The Friday Five Returns

Good morning!

In case you missed it yesterday, I posted a recipe for a pumpkin pie smoothie that's got a ton of protein--perfect for a post-workout shake!

Today I present to you another installment of The Friday Five!

What I'm Reading:

Andy and I are trying to get back into the church routine as a weekly event and last Sunday marked the first day. Our pastor challenged us all to get back into the Bible, so Andy and I have committed to reading 3 chapters each day. 

We're starting in Luke since the Christmas season is upon us. I'll admit, it's a little difficult to commit to reading first thing in the morning, but I know that it's helping me to get my day off to a good start!

What I'm Listening To:

Christmas stations on Pandora--need I say anymore? I love the Christmas songs that Michael Buble has rerecorded--such a fun twist on the classics!

What I'm Watching:

(source)

Andy and I have gotten into the habit of watching Wheel of Fortune on most nights that we're home together--it's fun to play along and see if we can beat the contestants. 

What I'm Eating:

Yesterday's lunch consisted of a whole-wheat panini stuffed with spinach, turkey, tomatoes, cheese, and avocado. It was paired with asian salad on the side and a popsicle may have followed. Check out this post for how I make my panini's.

What I'm Pinning:

(source)

I haven't had much time for Pinterest lately, but you'd better believe I've been scoping it out for Christmas ideas and inspiration. How cute are these?!

Have a great Friday! 

Weekend plans? I'm laying low tonight--probably a workout and then some Netflix. However, on Sunday, I'm headed over to my sister's house to make homemade Chex mix! I can hardly wait--this is something we only make once a year!

What's your favorite station on Pandora?

Are there any game shows that you enjoy playing along with?

Harvest Party, New Snacks, and The Photo Challenge Returns

Good morning and happy weekend! 

I woke up starving this morning so I made a bowl of pumpkin oatmeal with a big scoop of peanut butter on top. Seriously, don't knock it until you try it--it's so good! For the pumpkin oatmeal, I made oats on the stove using milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and about 1/2 cup of oats. So good paired with some gingerbread coffee in my new Mrs. mug!

This week has been a crazy one! During our first full-week at home together, I somehow managed to break our microwave! 

I promise I've been using more than the microwave to make our meals! The other night I made white pizza with chicken--can you tell which side is his and which is hers? 

Luckily the new microwave will arrive soon so we can resume convenience cooking. It's crazy how much you don't realize how much you use the microwave. For example, last night we made baked potatoes to go with our turkey burgers; normally I pre-cook the potatoes in the oven for about 8 minutes, then toss them in the oven to get crispy since they will cook much faster. Well, last night sans microwave, I stuck the cold potatoes directly into the oven and nearly an hour (!!) later, they were done. They were still super tasty though! 

Harvest Party

Earlier in the week, on Halloween night, my friend Amy hosted a little harvest party for us. It was so fun to see some friends and kick back while catching up with one another. 

My contribution, along with caramel Chex mix! See the bottom of this post for the recipe! 

One of the girls brought a recipe and ingredients to make peanut butter caramel corn and wow, was it ever delicious! Recipe will be appearing on the blog when I make it sometime this winter. 

Last night around 8:15pm, we had the great idea to unpack the rest of our boxes and organize Andy's office. Two and a half hours later, we called it a night and we'll be wrapping it up today (hopefully!). I can't wait to get all settled in so that I know exactly where things are. Andy also suggested putting up our Christmas tree so I am way excited about that--whenever we get around to it. It'll be fun to celebrate our first married Christmas together! It's so hard to believe that it is literally right around the corner.

New Snacks

www.snapzcrisps.com

I recently tried these new apple crisps and thought I'd share my thoughts on them because I was really impressed. 

I've tried apple chips in the past and I feel as though they are either hit or miss; a lot of times they have a chemical-y aftertaste or just taste "off." However, these new snacks didn't disappoint! 

The flavor was spot on and the crunch was perfect. Each snack size bag is made from 1 whole apple, has 45 calories, and is 100% all-natural. Now those are stats to get excited about! You'd better believe I will be picking up some more of these soon! I'm thinking they'd be a great addition to my snack drawer at work--you know, for when you get the munchies around 3pm.

Photo Challenge Returns

Now that I'm almost back into my routine, I'm happy to reintroduce the 30 Day Photo Challenge that I started awhile ago. Looking back, I left off on Day 10, which brings us to: Something I made! 

The mix before adding the m&m's and candy corn

For our harvest party, I contributed a caramel snack mix that we soon dubbed as "Rot your teeth mix" since it was so sweet and addicting. I first sampled this yummy mix a few years ago when my friend Allie brought it over to my house--I remember not being able to stop munching on it--that's how good it was! I randomly remembered it last weekend while I was trying to decide what to make for our party and decided to give it a whirl. 

You may find the recipe below, which I snagged from a forum about cereal recipes. Although, I switched it up a bit by adding some candy corn to the mix--had to make it festive for the occasion, you know! 

Caramel Chex Mix

• 1 lg. box Crispix cereal (Rice Chex will also work)
• 10 oz. bag thin pretzel sticks (I used the pretzel rounds)
• 2 cups of peanuts
• 2 cups of m&m's
• 1 small bag of candy corn

Mix all ingredients except for the candy in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

• 2 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. butter
• 1/2 c. corn syrup

Boil 2 minutes. Pour over cereal mixture and stir. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Take out and stir. Bake another 8 minutes. Spread on foil to cool completely, then add candy, stir, and enjoy!

Saturday Plans

On the agenda for this weekend: unpack/organize, meet up with Krystine for a Starbucks design date, gym time x2, and maybe make some granola with my mom! 

When do you usually put up your Christmas tree?

Would you last long without a microwave?

Do you prefer sweet or savory Chex mixes?

Confessions to End the Week

Hello friends!

To end the week, I've got a confessions post for you! You many check out past confessions here and here.

I almost always renew my library books, mainly because I'm too lazy to return them.

I am not a fan of big jewelry--it makes me feel awkward and self-conscious.

There is no such thing as too strong of coffee. Too weak, on the other hand...

Ever since I was young, I never eat the ends of things. This includes but is not limited to: bananas, hot dogs, sausage, pickles, etc.

There is one exception to the above confession, because I eat the end of the ice cream drumstick first.

Sometimes I check my phone many times in a row and still don't know what time it is

I can't tell you how many times I've told myself not to paint my nails 5 minutes before I leave for work in the morning, yet I still keep doing it. ...and regretting it.

Right now I am craving a sugar cookie with white frosting and lots of red hots like nobody's business. And yes, it is 6:43am.

If a book doesn't interest me within the first 3 chapters, I don't finish it.

Being a designer, I definitely judge books by their covers. I am probably missing out on a lot of quality reading.

I set boundaries for myself for way too many things. For example, I only have 14 minutes of computer time left before I need to go and dry my hair.

Being an introvert, large groups freak me out.

Honestly, I really don't like carrying a purse for many reasons:
1. it's heavy
2. it's annoying because you can't just leave it sitting on the table when you go somewhere
3. somehow things always get lost inside of it

That being said, I also enjoy having a purse for many reasons:
1. I can fit my life in there
2. I can stash things that are handed to me rather than carrying them for the rest of the evening
3. I can fit my life in there...

When given the choice to drive or ride, 99 percent of the time I choose ride. Driving with other people in the car makes me nervous.

Alright, off to dry my hair! I'm going to work on the blog a bit this weekend, so next week should hold more updates. I'm still trying to adjust back into a routine, so hang with me!

Can you relate to any of the things I mentioned above?
Do you like carrying a purse? 
Coffee: strong or weak?

Prep, Pumpkin Muffins, & Instant Iced Coffee

Good morning! 

I've been MIA the last week due to tons of wedding prep. One week from today, I will be a Mrs! 

It seems as though each day has been packed to the brim with working, errands, appointments, and making lists.

However, it is all coming together and the last "big" thing that we need to do is print out programs today! I keep peeking outside to see if the sun is going to come out so I can get a run or bike ride in before we leave...hopefully the weather flips around!

Last week I headed to the salon for a wedding undo consultation with my hair stylist. Since I arrived a little early, I stopped by the bakery right by the salon for a sample. Pumpkin swirl bread? Yes please!

My name is written on the tub of hummus since sometimes I leave it at work during the week so I don't have to bring it with me each day!

My sister-in-law, Casey, gave me the great idea of taking a bunch of notecards and writing wedding tasks on them before handing them out to those involved in the wedding. This has helped keep me organized and calm knowing that everything will be taken care of.

I sat down last weekend and made a stack of them--including a list of things that need to be purchased, packed for our trip, and brought to the wedding ceremony.

I got my sister hooked on this show, too! She's way ahead of me in seasons though! I watch an episode each night before bed and it's nice because I feel like right now that's the only time to myself each day. ha, ha.

Wedding Preparations

We went wedding cake tasting at a bakery last weekend to design our own wedding cake. This proved to be a fun experience--looking at all of the cake designs and then building our own based on what we saw. We ended up choosing an almond cake with buttercream frosting. So tasty!

Andy suggested we choose some treats to go before we left the bakery--of course I was all over that! Normally vanilla cupcakes are my favorite, but when I spotted this cupcake with fluffy pink glittery frosting, I couldn't resist!

See the glitter? Awesome!

Andy chose a coconut flavored cupcake. It looked like a little snowball!

These were so good!

We enjoyed our cupcakes after a lunch of homemade chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese--perfect for a crisp day.

After our cake tasting experience, Andy and I went to Target to print some photos for the reception tables. 40 photos, an X-acto knife, and a million little frames later, part of the table decorations were complete!

All ready to go! We'll also have flowers and a little pumpkin on each of the tables as well.

A couple weeks ago Krystine and I had another "Coffee Friday" break since the weather was chilly and we needed to get out of the office for awhile. It always does wonders to leave during our lunch break rather than stay inside--I always seem to come back more refreshed when my eyes get a little break from the glossy iMac screen.

Instant Iced Coffee

I recently tried Starbucks Via Ready Brew Iced Coffee. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this or not--since instant coffee can be kind of iffy. Plus, whenever I think of instant coffee, Folgers comes to mind and that stuff tastes like dirt.

The coffee is microground and comes in little single-serve packs that you mix with cold water before adding a splash of milk or cream.

After taking my first sip, I was pleasantly surprised! This tasted a lot like the real iced coffee that I'm obsessed with from Starbucks! 

The flavor was rich and spot-on, not burnt and acidic, like a lot of instant coffees. My only request would be that they make an unsweetened version since I don't usually add sweeteners to my coffee; however, it was nice for a change!

Cute little packets are perfect for stashing in your desk drawer, purse, or backpack for instant iced coffee on the go!

Photo Challenge Day 10: Something I made

Homemade pumpkin muffins! I made these last weekend on a whim and they turned out okay--next time I think I'll make a few tweaks and then share the recipe with you guys!

Do you like Starbucks Via Coffee?

Favorite flavor of muffin? Mine would be lemon poppyseed or pumpkin for sure!

Vanilla or chocolate cupcakes?

3 Years + What I Know about Weight Lifting

Good morning, bloggers!

First and foremost, it is our 3 year anniversary of dating today! We're headed out tonight after work to celebrate after running a wedding errand. The past few years have really flown by and I am so thankful that God brought him into my life as my best friend and the man I love. It's hard to believe that we'll be married next week!

Fitness Fanatics

Seeing that I haven't done a fitness post in quite awhile, I've decided to churn one out this morning. Looking for some tips to stay true to your workout? Click here for my other fitness post.

I used to be a fitness fanatic--working out 6 days a week with the majority of my time spent on the cardio side of things. Long story short, things have changed and now I work out 3-4 times a week at a higher intensity. Why, you ask? Because there is more to life than working out. Some nights I just like to come home and sit on the couch rather than swipe a membership card and devote an hour and a half to the elliptical while playing the same episode of Wheel of Fortune for the second time. Believe me, it's not fun when you already know the answers...

What I Know about Weight Lifting

I recently signed up for a couple of sessions with a personal trainer at my gym. I gave this decision a lot of thought and I am so glad that I did it. Working with my trainer taught me new things about lifting, cardio, and nutrition. He helped me customize a plan just for me that would meet my needs and give me the best results.

When he asked about my goal for working out, I presented these things:

• I don't want to lose weight
• Lean muscle gain was my ultimate goal
• Learning how to use the free weights properly was a high priority
• I already get more than enough cardio in on my own

He did a great job of taking my criteria and combining it into a fitness plan that focused on gaining muscle without losing weight in the process.

Cardio

I learned that strength training ultimately is your best choice when you're looking to gain muscle. If you need to lose weight, it is important to do a lot of cardio in your routines, but if you do too much and are not looking to lose weight, it can cut down on the amount of muscle that your body builds. Sometimes weight loss is necessary in order to see muscle, too.

Protein

When I used to slave away on the treadmill each day, I built a lot of endurance but never really saw any results. My weight stayed the same and I didn't gain much muscle. Working in the strength training department and really upping my protein intake helped my body build lean muscle faster.

Consistency

Change doesn't happen overnight. It's important to switch up your workouts so that your body doesn't plateau at one point and then stop gaining muscle. You need to challenge your body--forcing it to adapt, recover, and rebuild--resulting in you becoming STRONGER. It is also important to take rest days so that your muscle tears can heal before you work them again. I like to switch up my strength training for this very reason. Arms and chest one day, legs, back, and abs another. I also switch up between strength circuits, free weights, and the cable machines.

Circuits

Circuits are generally done with lighter weights with more repetitions. I used to think that these were bogus workouts and that they were a waste of time. Ha, was I ever wrong...these things kick my butt. I am usually drenched in sweat by the time that I complete all of these. Circuits are a great way to switch up your routine from getting too boring and to make sure you hit a variety of muscle groups.

So, what exactly does a strength training circuit look like? Here is just one of the workouts that I complete 2-3 times each week:

Circuit 1

Pushups with taps - 3 x 30

Squat to Row - 3 x 30

Side to side weighted lunges - 3 x 30

Circuit 2

Squat to press - 3 x 30

Ab rollers - 3 x 30

Chest presses 3 x 30

Circuit 3

Deadlifts - 3 x 15

Lateral raises 3 x 15 

Lying leg lifts 3 x 30

Circuit 4

Band walking - 3 x 30

Shoulder rotators - 3 x 15

Lat pull down - 3 x 10

I usually wrap this routine up with 20-30 minutes of light cardio before heading home to refuel with a protein shake. You generally have a 45 minute window after a workout to refuel so that your muscles get what they need. On days that I'm in a time pinch or if I'm headed somewhere after the gym, I'll pack a protein shake (powder, then just add water and shake) or Power Bar in my gym bag to make sure I get something within that window of time.

That being said, I also must share some of the strange things I've seen at the gym--seriously, I can't be the only one who thinks these behaviors are odd:

On Appearance

• Polos and khaki shorts (are we going golfing after our treadmill session?)
• White yoga pants and bright-colored underwear
• Complete sweat suits while running on the treadmill for an hour (how do you not sweat to death?)
• Flip flops while walking at an incline
• Perfectly straightened hair and tons of makeup...at 5:30am
• Mesh shirts and pushup bras
• Pants that are two sizes too small (how is that comfortable to move around in?)
• Denim anything
• Knee-high socks 
• Button-down shirts

On Behaviors

• Riding the elliptical for 5 minutes and then leaving (that's all they did?)
• Bringing 3 books to read while on the machines
• Staring at the same magazine page during your entire run (literally staring...not "oops, forgot to flip the page")
• Sweating like a banshee and not wiping down the machine afterwards
• Sniffling every. three. seconds.
• Not wearing deodorant
• Drying, straightening, or curling your hair in the nude
• Sitting on the locker room benches without anything on (another reason why I don't put my bag on the bench!)
• Drinking protein shakes while working out 
• Extreme grunting/yelling/cursing while lifting
• Singing along to your headphones while you run

Photo Challenge Day 9: Faceless self portrait

This photo represents a lot about me: first of all, it has my name in the background, and on top of those boxes is my first half marathon medal. Cups from my favorite coffee shop house my markers, since coloring/drawing is another hobby of mine. Front and center is a delicious homemade iced coffee, next to my MacBook Pro, where all of the design magic happens. 

Off to go deal with my hair! See ya!

What are you favorite routines to complete at the gym?

Any strange behaviors that you've witnessed?

What are your current fitness goals?