Weekend time my friends!

For some reason I feel like its the weekend already…I had a great start to the day. I got up at 5:30am and got my butt to the gym! Did a jog/sprint on tread for 35 mins and then one of the MTC workouts. I signed up for my work’s gym for group personal training. It will be on Tuesdays and Thursday 6:30. I think it will be a good little mix throughout the week. I feel so much better after morning workouts….

So today I started off with the dark chocolate pb, fage yogurt, blueberries, apples, and bare naked protein granola…its just a big healthy mess and I love it! But next time I need to cut those apples up a little more….

Then came lunch around 12.. and I decided to get out the building. I went over to whole foods with my packed salad and I bought some bbq tofu to top off my salad..the pic I took of it was pretty much after I inhaled it..sorry folks but it was great. However, I was looking at these beautiful flowers. All these flowers and spring clothes coming out makes me even more pumped for the warmer weather.

For dinner I threw a vegan chili together with Morning Star Farms Recipe Grillers (looks like ground beef), corn, onions, tomato sauces, and a side of organic whole wheat penne pasta, sprinkled cheese on top. This is the first time I have used the ground beef looking grillers before and it was really good. I think it should come in different seasonings though.  This batch was so large that I have a ton of leftovers

For some reason, I have been on a total shopping spree (which needs to end) but I am so excited for this purchase… a mac air notebook!!! My other laptop completely fried and I just need something where I can change my tunes, add pics, and just do personal stuff. I am in desperate need to change my ipod tunes. Thats the best feelings when you got new jams on the ipod. Hopefully I get my new present to myself sometime after the weekend. Like I was mentioning earlier I feel like its the weekend already. Friday is usually my chill night… I am so beat after the week all I want to do is do some yoga and chill out. Saturday on the other hand is my play day. The girls and I are doing another 7 mile run, and then a bar crawl( YIKESSSS) but its going to be blast. I will be sure to take lots of fun pics. Also my college roomie/best friend is coming to visit. She lives in Philly and I love when she comes here to visit me. Its gonna be a great time… but its gonna be interesting.

Well kids thats all I got.. Have a Fab Friday!

My Cinnamon Raisin PB has a new friend…Dark Chocolate :)

Good evening friends! Well I must say March seems like a good fresh start…new month, spring is coming, spring cleaning, and getting out of winter hibernation/seasonal depression. Such a great feeling…

So today I started with a new morning mix of mine.. Fage yogurt, Cinnamon Raisin PB, and Kashi Granola. It keeps me pretty full throughout the morning. I feel like its a good switch with spring coming. I mean I love my oatmeal but it reminds me of winter and I am so over it….  I finally signed up for my cooking classes that I received discounted from Groupon. This Groupon discount thing is totally addicting. My cooking classes with be with the Baltimore Health Coach. I chose the summer cleansing class and small 15 min dinner classes. I am so excited to try these out… I will post the recipes on here once I complete the classes. I also got a new phone today. I had the blackberry pearl but now I have upgraded to the Curve… its very nice but now I just need to figure out how to use the damn thing. I figure with blogging now and keeping up on emails the new phone would be nice. My food for the rest of the day wasnt too exciting.. I need some new lunch ideas. But for today I had a salad with green peppers, cucumbers, morning star vegan chix strips, and a pita….see below. Its been almost two weeks now that I havent ate any meat. I am still doing the seafood and eggs though.

During my lunch break, I decided to pick up some replens in the kitch and I got a new PB to try out.. I absoltely love the PB Company products. I think I needed a break from the Cinnamon Raisin Pb and  I bought DARK CHOCOLATE PB!!! Its like a giant Reeses Cup in a jar..its amazing however Cinnamon Raisin still fav!

You must try! They have a few other flavors that I am gonna check out soon….

Excercise for today was a 45 min run with Ash….tomorrow I want to get out of bed early and hit the gym hard. Wish me luck!!!

Gnite!

PS… I finally gave in and joined TWITTER!!! I finally broke down. lol!!!!!

Weekend fun…

Hi all! This past weekend was a much needed weekend to relax and to stay on track. Thursday night I ended up staying out too late and was struggling all day Friday until I took a three hour nap. My friend Ashley and I went to hot yoga Friday night. We went to Charm City Yoga in Fells Point, and Camille was our instructor. She is one of the best yoga iinstructors ever! I have never sweated that much in 90 mins of my life. It was a great detox and workout. After class we went out to eat at Todd Connors. Small place in Fells Point, decent food, prices way too high! After getting back home, I finally booked my trip to San Diego….get this round trip $250!!!!!!! I will be leaving June 2nd and coming back June 8th. I am signed for the Rock and Roll Half Marathon out there. Its gonna be a great run!

Saturday mornings are becoming a ritual with oatmeal and a long run. This time we did 7 miles! I think we did a little too much this time, the legs were beat! But its a great feeling knowing you can run 7 miles. I didnt feel out of breath but my legs were just so tired.

Sunday was a little girls reunion with my LVC (Lebanon Valley College, 1st college I attended to and then transferred to SU). Ali the hostess had set up a salad bar and with desert gluten-free cupcakes!!! The cupcakes that you can see below were sooooo good! The one with white icing with a stick in the middle of it was cheesecake flavored. I am still trying to figure out where she got them from… but maybe its good I dont find out.

Overall great and relaxed weekend.. I find myself staying on track more and keeping up with my workouts…such an awesome feeling. And now that my trip to San Diego is on the calendar, its even a better goal to stay on track!!

Nothing like a early morning run :)

Ash and I did it…we got our butts out of bed and ran at 5am!!! Nothing like getting a good morning workout in the morning to get your day started. We ran for 45 mins around the city and surprisingly it wasnt too cold. We are staying on track and I am loving it. Also today I decided to stock up on some groceries. Went to Whole Foods and grabbed some dinner to go.. I love that place. I got a salad mixed with black beans, roasted veggies, chickpeas, and a nice piece of salmon. Delish! And I snacked on some soy crisps (apple cinnamon)…

I also got some Cinnamon Raison PB, Greek Yogurt, morning star chicken strips and beef. I want to make a vegan chilli sometime this week. So I also got some black beans, tomato sauce, and frozen veggies. Pretty stocked for the week. Any suggestions for a vegan chilli?

Mexican Bday fest!

So sorry its been a few days….I have been non stop since last week. So girls dinner night at my house was so wonderful! I made chicken enchiladas and vegan chicken strip(morning star) enchiladas. I am finding myself digging the vegan entrees better. The enchilada mix consisted of shredded chicken or vegan chicken strips, salsa, sautéed peppers, onions, and corn, green enchilada sauce, corn tortillas, and topped off with cheese and salsa….they came out AMAZING!! Everyone seemed to enjoy them. Sorry no pic because I was too busy running around! Some of the girls brought some funfetti cake  for a couple of the girls bdays…( my fav and I enjoyed a little too much it too). So I made sure my butt got out of bed early the following morning to hit the gym to burn off half the cake i ate!!! Did a spin class and MTC workout….. But overall it was a great night catching up with the girls. It blows my mind how we are all growing up… one of the girls just got married, one is engaged, a few live with their boyfriends, and we are all working girls now. Sooo sad…

Look at that cake GLOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers!

MUSCLE MILK!!!

Hi all! I have some exciting plans coming up! I have all the fh girls coming over tomorrow night at my place. There is about eight of us who all try to catch up once a month to do dinner. I am planning on making some chicken enchiladas! Friday-meeting up with a new friend in DC… and my roommates are coming back from Colorado.  Sunday-I leave for Indy…BUSY!!!  

This is week is totally throwing me off with all the snow days last week and Monday having off for the holiday. My friend Ashley and I decided to mix it up tonight…instead of running on the treadmill. We bundled up and went for a fun run outside. Its about 35 degrees out..yes a little cold but once you get going its not so bad. This Saturday our plan is to do 6 miles!! She is making some oatmeal with almond butter in it. Our week one together and helping each stay in check is going great!

I wanted to show one of the protein shakes that I have always enjoy. However my friends always make fun of me for it…which I cant help but laugh too. Muscle Milk should be yelled by giant meatheads…like the jersey kid from the youtube video…anyone remember that one?  Anyways…I have always been a fan of protein shakes and I found muscle milk light shakes!! My favorite is chocolate. I like the little straw that comes with them too!! Great meal to go! A must try.

Sorry for a short post tonight..but I am so beat. I think working out hardcore this week so catching up to me. Have a lovely night!!

Cheers!

Game Day sched!

Good evening! I must say after having last week off and Monday off too…today was a rough one. I tried so hard to get ot work early to get stuff done ahead of time but I was struggling to get out bed!!!  Probably because I was up late adding my new page for my game days! I have planned to particpate in the following races and I am SOOO PUMPED!!

May 2nd- Tough Mudder (http://toughmudder.com/) YOU HAVE TO CHECK OUT THIS COURSE…holy hell!!! ….this run states the following “Tough Mudder is the TOUGHEST one day event on the planet… wtf am I thinking? Really? But I am doing this run with my boyfriend, and a couple of our guy friends. Last run I did with the guys I ended beating the boyfriend and I wasnt that far behind the other guys! So you know what.. I say bring it! PS..the proceeds go to the Wounded Warrior Project.

June 6th- RoCk & rOll Half Mari in SAN DIEGOOOOOO. I may not return the east coast after this trip. Its going to be an awesome trip though. My best friend aka childhood/neighbor/pretty much sister and I are visiting our other great best friend that we grew up with. So excite!!!

June 19th- Baltimore 10 miler! Doing this run with my bmore girls Its gonna be a fun run with the girls!!

I am still waiting for the Mens Health Urbanathlon to annouce their date (usually in October). I had so much fun with that run!

I am looking for a run in April & August… I am up for anything. Let me know if there any good runs in the area! 

Cheers!
Jami

Back to work tomorrow..boooo

It was so nice to have the day off today! I slept in, got a pedi, met my college roommates for some lunch and coffee. Our new meeting spot  is Brew Haha..such a cute little coffee spot in Wilmington, De. We chatted about our Vday, whats new our lives, and how everyone is doing…during our chat I had the vegetarian wrap (spinach wrap, humus, cucumbers, red peppers), usually it comes with red peppers but they ran out today so I asked to sub in tomatoes. It was a great power meal before I had to head back to bmore. I

   

It was a little harder to leave Delaware today. My boyfriend Josh lives there and we had such a great weekend together. I just hate separating for the week. But I know with our long distance relationship we appreciate things so much more. Anyway.. once I got back to the bmore, I went straight to the gym. I accomplished Day 3 MTC and ran 40 mins. I hate the treadmill but today was great because the womens ice hockey game was on so that kept me occupied. I realized today too that I need to update my playlist!!! Any suggestions??

Once I got home finally, it was dinner time!!! I decided to fix some tilapia with mango salsa and couscous. I have a big bag of frozen tilapia. I just broil one those with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic for 15 mins. The mango salsa, just cut up mangos, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Quick easy meal…. and see below my friends

 I was totally starving while I was making dinner so I snacked on some Cedar’s pita chips with a hint of cinnamon and sugar. This brand I never tried before but I saw the 100 calorie per serving and I was sold. They actually ended up being really good. These usually fix my sweet tooth! Gotta try them..they are delish!!!!!

I am so beat.. and I know tomorrow at work is going to be crazy!!! But now its a four day work week. I may be leaving for a 10 day work trip  this Sunday and I am little nervous because I want to stay on track with eating and exercising. Any good ideas/suggestions for snacks to go?

Have a wonderful evening!!

Sunday Funday Recap…

Good morning!  I hope everyone had a great valentines day!! I would have to say this was the best valentines day yet! However I was really sad no football was on. That just means that summer is coming soon Okay- now back to vday.. Not only was I with my boyfriend Josh, but I was also with a great group of friends that I truly cherish! We started the day with a big group at brunch in Newark, Delaware, the restaurant was The Stone Balloon. Its right on main st by University of Delaware. If you are ever in the area you have to check it out http://www.stoneballoonwh.com/. This was my first visit there and it was delish!  I had the granola, yogurt, and fruit mix and a side of egg whites. The egg white platter came with home fries and toast but the Josh eat that whole side of the plate. The granola yogurt fruit bowl was so refreshing and yummy!! It also had honey in it.

   * * sorry if the pic is a little blurry… camera phone. I love me some egg whites!! Josh also ate the bacon too. I totally forget that was included. That boy can eat anything and everything in sight!!!

 After brunch we went to Klondike Kates, where my boyfriend and our friend Kyle proceeded to drink non stop orange crushes and get absolutely hammered…so romantic right?! So five hours later we went back to the house where our friend Cheryl from NYC was cooking dinner. She is a chef in NYC, and she just returned from California. Cheryl is a recent grad from the Culinary Arts of America..and she volunteered to cook an amazing diner for a party of 14! We started off with some apps… fruit and cheese plate galore, humus on top of cucumbers, lampchop lollipops(tried one out and it was really good), and pita chips with humus dip. The fruit and cheese plate was my fav.

I will need to post the pictures of the main course later from my regular camera because my camera phone stopped working. I need to upgrade on the blackberry so badly. But the main course was oven roasted chicken, steak, couscous with dill, broccoli, brussels sprouts and mushrooms, and mashed potatoes. I stuck with chicken, broccoli, brussels sprouts and mushrooms, with a side of red wine. The night continued at Deer Park, where our group of friends totally jammed out to Corduroy (its a classic rock and jazz band that plays a lot in Delaware). There was a mix of a DJ in there so we just danced the night away. I cant remember the last time where I just danced the night away with some friends. It definitely needs to happen more though!

So overall it was an awesome day!! A little disappointed that I didnt get to work out but doing the Making the Cut book it tells me to take Day 3 off so it ended up working out. I hope all of you got to spend a great day with your loved ones. Either if it was with your significant other, mom & dad, or friends but I hope you enjoyed the day!

 I will post the pictures of the main course later when I get back to my house. Enjoy your Presidents Day! I will be on later because I have the day off and I think I am getting addicted to blogging lol…

Getting Started!!!

Hi everyone! I am so excited to get started on here. My name is Jami and I was inspired by a great friend of mine to start blogging. I was a little hesitate at first but I found it to be very inspiring. I think its awesome to learn new recipes, workout moves, and just thoughts of life And my two favorite things are working out and food!!

I work full time at  an athletic apparel company and I enjoy my job very much. I feel lucky to have the job that I do.  However,  during college I was a  personal trainer at a bariatric center and I absolutely loved working with people. I didnt realize how much I was going to miss it until I started working for the corporate world. I loved discussing new training moves, goals, recipes, and just miss the overall support.  My clients inspired me so much and I miss that!

I was also part of a varsity field hockey team during school. I was constantly active and doing things…but graduated and working full time for the past year or so now I feel like I have lost that part of my life. But I discovered a new sport/hobby….participating in running/obstacle events! In 2009, I decided to train for the Mens Health Urbanathlon in Chicago. Training for this thing made me feel like it was the good ol hockey days again. I was so nervous in doing this course that I almost backed out  but I didnt! I ended up finishing 1,103 out of 5,500! Just that adrenaline rush right before and during the race was incredible!  And now I want to do more. I find it to be my new game days!