Scorecard: Lindsay 0 - Cold 2

After having a tough day yesterday I woke up expecting to feel snotty and gross but I didn't. I still have an achy body and wicked cough but other than that I am feeling good. I had to get up super early because I am leaving work a tiny bit early to catch a flight to Palm Springs. I decided after yesterday that my body needed to rest, so I took the day off from working out.

I had two breakfasts today!

Breakfast 1 - Emergency tablet, orange juice and a Theraflu packet. :) I'm not going to succumb to this cold without a fight!

I'm not going down without a fight!

Breakfast 2 - Green Monstah, oatmeal topped with some banana and honey and a sandwich thin. I was extremely hungry when I woke up so I decided to listen to my body and stuff it full of breakfast. :) 

I thought being sick lessened your appetite...not for this girl!

As the day progressed I started to lose my voice. :( I have been drinking lots of fluids such as lemon/honey water and blueberry green tea. They both are very soothing and delicious. Lunch is super boring...I am finishing up my quinoa, chicken and spinach. I added a whole wheat tortilla because I love carbs and I am starving!

I totally recommend TJ's Blueberry Green Tea! 

I feel like I am losing this battle with my cold but you can bet I will keep on medicating and trying to make the best out of the situation. Today is actually turning out to be a pretty good day less the wicked cough and sexy sick voice. 

Lastly here is the scorecard: Lindsay 0 - Cold 2. Stay tuned to see if the Cold can win 3 days in a row against me and my body...I highly doubt it. :) I feel like my attitude wins today but I have been told that I look and sound sick at least twice today...so how can I win. 

Next time you hear from me I will be in sunny Palm Spring lounging in my bikini and most likely hacking up a lung. :) 

Why Does My Body Hate Me?

Dear My Body,

Why do you hate me so much this week? I have been treating you so well. My diet, fitness and overall sleep consumption has been everything that you need to keep me healthy and thriving. I wonder what I can do to make you like me again. Right now my body and attitude wants to be achy and blah. Again why you do you hate me so much? Please cure me of my cold like symptoms before I get on the plane to Palm Springs tomorrow. I promise I will be good to you for the rest of my life.

Sincerely,
Your Humble Servant Lindsay

So this whole week I have been feeling less than 100% and puzzled as to why. I have been eating extremely healthy (check my blog posts), drinking less (alcohol), working out diligently and trying my best to get 8 hours of sleep a night. Today I woke up achy but didn't have the 4 day headache so I figured my body was just tired from the crazy treadmill workout from yesterday.

I woke up and had a Green Monstah with peanut butter and it was amazing. I also ate a small portion of oatmeal and half of a sandwhich thin with the usual suspects. I was pretty satisfied and was feeling a bit better.

I added some nuts and bananas to spice up the Oatmeal.

As lunch approached as I was excited to get out of the office but my body started telling me again that it hated me (now I had a sore throat, achy back and wicked yucky cough). I met my besties Mary and Eleana for thai food at Thai Chef. Mary and I decided to split a lunch order of Cashew Nut with Tofu. Splitting it was the perfect serving size and very easy on our wallets. But it was hard to enjoy because I was feeling a little yucky.

$5 with tip included! 

When I got back to the office my body definitely hit the point of having a full blown cold. Why?? I had a haircut at 6pm so I decided to work out at the gym to see if that helped. It did NOT help it actually made me want to curl up in the gym shower and just sit in the steam...FYI that is disgusting. My interval workout was way to intense for how was feeling but I did it anyways. See below:

15 minutes - warm-up (4.5-5.5)

 2 minutes - level 7

 2 minutes - level 5.5

Repeat those intervals x5

10 minutes - cool down (4.0-5.0)

The interval workout was definitely not a good idea but I can't wait to do it again when I am feeling better. I should have listened to my body for sure. I had to get to my hair appointment but needed to eat and go to the drug store to get all my cold medicines. I ate in my car...classy huh. :) For dinner was leftover quinoa with chicken, spinach and crackers. 

The leftovers didn't hit the spot so I headed to Safeway to get some tea and a cliff bar before I headed to get my hair did. 

I was finally full after eating a half of a chocolate mint cliff bar and my throat was feeling better after sipping on my green tea with honey. 

I got my haircut and love it because it is short and sassy just like me stay tuned for pics. My cold was kicking into full affect as I drove home and I couldn't wait to get in a hot shower and medicate myself with the goods I purchased. 

The hot shower really hit the spot! As soon as I got out of the shower I took some Emergency, Theraflu and NiteTime gel caps and I was out for the night. 

I think I learned a valuable lesson...if my body is telling me it hates me I should rest and relax instead of going full steam! I sure hope my body decides to forgive by tomorrow. 

45 Minute Treadmill Killer!

Today I woke up feeling like a zombie. I am definitely a girl that needs eight hours of sleep and last night I didn't get that.

I decided to have a shake for breakfast. I threw some spinach, frozen bananas & strawberries and almond milk in the blender and out came a delicious sweet shake. :) I didn't have to add ice because the smoothie was so thick. I also had a sandwich thin topped with some frozen banana, peanut butter and nutella. I recommend topping oatmeal and sandwich thins with frozen bananas. Check out how the banana just turns to mushy deliciousness.

Amazing mush!

For lunch I brought the quinoa salad I made last night. It turned out pretty tasty considering how simple the seasoning was. I paired my quiona with a leftover chicken tender and some sliced cucumbers.

The feta and avocado really complimented the quinoa well.

Super tasty and filling!

After finishing the workday as a human zombie I headed to the gym to try and get out of my funk. I found an awesome 45 minute treadmill workout on Carrots N Cake's blog. Check it out:

45 Minute Treadmill Killer

Minutes     Speed     Incline

0-5             4.5          1

5-7             5.5          2

7-9             5.5          3

9-11           5.5          4

11-16         5             6

16-21         6             3

21-22         5.5          2

22-23         7             2

23-24         5.5          2

24-25         7             2

25-26         5.5          2

26-27         7             2

27-29         5             8

29-31         5.2          6

31-33         5.4          4

33-35         5.6          2

35-38         6.5          2

38-40         4.5          2

40-45         4.0          1

I really enjoyed this workout. It was really tough but super rewarding in the end. I do have to tell you minutes 27-29 and 35-38 I contemplated stopping because I was exhausted. This workout is a great way to run on the treadmill because it goes by so fast. BONUS: I burned 500 calories!!!

After my workout I headed to sushi at The Tuna House. I ordered some miso soup and my regular roll The Super Nitro Roll. This roll really hit the spot!

I headed home and started to organize my clothes and outfits for Palm Springs on Thursday. :) I'm a planner. Now its time to relax and read with my Matcha Tea Latte Made Easy.

Monday Girls Night!

Monday came a little to fast this morning. :) I rolled out of bed and headed to the gym to get some cardio in. I decided to do a workout...I like to call the Circuit of Tens!

10 minutes - Treadmill on speed 6.0 inlcine 1.0
10 minutes - Stair Climber on level 10 (interval program)
10 minutes - Elliptical on level 6 (random hills)
10 minutes - Treadmill on speed 6.0 incline 1.0

I really enjoy this workout because I don't get bored! I pushed myself a lot today and I was late getting out of the gym...meaning the sweatshirt and running shoe look was going to have to do today.

For breakfast I decided to whip up the original Green Monstah and pair it with a sandwich thin topped with sunflower seed butter and slices of a frozen banana. The frozen banana is amazing you have to try it. The Green Monstah this morning was the perfect smoothie to start my day!

Original Green Monstah

2-3 handfuls of spinach
1 frozen banana
1 cup almond milk
5 ice cubes
1/2 scoop of protein powder

For lunch leftovers were on my radar. I decided to eat my leftover Thai Chicken Salad w/ Creamy Peanut Dressing from a few days ago. I just popped that delicious peanut sauce in the microwave for 30 seconds and my lunch was ready. The dressing was great after being reheated! The strawberries were the perfect dessert. 

After work Mary and I decided that our Monday needed to be spiced up so we went to happy hour at The Keg and then went and got pedicures. 

Their happy hour runs from 4-7pm and has some really great drink specials $4 wine, $3 draft beer (22 oz) and $4 well drinks. They have a decent variety of food, I tend to always stay true to the nachos because they are delish and a huge serving. I forgot to take pictures of everything. :( But believe me this is a great happy hour for everyone. 

After we finished up our drinks and food we walked over to Nails Envy Spa (a block away) to go pamper our feet with a great pedicure. Check out my blog post Pedi's & Movie Night to see my first experience at Nails Envy Spa. This time Mary and I decided to take them up on their complimentary wine...wouldn't you? 

Experiencing a little bit of heaven!

My second pedicure was even better. Highlights included: Mary and I planning our social agenda for April, learning that our chairs reclined, sipping on wine while getting a hot stone massage, being asked if we wanted refills on our wine and of course being asked if we were sisters. This place has the best sanitary practices, best staff, give lengthy massages on your legs/feet and in my opinion is the best overall value. Pedicure under $30 with tip with a glass of wine is pretty darn good. 

Our toes look smoking hot too!

After having a wonderful girls night Mary and I bid farewell to each other until Wednesday. :) I went home and decided that I was going to make a Quinoa Salad for my lunches this week. I have been hearing about how great Quinoa is so tonight I was determined to whip something up. I didn't have a recipe so I just used what was in my fridge. I came up with lemon juice, cucumber, avocado, cherry tomatoes and red onion. 

Colorful and Fresh!

1) I prepared 1 cup of Trader Joe's organic quinoa with 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. This is what you get after covering it and simmering for 15 minutes.

2) Chop the vegetables 

3) Let the quinoa cool and then add the vegetables and you are done! I put a tiny bit more lemon juice on the salad. :) Easiest recipe ever!! I will let you know how it turns out tomorrow at lunch. 

Today was a great way to get my week started. I went to bed and read a little bit more of my new addiction Shadow of the Dolls. :) So GOOD. Night all!

Breakfast Makes Everyday Better!

Let me first start off with how much I love Sunday's. It is so nice not to have to rush to start or finish anything. I wish everyday could be so carefree.

Waking up on your own is so much better than an annoying alarm. I rolled out of bed about 7am and created my best oatmeal to date. I pre-made oatmeal for the week yesterday so that was already done. I totally recommend doing this because it is a time saver. I added half a banana chopped into tiny pieces to the oatmeal, added a little almond milk and popped it in the microwave for a minute. When it was done a chopped up 3 large fresh strawberries and threw it on the oatmeal. This was to die for...so fresh and yummy! I can't wait until all my favorite fruits are in season. :)

Variety of fresh fruits is unbeatable. 

Everyone needs to try this simple oatmeal combo!

I truly believe that breakfast makes everyday better! I was so happy after consuming this large breakfast that I was motivated to do all my errands for the week before I leave for Palm Springs. Today's agenda included the following:
Create a Kick A$* Breakfast - DONE
Treat Myself to Starbucks and Read Shadow of the Dolls - DONE
I went to Starbucks with the beau to have a coffee and read the paper, work and read my amazing trashy book. We find it super relaxing to head to Starbucks or any coffee shops on Sunday and catch up and read! It might sound odd but it is one of our favorite things to do. :) I am obsessed with my book...I just can't put it down. Sometimes a girl just needs a trashy girl book to read.  I don't even feel guilty about it.
Go Shopping 
I needed to pick up a few accessories for my upcoming trip to Palm Springs. I am headed to a wedding that has events 3 days in a row. I was able to pick up all my accessories at Forever 21 for under $25. I love that store because I am a total quantity girl.
Quick & Painless Workout
Today is usually my day off but I felt motivated to do some walking. I headed into the gym and did 30 minutes of walking on the treadmill. It was a nice interval workout...the incline varied from 0-8.5. It sure got my heart rate up, sometimes walking is just so relaxing and energizing.
RELAX
The rest of the day was meant for just relaxing! I did a bit of blogging, reading and TV watching! My favorite part of Sunday's are when someone else makes me a delicious dinner. I was served chicken, squash, broccoli and tomatoes topped with goat cheese. Check out how colorful this dinner turned out!! Perfect ending to a great relaxing Sunday!

Variety makes me really happy!

Today my blog post Matcha Green Tea Latte's Made Easy was picked up by FMI Daily! Thanks to my awesome sister-in-law. I have to say it felt great!!

Pizza Gals!

Today was a busy busy day. I had a huge girls day planned with the one and only Mary! We have our first cooking class today, shopping and selling stuff back to Half Price Books on the agenda. We have been planning this day for ummm...about a month. :)

Before meeting Mary I wanted to do an easy run, eat a filling healthy breakfast and read a couple of chapters. I got my butt to the gym about 7:50am and put in 3 miles in 30 minutes, ten minute miles was just perfect today.

Warm-up - 5 minutes at level 4.0

Mile 1 - Level 5.8 at a 1.5 incline

Mile 2 - Level 6.0 at a 1.5 incline

Mile 3 - Level 6.4 at a 1.5 incline

Cool down - 5 minutes at level 4.0

I got home and showered and felt like making a Green Monstah and an egg. This breakfast was super filling and very healthy. :)

Eggs with spinach and a Green Monstah w/ strawberries!

I love this version of the Green Monstah!

Green Monstah w/ Strawberries

2 handfuls of organic spinach

1 banana (not frozen)

4 fresh strawberries

1 cup of almond milk

6 ice cubes

This Green Monstah was super fresh and light. It was more of a juice than smoothie but that was just fine with me. I love fresh stawberries!!!

After breakfast I was able to read a couple of chapters of Shadow of the Dolls. I am really loving this sequel it is pure entertainment. I had a hard time pulling myself away from it but I had to meet Mary! :)

We headed into Seattle for our cooking class and we got there super fast. So we headed to a nearby coffee shop called Zoka. It was a really happening place!! I ordered a nonfat latte and Mary ordered a spinach & cheese crossiant. The latte was great and looked very professional.

Isn't it BEAUTIFUL?

After we enjoyed some girl talk it was time for our PIZZA Cooking Class. Last year, I bought a Groupon for Mary and I from Cooks World in Seattle. The Groupon offered classes for 50% off so we ended up paying $30 each. What a DEAL!!!! The cooking class we signed up for a 3 hour long Pizza cooking class with Pizza Guy Todd. When we walked into the cooking area it was sort of like stepping right back into the 70s. :) The class size was really small which was great. Mary and I put on our aprons that of course had martini's all over them...apparently the lady at the front desk knew us to well. 

Pizza Gals Lindsay & Mary

Pizza Guy Todd started the class off with by telling us that we were going to be making pizza dough, pretzels and zeppoles! He even said we would be able to THROW the dough! :) Mary and I turned to each other and smiled...this was going to be awesome.

Meet Pizza Guy Todd!!

First we made our own dough...

Second we learned how to roll and throw the pizza dough! The goal was to make a perfect circle...as you can see below Mary and I really failed this portion of the class. I couldn't make a PERFECT circle so I opted for a heart shape crust. Mary had trouble with stretching out the dough so holes appeared. Pizza Guy Todd said to us "Kids are we done playing with the dough yet?" We heart Pizza Guy Todd and he liked us a little back!! The pizza thowing went about as good as shaping the crust. :)

Next we made our personal size pizza's! We had to roll out a new ball of dough and shape it into a small circle. Mary was able to do this no problem, I on the other hand was unable to do this without assistance...enter Pizza Guy Todd! :) Now it was time to top our pizza and put them on the pizza stone. I chose to top mine with pesto and Mary topped hers with regular pizza sauce. While we waited for our pizza's to cook Pizza Guy Todd showed us how to make calzones, breadsticks and garlic knots. Mary and I decided to sip on some wine...look at these classy cups.

Finally our pizza were ready!!!

The crust was to die for but the crust was really thick there really filling. Both of our couldn't finish our pizzas. The trick to the pizza dough is the pizza stone. :)

The perfect crust...just a little to thick!

Next we moved on to making pretzels and zeppoles! I didn't have room for the pretzels in my belly but I definitely had room for zeppoles. Zeppoles are fried pizza dough tossed in powdered sugar. They were absolutely AMAZING.

 

This was such a fun class and we learned alot! The most important thing we learned was that it's all about making the PERFECT dough. :) We left the class stuffed and headed out to walk off all the carbs we just ingested.

We headed to University Village to walk and shop. H&M was the big winner we both purchased multiple items. The Gap came in a close second...we both bought the same dress. We found the perfect summer dress in the kids section.

Here we are being AWESOME!

Next on our list was to head to Half Price Books to sell back all our old CD's, VHS's and books. I had two huge bags to sell back....and I got a whooping $11.50. He said he couldn't take most of my CD's. Apparently my taste in music isn't that wonderful. :) It felt great to get rid of all that stuff...next on my list is to go through all my clothes and declutter my apartment even more.

Today was such an amazing day...actually the best girls day in a long time.

BTW I am still full from that pizza. All I am having for dinner is a small Green Monstah, half a grapefruit and tons of water.

Totally hit the spot!

Thai Chicken Salad w/ Creamy Peanut Dressing

The one type of food that I LOVE to eat but never can cook myself is Thai food. Whenever I try to make something Thai it is obviously missing something and sometimes you can't even stomach the dish. :(

I love pretty much everything on the menu at Thai restaurants but one of my favorite appetizers are fresh rolls with creamy peanut dressing. Sometimes I want to lick the bowl clean...but somehow I always restrain myself.

When my Cooking Light magazine came this month I found a recipe called Thai Chicken Salad w/ Cream Peanut Dressing. I thought to myself....you can do this. So I decided to make it tonight as a light dinner. As I was looking at the recipe I already had all the dressing ingredients I just needed to get the chicken and salad. I decided to buy a baked chicken at the store to save me time! I couldn't find bean sprouts so I substituted a pre-cut mix of broccoli, carrots and cabbage. The recipe was really simple!!

1) Cut chicken and vegetables and place in a large bowl

2) Prepare the sauce: mix the peanut butter, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, lowfat coconut milk in a saucepan

3) Let the sauce cool and then pour the creamy peanut butter dressing over the salad and top with crushed peanuts.

4) Serve yourself a healthy portion because 3 cups is a serving size for this salad. :)







I finally was able to recreate something Thai...even if it was just the dressing. The salad is all about the dressing so I was so excited it turned out yummy. Don't be surprised if you find yourself licking the bottom of the saucepan. This is a quick and easy recipe that we satisfy any appetite.

I'm feeling a little cocky so next up I think I am going to attempt a curry that doesn't end up in my trash can!

A Little of This & A Little of That!

Yesterday I had such a productive evening. I had set some pretty aggressive goals considering I was pretty exhausted. Below is what I wanted to do:

Hit up Pilates with Sarah - CHECK

I have pushing my body pretty hard this week with cardio so this was a great change! I love Pilates because it focuses on strengthening my core and flexibility without a lot of impact on my joints...man this makes me sound old! 

Walk around Kirkland because it was beautiful outside - CHECK

After Pilates I convinced Sarah to walk around Kirkland and go shopping with me. The sun disappeared but it was still nice enough to walk around. Sarah had told me Romy's was having a 50% off everything sale, so I definitely wanted to check it out. I am so glad I did because I got a summer dress and very stylish belt for $30. As we began our walk back to our cars it of course started raining...and then pouring, typical Seattle.

Super cheap and cute dress!

Eat Something Green for Dinner - CHECK

This week I didn't plan a menu because I have been meeting up with friends for dinner/happy hour a lot. So I got home and decided to follow this motto: A Little of This A Little of That! I have tons of stuff in my fridge so I decided breakfast for dinner sounds great! I cooked up an egg with the works (spinach, onion, garlic, broccoli and feta cheese), breakfast potatoes (1 red potato, a few butternut squash piece, salt & pepper, garlic, onion and oregano) and a half of a sandwich thin with the usual suspects. 

Totally satisfying breakfast for dinner!

This book is phenomenal! It is the perfect mix of Christopher's running journey and the evolution/history of running. After reading portions of this book I was driven to go run longer distances and not worry about my pace. :) This book really made me think about improving my running form and diet. It also made me question how much money I spend on shoes because they could possibly be hindering my running and creating training setbacks. I consider any book that makes me think a winner! :) I recommend this book to everyone not just runners. If you aren't a runner you just may try it after reading this amazing book! 

  Continuing my GREEN theme with a delish Matcha Green Tea Latte!

A little of this & a little of that is a great way to spend an evening and I recommend it to anyone who feels like they are exhausted or need to spice up an evening. :) I think I finally have the reading bug again...so last night I started reading Shadow of the Dolls! It is the sequel to one of my favorite books Valley of the Dolls aka the original Sex and the City. I have been doing a lot critically acclaimed reading so it is time for me to read something that just plain entertains me. :) I will let you know how it turns out!