Tabata, Loaded Scalloped Sweet Potatoes!

Happy Wednesday! Hope you're all having good ones! Mine is okay - but i'm SO tired. Didn't sleep well but got up early for my Fast & Furious class.  It's set up with the Tabata method, but it's an hour-long class. So we warm up and then she has areas set up for the 3 of us ladies who attend! First stop, push-ups for 4 minutes (all timed to this iPad app). 20 seconds you do as many as you can. Then rest for 10 seconds. We do this 8 times. Then we move on to the next exercise, squat jumps. Same deal - 8 times of 20 'on' and 10 'off.' We do about 10 exercise - full body, some with weights or bands, some with steps, etc., as well as a warm up and a cool down. I love it!! I feel like i'm going to die while i'm doing it, but I love it!

What else has been up? Monday was just workout, work, workout, work! Tuesday was pretty much the same, except I did an a.m. workout of a 3-mile walk, then worked all day before a post-work workout of a 2-mile walk before dinner with Stacy and Melissa at Uncle Julio's! Loved being back together with the old team - Mel used to be mine and Stacy's manager and we miss her so much!

Other than working out and seeing friends, we've been getting ready to go out of town for Easter and to celebrate Austin's Mom's milestone birthday! And we've been cooking - duh - made this last night!!

Loaded Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste.com
Makes 4 Servings
Nutritional Information: 339 calories, 39 carbs, 12 fat grams and 18 protein grams.
Review: Tasted great! Loved the idea and it had a lot of flavor from the potatoes, jalapenos and spices. I will say that because I used the food processor to slice, it made it to where you almost had to eat it with a fork (even though the original intention was "fries" that would be eaten with your hands). Oh well - we made it work and loved the loaded scalloped potatoes - check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

Q: Fries: "regular", sweet potatoes, butternut squash or none of the above? I like them all, all day, any day!


Q: Tried Tabata for exercises before? I think it's interesting - i definitely push myself further, do more reps etc. 

Supreme Pizza Lasagna, Tuesday Two-a-Days

Hey! I hope you all are having great weeks so far! Mine is flying by - can't believe tomorrow is already Wednesday. Thank you all for your comments on my mini shopping spree - love it! Still need to take pics of the White House  Black Market finds!  Here's what's been up, starting with a recipe!

Supreme Pizza Lasagna
Makes 6 Servings

Nutritional Information: 410 calories, 49 carbs, 12 fat grams and 22 protein grams.

Review: YUM – it tasted just like pizza to me, but then lasagna. I just really liked it. I always get nervous making my own recipes, but I had all of the vegetables to roast (they were about to go bad!), then the pepperonis were on hand and it just kind of hit me – supreme pizza lasagna! The servings were filling and me and Austin both liked it a lot. I’ll definitely make this again, good dish for a crowd! Check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

whole dish

And on to the week so far! Monday began with a 3-mile run at 6.3 on the new shoes - WOO great workout and in under 30 minutes - loved it! Then it was just work, work through lunch, and work until 7 - EW. Not a good day - too much to do prior to being out for training on Wed. and Thurs. Today started early as well, an all-strength a.m. workout with biceps, shoulders, triceps and chest! Then work before a lunch-time zumba workout. I'm part of a challenge with two of my co-workers, Stacy & Vicki - we have to take all 17 offered classes as quickly as possible at our company gym. We've scheduled and plan to have it done in NINE business days (each person can only take 1 class/day). It's been fun so far - in 2 days we've already done FIVE! (me = one; each of them = 2). I'm enjoying it! Now i'm in bed with the family, eating this:

LOVE Mexican Quinoa skillet. I'm also watching Desperate Housewives from Sunday - loving this season but feeling so bad for the Scavos - sad. K - gotta roll - have a meeting from 7 - 9 a.m. tomorrow.... effff... then i'm in training all day - eek!!

Q: How's your week going so far? Any fun, successful, different workouts?

Q: What did you have for dinner? What's one thing on your menu this week you're excited about?!

Weekend in Athens; Yacht Rock!

Happy Saturday! Hope you're all having great weekends - I'm having a blast! Friday I worked all a.m., then headed to the gym with Stacy for a cardio class. OMG Too many squats and side lunges with a weighted bar. Too, too many! Good class, then I ran a mile before doing a bit of ab work. Then it was time to head home, pack up the car, drop off the pups and get over to Athens for the UGA vs. Mississippi State weekend! We got in around 6 and met Austin's brother Tyler at the condo, then we went and picked up Elliot from his fraternity and Tyler's girlfriend Amy met us - time to go eat! We headed to East West Bistro - GREAT food. I had a little bit of bruschetta and calamari, then enjoyed my mahi mahi, mashed potatoes and asparagus dinner. AWESOME. I took lots of pics of the boys downtown - so fun!

Me & the Martin Boys

This guy was pretty interesting - he drew quite a crowd (pun intended)

After dinner we went to the Georgia Theatre to see Yacht Rock! INSANELY AWESOME - they played the most obscurely fabulous songs from the 60's, 70's and 80's - such a great show and we had an awesome spot and great seats - fabulous! They even played Steely Dan - yessss - so obsessed.

Q: What are you up to?! I'm seriously having the best weekend - so glad to have some free time to really enjoy the weekend. 

Q: Cooking anything up this weekend? I have two new recipes to share - one is this awesome cheesy broccoli & rice casserole - fabulous. 

Monday Two-a-Days, New Breakfast Recipe

So it's true - hanging out with babies while enjoying a glass of wine is now one of my favorite things to do. hehe Neither of them even got fussy - sweet! haha I miss those little things but am glad I have my little poodles for now! Still crushing on this summer picture. :)

So yesterday was a really great Monday. I know, right? How often is that said? haha I got up early and headed to the gym. I wasn't feeling it, but I walked 1/8 mile and then took off running. I told myself i'd go 1 mile... but it felt great so I ran 2 1/4 miles at 6.3 mph, then walked another 1/8 to take me to 2.5 miles. Nice a.m. workout! HRM said: 27 minutes, 219 calories, 4 fat-burning minutes, 23 fitness minutes, 152 average HR, 174 max HR. Then I just got ready, worked, took my lunch break to walk 1.5 miles and do back and biceps. Awesome to get in some ST and catch up with Stacy! Then I just worked more and headed home to the family. Pretty sweet. I don't know what I was thinking not working out in the a.m. I know. I can't believe it but I just love it so much and it's cutting my commute time (now only my afternoon commute is a biatch). I feel so refreshed and my hair is actually styled now at work as opposed to in a ponytail. haha

What else is up?! Not much - LOVE that. I did want to share a new recipe though...

Spicy Potato and Bacon Breakfast Casserole
Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites
Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Information: 308 calories, 27 carbs, 12 fat grams and 22 protein grams.

Loved it! It was really easy, pretty (in my humble opinion) and made very healthy sized servings. Especially for 300 calories - I felt more like it tasted like a 400-calorie meal! It's a keeper, and I think you could really make it your own with more veggies, too! The recipe is over at Healthified Kitchen like always!

one slice - yum!

Q: What have you been eating for breakfast lately?

Q: How was your Monday? I hope it was good - now I hope we have great Tuesdays, too!

Wednesday Two-A-Days, Breakfast Sliders

Yes, you guys MUST try Thai basil! If you can't find it, buy a plant. Seriously - the're like $3 full-grown and it'll last you for several recipes. :) I could see tossing it into just about any Asian-inspired dish and plan to do so! And OMG thank you for the DJ/mash-up master suggestions - i've already been tuning in to youtube - awesome. No such thing as enough running music; it's frightening how quickly I can get 'over' a playlist! So Yesterday was another standard day. Just got up early for the gym: I walked 1/2 mile, ran 1 1/2 mile and did 20 minutes on the stair climber. Great workout! HRM said:43 minutes, 356 calories; 7 fat-burning minutes and 36 fitness minutes; 155 avg HR and 177 max HR.

After the gym, I went to the office, worked, and took my lunch break to walk 3 miles. Then I worked more and headed home to finish packing and do all of my pre-cooking for our upcoming trip to Destin - CAN'T WAIT! Other than that, I finished Sophie Kinsella's Mini Shopaholic - SUCH a cute book, love that series. I'll post a review soon! I also had a yummy treat for breakfast, sliders!

Breakfast Ham sliders
Adapted from Say Cheese
Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Information: 412 calories, 35 carbs, 13 fat grams and 37.5 protein grams.

I loved these little guys! The cream cheese and swiss cheese mixed so well together, and the whole sammy had a lot of flavor, a nice salty kick and lots of protein. Check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen.

Q: Ever had sliders for breakfast? What's your favorite slider topping?

Q: What are you up to this weekend? We're heading to the beach (Destin) to celebrate Mary & Jimmy's 5-year anniversary for 4 nights with 3 couples, should be a blast! And I hope to meet Christina - a beachy blogger meet up!

B'ham Family Trip, Book Review

Happy Hump Day! Today I'm back at home, busy as a bee on my last day of vacation trying to get the house back to normal! Where did I leave off? Monday morning we left Gulf Shores and headed to Birmingham. We went from this...

To This....

So good to get to B'ham to celebrate E! I will say, we had a long, long drive, especially since it took us 1.5 hours to go about 3 miles. MAJOR traffic back up - we were literally stuck in Gulf Shores in our car. Such a mess! But nothing a Starbucks drink couldn't fix, and we switched off drivers, and I got to finish an audio book - awesome. :) We got in town around 6 central time, visited with the family, unpacked, had an awesome grilled dinner outside, hopped in the hot tub and got in bed where I slept SO good.

Tuesday I slept in, showered, and then headed to the gym. It was hard - I hadn't worked out since Friday! But I pushed it, and was able to walk 1 mile, run 2 miles straight, and do chest and shoulders. HRM said:1 hour, 381 calories, 15 fat-burning minutes, 45 fitness minutes; Average HR: 133/Max HR: 212. After my workout, Austin's mom, grandfather and his friend met me at the country club for a quick bite, then we all headed back home, got ready and it was time for graduation pictures and to see Elliot off! We took lots of pics, then got to the site 1.5 hours early to save a spot. We saw E graduate - it was amazing all that he and his class has accomplished. I mean really, these kids! There were over 90 (out of about 400) who had GPAs over 4.0 - and he was one of them. They work hard and I know he's going to do so well at AU! After graduation we celebrated with some awesome champagne and a few glasses of wine, and an awesome pasta dinner from Leonardo's - everything was great! Here's some pics:

Austin and his bros

Lots of support for E

Such a cute family!

Me & Austin at the service (and lots of water)

Outside at Austin's parents house - so nice to eat dinner at home in the great weather!

And have some wine!

E was very happy with the champagne toast - it was great!

As was the food!

Michelle had a perfect set up as always! Their backyard is amazing

After dinner, E's exit to go party with his friends and some cookie cake - it was time to go to bed, where I finished Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed. Yes, I'd read it before but it had been over 4 years. After seeing the movie (review here!), I just had to read it again and remind myself of the story I'd enjoyed so much. Even the second time and after the film, it didn't disappoint. Quick Review: I just love the story. I think it's interesting when you find yourself sympathizing with characters you would normally dislike (i.e. a man who cheats on his fiance and a woman who cheats with her best friend's fiance). I had also forgotten about several of the characters in the book that didn't appear in the movie - although I think they did a good job in the movie meshing together characters to still tell the story. I think I mostly just like that it felt real, it rang true and I could really empathize with the characters or see myself reacting the same way to things - fun to read. I also bought it - I believed their love for each other and that makes a good book for me. I give this one a 5/5 - it's a complete and total favorite and page turner for me.

Q: What do you prefer: fiction or nonfiction - why? I prefer fiction - I'm all about escapism! I can't wait to see what happens in a book and don't feel you get that level of suspense with nonfiction.

Q: When did you graduate high school? What do you remember most about your graduation? I finished up in May 2000 - seems like forever ago and yesterday at the same time. I remember the ride over with my friend Jenny, the heat, who attended to support me and not wanting to throw my hat. I just remember being READY and certain. I was starting college classes the following week and couldn't wait!

Tuesday Two-A-Days, Music Fest Pre-cooking & Menu

So Today I went sailing. LONG story. And yes, my first time sailing. I'll piece this all together tomorrow, where i'll be blogging live from Gulf Shores/Hangout Fest. Well not live exactly, in that i'll probably not bring my laptop to the event, but i'll be at Orange Beach just the same! And before backing up, thanks! I love naan/flatbread recipes! Can't wait to make more! And to answer your question: you can get naan at Trader Joe's or at Indian grocers - I've gotten it at both and prefer the Indian grocer naan. Each full piece (100 grams) has 260 calories, 2 fat grams, 50 carbs and 8 protein grams. K, backing up...

Yesterday was a busy, busy Tuesday. I got up early, drove to the gym and did 35 minutes spin + 1-mile running + 1/4-mile walking. HRM said 49 minutes; 344 calories; 4 fat-burning minutes and 45 fitness minutes; Average HR: 142; max HR 180. Then I made a quick trip to Target for a few last-minute things for our upcoming trip (does 3 days in advance count as last minute? LOL) before heading into work. I worked all a.m., then took my lunch break with Stacy to walk 3 miles. Then it was back to work, where I ended up working until 7 p.m. Blah - had so much to do! Then I headed home to prepare for my day at sea. And for my 4-day trip to Gulf Shores followed by two days in Birmingham for Austin's brother's graduation. It's going to be whirl wind! And then I pre-cooked our meals for Gulf Shores, with MAJOR help from Austin! So what's our Hangout fest menu? I'm so glad you asked!

Thursday night: Subway or Starbucks on the way down.

Friday: Sausage & Potato Bake; Hummus Chicken Salad Wraps; Chipotle Chicken & Rice (fruit bowl; mini luna; 2 dove chocolates)

Sausage and potato bake - must take new picture of this dish!

Saturday: Sausage & Potato Bake; Hummus Chicken Salad Wraps; Green Chicken Enchiladas (fruit bowl; mini luna; 2 dove chocolates)

Hummus Chicken Salad Wraps

Sunday: Easy Bacon/Egg/Cheese Muffin; Mediterranean Wraps; Chipotle Chicken & Rice (triscuits/laughing cow; mini luna; 2 dove chocolates)

Mediterranean Wraps

Chipotle Chicken & Rice

Monday: Easy Bacon/Egg/Cheese Muffin; Mediterranean Wraps; Green Chicken Enchiladas (triscuits/laughing cow; mini luna; 2 dove chocolates)

Green chicken enchiladas

Easy Bacon, Egg & Cheese Muffin

Yes, I'm bringing all of my own meals to Hangout Fest. One condo + 8 people = me not wanting to have the stomach problems I've had during past travels. NOT cool. So this works out perfect for me! And hopefully no one will think i'm a total freak. Surely they won't, right? Right?

Q: Have you ever been sailing?

Q: Have you ever packed all of your meals for a trip? If so, did you feel like a freak? Did others treat you as such?

A Highland's Night, Abita!, 2-a-days

Ugh! I hate that so many of us had our posts eaten - boo. Mine did come back but not exactly the same - so random! So how was your Friday?! Mine was great! Well, I was a little tired from our fun night with Katie, Cush and crew, but I got Starbucks on the way in, worked, walked 3.5 miles during lunch, worked more, then went back to the gym after work for a 1/4 mile walk 1-mile run and 25 minutes of spin. Afternoon workout HRM said: 39 minutes; 344 calories; 1 fat-burning minute and 38 fitness minutes; Average HR 161; Max HR 209.

After the workout, I showered at the gym, met Austin, and we headed over to The Highlands to go to The Book House Pub for Laura Anne's Birthday get together! She had a great turnout, and we had fun celebrating her birthday, eating the yummy cake her husband Andrew made for her, hanging with the Blancos and just visiting with everyone! I had one of my new favorite beers, Abita Jackamo. It's a hoppy IPA with 6.5% abv. Yeah, it has 190 calories. BOO. But it's so good and like drinking 2 beers! And really, I only had one - yummy treat! Here's some pics:

outside of bookhouse

The girls and LA's cake!

Austin and some of the boys

Me and Mon being silly - loved her little braid!

LA, Beth and LA's cake!

Me and Austin - cheeseballs

After Bookhouse we went to Hand in Hand for flip cup, then to Dark Horse Tavern to hang out on the patio/chill. Super fun night - love that the weather is getting just right for an outdoor, evening bar crawl. Fab. Before we knew it it was late! So we headed home to our happy puppers and a good night's sleep. GREAT Friday!

Q: Ever had any abita beers? I became a fan of strawberry at our st. patty's beer fest (thanks, Stacy!) and since I've liked Abita purple haze and this one. I want to try Abita turbodog - apparently it tastes like chocolate - WHAT?!

Q: How is your weekend going?! Mine has been great! Austin surprised me with an awesome present today - eee - will post pics tomorrow - so excited!

New Shorts, New Asian-Inspired Recipe

Yay! So many of us have gardens - LOVE IT! I can't wait to grow more - and we found a second tomato - woo! Also, thanks for all of the skinny cow recommendations - I will have to continue down this rabbit hole into frozen treats! So Wednesday started out VERY similar to Tuesday, with a 1/2 mile walk, 2-mile run at 6.3 mph and a 10-minute trek on the stair climber. Differences? My iPod worked better, but the run was harder. That's what I get for back-to-backs!Oh, and I got to wear my new Auburn-branded Nike tempo shorts - LOVE!

After my workout I got ready for work, worked all a.m., and took my lunch to go to some of my happy places Trader Joe's (for a few items i'm out of), the library (for hardbacks Sophie Kinsella's Mini Shopaholic and Jennifer Weiner's Fly Away home; and audio books, including the one i'm now listening to Anita Shreve's Testimony, as I finished the other during my errands!), Aveda (for hang straight, my favorite product, which has been altered/upgraded/renamed.. not sure how I feel about this) and Bare Escentuals (needed some more soft focus eye shadow). Then it was back to work before going home to my family and this new recipe.... (I'll post my book review tomorrow!).

Asian Meatball Pasta with Lime Sauce
Adapted from a Gina's Weight Watcher Recipe
Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Information: 451 calories, 46 carbs, 12 fat grams and 37 protein grams.

So the meatballs were awesome! Gina (original recipe) used them as apps and dipped in the sauce, but I liked the idea of using that sauce to coat pasta and making it a main dish rather than app. The sauce had a great flavor - next time I may even add some lime zest to give it even more of a kick, or maybe some red pepper flakes. I LOVE that i've found another Asian-inspired keeper! Check out the recipe here on Healthified Kitchen!

Q: Meatballs: yay or nay? I'm a fan! I usually use them in Italian-inspired dishes - fun to have in this Asian-inspired one! They were REALLY good!

Q: Favorite brand for hair products? I'm a big Aveda girl! I love the hang straight and thermal styling cream!

BEST New Taco Recipe, Bizzy Kitchen

Thanks you guys! I love, love, love the new swim suits! Hated the shopping, but the suits are worth it and they've definitely gotten me more motivated to track and just make better choices. Now that i'm tracking i'm realizing how out of control I had gotten - WAY too many 'empty' snacks. WOW. Anywho, how was your cinco de mayo?! I had a great May 5! I got up early and made a new breakfast recipe from My Bizzy Kitchen - Egg & Bean Breakfast Nachos.

LOVED - recipe to come - must share Cinco de Mayo recipe today. :) After our fabulous breakfast, I just worked, took my lunch break to visit with Jennifer and her 5-week old baby boy Brady. He's such a little doll. I loved seeing her - such a natural mom and so happy, and meeting him. He even smiled and did the finger grip - eee! After my fun visit it was back to work, then to the grocery store and then me and Austin hit up the gym. I walked 1.5 miles at 4 mph and ran 1.5 miles at 6.3 mph, then did abs. HRM said: 53 minutes, 370 calories;16 fat-burning minutes and 37 fitness minutes; avg HR 140 and max HR: 179. Then we went home for a very, very mild cinco de mayo - I made a new recipe for the occasion.

Best Ever Chicken Soft Tacos
Recipe adapted from My Bizzy Kitchen Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Information: 421 calories, 37 carbs, 6 fat grams and 51 protein grams.

These were amazing. So flavorful and tangy - we loved the kick. I'd never used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - I can't wait to find more recipes with it. I've also never cooked with orange juice but it added such a nice citrus zing. I can't WAIT to eat the leftovers and to make this again - AMAZING! Check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen! And yes, I made two My Bizzy Kitchen recipes today - I'm such a fan! I also made this one:

It's a Mexican Bake with Cilantro-Lime cream. This pic is dark, and sans cream. I'll definitely take another one with the cream on top!

Q: How did you celebrate Cinco De Mayo? We ate our tacos and each had a beer - we're SUCH rock stars.

Q: What's your favorite 'taco' ingredient? These were made with lots of great stuff like orange juice, yellow mustard and Worcestershire sauce. They're SERIOUSLY my fave - can't wait to eat them again! (and use this same mix for taco salads, in casseroles, etc.)

Building my Runs, New Shrimp Recipe

Happy (almost) hump day! Thanks for your sweet comments about my goals! I think April went well - pumped about May too though! Not going to lie - my Tuesday kind of felt like a Monday in the a.m. (i.e. I woke up late, found myself in traffic, missed spin class, out of conditioner, forgot my hair brush,, etc.). There WAS a happy moment though - even though I was late for spin, I went to the gym anyway and I ran. My goal was to run 1.5 miles straight (still building) BUT the run felt good so I decided to go for 2. I ended up running 2 miles straight at 6.3 mph - felt great! I then walked it out for a half mile to get to 2.5 miles in 26.19 minutes.

Had I just walked this at my normal pace, it would have taken me 37-38 minutes, and I wouldn't have gotten my HR up nearly as much!

Backing up to yesterday, not too much was up. Just worked, worked through lunch, worked more, then headed straight home to my family! We had a crackers/cheese/pepperoni snack, watched TV, then had dinner - chicken cordon bleu casserole. Yum. I also watched Make it Or Break It. The show is dealing with some pretty heavy stuff right now (i.e. pregnancy, abortion, sex, etc.). Don't get me wrong - I feel i'm of age for sure, but was kind of surprised because I think this targets girls a bit SO much younger than me. Anywho - after the show I got ready for work/gym/eating and went to sleepy. Before leaving you guys I totally forgot to post this! We had it last month and LOVED it.

Shrimp with Feta Tomato Sauce and Rice

Adapted from a Dinners for a Year and Beyond Recipe
Makes 4 servings

Nutritional Information: 360 calories, 44 carbs, 5 fat grams and 30 protein grams.

Yum! Because of the 'fire' in those tomatoes it had more of a Cajun thing going on - almost like a jambalaya. Austin actually put some hot sauce on his! It was great and reheated well. I also like the low calorie and fat counts on this, especially since it made so much food and was so filling. See the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

Q: Are you a shrimp and rice kind of girl? I am - so glad to be back on the seafood again - tis finally the warm weather I need in order to crave seafood.

Q: Do you require a hairbrush? Conditioner? Without conditioner (and the fact that I'm due a haircut) my hair gets tangly. ew. Now the hairbrush? Blowdrying without it? Awkward. Had to go with the finger combs. OY.

P.S. I went swim suit shopping with my sister before book club. OY. More on my new swimsuits and book club tomorrow - great night but wow... I forgot how much I hate swim suit shopping!

My Cardio Evolution, New Meatless Recipe, Visit to Auburn

Happy Sunday! I hope you're all having great, relaxing, beautiful weekends! Mine has been lovely! First things first, this weekend I updated my cardio page. Poor thing was all over the place from when I first started treadmill walking, to my C25K workouts to my new spinning fun. As I was updating it I noticed that each year sort of had a theme. 2009, my first full year of blogging, was all about walking 1,000 miles. I did it! In 2010, I decided to try running and knocked out C25K - I loved it! I struggled throughout the year with a foot injury, got better, than worse, than better, then finally decided to heed my podiatrist's advice and mix it up. Enter spin - which has now become a regular part of my routine. And i'm still walking. And running. I feel so much better having something new to rotate in, and I know my feet are LOVING it as I've had no foot pain since I've been switching it up, but have still been able to run up to 1.5 miles straight. I'm going to start adding a couple of minutes each week and see how that foot reacts. Slow and steady wins the race!

Aside from updating my cardio page, I updated my recipe blog with this new one!

Vegetable Tortellini Soup
Recipe Adapted from For the Love of Cooking
Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Information: 372 calories, 47 carbs, 12 fat grams and 19 protein grams.

in the pan!

Check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

So how was your weekend? Friday I just worked, went to Chequers seafood grill for lunch with Stacy and Melissa, then worked more. After work I took a 5:30 p.m. spin class and then ran a mile! It ended up being 45 minutes of spin and 10 minutes of running and 4 minutes of walking - HRM said: 60 minutes, 477 calories; 53 fitness minutes and 7 fat-burning minutes; Average HR 151; Max HR: 227. Then I quickly hopped in the shower, raced home, picked up the family and we were off to Auburn to see Teresa and Forrest! We met up with them that night at Maggie's baby shower/announcement - she's having a girl! Then we had a couple of beers with their neighbors and called it a night. Saturday we had a yummy breakfast then me and Teresa hit the gym. I walked 1/2 mile, then ran a mile. Then we did legs:

• paper plate reverse lunges (10 per leg)
• paper plate side lunges (10 per leg)
• paper plate burpees (10)
• Bench prop-ups on knees (10)
• Bench prop-ups in push up position (5)
• Squats (20)
• Calf raises (20)
• Repeat 2 times for a total of 3 times

Then we hopped back on the treadmill - I walked 1/2 mile then ran a 1/2 mile. WOO - great workout! HRM said: 53 minutes, 450 calories; 43 fitness minutes and 10 fat-burning minutes; 156 average HR and 187 max HR. GREAT workout! The rest of the beautiful day was spent shopping in downtown Auburn, eating fro-yo outdoors, planning her upcoming 30th birthday, having a few drinkies, and a game night with the boys (who were golfing during our adventures!). WONDERFUL Saturday with our besties - such a fun day!

Q: What was the highlight of your weekend?

Q: How has your cardio evolved?

New Romper, Awesome Weekend!

Happy Sunday! I hope you all had great weekends! Mine has been wonderful - I am not wanting to go into work tomorrow - BOO! Friday was just another a.m. workout: 45 minutes of spinning with a new drill sergeant instructor followed by a 1/4 mile walk at 4 mph and a 3/4 mile run at 6.3 mph. HRM said: 58 minutes, 516 calories, 1 fat-burning minute, 57 fitness minutes; Average HR161; max HR 185. Then I just worked, bought a romper at Urban Outfitters during lunch, worked more and then headed straight home to wash the puppers, pack and get ready for the weekend!

new romper - I think it will be perfect for Auburn games! (hard to tell in the pic but it's blue and orange!)

Saturday we woke up early and hit the gym! I never get to go to the gym with Austin - so fun! We hopped on the treadmils and I walked 1/4 mile at 4 mph, ran 1 mile at 6.3 mph and 7 mph, then walked another 1/4 mile at 4 mph. So 1.5 miles - woo! Then I did abs, back and chest! HRM said: 53 minutes at 363 calories; 34 fat burning minutes and 19 fitness minutes; average heartrate 137; maximum heartrate 193. Then we headed home, packed up the car and visited Birmingham! We hung out with Austin's parents, saw his brother off to his senior prom (so fun!), then headed to Scott & Kim's wedding with Mary and Jimmy! We had a great time reconnecting with so many of our old college buddies, celebrating at the reception, and of course catching up with Jimmy and Mary - LOVE THEM SO MUCH! Great night, so glad we headed over! Picture time!

Austin with his little bro Elliot on E's prom night

I mean seriously - 25 couples took a bus to dinner - can you imagine! It was so fun to see everyone dressed up!

Me and Austin pre-ceremony!

Me and my bestie Mary!

The boys at the reception

Keeping it classy as per usual

All of the pikes in attendance - SO many! (and yes, the pro photographer hopefully got a better shot!) :)

Austin, Scott, Fox and Johnny!

The Martins and Veloti with the new married couple!

Fun catching up with Ellen!!

Had a great time with these girls!

Austin had a blast with the boys!

And of course we had the best time with Mary and Jimmy - "the two best friends that anyone could have!"

Q: What was the highlight of your weekend? Mine was definitely Birmingham - we just had so much fun with our family and friends!

Q: What is your ideal Sunday? Mine is sleeping in, spending the day with my family and reading!