Hey guys! It’s almost the weekend – woohoo!! Matt is out of town for work so I’ll be cruising solo this weekend – and besides dinner tonight with the rents and a long run Sunday morning with track buddies, I have zero plans. Weird/awesome! I’m resisting the temptation to book my schedule up with social outings – after a TON of travel lately and things being crazy on the work front I could really use some time to catch up on life and rest – especially since I have another trip coming up next week!
Anyway – here are some things I’m loving lately – including an awesome giveaway! 🙂
1) My Flour Free Breakfast Pancake (<—recipe).
I hadn’t made this in awhile due to all my travels – and I’ve been so busy lately that when I have made it I’ve done a quick variation where I just microwave the ingredients together in a bowl. It’s fast and easy but not quite as delicious (or pretty). I topped this morning’s with some yogurt and additional nuts since I was really hungry post-workout! Hit the spot – and I enjoyed it with a side of the Washington Post Sunday Travel section, which is my fave. I loved their “Around the World in 20 Days” article from last weekend – totally want to do something like that someday! Also – does anyone else have Reykjavik, Iceland on their bucket list?
2) Joyful Eating, Nourished Life
The first group for the intuitive and mindful eating group program that Rachael, Alex, and I created launched on Monday! We’re all so excited about it – so far it’s been awesome to see everyone in our private Facebook group already starting to do some great detective work around what drives them to eat (or not eat). I’m really looking forward to helping those in the program learn and grow as they work to improve their relationships with food. Also, just a heads up that if you’re interested we have opened sign ups for the next 6 week session, which will launch on October 10. Sign up here if you’d like to join us! Space is limited.
Also – I wanted to give a quick shout out to Alex for her upcoming cookbook release – Fresh Italian Cooking for the New Generation! Long live carbs – it’s all about balance (and adding lots of veggie volume!) and she showcases that beautifully in the cookbook. Give it a look!
3) Our “coffee and tea bar.”
For ages we had our Keurig, our Nespresso machine, our milk frother (best thing ever), AND our hot water kettle (so much faster than a stovetop kettle) on our kitchen counter and it stressed me out because it was SO crowded and didn’t leave us almost any space for food prep. A couple months ago I had the genius idea to move all of the items out into our little breakfast nook instead to make a sort of coffee/tea bar! I even got a picture I took one morning at a coffee shop on my phone turned into a printed canvas to make it look even more inviting. I love how it came out!
Our k-cups, espresso pods, and teabags are all in the cabinet below (where they’ve been all along) so it makes sense to have everything in one place, too!
4) Organic Valley Half and Half. (sponsored)
Speaking of coffee bars – one thing Matt and I have both been loving lately is Organic Valley’s flavored half and half! I’m normally not a fan of flavored half and half because they have all sorts of junk added to them, but Organic Valley’s is awesome – really high quality ingredient list. To make it they blend organic and fair-trade ingredients with their pasture-raised milk and cream.
The french vanilla is my favorite but the hazelnut flavor is also delicious!
I like my coffee (and lattes, obviously) super milky but not too sweet so I usually do a mix of Organic Valley’s whole milk or plain half and half + a splash of the vanilla half and half for flavor and sweetness, but Matt likes going all flavored half and half! We pounded through the bottles they sent me a few weeks ago and Matt requested I pick more up at the store ASAP – clearly we had a winner!
If you’re looking for a good laugh, check out this hilarious YouTube video that Organic Valley made – one of their organic dairy farmers, Gerrit van Tol, opened a one-weekend pop up coffee shop in NYC in April that served only organic half & half. Slightly confused customers ordered Organic Valley Half & Half in three sizes – and then visited the condiment bar to add coffee for free. So funny and well done – the farmer’s acting was spot on. 🙂
Organic Valley sent me a fun “World’s Best Coffee” kit last week and offered to give one away to you guys, too! The kit includes what you see pictured below: three half and halfs (vanilla, hazelnut, and plain), a french press, a small packet of ground coffee, a coffee travel mug, and some coupons.
I busted out the french press last weekend when my friends Lauren and Libby were here staying with us and Lauren liked the flavored half and half so much she bought herself some immediately after getting home – love it! Enter below to win and try some yourself. 🙂
5) Sweaty friend workouts.
I was traveling from Monday to Wednesday this week (here’s what I was up to – full recap coming in a couple weeks!) and I didn’t make it to my track group yesterday because it was pouring, so I was really in the mood for a sweat this morning. I met friends Kathleen and Chelsea for a little Urban Athletic Club action via ClassPass! It was awesome and a great boot camp workout as always! We’re really liking Romain’s classes lately – he’s energetic and upbeat and a great positive motivator. Also – still so proud of Kathleen for continuing to crush the workouts during her pregnancy! AND – I’m super excited because Chelsea and her fiance just bought a house in Arlington and are moving in a week – so pumped she’ll be close by again!
Lots of meetings and items on the to do list today – better get back to it! Have a great day and an even better weekend, my friends. 🙂
I’ll leave you with some links/info from around the web!
- Deals: Vega is offering 20% off today only – I stocked up on my fave Pre-Workout Energizer! I have it before all my early morning runs or workouts.
- Eat: The Best Coconut Flour Pancakes // Microwave Blueberry Flax Oatmeal // Watermelon Sangria (so simple and sounds delish)
- Move: Head to Toe Running Workout
- Think: Thoughts on Fitness for Vanity // Feeling Fat is Contagious // Reframing Pinterest Crap (love this)
- Read: 10 Books for Your Summer Reading List
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Please note this post contains affiliate links.
