Wednesday Weights and the Turtle

May 16, 2013 by Christine Skari

Yesterday stated off with an 8:30 trip to the gym before my 10 o’ clock history class. I met up with my friend Hot Ryan and we got in an awesome hour long weight lifting session! It’s so much fun to go with him and he’s so helpful when it comes to pushing me to get in that extra rep or spotting me, especially with bench pressing. I have to say, I’m so sore right now. I LOVE THAT FEELING!

I went to my class straight from the gym and it was definitely an informative one.

I love history.

The rest of my day passed pretty quickly and I’m happy to say that the French test I had went very well.

After my last class I met up with Kyle for a coffee date!

D’awwwwww he’s so cute!

We got a ton of goodies. For drinks, I got a nonfat latte and he got the coffee shop’s “Turtle”. Probably the most delicious thing ever and I definitely stole a good amount by taking some sneaky sips ;). We also shared some coffee cake, but ended up only eating about a quarter of it even though it was delicious!

The rest of my day was pretty uneventful, just filled with tons and tons of work for school. I can’t wait for the summer!

Hope you had a wonderful Wednesday!

xoxo Christine

WIAW #2

May 14, 2013 by Christine Skari

First, a quick note on my workout for the day. I recently found a groupon for a Color Run near my house! It isn’t till mid June, but it’s been inspiring me to get more runs in. I signed up with Kyle, his little brother, and my cousin Davis. Davis and Kyle’s brother are best friends so it should be a blast! I honestly can’t wait

I started my day off with a quick 2 miler at an 8:30 pace. I have’t run in a long time so it really pushed me and got me sporting my tomato face by the end. I ended my workout with a fast 15 minutes on the elliptical before calling it a day.

Now on to the eats! My WIAW is actually from Sunday when I cooked up a storm for Mother’s Day.

Breakfast:

A yogurt bowl with tons of blackberries and topped with some Honey Bunches of Oats. A latte on the side.

Snack Attack!

Homemade guacamole made with avocados, cilantro, onions, cherry tomatoes, and grilled corn!

Lunch:

Tons and TONS of delicious homemade food! I did the cooking for our Mother’s Day Lunch and decided to go with fresh and light foods. On the menu: Lemon Shrimp Orzo, Homemade Whole Wheat Biscuits (with a dab of honey and butter of course!), Garlic Broccolini, and Panko Crusted Lemon Salmon. Kyle’s family was so nice and gave us the most delectable cheesecake for dessert!

Delicious and reasonably nutritious!

Whole wheat and whole yum!

*drool* (someone catch my saliva please)

I die.

We also had homemade paninis, salad, and pasta salad that were gobbled up before photographing!

Dinner

To say that I was stuffed from lunch would be an understatement. I kept myself busy for the rest of the day with shopping, napping, and packing to go back to college. By the time I was getting the car loaded up at 7:45, I realized that I hadn’t eaten dinner. I threw some leftovers into the car to eat on the way home so I wouldn’t get hangry and eat Kyle in my desperation.

Can’t you see the fear in his eyes?

My life.

He was nice enough (or scared enough for his life) to drive the two and a half hours back so I could get my nom on ;). Dinner was leftover salmon, broccolini, and yogurt with blackberries.

I was exhausted from a long day of cooking (I swear it can be a workout…), shopping, and the car ride home and barely managed to get back to my room before passing out. It’s a miracle that Kyle didn’t need to carry me back up 3 flights of stairs. He works out so I think he could have done it, but I also had eaten my weight in cheesecake so I guess he would probably need to warm-up beforehand. It would have been such a hassle. Anyways, I digress. The point is I got to my room and slept like a baby. Yay!

I hope ya’ll had some wonderful eats as well!

xoxo Christine

Burning Calves

May 13, 2013 by Christine Skari

This morning started off with a bang! I was able to get to the gym by 7:30 and pushed out a great and colorful 40 minutes of cardio.

I spend the first 25 minutes doing this crazy incline walking pyramid and the last 15 “cooling off” on the elliptical (I was actually sweating like a popsicle in July at this point). My calves were on fire by the end of it! It also kept my heart rate high and made the time pass quickly with the constant changes of incline. Let me know if you try it!

Breakfast

Breakfast was good but pretty standard. Oatmeal with raisins and a drizzle of honey for some sweetness. Iced water, coffee, and a banana for some extra yum!

After breakfast I headed straight to my classes, sweat and all. By the time I got back home, I was starving!

Lunch

My usual salad, grilled fish, and a corn tamale!

Right after lunch it was time to catch up on last night’s Game of Thrones episode! It was awesome, of course. Can’t believe we have to wait a whole week to see the next one :'(.

The rest of my day will be filled with homework, dinner with friends, and SLEEP!

Hope you’re having a wonderful day!

xoxo Christine

Pad Thai, Oblivion, & Bad Parking

May 12, 2013 by Christine Skari

This weekend was just what I needed. Although college is fantastic and I love my friends and most of my classes (that’s right, I’m talkin’ bout you chemistry), it can be very draining and fast paced. The life of a science major isn’t always the easiest! Luckily, I was able to take the weekend to head back home for some relaxation. It was filled with exactly what I needed: family, cooking, shopping, and my kitty.

Selfies!

As soon as I got back, I zoned in on these beauties and was in absolute heaven:

I had a killer time flipping through what seemed like endless amounts of recipes. I tend to hoard them and am excited to add more to my collection ;).

Saturday was date night with Kyle. Since he lives less than 10 minutes away from me, he’s always game to car pool back and spend some time at home.

Outfit of the Day:

A simple blue dress from Forever 21 ($14!!) paired with a gold leaf necklace and my all time favorite pair of gladiator shoes. The dress has a cut out back and is ridiculously comfortable

We chose to get some Thai food at a nearby restaurant that we love. Since we both love trying as many new things as possible (we’re good eaters!), we split three dishes and a Thai iced tea.

Beef Pad Thai and Green Papaya Salad

Coconut Soup!

After dinner we headed over to Hoff’s Hut to pick up some cheesecakes for Mother’s Day. Kyle was so sweet and insisted on getting a strawberry topped one for my family to share! He also did a wonderful job at nailing the tricky parking spot we tried to get in!

that’s my boy! :’)

*pass out*

Then it was off to Kyle’s house to grab his family to go see Oblivion. I thought it was interesting, but it got pretty confusing and hard to follow at times. It was also super long so my booty way definitely feeling the strain!

By the time I got home it was almost 12 and I was about ready to pass out. I slept like a baby and felt totally refreshed and ready to get my cook on for Mother’s Day! There will be lots of fresh, healthy, and delicious recipes coming soon, so stay tuned :).

I wish I could stay a couple of extra days, but I have to be up bright and early tomorrow to get in a morning workout and head to class!

xoxo Christine

Roasted Garlic Baby Dutch Potatoes

May 11, 2013 by Christine Skari

What is it about the simplicity of some dishes that make them more appealing than those of the finest restaurant? Humble ingredients come together in the minimalist of fashions to produce the most delicious of foods.

These potatoes are a testament to the deliciousness of simple recipes that uphold the integrity of their ingredients and let their flavor shine through!

I paired the potatoes with fresh guacamole made with avocados, cilantro, limes, cherry tomatoes, and grilled corn and a spice-rubbed New York Strip steak. Cherry tomatoes on the side for a pop of color and extra flavor. My dad was happy to help wipe this plate clean ;).

Roasted Garlic Baby Dutch Potatoes

Ingredients:

Dutch Potatoes (Other would be fine too, just cut them small)
1 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Garlic Salt/Minced Garlic
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and cut the potatoes and put them in a large baking pan. Coat evenly with extra virgin olive oil and season with garlic salt, salt, and pepper, using your hand to mix the potatoes together. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are thoroughly cooked. Serve hot, and watch them get gobbled up!