"The Limos Here"

Ah, where were we?  My lovely sister, mom and I were chillen at home getting our hair done by my dear hair stylist Anton. I was so relaxed. Seriously. I was just in my own little world knowing that the day was already turning out perfect. The weather was on our side, everyone was happy, and it was MY WEDDING Day. While we were doing the final touches my gorgeous bridesmaids walked in from their hair appointment at Illusions looking fly as ever.

Later on in the day

Everyone completed their final touches, and I had the chance to finally see my hair. It was exactly what I imagined. Anton curled all my hair and then pinned half it up. I never imagined my hair being in a full updo for my wedding so this was perfect.



Let me mention, that during this time my amazing mother was completing the crudite & cheese platters. My mom prepared so many vegetables, delicious cheeses and crackers so that I wouldnt have to spend over $1000 on a cheese platter.



Soooo, during this wonderful time of getting ready, I had a surprise in store for me...

I had been under the impression we were all going to drive over to the venue in our own cars which was completely fine with me. About 25 minutes before we planned to leave I heard my dad, who had gotten home from golfing, ask my mom "When is the driver going to be here". My mom shh'd him right away.  Ooh, limo huh? Several minutes later, when I asked my mom who my wedding dress would go with - she replied back with "the limo." and looked rather disgusted with herself thinking she had let the cat out of the bag.

  About five minutes after that, my bridesmaid Megan also dropped the ball on the limo. It was a pretty hilarious sequence of events.

 

Fake Surprised!!

While us girls were getting in the limo, the guys were having their own fun back home. 

Clyde perplexed by that marriage thing.





To be continued..

 

 

 

 

 







On a Whim

Well, I am just going to come out and say it. I signed up for my first half marathon with my sister Emily. We will be running 13.1 long and weary miles this upcoming October.

Basically, our conversation went like this:
Me: Let's just DO IT!
Em: We HAVE too.

Really, this conversation lasted atleast 6 months when finally Emily pulled up the webpage and signed herself up. BAM! I knew there was no way of backing out then- or Emily may have disowned me as her sister.

It has been about a month since we signed up and we have two more to go before the big event. I am not calling it a race because I will not be racing against anyone but myself. Just thinking about calling it a race gives me terrible anxiety and all I really need to do is make sure I show up October 2nd.

Emily & I on the left relaxing.. not running. Oops.

Anyway, training has been good so far for me! I have really been pretty consistent with running except for this past weekend. Andrew's family was here from Illinois so I didnt really get in any solid runs.

At first, my mind was telling me there was no way I could bounce back after one weekend. Then, I started realizing how stupid that was! Your body doesn't completely lose fitness after a few days off. On Tuesday, I ran 6 miles no problem. Badda bing badda boom. Take that, negative thinking!

One of the best things about running long distances is how each and every day the distance you are running seems shorter and shorter. For example, a month ago, running 6 miles seemed near imposssible and now it is completely do-able for me. It is do-able AND very enjoyable.

I will have to tell you, the worst thing about running in the great outdoors is not having a bathroom near. Not going to lie, I have been hitting up restaurants, cafes, and gas stations to use their lovely facilities. Thank God for the numerous coffee shops around Portland. ;)



I do have to say the best thing about running this half marathon is the great organization all of our donations are going too!

When I first moved to Portland and started exploring, I noticed this building on Forest Avenue called the Center for Grieving Children. Since I have always felt a connection with the youngins', I can recall researching the Center on the web. The work that they do is incredible and I feel blessed that I can help any amount.

If you feel so compelled, my sister and I have started a fundraising page (Click here to visit!). Any donation is a donation and is much appreciated! Thank you so much.



Hungry Man Approved Salad

Not every day can you get your Nosh burger loving, Rogue beer drinking boyfriend to eat a salad. And truly enjoy every bite.

Tonight, I craved a salad and all I had in my produce drawer was this. Pathetic. Our fruit drawer is plentiful with these though.

Hmm, I thought. I had heard of grilling whole heads of romaine so I tried that.

It kind of just seemed awkward to me. I decided to start over which, by the way, is totally find when you are using a piece of produce that cost you 75 cents and when you are the one making up the recipe.

I decided to put some olive oil , fresh garlic and sundried tomatoes in a pan to sautee for a bit while I cut up the lettuce. Garlic makes life better. Don't you agree?

Once the lettuce was more wilted (yet still had some good CRUNCH to it) I turned off the grill and threw a couple tablespoons of crumbled blue cheese to it.

While the cheese melted slightly over the lettuce, I fried up an egg for Andrew and I. I then set up our respective plates with my lovely salad creation and an over easy egg on top. A sprinkle of this stuff  from Trader Joe's and we were good to go. The Every Day Seasoning is a
fabulous blend of spices that you can use for almost anything savory! I love it and highly reccomend it in lieu of salt and peppah.


Perfecto! A light and delicious dinner that will make anyone in your life happy. Off to relax after day one of my 9-5 job. No more waitressing for this lady...

The Best Part of Wakin' Up..

Good Morning! Today I woke up at bright and early at 6 A.M because the rest of the house, Andrew and two friends, were going to Saddleback Mountain for some snowboarding. The smell of bacon wafted into my bedroom so I obviously had to get up to see if they had made me an egg bacon sandwich. No dice.

Instead I went with a whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter. Yum.

What does that quote mean?

After my breakfast, I contemplated going back to bed but instead got some energy to walk the 2 miles to the gym! The streets were nearly empty besides all the crazy dedicated runners on the icey pavement. Bless their souls.

Once I got closer to Planet Fitness, I thought of cozying up here and people watch read the newspaper and drink a cup of hot coffee.

Instead, I trudged on through the unplowed streets to the smelly gym to get my fitness on.

Remember this post when I said that walking in the snow is a real workout? Well, today my point was driven home when I arrived at the gym completely warmed up for my workout.

I had a great lil' workout and now I am home sipping on this stuff and deciding what to do with my day. Enjoy your weekend!

Also, I must bring up the fact that it is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. This is a pretty powerful post that I read from Kailey and her honesty is amazing. If you are strugging with an eating disorder, I suggest you read this if you think you're ready to move on in your life. <3

Harder, Better, Faster Stronger: Why YOU should pick up Weights

I grew up in a house where I was lucky enough to have active parents. I remember taking long hikes on weekends, learning how to bike with my dad, and ski trips like the one below.

Fun Skiing Trip!

Whenever I see Oprah or Montel on television, it is hard to not be reminded of my Aunt Barbara intently watching TV while multi tasking babysitting and bicep curls. You could definitely say I got my passion for healthy living from my family.

Mom, Sister, Me

This is probably the reason the gym never really intimidated me. I was there all the time, it seems like, while my parents finished their cycling class or my dad played hoops with us.

When I moved to Portland and joined a new smelly gym. I did feel slightly intimidated by all the meat heads guys doing squats with 500 pounds on the bar.

awkward. Source

I knew that I had to quickly get over this because weight training is part of a healthy lifestyle. A few of the MANY benefits of a weight training program....

• Use it Or You'll LOSE IT: Muscle mass naturally decreases as you age. If you don't do anything about the lean muscle you lose, it will be replaced with fat.
• As you have strength gains, your body becomes more efficient at burning calories. As cardio helps you burn a ton of calories at one time, strength training helps your body burn calories after you have left the gym! Perfecto!
• Happier: Pumping iron has mood altering effects that keep you smilin' and confident. :)

Where to Begin?!

• Exercise Video's If you've never lifted weights before, start with a weight training exercise video in your own house! Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred is one of my favorites. Best thing about its a only 20 minutes of (sweaty) exercise. You can either buy cheap weights OR use cans of soup. Trust me, 50 reps with 2 cans seems heavy after a while..

• Feel Good, Do Good I know my best weight workouts come when I feel positive about myself. If I am feeling down or unmotivated before the gym, I pick out a cute exercise outfit and put on a little mascara so when I am pumpin' iron I feel confident!

• Have a Plan! Whenever I know its a strength workout day, I typically have some sort of routine I am going to follow. This is key to not feeling intimidated or nervous around the weights. Below is my trusty workout journal with work outs that I borrowed from Janetha, Julie, and Tina.

Have a Great Weekend!!

Passage to India

Last night Andrew and I dined at Passage to India on Wharf St. in Portland, ME.

Usually when Andrew and I go out for a nice dinner, I'll wear these bad boys.

However, when I know I am venturing out on the cobblestones that make up parts of Portland, I stick with something more manageable like my boots. I think Andrew was a little disapointed I wasn't in my sexy heels!

This restaurant is so darn cute inside. As you can see there are brick walls on the right side. I wasnt sure why but they had been painted over- the color of brick? Strange.

Each table is set with white linens and cute little (fresh) flowers. Our servers were very attentive to us and filling our water glasses which I loved!

We started with an appetizer of Naan bread. Naan is Indian flat bread that is typically cooked in a brick oven. Ours was delicious. It was served with Mango Chutney.

For our entrees, I went with the Malai Kofta. "Fresh mixed vegetables, almonds, and raisin made into a ball and cooked in a creamy sauce". Vegetables, nuts and raisins in a ball? Sure , why not?!

Andrew tried the Fish Curry. "Fresh Salty haddock sauteed and cooked with curry sauce, aromatic spices, herbs and curry leaf."

Both of our entrees were really good. Mine was definitely made with coconut milk. Coconut and curry spices happens to be the best combination ever so I was happy. However, I wouldnt say the vegetables in the kofta were fresh.

 Andrew's haddock was definitely frozen but he was still very happy with his entree.

 The portions were perfect and I loved how instead of 2 rice balls they gave us a plate in the middle to share.

I wouldnt say Passage to India is the best Indian I have had, but it is still pretty good and the service is great. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.

~~~

This morning, I woke up because boyfriend #2 was licking my face. A girls gotta sleep!!

Then, I thought of my repercussions for NOT getting up....hmm.. I am sure you can think of a few surprises that may come my way. Instantly I got up to get little Ollie fed and out the door!

 I am sure glad I did. Although, it was cold and windy..walking the cutest little pup ever in the sunshine was such a good way to start the day!

Have a relaxing Sunday!

the 30 Healthiest Ingredients

Did you read this article in Real Simple? If you havnt, you should. I know this chick-fil-a fanatic and this pug loving lady have.

I love how the last page of Real Simple has perforated index cards filled with a few recipes, exercises, and quotes all from that issue so you can keep them on your fridge or somewhere in sight rather than carry around a big ol' magazine all day.

I was really happy to see many of my favorite and every day foods made the list. How'd you do?

My all time nutrition and delicious foods:

• Black beans- Canned or dried. A bag of dried beans is dirt cheap.
• Blueberries- FROZEN. So much cheaper.
• Broccoli- FROZEN. I always add chopped brocolli to pasta or rice for nutrition.
• Edamame- FROZEN.
• Eggs- Love eggs. Glad they made the list.
• EVOO- use it on everything. Keeps my skin supple too ;)
• Mushrooms- mmm only fresh.
• Oatmeal- Love oatmeal with a bit of peanut butter mixed in.
• Oranges- Vitamin C.
• Nut Butters- SO happy they made the list!
• Skim Milk- Yep, check.
• Spinach- Spinach Smoothies! Frozen is cheap and you get way more in a bag!
• Sweet potatoes- mashed or fries.
• Whole-grain pasta- Sometimes..
• Yogurt- Often!

Andrew and I had a delicious lunch today that incorporated lots of these foods. We picked up some bread from the Portland Farmer's Market today.

Here you see: Sauteed spinach in EVOO with two over easy eggs, some sweet potato homefries, and anadama toast. So easy and delicious!

Here are some pictures of my new boyfriend Oliver. He's staying with me and Andrew this weekend so his girlfriend can have a few nights to herself-- isnt he the cutest?!

We are going out for Indian tonight! Hope you have a fabulous Saturday :)

My Little Piece of Heaven Portland, ME

All Summer, I utilized our lovely deck for morning coffee in the sun or homemade mojitos with our good friends. Sadly, ol' man winter came and ruined all chance of even seeing the deck with lots and lots of the white stuff.

Finally after months of looking out at a deck full of heavy and dirty snow I finally saw signs of those wooden rickety boards!!

It made me so happy to read my Real Simple magazine while sitting in the sun.

Real Simple makes me feel like such a suzy homemaker- I love it. It really is a great magazine.

Source

The other thing I was reading was an article in the Portland Press Herald that made me super happy. The owner of David's in Monument Square is doing an "in house biggest losers" challenge. How cool is that?! Apparently the chef wants to lose 60 pounds. I say BEST OF LUCK to them all! AND, the best part of the whole thing is that money is involved. CHA CHING.

Read the article here.

I was hoping to find a good sweet potato soup at Trader Joe's but no such luck. I bet I know someone who would enjoy this soup though.

That person is definitely this little guy. It tastes like a delicious puree of something I'd like when I was 6 months old. I have to give it to Trader Joe's though- this does have minimal ingredients and is low in cal's but the taste is off completely.

Andrew really enjoyed these granola bars from Trader Joe's though. They are a glorified candy bar basically. Thats ok though. I tried a bite and they are delicious and would be perfect for a snack.

Also, I must tell you all, I have been ecstatic all week because I GOT A NEW JOB!!! I am so excited to finally make it into the corporate world! ;)

Have a great day!

Mmmmm The East Ender

Okay, I'll be the first to admit it. Before I started blogging, I was nervous because I am pretty poor. I am definitely making rent and paying the bills, but can't always be going out to the swankiest restaurants and buying the coolest healthy products to show you guys.

So, when I do go out somewhere a little fancier than the West End Deli or Borealis for a coffee, I hope it is good and something worth writing about. The East Ender is definitely worth writing about.

The East Ender has been completely renovated  from the old Norm's East End Grill. The restaurant features two beautiful bars complete with flat screen TV's and comfortable bar stools.

I love dining somewhere where the surroundings can be a conversation starter. Look at these funky booths. Some of the tables are refurbished bowling alley lanes which actually was an argument starter for my Valentine's Day Dinner. I wanted to go bowling after our dinner but Andrew didnt. Hmph.

We started our meal with the mussels mirepoix- carrots, celery leeks, parsley, white wine, thyme.
 They were as good as mussels get. I think the best part was dipping the homemade bread in the sauce afterwards. Mmm. Andrew asked our waitress for more bread for dipping and his needs were happily met with two more slices of crusty French bread.

After so much indecisiveness on my part, we finally chose our entrees around 8:30. I couldnt decide between a burger ($10), a salad and a cup of soup (together for $10) or the pork chop ($16).

The restaurant was hopping by this point with two parties of 6, a couple deuces, and a couple parties of four. The music was tasteful and relaxing and it was so nice not to be rushed by any means to get our order in by the waitress.

After being meat-free for 40 or so days, I finally gave in to a craving for it. I ordered the Pork Chop with soldier beans, sauerkraut, and glazed carrots. Andrew went with the ny strip ($16) with sweet potato mash, pearl onions, and a "boozy shallot cream" - as it said on the menu! :)

These pictures do not do our entrees any justice.

Yum. We both couldn't stop raving about our dishes. Everything was done perfectly. The sweet potatoes were to die for and my pork chop was definitely worth the 40 day wait! This was one of the meals where we both took a bite, would look up and tell the other "oh, you HAVE to try this!" It was great.

After we finished our entrees, I ordered a coffee. The coffee is from Katahdin Speciality Coffee. It was a nice change from the Coffee by Design Coffee you get at most restaurants in Portland.

Andrew decided to get a dessert. The treat he chose was homemade apple ice cream with spiced pound cake ($6). Mmm, I am glad he decided to share a bite because it was very good!

Anyway, what I am trying to say here is that you should definitely try out The East Ender in Portland, Maine for something new and wonderful. Whether you are going all out with a delicious (and great value) meal or just grabbing a cocktail, it is a delicious, lively, and wonderful establishment!

~~~~

I need to share one of my favorite vegetarian lunches with you as of late, because it is such a wholesome and satisfying meal that you need to try.

This lunch is simply an avocado and hummus sandwich with romaine and an over easy egg on the side. Delicious and super healthy! It includes healthy fat, whole grains, and protein. My kind of lunch.

Have a relaxing Sunday.