Each morning I have to make a few important decisions. Do I get out of bed to exercise before work? Most often, yes. Do I read my book or work on a blog post while riding the train downtown? That’s a toss up. Once I’m downtown, do I hustle straight to the office or go out of my way for a latte? This one involves a complicated thought process -at least complex for that hour of the morning. Ultimately, it comes down to whether or not I treat myself, and it’s not just about calories. Two or three times a week, a $4.05 vanilla latte adds up. Even if you try to ignore it by paying with your iPhone.
You can probably envision the shrieking and bad dancing that took place in my kitchen yesterday when this beautiful espresso machine was pulled from its box and pressed into action. You can also probably envision the insomnia I experienced as a result of downing an espresso at 7pm -but I just couldn’t wait until morning. I want to smother my new sis- & brother-in-law with hugs and kisses for sending us this incredible wedding gift. The hubs and I love our coffee but after spending a good chunk of time in Italy and Spain, we’ve really grown love our espresso.
It’s doubtful I’ll lose my Gold Rewards status at Starbucks anytime soon but this will certainly cut down on my monthly espresso drink expenses. I’m already plotting a copycat Vanilla Spice Latte recipe -my absolute favorite of their seasonal drinks.
Lattes – Got a favorite flavor? Skim or 2%? I’m a Vanilla Spice with 2%, hold-the-whip kinda gal.
PS. The excitement of my first KitchenAid mixer
The week’s off to a good start – Monday totally flew by, didn’t it? The hubs and I have been seriously loving hanging in the city the past couple of weekends catching up on sleep and our enless list of errands. We hit up Home Depot for some plants & herb garden supplies, scoped out a few more sofas (we’ve got it narrowed down to two) and made a trip to Williams Sonoma to check some kitchen island carts. We’re looking for one that can display our pretty appliances and double as a chopping block. It’d make great little workstation for my sous-chef husband so we’re not bumping elbows in the kitchen.
eats
Burritos might be the most satisfying meal ever and I swear it’s impossible to get a bad one here in San Francisco. I must average two per week at this point. Some days I eat the whole damn thing, others I have enough self-control to stop half-way and save the rest for later. I learned they make a perfect on-the-go meal yesterday when hangry hit amidst our afternoon errands. I consulted Yelp to find the closest, tastiest burrito and Toma came up with a solid 4 stars. They nailed the rice-to-bean ratio I love that many other burrito guys just don’t get. Light rice. Heavy black beans. After devouring two-thirds, I contemplated going all the way but decided to let the hubs enjoy the last bit for a snack.
exercise
Finding a gym in the city has been far more challenging than I thought it’d be so I’ve been rocking a lot of neighborhood runs and body weight strength workouts lately. What’s the holdup you ask? I can’t commit. The two gyms in our neighborhood are small and have bizarre hours. One is just downright creepy. This leaves me looking to join a gym downtown, closer to work, but there’s been talk of moving to a new office space this summer so I’ve decided to hold off until I know where we’ll be. Annual contracts and monthly dues are no joke around here.
One of my favorite workouts last week came courtesy of Jess’s Summer Shape-Up Plan - I tacked Sculpt Your Arms onto my Friday run and man was I wobbly afterwards. Here’s this week’s lineup:
- Monday: 4 mile neighborhood run
- Tuesday: 30 minute run + strength building pit-stop in the park
- Wednesday: ZWOW #31 -3 rounds of 10 push-ups + 20 burpees + 30 jump squats + 40 mountain climbers + 50 sit-ups for time. Who wants to join me?
- Thursday: 30 minute run + testing out a new strength-building combo for you guys!
- Friday: 4 mile boardwalk run since we’ll be in Santa Barbara for the weekend!
- Saturday + Sunday: Santa Barbara hike with the hubs – Got any recommendations?
Burritos – how do you like yours?
Coming home to my new husband is wonderful but coming home to a dozen of these bride & groom chocolate dipped strawberries is utterly delightful. I tried to restrain myself and just eat the groom but couldn’t and went back for the bride 20 minutes later. These might just have to become an anniversary tradition in our house.
Strawberries – chocolate-dipped or prefer them plain?
PS. Did you notice the groom was sweating?
Fact indeed. Happy Father’s Day to my Dad and all of the wonderful fathers and father figures out there.
PS. This photo always brings a smile to my face.
Hi friends! Just wanted to say a quick thanks for all of your kind comments yesterday and for sharing your food confessions with me! It seems we all love butter, chocolate and simply can’t live without ice cream. You’re my kind of people!
Eating healthy all of the time isn’t realistic or easy for that matter. But the reality is, allowing ourselves to truly enjoy a treat without guilt isn’t so easy either. I’ve never had a problem enjoying healthy food. Heck no, healthy food is delicious! It’s my relationship with indulgent foods that’s taken me years to embrace and truly allow myself to enjoy. Without guilt.
These food confessions are why this little blog exists -they’re here to remind you, and me, that eating healthfully doesn’t mean kale, quinoa and carrot sticks all day, every day. Having a healthy relationship with all foods is what healthy eating is all about.
Thanks for being real. Thanks for being you. Thanks for reading this little blog and, most importantly, thanks for loving chocolate as much as I do.
Have a fabulous weekend!
Photo by Alice Popkorn
