Hi friends! I know some of you might have today off, so if you are still enjoying your weekend, stay warm in this cold weather! As for me, it’s back to work, although I am taking a long lunch to meet a friend for a workout. 🙂
Matt and I had a nice weekend. Friday was really low key – we busted out some Sweet Potato Lentil Chili from the freezer, made some Bumble Bee SuperFresh Tilapia (so good) to have atop salad, and called it a night. We need to get better about eating leftovers in the freezer – it’s kind of overflowing at this point!
On Saturday morning, I made us Matt’s Maple Cinnamon Lattes in bed. 🙂 Then, Matt headed off to grad school class all day, and I met up with these beautiful girls for a run! (Don’t worry, I also ate some toast with PB and banana to fuel up first!)
Yay. 🙂 There’s nothing like a run with two good friends to start the day. It was cold and gray but there were tons of people out in groups – I think everyone is getting ready for the Rock ‘n’ Roll DC marathon/half, just like us!
The girls and I had 8 miles on the docket, and decided to get them in on the Capital Crescent Trail. We met up in Georgetown at the start of the trail and ran north!
Once we hit 4 miles, just before the tunnel, we stopped to quickly stretch and have a little snack.
Kathleen brought these cool coffee energy bars from Whole Foods, and I contributed some dried dart cherries to the mix. Yum! The bars reminded me of a recipe that I included in the Nutrition for Runners program, but the use of ground coffee is genius… might have to try that next time.
Then we ran back! I like out and backs because they are so nice mentally. Nothing to think about, and running 4 then turning around sounds so easy compared to running 8 miles, right?
It was over in a flash. Too soon, actually! We all had the best time chatting away.
We have 10 miles planned for next weekend, followed by a fun brunch, hopefully with our man friends. Looking forward to it already. 🙂
I pounded an Organic Valley Organic Fuel in the car on my way home (reminder that I’m trying these out as part of a sponsored campaign with Organic Valley, but we’ll keep buying them when our samples run out because they are awesome). I love that you don’t have to refrigerate these (not that it matters right now, though, since my car was probably colder than our fridge…) so it’s easy to bring them with you for after workouts. I was pretty hungry when we finished so I was glad I had it with me – plus, it’s best to get some protein/carbs into you within about 30 minutes of a workout, when your muscles are most receptive to repairing/rebuilding. Wait any longer, and not only will you not recover as well, but you’ll also probably get a bit hangry, which no one likes.
It held me over until I got home, stretched/foam rolled, showered, etc! When I was all cleaned up, I made myself a nice brunch.
A piece of Ezekiel toast with melted Cabot sharp cheddar, two sunny side up eggs, and some sautéed garlicky kale. The kale was on its last legs and needed to be used, and I love the greens + toast/runny eggs combo. Yum!
I was still kind of hungry when I finished, and I wanted to make us some snacks for the week, so I whipped up a variation of my Tart Cherry Pie Snack Balls. We’re very sadly just about out of dried tart cherries (I know, serious fail), so I used golden raisins instead, but kept the rest of the ingredients the same. It was actually quite delicious! Great flavor combo.
I did some work/stuff around the house, then headed to the 1 year old birthday party of a friend’s daughter, then met back up with Matt, post-class – it was time for our Valentine’s date! (Dear Red Wine: Thank you for making my face awkwardly bright red. Love, Anne)
My skirt (it’s this one – $22.99 ftw) was a fun recent pick up from Target. Cute, right? Necklace is an old fave from Stitch Fix.
For the past few years, Matt has cooked us a big feast at home on Valentine’s Day, but since he had class all day this year, we decided to go out instead. We decided to treat ourselves to Restaurant Nora, a wonderfully cozy, upscale restaurant in the Dupont Circle area that also happens to be certified organic, with a focus on fresh, healthy fair. Awesome!
We ordered ourselves a bottle of Pinot Noir and cozied up, watching the snow fall outside.
As for dinner itself, it was outrageously priced due to a price-fixe 5 course Valentine’s menu, but the food was delicious, and it was a nice treat since we rarely go out to dinner just the two of us.
My favorite of the night was actually the starters! The lobster bisque soup was amazing, as was the salmon tartare. My lamb entrée was just so so – it was good, but I’ve had way better lamb chops elsewhere, and again for the price, I thought the sides that came with it could have been more interesting/creative. For dessert, I had the poached pear with bleu cheese – fun salty/sweet combo.
It was a great night with my favorite guy. 🙂
As for the rest of the weekend, my friend Ashley was in town visiting so we met up for coffee at an my old fave, Java Shack in Courthouse, followed by a nice yoga class at Edge Yoga. It felt soooo good to stretch after my track workout Thursday, Urban Athletic Club Friday, and the 8 miler on Saturday. I was quite stiff!
Then, Matt and I had our friends Steph and Alex over for brunch at our place! Steph and I have been friends since we went to camp together when we were 12. Always fun to see her. 🙂
Chef Matt was in charge of brunch and we were all quite impressed! Delish and well timed, with everything finishing at the same time. His dad (who you guys remember puts together the most epic family feasts during the holidays) would be proud. 😉
On the menu: peppery bacon, a veggie and egg scramble, and pan seared seasoned sweet potatoes. Plus some toast with whipped honey and almond butter, and orange juice! Sooo good. Thanks for the great meal, Matt! We always joke that it’s funny I’m the one with the food blog, since he likes cooking way more than I do. I was in charge of dishes. 😉
The rest of yesterday was spent relaxing and doing some work. Which, speaking of, I’d better get to, especially since I want to take a long lunch!
Have a great day everyone!
What’s your favorite brunch? Mine involves eggs – I’d always rather go savory than sweet!
