What I’m Loving Wednesday 9/5/12

1. I often forget about Old Navy, but occasionally I’ll see something really cute on someone and it ends up being from there. Amanda bought a bunch of this beautiful colored top, and thankfully she doesn’t mind me being a copycat. After wearing it once…

I fell in love and bought three more. They’re classic, can be worn many different ways, and were cheap. After an extra 30% off the sale price, I ended up paying around $8 a pop.

2. Another store I often forget about is Versona, a jewelry store in Town Centre. It’s huge and overwhelming; think Forever 21 but with mostly accessories. While most of it is junky, you can find some gems in the rough. I picked up 3 necklaces on Saturday:

3. Oh, you want to see some food? Okay. I’ve got that covered too. On Monday, Boding and I went to our favorite restaurant on Daniel Island, Ali Baba Deli. As always, I stuck to items from the deli case. I got my usual favorites: hearts of palm salad, fattoush salad, foul madamas, and grilled chicken. Four items from the deli case cost $9.95 and it always lasts me two meals.

4. As I was placing my leftovers in the fridge, I laughed when I looked in the bottom drawer. I’m now convinced that I was Greek in a past life.

5. One of my favorite parts about being single is that I spend my free time doing whatever I want. So what if one of my favorite hobbies is reading anything I get my hands on? And no one gets to make fun of me nerding out with my glasses on. It’s not surprising that I’m the foursquare mayor of my library.

The best part is foursquare asking me if I have a crush on the librarian. No.

6. Speaking of books, I just added a bunch of books to my “to-read” list on Goodreads. Are you on Goodreads? Add me! I’m always up for book recommendations.

7. This sums up my Labor Day Weekend:

WHEN SOMEONE SAYS I’M A LITTLE SUNBURNED

When you really like something, do you buy it in multiple colors? I have multiple Longchamp totes, Camelbak water bottles, necklaces, shirts, and shoes in different colors. When I like something, I really like it.

What’s the nerdiest thing you like? I’m a proud fan of the library, crossword puzzles, online grammar quizzes, and the Twilight series.

Scenes From The Weekend

A surprise birthday present from Nancy.

A(nother) new bikini top from, you guessed it, Target.

A takeout Greek salad from Olympik. Thanks for the rec, Megan! The salad was huge and very fresh. I’ll be going back.

Farm fresh eggs make for a healthy and delicious breakfast.

Reading poolside with Amanda. I’m only 100 pages in, but I really like it so far!

And then the obligatory cup of froyo from Tutti Frutti to “cool us down.” Soy peanut butter + strawberry = PB&J!

Housewarming party for Dane with my favorite coworkers. (excuse the crappy photo.)

…where I discovered a wine that must have been made for me. B. Flirty.

…and an X (for xtina) in his room! (No, Dane is not falling over – we were just in the middle of doing the prom pose.)

New lotion from Victoria’s Secret. Notes: White nectarine and peony.

Tell me about your weekend!

Kale Salad with Yogurt Mint Dressing / Pure Barre Challenge

I got really friendly with kale last week. My 2nd CSA box contained a massive amount  of it, so I made two recipes. After using the the majority of it for the Spicy Kale & White Bean Soup, I figured a salad was in order.

This salad can only be described with positive adjectives: light, refreshing, and tasty.

And the best part? It has the same flavors as a Mojito. Without the liquor, of course.

Kale Salad with Yogurt Mint Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of kale, washed, stems removed, and cut into 1/2 inch ribbons
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-3 tbsp. fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• juice of 1/2 lime
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, combine Greek yogurt, garlic, mint, and lime juice. Season with salt & pepper.
2. Place kale ribbons in a large bowl. Add the yogurt mixture and toss until kale is completely coated.

And there you go. A giant salad for one, or a side salad for you and your friends. You decide if you want to be selfish or not.

Moving on… Let’s talk about the April Pure Barre challenge. Congrats in order – I completed all 20 required classes and locked in a special rate for May! Woohoo!

When I signed up for the challenge, I had every intention of completing all 20 classes and going to my gym on occasion. Did that happen? Eh, not so much.

What I missed:

• I only went to ESAC twice.
• Aside from the weights at PB, I also only strength trained twice. For an entire month, I said goodbye to 8, 10, and 15 lb. weights and swapped them for 1, 3, and 5 lb. weights.
• I ran three times. Whoa. Major change for me. I really missed running, but doing two-a-days was difficult, and running outside in this heat is miserable.

What I gained:

• The biggest difference I noticed was increased flexibility. I’ve always been able to do a split with my right leg forward, but I can now do a split on both sides!
• I stretched more than usual too. I think this helped a ton with my flexibility.
• My arms changed shape. In a good way! They’ve been pretty defined for a couple years, but my deltoids are more sculpted.
• I’m nowhere near a six pack or anything like that, but I did more ab work in PB than ever before. I definitely feel like my core is stronger.
• Friends! The PB family is awesome. Jen, the owner, is so sweet and all of the instructors are incredible. The music is fun, to boot.

I’m really excited to complete another month of Pure Barre. One interesting thing I must note is that I assumed each class would get easier. No. Not at all. With each class, you become more aware of the different muscles you’re working. You concentrate on every single tiny movement, which makes for a more efficient workout. It’s pretty amazing how aware you will become of every movement you make – even outside of the studio throughout the day.

Kale – do you prefer it raw or cooked?

Did you complete the Pure Barre challenge? If you haven’t ever signed up for the class, what are you waiting for?

Can you believe it’s already May!?

Beets with Yogurt and Walnuts

Last Friday I mentioned that I had borrowed a few cookbooks from the library, one being Food From Many Greek Kitchens. This book had a couple of good recipes I wanted to try, but one in particular caught my eye.

Beets.

Greek yogurt.

Walnuts.

Uh, yeah. I needed that in my life.

Beets with Yogurt and Walnuts slightly adapted from Food From Many Greek Kitchens

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pounds beets, leaves trimmed
• 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp. coarsely chopped parsley
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 (6 oz.) contained of plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp. chopped walnuts, for topping

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash the beets well, being careful not to pierce their skins. Wrap each fresh beet individually in aluminum foil and bake for about 1 hour or until tender.

In a small bowl, whip the oil with the lemon juice and garlic.

Once beets have finished cooking, peel them. Trim away the root and cut them into chunks. Put in a bowl. Add the lemon oil, parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Add the yogurt and mix gently. Scatter the walnuts on top and serve.

You know you’re intrigued by this color. Just wait until you see what it does to your pee! (If you’re a chosen one. Sorry, Holly, this doesn’t apply to you.)

In fitness news, I’d like to share a quick treadmill workout with you. It’s quick but will kick your behind! And your quads too. Maybe more!

Now listen up: For the main part of this workout, you will be doing intervals of running with 15 second breaks. During the 15 second breaks, you can hop to the sides of the treadmill, one foot on each side while gripping the handlebars. Be so careful not to fall or you will fly backwards and hurt yourself! And then you probably will never want to come back to your gym out of embarrassment.

Though you are only doing the intervals for 20 minutes total, you will have had enough by minute 25. Trust me. Each 15 second break is enough for your heart to think “Oh, cool, we’re done...oh wait…shoot…just kidding.” Bam, you’re sprinting again. Get sweaty people!

Are you a fan of beets? Favorite beet recipe? I have a slew of recipes that readers have sent me if anyone is interested!

Do you prefer interval workouts or long, steady runs? I get so bored on the treadmill that intervals are my preference.

The Friday Five

1. What I’m Reading: More cookbooks. I don’t think I’ve ever borrowed an American food cookbook from the library. What’s the point when I can go eat a Chick-fil-A? Haha, just kidding. Sort of.

2. What I’m Listening to: Another old, but awesome song.

3. What I’m Eating: My very favorite Greek yogurt. Nothing compares to the thickness and creaminess that is Fage! I eat one almost every day. Yay protein!

I typically don’t like cherry-flavored things, but this is just dreamy. My second favorite flavor is blueberry.

4. What I’m Re-Tweeting:

5. What I’m Pinning: This is quite possibly the coolest beach chair I’ve ever seen. Truly made for nerds.

So…are you guys enjoying the Friday Five posts?

Any blog post topics are welcome! Share your ideas.

HAPPY WEEKEND! XO!

Weekend Update Part I

Friday: Charleston friends, you know Joe Girard, the afternoon DJ for 95sx? Well he’s a good buddy of mine and I think you should vote for him in the Charleston City Paper Awards! He deserves it! Speaking of Joe, he and I went to a tweet up on Friday night. Random! We were invited by a mutual twitter friend who I had never met. A few girls that I knew (in real life) were also going, so we figured the party was a great way to meet new people that we had already connected with online. It was so fun! Just like blogger meet-ups, but Twitter style. It’s also one of the few opportunities you get to introduce yourself by your twitter handle. Too bad mine is my actual name!

Saturday: Around noon, I went downtown to volunteer with my friend Dane from work. This particular group, called God’s People, meets every other Saturday for a picnic in the park, offering food, clothing, and other goods to the homeless. Not only do they provide meals and such, but they establish friendships and help them get off the street. It was really nice to see how everyone connected and I would love to go again. If anyone is interested in volunteering, please let me know!

After that, Boding and I went to a wine tasting at Winestyles in Town Center. I’ve been to their wine tastings several times and always have a lot of fun. You taste 5 different wines, learn about their pairings, and meet new people. We tried 2 whites and 3 reds. My favorite was The Federalist – a rich, full-bodied Zinfandel with bright berry character. I had no idea I liked Zinfandel. It had such great flavor.

After some shopping, we headed over to Papa Zuzu’s for dinner. Papa Zuzu’s is a casual, family-run Greek restaurant in Mt. Pleasant. Everything is made to order and extremely fresh. We started out with a platter of warm pita bread, hummus, and tzatziki sauce. Delicious.

I had the standard Chicken Gyro with a side of cucumber salad. Holy moly, this thing was huge. I could only finish half and was stuffed to the brim. It was loaded with chicken and lightly topped with tzatziki sauce and tomatoes. Boding got the lamb gyro and I can’t even begin to tell you how jealous I was. The meat was out of this world. If they weren’t closed on Sunday, I would be there tonight. Get there now!

Later that evening, I met some friends at the bowling alley. Ummm have I ever told you how much I love bowling? I really do. And I get kind of competitive. Guess who won all five games? This girl! Oh, such dorky things I’m proud of.

It’s like a trophy case on my blog right now. My friend Chris pointed out that my bowling name (well, what shows on the screen), XTI, sounds like a stock symbol.

Now don’t think that my bowling skills have pumped up my ego or anything. I’m still the same dorky little girl that cannot dance. I’m so white. It’s great. Enjoy a little clip of Boding and me dancing to “Can’t Touch This.”

Points of Interest:

• :24 – Boding’s face. Omg.
• 1:46 – I think I just choked on my gum.
• 1:49 – I tell my roommate, Jenna, to join in. She declines.
• 2:14 – Oh, just blowing a bubble.
• 2:37 – Hi Jenna! Watch her stand on the table to blow the candle out. She’s even shorter than I am!
• 3:17 – “Yes, I have the crown!” Competitive little brat.
• 3:24 – Ironic that I have the crown, as I pretty much lose it here.

Weekend Update Part II coming soon!

Hope you all have a wonderful day off. Happy Birthday, Mr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!

Citrus Walnut Beet Dip and Bad Xbox Dancing

Let’s face it. Beets are a weird vegetable. They grow in the ground, which makes them taste like dirt, and when you cut into them they bleed all over you. What other vegetable does that?

AND THEY MAKE YOUR PEE PINK.

Well, some of you. According to World’s Healthiest Foods, “an estimated 10-15% of all U.S. adults experience beeturia (a reddening of the urine) after consumption of beets.”

Are you one of the 10-15%? I am and I don’t mind it. I also don’t mind sharing that fact with you. Sorry!

Over the weekend, I furthered my love for this creepy vegetable by making a dip.

Citrus Beet Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 15 oz can beets
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 clove garlic
• ¼ cup  plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp. orange juice
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. coriander

Preparation:

Place all ingredients into a food processer and puree until smooth. Enjoy the pink stuff!

Three of my favorite things: wine, beets, and blogging!

My poor friend Robert was hanging out with me on Saturday when I decided to make this and boy, did he think I was disgusting. I guess it was payback for when I (briefly!) made him carry my purse at Target. He didn’t seem to mind much, but what did bother him was my extreme case of a.d.d. while in the store.

You see, we went for gum. Just gum. That is all.

We left with:

• a jewelry organizer
• two pairs of green socks (I love socks!)
• more spandex pants
• wine
• huge box of clif bars
• popchips
• and the gum

$64 and an hour later, I couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or entertained by my ability to destroy Target. He said I was going to be an expensive wife. I think that’s a compliment.

Later that evening, I spent, oh, maybe 6 hours playing Just Dance. My calves were so sore on Sunday morning. In case you ever doubted my hyperactivity, feel free to watch this clip (of a clip) of when I was dancing. Maybe one day I will show you the full footage.

“My watch is weighing me down.”

Who wants to come over and dance?!