My extra-long 6-day wknd was full of sun, food, friends and walking.  It was a blast!  I was sporatic with taking photos…and don’t want this to be a crazy long post, so will just share some of my wknd eats.  Also, check out my post from Sunday in Maryland… for more on the wknd.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries– room service thoughtfulness by my amazing bf

Coffee with the Prez

Walked around Georgetown

Memorials on Memorial Day

Drinks and Restaurants

More carbs

More memorials

A wedding

And even more carbs!

And luckily, a few veggies thrown in for good measure

I left out a day in New Jersey, my first “real” visit to Deleware, and a bunch of other things, but figured this was getting way too long!

It was really nice to go back to DC.  I went to college there so walking around was such dejavu most of the time.  Plus, seeing the memorials never gets old to me.   And I was able to see a few old friends and met a few new friends.

I can’t believe I ate 3 bagels in 4 days, lol! Better slow down on the carbs for the rest of the month week.

The past few days at home, I’m still playing catch up.  I wasn’t gone that long, but came back to a lot of work and a lot of life stuff.  Good thing it’s already Thursday!

– Did you go to college in a big city or small town?
– How often do you go back to see your old school?
– Do most of your friends live closeby or out of state?

Plus a dog walk.

My fridge is full for once! Went on a big grocery shop earlier this week.

Breakfast:I had rice krispies w almond milk and strawberries for breakfast. A cup of coffee with it, of course.

Hit the spot.

Then, I packed lunch and snacks.

Lunch: spinach with red peppers and an egg plus a Greek yogurt.
Snacks: Apple and pure bar.

I kept the pure bar in the work fridge until I ate it- I think I like them much better cold. Anyone else?

Before work, Charlie and I took a walk. He was super happy. I was half asleep.

On the walk, an older man (late 80s?) was walking in front of us and tripped and fell head first onto the sidewalk. He was okay, but i felt so badly for him.

When we’re “young,” we often take our steadiness and ability to walk down the street without pain for granted. We’re often so caught up in how fast we ran or how slow something is moving, but–Sometimes, we forget to appreciate the little things (like just being able to walk).

Agree?

–Are you good at appreciating the little things?

AGGGGG…..still having computer issues all day.  Fingers crossed though, it’s (finally) back up and running.  Thank goodness.

Never too late for a What I Ate Wednesday Post though, right?  These are my eats yesterday (Tuesday) and I ate a ton of junk.  The day started with a ridiculously early (4am wake up call (1am cali time), 6 am departure) flight from Newark.  I got back home mid-morning California time and was in that post-trip energy-and-exhausting high before I crashed HARD at like 7pm, lol.  So my eats are not normal to say the least.

Don’t forget to visit Jenn for more WIAW posts!

Early start to the day.  5am at the airport (that’s 2am Cali time by the way!).  I ate 4 unpictured Dunkin Donuts munchkins on the way over (holy deliciousness!)– no photo, it was too dark in the car.

I fell asleep immediately.  But woke up two hours later for my (2nd breakfast?) NEW YORK BAGEL! with butter.  It’s such a treat to get a real NY bagel…they really do taste different than our Cali ones.

I got some coffee when the drink cart pulled around.  It tasted terrible, but no surprise.

We landed at 9am Cali time….and I got to my parents house around 10am to hang out there for a while (they live close to the airport).  Since I had been up since 1am Cali time (if that makes sense), I was hungry again.   For lunch? A snack? I had no idea.  I was in total sleep deprived jet lag mode.  And my parents weren’t home, but regardless, it’s always fun to raid their fridge.

Stated with a  cup of coffee and a big bowl of cherries

I was still hungry less than an hour later, so I had some (much-needed) protein.

Turkey and parmesan cheese.  Added a couple crackers after the photo was taken.

Did errands, caught up on things, etc etc.

Best part about raiding their fridge?  Ice cream.  I had a big bowl for an afternoon snack. 

Lemon with ginger snaps.  Really good!  Unique, but I like it.

I got home, took a long walk with the dog, tried to unpack but was very unsuccessful.  I wasn’t hungry, but was exhausted (so out of it with the timing stuff….technically I had been awake since 1am california time) and so I snacked– 3 marshmallows, a piece of toast, a hershey kiss, and a hardboiled egg…..all unpictured ’cause I was a little delirious at that point.

And fell asleep at 7:30pm!  I don’t usually get jet lag, but I think the weekend time changes totally got to me.

Okay, weird day.  Need to eat healthy!  I have to say, I’m not so happy with how I look in the photos so need to do a better job at taking care of my body.

– Would you rather have a morning or night flight?
– Do you lose your appetite or get hungrier what you’re tired?

–

I’m baaaack!  It was a great and busy weekend.  I was in four states (MD, VA, DE, and NJ) plus DC in only 4 days!  But I love busy weekends so it was a ton of fun.

We flew back ridiculously early this morning (aka, 6am departure east coast time….meaning I woke up at 1am California time), so I’m so out of it today that I decided to take another day off work to do the post-travel stuff like go to the grocery store.

I wanted to have a photo recap (mostly of the yummy food i ate), but my computer is acting up, so it will have to wait until Thursday.  All I can say though is…my small portions thing didn’t really work.  I ate a lot…and it was all worth it!

More on Thursday…..

How was your weekend?  Having trouble being back at work after a long weekend?

Hey! Just popping in to say hi. It’s been a fun and busy weekend so far with lots of walking and lots of heat (yay the thunderstorms stayed away!)

Today, we’re in Maryland- went hiking in the morning and it was SO pretty, I just had to share it with you. East coast hiking/woods are so different than what we have in Cali.

We hiked a little over 4 miles before we had to come back.

And after the hike, out for brunch! Veggie omelet and delicious berries

Yum! Now time to get ready for tonight’s wedding…

I love Maryland so much- If I didn’t live in Cali, this would be my first choice place to move.

–You? Where would you live if you couldn’t live in your City or State?

Yay, we can wear white again!!!!! It’s summer!! Happy Memorial Day wknd! Hope you are eating lots of watermelon and hanging out in sun.

I get to spend my Memorial Day wknd in Washington DC, so will hopefully be feeling extra patriotic. My healthy intention of the weekend is to eat small portions (of whatever I want). It’s easy to indulge on a busy, traveling holiday weekend and focusing on small portions will help me stay on track.

Because I love fun facts on holidays, here are some Memorial Day Fun Facts to share

photo source

1. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day
Union women used to decorate the graves of soldiers with flowers.

2. The red poppy is a traditional symbol of Memorial Day (many veterans still wear them to mark the day).

3. Americans have observed Memorial Day since 1868 (after the Civil War), but it wasn’t made a national holiday until 1971. In 1971, Congress declared the celebrations to take place on the last Monday in May. Before that, different states celebrated on different days.

4. And about BBQs (of course! It’s memorial day!) Here’s how the main dish ranks bbq-wise– Americans make hamburgers 87% of the time, steak 83%, chicken 78%, and hot dogs at 76%. What about the veggie eats?

5. Monday (Memorial Day) is also National Hamburger Day.

So enjoy! Eat a burger this weekend! And thank a vetran too.

Happy Memorial Day!
– What are you up to this weekend?
– If you’re grilling, what are you planning to make?

My long weekend begins! When you’re reading this, I’m likely flying over the midwest somewhere….hopefully asleep or reading a magazine.

But on to more interesting things….. Thursday Things: Here are 5 Things I’m Loving Lately:

1. Yoga– my love! you’re back!
Okay, so it’s only been two weeks back after my long hiatus, but I’m really enjoying my new Monday night class. It’s a little late in the evening and I may or may not have fallen asleep during shavasana this week, but yoga’s amazing and I feel so much happier and relaxed afterwards.

2. Waking Up Early on Weekends
Weird thing to love, I know. The past few weekends, I’ve woken up at 6:30am every day. It’s actually been really nice because I can make the weekend days feel so much longer and get so much done. It was extra helpful in my recent sunday-only-wknd.

3. Mint Oreos.
Thank you, Jared, for introducing me to the best invention ever. No, these are not healthy. Yes, they are delicious.

4. Sunsets.
They have been so pretty lately. (This one taken froma deck at a friend’s house)

5. These Quotes
—The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. -William Arthur Ward

– Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

–When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. -Patanjali

Okay, your turn!

– What are some things you’re loving lately?
– Anyone else playing hookey for an extra long memorial day wknd? – Favorite quotes?

Today’s my Friday! I’m leaving Thursday for a super long 6-day “weekend.” We’re going to DC for a wedding and then up to New Jersey. I’m excited- I went to college in DC and it still feels like my second home, even though I haven’t been back for a while. Only problem– forecast calls for Thunderstorms every single day. Fingers crossed it changes.

Happy for another What I Ate Wednesday too! Visit Jenn’s page for more fun posts.

Here are my eats from Tuesday:

Morning exercise: The day started off with a mile long swim! I usually don’t count my laps and just swim for a specific amount of time (usually 30 mins, sometimes 45), but today I counted so I could make sure to go a whole mile. It felt great!

Breakfast was post-swim, eaten at Starbucks. Coffee with soy, an enormous banana, and a greek cobani yogurt with a spoonful of jam.

Lunch was raw swiss chard for a salad, topped with half of a leftover stuffed pepper that I was too full to eat at dinner the night before. Hit the spot. I heart leftovers.

Snacks: Juicy watermelon.

And my favorite snack lately– a version of chocolate milk: unsweetened cocoa powder, unsweetened almond milk and a spoonful of sugar, all whipped up in a blender. It’s not as chocolatey as the real thing, but does the trick when I am craving chocolate or sweets.

And dinner was a veggie plate with Swiss Chard, zucchini, and a carrot. Plus an egg topped with nutritional yeast on the side.

Hope your day is going well!

–What’s your favorite summertime food?
–What’s your favorite snack lately? I need new ideas to bring to work!

Last night, I made Stuffed Peppers for the first time. I love that they’re a one-stop-shop for a meal. You get your protein, carbs, and veggies all in one dish!

I made a variation of this recipe, which is a mix of couscous, meat, cinammon, tomato sauce and other yummy things. Among other things, I added kale, carrots, and more peppers to the insides. I used red, orange, and yellow peppers instead of green. I used grass fed beef. And I didn’t add the onions.

Result? Not bad. Not bad at all. They were good. Savory with a touch of sweet. And very, very filling. Couldn’t finish one. Also, aside from the long 45 minutes in the oven, the prep work was fairly quick and easy.
Next time, I’ll vary what I put inside a little bit more. But otherwise, makes a colorful meal!

Someone else got a good dinner too. It was Charlie’s birthday weekend

I made him a mini-grass-fed-beef-burger. He loved it, of course. And ate it in T-minus-3 seconds.

Yes, I ended up cutting it up more so he didn’t choke

He also got doggie-cupcake treats from the bakery that he shared with his dog friends. How cute are these?

Yes, I spoil my dog a little bit. I enjoy it. And the puppy kisses at the end of every day make it more than worth it.

– Dogs– Feed them human food or only dog food?
– Stuffed Peppers- What’s your filling suggestions?

Hey!

Who watched the eclipse last night?   I heard it was most visible from the West Coast, so I was excited to see it.  The peak was supposedly at 6:33pm…..so around that time, we went up to my roof.

Looks neat in the this photo, but I think we might have been too early and missed the real peak.  It got darker, but I couldn’t see the full covering.  After 10 minutes or so of staring at the sun, we were getting hungry so went downstairs to continue the evening.  BUT- I saw a bunch of friends’ photos of the eclipse on facebook today and it looked so neat!

Otherwise, the weekend felt short.  I worked all day Saturday (led a volunteer event with 200 girls aged 5-10 years…..totally exhausting! but they were adorable) so Sunday was my only catch-up time.  Luckily, the weather was gorgeous and so I spent plenty of time outside.

This weekend, I:

drank green smoothies.  I took a little green smoothie hiatus the last couple weeks, so am happy to have them back in my life!

ate watermelon.  charlie wanted some too.  it was his birthday this weekend- happy 3rd birthday to my favorite furball.

went to the bakery for cupcakes.  so hard to choose!

and spent quality time in the park and out and about with these guys

Plus a lot of unpictured stuff like, saw a Tom Petty Cover Band (fun!), went out to dinner for date-night, tried a new recipe for stuffed peppers, went running, worked on projects, watched the finale of Hawaii-50 (enyone else like this show?), and got my hair cut.

Enjoy your Monday!

– Who watched the Eclipse? And what did you see?
– What kind of cupcake would you choose?  Choc & PB, Choc & Mint, PB&Jelly, Double Chocolate, Vanilla, or Red Velvet?