The Flash Mob Video & Shoes

It’s one of those weeks.  For some reason I just don’t have much of anything exciting to write about and share on the blog! 

Lame, I know.

I’ve been working a little late both nights this week and the next 2 days I have post-work activities.  Meals have been leftover chili, sandwiches, or Trader Joe specialties…like tonight.

TJ’s Creamy Polenta and some roasted Brussel sprouts!

Easy and delish.

Especially when Brian preps and gets the brussels in the oven before I get home :)

Not too exciting, but super easy :)  

I did, however, remember that I hadn’t posted the video from the Bruins Flash Mob I was a part of last weekend on Labor Day!!

This was the one for Andrew Ference’s Day with the Stanley Cup in the North End. 

In the beginning, from your view I am in the 2nd row (the row facing the camera) and on the far left!

Once the big group joins in I am in the front row towards the center so I’m not always in the shot as the camera moved back and forth.  This is just one of the videos I found on You Tube! 

Enjoy:

Fun right?!

Much different than the dancing I did this past weekend, but it’s fun to just be able to dance sometimes!

And just to add another completely unrelated topic to this post, lets talk shoes!

I tweeted this morning that even though I was excited for Fall, I was going to be bummed when flip-flop season is over!! 

I mean, I’ll wear them until I just can’t take the cold anymore (or it snows), but right now my Rainbow’s are THE most comfortable shoes I own and it’s sad to put them away.

(source)

The other reason is commuting!!  I walk a lot now, to the train, from the train, to the office, the bus, at lunch…a LOT more walking these days.  Even my “comfy” flats will give me blisters if I walk for too long in them, and I’m sorry I just can’t rock the sneakers with dress clothes…

(source)

The other issue I encounter is “fake comfortable”.  You know, you try them on at the store, walk around and think ‘wow these are comfortable!’  Then you wear them out one day and are in dire need of Band-Aids…

I bought those at the Nordstrom Rack tweet up last week!  They are Vera Wang Lavender Label flats, and were seemingly very comfy at the store :)  I’m sure I just need to break them in…although that’s another thing I hate.  I wish I had a machine in the shape of my feet to break in shoes for me!!

So in conclusion, I have no answers.  I am on the hunt for cute comfortable commuting shoes!!  Ones that have some sort of support AND wont rub off the back of my heels!  Anyone??

If anyone knows where these magical shoes are please tell me!  I promise to share if I find them :)

Roasted Artichoke Antipasto

Happy Easter!!  It’s been a long day (and weekend)…and I would love to get to bed right now.  I feel like this:

want to do this

My Easter consisted of a 10 mile run and then a family party at my mom’s house!  We’ve always had Easter at our family’s house ever since I can remember. 

First the run.  My first double digit run ever!!!  I’m so excited that I did it!  It was definitely hard for me.  It was also pretty warm out today and I have a sweet racer back sunburn.  It’s hot…so is the tan line from my ipod arm band.  At least I had sun block on my face!

I had about 4-5 quick walk breaks throughout the whole thing.  One longer one after mile 5 when I couldn’t figure out which way to go…woops. New route :)  This is also where I enjoyed some Gu Chomps!

LOVE the Strawberry flavor!!  Much more than the orange.

It’s funny, I go up and down on these long runs… I’ll feel good at some points, then feel like I’m struggling…then good again.  It’s goes back and forth throughout…not good at the beginning and struggle at the end. 

Today’s 10 miles took me 1:53:30, averaging 11:21 min/miles.  I think 10 miles is on the schedule for next weekend as well, so it will be interesting to compare. 

I’ve also been kind of slacking on my 3rd “easy run” of the week.  I’m supposed to do a 4 or 5 mile easy run during the week, in addition to my speed runs, but I always seem to cut them short or miss it for some reason or another…  Bad Bridget.  Need to work on that! 

The good news is that I’ve been back at Body Pump!  Yay :)

FOOD!

I never know what to bring to family parties.  First of all there is usually SO much food that half the time I don’t really need to bring anything… everything is usually taken care of and then some by my aunts/uncles/grandparents. 

But I was always taught never to arrive anywhere empty handed :)

Plus I love making things!

The weekend was busy busy, so I wanted something fairly simple that I could prep the night before.  Literally.

I got a manicure at 6pm yesterday, then went to 2 grocery stores and came home and got to business. 

My inspiration came from my new Barefoot Contessa cookbook!

 A recipe for Roasted Artichoke Hearts, and the picture of the antipasto platter hooked me in!

I made the artichokes and purchased everything else for the platter!!  Easy and beautiful.

I more or less doubled the recipe

The pan was too crowded, so my artichokes more steamed than roasted, but in this case it’s fine as your going to marinate them anyways.   Although I’d love to make it again and get them nice and roasted.

The vinaigrette in the recipe is TO DIE FOR!!  I have extra and can not wait to use it on a salad.

 

Then toss artichokes and dressing with some chopped red onion, roasted red peppers, parsley and capers.

 

Along with the artichokes I also whipped up a quick batch of the goat cheese + peppadew pepper spread.  So quick and so good!!

This was the spread I tasted at Whole Foods over the holiday season.

Basically it’s just goat cheese mixed together with some chopped peppadew peppers (and a little juice from the peppers).  SUPER easy!

My platter for today (taken with iphone)

  

• Artichokes
• Peppadew + goat cheese spread
• salami (Trader Joes)
• Sopresatta (Trader Joes)
• Fresh Mozzarella (Whole Foods)
• Mixed Olives (Whole Foods antipasto bar)

I also got the peppadew peppers from the WF’s antipasto bar.

On the side was sliced baguette (white and whole wheat), and crackers

Everyone seemed to enjoy all the different items to choose from :)

This is a great item that makes for a beautiful presentation!  If I had more time (or thought of it earlier) I would of gone to an Italian market for some good meats but Trader Joe’s has great options as well!

Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!

What’s your go-to quick dish to bring to a party?? 
I need more ideas!

Weekend Fuel

Trying to forget Friday’s weather ever happened…it sort of feels like Spring this weekend. Still wearing my winter coat, but it’s been sunny with milder temps and the birds are chirping away!!

Brian was brewing a batch of beer on Saturday so that meant I had the whole day to do whatever my heart desired ;)

I knew I had to buy some bridal shower and baby gifts (and maybe one or two Bridget gifts), so I needed some breakfast fuel!

I channeled The Fitnessista and decided on some Perfect Protein Pancakes, seeing as how I recently ordered a bag of Sun Warrior protein powder after hearing so many people rave about it! (so far I really like it and I love that there’s no crap ingredients)

I followed her recipe, using skim milk instead of almond milk, white whole wheat flour instead of the gluten-free baking mix, an no stevia.

Made 2 perfect personal pancakes

and a side of fresh pineapple!

Yes, you can taste the protein powder so it’s important that you like the protein powder you use! My first bite was..eh (I’m not really used to the flavor yet), but by the end I really liked them!!

Especially with a smear of PB and a drizzle of real maple syrup!

I whipped up an iced latte this morning! I even foamed up a little milk for the top. Delish.

These definitely had staying power and kept me full all morning! It was a successful shopping trip, and a few cashews and half of a Luna Bar kept me going until early afternoon. I picked up some fixings for lunch at Trader Joes and came home for this masterpiece

• Multi-grain British muffins


• creamy goats cheese spread


• Wild Coho smoked salmon


• red onion


• capers


• (all items from TJ’s)

Seltzer with grapefruit slices As Brian dives into more complex beer brewing, it takes him longer… The whole processes took him about 9 hours! So I’m glad he got an early start because I was really in the mood to go out for dinner.

I had a SWEET Eversave coupon I desperately wanted to use.

A few weeks ago they had one that was $20 for $40 worth of food at Antico Forno…my FAVORITE restaurant in the North End. Hands Down.

Clearly I did not hesitate to make the purchase, and it was made even sweeter when I realized I had a $10 credit and found a $3 coupon code.

$7 for $40 at Antico Forno. Hells Yes! It gets even better as we drove right into the city, found a street spot nearby, and after being told our wait would be 35-40 minutes, our buzzer buzzed about 5 min later!!

Fresh Italian bread with a white bean spread.

Then we split my most favorite salad ever EVER!

FOCACCINA CON CAPRINO

Flat aromatic bread topped with mixed green salad, goat cheese, fresh roasted cherry tomatoes and grilled zucchini

**the photo above is actually from an old post, as I didn’t get a good one from last night. Usually I’m good with the salad and maybe an appetizer, but since we had the coupon I went for an entre figuring I’d have leftovers (I do!) I went with the:

LINGUINE AL FRUTTI DI MARE

Linguine pasta with clams, mussels, calamari and shrimp sautéed in a plum tomato sauce baked in parchment paper.

I opted for extra shrimp instead of calamari Served:

Open the present

Uh-mazing. I don't know what they put in that sauce…looked just like cherry tomatoes, but it tastes incredible. I ate all the seafood, a little pasta, and packed the rest to go.

Sunday. I wanted to wake up early…and got my wish. I set my alarm for around 7 (early for a weekend), and apparently while pushing buttons I managed to screw with the time.

Didn’t realize it was 6:15 until I got downstairs!

Oh well I was up. I wanted to make muffins and prepped some of my ingredients the night before…

(more on that tomorrow!)

The rest of the day was more shopping (including a useless trip to IKEA, which is SO annoying).

But my mood lifted when we got to another of my destinations. Since we were down near the south shore I was dying to try PINKBERRY!

After hearing about it for years, I finally get to try the brand that started it all.

Mine: Small with original and mango side-by-side. Toppings: coconut, blueberries, raspberries, waffle cookie, dark chocolate crispies.

Umm..1 price and as many toppings as you want??? Yes Please! (Berryline did you hear that??)

Brian opted for pomegranate and lychee side by side, with chocolate shavings, and lime (suggested to squeeze over the lychee). So refreshing!

Big fan of Pinkberry!!

Long Run Time (no worries, running happened hours after froyo!)

Half-Marathon Updates

• We had a 7 miler today. It was hard! My legs started feeling tired and heavy during mile 3, but we had planned our route to go past our car after 4miles so we could grab a sip of water. Our water break took a little longer because I really needed to stretch. A nice down-dog really helped my legs, and we set off for our last 3 miles. Again, a little harder than we’ve felt up to this point, but we made it.


• 7 miles was the longest Brian and I had ever run!


• My speedwork this past Tuesday was also harder than usual but I powered through.


• However my other “easy runs” have been slacked on a bit. On Thursday I only ran 1.5 miles before Body Pump but I was SO pumped (pun intended) to get back to Body Pump!! We’ve had dog training class on this night for the past 2 months so I haven’t been in a long time.


• Foot pain has subsided, although I still can’t figure out what combination of sneakers + inserts help my plantar fasciitis! It’s not bad but I feel it in both arches when I run.


• I run faster with Brian. Good and Bad thing. I think it was bad today because I stared off faster than I should have…I don’t think I should be increasing my mileage and my speed at the same time! Lesson learned.

Later we had a stretching session at home and as I was sitting, a little fury friend crawled INTO my stretch!

He likes to be nice and close when we’re trying to stretch….but that’s ok by me :)

Muffin recipe still to come!

Weather is looking beautiful for Tuesday AND I have a deep tissue massage that day!! Only my second massage EVER and I am so excited!!

What are you looking forward to this week??

Monday Mood Booster

I think most of us know that an outfit you feel fabulous in can make you walk a little taller, boost your confidence, and generally make your day a little better.  Do you ever do this on purpose??  I did. 

My office doesn’t have a strict dress code at all, but even still everyone pretty much dresses business/business casual most days and more casual on Friday (although if I felt like wearing jeans tomorrow no one would care...)

I also LIKE dressing up and usually always prefer dresses and skirts over pants, but I tend to mix it up depending on my mood and the weather.  This past Monday wasn’t anything special, but it was sunny out and I just felt like putting a little more effort in and it really did make me happier throughout the day!

I don’t know what it was exactly, but I just really liked this outfit!

(the lighting + iphone didn’t make for the best photo) 

• Navy blazer – Banana Republic outlet
• fitted white T-shirt
• light pink skirt – Banana Republic (recently!)
• grey tights – Nordstrom (DKNY)
• navy belt – was my grandmothers
• necklace – Forever 21
• T-strap heels – Nordstrom (Seychelles)

Close up of the shoes! (Grey, gold, and yellow)

  These were one of those pairs of shoes that were on the sale rack and I loved, but of course was wondering what I’d wear them with.  I’m telling you, those are ALWAYS the shoes I end up loving most!!  Once you stop worrying about “matching” them to your outfit, they become  an awesome accessory that will add a little sumthin’ sumthin’ to a “normal” outfit!

Dinner Ideas: Quick and SUPER fast!

First, the quick.

Remember that incredible Mac and cheese I had at my aunts house??  The one that used “low carb” pasta??  Well I bought some.  I’m not trying to go low-carb or anything but it was actually really good pasta!

It’s Dreamfield’s brand pasta, and bonus points for having more fiber and less carbs :)

(source)

I like my pasta al dente and this had a superb chew to it!  LOVE it!

I had some asparagus on it’s last legs, and a handful of green beans to work with.

I was also in the mood for lemon and sun-dried tomatoes…but not just any sun-dried tomatoes!  The Santorini sun-dried tomatoes we brought back from our Honeymoon!

It’s crazy how different they are than the regular sun-dried tomatoes you buy!  The color is much darker and they have a much more rich, sweet, deep flavor.

Lemon + Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 T olive oil
• 2-3 T chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• splash (approx 1/4 cup) white wine
• juice and zest from 1 lemon (add less if you prefer…this was VERY lemony!!)
• pasta of choice – about 1/2 box ( I used penne)
• 1 bunch of asparagus, hard ends removed and cut into bite size pieces
• 2-3T ricotta (optional)

1. get water on the stove for your pasta
2. add olive oil to a large sauté pan and heat on medium
3. Add garlic and shallots, stir and sauté for 2-3 min
4. add sun-dried tomatoes, cook another 1-2 minutes
5. pour in wine, lemon juice, and zest and stir while scraping the bottom of the pan.
6. simmer on low
7. Meanwhile – cook pasta according to instructions on the box, while adding in the asparagus (or other veggies) for the last 1 min.
8. Strain pasta/veggies and add to sauté pan with the sauce.
9. Salt and Pepper to taste.

At this point I thought it was actually TOO lemony!!  Which is crazy coming from me, but this is when I stirred in a big heaping spoonful of part-skim ricotta and stirred that in.

Serve with freshly grated parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese! (I used the Romano and it was fantastic)

BIG fan of this meal and this pasta!  Try it out!!

  

Now for something SUPER fast!!

I call this: Burrito (or tamale) Salad!

I suppose you have to like frozen burritos for this one, but I don’t think that’s a stretch for most people.  I love to cook, but having a couple savior items in the freezer is always good especially when you get home late and just want something super fast!

My current favorite product for this meal are Trader Joe’s tamale’s

(I actually like the beef version better than this chicken and cheese one)

Directions.

• Fill a bowl with your favorite salad items: baby spinach, lettuce, onions, peppers, carrots… 
• Heat burrito or tamale according to instructions
• Cut cooked tamale into pieces, and place on bed of salad
• Top with salsa and sour cream
• maybe even a squirt of fresh lime juice!

Enjoy.

5 minutes later I had dinner.  I just used some baby romaine lettuce and chopped red bell pepper.

Sure you can use Greek yogurt for the sour cream (and I’m all for that substitution in baking or cooking), but for me, nothing beats real (light!)sour cream…mmm.

Lovely.

About that salsa…  Homemade is the best, but we usually end up buying our salsa.  So what’s your favorite brand???  I can’t seem to find one I love.  This is Newman’s Own brand and so far I really like it, but I like trying out new ones!

Weekend Waffle Remix

Let me tell you, it was SO nice to just RELAX this weekend!  After the past few weeks I really needed a weekend like this.

Saturday morning started off with: Waffles!

I’m not usually a “mix” person, but I had bought this to take to the Outerbanks back in August and never used it.  Finally remembered to dig it out of the pantry:

It’s a multi-purpose mix, and so I thought it was a great opportunity to break out the waffle iron collecting dust in the cabinet.

Waffles…

Those little craters are perfect vessels for chocolate chips and real maple syrup!

I even gave the syrup its own little pitcher

Ok, so it’s technically a creamer, but it made breakfast feel fancy :)

I was all out of coffee filters for the regular pot, and all out of espresso beans…which leaves this guy!

    

Thank god for options!  I need my coffee!

Mid morning snack:

The rest of Saturday consisted of an intense house cleaning session, lunch, shopping, and an impromptu dinner out!   Super Saturday.

Moving on…

Whenever I make a batch of pancakes or waffles I love cooking up a full batch (even for 2 people) and freezing the extra!  It’s like having gourmet Eggo’s in your freezer!

Sunday Morning:  Waffle Remix!

• 1/2 waffle toaster
• 1/4 topped with almond butter
• 1/2 topped with choc. chips
• Side bowl of 0% plain Greek yogurt
• Sliced strawberries
• top everything with maple syrup

 

Oh and we replenished the espresso supply on Saturday.  Oh foamy cappuccino how I’ve missed you!

Festive mug + saucer

After digesting I finally got in a great workout!!

20-25 min on the treadmill and it felt great to run!

Then Body Pump!  Man I was feeling the past 3 weeks!  I was wearing my HRM and noticed, during the squat track, that my heart rate was up where it was when I was running!  Damn! 

I love how weekend workouts are so much more relaxed.  It’s not after work where all I really want is to get home, or I’m rushing from work to make it to a class on time…plus its nice and sunny :)

Thankfully I had that great workout because Super Bowl Sunday = FOOD!  I had an awesome time at my friend’s apt in Brighton where 2 of my friends battled it out in the Buffalo Chicken Dip competition…I gladly participated in the judging ;) 

There were also these:

But they need their own post. 

Lastly, randomly, there’s dinner tonight.  I made Turkey Meatloaf!

I used this recipe as my base, but with no mushrooms (I just increased my carrots, lentils, and added celery).

I haven’t had meatloaf in ages and this was the bomb.  Especially with a fresh baked potato…hey if you’re baking the meatloaf for an hour, might as well throw a couple spuds in the oven with it.   

Can’t wait for leftovers!