On My Feet

I am finally sitting down after being on my feet ever since I got off of work this afternoon.

That’s 5+ hours of runnin’ around and standing. My heels and back are happy to finally be relaxin’ on the couch!

So what have I been up to?

Running errands, cooking and baking… lots of baking!

In preparation for our BBQ tomorrow afternoon, Ryan and I picked up food and other necessities for grillin’ out and feeding our friends.

When we arrived home, I got to work making the food that I could prepare ahead of time.

Oreo balls:

Oreo Balls

Chocolate + Cookies

Funfetti cookies:

Funfetti Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have special plans for the chocolate chip cookies. Icing may or may not be involved. 😉

I also prepped some pasta salad and another appetizer, so I am hopping everything will come together easily tomorrow morning.

Our BBQ menu includes:

• BBQ pulled chicken
• Pasta salad
• Baked beans
• Buffalo cheese toasts  
• Chips and guacamole
• Chips and chili dip
• Fresh veggie skewers
• Cucumber slices and ranch dip
• Triscuits and French onion dip
• Oreo balls
• Funfetti cookies
• Chocolate chip cookie sandwiches

I’m hoping I can talk Ryan into giving me a back rub tonight!

See ya in the morning!

Ready for the Weekend

Though I thoroughly enjoyed the change of scenery on our morning run, I think the act of driving somewhere new and spending the morning running with Sadie and Ryan made me feel like it should be the weekend already!

Not too much longer… 😀

This Weekend

This weekend should be a fun one!

Around noon tomorrow, Ryan and I are having friends over to grill out before we head over to Beer Fest downtown around 4 p.m.

Beer Fest!

Beer Fest is an all-you-can-drink festival featuring lots of beer, food and fun! I’m thinking some crazy shenanigans will be in order. 😉

I just about flipped out when I heard Mochi, my favorite local frozen yogurt shop, will have a booth at the event.

Beer + Friends + Frozen yogurt = Fantastic Saturday

I plan to have a long talk at Beer Fest with the Mochi manager about the necessity of keeping the red velvet soft serve on tap always. It’s the best one, after all!

Lunch

Lunch today was spent with Ryan, as it was one of the Fridays he has off from work.

Of course we hit up the ol’ ‘John’s for our respective favorites.

Bootlegger club fo’ him.

My Date

Unwich fo’ me.

Yaaaay, Unwich!

Naturally we swung by Mochi for some dessert.

PB + Strawberry

We split a cup of peanut butter (YUM!) and strawberry frozen yogurt with mini Reeses’ pieces, rainbow sprinkles and a Reeses’ peanut butter cup on top!

Gettin’ Tickets

Ryan and I also had a very important errand to run after we were done eating.

We headed down the block to pick up our Beer Fest tickets.

Tickets!

Gotta love saving $5 by buying in advance!

Of Possible Interest

• BCBG sale on RueLaLa.com today! (I already bought this dress.)
• 10 Fattest and Leanest Cities in America (MensHealth.com)
• Fitness-Friendly Snacks (CookingLight.com)

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to my best friend Leah!!!

Fab 5

(Leah is in the green. We called this picture our “Christmas card,” taken our sophomore year in college.)

I’ve been friends with Leah (and all the girls in the above picture) since elementary school and they’re all going to be bridesmaids in my wedding. I am so excited to see them multiple times this year since they all live a plane-ride away now.

Happy 25th Birthday Kafka! 😀

Question of the Afternoon

How many bridesmaids were in your wedding? If you’re not married, how many would  you like to have?

I will have six bridesmaids: My sister (maid of honor), four best friends from elementary school and my best friend from college.

Change of Scenery

Do you ever get sick of running around the same neighborhood or jogging the same loop week after week?

I sure do!

Sometimes a change of scenery is all you need.

New Scenery

This morning as Ryan and I changed to go to the gym, I asked him if he’d prefer to go for a run outside with me and Sadie.

He was all for it and suggested driving 10 minutes to a nearby lake to run rather than running around our neighborhood. That sounded like a good idea to me!

Ready to Run (and Blinded by the Sun)

We hopped out of the car and did two loops around Lake Baldwin for a total of 5 miles in 46 minutes, with an average mile pace of 9:15. I could tell I was holding Ryan and his monkey legs (as I call them) back a bit, but I appreciated him running at my pace.

Stats

After our run, we toweled off and headed home to shower.

Breakfast

After a lightning fast shower and getting ready for the workday, I headed downstairs to make myself a strawberry banana smoothie for breakfast.

While I blended  the ingredients together, I nibbled on Kay’s Naturals golden butter pretzel twists.

Golden Butter Twists

Nibble, Nibble

The salty flavor tasted great after a long run.

After whirring up frozen fruit, ice cubes, protein powder, xanthan gum and Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk, my smoothie was ready for drinkin’.

Strawberry + Banana

"J" for Julie

I think I added a bit more xanthan gum than usual, because this smoothie was extra thick.

Thick. Cold. Creamy.

I ate the entire thing with a spoon.

Chilly!

Another Reason Why I Love You

I absolutely love how several of you immediately went to your kitchens and made those flourless peanut butter cookies after reading about them last night.

Just another reason why I love you guys so much… Clearly we share an intense love for peanut butter and cookies. 😀

Question of the Day

Do you ever drive somewhere new to run, walk, bike or rollerblade just for a change of scenery?