Good morning and happy Wednesday! I am happy to report that I actually took pictures this week in order to write this recap post. Things are still a little hectic over here – but I only have one more week of this intense summer course and then I will be free for a few weeks before school starts back up again for the fall.
Last week was filled with lots of dog walks and a few runs to make up for the fact I haven’t been able to go to the gym. I have been staying up later than usual so the 5 a.m. alarm to get across town to the gym just doesn’t sound as appealing as waking up at 6 a.m. to run or walk from my house.
That being said, last Wednesday I started the morning off with a 3 mile run/walk around campus. I remember the days when I used to run 10+ without stopping (or even listening to music). It’s funny how our bodies change and adjust over time. I think it would be cool to run long distances again, but my mind is much happier in the state I am in now. Now, I walk when I want, run when I want, do weights when I want, or do nothing at all. At the ripe old age of 22, I have finally found peace with exercise. My next challenge: yoga!
After my run/walk and spending a good chunk of my time on homework, I spent the rest of the morning meeting my sweetest friend Shelby for coffee, waffles, and other breakfast foods at Spencer’s Coffee. We chatted for a few hours and let me tell ya, there is truly nothing like this girl! I am so grateful to call her a friend because she is 100% authentically herself. After coffee we shopped around downtown for a little before I booked it the grocery store.
I picked up ingredients for homemade hummus, vegetable egg cups, and fruit for my handsome friend* that was coming over for lunch.
*I think on the blog I will just refer to him as my handsome friend until I feel comfortable sharing more with you all. At least I am being honest though, he is my friend and he is definitely handsome!*
We enjoyed a nice lunch together and then headed out to do a few errands before settling down at Spencer’s. Yes, it was my second time at Spencer’s in one day. No shame. We got coffee’s and sat for a few hours while he read and I plowed through a huge assignment I had due.
After saying our goodbyes, I hunkered down on the couch and got to work on more homework. A few hours later I was starting to get hungry so I whipped up a batch of kitchari. I used this recipe: CLICK HERE. I also ordered the kitchari spice mix off Amazon. Let me know if you guys want to know more about kitchari!
Thursday morning I woke up sleepy-eyed, but ready to tackle the day. Plus, I had these gorgeous sunflowers to wake up to thanks to my handsome friend!
After working for a few hours, I headed home to spend some time with my baby b Owen. He kept me company while I worked on homework.
He was also a little needy and kept brining me new toys to throw to him… he’s so cute though!
Friday I spent most of the day at work and then got ready for my date night with handsome friend. We were making homemade pizzas! Let me tell ya, this guy can cook! When I got to his place Friday, he already had homemade dough rising. *swoon*
Alongside caesar salad – we made 4 mini pizzas:
- Pork sausage, spicy peppers, red onion, mozzarella, sage, green pesto
- Red pesto, basil, parmesan, sweet potato
- Olive oil/garlic, sun dried tomatoes, basil, parmesan
- Pork sausage, red onion, sweet potato, spicy peppers, mozzarella, green pesto
Number 4 was the winner by far! To further our food coma, we headed to Cookout to split a milkshake. This is how most of our dates end and I am not complaining one bit. We instantly regretted our decision because we were soooo full! Never again will we eat milkshakes after a heavy meal!
I woke up early Saturday morning to enjoy a cup of coffee before meeting my family at Cracker Barrel for my sisters’ birthday brunch. I can’t believe she’s 18!!!! She is growing up so fast.
After brunch, I headed to pick up Owen and take him on a long walk around campus. We ended up doing the 3 mile loop and it was HOT.
While Owen cooled down with a big bowl of water, I made a simple smoothie to cool down myself. Into the blender went 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 C frozen cherries, 1 T cacao powder, 2 tsp spirulina, 1 C almond milk. This tasted like chocolate covered cherries – so delicious!
I worked on more homework for the next few hours before getting ready to head back to my parent’s house. We were all driving to Nashville to celebrate Danica’s birthday! We ate at Adele’s and this place is my new favorite in Nashville. The restaurant was a farm-to-table with the freshest ingredients and the atmosphere was open, clean, and has tons of greenery. We had a really wonderful waitress too!
Danica’s birthday ended with blackberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream (per her request) and lots of laughs telling stories about her!
Sunday morning was spent finishing my final project for school before heading to Church. After Church I ate a quick breakfast/lunch during fellowship hour.
I worked on more homework Sunday afternoon while preparing an early dinner for handsome friend and I. The dinner wasn’t that great but luckily he is kind and would never tell me otherwise. We had a fun date planned in Nashville that night! After dinner, we stopped at Spencer’s for a quick cup of coffee and a chocolate chip cookie. Nothing better than a man who understand my need for coffee (and the occasional cookie) at all times of the day. We headed to Nashville with coffee in hand to see The Sheepdogs at 3rd and Lindsley. Only handsome friend and I would go to a bar and order coffee to drink during the show. Haha! We had such a good time though, The Sheepdogs were incredible.
Monday morning I was up bright and early to work on homework and get everything ready for the day. After work I put together a smoothie bowl for Avie Nutraceuticals! I have been taking these turmeric pills for a few weeks now and I have noticed a huge difference in my joints after exercise and in my skin.
Turmeric Curcumin Benefits:
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Anti-inflammation and joint mobility
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Anti-oxidant protection of cells from free radical damage
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Brain function and memory
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Liver function
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Healthy immune system
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Removal of toxins from the body
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Healthy digestion
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Improved appearance of skin and hair
(from the Avie website!)
I went on several dog walks and solo walks the rest of Monday afternoon to help me de-stress and focus my thoughts. I love zoning out to Podcasts on walks too to take my mind off of everything.
This photo of Owen is so creepy! His eyes look wild haha!
After some solo walks – I met Shelby and Wellington for a dog walk together! After our walk we made chicken/strawberry/poppyseed salads, drank wine, and talked about life. I love getting to spend time with her and her boyfriend Logan.
Also, HOW CUTE IS SHE? She got me a “Happy House” gift for my new place. She is seriously so thoughtful. This basket was filled with a pillow, notebooks, a yoga journal, and other goodies. Thank you Shelby! Love you girl!
Tuesday morning I was up and ready for my 4:45 a.m. alarm clock and I was more than ready to book it to the gym. I did a mile run warmup on the treadmill, an intense upper body workout, followed by 15 minutes on the elliptical. I was drenched in sweat and feeling so good!
After my workout, I worked on more homework and dove into this oatmeal. You can find the recipe on my Instagram!
Also, leftover salad in the almost-empty salad mix container is what dreams are made of. Not cleanup required!
Tuesday night ended with handsome friend making me a fancy sweet potato, roasted chickpea dish for dinner. 🙂
That’s all I have this week! I need to do a little more homework before I head into work this morning. Thanks for stopping by the blog this week! I appreciate all of you guys who take the time to read and send me emails. You guys make me smile. <3
A handsome friend who makes homemade dough? I am swooning over here too. My own handsome friend is not an experienced cook, but he did once make me Blue Apron when I was sick with the flu, so I can’t complain too much 🙂
Oh my goodness! Your handsome man sounds like a keeper 🙂 Any man willing to step into the kitchen for you is a good one!