I had a bowl of Peanut Butter Puffins for breakfast.

At first I was disappointed that I had forgotten to buy milk at the grocery store.  Until I realized I had almond milk in the back of the fridge!  Tasted the same to me and lasts a lot longer than a gallon of regular milk! Almond milk saved the day! 

I had to go to Healthworks in Cambridge for a meeting.  It ran longer than expected and I was starving when it finally ended.

Emack and Bolio’s was right next door….

Could I realy eat ice cream for lunch?

Umm, obviously!

I didn’t choose  a waffle cone option, but was impressed by the insane things that the cones are dipped in.  I guess E&B were pioneers in the field of flavored cones?

Lots of choices…

They ran out of my Caramel Moose Prints halfway through scooping so I received my mini bowl for free.  Plus I chose a small cup of Cake Batter.  Very different than I expected (I’m obsessed with Coldstone’s cake batter), but I liked the yellow and chocolate cake swirls throughout.

Scary Story: While I was sitting in my car, setting up to take the photo, someone knocked on my window.  I turned and looked to see a toothless bum standing right next to the driver side door, demanding that I rolled down the window.  I yelled, “No!” Then I hit the lock button so there was no way he could open any of the doors.  I guess that did the trick cuz he wandered away.

Anticlimactic, yes.  But it scared the sh*t out of me and my heart was pounding for the rest of my drive home.

After my sweet treat for lunch, I kept my snack healthy and opted for a bowl of cherries.

“Life is like a bowl of cherries….”

“Life is like a box of chocolates…”  Obligatory Forest Gump quote!

Jared and I decided to go out for dinner.  We live across the street from Metropolis, but have been denied a table every time we try to visit because we don’t have reservations.  It’s always disappointing, but I just take it as a sign that the food must be pretty good.

Metropolis didn’t let me down!  Look at those beautiful cloves of garlic in the dipping oil!  That tasty olive oil reminded me that I need to go to O&Co to stock up on specialty olive oil…

Jared and I shared a bowl of gazpacho for an appetizer.  Hands down the best gazpacho I’ve ever had.  It had a thicker, chunkier consistency.  It was topped with creme fraiche mixed with a little bit of cumin and the flavor reminded me of tacos.  Not overly spicy and a few little tortilla strips to add a crunch.  Heaven!

I ordered the Risotto of the Day that contained pork, mushrooms, and tomatoes.  I didn’t realize the risotto was made to order so I spent most of my meal removing each and every mushroom from the mix.  Next time I know I can just order without!  But with each bite, I told Jared it was worth the effort of removing the dreaded mushrooms.  So tasty!  Comforting and filling without being too heavy.

I needed some after dinner exercise to aid my digestion.  So I grabbed Miles and took him with us on our walk to City Sports and back.

It’s much appreciated when dogs are allowed in stores and I can kill two birds with one stone: take the dog out for some exercise and in this case, buy Jared a backpack so he can lug all of his crap on his walk to his new job.  I’m guessing we walked almost 2 miles throughout the evening.

My guys settled down as soon as we got back from the store, but I still felt like working out.

Stretch it out!

I did a 10 minute upper body workout.  Wow, I’m sore today!  I love keeping workouts short and sweet and working really hard for those 10 minutes.  Then I did a cardio/abdominal dance party in the living room.  Unlike Lisa, I did not take any videos of my performance. 

So my 10 minute workout quickly morphed into a 25 minute sweat session!    Plus I laughed a lot and had a lot of fun while getting my heart rate up.

Here are some of the things I’ve ordered recently:

A fruit and yogurt parfait!

A turkey, cranberry, spinach, and goat cheese quesadilla!

A salad with chicken and lots of vegetables!

A wrap with chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and avocados!

A panini with hummus, spinach, tomatoes, and avocados!

With food like this readily available, I look forward to going to work each day.

And the pm workouts are going well so far!

And since marathon training MY way is going well, I’m going to try posting my way.

In fairly chronological order, here are some enjoyable eats over the past 2 days.

I made a hummus sandwich before I left for work yesterday.  I spread Spinach and Artichoke hummus onto wheat bread and added lettuce and pickles.  Plus some Wheat Thin crisps on the side.  Not too shabby for a meal made form random items I found in the fridge!

I enjoyed a cup of Mediterranean Eggplant Soup at work last night.  I really enjoy ordering food from the Healthworks Cafe.  Sometimes I think it’s worth it to spend a bit more money on food so I can save time not preparing stuff at home and enjoy fresh and healthy foods.

I also enjoyed a salad filled with vegetables and topped with chicken.  Yum!

I ran 2 quick miles on the treadmill when I clocked out of work last night.  I set the treadmill at 7.1 mph (8:27 mile) and let myself go.  When I finished, I took a few minutes to stretch out.  I swapped my usual foam roller stretching for some old school moves: lunges, forward bends, and all that good stuff.  I tried out lots of different moves to loosen up my quads and glutes because they’re always my tightest muscles after a run.

This morning I ate a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with fresh blueberries.  This cereal reminds me of my dad because he used to eat a HUGE bowl of Cheerios every morning while I was growing up.  I don’t eat Cheerios very often, but Jared bought a box and I figured I’d help out before they’re stale.

Because it was the last day of the month, it was a crazy day for gym membership sign ups.  Busy gym, a few cranky members, and thankfully laughter and good times with my coworkers.

I declared that today was a Rest Day and went right home after work instead of going for a run.  I used my evening as personal time:  manicure, reading Breaking Dawn, pasta for dinner, and 2 episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. 

I have the day off tomorrow and while it won’t be the most exciting day ever, I have a few VERY important things to do.  Haircut!  Studying nutrition!

Since both my brother and I were at home last night, my entire family decided to go out to dinner for a belated Father’s Day celebration.

We went to Trattoria Romana in Lincoln, RI.

I ordered a bottle of Montepulciano (Italian red wine) for my family to share.  We had a nice toast and everyone was happy with my wine selection.

My dad ordered Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms and Calamari Fritti, tender calamari rings pan-fried & topped with hot cherry peppers served with cocktail sauce & lemon.

I’m always craving fresh mozzarella so the Mozzarella Caprese  was the perfect salad for me to order.  Fresh sliced Buffalo mozzarella & vine-ripened tomatoes with Vidalia onions & fresh basil finished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

It was tough to choose an entree because there were so many delicious options on the menu.

After careful consideration, I picked the Pollo Fiorintina which was Chicken breast sautéed in a sweet Marsala wine sauce topped with imported Prosciutto di Parma & fresh mozzarella served over a bed of sautéed spinach & capellini pasta.

Amazing!

I was up bright and early for work this morning.  Typical early am breakfast, raspberry Chobani with fresh blueberries and some Barney Butter.

I ate leftovers for lunch (from Giacomo’s last week) and dinner (from last night) and snacked on a few things throughout the day.  Unfortunately not the freshest and healthiest foods.  But at least I know good vegetables will be in my future.

More garden growth.  I know it will be a while before I can actually pick vegetables.  But I think watching the growing process is half the fun.  I can’t believe my little seed packets have turned into healthy plants.

Extreme closeup of my garden, with the vegetables thriving in my rocky soil.  Impressive!

Since it was a nice evening, I did a quick workout on my deck.  I jumped rope, did push ups, squats with weights, and bicep curls.  After I got my heart rate up, I took my workout indoors and cleaned my bedroom.  I worked up a sweat!  More likely because of my stuffy apartment and not so much from my frantic cleaning.

Even though it’s a Sunday night, it feels like a Monday to me.  It was a long day, but overall a decent start to my work week.

Tomorrow marks week #3 of marathon training.  And time for me to get serious!!! More crunches, less cupcakes.  Umm, I mean lots of running! 

I had a delicious breakfast.  I added fresh strawberries to strawberry Chobani.  Plus Barney Butter.  When I have a jar in the house, I can’t resist!

My workday included a delicious salad loaded with fresh vegetables and a trip to Legacy Place in Dedham, MA to drop off flyers at lululemon and lucy.  Okkk, so some minor shopping also occurred.  There’s no way I can walk away from a sale at lululemon!

Our friends Drew and Nicki invited us to eat dinner at their apartment.  Nicki is a great cook!  Jared and I shared a stuffed artichoke.  My first real artichoke that I had to peel.  It was so tasty, especially the cheese and olive stuffing.

Nicki also made a baked pasta dish.  It had mushrooms, which I don’t usually eat.  But I devoured tonight’s meal without a second thought.  Nicki really is a great cook, especially when it comes to vegetarian dishes!

I thought about running this evening, but decided against it.  I have plenty of time during the rest of week #2 of training to complete each of the scheduled runs.  So as usual, I’m switching things up a bit!  Thank you for the support after my crappy, crampy run and my tough decision to skip out on cheerleading.  Melissa was on-point when she commented that it seems like I enjoy cheerleading more than I like running.  However running is MUCH easier to fit into my schedule and I am really committed to running this marathon.  So for summer/fall 2010, I’ll be pounding the pavement and/or treadmill until I can accomplish my 26.2 mile goal.

I’m looking forward to waking up at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning so I can wait in line at the Apple Store and purchase my new i-phone.  The first time I’ll own a phone with internet!  Then my mom and cousin Jenna are coming to spend the day in Boston.

Quick announcement:

Women in the Boston area, grab a partner and sign up for…

Fiona’s Challenge III: Partner Edition!

• Teams of 2 women apply online. (Applications will only be accepted from complete teams).  If you are in need of a partner, you can recruit other members by leaving comments on Fiona Fit’s blog.
• Applications must be submitted before the end of the day on Friday, July 9th.
• Members and non-members are invited to compete. (at least 1 non-member per team)
  
• At each club, twelve teams will be chosen based on the testimonials — make them as funny or serious as you would like!
• The chosen teams will be announced at a kickoff party on July 12th from 5-8pm at The Beehive in the South End.
• The final fitness challenge will take place on August 8, 2010, and winners will be announced on August 17th.
• Chosen teams at each club compete against each other for the grand prize!
• Any teams that are not chosen will receive two week trials for non-members.

Visit the Healthworks website for more information!

Just like Miles, I got stuck in a rough situation.

But unlike Miles, I wasn’t stuck hanging off of the side of the couch.  My rough situation occurred when I tried to go for a run this morning.  I headed out to destroy 3 miles.  And it almost got the best of me!

I enjoyed some raspberry Chobani with Barney Butter for breakfast.  Yum!  Jared actually surprised me with this jar of Barney Butter when I got home from work last night.  I guess he was listening when I mentioned that I loved it each time I took a bite.

It took almost a mile of walking before my Garmin finally picked up satellite signal.  I started my running along the Charles River near the Esplanade, enjoying the beautiful view.  Only 0.2 miles in, I got the most side splitting cramp.  It hurt so bad that I couldn’t even walk.  I was doubled over on the side of the bike path!  Ouch!  I have never ever had a cramp that was so bad that I couldn’t walk it off.

Once I felt a little bit better, I decided to finish my 3 mile route by walking as fast as possible.  Which turned out to be pretty slow since the cramp would not go away.  I walked down Charles Street and through the Gardens and took in the scenery.  Damn it, I was going to make the best of this day!  Since I was forced to slow down, I appreciated my surroundings.  It was a beautiful day in Boston!

I made a big salad for lunch before I left for work.  Lettuce, chicken, carrots, and grape tomatoes.  Filling and healthy.

I bought dinner during my shift at work: tomato soup and grilled cheese.

When I got home, I felt like I needed to redeem myself for my morning run.  I dragged Jared out the door to run 2 miles.  I just wanted to prove to myself that the cramp was a fluke.  Sure enough…2 miles, quick and easy!  I knew I could do it. 

I grabbed a bowl of strawberries and a big glass of water.  I needed to relax and rehydrate after those 2 miles of hard work.  I’m looking forward to an evening of watching TV and lounging on the couch.

Not worried.  It’s all good.

I kept the jar of Barney Butter next to me while I ate breakfast.

In between bites of cereal, I scraped the jar clean.

I wore a Celtics t-shirt to work today.  Almost every Healthworks employee was dressed in their Irish best.  I hope Boston defeats LA in Game 6 tonight.  Don’t drag it out to Game 7.

I had a bowl of vegetable soup for a mini-lunch when I got to work.  I had to save my appetite for the samples.  Today was Member Appreciation Day and there were lots of god things to eat.

siggi’s was handing out containers of yogurt.

So many flavors to choose from!

I tried the pomegranate and passion fruit flavor.

It was my first time trying siggi’s.  It was really thick and tangy.  But tasty and enjoyable!

I even got to meet Siggi himself!  He was so friendly, more than willing to take a picture and cracking jokes the whole time.

There were other healthy and tasty samples.  It was a nice way to snack throughout the early evening.

Now it’s game time…

My beer is cold, friends are over, and pizza is on the way.  Go Celtics!

We did jumping jacks, squat jumps, push ups, and crunches.  It was an easy 20 minute workout, but a good way to get the blood flowing.  I think I’m going to push Jared to do a mini-workout every morning.  Besides running the Half Marathon and the Harpoon 5-miler, my guy hasn’t been to the gym since January.  Not cool!

I had coffee and a bagel for breakfast.

Then it was time to get on the road.  We crossed the border into Canada, after spending hours in ridiculous construction traffic in Grand Island, NY.  I took photos while we were stopped in traffic.  Lots of cranky faces and power lines. 

As soon as we arrived at Niagara on the Lake, I needed a meal!  Corks looked like a cute restaurant so we sat down right away.

Plus Corks had a great local wine list.  After our 1 1/2 hour trip became a 4 hour journey, I needed a drink!

I ordered a glass of Sauvingnon Blanc from Reif, one of the nearby vineyards.

Then I destroyed my veggie and goat cheese wrap.  I nibbled on a few fries, but left the cole slaw untouched.

Canadian Ketchup!  English AND French!

Niagara on the Lake was such a cute area to walk and shop.

We stopped at another restaurant to enjoy a 2nd glass of wine.  I tried Reif’s rose, but was not impressed.  It had a strangely sweet aftertaste.

Jared wanted to get ice cream from Cow’s because they claimed to hold the title of Canada’s Best Ice Cream.  I was in hysterics over their cow themed t-shirt that read, “moomoolemon.”

I wish we could’ve spent more time at Niagara on the Lake.  I would’ve wandered up and down the quiet streets, photographing everything in sight.

But Jared was tired of my photography/shopping spree so we walked over to the shore of Lake Ontario.

Jared skipped a few stones before we decided to head over to the area’s main tourist attraction.

Niagara Falls!

Please note, while photographing these pictures, I was getting severely misted from the Falls.  Not a happy camper, but I managed to keep my camera safe and dry.

Jared was in search of this Frankenstein Burger King.  He’d been describing it to me for years, but I was sadly underwhelmed when I saw it in real life.  Though I think it was the high point of Jared’s day!

There were so many pretty parks around Niagara Falls.

I laughed because last summer I was photographing water lilies in Monet’s Garden in Giverny, France and now here I was taking pictures of water lilies in Canada.  In what country will I find water lilies during summer 2011?

Though we didn’t ride the Maid of the Mist, I still had an awesome time viewing Niagara Falls and visiting Niagara on the Lake. 

Since we’re not taking a real vacation until October, day trips will be a recurring theme throughout the summer.  Even though day trips aren’t as relaxing as a week-long getaway, I’m learning that they can still be tons of fun.  And a lot less expensive!

I decided to mix things up for breakfast yesterday.  mix1 sent some samples of their protein shakes so I figured I’d give it a shot.

mix1 is an enhanced protein shake.  It’s reccomended as a post workout shake,  part of a meal, or a snack.

Here are the stats:

• 15 grams of superior whey protein isolate
• 23 vitamins & minerals
• 3 servings fruits & veggies from antioxidants
• 3 grams of soluble fiber
• 2.5 grams of heart healthy fat
• antioxidants = to 4 cups of green tea
• free of lactose, gluten, soy & caffeine

I drank my mix1 with a cup of ice so it felt like a freshly made protein shake.  The Mix Berry flavor was pretty tasty.  It didn’t have a strong protein taste so I was happy.  I’m looking forward to trying the other flavors and using mix1 for breakfasts on the go.

My mix1 shake kept me full for a while.  But eventually, hunger hit and I grabbed a sandwich from the Healthworks cafe.  I ate a panini with turkey, onions, goat cheese, and raspberry spread.

I was exhausted when my shift ended so I went home to take a power nap until Jared got home from work.

Jared and I went to PICCO for dinner.  We split a Caesar salad.

Then we split a pizza with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil.

Sharing is caring so we also split dessert.  Jared chose Caramel Swirl ice cream and we enjoyed every bite.

I was up and at ‘em early on my day off.  I ate a mini Clif Bar in the car on the way to the gym.  I signed up for a BURN class.

BURN is part of the Healthworks FOCUS training package.  Classes are an additional cost, but now I see why they’re worth it.

Each member of the class hopped on a treadmill and was given a pair of headphones.  Our instructor Mark was able to communicate with us using the headphones.  With his instruction, we went through a 20 minute cardio workout featuring HILLS.  Did you know treadmills can go up to a 15 incline?!?!  It was crazy steep.  I tried to run as much as I could, but certain inclines required a fast walk for safety reasons.

After cardio, Mark created a strength circuit for the 4 members of the class.  The stations included pushups, leg extensions on the stability ball, and 2 additional unnamed exercises.  We went through the circuit twice.  I was tired and sweaty.

Mark told us to get back on the treadmill and walk slowly.  Then on his count, we all took our treadmills up to a sprint.  I sprinted at 9.4 mph!  I felt more comfortable doing the sprints than I did with the hills.  I guess it’s because I’ve done some track workouts with the SEAC guys.

The BURN class finished with an extremely challenging Abdominal workout.  Supermans, High to low planks (could’ve killed Mark when he made us hold the low planks for 30 seconds), crunches, and flutter kicks.  Whew, it was a killer workout.  I’d really like to purchase a package of BURN classes.  I’d never push myself that hard if I was working out on my own.  Plus I get to enjoy the perks of having a trainer without the pressure of working out 1 on 1, and the added cost that entails.

I needed a real breakfast when I got home from the gym.  I made a bowl of Mad Hectic oatmeal.  Just what I needed to refuel after my intense sweat session.

Jared and I are going to Rochester, NY for the weekend.  So it’s time to pack my stuff and do a last minute cleaning around the apartment.

Next time I blog, I’ll be at Jared’s parents’ house in the Empire State.

Doing anything and everything besides running cuz I’ll be doing a lot of it for the next 18 weeks.  Training hard from June 14 until race day on October 17.  I like running for fun and picking and choosing my distance, but preparing for my first marathon is going to be all about structured workouts.  So it’s nice enjoying these remaining days of random workouts, or no workouts at all.

I found a container of vanilla yogurt lost in the back of the fridge.  Woohoo.  That meant I could make my favorite breakfast, yogurt, granola and AB, rather than just having a simple bowl of cereal.

My lunchtime sandwich featured hummus, veggies, cheddar cheese, and lettuce.  Plus tortilla chips on the side.

Mmmm!  Any combo featuring hummus and vegetables is bound to taste good.

I snacked on a mini-Clif bar during my evening at work.  All of the samples that I grabbed during the Harpoon 5 Miler are really coming in handy.  My stomach started to growl around 7 pm, but I didn’t want to spend money on food.  I was able to finish my shift without giving in to my hunger.

As soon as I got home, I hurried up to fill my empty belly.  I microwaved a frozen bowl of Trader Joe’s Pesto Tortellini.  Not that tasty, but it was food… fast!

After inhaling my dinner, I snacked on some nachos.  Same type of tortilla chips as lunchtime.  I probably should’ve picked a different evening snack.  Oops!

I spent a few minutes using my new mini foam roller.  I love it’s tiny size and firmness because I can use it to pinpoint problem areas on my back and hips.  Plus the package recommended using it on your neck or feet.  Great self-massages, plus it’s a foam roller I can easily travel with.

When 9 pm rolled around, it meant it was time to pile on the couch to watch the Celtics game.

Miles took great pains to get comfy.  Though I don’t think he looks like he’s too happy.  Hmmm…