the little things.

these cookies

source

this face...

enchiladas- the best of the best comfort food.  our favourite go-to meal.


and an entire sunday spent with these girls. (more than a little thing)

this week was definitely an exhausting one.  it seemed to go on forever and it didn't leave me feeling very energized for my weekend.  thursdays power yoga class was my first all week and provided me with a little positive zip to continue on through the rest of my week.  today I'm attending a moksha yoga class to live music led by the co-founder of moksha yoga in order to raise cashola for the emergency room at our local hospital.  great cause and I can't wait to participate.  tomorrow I have a long run on my agenda and I can't wait to get back on my bike next week.  all good things!

I hope to cook some delicious food this weekend and next week since I have been spending my days in the library lately. stay tuned for some new recipe ideas!

fitness goals.

my goal last week was:
4 days bike to and from school
2 strength workouts
1 run
2 yoga classes

I completed these goals for the week and was really happy about it.  I find it SO much easier to go into the week with a plan.  first I make my list of goals, like the one above, then I slot time in each day to make it all happen.  this makes everything easier to manage when the week seems to fill up quickly with school and work.  this week I made a similar list.

the strength workout I completed twice last week was an arms and abs workout.  I opted for working these muscles since my legs were pretty tired from biking, running and yoga.

I found this workout on pinterest and adapted it slightly:
10 pushups
20 dips
30 bicep curls(with 5 pound weights)
40 second plank
50 crunches (25 x 2 sets)
40 second plank
30 bicep curls (with weights)
20 dips
10 pushups.

short yet efficient! I think next time I would up the plank to 1 minute.

todays awesome thing: when I tell D he is on dinner duty because I just can't fit it in after a long day at school and then yoga.  and he agrees without complaining and I come home to a warm, delicious, vegetarian meal.  love him.

and this dog.

weekend.

highlights of the weekend:

*saturday morning rise n shine yoga pretty much got my weekend off to the best start.  I was so busy over the holidays that yoga was on the back burner but it feels so good to get back into it.  last nights yoga for athletes kicked my butt.  I can definitely tell this riding my bike to school is really taking a toll on my quads and the yoga and running that I do is that much more challenging.  I'm sure with time this will pass as the commute to school on my little bicycle gets easier and easier.  saturday after yoga and spending some time with abby at the library, I laced up my runners for a 6k jog around westwood with anthem.  we did intervals- 10min run, 1 min walk and I found that worked really well for me.  having that 1 min to look forward to was great motivation and always seemed to come at the perfect time.  saturday ended just as lovely as it started with a pizza party and great company.


*sunday was FAB! first stop... shine cafe!

D and I have been patiently waiting to try this restaurant in victoria.  we have heard so many awesome things about all the delicious variations of eggs benny they have and it did not disappoint! we got up bright and early sunday to head down to vic before the sunday brunch rush started at shine.  my benny was loaded with veggies- avocado, tomato, spinach, onion, pepper- and topped with a chipotle hollandaise.  YUM!! my taste buds were content.  unfortunately, the other restaurant we had planned for our venture was closed for lunch :( hopefully we can make another trip soon to try some more victoria restaurants on our list.

*shop shop shop.  our other purpose of the victoria trip was to hit up mec and lululemon for some gear.  I needed lots of biking gear/accessories and D needed a few things for mountain biking as well.  we got some awesome loot! these are my two favourite items that I picked up... the rain pants, shoe covers and fenders weren't overly exciting but very useful!

this headband/toque/earwarmer thing is so awesome!!! I used it for my past two days of riding and it kept my ears and head nice and toasty which is great for these chilly days.  I also used it for my run today- definitely worth picking one of these up if you are out in the elements on a regular basis.  love the purple too :)

these lululemon no show running socks are fantastic.  D and I each got some. they have a little cushion that you can see on the back to protect your heel.  marvellous!

this weekend was a good one. now I am looking forward to celebrating my moms birthday tomorrow- woop! happy tuesday everyone.

crazy cross fit.

over the weekend, I chatted cross fit with the girls.  brooke has posted a couple awesome cross fit workouts here and today since I didn't have a scheduled yoga class or run I decided to give it a go.  I went out for a 15 minute power walk then came home and did the following workout which I slightly adapted from brooke's cross fit craziness.

warm up:

10 push ups x 3
10 sit ups x3
10 squats x 3

then for 10 minutes did this circuit:

7 tricep dips
7 burpees
7 step ups

I used my ottoman for the dips and step ups- seemed to work out quite fine! in the new year when the school gym is open I will go use that space instead of my living room.  for now though it works perfectly! this seriously got me sweating!! probably the best workout I have ever got in such a short time period.  I could feel the burn everywhere!  thanks brooke!!

if you need a good workout playlist, I used this one while I suffered through all those stupid burpees.  a few songs I didn't really like so I skipped them but for the most part it was awesome for sweating it out.

weekend.

the definite highlight of my weekend was the 5k santa shuffle that I ran with the girls.  our team C-BAM (minus the C- we missed you court) rocked it out and had a great time.  now onto the times colonist 10k in april.  we ran the whole race together and stopped to walk only for a couple minutes.  definitely a success. this morning anthem and I had a nice 4k run bright and early.

other highlights of the weekend included:
*nice visit with the best parents ever.
*delicious crockpot soup.  I love coming home to a nice warm meal after a day at work.
*thai dinner with friends. D and I both decided to try something new and were not disappointed in the slightest.  I had a thai red curry with tofu and it was to die for.  the best part was totally the sweet sticky rice and thai custard for dessert.
*visitors at work- sunday morning D brought me a starbucks to work and then my mom came by to do some shopping.  makes for a great day :)
* this "milkshake" sooooo yummy.  that lasted all of about 30 seconds. my new favourite smoothie for sure.

so far this week has been enjoyable and productive. I enjoyed two lovely coffee dates yesterday, made some progress in the christmas gift department and also in the studying department.  planning on spending the day in the library tomorrow before a candlelight flow yoga class.

now off to pull out the christmas decorations and drink a little hot chocolate!
have a good night friends.

a wonderful weekend.

this weekend was BUSY! but so, so awesome.  since I didn't have my car on friday, and I had the day off school, I had a chance to catch up on stuff that needed to get done around the house.  I went to yoga, attempted to make homemade granola and made cupcakes for brooke's birthday(gluten and dairy free!).  after a day at work on saturday we drove up island to celebrate brooke's birthday.  and did we ever celebrate.  it was such a great time! the only bummer was that I had to work the next morning.

we all contributed to a pot luck for dinner before we went out- we had halibut, quinoa salad, asparagus and a goat cheese and beet salad.

this week has been off to a good start- yesterday I had a great yoga class that left my abs and legs in the state of jello and this morning I went for a morning run with the girls.  tonight I am off to a vinyasa flow yoga class and then I am making cheesy sweet potato crisps and oven fried fish for dinner.  hope everything turns out!

hope to be back for a post later this week.
happy tuesday!

first day back at school.

I love september- something about the structure of getting back to routine puts me totally at ease.

today was a fabulous first day back- I only had one class which was an added bonus, got up early for a run/walk with the girls(we missed you brooke!), then went to my first yoga class since I have been back.  all in all a fantastic day.  in the one class I had today, we were assigned a project that will take me back to bamfield for a couple days! I absolutely can't wait- we are working on the official community development plan for the bamfield area and I am ecstatic about it! bonus! I will get to see a couple of my biology friends when we stay at the marine station for a night.  yay for more fall adventures!

I have also been thoroughly enjoying making all my own meals at home. no more cafeteria food! thank goodness. it is so nice to not have scheduled meal times and being able to eat what I want, when I want! I was back to overnight oats this morning and then little snacks throughout the day, which I much prefer over a big lunch.  I also got a wonderful gift from a fab friend...

holy crap! I can't wait to mix this in with my oats tomorrow morning! I have the best friends ever :)

--m

busy day.

last night D and I made a delicious dinner- we grilled up some veggies(sweet potatoes, carrots, onions and peppers), corn on the cob and some non-medicated chicken sausages.  this was SO simple and came together in a flash.  I like BBQ'ing because that is always D's job!  after dinner, we decided to head out in the sunshine for a nice walk- we ended up walking for about 45 minutes.  it was really nice to just enjoy each others company, I'm going to seriously miss him while I'm gone.

here is little photo update of my lilies- they are a bloomin'!

today I had a wonderful breakfast date with my parents, ange, darc and abby.  we wandered through the farmers market after breakfast.  then I ran some errands and picked up some super cute jeans a cute tee at the gap.

after a busy morning, I laced up my runners and went for a jog which looked like this:
*5 minutes walking for warm up
*run 2 minutes, walk 2 minutes.  repeat 7 times
*10 minutes walking for cool down.

I returned home and did a "running cool down" yoga podcast from eoin finn.  short and sweet but it ensures that you stretch all the necessary muscles after a run.  it was perfect! check out his podcasts- I downloaded several of them on itunes and am totally loving them! he has a "yoga for short attention spans".. sounds like he knows me perfectly! can't wait to try that one out.

off to continue packing.
--m

spoiled.

my last day of work yesterday was wonderful.  I got some really good feedback about the work that I did while I was there and left feeling accomplished and optimistic that I can hopefully work there again sometime in the near(ish) future.  I learned so much during that short 3 months.  derek brought me these home to congratulate me on my last day..

he is the best.  we love having lilies around the house- they last long, smell wonderful and are just plain beautiful. I love receiving flowers and he always picks the best days! things have been pretty crazy around here lately as I'm getting organized to leave so sometimes it's nice to just forget about all the "to-do's" and enjoy time with friends and family.  D and I have a date tonight because it's our last day that we have a chance to spend with each other being that the weekend is filled with a birthday party friday night and a wedding on saturday!

this morning, in celebration of not having to go to work this morning, I enjoyed a non-traditional weekday breakfast.  normally, its overnight oats but this morning I had blueberry eggo's with peanut butter, a little syrup, frozen berries and a banana! delicious! it is a nice treat to switch it up sometimes.

after breakfast, errands(including getting my passport photo taken and going to the passport office), I met my mom and dad for a coffee date! mom brought me these two little treasures home from her trip.  this tea towel is the jam!! it says:

I am not a chef

I did not attend 

le cordon bleu 

I don't wear 

a puffy hat

I cook

for my family

my friends

myself

I am not a chef

I am a cook

I absolutely love it! I'm not sure if I am a very good "cook" just yet, but I really am trying! and this bowl is awesome- I already have a plate and another bowl that are the same brand.  they are made out of recycled material, which is right up my alley and they are super funky.  I need to pick up a couple more so I can make a whole set!

anyways, it has been a wonderful week.  lots of socializing- including megs 30th birthday- shout out to her!! I managed to squeeze in a fab yoga for athletes yoga class on monday and a vinyasa flow on tuesday.  today I'm headed to the studio for my last class until I return in September- how sad!! I hope to squeeze in a run tomorrow and possibly zumba on saturday.

just wanted to touch quickly on what my plan is in terms of blogging while I'm away.  I will try my best to post a few times a week, but I don't get my schedule until I start class on monday.  I am going to be extremely busy out there but I will make time for the blog whenever I can.  be patient and I will do my best!

--m

a rainy run.

phew, what a busy week.  I managed to cross off the majority of my to-do list which has been a serious relief.  I went into work early every morning this week in order to leave early and get errands done before yoga or dinner.  I feel very accomplished although, the list goes on and this week won't be any less hectic.  in addition to my to-do list, I also have a to-see list which is a list of people I really want to see before I head out for 6 weeks.  I managed to do that the past week or two and had the chance to catch up with some school friends, family and my group of closest friends.  last night, court planned a little going away party for me as well as a celebration of her hubby's new job.  we had such a blast- I honestly can't say enough about my amazing friends and family.

today started off with a lovely sleep in and then a productive morning! I ran some errands first thing in the morning and then came home to get ready for katies wedding ceremony! 

pre-ceremony fuel...

eggs and a cheese on a toasted multigrain sandwich thin and blackberries on the side! hit the spot.

after the ceremony- pics to come soon(I only took a few because I didn't have the greatest view), I came home to rest with D but decided I was feeling motivated enough to complete a run.  so, I laced up my runners, grabbed my iPod and hit the trail for my 2nd run of my 10k training.  unfortunately, it started to REALLY rain about half way through so I opted to run more and walk less because I wanted to make it home asap.  I was pretty much soaked, as seen below.

I still really enjoyed expending all my energy and now I'm amped for the wedding reception tonight(I had to deal with my soaked rats nest of hair first)

my run was SUPPOSED to look like this:

*walk for 5 minutes for warm up.
*run 1 minute, walk 2 minutes.  repeat 6 times
*walk for 5 minutes to cool down.

but it ended being all over the place since I just needed to get home but in total it equaled about 30 minutes.

off to the wedding!
--m

learn to run.

girls night was a few weekends back and 4 of us decided we were going to run a 10k together next may! I am SO excited for this.  I just want a real reason to train and even though it's a long way away I decided to get a head start on my training now.  I hope that when I'm back in september and anthem is back from calgary that we can all get together for runs as often as possible! just another excuse to get together with my fab friends :)  

training run #1- check!

I am using the 10k training program that brooke posted. my first run looked like this:
warm up- walk 5 minutes(I walked a tad longer because I was trying to get to the trail before I started running)
run 1 minute, walk 2 minutes and repeat 9 times (the program says 8 but I had some extra juice left at the end of 8)
cool down- walk 5 minutes
total: approximately 40 minutes

this walk/run didn't feel like a huge challenge but when I got home I felt satisfied with completing this little dose of cardio.  I want to stick with the program and not rush into the running part in hopes that it actually works and I will be able to do the 10k no problem!

can't wait to have my running buddies with me soon..

the rain ruined my run #2 which was supposed to be today.. oh well. I enjoyed a night in with D and homemade veggie pizza.  also, my quads and hamstrings are fairly sore from my vinyasa flow yoga class last night and 2 walks! with working on my feet all day I can definitely feel the difference in my legs- they tire much quicker! back to yoga tomorrow and then maybe squeeze in my run on friday morning before a fun filled weekend!

night friends.
--m

sweat it out!

so zumba.. where have you been all my life?? zumba ROCKS! I absolutely loved it :) I was so distracted by the fun of the routines that I didn't even notice how sweaty I was! it is perfect- exactly the type of "fun cardio" I was looking for! 

once I arrived home, exhausted and sweaty, I was ready for a quick and easy dinner.  since D was out watching the game(go canucks go!) I was on my own for eats.

  

I threw together a quesadilla with a tofu dog, cheese, green onion and salsa.  had some veggies on the side for some extra nutrition. tofu/veggie dogs in quesadillas is my new favourite thing- so delicious.

in other news.. I finally finished the book of negroes.  seriously- did that take me long enough or what? I was quite thankful to put that book down.  I did really enjoy the story but I felt it was a touch too long.  it was hard to stay interested for 500 pages!  

my new read..

yayy! so excited to get into this one.  I snatched it up on sale about a month ago and have been itching to start reading it.  unfortunately, I had to wait patiently because the book of negroes took me forever to finish.  I have a slight feeling this book may be joining me on the beach this weekend! keep your fingers crossed for some gorgeous weather!

i'm out!

--m

ps. canucks- I LOVE YOU! game one- check! three more boys.

new adventures.

what a busy week this has been so far.  I enjoyed my time on the couch yesterday watching the bachelorette (don't judge)

derek and I participated in a thai cooking class on monday night and had such a good time! derek was a bit apprehensive as the class was sort of my idea and he wasn't sure what he had gotten himself into but in the end I think he was glad he went! the food was delicious and the lady that taught it was just the cutest! the recipes were actually really simple but tasted so so perfect.  she used a lot of ingredients that I normally wouldn't cook with but I think that is the best part! I love learning how to incorporate new and exciting things into my cooking and I came away with some great tips.  can't wait for next week! (sorry I didn't get any pictures- next week for sure!)

next new adventure of the week- zumba!!! a fun latin dance type of exercise class that I am dying to try! I have a hard time getting motivated to do cardio because I just find it SO boring.  I used to do jazzercise which was perfect but they hiked up the prices and the schedule doesn't work very well for me so I thought I would give zumba a try! I have heard so many good things about it and can't wait to sweat it out when I try it this week.  yay for fun cardio!

after a long day at work, yoga, dinner and dishes I decided to indulge a little..

strawberry shortcake!

derek has been begging me to have this dessert for a few months now and we finally got around to it! I used my fabulous kitchen aid mixer to whip up the whipping cream, a pinch of vanilla and sugar into a delicious whip cream! we bought little sponge cake cups at the grocery store and then topped them with the whip cream and strawberries. yum yum yum.

see you all soon!
--m