Monday, January 3, 2011

The World is Back




Back to school.  Back to work.  Back on track.  It seems to be the theme of the day.  The world was back to it's usual schedule today, as was I. 

I woke up, usual time, did the usual workout thing and then ate a usual fantastic breakfast. 

Whipped Banana Oats, Berries, Vanilla Chobani, White Chocolate Wonderful PB, Granola 


Notice anything unusual about this breakfast?  Yep, my new bowl.  I picked it up at a great little store in Cleveland this past weekend.  It made oatmeal so much more enticing this morning.

I got to work happy to see a busy schedule this week.  I thought the down time in the office last week would be nice, but I have to say, after 2 days, I was going stir crazy.

Morning meetings and travel resulted in a quick store run over lunch.  While I was there, I picked up lunch for myself.


I'm really enjoying the salad bar at the grocery store these days.  It makes the perfect lunch for me.

Along with a little side of my favorite cocktail.


It's 5 o'clock somewhere!

When I got to the gym, ever assumption I had was justified by the overflowing parking lot.  I knew it would be packed tonight and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little annoyed.  The overpopulation of bandwagon fitness followers is in full gear for the month of January.  I even got planted next to a man on the treadmill who talked on his phone the entire time.  He was walking very slowly while talking to his friend "yah, I'm here doing the gym thing again.  We'll see how it goes this time around."   Seriously?  I'm not saying that walking on the treadmill is not a valid workout, but this man in no way was even trying.   It was as though he was just there to be there because everyone else was doing it.

Oh and then let's talk about the group of body builders who looked as though they had one too many steroids in their life. No lie, they walked around the gym doing circles, like it was some kind of high school football game.  I think they wanted everyone to check them out.  Ugh, le sigh!  

Regardless, my 6 mile run was completed, not in the most enjoyable conditions but I'll manage.

When I got home, I got started on dinner.
Black Bean and Butternut Squash Tostadas  


Really quite simple to prepare.  I sautéed butternut squash with red onion and added the beans and some spinach.  Then I layered a spoon of organic refried pinto beans on a tortilla, added the squash mixture and a touch of feta and then broiled this for a few min.  Lastly, my toppings were tomato, avocado and cabbage.

Aside from dinner being delightful, I can't claim all of my delight on the food itself.  I had great inspiration when I came home to the most thoughtful package from one of my most favored diva blogger, Janetha! 
 I didn't win this on her giveaway but she saw how much I wanted one so she bought one for me anyways.

HOW SWEET IS THIS GIRL????

And I LOVE my bag.  I couldn't wait to use it so I prepped everything for lunch tomorrow to test it out.


It's perfect.  Thank you ever so much Janetha!  You are unbelievable! :) 

Okay one last BIG piece of news to share. 

Tonight, we booked our vacation and I am bursting with excitement to share……

In August (over our anniversary) we are going to Napa!!!!!!!!  

I can't explain how happy I am.  I've been wanting to go to back to Cali ever since our first trip a few years ago and what a more wonderful place to go than Napa?  We'll be spending 5 nights in a glorious resort in Somona and plan to visit handfuls of wineries, to some day trips to San Fran, hike, bike, and eat some of California's finest foods to our hearts are full.  

We really haven't gotten too far into the details of attractions and neither of us have been to Napa before so if anyone has any suggestions, we are so open! 

Hope you all had an easy transition into the new year! 


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15 comments:

  1. How exciting about Napa! Can I come? :)

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  2. How fun!! I bet you just cannot wait for August to arrive now :)

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  3. I loved Napa!! I went there on my honeymoon. Any chance you'll be staying at the Fairmont in Sonoma?? ;-)

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  4. I had an irritating experience at the gym as well tonight. Must have been the day! I love you new lunch bag, I saw them on TJ Maxx the other day. Let us know if you like yours, I may have to go pick one up!

    How exciting about your vacation! My best friend lives in California, and I am in her wedding this June. So excited to go back!

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  5. I am so happy to hear about your trip. You deserve it. You are such a beautiful person, and I can just see you savoring all the natural glory of that part of the country. I also loved your tostadas. So simple yet so different from what I normally serve. Thank you for sharing with me, my dear. I hope you have a lovely Tuesday.

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  6. How exciting! I've never been to Napa and have always wanted to go! I live in Arizona now, so not too far away - I'd love to try to take a trip sometime!

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  7. I can relate to your frustration at the gym. I get the sense that many people go to the gym for the wrong reasons, and it can be very distracting to those of us who go there to actually work out!! Although its difficult, our best bet is to try and ignore them! Cranberry is my favorite Kombucha flavor! It's delicious! Yay for Napa! That will be such an amazing trip!! Have a good evening!

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  8. black bean and butternut squash tostadas? Holy Yum!!! I'll be trying that soon!

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  9. How funny about the gym and NAPA amazing!!!! I loved our anniversary trip there. Check out my post :)

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  10. yay, napa! i'm actually planning on going in march - we'll have to exchange notes!

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  11. Napa???? ah! You two are going to have so much fun! You must be busting at the seems! All of your meals look super yummy- but I'm really digging that dinner. Anything that involves avocado, pineapple & mexican is my kind of meal ;) Ohhhh the gym. It is a little crazy right now. Teaching is even tough- I feel like I fight for the equipment I need to teach with. Have another good one ;)

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  12. ah my comment got deleted!

    anyway, i was saying that we have the same favorite cocktail! :) and napa sounds great--i wish marshall liked wine so i could drag him there, but he doesn't drink. i will just have to crash your vacay ;) xo

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  13. Love the bag! Napa sounds like a fun vacation!

    I didn't get BACK on track, but I did get ON track. Thankfully I don't have a gym membership, it's just me in the basement.

    Jen
    http://www.jenslosinit.com/

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  14. I just got back from my first trip to napa! It was amazing! I highly recommend the Fairmont Sonoma, it is amazing! Fireplaces in the rooms and fabulous spa!

    The best wineries we visited were: Alpha Omega, Ledson, Cline and Cakebread. The chef's tasting at Cyrus is also fabulous!

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  15. We went to Napa and San Fransisco on our Honeymoon this past summer and LOVED it!! There is tons of great things to do! We especially loved the hot air balloon ride we did in Napa and Muir Woods (giant redwoods)that is in between Napa and San Fran. Y'all will have a wonderful time!!

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