Category: Uncategorized

Chili on a Hot Day… (Plus a COLD Smoothie Recipe)

Posted on July 20, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Last night, my mom and I cooked up a nice big pot of chili. Perfect way to ‘chill’ out on a 95 degree day, no?

Yeah…not exactly.

Luckily, we’re fortunate enough to have central air, so we can still make hot meals during the hot summer months.

As promised, here is the chili recipe (from a Taste of Home cookbook) that I love to make any time of year!

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Hunter’s Chili

(Recipe from Taste of Home)

Prep: 20 min. Cook: 1-1/2 hours
Yield: 18 Servings

Ingredients

1 pound uncooked bratwurst links (*I use kielbasa)
1 pound ground beef
2 cups chopped onions
1 large green pepper, chopped
4 cups water
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (4 ounces each) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves

Directions

In a 6-qt. Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat, brown bratwurst; drain. Remove and thinly slice; return to pan along with beef, onion and green pepper.
Cook over medium heat until beef is browned and onion is tender; drain. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1-2 hours. Discard bay leaves before serving.
Yield: 14-18 servings (4-1/2 quarts).

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 cup) equals 212 calories

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The final product! It was a tad more liquid-y than normal because we halved the recipe and didn’t include some of the ingredients (pinto beans, mushrooms, some of the tomato sauce).

I actually liked it a bit more broth-y because it was perfect for dipping my beloved rolls into!

I finished a superb day of eats with an ice cream cone at my friend’s house. Nothing says summertime quite like a belly full of chili and ice cream! Well, maybe not the chili part…

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This morning was a whirlwind. From the moment I woke up, it was go, go go!

It was one of those days where there’s no time to waste making a meal, but you need the fuel more than ever, so I took 5 minutes out of the chaos to blend up a quick smoothie:

Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie

-1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

-1/2 cup cold water (more or less depending on what thickness you like)

-1/2 frozen banana

-4 or 5 frozen strawberries

-small handful frozen spinach

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I also snacked on a hardboiled egg for some additional protein to power me through my morning.

I worked from 8:30-2:30 without taking a break for lunch (I ate my egg around 9 and sipped on my smoothie as slowly as possible until I finished it around 10). Going that long was rough to say the least, and by the time I got home I was famished.

I practically sprinted into my house and reached for whatever I could get my hands on fast enough and lunch ended up being quite a hodgepodge of things.

I’m usually a slow, savor-every-bite kind of eater, but today I managed to scarf down a wheat wrap with almond butter, cinnamon, and banana slices, way more than a normal serving size of BBQ pop chips, a glass of vanilla almond milk, and a white nectarine in possibly less time than it just took me to write that.

As quickly as this neat little beauty was assembled, it was gone.

After ‘lunch’, I got right to work on some internship stuff, then did a quick workout, and then ate a few large handfuls of almonds and an apple.

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Finalllllly, I was able to relax, take a nice long shower, and sit down to eat dinner with the fam.

The steamed broccoli looks pretty lame, but that was only half of the side order and I went back for the second half after I wolfed down the wrap (filled with grilled chicken, avocado, hummus, veggies, and raspberry vinaigrette).

I guess I ~~was~~ am a hungry girl today…

Now it’s time to hang with some of my friends who I haven’t seen in quite some time since we’ve all been so darn busy. Not sure what exactly we’re going to do, but I can quite confidently predict that ice cream is on the agenda! 😉

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Hope your Friday is going well, and that you have an amazing weekend!! 🙂

Lately

Posted on July 18, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

As I keep saying, I’ve been super busy lately but through all the work and craziness, I’ve had one thing on my mind – this blog!

I’ve been attempting to take lots of (discreet) pictures of my meals lately, because 1) they’ve been delish and 2) I want to share them with you!

So, here are some of the things I’ve been nommin’ lately.

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On Monday night, my mom and I made Julie‘s Healthy Italian Meatloaf. We had never made this recipe before, but we love her BBQ Meatloaf, so we figured this one would be just as tasty!

Yes, that's more corn (off) the cob...I'm kinda obsessed at the moment. — And yes, that’s more corn (off) the cob…I’m kinda obsessed at the moment.

Once again, another one of Julie’s recipes did not disappoint!

*Side note: The rolls that are basically always pictured on my plate are Multi-Grain Pepperidge Farm Stone Baked Artisan Dinner Rolls.

(source)

I know “multigrain” is not always the best choice for bread products, and I generally choose whole grain/wheat, but these are so good I just can’t resist. I probably have one for dinner about three times a week! Basically all my other grains are whole, which is what I recommend.

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While watching The Bachelorette on Monday night, I sampled a few scoops of the Cookies N Cream SO Delicious Coconut Milk Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert that my friend had in her freezer.

I wasn’t expecting it to taste so coconut-y, but I was pleasantly surprised! It certainly doesn’t taste like normal dairy ice cream, but it’s light and refreshing! I would definitely have it again!

I snapped this pic after scarfing down half of my serving! Yum. — I snapped this pic after ~~scarfing down~~ daintily sampling half of my serving! Yum.

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Last night, the boy and I went to California Pizza Kitchen! We love all their food, especially their pizza and salads! I especially love the Waldorf Chicken salad, which is “A right-coast classic with a left-coast makeover. Grapes, green apples, candied walnuts, crisp celery, field greens and Gorgonzola tossed with housemade Dijon balsamic vinaigrette”.

I also am obsessed with this bad boy.

That would be the California Veggie, “Decked out with fresh vegetables! Baby broccoli, eggplant, corn, red onions, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, Mozzarella and tomato sauce”. I always get it on the honey-wheat with whole grain crust, and I finish it all by myself every single time. I’m telling you, I can really put it away ;).

After digesting for a few hours, my stomach began to growl. Around 10:00, I scoped out his freezer and found this little guy.

(source)

Oh my gosh. The perfect size, the perfect flavor, the perfect nighttime treat. LOVE it.

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Lately for breakfast I’ve been whipping up microwave mug eggs with salsa, and a smoothie. I love the warm, savory eggs paired with the cold, sweet smoothie! The perfect combo on a summer morning.

So thick and creamy - almost like having ice cream for breakfast! — So thick and creamy – almost like having ice cream for breakfast!

They may not be the most pleasing to the eye, but they sure do please my grumbling belly!

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I know I keep saying it, but I really want to start posting some recipes and workouts (I’ve done a lot of good ones lately!!). I also realize I’ve been slacking in the fashion posts department :(, mostly because I’ve been lazy with my outfits and just wearing running shorts and tanks. Once my internship/work schedule becomes more regular, I’m hoping I can find the time to make this blog everything I want it to be… and more!

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I just ate dinner (an awesome chili recipe I will share probably in my next post), and now I’m off to walk my neighbor’s golden retrievers and then head to my friend’s house to hang out!

Hope your week is going well! It’s almost the weekend!! 🙂

Monday Fun-day…?

Posted on July 16, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

I’m about to finally get a break and go to a Bachelorette viewing party but I just wanted to catch up on here real quick before I go!

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Today was nonstop work between petsitting at two different neighbors, my internship work (I got a bunch of new assignments today!), and babysitting.

This morning I was luckily able to kickstart my day with a lovely 6 mile run which felt amazing.

Anywho, I just wanted to pop on here with a few pictures from the past few days!

Hope your week is off to a great start!

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On Saturday night, we ate dinner at my grandma’s house. We just brought takeout, so I got Cosi (hehe my fave ;)).

I tried the Shanghai Chicken Salad which is “All-natural grilled chicken and crispy Asian noodles with carrots and scallions over mixed greens. Tossed with reduced-fat ginger soy dressing”. I’m not a crispy noodles fan, so I got mine sans the noods. It was SO good. Definitely another fave to add to my super long list.

Gobbled down every last bite. YUM. — Gobbled down every. last. bite. YUM.

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Yesterday, some friends and I caught up at Starbucks over iced coffees. I’m quite the little caffeine addict nowadays. Not good. Oh well…there are much worse things to be addicted to – so I’ll take my one-cup-a-day addiction over something worse!

There’s no better way to enjoy a relaxing Sunday than good friends, good weather, and good conversation over a good cup a joe.

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After coffee and chillin’ with the chicas, I headed home for an awesome family din. My dad grilled up some perfectly marinated steaks with fresh corn on the cob, and my mom made her famous potato salad. Nothing says summer quite like a meal like that. Am I right?

I ate another piece of steak and more potato salad, too. It looked a tad prettier in person… but hey, I wasn’t really going for presentation – I wanted that food in ma mouth ASAP!

Oh yeah, I always cut the corn off the cob. Ever since I had braces back in middle school (I was hot stuff……….HA yeah right), I’ve never gone back to eating it like a normal person. I guess I just don’t like to gnaw at the ear of corn like an animal? I’m weird like that (or does that make me more normal/ civilized? You can be the judge of that one ;)).

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I wish I had more time to work on this post but I gotta run! It’s hometown dates on The Bachelorette tonight…

Peace out!

Oh. My. GOSH.

Posted on July 14, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Before I get to the really exciting stuff (the stuff that’s ‘oh my gosh’ worthy), let’s back up to Wednesday afternoon.

As I mentioned in my last post, I was super excited for my cup a joe.

About an hour after finishing lunch, I took a little break from work to make myself a hot cup of deliciousness. Seriously, there is no better afternoon pick-me-up than a steaming mug of coffee. Especially when it’s raining cats and dogs and the work is never ending. The coffee, along with a gala apple and a Kashi Chocolate Soft Baked Square, powered me through all my work, all way til it was time to make dinner.

Secret stash of my favorite bars. — ~~Secret~~ stash of my favorite bars.

For dinner, I made my ‘famous’ turkey burgers on whole wheat buns. The recipe is so quick and easy (I’ll have to post it because seriously, it’s ahhhmazing).

I topped mine with lettuce, tomato, onion, and salsa. I also dipped it in mustard (I always have to dip it – don’t ask why). On the side, I had some Bush’s Baked Beans (honestly I have no clue which flavor), as well as at least double the amount of BBQ Pop Chips pictured. This is definitely one of my favorite laid back summer meals!

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Now it’s finally time to say it.

Oh. My. GOSH.

Thursday was probably one of the coolest days of my life.

Three of my friends (the crew I went on that little beach vacation with) and I went to New York City for the day because we got tickets to see…

That’s right! Late Night with Jimmy Fallon!!!

We’re all huge SNL fans and he was one of our favorites when he was on (as well as Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Kristen Wiig).

We weren’t overly thrilled when we found out the guests would be Salma Hayek and Charlie Day, just because they aren’t celebs we’re necessarily fans of (not that we don’t like them). We were hoping for Kristen Wiig or Steve Carell or, ya know, maybe Beyonce or something… But still we were pumped to see them and, even more – JIMMY freakin’ FALLON.

We arrived in the city around noon, parked in an ICON Parking Garage (which cost $43 for the whole day, but we had a coupon and only spent $23!!) and took an easy 5 minute walk to…

I’ve been to 30 Rock for a tour, during Christmas time to see the tree and Radio City Christmas Spectacular, as well as for an externship this past school year. I feel pretty comfortable there and know my way around it well, which is nice. We got lunch from Hale and Hearty, which I really liked. I got the Hummus Wrap which is “served with roasted red peppers, plum tomatoes, cucumber, golden raisins, red onion, mesclun mix & sesame dressing on a whole wheat tortilla”. I’m all over anything with hummus and veggies that comes in a whole wheat wrap!

We then went through the whole waiting/retrieving our tickets process which was a little hairy, but by 3:00 we had our swanky, official wristbands and an hour and fifteen minutes to kill before it was time to get in line to be seated.

After a snack and a million rounds of Ellen’s “Heads Up!” game, we were more than ready when 4:15 rolled around.

Download this app...it's a perfect party (or killing time) game! — Download this app…it’s a perfect party (or killing time) game!

We had to get in a million different lines to get to a million different locations to wait and wait and wait until finalllllly we were ushered into the studio!

And guess what?!?!

WE GOT FRONT ROW SEATS.

Your seat is completely random and literally just pure luck…and I guess luck was on our side.

Our little row of four was actually the closest to the set, right by the door the guests exit through, and right in Jimmy’s line of vision.

We actually spotted SNL producer Lorne Michaels through the door, as well as got personal waves from Salma and Charlie as they left the stage! GAHHH, IT WAS SO COOL.

Obviously, we were’t allowed to have our phones on, so the whole time I was fighting my extreme urge to take a picture. I wanted so badly to capture the moment and be able to show people how flippin’ close we were, but of course – I obliged to the rules. I love having tangible reminders of events to ensure I’ll never forget, but I know I will always remember the experience. I know that because at the end, Jimmy came into the audience…

aaaaand….

shook our hands!!!!

Yeah, I know – I’m such a dork…but it was seriously so exciting to me! We literally could not stop talking about it afterwards.

We got out of the studio at about 7:00 and were starving, so we went to Bill’s Bar & Burger in Rockefeller Center.

I got the Tuscan Turkey Burger which is “freshly ground, mixed with aged provolone, LTP* (lettuce, tomato, pickle), mustard aioli, multigrain bun”.

I also got a ~~huge bowl?~~ ‘side’ of coleslaw since it was the only one that slightly resembled any kind of greens, and I was craving some cold veggies. But, by the time it came I wasn’t really feeling it, so I only ate a few bites.

After shopping around a bit at J.Crew (of course…what else would you expect of me), we got some Starbucks iced coffee to wake us up a bit since it had been such a long day.

We then decided to walk around Times Square because it was a beautiful night. The humidity took a brief hiatus that evening, and there was a perfect view of the pink, orange, and yellow sunset in between the buildings. We all tried to take a picture, but unfortunately, it didn’t come out on camera :(.

Around 9:00, we made our way back to the parking garage and left the city after an incredible day.

On the way home, I requested we go through the McDonald’s drive thru for a hot fudge sundae (hehe ;)).

I don’t care what anyone says about Micky D’s – their ice cream (specifically McFlurries and hot fudge sundaes) is to die for.

The ride home was full of funny stories, singing along to middle school throwbacks, and so many laughs.

I can think of three words to sum up how I feel about Thursday –

Oh. My. GOSH.

Checking In

Posted on July 10, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

I’ve been pretty busy all morning and it doesn’t look like that will end until much later but I really wanted to check in while I eat my lunch (the usual – whole grain bagel, chunky pb, banana, and cinnamon, along with some Polar Cucumber Melon Seltzer)!

(source)

I woke up this morning and went for a nice 6 mile run, followed by my stretching routine and a yummy breakfast of 2 mug eggs with salsa, a nectarine, and a glass of Silk Pure Almond Vanilla Almond Milk.

Then I had a call, showered, and got to work.

It’s thundering and pouring out there, so it’s making me pretty happy to be cooped up in my nice cozy house all day.

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On a different note, I created a “Let’s Connect!” page late last night because I really want to start having conversations with ~~the zero people that see this blog~~ you guys! So, please check out that page and follow me on Twitter (@fuelingalife) and Bloglovin’, and comment on any of my posts!

I’d love to hear from you!

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Alright, all done with lunch ( 🙁 ) – time to ~~think about the Caramel Macchiato coffee I’m having with my afternoon snack…and the turkey burgers we’re having for dinner~~ focus.

Cookin’ Up a Storm

Posted on July 10, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

So, lately I’ve been cookin’ up a storm over here! During the summer, I absolutely love to help my mom make dinner for the family. I email her recipes I find and we make them together, or she teaches me some of her ‘classics’. I try to be home for dinner just about every week night during summer vacay so I can help her cook and have some fam time. Friday and Saturday are takeout/ out to dinner nights at our house, so that’s when I tend to go out to eat with my friends (although I do eat out with the fam a lot too).

I love experimenting and making things like turkey burgers with avocado or mango salsa, salmon with all sorts of different toppings, different types of chilies and meat loafs, quesadillas, homemade pizzas, and yummy side dishes. It’s so fun when my family tries what we make and guesses what the ‘secret ingredient’ is and gives us feedback. Cooking is definitely a hobby of mine and something I look forward to doing more of in the future.

Tonight I made flatbreads and quesadillas with Flatout Healthy Grain Flatbreads, salsa, mozzarella cheese, grilled chicken, black beans, all sorts of veggies, and The Laughing Cow Light Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil.

The unfinished product...as soon as they were done I didn't have time to snap a pic before they were inhaled. — The unfinished product…as soon as they were done I didn’t have time to snap a pic before they were inhaled.

Last night, my mom and I made stuffed peppers using one of her old recipes. I don’t know the exact ingredients/measurements but I know we used lean ground beef, tomato sauce, onion, tomato, half a cup of brown rice, a little mozzarella cheese and some spices. We ate them with fresh whole grain rolls and Olivio spread. They were scrumptious and super pretty, but I forgot to take a photo until after I started eating mine. Whoopsies.

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Some Thoughts to Share

I really want to start posting recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, and desserts, as well as more workouts and outfits of the day! As soon as I’m all settled into my internship/ work schedule, I’m hoping I can find the time to fix up this blog and make it all I want it to be.

I hate how unprofessional it looks with no organized categories, low quality photos, and no rhyme or reason to anything. I’m obsessed with the whole blog world and I want so badly to be a part of it, so it frustrates me that mine is looking so crappy when I know exactly the direction I want to take it. I just don’t have the time, experience, or means to really get there right now. (I am not making excuses at all here – more just justifying to myself why it’s okay this isn’t ‘perfect’).

That is NOT at all to say that I’m not proud of what I’ve done so far because, in all actuality, just the fact that I even have a blog is surreal to me.

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So anyway, now that my little confessional rant is over, I just want to share a few things I’ve been up to in the past couple days.

Yesterday, the boy was off from work so he and I got some Subway sandwiches (um hello, Turkey & Avocado on 9 Grain Wheat, where have you been all my life?) and had a little picnic outside in a local park and then swung on swings at a playground. It was fun to run around in the bright summer sun and just be young. Sometimes us young adults are so focused on our futures that we forget that we can still let our inner child out every now and again. Carefree days like that remind me how the little things – a sunny day, a completely free afternoon and laughter – are really what life is all about.

Speaking of the little things, we also enjoyed soft serve vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles – a summertime classic. So simple. So, so good. (I enjoyed mine so much that I realized I wanted to take a picture of it’s perfection the second I finished. Typical.)

This does not do it justice...but imagine that green one wayyy bigger, a million times the amount of sprinkles and no cherry (ew). — Imagine that teeny green one a million times bigger with buckets of jimmies and no nasty cherry on top.

(source)

On that tasty note, I’m out!

Hope your week is going well! Catch y’all latahhh!

Week in Photos

Posted on July 7, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Loooong time no see!

I know I’ve been M.I.A. for over a week, so I have no idea where to even begin. The past week has been filled with summer fun – the 4th spent at the beach, lots of time in the sun, some awesome workouts, ahhhmazing eats, and tons of quality time with family and friends. Ain’t nothin’ better.

I would love to recap all my fun days but I’m getting ice cream with some friends in 20 minutes, and I would need a good two hours to write everything I want to talk about! That being said, I’ve had the itch to blog every single day, so I just had to get back on here again while I had the time.

So, without further ado, here is a bit of my past week in iPhotos (in no particular order)!

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I finally wore the gray t-shirt dress! I actually wore it another day with the purple and blue J.Crew statement necklace, too! Perfect to throw on for an afternoon shopping trip or out to dinner!

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My mom and I did some serious damage at J.Crew…

Purchased: Tan striped open cardigan, neon coral shorts.

Purchased: Coral and (bright) yellow studs - picture does not do them justice. — Purchased: Coral and (bright) yellow studs – picture does **not** do them justice.

Also purchased on this shopping excursion:

J.Crew:

-hot pink tank top

-white tank top

-coral nail polish

-white terry cloth sweatshirt (to throw on at night after a day at the beach or pool)

Banana Republic

-delicate silver necklace

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My parents and I spent an evening in Harvard Square after dropping one of my brothers off at Logan Airport. He’s backpacking through Europe with some friends for a month… with just what he has on his back. I couldn’t even pack that light for an overnight trip…

We ate outside at Grendel’s Den in Harvard Square, which I had actually read about on Tina’s blog, Carrots N Cake. I had never really had tofu, so I chose the Salvadoran Vegetables & Tofu with quinoa. I definitely would’ve liked it more with chicken instead of tofu (I decided tofu’s not really my thing), but the veggies and quinoa were awesome and I devoured the whole thing!

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I sort of mastered a ~~not so~~ perfect sock bun.

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That deliciousness would be a Blue Bunny Birthday Party Premium Ice Cream Sandwich. Speaks for itself.

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The boy and I spent the 4th of July at the beach. After a week of nasty, stormy weather, no one could have asked for a more perfect Independence Day.

God Bless this beautiful country. — God Bless America.

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The fam and I celebrated one of my other brothers getting a new job with a fancy-shmancy dinner.

Butternut squash bisque and a chopped salad. Delish.

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Unfortunately, that’s about all the pictures I took this week :/. I wish I had all the time in the world to blog about all the workouts I did, the yummy food I ate, and the fun memories I made because, trust me, this week was filled with all that good stuff.

*Hopefully I’ll be back to my daily posting routine this coming week. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed the pics and I hope you enjoy your weekend even more!

I’ve Joined the 21st Century

Posted on June 29, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Well, I have officially joined the 21st century. That means I’m now tweeting. Guess that’s what this modern world has come to…

I spent a good chunk of my Friday figuring out the whole new world of Twitter. I never really had any interest in getting an account, but after reading Julie and Tina‘s blog tips and hearing from Sarah Fit who told me I should get one, I figured I might as well make the big move.

Follow me?!

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Anywhooooo, here are some fun facts I meant to post on Friday!

1. I’ve been wearing glasses since I was four years old. My eyesight is terrible and just getting worse by the day. Yikes!

2. I loooove ice cream. I probably eat at least a little bit (but usually more than a little bit…) every single day during the warmer months. I know, that’s not the ‘healthiest’ choice, but it’s my (not so) guilty pleasure and since I work out and eat a well balanced diet, a little ice cream won’t kill me. Also, since I’m not needing to lose weight at this point in my life, I think some ice cream is A-Okay!

3. My toenails always have to be painted. I can handle my fingernails being bare for a few days between manicures, but I cannot stand looking down at unpainted toenails. Nasty.

4. I love every style of music. I literally have the most eclectic iTunes ever. I’m obsessed with anything that’s good. I’ve got country, rap, top 40, rock, oldies, techno – seriously everything.

My newest random purchases. This Alt-J song is my JAM.

5. I never ever workout without my watch. I got it right before my freshman year of high school and have worn it for every single XC and track practice and race (besides the few that had strict rules – those were tough on me and I still found myself grabbing my wrist to start timing the second the gun went off). I’m surprised it’s held up the way it has, especially since it probably cost about fifteen bucks. I’ve been wanting to get a Garmin or a good Nike watch, but still have yet to make the big purchase. For now, my lil pink and black friend is sticking around. We’ve been through a lot together.

Starting line.

6. Every night before bed, I watch the Shaytards daily vlog on YouTube. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every single episode, plus most of the videos on their other channels. They’re the nicest, funniest, coolest family ever. One of my dreams is to meet any of the Butlers, and to film a recipe or workout video with them!

7. Besides The Bachelorette, my other guilty pleasure TV show is Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I love seeing what that crazy family is up to and how all the drama unfolds. Also, their outfits are always so glamorous and out there, I never get sick of seeing them literally dripping diamonds while they’re just lounging around the ~~house~~ mansion.

8. If I could have everything ever made by Vineyard Vines and Lilly Pulitzer, I absolutely would. I’m beyond obsessed with my VV tote bag (the pattern is my college’s ‘logo’!) and my ~~second~~ Lilly iPhone case.

(source)

9. I love the name “Finley” for a boy. I’ve already claimed it if I have a son one day. Little baby Finn?! Oh my gosh, too cute.

10. Tonight, I’m hanging out with the same little crew that went on the weekend beach trip two weekends ago! So excited for more of their crazy antics.

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Hope you have a fabulous, fun, summery weekend!!

Themes and Things

Posted on June 27, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

So I made a big decision about the blog today! Instead of doing a daily theme, I’m just going to do whatever ‘theme’ comes to me when I sit down and write. Although I think clever alliterations like ‘Motivation’ Monday, ‘What I Wore’, ‘One Word’, or ‘Workout’ Wednesday, and ‘Fun Facts’ Friday are super cute and fun, I’m finding it challenging to make my life match those daily themes. I will definitely do posts with those titles, but I will do them when they fit the day I’m having. There are days when I stay in workout clothes, days when I don’t have any new, exciting eats, days when I just don’t find anything that worthy of an in-depth recap. On days like that, I would really struggle trying to force a post that fulfills a certain ‘day’ if that’s not the day I’ve had. Blogging is a part of my life, and I’m not willing to form my days around a silly little post.

Now that a decision has been made and made clear on here, let’s get to the fun stuff!

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I started my day with a quick breakfast consisting of a smoothie and a hard boiled egg for additional protein.

I couldn't wait to slurp down the smoothie...so here's half of it! — I couldn’t wait to sip on this bad boy…so here’s half of it!

In the smoothie:

-1/2 frozen banana

-4 frozen strawberries

-handful frozen spinach

-1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

-little under 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

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After scarfing down that breakfast, I did a 50 minute workout which was comprised of:

-5 minute circuit (jumping jacks, jump rope, high knees, jump rope, jumping jacks)

-2 mile run on treadmill

-5 minute circuit (speed skaters, butt kicks, box jumps, snowboard jumps, squat kicks)

-2 mile run on treadmill

-5 minute circuit (sumo squats, Heisman shuffle, calf raises, jumping lunges, bridges)

-3 minute planks (1 minute front, 1 minute each side)

-STRETCHED and rolled (I’ll have to show you my stretching routine one of these days!)

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Once I showered and did a little intern work, I made a quick lunch of a whole grain bagel with crunchy peanut butter and raspberry fruit spread.

I have an interview in a little while so I needed to put on a decent outfit. I loved the outfit I wore for the family pics on Saturday, so I decided to do a look similar to that (sorry if I’m boring you with basically the same outfit in different colors…I’ll show you something different soon!).

Once again – the shorts, belt, and shirt are J.Crew!

The bow earrings are Francesca’s, and unfortunately I have no clue where the little twists are from.

The watch is Relic, and the two bracelets are Alex and Ani! I wear all three of these every single day.

And on my feet, I’m wearing my ~~dirty~~ silver Jack Rogers!

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The rest of my day looks like this: interview, coffee (and a snack for me!) with a friend, dinner (which I think will be hamburgers, sweet potato fries, and fruit salad) with the fam, then hopefully ice cream with some friends tonight!

Hope you have a great day!

One (or two or three) Word Wednesday

Posted on June 26, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

I’m short on time today, so instead of my usual verboseness, I’m keeping this one short and sweet (and super random). The first three pics are recent, the rest are throwbacks from this school year.

Frizzy.