instructor, and they handle their classes slightly differently, so I enjoy going to both. The have very different energies, so to speak, so it makes both of these classes amazing yet different.





Tuesday: Full Body Weights & 35 Minute Stairmaster Sprint
This, sort of like Saturday, was pretty much an 'ultimate' day, in my opinion. I totally rocked the weights by doing an entire Body By Science routine, then alternating between lower body exercises and upper body exercises. I also didn't take any intentional breaks between machines (so, my break just consisted of the time it took me to get up, switch machines, set up my weight on the new machine, and start the next exercise), which meant that my heart rate stayed elevated pretty much the entire time.

Then, I switched to the Stairmaster Sprint workout, where I read my beloved Young Adult book, because I'm writing a young adult book, so it's kind of like research... right? At least, I'm telling myself that.

All in all, this workout took me about an hour and 20 minutes, including some time to run down to the locker room to grab my Kindle in between weights and cardio.




Wednesday: Pilates & Megan Fox's Butt Workout
I'm planning to do this after work... fingers crossed!

All in all... Cardio/Pilates, Cardio/Weights, Skip, Cardio/Weights, Yoga, Cardio/Weights. Not bad, but it's obvious that I go heavy on the days that combine cardio and weights. Those are the days I feel most accomplished with my workout.

What about you? What aspects of your workout week made you feel most accomplished?

DIY Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark

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A no-nonsense way to cure your cravings. Go ahead. Indulge yourself.

Years ago, I babysat for a family that seemed to always have a tin of chocolate bark sitting out. In between playing with the kids and loading the dishwasher, it was part of my tradition to sneak a piece. It made my night.

From the initial snap as you break off a morsel to the melting sensation as the chocolate dissolves in your mouth... sometimes something simple is hard to beat.

Especially when you add crushed peppermint on top. Which I obviously had to do.

I know what you're thinking. And no, this won't ruin your new years resolution diet. At least, not if you have self control and use the right ingredients. Here's why:

First, dark chocolate is good for you. It can cure your sweet tooth without causing a spike in your blood sugar -- which means it won't leave you high and dry thirty minutes later, which would cause you to eat more. Add to that the powerful antioxidant qualities of dark chocolate (and a laundry list of other benefits which you can read about here) and you've got yourself a good deal.

The key? Make sure you're finding dark chocolate. Most store bought barks don't use dark chocolate, and frequently companies add oils to the mixture to help keep the melted chocolate texture consistent. Those changes degrade the health benefits while adding extra calories. So, take it from me: find some dark chocolate to melt!

If you don't eat it all, this is a great treat to share. Bring it into the office and leave it out for your coworkers, or place it in a beautiful glass jar to give as a gift.

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Recipe Size: Fills one pan
Serving Size: ~2 pieces
Ingredients:

• 3 cups dark chocolate morsels (or chopped up)
• 1 cup soft peppermint - Peppermint can be in stick or small candy form, and can use soft or hard peppermint. soft peppermint is easier to break, so if you can find it, I suggest that.
• Parchment paper

Directions:

1. Line a pan (preferably a deeper pan, like a cake pan) with parchment paper. If possible, try to make sure the paper lines the sides as well. If you need to use multiple sheets to do this, go ahead.
2. Break peppermint into small, crumble size pieces. To do this, I used sticks of softer peppermint and put them inside three layers of plastic bags. Then, I placed them on a wood cutting board and used a mallet (a blunt meat tenderizer would also work) to hammer the pieces until they break into small pieces.
3. Melt chocolate in a medium or large bowl. Put the bowl in the microwave for 90 seconds, then stir before putting it back in the microwave for 15 second intervals (only do one or two of these 15 second intervals, and be sure to stir well in between). Once most of the lumps are gone after stirring, stop microwave intervals and stir until the lumps dissolve.
4. Pour melted chocolate onto the parchment paper. Spread and even out the chocolate using a large spoon.
5. Sprinkle peppermint pieces on top. If you want the pieces to be deeper in the bark, feel free to press them down with clean fingers.
6. Place in the freezer to cool until hardened. Remove from the freezer and wait an hour before breaking into small pieces.

Enjoy!
P.S. What's your favorite wintertime snack?

5 Tips For Alternative Christmas Decor

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When it comes to Christmas decorations, I'm non-traditional. So, some of you will hate this post because you swear by the red and green decor, the Santa figurines, the stuffed animal reindeer. Try not to hate me! We're all different.

When it comes to finding alternative, modern ways to decorate your home (or apartment) for a Christmas party without becoming swallowed up in the red and green, here are a few tips!

1. Globe Lights

First, purchasing interesting lights will help with the nontraditional vibe. Look for large globe lights, or the larger oval bulks. Consider stuffing a few of the lights into a mason jar (I found a blue mason jar a few months ago and it worked beautifully here).

(Large globe lights stuffed into a beautiful blue mason jar)

2. Homemade Signage

Then, to up the ante, make your own festive signage. I posted a tutorial over the past few weeks to show you how to make the sign pictured above. I'd suggest decorating with doilies, stamps, or anything you can glue on (I seriously considered Mod Podging glitter all over the place, but didn't want to end up with an obscene amount of glitter on my couch, because we all know glitter tends to spread like, well, let's go with the flu and keep it PG).

3. Framed Signage

For those of you who don't have the time to put together a homemade sign (or perhaps you can't find a good place to put it), there's also a much easier way to include special quotes or phrases. In particular, this works well for quotes that are too long to put on a sign, like lines from poems or music.

Justin and I love this line from a traditional Christian hymn, so I wrote it out and framed it. It's not exactly in the holiday spirit, but it's a good reminder to keep your thoughts on what the holiday is all about.

4. Ornament Display
Instead of displaying all of your ornaments on your tree, create a festive display on a countertop by placing a few ornaments in a small (or large!) bowl or glass. I suggest going with ornaments that are in a similar color scheme. You can work with your existing collection, or stop by Home Depot to pick up a package of ornaments in the same color family.

I put the ornaments in a thrift store bought, Kate Spade-esque bowl that was a gift from my Aunt Betsy and Unka Toby as at my housewarming party.

5. Unconventional Colors
You may have noticed as you browsed the images in this post that my color scheme for Christmas decor is somewhat unconventional. To replace the traditional red and green, I used blues, silvers, and other "cool" hues to keep things fresh. In picking these colors, I was inspired by snow and ice, by songs like "White Christmas" "Let It Snow."

I also played around with a new Christmas tree idea. For those of you who, like me, are renters and city dwellers, sometimes it's just a big hassle to get a live Christmas tree in the city, haul it to your place (or pay for it to be delivered), and then deal with disposing of it afterward. Instead, we went with a small, shiny white tree from my mother and decorated it with blue Christmas ornaments.

We also strung blue ornaments in front of the windows, to add a bit of festive flair without making things too cluttered.