I Ran… And It Was Good.

I have a love-hate relationship when it comes to running. 

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I’ve noticed that when I get into a habit of lacing up my shoes and running a couple of times a week, I actually crave and look forward to my runs. As soon as I stop, though, just thinking about running makes me dread it. The firs run back is definitely the hardest.

 I’m really trying to break out of my running inconsistency, especially since the weather is starting to get colder and I don’t have the “omg I can’t run because it’s 80 degrees outside” excuse. 

And yes, I’m a temperature snob and consider anything above 72 degrees to be too hot for running haha.

 Anyways, I got in my first run since forever on Saturday and ran an easy 3 miles on the treadmill at my gym. It actually wasn’t as awful as I expected, and I surprised myself by running at a 9:30 pace. Once upon a time I could run a sub-7 minute mile without really training (club soccer will do that to ya), but I’m happy with that time as a starting point. I’m so glad that it wasn’t too painful, because now I’m on an extended runner’s high and feel like working towards a goal. 

 Ultimately, I’d like to run a half marathon (Beth’s training is starting to motivate me), but for now, I’m just going to try to get in 10 miles a week and speed up my time a bit. Sounds doable! 

 Other than my intense pondering on running, today was spent loosening up my sore muscles with a quick 2 mile run, 15 minute elliptical session, and a lovely beach-side walk with my man! 

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We walked for about an hour and a half and grabbed some coffee before heading back to one of our favorite local restaurants to munch on some Thai food. Talk about yum!

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Speaking of coffee, I’m sure going to need some tomorrow morning. I’m wiped! Time to catch some Zzzs and head to bed. 

Night!

Question of the day: Do you ever fall out of your running groove? 

Healthy Skillet Lasagna

Sometimes, all you need in life is a steamy plate of pasta with gooey, melty cheese bubbling on the top. 

Healthy and easy skillet lasagna

I mean, I usually prefer the flavors of asian cuisine, but I do love me a good plate of pasta- one of my favorites being lasagna. There’s something so comforting about throwing everything and the kitchen sink into a pan and letting all of those delicious ingredients meld together in a savory symphony. 

There is, however, a secret ingredient in this that TOTALLY blows it away and makes all the difference in lasagna for me! 

That being said, I’m usually pretty picky about exactly how I like my lasagna and have yet to taste one better than that of my Grandma’s. I actually find it pretty funny that the original recipe came from a tiny asian woman instead of an Italian cookbook! She uses this cottage cheese instead of ricotta, which makes the lasagna more savory than sweet tasting and, in my personal opinion, much tastier.

Healthy skillet lasagna

Another thing I love about this recipe is that is was so easy to lighten up, yet still stay mouthwatering!

It’s packed full of protein, has less than 400 calories per hefty serving, and you could easily add some chopped vegetables to get in an extra serving of veggies. 

Fast, healthy, and delicious! This healthy skillet lasagna is my kind of dinner.

 

Enjoy!

This recipe contains sponsored content!

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Date Night At The Lobster

One of the many things I love about Kyle is how great he is at planning dates. He puts so much effort into making sure the night goes perfectly and he’s quite the romantic when it comes to wooing me. For example, whenever we have a special occasion such as Valentine’s Day or anniversaries, he always researches and makes reservations at a restaurant weeks in advance just to make sure everything runs smoothly.

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Seriously, though, from always needing to hold my hand in the car to opening any door that dares cross my path (it’s like he thinks I don’t have hands of my own), Kyle is a true blue loverboy and the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.  We like to have a nicer date every month or so to shake things up, and tonight, Kyle planned an awesome rendezvous complete with fresh flowers and lobster. 

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At around 6, we drove over to Santa Monica Pier to eat at The Lobster and were lucky to hit hardly any traffic! We were planning on having to sit through about an hour and a half of slow moving cars, so we were pleasantly surprised when we zoomed our way through the freeway.IMG_1208IMG_1199

Since we weren’t slowed down by traffic, we spent a few minutes walking and enjoying the beautiful view. The sun was setting and Kyle snapped some pictures of me sporting my new hair. I want to thank you guys SO much for your advice on which hair color to go with! I ended up going with a darker shade for the fall and really like how it picks up the light. Unfortunately, it’s a little too dark (almost blackish) when I’m inside or in the shade for my liking, but I hear it lightens up after a week or so of showers. I’ve decided that if I still am not 100% happy with it by next week, I’ll go in to the salon to get some caramel highlights put in.

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Dinner started off with some warm bread with some delicious herbed dipping oil. Both Kyle and I were feeling a bit hungry, so we ordered some calamari as an appetizer. It was absolutely amazing and came with a bunch of different dipping sauces. Garlic aioli for the win!

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I ordered the steamed lobster for my main course and Kyle ordered a very manly steak. We always end up splitting all of our food since we’re both such foodies, and the mashed potatoes that came with his meal were fantastic!

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Dessert was a must and featured chocolate pudding topped with vanilla ice cream. It was more of a mix between chocolate cake and a brownie and we both devoured every last bit! 

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We had planned to walk around the pier and perhaps go on the ferris wheel or play a couple of arcade games, but it had gotten a but cold and the food was making us a bit drowsy. I mean, I guess that’s how you can tell you’ve had a good meal, right ;)?

We decided to head home early and, being the party animal that I am, I was great company and promptly fell asleep on the car ride home.

So that was my Friday night in a nutshell. I’m about ready to power down my laptop and hit the hay, so I’ll catch up with all of your exciting blogs tomorrow morning over some coffee. 

Seeya!

xo Christine 

Wanted: Hair Advice

So about a year and a half ago, I decided to dye my hair to a lighter caramel color. but, being my lazy self, I never got it recolored or had touchups done, so I’m currently sporting a soft ombre that naturally happened when my hair grew out. 

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I’m ready for a change now, and need advice on what color to go with!  

I was thinking that a rich brown with red highlights or lowlights might be a fun change. But, I’m completely open to suggestions! I wish I had more white-girl features so I could pull of blonde, but my half asian side begs to differ. 

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Anyways, these are some pictures I scooped off the web that are in the direction I’m thinking! I’m also considering getting a haircut, but I’m trying to grow my hair out and hate that hairdressers usually chop off way more than I like.  

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The last one is my current favorite :)!

I’d appreciate your thoughts!

Broccoli and Beef Recipe

 If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I love asian food. Mexican cuisine? Meh. Italian? It’s okay. But, plop anything that involves the fantastic flavors of Thai/Japanese/Korean/Vietnamese/Chinese cuisine in front of me, and I will demolish the entire plate of food. 

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One thing I’m not a fan of is the overall nutrition of some of the classic take-out items that are readily available. (I’m looking at you, Panda Express. Give me all of your orange chicken).

 That’s why I was ecstatic when I made a healthier version of a classic Chinese favorite to be both delicious and good for you! Give a round of applause for (are you clapping yet?) this broccoli and beef recipe!  **nutrition posted below**

Broccoli and Beef

 I won’t lie, I was running around the house is cooking-ecstasy when I first tasted the fruits of my labor. There was some dancing to Taylor Swift and then I proceeded to eat almost all of it before realizing that I had to take a quality picture to share with you guys. I can’t get over how delicious the sweet and salty combination turned out and how quickly dinner came together. 

 When I usually try a new recipe, it takes me much longer than usual to cook it up since I’m constantly modifying, tasting, and taking my time to make it as perfect as possible. This recipe for broccoli and beef was ready in 30 minutes flat… on the first try!  

Broccoli and Beef Recipe

The broccoli stays nice and crunchy and the florets soak up all of the mouthwatering pan juices! Just include some brown rice, and you got a tasty and healthy meal! 

 I’m also linking up ti WIAW so I can share this delicious recipe with the blogging world! :)