scrub style

I am still trying to make my scrubs interesting everyday. Since I am transitioning jobs I wearing scrubs in colors other than purple, but they still need a little something to look more like an outfit to me!

NB island classics - Grey's Anatomy scrubs - J.Crew gold link necklace

Thank goodness for cute shoes and necklaces!

 

arugula smoothie

I have a new obsession for morning smoothies: arugula and chia seeds. The arugula adds a peppery taste to the mix and the chia seeds fill me up. It's perfect!

1c arugula

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1T chia seeds

2c frozen mango & pineapple

Blend in nutribullet and enjoy!

 

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things I don't do

Happy April! This year is flying by! April is an exciting month as we have spring break and a great Easter dinner planned with friends!

The world is an interesting place. With Facebook, Pinterest, and blogs it always seems to be able what  you "do". It is a competition? Or do we just really like to share? What I share with you is only a very small portion of my life. Seriously, I do more than cook, shop, take photos, and travel to exotic places. I saw a post recently on The Balanced Life about the pressure to do more. Along with everything I do, there are many things I don't do:

1. I don't keep plants alive. I try but then I forget, neglect, and they die. I buy small plants and flowers to add color to my life. When they die, I go to Trader Joe's and buy more.

2. I don't always eat fresh vegetables. We always have frozen broccoli and green beans in the freezer. I also really like canned artichokes. It's better to eat frozen/canned veggies than no veggies at all. Convenience wins some days.

3. I don't run fast. I may be working on my running skills... aka ability to run for more than 5 minutes at a time. Slow and steady wins the race for this girl. When I go to classes at TREAD I can sprint on the treadmill at 10mph for 30 seconds like it's my middle name but I prefer a leisurely jog.

4. I don't wash colors separately. Laundry is simple: Lululemon and other. Other consists of everything. Purple scrubs from work? Yes. White t-shirts? Yes. Just wash it on cold and 99.9% of the time it comes out fine. Convenience wins again. I did not get these skills from my mother...

5. I don't make my own coffee. We don't even own a coffee maker. I love coffee and B loves tea so most mornings we stop at Starbucks. It's our tradition and we think its worth the money as it is something we enjoy.

And you know what, its not a big deal. You don't need to do everything. My world continues to function successfully every single day because I don't try to do everything. The things I choose not to do allow me to be successful in so many other areas in life!

Now that you know everything I don't do, I am proud to share some things I do: practice yoga and pilates, run, cook, knit, teach, sleep 8 hours a night, stay on budget, and nap. I also have 3 part-time jobs that I love, am finishing my MS degree, passed the national OT exam very recently, and continue to work on research at the university. I love what I do and I make sure I do those things well!

What don't you do?

"orange" juice

B made some amazing juice at home this weekend with our juicer. It was one of those juices where he used up everything in the fridge that needed to be used before it went bad. This juice was delish! Clearly, or I would not be sharing it with you.

Kale

2 small zucchini

1 orange

6 carrots

2 apples

 

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5 faves

How is your week going. Mine is busy but productive and full of energy!

Here are a few things I am loving this week:

28 days of Pilates - because even pilates instructors need to set aside time everyday for a workout

dutch cocoa somersaults - so healthy & so delicious

 

headphones - these exact ones are in my amazon.com cart to order, I need to get that done

denim jackets - I feel like I really need one of these for spring

yoga - last night at hot yoga I touched my toes while seated... something I have not done since before I started my MS degree, it's been great to be back at yoga classes more often

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smoked salmon egg casserole

I have a new recipe for you! We made this for dinner during the "snow storm". It was simple, flavorful, and very filling. We love eggs anytime of day which makes this dish versatile. B's aunt sent us smoked salmon from California for Christmas so this dish was extra delicious! The inspiration from the dish came from this recipe.

1c zucchini, diced

1c mushrooms, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1/2c spinach, chopped

1/2c feta

1/2c smoked salmon, diced

6 eggs

1/2c skim milk

Salt and pepper

 

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into a baking dish that was sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 30 minutes or until cooked through. Enjoy!

 

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Warby Parker

Hey readers, have you ever heard of Warby Parker? Its a glasses company. I have been contemplating a new pair of glasses since I spend a great deal of time looking at a computer at work. Yes, I have 3 other pairs all with my current subscription but I like to have options. I think I want something chunky so I ordered 5 trial pairs. One got eliminated right away. Here are the other 4:

AINSWORTH in elderberry
SLOAN in rum cherry
WINSTON in revolver black
PRESTON in gimlet tortise

Thoughts? Opinions? There are tons of color options for each but I put the photos in my order of preference!

P.S. They are calling for snow again on Tuesday. Over/under a 50% chance school is cancelled again?!? Atleast this time it would be on a day when I would get paid to stay home!

aerial yoga

Please excuse my lack of structure. Life seems to be busy this week. I am still trying to figure out my daily schedule in order to fit everything in! On a positive note, I have been to hot yoga twice this week! Yes, workouts take precedent over blog posts! Now that I am back to working 3 full days per week + teaching 6 hours/ week I need to plan workouts for my health and sanity!

I am trying my first aerial yoga class this weekend. I'll let you know how that goes!

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enjoy today

How was your day? It's MLK Day today so we did not have school or work. So far today I went to a private pilates session and napped. Yup, successful day! Okay, I did some other things too like work on getting my thesis published but it is not as exciting as napping. Next up on the to-do list: make a paella for dinner and go to hot yoga with a friend. I have really been trying to get back into the habit of working out. Booking sessions online or committing to going with a friend has worked so far. Lots of new fitness places have been opening up in BTR so we have been taking advantage of free classes and promotions!

Have a lovely evening!

 

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strawberry basil smoothie

It's been a while since I shared a new smoothie recipe. This recipe is inspired by a smoothie in the most recent issue of Southern Living magazine!

1c frozen strawberries

1/3c Greek yogurt

1/4c basil leaves

1T honey

pinch of salt

 

Combine all ingredients in your nutribullet.

Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

 

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fruit & veggies

Sometimes living in Louisiana confuses me. I know I should eat seasonal fruits and vegetables. But when it is not "cold" in the winter I always wonder, should I be eating pears or pumpkins? I found this visual to remind me what is actually in season so I can shop accordingly. Hopefully it helps you too!

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InstaFriday

Happy Friday! I had a great week. We went to see Michael Buble, I got some get news and I have an entire afternoon to get some work done in my office today! Yes, having silence in the office makes me happy. Here are a few photos from the week.

1. Sometimes I am really good at taking photos quickly. I took this one on the way home from New Orleans last Saturday.

2. We have been eating turkey leftovers galore. The last stop on the turkey leftover menu was enchiladas with a bunch of leftover veggies from the fridge. It was amazing.

3. I hoard Starbucks rewards like they are going out of style. I promise I always use them before they expire but I like to always have atleast one available... 3 was a little excessive!

4. Another great road trip photo on our way back to New Orleans. It is harder to get good photos at dusk but I liked this one.

5. The opening act for MB was Naturally 7. They were amazing. You should check them out. Seriously.

6. We made poached eggs with spinach and ricotta on toast. I love when I have everything we need for a delicious meal in the fridge without even planning for it.

7. No peeking! Christmas at Starbucks is almost here! You know what that means... Joy tea!

8. I decided to go vegetarian on Thursday night. By vegetarian I mean that I ate chicken that only ate vegetables. The pluckers menu has so many great jokes in it!

Have a great weekend! We will be watching Cardinal baseball, I will hopefully finish my discussion section of my thesis, and I have some other homework to do. We are less than 2 weeks from fall break so that means there really is not much time left this semester!

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pb2 smoothies

We have a new obsession. PB2! It's powdered peanut butter that is the perfect addition to our daily morning smoothies. You should try it!

1c frozen peaches, pineapple, mango & strawberry

1/2 scoop chocoate protein powder

1/2c spinach

1/2T PB2

I found PB2 for way cheaper on Amazon so I put in an order earlier today!

InstaFriday

Good morning and happy Friday! It's been a busy week but I got a lot done so every moment was worth it. Almost everything I accomplished was school related... it's the name of the game these days. Here's what I have been up to this week:

1. I love when the weekend starts with a margarita. There should be laws to ensure this happens more often.

2. Brussel sprouts + blue cheese = heaven in a bowl.

3. I had leftover broccoli slaw pasta all week, it was delicious. You need to make it sometime.

4. All of my smoothies this week included 1/4 of an avocado. Avocado + blueberries are a great combo.

5. Did I mention avocado also goes well with mango, pineapple, and spinach?

6. I baked an egg in a portobello mushroom. Check back for the recipe on Monday!

7. "Swimming lessons" in Pilates this week... we focused on posterior chain exercises... you know, those core muscles we tend to neglect.

8. iOS 7.0 I am so scared of you. I heard the new apple operating system is great but has some glitches. Hopefully they will be fixed by next week!

Have a great weekend! This weekend I want to focus on writing part of my thesis, completing the first section of a paper for class, and planning another paper. I may also need to find time to make a few new recipes, relax at the pool (even though they claim a cold front is coming through on Saturday), and do some shopping.

 

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green smoothie #55

I really have no clue how many green smoothie recipes I have posted. It feels like 55... really the number is irrelevant. What is not irrelevant is my smoothie obsession. It goes in phases. I do have a smoothie every day... but the ingredients change based on what I purchased or what is in the fridge. Here is what I have been drinking this past week:

makes 1 smoothie

1/2c spinach

1T ground flax

1/4 avocado

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder

1c frozen diced mango and pineapple

Blend in Nutribullet and enjoy!

fall semester

Happy Labor Day! I hope you are enjoying your day off. I am spending my day getting organized for the fall semester, relaxing, and checking things off my to-do list!

This semester I am taking 2 classes (motor control & EMG seminar) as well as thesis hours so I can complete and defend my thesis before Christmas! Both of my classes have a midterm and final exam, a short paper, presentation, and a project. We have only had one week of classes so we have not covered any material yet. This coming week should be filled with more content.

Other things I want to do this fall:

make new pumpkin recipes: smoothies, muffins & protein balls

find some new walking trails near BTR

finish ordering all of our Christmas gifts before US Thanksgiving... I already have a list of ideas!

finish the stockings I have been knitting

try a new workout class

Did I miss anything important that I need to do this fall?

CORE certified + vacation

Happy Monday! We spent the weekend in Houston. Every year I have to complete 6 hours of continuing education to keep my Stott Pilates certification. This year Icompleted the CORE basic certification. The focus was on athletic conditioning and core strength. John Garey who is from LA taught the 7 hour course. We focused on theory, basic principles, exercises, and complete two full workouts. The workouts kicked my butt... and I am still feeling it two days later.

John was so friendly and approachable. Of course I took a photo with him to commemorate completion of the course.

I would love to complete more training with him in the future because of his teaching style and his focus on application of research. Maybe next summer when I am in LA I will have the opportunity.

We also did some other fun things while in Houston. We went to Ikea, West Elm & Central Market. We also went to our favorite resturants and found a new one to add to the list. We stayed at the Omni, a hotel we would highly recommend to others. I hope to show/ tell you more about the details throughout the week.

We are vacationing in Florida for the next 2 weeks. I will not have very much access to Internet the first few days so keep checking back!

 

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vacation time

Happy August! July was a busy month. Fitting an entire semester into 7 weeks takes a lot out of you. Luckily, my only final exam was yesterday afternoon and now I have a few weeks off!

One of the things I did this week as a study break was attend a free class at Tread BR. It was an amazing class. We split into 2 groups and alternated 5 minutes of sprints on the treadmill with 5 minutes of strength exercises with the TRX or on the floor. Every interval was different, keeping your body andmind challenged at all times! After 50 minutes I got a killer workout, pushed myself as hard as I could, and knew I would be sore the next day! I have a feeling I will be going back to Tread again soon. I actually hope to find a time to attend a class once a week during the fall semester.

See, hard work:

Okay, you cannot really tell how hard it was from this photo, but I promise it was.

Today: running errands, tying up a couple things at school, volunteering, packing, then off to Houston tomorrow!

 

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berries & chocolate

We are obsessed with our Nutribullet. OBSESSED. 

On Saturday night we had dessert for dinner:

2c frozen blueberries

1 scoop chocolate protein powder

water to the fill line

This was amazing and delicious. I sent a photo to my mom who called me out for not adding any vegetables. Okay, I guess I could have added spinach and you would not have tasted it.

But it was amazing. And healthy. And we will eat it again. 

P.S. We had more than this for dinner. We also went out for hummus and a mushroom pizza. That was also delicious... but not as healthy.

InstaFriday

Happy Friday! This summer is going by way to quick! But we are also over half way through the summer semester and only 4 weeks away from our summer trip!

1. I am obsessed with my nutribullet! This smoothie had mango, pineapple, spinach, almonds, chia seeds, coconut flakes & coconut water.

2. Just a small snipet of how I stay cool when it is close to 40C. Pool time (new suit = new tan lines)! The flowers at our pool are beautiful and full of color.

3. I wanted to see how long my hair was so I took some extra time last weekend to straighten it. Thank goodness I have a cut booked the week before we go on vacation!

4. Sometimes a girl just needs some pizza. I have said this in the past but we love Anne's Organic pizzas! The supreme one was exactly what I was looking for.

This weekend is full of studying for a big exam on Monday, getting organized for next week, working on my thesis, and more smoothies, of course!

Have a great weekend!

 

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