I Love Brunch

Today I woke up motivated to get my sweat on. My breakfast on the run included one my favorite blueberry muffins and a jug of water. :) I decided to head to the gym and do the workout I love to hate the 45 Minute Treadmill Scorcher. I decided to try this workout without headphones and the verdict was it wasn't that bad. I thought I would be miserable because this workout is so tough but surprisingly I enjoyed the challenge. I think I am almost on the no headphones bandwagon. :)

After my tough workout I had to get ready in a hurry because I had a brunch date with some friends at Le Grand Bistro in Kirkland. I had never been here but I was excited because brunch is my favorite weekend thing to do. I decided to order a Croque Madame sandwich (egg over medium) paired with a delicious spicy bloody mary. :)

Look at that spread...the french fries were the perfect side, the salad had a lovely vinegarette on it and the Croque Madame was simply delightful. The gruyere cheese was so creamy, the ham was moist and the egg was cooked to my liking (not to runny)! It was a heavy meal but so tasty...this restaurant is great. I give this restaurant two thumbs up...the service, food, view and atmosphere was really superb.

I'm not sure why I enjoy brunch so much but I do. I think its because I never make great breakfasts they are usually a little boring...so whenever I get to do brunch I go crazy because there are so many unique options. I love brunch and I don't think anything can come between us. :)

Straw-Ella & Mandatory Friend Time

Last night, I planned my social calendar for the week and I feel totally excited about each day this week. I love weeks when everyone's schedule works with mine.  
This morning I guess I was moving little slower then normal because I looked at the clock and panicked because I had less than 5 minutes to enjoy my breakfast. I think it is because I didn't prep my lunch the night before. That is a huge time saver... apparently. :) The menu for breakfast included an amazing strawberry, banana and nutella protein shake paired with a sandwich thin with the usual suspects (bananas, nutella and peanut butter). I like to call this shake the Straw-Ella, because I have unhealthy obsessions with both nutella and Rhianna . :)
Straw-Ella
1/2 of a banana
1 tablespoon of nutella
4-5 strawberries
8 ounces of fat free milk ( I am out of almond milk) :(
1 scoop of protein powder
Blend it and you have the perfect Straw-Ella it tastes even better when you are jamming to Rhianna in the background. 

If I didn't live alone I would have had someone snap of picture of the dancing. 

Today I was excited because I had scheduled a coffee date with one of my favorite people....Eleana. We decided to meet halfway between our offices at a Starbucks. I was so excited to see her baby bump. The bump mysteriously appeared in the last week!! She looked so cute. We had so much fun catching up and made a pack that we would try and do this once a week. I think coffee dates with friends that you don't work with should be MANDATORY at least once a week because it is such a great break from the workplace! 

I missed my morning snack today so I was really ready for lunch. I packed a sandwich thin topped with a meatless patty and colby jack cheese for my main course. On the side I had some orange bell peppers and grapes (the portion below is for two days). :) This sandwich was oozing with cheese and really made my heart happy! 

My NEW favorite lunch fad!

I was really looking forward to the gym because I am busting out the 45 Minute Scorcher before my dinner date with Tiana & Matt. I was planning on over eating at dinner tonight so I worked  my tail off. This workout was even better the second time. I attribute that to pushing myself harder the second time. :)

Unfortunately Tiana had to cancel last minute but Matt and I still met at Thai Ginger for a quick dinner. It was fun catching up but we both were starving so we ordered right away. I love Thai Ginger's Vegetable Curry and was so excited for it to be in my belly.

This curry is to die for!

Dinner was so delish and I have just enough for lunch tomorrow. YES!!! This curry has the best variety of vegetables that I have every found and is the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. I totally recommend this dish! Dinner was short and sweet because I wanted to get home and get organized for tomorrow. I am working out early in the morning so I needed to prep breakfast and lunch for tomorrow.

Today I realized that I need MANDATORY Friend Time multiple times a week. I need at least one coffee date, one happy hour date and one workout date in order to have a great week. Watch out friends I will be contacting you ASAP in order to fill my mandatory friend time!!

The 45 Minute Scorcher!

Today I woke up feeling like a needed to change up my day. I decided to workout after work and sleep a little longer!

I had my typical breakfast of oatmeal and a sandwich thin that hit the spot! As I headed into work, I decided that I needed to find a new elliptical workout that really makes me work. I found the perfect workout on Shape.com. It is called "The 45 Minute Scorcher." All day I was really excited to try this workout because sometimes I just don't push myself hard enough when using an elliptical.

I left work right at 4:00pm and jetted to the gym. I have to tell you "The 45 Minute Scorcher," is awesome! The great thing about this workout is that you can also apply it to a treadmill or bike workout. I have never had 45 minutes go by so fast, I did make a couple adjustments by increasing the resistance in the middle of the workout. But other than that I am going to keep this workout handy for whenever I feel like I have gotten in a workout funk.

After my workout I headed home to make a Corn & Shrimp Chowder that I had found in my Cooking Light Cookbook. Again this recipe turned out to be idiot proof and delish. I didn't have scallions but I did have a yellow onion, so I chopped up half and added it to the chowder. I imagine that the scallions would give the chowder an even better taste. I served my corn & shrimp chowder with a half of a sandwhich thin that had a tiny bit of butter and garlic powder on it. This dish was surprisingly filling, I didn't even have a full serving size. :)

Again I was feeling a bit unsatisfied so I ate the other half of my apple from yesterday with a tiny bit of peanut butter. Yummo! Now its time to try and read "Born to Run," I really want to finish this book this week. It is so good, but I have just been to exhausted to read when I finally get into bed.

Today was again another productive day! :) I am so excited for tomorrow because I am having a girls night at a really nice restaurant, The Barking Frog. The catch is that the Barking Frog is part of Dine Around Seattle, which is where lots of local restaurants offer $30 three course dinners! This is the perfect way to be a Foodie on a budget. :) Check back tomorrow for all the details.