Virtual Coffee Date 8.24.13

if we were having coffee this morning, we'd also be eating these freshly made chocolate chip scones (that also happen to be paleo). i'd probably talk about them for a good 5 minutes, i'm so in love with them. recipe coming soon!

if we were having coffee this morning, i'd tell you that i'm ready to head back to school. there's still a month of summer left, but the month ahead looks mostly the same as the months before. work, internship, and crossfit. i'm really going to miss crossfit a lot, and i'm grateful that i have another month to learn some more at the PT office and to make some more money at my other job, but i'm ready to leave. to be reunited with my best friends, to be living in one of my favorite places in the world, to head back to class (did i really just say that?).

if we were having coffee this morning, i'd tell you that i finally jumped back into a #shereadstruth study today. it's been far too long since i just sat there and soaked up His word. i'd tell you how i'm so incredibly grateful and thankful for His boundless grace that every time i screw up, He's right there waiting for me.

if we were having coffee this morning, i'd be freaking out a bit that my first crossfit competition is in a week. i'm really excited for it at the same time, but i'm also super nervous. it's team competition, and i'm on the novice team from my box, but i don't want to let anyone down since i'm still pretty new to crossfit. but i'm also super excited because i get to spend two days doing something i love, learning a lot, and being challenged. i'm also really happy that i got a chance to do a competition before i leave to head back to school, because i won't be doing any while i'm down there.

if we were having coffee this morning, you'd be calming down my frustration at the fact that i have to take a CPR/First Aid class for my sports med internship next year... and it costs $140. at ucla, it costs $10. but there aren't any classes down there before the deadline to be certified, so i'm stuck taking it up here, and everywhere around me, it's $140. yayyyy spending money. not. // rant over

if we were having coffee this morning, i'd tell you that i'm so excited to have a day off this weekend to hang out with my momma. i haven't gotten to spend much time with her lately because of our conflicting schedules (she's coming home from work after i've already left for work and she's in bed when i get home) so i'm really excited!

Products I'm Loving

happy almost-friday, everyone! i'm so excited for the weekend because i actually have a day off- i think i might finally get myself to the beach or go see a movie. anyone have any fun plans for the weekend?

today i thought i'd share with you some random products (mostly foodie finds) that i've been loving lately. i always love reading these types of posts, especially since usually i find out about something i hadn't seen before!

**this post isn't sponsored - just my own opinions and love for these products**

this coconut milk creamer is to die for. i've been having it every morning in my coffee! it stirs right in and gives my coffee a little bit of sweetness. 

guys, i am OBSESSED with these clif bars. i seriously can't get enough of them and broke down and bought a whole box of them at whole foods today. i've never bought a whole box of any sort of bar there before, that's how much i love these. the ingredients list is short and sweet (dates, almonds, unsweetened chocolate, coconut, coconut oil, and sea salt), and they taste like a brownie. and not in that 'healthy brownie' kind of way, either- they're soft, fudgy, and oh so good. go buy some. you won't regret it.

i absolutely love this juice, but most of the time it's way to expensive to even consider buying. then a few weeks ago i discovered this huge 64oz bottle of it for only $5.99 at costco! (side note: my dad calls it barf juice because it looks so gross, haha) i love having about half a cup in the morning when i wake up. the whole bottle lasts me about two weeks!

i've been trying to get better about foam rolling and stretching lately and this little guy has been a lot of help. it's a trigger point roller and hurts a ton but you feel a lot better after you use it. i also tried out a theracane at the PT office today and absolutely loved it - it's basically a more intense sensation than a lacrosse ball or a myofascial release ball, and it feels even better afterward. i'm considering buying one since they're not too crazy expensive and would help a lot with getting knots out of my upper back. 

so remember how i went on that paleo rant the other day? you know, that all sugar is still sugar and that i wasn't about to go out and buy fancy ingredients to make a recipe paleo. well, not even a day later and i went to costco with my dad and saw this huge bag of coconut sugar for $9.99 and couldn't resist buying it. the bag is so huge it's going to last me forever, and it was a pretty decent price too. so far i've been loving it! i had some on a sweet potato yesterday and in my oatmeal this morning, and it reminds me of brown sugar. i can't wait to bake with it!

along with the aforementioned sweet potato, last night i had the best post-WOD feast. i thought it was worth mentioning because it was so good. trader joe's turkey burgers are my favorite - no weird ingredients and they taste fantastic. i also love their fresh brussels sprouts and coconut oil spray! 

guys, my brother was the one to discover this cereal. not me, the foodie that loves grocery shopping. my brother. the guy who could survive off of honey bunches of oats, burgers, and pizza. he bought healthy food. excuse me while i go freak out. say whaaat? i'm glad he's finally getting on the healthier food bandwagon now that he's living in an apartment on his own, but i'm still shocked. can't believe the day finally came! ;) anyway, this cereal is super good - i love the chewy little pieces of apple and raisins and am really glad my bro brought some home for me so that i could try it! 

i've also been loving this chipotle-esque corn salsa from trader joe's lately. i could eat chipotle every day (my wallet would not be able to handle that, though! haha) so i figured i'd try my hand at making a burrito bowl at home. i just cooked up some turkey meat with taco seasoning, topped it with some black beans, this corn salsa, and guac - perfection. 

i've been loving the target brand of athletic tape lately. i bought some when i ripped my hands for the first time (it was the day that i finally got kipping pull-ups), and then watched a bunch of videos on how to tape my hands. and then, of course i forgot my tape at home for a WOD with a bunch of pull-ups in it and ripped my hands in two places again this week. needless to say this tape has been my lifesaver for all of my WODs recently since my hands still aren't in the greatest shape. 

i also bought some almondmilk ice cream at whole foods today since it was on sale (i also got a huge bag of sweet potato chips for $1, score!) and i'm going to try it tonight - i'm really excited to see if it's any good. 

what products have you been loving lately?

MIMM 8.19.13

happy almost-tuesday, everyone! thought i'd participate in katie's marvelous in my monday link-up since this is a random post and what better way to tie it together than some marvelousness?

marvelous is... snuggles with my baby girl. who apparently had a question while she was sleeping, haha!

marvelous is... saturday morning coconut flour pancakes with dark chocolate dreams PB and fresh raspberries. 

marvelous is... this awesome sign i found in chinatown! regretting not buying it already..

marvelous is... a beautiful day in the city!

marvelous is... being reunited with one of my best friends from school for the weekend! she matches my crazy.

marvelous is... brunch with friends! i got a spinach, mushroom, and avocado omelet that was delicious. 

marvelous is... iced skinny mochas from starbucks. i'm obsessed and it's kind of a problem because my wallet isn't happy about spending $4 every other day on a drink, haha. 

marvelous is... going shopping & finding some good deals! i love this dress, and i also got a pair of mint shorts for $10 (score!) and a few pieces of jewelry (like the ring in the above photo for $3).

marvelous is... the toasted marshmallow latte i got at biscoff in SF. soooo good! 

 marvelous is... RX'ing a WOD! even when it's one with tons of pull-ups and you forgot to tape your hands and now they're ripped. #worthit

marvelous is... luke bryan. and his new album. playing it again. and again.

what was marvelous in your monday?

WIAW: Goals

happy wednesday y'all! hope you're having a good week. i've had another busy one around here, stay tuned for a post going up tomorrow about something crazy exciting that i signed up for & the huge progress i've made in crossfit recently!

but for now, here's what i've been eating lately + a little tangent at the end about my current goals.

pizza night out with the fam! 

i've been adding this to my coffee lately and absolutely loving it. it's delicious and pretty 'clean' for a coffee creamer, in my book. 

a warrior bowl from vitality bowls, a local place that makes acai bowls & smoothies. this one was an acai, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, flaxseed, broccoli, soy milk, & apple juice, topped with sliced banana, strawberries, granola, almonds, goji berries, and honey. sooo good!

homemade mushroom pizza by the madre. 

oats with defrosted berries and peanut butter

TJ's mexican salad at work for dinner

one of my go-to breakfasts: coconut flour pancakes with sunbutter and raw honey

a smoothie from vitality bowls after crossfit. this was acai, blueberry pomegranate juice, soy milk, blueberries, bananas, raspberries and whey protein

aaand another smoothie! this was called 'the hulk' and the girl that rung me up said that she was the one that came up with it. it was really good! i can't remember exactly what was in it (and it's not on the menu online) but i know there was spinach, spirulina, almond milk, whey protein, and a few different fruits. 

a new-to-me bar that i got at whole foods. i was starving on the way home from the PT office, and this did the trick of tiding me over til dinner. i wish i'd picked a different flavor though because i liked everything about this bar, except that the flavor wasn't super strong (which i should have expected since sunflower butter doesn't have a really strong taste). 

grilled cheeses on black california bread have been my thing lately! this one was spinach, bacon, havarti, and cheddar. i've been eating these so often the past few days (i had two today, haha) - all different variations every time. i think my favorite was chicken, cheddar, pepperjack, and avocado. SOOO good. 

yet another smoothie... now you guys know where all of the money from my tips goes, haha! this was the same smoothie as the pink one above, except i asked them to add spirulina. just as delicious with more nutrients!

one of my favorite dinners: burger and sweet potato fries. this burger was a mushroom & mozzarella turkey burger from whole foods. it was really good! 

my momma brought me whole foods salad bar for dinner at work when i didn't have time to make myself one before dashing out the door. she's the best mom in the world! & that vitaminwater zero is my all time favorite drink. 

lots of my peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough bites! i love having them on top of plain greek yogurt with honey for breakfast and dessert. 

i haven't taken too many photos of my food lately (this was a collection of the past week) mostly because i've become a creature of habit, and when i find something i like, i eat it a ton for about a week and then get tired of it. the past week i basically ate grilled cheese, smoothies, egg scrambles, grapes, protein bars, and frozen yogurt.

i am trying to work on squeezing in more fruits & vegetables since i haven't been eating a lot of those lately. i've probably eaten 4 salads since coming home from school (2 of them are in this post, haha) because i ate salads at school so often for so long that i am totally sick of them. i also hate prepping fruit! i've been getting my fruits and veggies in mostly in smoothie form because it's an easy way to get a lot of servings in and it isn't too hard to make. i also almost always have some form of green juice in the fridge (i like odwalla, naked juice, and trader joe's green juice - i just buy whatever is on sale because it's expensive). 

i know that food has a lot to do with performance and with the rate that i'm improving in crossfit i can't help but think that if i cleaned up my eats a little bit more, i could perform even better and improve even more. i'm setting small little goals for myself to help with this, one of which is to eat MORE veggies and the other is to get bowls of berries at work instead of bowls of froyo (i get a free one every shift i work, which means a lot of free yogurt). i like setting goals of adding healthy things in, or making healthy swaps, instead of just cutting things out, because that doesn't work for me. to each his/her own! 

what's the best thing you ate this week? 

current favorite healthy swap?

Virtual Coffee Date {3.30.13}

If we were having coffee this afternoon, I would tell you how I'm not ready for spring break to end. How all I want to do right now is go for a beautiful hike, spend hours on the beach soaking up sunshine, and have s'mores and tell stories around a campfire. I guess you could say I'm already craving some fresh air and summer in a big way.

If we were having coffee this afternoon, I'd talk about how I'm not sure how I can make it another 11 weeks without seeing my family. Having that precious 5 days with them made me realize how much I miss them every day, and how talking to them on a little screen doesn't even hold a candle to being together in person. I'd also talk for way too long about how much I miss my cats. And I'd tell you that that I'm worried that Tux (our oldest cat) isn't going to make it three more months for me to say goodbye to him.

If we were having coffee this afternoon, I'd tell you go to go listen to OneRepublic's new album when you got home because I'm obsessed.

If we were having coffee this afternoon, I'd tell you about my beautiful run this morning. How the weather was absolutely spotless, and my legs felt like they could just keep going and going. I'd tell you how blessed I am to be able to experience the pure joy and freedom that running gives me.


If we were having coffee this afternoon, I'd tell you about all the things I want to do this summer. I want to run the Giant half marathon in the city and run the Ragnar trail race in Tahoe. I want to try out Crossfit. I want to go on road trips to visit friends. I want to go to as many country concerts as my little wallet will allow and go on lots of little mini-vacations with my family.


If we were having coffee this afternoon, I'd tell you about the delicious lunch I ate today after I went grocery shopping. After a dinner of yogurt and banana last night I realized that I needed some green in my life, and badly. Brussels sprouts have never tasted so good! Neither have lentils or goat cheese. I'd also tell you about how I always spend too much money at Trader Joe's and Target but that I never really feel guilty about it.

If we were having coffee this afternoon, I'd talk about how good it felt to have a little spring-clean-out of my dorm room the other day. And how I somehow have managed to still make a mess in the 24 hours since I cleaned everything.

If we were having coffee this afternoon, I'd tell you how excited I am to go to an Easter service at a new-to-me church tomorrow morning. I can't wait!

Spring Break {2013}

i can't believe break is almost over already! it seems like i was just talking to you guys about trying to survive finals and here i am typing this up with only a few days left of spring break. 

it has been a truly amazing and much needed break, though! i wanted to share some photos with you guys, because i took lots {pretty sure one day my iPhone is going to explode with photos. juuust sayin'}. 

brunchin' with the big bro at corner bakery:

my crazy family is reunited {and to top that off, we went to the happiest place on earth!}

and of course a little kid's souvenir cup at carsland was 100% necessary. 

i had so much fun at disneyland and california adventure- we hit up all the best rides (space mountain, indiana jones, matterhorn, buzz lightyear, california screamin', tower of terror, soarin' over california, radiator springs, and more!) and i don't think i've ever appreciated getting to spend time with my family more. 

i had lots of cappucinos (seriously, people. you don't realize how good starbucks is until you're deprived of it for weeks at a time) and i also ate lots of good food - we got pizza 3 out of the 5 nights my parents were here (in classic foster style). we also ate lots of cookies and froyo and all of that wonderfulness! 

after our two days at disneyland, my mom and i had a day together shopping, which was so much fun! i got a few new dresses, skirts, and shorts that were much needed because it's going to start getting hot here really soon. this is one of the skirts i got: 

on our last day, my family went to see olympus has fallen (i thought it was a great movie!), had dinner at the counter (also known as my favorite place ever), and watched modern family and nashville on TV. basically a perfect day. 

 all in all it has been a wonderful break and i couldn't've asked for anything better! my parents dropped my brother and i off back at campus today and i've spent the day unpacking, cleaning and organizing my room (took soooo long!), picking up some essentials, and eating at whole foods. that spicy shrimp and avocado roll hit the spot!

aand now i'm eating a ginormous bowl of panda puffs (best cereal ever..anyone with me?) and am planning on skyping some friends and watching a movie for the rest of the night. 'twas a good day! 

stay tuned for a Quest Bar review coming your way soon - if you haven't already gotten the hint from twitter, it's safe to say that i'm addicted. i can't wait to tell you guys about them! 

xoxo