The Work Lunch and Family Traditions

If you work in an office or even just with a group of people the time will inevitably come for a “work lunch” with coworkers. Personally, I love the work lunch. It gives you time to bond with coworkers outside of the office, relieve some stress, and get a little break from the workday. Unless you are a complete control freak you will not always have control over where said, work lunches take place. That is why, when on a weight loss plan, it is important to have a general idea of foods to avoid and foods to order. Today some fabulous ladies from the office and I headed to Roly Poly in Lynchburg for some lunch. PS: Kudos to Roly Poly for listing calorie information right on the menu. It certainly takes out the guess work!!

I ordered a cup of Green Chilies and Corn Bisque along with a whole grain wrap stuffed with grilled chickens and lots of warm veggies. It was very tasty and certainly got me over the mid-day slump! I also have to say it was fun to sit and talk with a co-worker I don’t know very well (though it is always awkward to take photos of my food in front of people I don’t know). Luckily she was cool about it and the group of us girls had a nice relaxing lunch.

The hubs had the day off and was waiting for me when I got home. We decided today would be as good of a day as any to take some shots of my favorite holiday ornaments. We got the idea for the photos from our pal Jason at Star City Photo. While this was a simple tip it made for some adorable photos. (For some super fabulous photography check out Star City Photo HERE. ) Anyway, the hubs and I are short on our own holiday traditions. The Christmas brunch was passed down from my mother, the fancy Christmas Eve from my Grandmother, the Christmas pajamas from my parents, and you get the idea. I wanted something that was all our own. So, the hubs and I started picking up an ornament to commemorate special occasions, vacations, etc. I love this tradition and hope to one day have a tree full of special memories.

We snagged this Alice In Wonderland at Downtown Disney after the Princess ½ Marathon last year. Isn’t she sweet?

We also pick up ornaments on vacations. This one is from an early Spring weekend in the Outer Banks two years ago..

Here is an ornament given to us as a housewarming gift when we bought our home..

And Finally, another Alice because I heart all things Alice In Wonderland..

We had a lot of fun reminiscing about all of the ornaments origins. Well I reminisced and the hubs sort of just listened. It was actually pretty cute to watch the hubs in action. We had quite the set up for photos of such tiny things. 🙂

All in all, it was a sweet little way to spend an afternoon with my family. Do you have any holiday traditions that are all your own??

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Cycling In Pink?

For once our big Sunday workout plans, well, worked out. The hubs and I got up bright and early for some running and cycling. For those of you who read my blog often you might be thinking “She bikes/cycles?” And the answer to that is no, at least I haven’t been.  I bought a bike three years ago during one of those divine moments of inspiration when I thought “ok this is how I am going to shed some pounds.” I rode it maybe 5 times and I was over it. However, I was thinking with my new healthy living lifestyle it might be time to revisit biking. Plus the hubs is an avid cyclist. In fact, cycling is how he lost fifty+  pounds B.S.R (Before Sara Renee) 😉 Since it is such a passion of his I thought it would be something else great for us to do together. He has taken on running like a champ and now it is my turn to give his sport a try!

I recently had an acquaintance who is working toward losing 200+ pounds ask me if there was a way for her to “bike at her size”. I thought this was an excellent question so I started looking for answers. For those with a little excess weight you can buy a wider seat for your bike, try a recumbent bike, or invest in some padded shorts to maximize comfort. I can tell you firsthand that biking at a weight that is not ideal can be painful. It’s the truth. But with the right modifications  it can also be great. I also wanted to find some answers for individuals who had more than just “some” weight to lose. Ideally I did not want to have to say you should start on one of the bike machines at the gym. It’s not the same thing. So after doing some research I found Super Sized Cycles.  Super Sized Cycles makes a variety of bikes for larger individuals and can accommodate up to a 550 pound person. While I have never used a Super Sized Cycle product I did communicate with them via email before writing this blog and the staff is very responsive and knowledgeable. They want to “spread the word that people of ALL sizes can bike” and I think that is pretty great.

It had been ages since I have even seen my bike. I bought it at Bikes Unlimited in Lynchburg, VA with the help of my husband (then fiance) and knowledgeable sales staff. I was obnoxious when I went in and demanded a pink bike. Ahem. I know better now and while I prefer pink and will pay a little more for pink athletic equipment is really not the place to make such a fuss over color. However, they managed to find me a pink bike that didn’t suck (Yipee) so I am now cycling in pink! My goal is to get up to 25 miles. Today I biked three. I know to avid cyclists this is only a drop in the bucket but to have some perspective I could not run for 3o seconds this time 8 months ago. The distance will come. The intensity will come. For now I will enjoy the workout and concentrate on getting stronger and faster and better.

Our Bikes

Me trying to remember how to even ride a bike. 🙂

After the 3 mile ride came a 4 mile run. It was slow and there was quite a bit of walking involved. Getting up and going this morning was a slow process so it was much too warm before I ever got on the trail to run. On the way back in that 1 mile marker has never looked so good. It’s funny how just knowing you are on the last mile puts the spring right back in your step.

I was completely worn out after all of this and starving. I had not eaten anything yet. Bryan and I headed out to Panera where I had a small BBQ chicken salad and 1/2 of a turkey/spinach/artichoke panini with red onions and tomato. YUM!

After lunch we ran some errands and ended up at the mall. 😉 I had one of those fabulous New York and Company coupons that offered 60.00 off a 125.00 purchase. I love to use NY&CO for all of the seasonal trends that you don’t want to spend a fortune on. You know? If you need a black dress visit Nordstrom but if you need a lime green cardigan visit NY&CO. Anyway the store was pretty much all on sale so I bought a ton of clothes for 60.00 or so ( I will show you some of my favorite pieces soon). I got loads of items in my new favorite color combo (gray/yellow/white). It has been my new favorite combination for all of 18 hours or so since I saw it on Katherine Heigel at the end of Killers last night.

I am sitting back waiting for the hubs to finish dinner (YAY for a man who knows how to cook) and watching Alice In Wonderland on DVD. How do you love to spend your Sundays?

Here is to a happy and healthy week ahead!

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Colors

Today was another bright and beautiful day in Virginia for the most part. It would have been a great day to run, play disc golf, or do other various outdoorsy type things. However, the hubs and I decided since we are pretty much committed to something for at least the next month’s worth of weekends we were going to relax. I was craving a “good old country” breakfast this morning but was unwilling to spend the average 1,000 calories (no joke i looked it up) this breakfast has at some of the most popular breakfast spots.  So with subbing whole wheat toast, turkey sausage, skim milk, and not inviting butter to the party we were able to have a HUGE breakfast for a reasonable caloric price tag. Not that I would advise this every single morning as it was a little on the high side but it was exactly what I wanted and worth every last calorie!

After breakfast the hubs and I split for a bit. He took care of mowing the lawn, weed eating, etc and I took care of putting away what felt like a century worth of laundry, wiping down the kitchen etc. I did take a break to bust out my new yoga mat which I love. I especially love the color. While pink will always be dearest to my heart I really do heart an Alice In Wonderland blue.  I know nothing about yoga mats though. What should one look for when buying a mat?

After a morning of housework it was lunch time. Since I had such a big breakfast I wanted to skip out on lunch completely however we all know its not wise to go hours and hours with no food so I had a tiny slice of a frozen Wolfgang Puck BBQ pizza. As promised I am slowly collecting some interesting color and pattern plates so you don’t have to look at the same plates everyday. It turns out buying mismatched plates is rather fun.

The rest of the day was lazy and fantastic. It was just what we needed to recharge. Due to some stressors at work and home in recent weeks I felt like I had not slept in months. It felt great to snuggle with with hubs, watch some TIVO, nap, and kind of do our own thing. The hubs plays a lot of video games while I blog, read blogs, and research vacations for us. Anyone else out there a video game widow?

For dinner we decided on a classic combo: salad and sandwich. Dinner was really colorful which I love. The sandwich was built like this: wheat bun bottom, pickles, deli turkey, green apples, 2% cheddar,lettuce, tomato, honey mustard, and wheat bun top. We had this with salad mix from the bag (yes I cheated) dried cranberries, and a balsamic vinaigrette. Also pictured is a side of “sweet midget” pickles (that is really what they are called) and some apple sauce. It felt like a very Spring friendly meal which I love!

My week was so full and crazy last week that tonight is the first time I have thought about the weigh in tomorrow.  I know I ate right and worked hard but I will not be surprised if the incredible stress I was under rears its ugly head on the scale this week.  I will try not to get too down in the morning if it does. There is a new beautiful week in front of me, a 10K coming up, a Sex and the City 2 date with a girlfriend, a jewelry party, and some Alice in Wonderland fun in store this week. How could I not smile? What are you looking forward to this week?

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Blog Love

It has been exactly one month since I created my little blog and I have to say I’m glad I did. It has been a great way to keep up with my weight loss, eating plan, and workouts. It has also been a cool way to get recipes and ideas from other people. My little blog came to be when I started reading Andrea’s blog soon followed by Melissa’s soon followed by Leslie’s. I added another and another and another etc to my daily/weekly reading until I decided I needed a blog of my very own. So The Running In Pink Project was born. Hopefully this creative outlet will continue to grow while I continue to shrink! 😉

I was in a huge rush to get to the office today. Tuesdays are already no fun and I had back-to-back appointments all morning. I grabbed a Cranbran Vita-top and V8 fusion on the way out. I also made sure I had my giant to-go cup of Hazelnut coffee with splenda and fat free ½ and ½.

Recognize that travel coffee cup? It was one of my purchases at the Princess ½ marathon. Truthfully this cup just reminds me that I am bitter about what happened in March and spurs me on with this Disney Wine and Dine ½. No sprained ankle this go around!!

Can I also just say I love my K-cup coffee maker? I HATE cleaning a coffee pot so problem solved with this little gem! Making coffee has never been my best skill so luckily my house has been crappy coffee free since Christmas!

Work was busy and I was actually very very productive all morning and afternoon. I was starved by lunch and really excited to try this new Spinach salad kit I picked up yesterday. It contained Spinach, feta, dried cranberry and pears and spicy pecans. YUM! I added some left over grilled chicken and a balsamic vinaigrette. Maybe I was just hungry but I swear this was the best spinach salad ever (well this week anyway).

After work I was all geared up to hit the trail but sorry I am not hardcore enough to run in the rain. (Never mind that it NEVER ACTUALLY RAINED. It was supposed to!)  Sooo me and my trusty Alice in Wonderland water bottle went over to the gym.

I did a warm up on the track runner elliptical on “cardio train” and some running on the treadmill.

Mile 1 – 13.46 minutes
Mile 2 – 14.14 minutes
Mile 3 – 14.33 minutes

This might look meager and sad to some but it’s not bad for me especially since I hate running indoors. My goal for now is running consistent 12 minute miles. 10 is my long term goal but one step at a time. I am still a beginner. 🙂

After the gym the pups and I were excited that I got to partake in some of my fabulous cupcake from Friday.

Speaking of cupcakes the confectionary I talked about earlier in the week emailed me back and they are a go in and buy a cupcake type place. Twelve flavors daily. I will of course stay away from said cupcake haven but at least I know its here.

Continuing on the week of Bryan’s faves for dinner I made cashew chicken with whole grain rice. This is another modified Rachel Ray masterpiece. Did I mention this week how I LOVE her? Basically my version of the recipe goes like this..

Rice: finely chop ½ small onion, place onion in a drizzle of olive oil, add the desired amount of whole grain 10 minute rice, toast rice slightly, add chicken or veggie stock and bring to a boil. This TOTALLY changed the taste of the rice. Its really good. What is your favorite way to make rice?

Cashew Chicken: Heat a large skillet, add olive oil, add chopped boneless skinless chicken breast (salt and pepper liberally), slightly brown, add in veggies (large sliced onion, sliced bell peppers, mushrooms, grated carrot and whatever else you like), cook up for 5-6 minutes, add soy sauce to taste and let cook out slightly, add chipolte chilli powder and red pepper flake, drizzle in some honey and sugar free pancake syrup, after this has a few minutes to cook
together, reduce heat and allow the sauce to thicken, toss in some frozen organic peas and nonsalted cashews. Once the peas are heated serve over brown rice. YUM!

Tonight I am catching up on blogs and TIVO, doing 20 minutes of organization in the bedroom and trying to find a decent hotel in DC near the Kennedy Center that I don’t have to sell a kidney to stay at. The hubs is taking me to the Broadway touring production of Mary Poppins in July if we can work out our work schedules. LOVE a little Disney magic in DC!

Have a Healthy and Happy Tuesday!

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Wine and Dine

My husband I are officially registered for the Disney Wine and Dine ½ marathon.  Being the planner I am I have already started pricing flights and hotels for our visit. I am hoping to book it this week. Roughly 6 months and 2 weeks until Disney! I am much more of a Disney person than the hubs but I think its growing on him. Plus our good friends Mark and Mandi live in Orlando so its always nice to see them. I am also excited to see if there are any new Alice in Wonderland items when we go in the fall. She is my fave! Here is a pic of Alice and I during our trip for my 30th Birthday in January. I would like to get a pic of Alice and thinner me this go around. Who is your favorite Disney character?

Today I decided on an Ezekiel English Muffin with organic peanut butter, a banana, and a V8 fusion for breakfast. It was very filling. I missed the morning veggies but this was a nice break from my good pal The  Not So Scary Green Monster.

I am officially no longer complaining about yesterday’s drive. The weather in Virginia today is rainy and dreary and not at all a good driving day. It is however a good day for working out in-doors. It looks like I picked a good week for my back to basics cross training week! The dogs are less than pleased with the rainy potty conditions outside!

Lunch was a form of leftovers. I had a little make-shift salad with a tiny bit of the taco turkey, cheese, and my new (and very fantastic) corn and black bean salsa. I also grabbed a little container of rice to get in some whole grains. This looks icky but it was great. I think that Bry might make the best tacos ever. I always say that guys are genetically predispositioned to make great breakfast food and one killer dinner dish. I guess this is his dish!!

Later in the day I was needing a snack so I had some strawberry banana yogurt with bare naked granola. Yum!

I had another tough workout at the gym. 90 minutes of crazy hard cardio. I listened to Muse and Britney Spears and Bobby Brown (blast from the past). It was weird but it worked for me! What is your favorite music to workout to? I sometimes workout to the Glee or Wicked soundtrack. Is that weird?

After my workout I thought maybe I deserved a prize of some kind for my diligent effort (ahem) so I hit a couple of stores. I told myself “You can spend 20.00” fully expecting to come away with a summer scarf or some fossil earrings but I found this little gem on clearance. I tried it on and felt really girly and pretty in it so I decided it needed to come home with me! The best part is getting the “you saved” circled at the bottom of the receipt.  This dress was initially tagged $108.00 and I got it for under $20.00.  I have cat-like precision to bargain hunting and ninja shopping skills. Come with me sometime and I will show you! 🙂

Tonights post  workout dinner was a warm spinach salad with warm steak and onions, dried cranberries, feta, and a fat free honey dijon dressing. It was good stuff. A warm spinach salad is just the perfect easy dinner I think. What is your favorite “go to” dinner recipe?

Finally, here is a tour of my dining room. As you know I love a theme so we have an Italy/Wine theme going on in here. I decorated the entire house, top to bottom, so I feel like everything we have is very “us” and I like that. Some of my favorite things in the dining area are the wine/bakers rack, which I randomly found while shopping for sofa’s, our framed print of Lady and the Tramp that we found on our first trip to Disney as a couple, the painting  Bry and I picked up at a starving artist show when we were dating, and my Nanna’s antiques. Even though she is gone it makes me feel closer to her just to have part of her home in my home. Enjoy!!

The Dining Room

The Starving Artist Painting and shelves with my Nannas antiques and photo frames

The orange birds were always in my Nannas dining room and they will always be in mine.

The wine racks, window, and candelabra

This was my Nannas also. I am trying to find a better way to display her. Its one of my most favorite pieces in my home.

The wine/bakers rack and more photos. We have TONS of framed photos in our house.

I LOVE pretty wine glasses.

And more photos!

The dining room table with my Nanna's bowl and the gorgeous table liner my friend Liz got me during her trip to India last summer

Lady and the Tramp (we have little tiny bits of Disney all through the house. It makes me smile)

Our table. I just love this table. We got all benches and no chairs. I really dig that. Makes it different!

There are 3 exits from the dining room. This hangs above the exit into the living room

I hope you enjoyed the tour. Have a Happy and Healthy Wednesday!

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