Thoughts on Thursday

1. I almost always prefer red wine, but when I picked up some cod  from Trader Joe’s, I opted for a bottle of white. Per the recommendation of a staff member, I went home with this white blend.

I love the name, I love the label, I love the taste. Oh, and the price? $4.99. Not a joke. I drank a glass while cooking and then used it to make a sauce for my fish.

2. While at Trader Joe’s, I got chummy with my 2 favorite bag boys. They love that I’m incapable of making a grocery list and end up in the store 3x a week. Hey, it’s on the way home from Pure Barre, so I’m not wasting gas. As they were ringing me up, I asked about their favor products. They brought over a jar of Cookie Butter, opened it, and handed me a fork right there at the register. I love them.

Oh, and this butter? It’s candy in a jar. Absolutely terrible for you, but delicious.

3. Geek Sugar posted a slideshow on Geeky Wedding Venues. The library was one of them.

Picture it. I’ll slide down the aisle on one of those awesome book ladders. You’re all invited.

4. One of my favorite bloggers, Holly, just announced that she’s pregnant! I’m so excited for her and Craig. This couple is going to make the sweetest blue-eyed babies!

5. As much as I think about moving away from Charleston (I’ve lived here for 15 yrs.!), I’m often reminded how beautiful this city is.

6. I’ve been to the beach twice already. I was pretty excited to use my new towel.

7. I hate the number 6, so I’m writing a 7th thought to tell you how much I LOVE YOU for reading!! Thank you!!

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!?

Spicy Kale & White Bean Soup / CSA Week 2

It’s Christmas again! Err, Week 2 of my CSA with Gruber Farm I mean. Same thing, right?

Included in the box from Week 2:

• strawberries
• kale
• turnips
• snow peas
• lettuce
• a GIANT head of cabbage the size of my head
• sweet onions

Just like last week, as soon I picked up the box, I immediately washed and ate most of the strawberries. I can’t help myself.

I don’t know what happened to our “Summer” weather, so I had no problem using the massive amount of kale to make another soup.

Spicy White Bean & Kale Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound kale, stems and veins removed and leaves washed
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2  (14.5 oz.) cans white northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• grated Parmesan cheese, for topping

Preparation:

1. Cut the kale into small strips, about 1/2 inch thick. In a medium saucepan, heat 1olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook until softened, or about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
2. Add the beans, stock, water, and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Stir in kale, salt, and both peppers. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until kale is tender and dark green.
3. Serve immediately and top with freshly grated parmesan, if desired.

Nutritional perks of kale! According to The World's Healthiest Foods, kale is an excellent source of Vitamins K, A, and C, and manganese. It is a very good source of fiber, copper, calcium, vitamin B6, and potassium. It is a good source of iron, magnesium, Vitamins B1, B2, B3, protein, and many others. Check out the full profile here.

For just a few ingredients and very little seasoning, this soup has a lot of flavor. It’s not too spicy – just a bit of kick! Kale makes me feel like the healthiest person on the block. It’s just so….green.

You should also check out these kale chips I made last year.

When I walked into work on Wednesday morning, I found that my coworker Dane had brought me 3 different cupcakes: Vanilla, Lemon Blueberry, and Red Velvet. What a sweet guy! After dinner, I had no problem devouring some (most?) of the Red Velvet.

HUNGRY MEETS HEALTHY MEETS  SUGAR. REPEAT.

I must also note that I completed my “20 Pure Barre Classes in April” that night. More on that later ;)

What’s your favorite kale recipe? Next week, I’ll have a kale salad for you. It contains many of the ingredients found in a mojito! No, not the liquor. Sorry guys.

When you have a clean, healthy dinner, are you more apt to indulge in dessert?

Weekend Happenings

After a work project was completed on Friday, Rachel and I were given gift cards to Bottles for helping out. Woohoo! I managed to scoot out of work by 5 pm and headed over to find a delicious red wine.

I highly recommend this! It’s a full-bodied, fruity red with hints of strawberries and cherries. With a glass in hand, I finished Fifty Shades Darker. It left me wanting to jump into the third book immediately, but sleep was more important.

Saturday morning I took my 16th Pure Barre class in April. I’m so close to completing the 20 class challenge! During the day, I met up with my friend Courtney for lunch and shopping. That evening, a few of us went out for drinks and dancing at Closed for Business and Oku. Much later, somebody (no, not me) had a wise idea of going to IHOP. After being convinced they had “healthy options” on their menu, I went along with the gang.

My friend Dodd ordered probably the most disgusting thing on the entire menu. Country fried steak with um, “gravy.” It was just awful looking…

And I had the face to prove it.

I ordered one of the healthy menu options (egg whites, toast, fruit, and “bacon”) and it was terrible. Just terrible. Now I know why I don’t eat here. We did have a lot of fun though. The people watching was incredible.

Sunday Funday was much more delicious! For brunch, Steve, Ryan, and I went to Butcher & Bee. This place is BYOB, and Steve surprised us with beer, champagne, and orange juice. The pineapple o.j. is money in a mimosa! The shark that Steve is holding is actually a bottle opener.

To eat, I had the Shaksuka, an Israeli dish of poached eggs in a tomato sauce with onions, garlic, cilantro, and a dollop of tahini served with crusty bread.

It was really good. We also shared a cream puff for dessert.

Yum and yum.

Sunday night, a bunch of us went bowling. And by a bunch of us, I mean Lauren and I with eight boys. She and I really enjoyed that ratio. We also kicked their behinds. I definitely dominated my lane on the last game.

I swear, it’s because I’m left-handed.

What was the best thing you did this weekend?

What I’m Loving Wednesday

1. My friend Steven and I went back to Boone Hall Farms for more strawberry picking. It was kind of funny to see how differently we picked. He stayed in a small area, exhausting his resources, while I walked up and down many different rows. I wonder if this has to do with being male vs. female or being focused vs. unfocused. What do you think? Either way, I caught a ladybug while picking. They’re good luck!

2. Since its opening two weeks ago, I’ve been to Sesame twice. I’m in love! I went with Annabel last weekend, and we split a few different things. The Southwestern Salad  was really fresh, but the dressing made it.

Romaine, chargrilled chicken, roasted corn, black beans, tomato,  and grated cheddar with a chipotle vinaigrette:

We also shared sliders.

• Italian – blue cheese and fresh basil
• Southwestern – guacamole, chipotle sour cream
• Memphis – housemade peanut butter, bacon & banana slices

The Italian was my favorite. The Southwestern was okay. The Memphis was a dessert burger. Different, very different. So far, the Napa Valley (fig & bacon jam, blue cheese, red wine reduction) is my favorite.

3. Pure Barre is kicking my behind and I love it. Since April 1, I’ve completed 15 classes. But I have a confession. Before PB, I never worked on my abs. In each class, we do at least 7 minutes of ab work. 7 minutes x 6 classes per week = 42 minutes of abs that I wasn’t doing before. I see a change!! It’s awesome. PB LOVE!

4. I was laughing hysterically alone in my kitchen while making this.

Yes, that is Zac Efron. Yes, it appears that we are about to kiss. I LOVE IT. Not only is it my new desktop background, but it’s also my facebook profile picture. I just wish I could send it to him so he could see how cute we are together. Crazy?

5. My favorite tweet today:

Who knew this existed? I did not.

Runner up:

Every girl on planet earth can relate to this.

What are your favorite burger toppings?

What body part is your least favorite to work on?

Who is your celebrity crush?

Thoughts on Thursday

I told you I was going to abuse the list format!

1. I wouldn’t call myself unfriendly, but I realize that I don’t always reach out/introduce myself to people before they do. Maybe it’s an insecurity, maybe I’m just distracted. Regardless, I want to work on this. There is a girl who goes to the same Pure Barre classes as me, and she always says hi and asks how I’m doing. Today she even remembered that I was going to the farmer’s market after Tuesday’s class and asked me what I bought. Be friendly to everyone. Say hi to people. Put yourself out there. You can make friends wherever you go. The person sitting right beside you could be your new best friend…

2. I have very little self control around chocolate. I don’t just have a sweet tooth, I have sweet teeth. My eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets when I found out that Chick-fil-A is launching new dessert items:

• chocolate chunk cookies (!!)
• fudge brownies
• sundaes

3. For the past couple of months, I’ve been considering getting a dog. The only reason I’m holding back is that I’m always busy and worry that I wouldn’t have enough time to devote to a puppy. Plus, just like with men, I’m picky. I want a small to medium-sized dog, who doesn’t shed, doesn’t bark loudly, is able to run with me, and will snuggle at all times. Too much to ask? What do you guys think?

4. Rachel sent me a very exciting text message on Sunday.

My lookalike + Ryan Gosling? I won’t mind watching that. I’m halfway through the book and it’s getting more intense. Unfortunately it’s giving me unrealistic expectations for my future boyfriend.

5. I fully support marriage equality for all. I’m straight, but I watched my parents’ marriage fail and am in no rush to get married. That doesn’t mean I don’t want others who are in love to be happy. Fiona Apple summed it up perfectly in her letter to a gay teen: "A person who loves is a righteous person, and if someone has the ability and desire to show love to another — to someone willing to receive it, then for goodness’ sake, let them do it. Hate has no place in the equation; there is no function for it to perform. Love is love, and there will never be too much."

Good grief this post was serious.

To recap: Smile at everyone, try the new cookie at Chick-fil-A, tell me if I should get a dog, start reading Fifty Shades of Grey, and wave your rainbow flag.