Hi everyone! I know I have been away for a few days, I have been super busy! Without further ado, let me catch you all up, huh?
All you all know, I had a migraine on Tuesday and the VERY LAST thing I wanted to do was cook. But, of course I wanted to eat 
. My handsome fiance stopped and picked us up pizza from Pizzeria Regina. I got a small Puttenesca, which has artichoke hearts, black olives and fresh basil! My kind of pizza for sure!
I have to say the best part was the fresh basil, I just love the taste of fresh basil. I ate half of the small pizza.
To go with our pizza, I opened the bottle of my blueberry merlot that I bought at Nashoba Valley Winery when we went apple picking.
Adam and I each had two glasses…yum!
Cheers, to 8 months until we are husband and wife!!!
(see Oscar laying on our laps, we cannot do anything without him being involved!).
After dinner I decided to eat the last of my kickass cupcskes! 
When I realized there was caramel in the middle, I knew I had to split it with Adam, he loves that kind of thing. So, the cut it in half.
After dessert, Adam twisted my arm and I agreed we should sample some of the beers we bought at Nashoba Valley Winery. I poured the Apple Cider for me, 
and the IPA for Adam.
After tasting the apple cider, Adam and I immediately switched! I was not a fan, the IPA was much better!
Adam twisted my arm again and I changed out of sweats and headed to the Warren Tavern and had a few beers, hey Adam was on vacation and I had the next day off 
Blue Moon:
Sam Adam’s Winter:
On Wednesday morning Adam and I slept in, it felt great!!!! I knew we were going out to lunch around noon, so I didn’t want to eat a heavy breakfast. I had a banana and a Kashi pumpkin pie bar.
We had lunch around noon time at the 99 Restaurant. For an appetizer we ordered the spinach and artichoke dip (it’s our favorite!).
For my lunch I got a bowl of their chicken fiesta soup and half of a turkey club on wheat bread hole the bacon (I don’t eat pork or red meat).
The soup had a great Tex Mex flavor that you rarely find in soups, it was different and I enjoyed it. After lunch, we headed home for some QT and to catch up on TV.
Dinner was on of my favorite recipes Chicken with Lemon Spaghetti.
Step 1: Start with two boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Step 2: Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and add them to a skillet with olive oil cooking spray and pan fry them until they are thoroughly cooked.
Step 3 (not pictured): Cook 1 pound of whole wheat spaghetti according to directions.
Step 4: Squeeze the juice three lemons into a bowl.
(you want to spoon out the seeds that land in the bowl, they do not make a good addition to this dish).
Step 5: Add 2/3 of a cup of olive oil and 2/3 of a cup of grated Parmesan cheese to the lemon juice and whisk together.
Step 6 (not pictured): When pasta is finished, drain it, reserving 1 cup of the water.
Step 7: Mix together pasta, chicken, water and lemon sauce and garnish with fresh basil.
This recipe and easily be made minus the chicken for all you vegetarians out there! You can also add any veggies you want to make it more of a primavera, broccoli is awesome in this. Also, the key to it tasting so great is the fresh ingredients (fresh lemon juice and fresh basil), this is not the recipe to sub dried basil or bottled lemon juice. I love this dish because it is simple, versatile, healthy and really, really delicious!
Yesterday was spent at a high school shadowing my high school guidance counselor, Ms. Carlson. Technically, she wasn’t the counselor assigned to me in High School, but took me on anyways since I felt much more comfortable talking to her. She is actually one of the many reasons I have decided to pursue a career in School Counseling. I had a great day with her, catching up and watching her work. She is so great at her job!!!
Before I left my apt. at 6:30 am, I had a bowl of pumpkin oats!
Oats:
- 1/2 a cup of oats
- 1 cup of water
- 1/2 of a banana
Toppings:
- Pure Pumpkin
- Honey Almond Butter
- Cinnamon
- Brown Sugar
with coffee of course!
Lunch was:
Whole Wheat Tortilla with turkey, mustard and lettuce.
Soy Crisps.
After shadowing, I got home and did some tidying up around the apt and some work for my part-time job. While working I munched on some nuts.
At 5:30, I met my friend Ashley at Healthworks for Body Pump. I haven’t been in a week and a half and, oh man, have I missed it! Ashley liked it a lot too! My legs are a little tight today from the lunges!!!
After Body Pump, I met Adam at Chow Thai Cafe for dinner. We started off with the chicken satay.
We both loved the peanut dipping sauce. For my meal I ordered the Spicy Bamboo Shoots with Tofu and a side of brown rice!
It was awesome and super spicy…just like I like it We had a great meal! It was actually Adam’s first time trying Thai food. He is super picky, so he was always afraid to try it. I don’t know what made him come around, but I am GRATEFUL!!! After dinner we went home where I talked for an hour to my bestie Colin and proceeded to pass out on the couch at 8:45…OLD LADY!
This morning I got up and made a quick breakfast before being chauffeured to work (Adam was a sweetie and drove me in!).
I made toast with this new bread I have been wanting to try and finally got around to purchasing it.
I toasted two pieces and topped on with Barney Butter and the other with Apple Butter
I enjoyed my toast with a side of fresh fruit (blueberries and grapes- 2 of my top 5)
and coffee.
Today’s outfit:
Jeans (Express), White Shirt (Tommy Hilfiger), Pink Ballet Flats (forver 21).
I accessorized with these fun bracelets that were a gift from my good friend Page a few years ago.
In Other News:
I get a lot of emails from readers asking about food, fitness ans fashion tips. So I decided to post my top three tips in each category for you guys. So here goes:
Food:
- Have fun with it. Don’t be afraid to try out new things. Anyone who knows me personally will tell you I never was a “cook”, when I made my complete lifestyle overhaul, I knew that I had to experiment and try different things to keep it interesting. 99% of my favorite recipes were experiments.
- Look to others for inspiration. I love reading other healthy bloggers to see what they are cooking/eating. Sometimes something looks so good, I copy it exactly. Most times, I like to put my own spin on it.
- Use fresh ingredients. You will notice the taste is so much better which leads to your meal being more satisfying.
Fitness:
- Find something you love to do! I am a runner, I love running. For me, sometimes I would even say running is a metaphysical experience. Not to say I don’t have hard/bad/ downright miserable runs either. Try different things until you find your niche. Loving what you do makes it that much easier to get out there and do it.
- Don’t knock it until your try it! Try new things! Imagine is I said “no” to Tina when she asked me to meet her at Body Pump because I let my nerves about trying something new get in the way?!
- Loose the excuses! I could come up with a million excuses everyday about why I can’t workout (most having to do with having no time). Loose the excuses and make it a priority. You wouldn’t go a day without showering or brushing your teeth right?! Besides, how many other times in the day do you do something that is solely for your own benefit and about you?!
Fashion:
- Find your personal style. For me, I know I am a little eclectic, but mostly classic. I love mixing classic pieces with super trendy pieces. When you dress for your style and what you are comfortable in, you will always look amazing.
- Invest in good quality staples. I have no problem spending a little more for my staples (black boots, black pants, GREAT fitting jeans, crisp white oxford, ect.). They will last longer and take abuse that staples usually receive.
- Don‘t be afraid of color!!!!!! A little color can make the plainest outfit really fun! I love to add color by using accessories since they are cheaper. Try a colorful flat, bracelet or cardigan!!!
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed my tips!!1 Have a great day and see you later on today!!!
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