Motivation Monday Vol. 2.1

I could be way off, but if I was a guessing woman I would take a stab that nearly 75% of Americans got up early, packed a healthy lunch today, are planning to hit the gym and are all organized for the entire week being that it is the first full week of the new year. Does that sound like you?

I like that about individuals – the new year comes and we’re eager to do right. Eat healthy. Workout more. Focus on bettering ourselves. I’m ALL for it.

But I really hope everyone eases into it. If you’re heading to the gym for the first time in a while, take it easy – get back into the swing of things. Don’t go and run 5 miles if you only usually run two. You’re going to wake up sore tomorrow and that will set you back, make you discouraged and possibly even injure yourself.

Want to eat better like myself? We need to take small steps. A lady from my mom’s work gave us these containers and I absolutely LOVE them! You can see them at easylunchboxes.com. What do I love most? That is shows me portion control. If it doesn’t fit in there, I’m not eating it! Plus, go ahead and creep around on their instagram, they have AWESOME lunch ideas (lunch is least creative meal -- I always need help so feel free to share with me!!)  I already have my lunches picked out for the week. Like everything in life, it’s just sticking to it! Ugh...

Small, obtainable goals – we got this guys. Good luck on week one. Statistics say habits can be broken/formed in 21 days. Let’s mentally get there! Happy Monday!

Bestie Pensacola Adventures

I’m so excited to write this post because it’s full of fun! So as you all know this past weekend I headed to Pensacola to visit Caroline. I had the pleasure of being with her all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and let me tell you, we lived every day to the fullest.

Thursday
It was a super early morning. My plane took off from PHL at 5:45 a.m. to Atlanta, and quickly I had to jump on my flight from Atlanta to Pensacola. I arrived in Pensacola around 8:30 a.m. and was greeted by Caroline and Miss Kai in the back seat. We headed back to her house where we sat on her couch from 9 a.m. to noon chatting and catching up on life. We were like little school girls, we should have been braiding each other’s hair! Before heading down to visit, I did a little research and found a two-hour Segway tour of Downtown Pensacola. We looked it up and there were openings for the 2 p.m. tour. So we headed downtown and grabbed lunch at the Tin Cow – “Pensacola's Custom Hamburger & Shake Spot.” Oh my gawd was it delicious! CB and I both built our own burger – mine of course had the classics but I also threw on bacon infused potato chips and tried their amazing hand-cut French fries. Nom nom! I opted out for a milkshake or beer, maybe next time though! Feeling 15lbs heavier, we headed to our Segway tour. Lucky for us, we were the only two for the 2 p.m. tour! So CB and I had a private tour with our tour guide, Chris. We mastered our Segway’s and hit the streets seeing monuments and locations including the Blue Wahoos Stadium, Belmont-Devilliers Neighborhood, Fort George, Veteran's Memorial Park, Plaza de Luna, and the spot where Florida was officially handed over from the Spanish to the United States. Very education and very fun, Caroline and I had a blast.


Fitness Friday
I say fitness Friday because Caroline and I were active all day! Me screwed up from the one hour time change and CB use to getting up early, the two of us hit the pavement early on Friday morning around 6:30 a.m. logging a 3-mile run for my marathon training. Note to self: doesn’t matter how early you run, Florida heat and humidity is gross! The next adventure for the day was standup paddle boarding. We headed to Pensacola beach and bought a two hour rental. A little nervous because it was my first time and determined not to fall, paddle boarding was awesome! The ocean water was so warm and waves were not big. We cruised around for a little over an hour and then sat on our boards in the middle of the ocean gabbing away yet again! It was so peaceful out on the water. The view in Pensacola is breathtaking; I couldn’t help but soak it in. We grabbed lunch at a little place called Native Café and went home to hit the showers. Friday night we headed to the Blue Wahoos game – they’re a AA minor league baseball team affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds. The bayfront ballpark was named one of the five best minor league ballparks in the nation, rightfully so with its amazing bay backdrop. It’s a great atmosphere at the games and tickers were only $8. Can’t beat that!

Saturday
The last days of vacation are always the worst because you’re savoring every hour of being away. Saturday morning I had my first CrossFit experience. Caroline and Ryan are avid CrossFitters and I was excited to join her in her element. Saturday workouts are partner workouts at her gym so like old times the package deal was at it again. It was a great workout and you could definitely tell I was a rookie, but I worked my ass off, dripping in sweat the entire time. The coaches are great there – the one coach would come up to me and alter my form or give me tips on how to do the movements. It’s a great group, I can see why the Bergh’s love it. We hit the showers and headed out to the Pensacola Farmers Market. With crafters and food vendors, there were lots of items to browse. There were lots of honey, jams and pound cakes – maybe a southern treat? We cooled off for a few hours before heading to Caroline’s birthday dinner. She picked The Grand Marlin located right on the beach. With a breath taking view, the food was amazing – sharing lobster mac n cheese to start, scallops and salmon as our entrees, a dark chocolate peanut butter pie for dessert and cocktails to top things off. A full belly and happy heart, it was the perfect way to end the weekend.

Of course on Sunday I was heading back home and leaving was bittersweet. Pensacola treated me well and I was beyond upset my best friend wasn’t coming home too. I know in due time the Bergh’s will HOPEFULLY be moving closer to home, but for now, we continue our long distance friendship, staying in touch with calls, texts and social media. "Invest in people who invest in you." I will forever invest in my sweet Caroline because I know she invest herself in me.

Thank You Emily

For those who don’t remember, back in November I wrote a post about how it is okay to ask for help and rely on others to make us better whether it is physically, mentally, spiritually, or in another form.

In my post I introduced you all to Emily, my wellness coach. Well, I am sad to say that this weekend marks the 6 month ending to my program with her.

It’s pretty funny looking back at my journey with Emily and how SCARED I initially was. Emily first 

approached me on June 6, 2013. She asked me if I wanted to participate and be her guinea pig. I was interested and said sure. She emailed me all of her information..and I never responded. She followed up with an email on June 30. I never responded. As I’ve told everyone before, it was at the end of August 2013 when I realized I needed to get my life together and I knew I needed help – I NEEDED Emily. So on August 29, 2013, I finally reached out to Emily and I have never made a better decision in my life.

Over the last 180 days, Emily has been my mentor and leader in helping me create a healthier lifestyle. We’ve made bi-monthly trips to see each other (often at the Starbucks or Whole Foods) for hour session. If we couldn’t meet in person we would have sessions via Skype or FaceTime. Each week Emily would educate me on food – the good, the bad, the ugly. I would go into the ugly but that’s a whole other blog post. Handout after handout I was learning about food and what my body really NEEDS, compared to what my body WANTS. Emily has taught me how to love myself, how to prioritize aspects of my life and how to look at my WHOLE self – physically, socially, financially, relationships. Our health and wellness is made of SO MANY components, not just what you eat or how much you work out. Your “ life circle” has to be balanced, you need to be centered.

Emily helped me transform into a better person – helping me grow as an individual and showing me new explorations through exercise and food. She had me try “weird” foods I would have never EVER tried before and now LOVE! She gave me INSANE physical challenges that I CRUSHED and others I didn’t. But I was always up the challenge.

In the pictures below you can clearly see the physical changes that have taken place since joining Team Emily, but for those who see me on a daily bases, I think my attitude and positive mind set is off the charts, something I was missing for a veryyyy long time. Do any of you agree?

Thank you Emily for all that you have done. I could not be where I am today if it wasn’t for you! To everyone else, stop waiting and saying one day – start today!

xox

P.S..- For those who mock us individuals who post "transformation" pictures, you clearly need to get over yourself. People are allowed to be proud and show accomplishments for what they have achieved. If you don't care to see, then unfriend me/block me, whatever. But it takes A LOT of guts to expose your flaws to hundreds of people. To this day I hesitate pushing the publish button but if I'm helping at least one other person, it was worth it. 

Month-by-Month 

Holy face difference! 

Chicken and Waffles: Mama likey!

Hey everyone, I’m back!! Let me first start off with saying I’m sorry for leaving everyone to hang over the last month. I did not write ONE post in June – God I suck! Maybe that alphabet challenge took more out of me than I thought – or like I said, I could have just been a crap blogger for a month. (I think it’s more lazy than anything.) But believe me, I am sorry and I had many intentions to write. I’ve been noting to myself posts idea that have come to my mind throughout the month of June, I have over 15 in total. So better late than never, I am back. I’m sorry. Lets blog!

June was an awesome month, filled with activities and adventures from start to finish. I kicked off the month with a trip down to Virginia visiting Donavan (check out her blog) and Kyle. Ashley, Zach, Taylor and I headed down 95 South for a fully packed weekend that included laughter, stories, drinks and fun. Saturday afternoon we headed to Georgetown for an afternoon of walking around and some cocktails. We later in the evening went out to dinner and a roof top bar where we all had a little too much fun, but that is typical with us all.


Now onto my REAL reasoning of this blog post. On Sunday morning we headed into DC and had brunchLincoln – a restaurant on Vermont Avenue that features local and fresh foods on a small plate menu. I’m not sure the portion size of lunch and dinner, but their brunch menu was far from small. Feeling adventurous and craving this item after seeing it on the food network a month earlier, I went outside my comfort zone and ordered chicken and waffles.
at

OH MY GOD…want to talk about the most AMAZING THING EVER!!! I’ve heard all about the chicken and waffles hype for quite some time and never really got it. Chicken and syrup?? YUCK! But trust me, I get it now. Lincoln could not have made the meal any tastier.

The fried chicken was made to perfection…the outside was crispy and browned, with hardly any grease to it. The chicken breast fell off the bone effortlessly and the moistness of the meat was perfecto. The chicken sat on top of a bed of waffles that were fluffy on the inside, fresh and soft on the outside.

Now to the ‘weird’ part – eating my chicken with syrup. What I expected it to taste like, I’m really not sure, but the combination of the sweet syrup with the salty chicken is an amazing combo (like when you eat pretzels with your ice cream.)

I would describe the taste of the two together, but I honestly can’t. The only adjective that came directly to my mind while chewing it was “smooth.” The butter, chicken, syrup and waffles form into one, giving an even blended taste confusing the senses. Maybe it’s just me, but I hope you understand what I’m explaining when you try it.

I’m itching to get back to Lincoln again to try another one of their dishes (also to buy one of their t-shirts --
they are so cool!!) Everything was great – it was a perfect way to end a perfect weekend with some of my favorite people.

Website Wednesday: Crock pot paradise

A slow cooker .... a crock pot .... whatever you shall call it, it's a genius invention! And that is exactly why crock pots are being featured today on Website Wednesday.

I was at work the other day and popping up on my Twitter feed I saw @crockpotgirls  is currently hosting a 30 Day Crock Pot Challenge. 

Intrigued by the Twitter post, I had to check it out. Sending me to their Facebook page, I had the chance to learn about all the rules: 

Rise to the 30 Day Crock Pot Challenge! Crock at least one dish every day for 30 days straight! 

Choose if you will make breakfast, lunch ,dinner or dessert on any day. 

1 - Post what you are crocking every day (here or on the Crock Pot Girl main FB page). We'll keep track and announce everyone who completes the challenge!

2 - If you are piling up with leftovers, I suggest that you make a dessert that day instead, a soup that you can freeze, or breakfast! 

3 - The crock pot just HAS TO BE CROCKING EACH AND EVERY DAY. 

4 - Repeat meals are permitted, as we all know, families have their favorites!

My personal opinion?? I think this challenge absolutely rocks!! I am a frequent crock pot cooker: just made roast beer on Monday, can make a mean pulled pork sandwich, and have yet to dabble with soups (although I think my first take will be a corn and chicken chowder yummmm yum!) I'm really looking forward to the day I get my own place so I can cook out of the little mini crock pots. Dinner for one, thank you very much :) 

While I know most of us missed the challenge, I think this could be something fun to try out yourself. It doesn't have to be 30 days straight, but maybe challenge yourself to cook a meal once a week in that crock pot you HAD to have on your bridal shower/wedding gifts. Try new meals, make your boyfriends/husbands/wives/girlfriends be your tester.

RECIPES 

Being that she is the crock pot queen, here are some of Jenn Bare's crock pot recipes that I thought sound delicious. I also promised my bestie Ashley Raffle that I would give her some new ideas. Bon appetite!!

Appetizer: Crock Pot Cheesy New Orleans Shrimp Dip

Breakfast: Crock Pot Blueberry French Toast

Main course: Crock Pot Fajitas 

Are you now drooling? No worries, her site is full of drinks, desserts, main dishes and much more. Enjoy! 

Carrie Underwood blew me away

Last Wednesday night I had the opportunity to see Carrie Underwood in concert at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia with my mom. I am happy to say that her "Blown Away" tour blew me away!!

My mom and I headed downtown early so we didn't have to deal with much of the after-work traffic. We cruised right down and made reservations at Broad St. Bullies Pub for dinner. Not going to make this into a food review but my take on Broad St. Bullies Pub: I was not impressed. I dealt with a sassy hostess the second we got there.  Our waitress was good, but the food was only ok. We got our appetizer with no silverware or plates, and we were basically finished by the time it arrived. My mom and I both got the Pattison Ave. burger. Our buns were not tossed at all so we had a burger on a bun that was SOAKED in butter. Pretty gross - easy to say I will not be going back there for food, drinks sure.

But on to the fun -- so after dinner we headed into Wells Fargo and before we knew it, it was show time. Hunter Hayes was the opener. The spicy little (yes, he's only 5'6") southern boy made teenage girls SCREAM their brains out with excitement. I only knew his song "Wanted" which he performed amazingly. While all of his songs were good, a song that stood out to me was "Everybody's Got Somebody But Me." 

Then it was on to the real star, Carrie Underwood.

She warned us right from the start of her show that if we have anywhere to be we most likely won't be getting there on time because she has a lot to sing and perform. Boy was she right. Carrie sang for nearly two hours and I am AMAZED at how she can belt out songs like this day in and day out.

She played old songs, she played new songs. She had the crowd energetic the whole time and she looked stunning with every wardrobe change. Granted, I didn't know every song of hers but I stood on my feet the whole time and had a blast dancing! I waited all night to hear "Blown Away" which she used as her finale song. (Obvi, this is what the tour is based off of)

I was able to grab a few photos and took a few videos. I hope you all enjoy :)

Sorry, I had to. This sweatshirt was tears!