Cocoa Overload

Over the weekend, I just couldn’t get enough of the mocha green monster smoothie I made for breakfast on Sunday and figured I would recreate the delicious concoction for breakfast this morning.

That was the plan, anyway.

I dug out all the necessary ingredients and threw them into the blender.

Spinach: A Green Monster Requirement

I left out the packet of instant coffee, thinking I would add it in at the end.

When I tasted the smoothie about half-way through the blending process, the chocolate flavor sparked a desire for a cocoa overload smoothie. Move over mocha!

I added 1.5 tbsp. of cocoa powder to the mix to intensify the flavor and a yummy, chocolatey smoothie was born.

As with every green monster, it looked revolting…

Cocoa Overload Green Monster

… but it tasted great!

Pour it Oooout

To Eat or to Drink. That is the Question.

Drink it is!

My smoothie contained:

• 1 frozen banana
• 2 handfuls fresh spinach
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 3/4 c. milk
• 3 ice cubes
• 1.5 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (for thickening)

I inhaled this smoothie within 5 minutes, which left me feeling really full. That’s a lotta liquid!

Workout

I was craving a cold breakfast after getting quite overheated at the gym this morning.

I started off my workout with 25 minutes on the treadmill. I did a slightly modified version of a workout I saw on Holly’s blog.

My version of her workout looked like this:

25 Minute Incline Treadmill Workout

This workout was hardcore! I think I only looked at the speed of the workout, and not the incline and figured it would be a breeze.

False.

This workout seriously kicked my butt. I was huffin’ and puffin’ and red faced by the time 25 minutes were up.

Phew!

I wanted to browse through Betty Crocker’s new fall mini recipe book, so I finished up my workout with 25 minutes on the elliptical while drooling over the most delicious looking cake pops (submitted by Bakerella) and turtle brownies.

Maybe that’s what inspired my chocolate craving for breakfast?

…But then again, when don’t I want chocolate for breakfast? Or for every meal, for that matter? 😉

Annnd now it’s time to work. See ya fo’ lunch!

Starting Saturday the Sweaty Way

Today started out on a super-sweaty note with a great cardio workout at the gym.

I took today’s workout up to a secluded loft at our gym that personal trainers typically use to train their clients and take them through plyometric and boot camp-style workouts.

Today the loft was deserted so I took advantage of the private space and completed two rounds of Jessica’s At Home Cardio Blast workout.

I jotted down Jessica’s workout back in April and have kept it in my little gym bag ever since so I always have it on hand just in case I feel inspired to put myself through a heart-pumpin’ workout.

The elliptical also got some attention during my morning workout, as I warmed up with 15 minutes on the elliptical and finished my workout with 10 minutes on machine.

Post workout, Ryan and I took Sadie on a 2 mile walk around the lake near our apartment.

Now it’s time for a BIG breakfast! I ate a quesadilla (string cheese microwaved on a whole wheat tortilla) before the gym, but my tummy wants mo’ food!

After breakfast, I have plans to lay by the pool with my friend Merri before heading back to our apartment to tackle wedding invitations and run some errands with Ryan.

See ya in a bit!

Stuffing a Turtle Down My Shirt

In the words of Ron White, “It’s gonna be a good day, Tater.”

I mean how could it not be? It’s the Friday before a three-day weekend!

Plus, it was a b-e-a-utiful morning in Central Florida.

Downtown Orlando

This morning Ryan and I soaked up the warm Florida sun during a lovely morning walk with our crazy dog.

My Little Lovers

We walked around Lake Eola and even saw a little bird eating a fish… or so I thought.

Bird with Fish???

As I got a little closer to snap a picture, I saw that the bird’s prey was not a fish at all. It was a tiny turtle. 😦

I used to own a little turtle just that size when I was in high school. His name was Eli and I bought him in Myrtle Beach when I was on vacation with my friends. When I went to bring him back to Illinois with me, the security people told me I couldn’t bring a live animal through.

After sneaking off into the bathroom, I stuffed the little turtle down my shirt and walked through a different security line to sneak him aboard. A little gross? Maybe. But it worked and little Eli made it to Illinois safe and sound!

As if seeing a little baby turtle on our walk wasn’t exciting enough, I think I saw Healthy Ashley running, but since we’ve never met in real life I didn’t want to be a super-freak and stop her mid-run to ask if it really was her… So I smiled awkwardly instead.

Workout

Today’s workout took me through a total-body weights routine after a quick 10-minute warm up on the elliptical.

I did three sets of 15 reps of the following exercises:

• Lunges (15 reps on right leg followed by 15 reps on left leg), 15 lbs.
• Shoulder raises, 8 lbs.
• Incline bicep curls, 12 lbs.
• Tricep extensions, 20 lbs. (total)
• Leg extensions, 35 lbs. (I made sure to do Ryan’s flex method on these and they were killer!)
• Prone leg curls, 40 lbs.
• Bridges, 20 lbs. (total)
• Crunches, 100 total

I completed this routine by super-setting two exercises at a time, so after one set of lunges, I did a set of shoulder raises before going back to lunges and repeating the sequence. I love super-setting because it makes the workout go by a lot faster and keeps your heart rate UP!

Breakfast

After a good workout and a nice walk with Ryan and Sadie my stomach was growlin’!

Feed meeee.

I opened the fridge and looked around the kitchen for inspiration.

An old banana caught my eye…

What To Do with an Old Nanner?

After peeling the banana and promptly devouring about 3/4 of it on the spot, I assembled a delicious breakfast that included a cup of Chobani Greek yogurt, honey, Flax-Z-Snax butter pecan hot cereal (chilled) and the remainder of the banana.

It's Friday! Things Are Looking Up! (Note the Arrow.)

This was a winning combination.

The Spoonful of Food Pictures Are My Favorite

The banana made the meal! I think the fact that it was on its death bed made it extra sweet and flavorful. Yaaa-um.

Now it’s time to work!

I have a hot lunch date today with El Ryan, so I’ll see ya in a bit with a lunch recap that will likely involve our favorite lunchtime spot! 😀

Question of the Morning

Who is your favorite comedian?

Mine is a toss-up between Ron White, Ellen DeGeneres, Sinbad and Robin Williams. Love ’em all!

20 Minutes of Intervals > 5 Mile Run

You would think that running five miles non-stop would be more challenging than alternating walking with running for 20 minutes, but for me that just isn’t the case.

This morning I did a 30-minute interval workout on the treadmill and was one heck of a sweaty mess by the time I was done.

30 Minute Treadmill Interval Workout

For 20 minutes, I alternated running at a 9.0 pace for 20 seconds with walking at a 4.0 pace for 40 seconds. Let me just tell you that those walking breaks go by quickly!

At the conclusion of my workout, I couldn’t help but feel like I got a better workout doing 20 minutes of interval training than I would have if I ran five miles. When I run, I get into an almost zen-like state and just sort of go, only challenging myself toward the end of the run. During the 20 minutes of intervals this morning, I challenged myself for 20 minutes straight!

Since I really wanted to flip through one of my bridal magazines, I finished my workout with an easy 20 minutes on the elliptical.

Breakfast

Thank you again to Lindsay for sending me several Glo Bars and packets of Barney Butter. They both made a delicious appearance in my breakfast today!

Nectarine + BB + GB

To make my morning meal, I sliced a large nectarine before topping it with a packet of Barney Butter and a crumbled Chocolate Chia Glo Bar.

Drool.

Of course I didn’t let any Barney Butter go to waste…

Every Last Drop...

Along with my nutty nectarine bowl, I also enjoyed a banana.

All Together

Git in mah belly! 😀

Question of the Morning

• Do  you prefer a short, intense workout or a longer, less intense workout?
  

Better Late Than Never

Ryan is the alarm clock guy in our house. He sets it, turns it off and is basically the master of the annoying morning buzzer.

Unfortunately Ryan forgot to change the alarm time from 6:30 a.m., which is what if was set for on Friday, to 5:30 a.m. this morning. Around 6:15 a.m., I heard an “Uh oh…” from his side of the bed when he realized his mistake.

Though I was a little disappointed about missing my typical 5:45 a.m. BodyPump class, I still figured I could get in a decent workout on my own. We arrived at the gym 45 minutes later than usual, but hey – better late than never, right?

My morning workout looked like this:

Total-Body Weights Workout

(Once again, the weight noted is the total weight used. Ex: I used two 15 lb. dumbbells for chest press, totaling 30 lbs.)

I alternated the exercises in groups of two (super-sets), up until leg extensions. (Ex: I did one set of step ups, then one set of shoulder raises before repeating the sequence two times to complete the exercises).

Post-Work out Walk

After the gym, Ryan joined me and Sadie on our morning walk.

Typical Morning Walk

Special Guest

It was such a treat to have some extra time with him in the morning.

I think Sadie was more than thrilled to have the extra company as well.

Breakfast

Breakfast this morning was a good one!

I started with a yogurt bowl that included fresh blackberries and blueberries.

Yogurt Bowl

I topped the mix with Gerber Graduates strawberry apple puffs. Yes, it’s baby cereal, and yes, it’s delicious. 🙂

Close Up

I also enjoyed a homemade chocolate chip muffin that I made last night.

When I went to my friend Laurel’s apartment to hang out yesterday, our friend Merri brought over a ton of food from her pantry since she and her boyfriend are in the process of moving, and I nabbed the muffin mix!

Chocolate Chip Muffin

When I made the muffins, I added a bunch of white chocolate chips to the mix for some additional chocolate flava.

Moist and Chocolatey

And I should probably add that a peanut butter finger was also enjoyed this morning. 😉

Typical

Pretty darn tasty!