Simple Berry Smoothie.

I woke up this morning and felt like a car had rolled over my upper body. I am so sore! But in a good way :) On Thursday I took a BodyPump class and upped my weight on a few tracks, and then yesterday I took a BodyCombat class and really focused on pushing myself. It worked, because this morning my whole upper body was screaming at me.

My plans to go to the gym before I had to go into work were scratched and I hit the snooze button to catch a few extra zzzs instead.

After I woke up I whipped up this simple smoothie that was incredible. I wasn't expecting it to be this good!

Simple Berry Smoothie
serves 1

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used the Whole Foods brand)
• 1.5 cups frozen mixed berries
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

Just blend all the ingredients together and you have yourself a tasty breakfast or a post-workout snack. 

I also had a mini toasted whole-wheat bagel on the side. 

After I ate I had to work a 6-hour shift which left me feeling tired all over - but especially my feet!- since I can't sit down while I'm working. Throughout the day I snacked on a granola bar, greek yogurt, almonds, and a mini turkey tortilla wrap (all unpictured). 

Once I got off work I went to church and then came home to a delicious & easy dinner: salad, Amy's Split Pea soup, and a hunk of doughy multigrain nutty bread from Fresh & Easy (I'm really starting to love that store!) 

looks gross, tastes amazing

Dessert was an apple with peanut butter - my current favorite!

what was the last workout you did that made you sore? 

WIAW #5 - Back to the Grind

I definitely was not looking forward to the 6:30 am wakeup call this morning. Going back to school after a 2 1/2 week break is always a toughie and today was no exception!

but today is WIAW's 50th anniversary! and while this is only my 5th time participating I gotta say that I have always loved reading everyone's WIAW posts.

so here we go!

meal 1 (6:45 am): bagel smeared with a wedge of laughing cow cheese and topped with two eggs

meal 2 (10:30am): apple + string cheese

meal 3 (12:30 pm): vanilla chobani, carrots with red pepper hummus, and a plain bagel (these bagels are awesome- i got them at Fresh and Easy and they have 6g protein and 5g fiber. not to mention they are delicious!)

i like to dip pretzels and bagels into yogurt.... weird much?

meal 4 (3:30 pm): lemon Luna bar + 2 clementines

i ate this on my way from school to go get my hair trimmed - it has been getting really long and i knew that managing it would be easier after getting a few inches cut off.

post cut: much better!

workout: 20 minutes heavy resistance elliptical + 30min Les Mills CXWorx core class. I didn't really want to hit up the gym today since i was already exhausted from having such a full day, so i hopped on the elliptical while reading blogs on my phone to get the time to go by. then when i saw people lining up for the core class, i decided right before it started to take it, since i always get a better workout in classes than i do on my own.
success! :)

meal 5: i actually haven't eaten this yet, but likely it will be some form of salad+pizza or salad+rice/chicken bowl. instead i'm gonna show you last nights eats cuz they were pretty deeeelicous!

i roasted brussel sprouts for the first time and they turned out pretty well - just tossed em in olive oil and salt n peppa and then roasted at 400 for 25 minutes. my only complaint was that they tasted a lil bitter at the end - any tips from you roasting experts?

anyways, i had my brussel sprouts (covered in ketchup cause i can't get enough of that stuff!) with a hearty serving of Grandma's Homemade Mac n Cheese. aka yummiest pasta everr! if you haven't seen the recipe please go check it out - i promise it's worth it :) [on a side note, i finally got going with recipage yesterday and now all my recipes are nice and organized. woop woop!]

and i'm sure meal 6 will involve an apple, peanut butter, and choco chips - best dessert ever.

any tips for roasting brussel sprouts? 
tell me about your workout today! 

2012: a year filled with change

Before I get into the new year chat, I wanted to share some snapshots of the past few relaxing days that I spent in Carmel-by-the-sea with family. It is one of my favorite places to go for a short 3 day vacation and is beautiful there!

silliness in our hotel room ;)

fun 4-wheel bike ride in monterey! :)

It was such a fun and relaxing way to bring in the new year. 

Whenever I hear 2012, the first thing that pops into my head: graduating high school. This upcoming year is going to be one of the most adventurous and different years of my life - and I'm stoked!! 

what is going to happen in 2012? 

honestly, who knows? but these are a few of the things that i'm sure about :)

• Graduation. Wowza! I'm pumped. 

• Starting college in the fall. Where, I have no clue! But that's part of the fun/excitement right now. I can't wait to live in a new place, meet lots of new people, and have the time of my life.
• I also want to commit to maintaining my (mostly) healthy lifestyle in college. I love eating well and exercising right and owe it to myself to keep it up!

• I am going to be a counselor-in-training at the camp that I've been going to for years in Mount Hermon. I know those two weeks are going to be life-changing and that my relationship with God is going to grow enormously. 

what am I hoping will happen in 2012?

• I want to finish my last high school track season strong! My only goal is to PR in the 1600m. I would love to break 5:30 but I know that's only gonna happen if I work really hard.

• Another fitness goal for the upcoming year: keep up with strength training! I have been doing really well and I want to keep working hard so I don't lose any of the strength I've built up. 

• Okay, last fitness goal here. I really want to try to make it to yoga once a week (or at least 2x a month).  I just went to a class a few days ago that absolutely kicked my butt since I haven't been since the summer. Yikes!

• I want to improve my posts on the bloggie and try really hard to comment on more of my favorite blogs. I always keep up with them but never seem to find the time to comment - but I love getting comments on my posts! So that's a goal for this upcoming year.

I know it's going to be a crazy ride. And I know there's going to be lots of ups and downs. But all I have to say is bring it.

what are your goals/expectations for the upcoming year?