Warning: This post is totally random.
Making it reflective of the thoughts that run through my head.
I’m really loving the idea of focusing on why life is good on my (former) least favorite day of the week. Katie’s Marvelous in My Monday link up is a great reminder to keep the good weekend-vibes up!
There was a lot of awesome this weekend. Most of it is completely unrelated… if you aren’t a fan of unfocused posts this will drive you nuts. #sorryimnotsorry 😉
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At the end of last week I was inspired by a FitFluential twitter chat to make my own standing desk at work. I’ve long been a fan of sitting on a stability ball at work, but I still dislike sitting ALL day. In a big company it’s hard to get approval for a fancy standing desk, so I did a little improv:
Much better use of those Girls Scout cookies, no?
Side note: I made it through cookie season only having eaten 1/2 of a Samoa. I would have eaten a Tagalong, but never did find a box of those lying around. No one wanted to share the best flavor ever?!
Saturday morning called for pancakes. I finally got around to trying out the Strange But Good pancake recipe Alina shared a couple of weeks ago. Her Chocolate Chip Cookie Pancakes were inspired by my Oatmeal Cookie Shake! I loved the creativity. Please overlook my inability to make brown food look appetizing. These were amazing.
(Shameless plug: Go back and check out last Friday’s link up – it was the biggest one yet!!!)
My only modifications were to replace the 2 T of banana with more pumpkin puree and to use carob chips instead of chocolate chips. The nutritional yeast in these (and the shake) may sound strange, but it makes the recipe!
I topped them with sugar-free syrup, but they honestly didn’t need it. Next time I’m eating them plain like a cookie.
After my workout, I did a little shopping. I don’t know what happened, but over the past couple of years I have totally lost interested in clothes shopping. I’d rather buy workout clothes and fun groceries! Saturday’s goal was to buy new clothes for work, but instead I found a jacket and some lip plump.
This jacket was on sale and then an addition 40% off at Banana Republic – $180 jacket for $90. Score.
Photo from bananarepublic.com
And the lip plump… that was an impulse buy at Sephora. It added a little more pout to lips, but it tingled more than anything!
I’m pretty sure I bought this for the name alone.
Saturday night I had a date with my best friend for the first time in MONTHS. I really missed her! We had a fabulous meal at Miller Union. One of my favorite ways to eat is to order a bunch of small plates and a single entrée to share. I have to try everything!
This is round 1 of the small plates. A kale salad with pecans, fennel, and orange and grapefruit segments, massaged with creme fraiche dressing. In the middle is a feta cheese dip with fresh veggies. And wine.
Sunday was going to be a rest day… but I got restless. And I had some wine to sweat out.
I popped in my old DVD standby – P90X Plyo. After all that bouncing I had to get a calf shot. My trainer has had me doing weighted calf raises 3x a week to elongate my calves… but I never really believed it was possible. Now I think it actually worked!
I refueling with an old favorite: my Carrot Cake Protein Smoothie. Xanthan Gum is one I’ve used for a long time to thicken smoothies up, but after this Butternut Banana Shake post I took several of your suggestions and bought Guar Gum to use too. What resulted was a creamy concoction so thick I ate it from a bowl with a spoon.
Xanthan was great for getting smoothie thick, but that Guar really amped up the creaminess. Definitely worth a try if you don’t already use it!
After my workout I heard a massive thud. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I live in a city. I have become accustomed to tuning out noise. I’d totally forgotten about it until I left for the farmer’s market. That noise was this happening:
After days of rain storms, this huge old tree split at the base. The marvelous part? That building is abandoned and no one was hurt!
Finally, one of my favorite activities. Kombucha brewing! I love kombucha, but it does get pricey. Months ago I purchased a Brooklyn Kombucha home-brew kit on Open Sky and I brew my own stash every week. It’s unbelievably easy. Click here to head over to Open Sky if you’re interested in starting!
Recycled ACV bottles are perfect to store it in!
This week’s flavors:
- Blood orange with cinnamon and ginger
- Rosemary with cinnamon and ginger
- Chili pepper and ginger
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One more marvelous: today is leg day with my trainer. #hurtssogood
Does sitting at a desk drive you nuts? How do you stay active at your job?
Do you like kombucha? What flavor would you like to brew?
Yes, I’m 29, I live alone, and I amuse myself by making faces in my breakfast. #reachingnewlows
