Memorial Day Recap

Memorial Day was relaxing and fun!

I got up early and went on a run, David slept in a little late. When he woke up we headed to the pool. For lunch we headed to Rudy's for BBQ. We had spicy chopped BBQ sandwiches, potatoes and Banana Pudding! Not healthy at all but I dream about this banana pudding.



We originally planned to head back to the pool but after feeling stuffed from Rudy's we settled in on the sofa to watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button from Netflix.

Not in the mood to really cook for dinner so we picked up Thundercloud Subs . I can not and have not ever ate at a Subway or Quiznos since having Thundercloud. They are amazing!! I had the California Club; Turkey on wheat with avocado, bacon, provolone & American cheese, lettuce, tomato, thunder sauce and pepper.



With my sub I had the Salt & Pepper Popchips . They were tasty!



David tried the Parmesan garlic flavor, neither of us were a fan of this flavor. I can not put my finger on what is wrong with this flavor it just was not good. But I love all my other flavors of Popchips



This work week is fairly short, 2 more days to go and I get to leave at noon on Friday!

How was everyone's Memorial Day?

Foodbuzz Featured Published & Popchips!

Exciting news, I am now a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher which you can see on the left sidebar!

Tory from Popchips was also nice enough to send me a package of their flavors to test and review for the blog!



Popping is a way of cooking all-natural ingredients using heat and pressure to burst the ingredients into the shape of a chip before it is seasoned.




Popchips are made with all natural safflower and/or sunflower oil. They contain 0 grams of trans fat and no saturated. They are not made with fake colors, fake flavors or preservatives. Popchips are also Vegan! Not to mention low in calorie one small bag roughly 16 chips is only 100 calories.



I will be testing all the flavors over the next few days, as tempting as it is to eat all of the whole bags immediately! I have to restrain myself!

My first flavor I tried was the new flavor Sour Cream and Onion.



Growing up this was my favorite flavor of chips and Popchips did not disappoint! The seasoning tasted perfect on the little Popchips. The thing I like best about these chips is that the flavor is bold and just enough that you do not have extra caked on flakes. Kudos to you PopChips so far I am very impressed!

Maki & a Movie

David was originally supposed to be back in Austin this afternoon, but Saturday night he was ready to leave and left New Orleans around 10 p.m. he arrived in Austin around 5 a.m. Sunday morning and there was no sleeping through his arrival the dogs went crazy running circles around him and barking, it was kind of the cutest thing ever!

We decided to make the most of our weekend day together and for lunch we headed to Maki !
Maki is a place where you design your own sushi rolls you pick either Traditional (seaweed paper) or Modern (soy paper) then you choose your meat, veggies, topping and sauce.

I had a Modern with shrimp tempura filled with avocado, cream cheese, jalapenos with spicy mayo on top. Not the healthiest but it was oh so good!



and Edamame



Sushi was so fresh and the staff was really friendly and helpful. I will definitely be going back there many times!

After Sushi we headed to the movies to see Angels and Demons



I really wish I had read the book before seeing the movie. I read Da Vinci Code before seeing it and loved it. I liked Angels and Demons more than Da Vinci Code even, so I just know I would have loved the book.

David luckily still has off work until Wednesday unlike myself he gets way more PTO days (25 days to be exact) and after this long week off he still has 16 days he can take off. Not fair at all I only get 15 days per year and I have to build up the time per pay period before I can even take those days.

At least the boss is vacationing in Honduras at the moment, we are super busy at work but it still a little less stressful!

Wicked Tickets & 30 Day Shred

I was at my computer for 10 a.m. waiting for Wicked tickets to go on sale. And I have them, David & I will now be seeing Wicked when it comes to Austin with Broadway Across America in August. I scored Orchestra seats row M the first section in front of the stage it is basically the 2nd to last performance but I'm beyond excited!



I finally got a run in again this morning, 2.43 miles and it felt amazing!


Breakfast was Oats made with Vanilla Almond Milk, Flax Seeds, Walnuts, Blackberries & Honey




I also went to Whole Foods and picked up a few things I needed:



Lunch was Sushi also purchased at Whole Foods



Today I had planned to lay out by the pool and catch up on my magazine reading, but when I finished my shopping at Whole Foods the weather planned other wise. It has been gloomy and rainy all day. So I headed to Target and picked up the 30 Day Shred. I started today and hope to tone up, a toner body means a better runner!



How is everyone else spending their weekend?

Exercise On Demand - TGIF

This morning I woke up a little later than expected so rather than going for a run, I went to the living room and did some Exercise TV on Demand via my Time Warner Digital Cable Box.

For breakfast I was craving something fruity: I made a smoothie with: Vanilla Almond Breeze, 1 Tablespoon of Flax Seeds, Greek Vanilla Yogurt, Frozen Bananas, Frozen Blueberries, Fresh Blackberries, Fresh Strawberries and Fresh Mango! With a Morningstar Farms Breakfast "sausage" I may or may not be slightly addicted to these little patties.



Lunch was simple and easy a serving of Amy's Organic Spicy Chili with a serving of pretzels and string cheese to dip in the chili. Yum!



Dinner was a stir fry of Mushrooms, Spinach, Garbanzo beans and Tofu with a baked sweet potato topped with black beans. For Desert a Skinny Cow Strawberry Shortcake.



Tonight I have Across The Universe from Netflix to watch. I am excited I have been wanting to see if for so long. Snuggled with the puppies.



I have plans to wake up early tomorrow morning for a run, head to palm beach for tanning then Whole Foods for some shopping all before lunch time ;)

Please Say A Little Prayer for My Mini Schnauzer

My dog Riley who has a history of inflammatory bowel disease, started vomiting last night around 8:30 p.m. it stopped and everything seemed fine but then he started again at 1:00 a.m., 2:00 a.m. & 4:00 a.m. I am running on little to no sleep right now. I was up worried all night debating if I should take him to the emergency vet clinic. I was at the vet for 7:00 a.m. as soon as they opened. They gave Riley a shot to help with nausea, antibiotics to fight colon bacteria, and another medicine to help calm his stomach acids, along with half case of bland soft food.

I came into work late, but my boss is very understand of my dog being sick so I will still be allowed to take a lunch to go home and check on him.

I love this little dog more than anything( I love Kingston the Pug too) but I have had Riley for about 2 1/2 years.



Here are pictures from when Riley first developed IBD, he had to get exploratory surgery to take biopsies and also had blood transfusion.






I am so scared that when I go home for lunch he will not be okay, I just hope the medicines work. And I am not in for another long haul at the vet, the puppy medical bills really add up fast! And of course freaking out handling all this alone. I really wish David was here now.

All By Myself

Happy to announce my new Nike sensor works!



David left this morning around 10 a.m. for New Orleans. I would have loved to have gone but unfortunately I did not have enough PTO and my job is pretty strict on that. David's cousin is graduating high school she will be attending LSU majoring in Chemistry. I am so proud of her and wish I could be there. Not to mention see all my friends and sorority sisters which I have not seen since Christmas! David will be back in Austin next Monday. I have never been alone in Austin for this long.

I started off my morning with a 2.01 mile run. I was actually really slow this morning. I think I was just in a funk about David leaving, I know I sound like a clingy girlfriend but I don't really know anyone in Austin aside from my older coworkers & David's sister but she is 42 with a husband and children. So David is not only a boyfriend but a bff here and I will be lonely.

For breakfast I had a whole grain bagel topped with organic raspberry preserve, morning star farms breakfast "sausage", and a kiwi. A mug of coffee I finished off at work.




For Lunch I had a Kashi Veggie Medley Sandwich with a side salad topped with Annie's Green Goddess Dressing and a sliced pear.




Dinner was one of my favorite meals to make!

I took a multigrain tortilla layered it with a thin slice of pepper jack jalepeno cheese, then added a mixture of Kashi Fiery Fiesta Pilaf , Spinach, Corn, Black Beans & Jalapenos. Baked at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.




For the Dipping Sauce I combined Avocado & plain Greek Yogurt in the food processor and topped with sliced tomato.




Desert was a Skinny Cow Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Sandwich








Jackson's World is hosting a Holey Doughnuts giveway



Go here to enter!

I'm off to anxiously await the season finale of The Biggest Loser!

Weekend Wind Down

I have decided to use my blog to track my training and & food eats. I signed up for Austin Run America Run race on October 11, 2009. I know it is 5 months away but I have a fear of being the last one of finish so I want to make sure I have plenty of time to train!

Don't worry my followers I will still post about my life & all my fabulous fashion finds, not abandoning my blog roots by any means, just don't be alarmed at the more fitness approach my blog will take now that I can track my workouts with my Nike + iPod I am more motivated than ever.

Saturday we celebrated David's nephew's 10th birthday with Mighty Fine Burgers and a pool party. Followed by games of nerf ball on Wii. We originally planned to attend a crawfish boil that David's coworker was throwing, but the party ran a little longer than expected.

Sadly I was not able to go home and spend time with my mother for Mother's Day. We celebrated when I was there last month!

I took yesterday off from running and headed to the gym for cross training. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical, then worked out my upper body on a few machines.

Also yesterday morning and I tried my samples of Barney Butter .



It was amazing! It is the most creamiest and tastiest almond butter I have had! I placed my order for a full sized jar and can not wait for it to arrive!

I tried my Barney Butter in a bowl of oats, vanilla almond milk, mixed with flax seeds and strawberries.



I also headed to Express and picked up some new clothes for work. My favorite I bought:



After shopping at Express David & I headed to Panera Bread . I had a Mediterranean Veggie sandwich with an Apple as my side and Unsweetened ice tea to drink.



This morning I woke up at 5 a.m. to go running before work due to the Austin heat actual temp today 92 but news says it will feel hot and muggy at 101 or 102. Yikes! Afternoon runs are just not possible anymore, well I was in for a rude surprise when my nike + ipod sensor could not be located by my ipod. I am so disappointed. I am going on my lunch break to exchange it today. I missed my run this morning trying to figure out why it was not working. I tried pressing the sleep/wake button twice and nothing. Hopefully my sensor will last a lot longer than one run...maybe I should have just got a Garmin after all :(

Nike + iPod & a Green Monster

I wanted a Garmin 305 or 405, and I know this has received a few bad reviews where Nike + iPod will over estimate your distance ran, but my wonderful mom purchased me new Nike running shoes that are compatible with the iPod sensor, a new iPod (I have a shuffle and iPod touch 1st generation) that is compatible with the Nike +, not to mention the Nike + itself, a new arm band, work out top, running shorts, moisture resistant socks, & clif bars!!! Thanks mom, I love you!



I love that my mom tries to fully support me in everything that I do, I would still consider myself fairly new to running as I have not officially entered a race yet. Expect me to posting more about my runs now that I can track the distance and pace!

I know there is a widget to post your progress on your blog and I will put that up soon as I figure out everything my new little gadget can do, also have a question does anyone know what layout it is where you can have a sidebar on both sides of your blog?

I plan on participating in my first race in Austin late summer/early fall. My goal is to one day run in the Nike Women's Marathon where they give Tiffany & Co charms to all ladies who finish.



If that isn't motivation to run then I don't know what is...kidding...sort of!
(picture found on Marathon Martiza via Google Images)

I would like to share what I have been drinking in the morning thanks to Leslie at Jackson's World for sharing her recipe for a Green Monster with me.



My Green Monster consists of:
1 cup vanilla almond breeze
1 teaspoon of natural almond butter
1 handful of spinach
1 banana
1 tablespoon of flaxseeds
1/2 kale leaf

If you are into running, fitness & healthy eating, please visit Jackson's World . Leslie was even nice enough to email me when Barney Butter was offering free samples on their site, she remembered when I had left a comment on her blog dying to try it! Sadly nowhere in Austin sells Barney Butter, but I will be ordering a full size jar from their website soon!

Summer Shape Up & Natural Products

One of my favorite blogs The Fitnessista is hosting a Summer Shape Up program. Eating and work out guidelines will be provided along with a spreadsheet doc to track your progress. This is not a diet program but instead a way to tone up! I am excited to participate in the challenge, Gina has already received over 200 emails from participants!

David & I are lovers of natural products, we use all natural & organic things in our home. I can not stand the smell of bleach if something can hurt you skin, make your eyes water & make your nose feel like it is burning probably shouldn't use it.



I am always on the hunt for new natural products and on a whim at Target I bought Method's Marine Natural body wash, and I love it so much I wanted to share!



I have the Mint Scent which smells like a minty rain forest so refreshing in the morning!
Method Body Marine Naturals are made with 97% natural origin purifying sea salt, no parabens, phthalates, a biodegradable formula that has not been tested on animals

Happy Cinco De Mayo!! David & I will be taking it easy after all the going out we did this past weekend, I think we are just going to sit at home and relax, perhaps break into that Abita Strawberry Lager!

Birthday Celebrations

In celebration of David's 27th birthday which was last Tuesday, we had friends come in town to Austin!

Friday night we had dinner & drinks at North by Northwest which a restaurant and brewery. We then headed to Little Woodrow's which reminded me of one of my favorite spots in New Orleans The Bulldog. We sat on the patio and caught up while enjoying Blue Moons.

Saturday we headed downtown to Flip Happy Crepes one of my favorite places to eat in Austin. It was over an hour wait for our crepes but well worth it!!

Later in the night we headed to QUA where the dance floor is over a shark tank, very cool! It is 25 for guys to get in and 21 one for girls so no worries about falling over drunken UT students also very cool!
After QUA we headed to Pure Ultra Lounge It wasn't one of my favorite places and I'm not sure if I would go back.



After Pure we then ended to night at Pangea and I loved everything about it! The setup, the music, the people, the drinks...I can not wait to go back!!




I do not have much going on this week aside from work, it should be relaxing! I can catch up with blogs, tivo & most importantly the gym!