Practice Makes Perfect

Hi there!

Yeah, it's been a while since my last post and you know what?  That's the topic of this post.

I think about it every day, about writing a new post, and I try to think about what to write about.  Mainly, I'm just having a hard time finding the time to make the post, but I'm working on that and I will make some improvements in that area.  The second part is that sometimes I just don't know what to post about.  My general idea of the blog is to talk about what I'm learning for myself, tips and ideas that others might like, and doing the best I can not to make it all about what I'm doing every second on the day.  Does anyone have any questions?  Maybe I could write a post answering some questions...

Sometimes I have ideas and fun things to say about how awesome group fitness classes are, what new recipe I tried, or a suggestion for making good choices.  But you know what?  Sometimes I'm not learning something new; sometimes I'm just riding the wave from day to day and trying to keep my head above water.  Practice makes perfect, right?  I'm eating a lot of the same foods, doing a lot of the same workouts, and generally don't have anything interesting to write about.

Today was a little different though, as most weekends are.  Mom and I knocked out a good 5.5 miles (personal longest for both of us!) and I enjoyed a delicious brunch at Point Brugge with Kate and her husband Max.  I went out of my comfort zone food wise and had the baked feta and poached eggs.  It was actually quite tastey and I should have gotten a picture, but I was just too darn distracted with good conversation with new friends.  I met up with mom after to check out the Fair in the Park contemporary arts and crafts show in Mellon Park.  It was very  nice, but definitely not in my price range!  My favorite booth was a guy who I was going to link here, but I left his card in my purse in my car; maybe I'll link it later.

The day continued with some coffee and lesson planning.  Remember those days in college where you just couldn't do work in your room or in your house?  Today is one of the days...since I don't really have a campus library to hang out at, coffee it is!  I am 3 feet from Pitt though, so I basically feel like an old lady with all of these whipper snappers in here!

Regular coffee, sugar free english toffee, splash of skim, 2 splenda.
Much cheaper than a latte, a lot less calories, and just as good!

Now to surf the Kindergarten blog world and lose myself in Pinterest until it's time for church!

Today's lesson learned:  Sometimes you don't learn anything new; you just keep trucking along.  You spend the time you have trying to fine tune the skills you're currently working on and try to make them habits, not something that takes a lot of thought and energy.  Revisiting previous lessons keeps things fresh in the mind and allows for connections to be made.  Aka, go read some old posts :)

Groceries Galore

Hi there!  Happy Saturday yo!

Man, do I feel great!  Saturday mornings are always an early wake up at 7:40, but who are we kidding, I'm naturally up before that anyways...I think it's just mental that I don't get to 'sleep in'.  Ma had to work and Brudder is moving, so I was solo today.  I still went, had a blast, wished they were there, and burned some mega calories!  A recovery shake, which I usually share with Ma, was enjoyed after. Gotta get some protein in the bod to build some lean muscle!

The last few weeks of craziness, which I could probably write a book on, have left my cupboards, freezer, and fridge a barren wasteland.  I'm pretty sure I had to clean out some tumbleweeds yesterday... So grocery shopping was on the agenda for today.  Now here is the amazing part; our regional director wanted to thank us for working so hard before school started (we weren't getting paid and didn't have contracts yet, but if we wanted jobs we had to market for kids for enrollment) that he gave us all $100 Giant Eagle gift cards!  Sweeeeet.  Gift card and food perks united to bring my $156 total down to $42!  No extreme couponing needed :)

The Bounty

I love to grocery shop when I have no time frame.  I just cruise up and down the aisles and scope out the goods.  I usually do most of my shopping at Trader Joe's, but I had to use that gift card!  I also love to go after the gym; I always feel motivated, healthy, and just plain awesome, and in turn, I make great food choices.

PB of choice on the right, intriguing PB on the leftt.

One way I try to help myself make good choices throughout the week, is that I come home from the grocery store and immediately get to work.  I boil half of my dozen of eggs, then just pop them back in the carton in the back row (B is for back and boiled).  In addition, I almost always make some sort of meal that I can divide into containers to have quick, ready to go meals for lunches or dinners.  I just feel so inspired to cook when I get home.  Today's dish was completely from my brain, no internet recipe inspiration, nadda.  It just kind of developed.

Garlic and Herb Chicken and Cauliflower

Boy, is it delicious!  You can find the recipe over on the recipes page!

I also made some quinoa to go along with it, divided it up into a few containers (2 with chicken and cauli, 1 of just quinoa to use later with something)

Instant lunches!  Just heat and eat :)

Ok, I'm full...the only downside of grocery shopping is I tend to snack the whole time on all of the new goodies I bought to try!  But, guess that just counts as my lunch.  I think I'll try to grab a wink or two before heading into work tonight...yay retail.

Today's lesson learned:

Going to the grocery store when you're not hungry is something we've all heard; that's physical.  What about your mental state?  If you go to the grocery store when you're feeling great, confident, happy, and motivated, you'll make much better choices in every aisle.  Fo sho!