After a great weekend at the beach, I woke up sick this morning. A few of my coworkers have been sick and I was feeling a little wonky last week, so I think it is finally just hitting me. Womp!

Nothing serious, just the sniffles and some coughing for now. Cait and I attempted a run this morning, which turned into more of a walk after about a mile. Just enough to count for #RWRunStreak!

Sweating felt good but I feel like I’ve had the energy completely sucked out of me!

So I’m off to work, hopefully to the doctor’s, and then home to relax. Gotta beat this before Thursday! We’re supposed to be leaving for the OBX at the end of the week. Don’t have time to be sick (but who ever does?!) Sheesh!

Happy Tuesday!

Hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend! After quite a bit of traffic, I’m home again, home again! Joe and I met down in Rehoboth late on Friday night and we had a great weekend with the beach clan!

Also, I have some big news! I have been chosen by Fit Approach to join many other wonderful ladies as a #SweatPink Ambassador! The badge has been hanging out in my sidebar for a few weeks now, but I wanted to wait to officially announce it! Especially since there’s something in it for you guys now (see below).

The Fit Approach Mission: We believe that kicking ass is best done in pretty shoes. We’ve learned that real women sweat, and sweat hard. We know that assertiveness, strength, and ambition are the ultimate feminine qualities. We concede that sometimes it takes hours to get ready, but we’re also no strangers to just rolling out of bed and going. We’re convinced that we run faster in pink shoelaces. We believe in pushing ourselves, and we believe in giving ourselves a break, too. We’re all about the rush of endorphins and the thrill of the challenge. We’re all for looking great and feeling even better. We’re committed to finding our best fit, and making it stick.

I originally found out about #SweatPink from Kristen, who is also an ambassador!The team aptly define themselves as “enthusiastic health nuts who love sweating and eating well, but can also appreciate the finer things in life (chocolate, cheese, wine…)!” Absolutely love, love, love it. A sweet care package arrived yesterday from the team with an official #SweatPink tank top and lots of bright pink laces!

The package also contained a thoughtful little note from Jamie and Alyse, co-founders of Fit Approach, on this kick-ass postcard: I’m not going to lie– I kinda wish I had a poster-size version of this hanging in my room! WANT SOME SWEET PINK LACES OF YOUR OWN? Comment below and tell me what you do every day to achieve your best self. First four people to leave a comment get ‘em!

Enjoy the rest of your night!

beach me.

As you probably know, I am currently enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and am about halfway through the program. So far I am loving it and am really amazed by how many opportunities have come from it and the wonderful people I’ve been able to connect with because of IIN.

Earlier this week I was offered TWO scholarships to give away, and today, I got big news!

The Institute for Integrative Nutrition is extending the Memorial Day Promotion until Monday, May 28th, so you have an additional 5 days to save up to $1,000 on the cost of tuition!

Let’s break it down:

• You’ll get $500 off the enrollment costs
• Plus an additional $500 off if you pay in full.
• an iPAD 3!!

If you’re interested in enrolling or have any questions about the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, please don’t hesitate to email me at littlefoodcourt@gmail.com and I can answer any questions you may have.

So, after a little slip up, my running shoes arrived last night.

Thank GOODNESS!

I knew I had a 10 miler planned this morning with some people from MCRRC, so I decided to take one final rest day last night. Plus the sky was practically exploding with thunder and lightning all day, so I happily took the night to relax. And since I had to meet everyone at 5 AM, a 9:00 bed time pretty much had to happen if I wanted to be functional. Again, I’m 85.

At 3 AM, I woke up, didn’t look at the clock, and started getting ready. Then I realized I was an hour ahead of schedule, so I laid back down and started thinking about reasons why I should skip the run (normal….)

• These people are waaaay faster than me. I won’t be able to keep up.
• It’s too early, I should just relax and sleep.
• It’s 4 am and I’m not asleep. This is ridiculous.

And then I thought about reasons why I shouldn’t:

• I haven’t run in 3 days and I’ve been dying to
• If I keep up with these guys, there’s no doubt I’ll get faster
• I will feel so much happier at work today if I just kick out a good fast run this morning
• I’ll get to meet lots of fun runners and hang out with some buddies!

And the good weighed out the bad. So off I went.

We all met up around 5:00 at a nearby shopping center and with plans to run 10 miles total. 5 out, 5 back. See that math? Brilliance.

I felt great for the first five miles but could tell by mile seven or so that finishing the full 10 would be a challenge. Luckily there were two stoplights along our path (free pass for a break!), which helped me to re-gain a little confidence and catch my breath. I hadn’t run this trail in a while and forgot about all of the rolling hills. My aunt and I had run it lots before and aptly named one of the hills “The Rockville Butt Lift.” I’m guessing you catch my drift.

I have been cutting back on mileage over the last two weeks (read: hovering around the 25-30 miles/week mark), and I could def-def-definitely feel it this morning.

I also was ill prepared and didn’t bring nearly enough water along (I hate carrying anything when I run). So you know, I started getting chills and stopped sweating right around mile eight or so. That was fun.

Thank goodness for awesome running buddies who offered some extra fluids and took a quick walking break with me. Thanks again, John and Traci if you’re reading!!

Soon enough, after a little more huffing and puffing on my part, we made it back to our starting point, and we all had 10 miles under our belt before 6:45 am. Talk about a great way to kick off Thursday!

I’m so happy I found a fun running group and can’t wait to join them on more runs and let them kick my ass! A bunch of them are doing the marathon training program I’m doing too! Perfecto.

The conditions were super swampy this morning and when I got home my hair was a complete sht show rats nest. But, the most magical hair product ever came to the rescue:

My mom, family friend, and sister all swear by this stuff too, and it is seriously no joke. It’s like No More Tangles for grown ups. Seven seconds and tangles are goooooooooooooooone. Go getcha some.

******

Tina mentioned Runner’s World Summer Running Streak 2012  on her blog yesterday and I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon too!

Here’s how it works:

You commit to running at least ONE MILE EVERY DAY between Memorial Day and Independence Day.

You can tweet [#RWRunStreak], post comments and progress here, and follow along with other participating bloggers!

I think I’ve got my sister convinced to do it with me too! I’ll be tweeting [@littlefoodcourt]!

ARE YOU IN?

This past weekend was EPIC. It was literally one of the best weekends I’ve had in such a long time. And it had nothing to do with where I was, but rather that I was with some of my very favorite people on the planet. SAP ALERT!

HEY GUYS CAN WE PLEASE JUST PICK A CITY AND ALL MOVE THERE?!?

OK, cool. Glad that’s settled.

On Saturday morning, after sleeping in (til 8:30, blaaaaaah I’m 86) and running 8 miles (okay, maybe not?), I drove down to Richmond to hang out with some of my long-lost (hate that!) college buddies.

Traffic was surprisingly alright, and I made it to Cap City in just under 2 hours. When I arrived,  I checked in with the girls, and not surprisingly, they were all out jewelry shopping. Thanks to good ol’ Uncle Google, I tracked ‘em down and met up with them in no time.

We shopped around for a while and then headed to Farmer Sam’s house. Ha. Sam is one of my BFFs, Lauren’s, BF (still with me?) who just moved to Richmond and is literally the first of our friends to move out of their parents house. Why rush it, right? Right.

Sam’s taking this whole domestic thing really seriously and had been digging a garden and planting watermelons in his new backyard all morning. Sweet hat, dude!

And Bridge decided to climb a tree.

Aren’t we fun?

After touring Sam’s new pad, we headed over to Riverrock on Brown’s Island. It’s basically a huge outdoor festival created to promote Richmond’s urban waterfront and features tons of outdoor sports including kayaking, paddleboarding, biking, and mooooore. Like jumping dog contests. Not kidding.

So we hung out, watched lots of brave people do cool stuff, and despite the huge turkey leg I ate, we decided we were hungry and ready to get our cookout on.

But first, now Mr. Domestic Farmer Sam took us on a tour of Target and we bought lots of essentials.

Snackity, snack, snacks.

And then we got the party started. Hi, Whit.

The puppies did too!

After a fun night, we grabbed some breakfast together at Cracker Barrel (somethings never change), and the out-of-towners (most of us, sadly) got on our way. I headed to my dad’s house to visit and to see my little brother’s concert before heading home to Maryland.

How cute are those kiddos?

It was such a great weekend and I’m so glad I got to see some of my favorite, favorite, favorite people. Two years out of college and I think we’re all still in denial that we’re adults. Kinda. :)

And apparently I’m a forgetful adult because I left my running shoes at my dad’s house and didn’t realize until I was hunting around my house for them way too early on Monday morning.

But luckily, my dad is the best and the mailman should be delivering them today. THANKS DAD YOU SAVED MY LIFE.

Okay, happy Tuesday!

Friday night after work, I met up with some of my IIN classmates at Elizabeth’s Gone Raw in DC. EGR is known for being the premier raw and all-vegan restaurant in the area. The owner, Elizabeth, also owns and manages a well-renowned catering business in the District. I had never been to a raw food restaurant before, so I was pretty pumped to see how everything would taste and if I’d even miss eating cooked food.

Located in a converted townhouse near Logan Circle on L Street, Elizabeth’s Gone Raw opens their doors every Friday evening and offers a unique multi-course tasting menu. The restaurant does not have a daily dinner service, but Executive Chef Jonathan Seningen conjures up this unique prix fixe menu each week to ensure a unique dining experience. The restaurant serves only the finest organic raw cuisine, with ingredients grown locally in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

When I approached the front door, I felt like I was entering an exclusive dinner club. I even had to ring the doorbell and was greeted by the host, who directed me upstairs to the dining and bar area where the rest of our group was waiting.

The main dining room was elegant yet welcoming, and it felt like I had just walked into Elizabeth’s home, or even an old city country club. The walls were covered with classic artwork and beautiful floral arrangements sat on each table.

Once our whole group had arrived, we were seated and given the menu to peruse. The first page listed each of the courses along with a recommended wine pairing.

The second page listed the ingredients in each of the dishes, which I was really blown away by. Having the list available as we enjoyed each course also proved to be very helpful, especially when we encountered flavors that were unfamiliar. This extra step really took the restaurant’s hospitality to a higher level, since some of my fellow classmates had very specific dietary restrictions and food allergies.

Before the first course was served, our waiter brought a sampling of Elizabeth’s kale chips, which were AMAZING. As we tasted them, we tried to figure out what ingredients were used to create the perfectly cheesy texture and spicy flavor. Our taste buds led us to believe that star ingredients were likely nutritional yeast, cashews, cayenne pepper and maybe a bit of jalapeno.

But onto dinner we go!

Amuse- Spring Pea Gnocchi White Corn Air

Start- Cucumber Gazpacho Parsnip & Chamomile

Appetizer- Red Bell Pepper Pasta Saffron Cream

Intermezzo- Carrot & Maple Sorbet

Main- Oyster Mushroom “Scallops” Cauliflower & Caramelized Onion Jus

Sweet- White Honey Cheese Cake Strawberry & Goji Berry Soup

While everything was uniquely delicious, the dessert was really the star of the show. The crust was made exclusively from raw dates and nuts, and the cheesecake had a perfectly light coconut flavor. As soon as I got home, I googled raw cheesecake recipes and I think I see some experimentation in my future! I am not even a big cheesecake (or even a non-chocolate dessert) person, but if I could figure out how to recreate it, I’d definitely have it again!

Dining at EGR was wonderfully unique experience, and the company of so many of my classmates was amazing. While I don’t think eating exclusively raw is right for me, I definitely enjoyed my experience at the restaurant. We actually ended up meeting Elizabeth at the end of the night as one of the waiters served her a slice of raw “birthday” cheesecake. After talking to her for a just a few minutes, it was so obvious how passionate she is about her work, which was so refreshing. We may or may not have sang “Happy Birthday” to her impromptu as well.

*****

Better late than never! The winner of the Vitatops giveaway is Alex! Please email me at littlefoodcourt@gmail.com with your contact information so we can get the Vitatops to you ASAP!

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What better way to kick off Thursday with a giveaway? Who wants a Vitatops Super Sampler?

I don’t know about you guys, but after months of oatmeal, oatmeal, and more oatmeal, as the warmer temperatures approach, I’ve been craving variety and something other than steaming oats!

What about a muffin? Not exactly a nutritious breakfast, right?

Most store-bought muffins have tons of additives, empty calories, tons of sugar and saturated fat. In most cases, a big ol’ muffin is pretty far from a nutritious, healthy breakfast. But, Vitalicious created the ultimate muffin loophole with their VitaTops!

Vitalicious VitaTops come in a variety of flavors and each individually-wrapped serving boasts some pretty impressive stats:

The past week and half has been quite a whirlwind, but filled with lots of good things and fun times! After traveling a lot over the last couple of days, I’m trying my best to get back into my normal routine this week and stay grounded. And I’ll be out of town every weekend for the next six weekends too!

Here’s what I’ve been up to. My brain could only handle a list this morning.

Doing lots of planks! I’m up to 2 minutes just about everyday and can definitely tell a difference…I think I might actually have abs!

Loving these. A little surprise package from Larabar appeared on my doorstep yesterday and let me just tell you. Bananas Foster = BOMB. Go buy them.

Trying out Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30! On Monday night, running in a downpour was super far from appealing, so I decided to download Jillian Michaels’ Ripped in 30 from iTunes. In 30 minutes, I was sweating like a crazy person and my muscles were burnin’ burnin’! I go back and forth of including strength training as part of my workout routine (cardio junkie right here), but usually around this time of year, as summer approaches, I start craving it! I’m loving Ripped in 30 so far and plan to keep it up through the summer! I’ve also heard good things about Body Revolution and am considering it once Ripped in 30 is over! Cait came over this morning and we did the workout together, which was super fun.

Gearing up for a fun weekend in Richmond to see some of my very favorite people! I’m headed down late Friday or early Saturday morning and I can’t wait! I will get to see lots of my besties from college and also help welcome Sam, one of my BFFs’ boyfriend to Richmond! Party hardy! And of course, I’ll get to see my little bro, dad, and step-mom again for the second time in just over 2 weeks!

Running in the mornings with Caits and my aunt. Per usual. My fave

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Happy Hump Day!

There is so much controversy behind whether or not weighing ourselves is a crucial component of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Sure, if you step on the scale and see a number that you’d rather not, you may not be in the best mood for the remainder of the day. But couldn’t you also argue that if you aren’t weighing yourself, you cannot accurately track your weight loss progress?

Personally, my mindset is somewhere in the middle. While I try to maintain healthy habits every day, after indulging, I tend to steer clear of the scale for a day or two, allowing things to “balance out” as I get back on track with healthy eating and exercise. Weighing myself right after a fun weekend that likely included extra calories and sweet treats puts me in bad mood because the number is likely not be where I want it to be.

But, I also recognize the scale as an important tool for weight loss and weight maintenance if it is used in a healthy way, and not as something to simply obsess over. I prefer to weigh myself once or twice a week and track my progress that way. But I also think there are so many other measurements or “non-scale” victories that can help us to track our weight loss progress or meeting our goals for a healthy lifestyle.

Some of my favorites include:

• Are my pants looser?
• Do my clothes fit better?
• Am I feeling happier?
• Do I have more energy?  

Sometimes, just seeing the full number on the scale sends my mind into a bit of a tizzy, and I feel a little bit frustrated, especially if the scale didn’t budge as much as I had wanted it to. However, I recently discovered The Zero Scale created by Great Valley Innovations.

The Zero Scale hides your total weight from you and stores it secretly during your first weigh-in. Each time you step on the scale, it displays your loss or gain along with the number of days since your last weigh in and the total days since you started. This allows you to instead be connected with immediate achievements instead of focusing on just how much farther you may have to go in the journey of weight loss.

The scale also comes with a pedometer, which tracks your daily movement and serves as a daily reminder to stay active. My company’s wellness team is actually hosting a walking contest this month too, and has provided all employees with a pedometer to keep track of their steps, so I was extra pumped when I saw this little baby in the box. The Zero Scale pedometer is of better quality and it stays on much better, even on runs around my neighborhood!  My goal is to reach approximately 10,000 steps daily (about 5 miles), which is the recommended amount of steps for a healthy active person.

I’ve been using The Zero Scale for about a week now, and I have really been enjoying it! Weighing myself regularly is no longer traumatic, and I actually think its kind of fun to see my progress each time I step on. It will be a great tool to continue using as I near closer to my summer fitness and weight loss goals. It’s also super sleek and I can keep it in my bathroom, right outside my shower without taking up too much room. It was also VERY easy to program and can store information for up to 4 people with very little effort.

I’d definitely recommend investing in The Zero Scale if you’re looking for a weight loss tool to help achieve your goals without stressing yourself out over numbers unnecessarily in the process. It really is such a great product, and I think the company really had it’s consumers’ needs at heart when creating it. Win, win!

Thanks, Great Valley Innovations, for letting me try one out