Happy Weekend, Indeed

Tag: summer

Happy Weekend, Indeed

Posted on July 16, 2016July 17, 2016 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Hi guys, and happy weekend!

I’ve survived two weeks of my first “real world” job, and so far, so good!

I’m loving my coworkers and the work seems right up my alley. It’ll be a while before I’m up to speed, but I’m learning so much and enjoying the process and getting to know my colleagues!

Anyway, I know I haven’t been on here as much as I wanted to this summer – between finding an apartment, moving in, starting work, and trying to relax and see friends and fam, the chance to blog has slipped away. Ugh!

I thought I would get on here today to say hello and share a few pictures from the past couple weeks. You can also find these pics on my Instagram (@LaurRuns). Follow along for daily photos!

My morning workout + fave post-workout snack!

Loving the new Panera peach blueberry power smoothie with almond milk!

Lunch outside with my mom at one of my favorite casual restaurants in my hometown (before I moved to Boston). Love spending time with her (and the good food doesn’t hurt ;)). This was a spinach wrap with turkey, spicy honey mustard, lettuce, tomato, walnuts, and dried cranberries, plus a side salad. Yum!

One of my work day outfits from last week. I’m fortunate that we have a casual dress code and can wear whatever we want! This means I can still wear all my old college class clothes (minus the workout clothes I usually wore…) or business casual – whatever I’m in the mood for. So nice!

The CEO of our company is amazing and had us all over for food and drinks at her gorgeous home on Tuesday evening. I enjoyed spending time with my coworkers, sipping rosé, and snacking on watermelon (x5), sliders, and mini wraps. Can’t wait for more of these nights in the future!

The scene of my peaceful, quiet Saturday morning – exactly what I needed after super early mornings and busy work days. Waking up naturally (at 8:45), sipping coffee, listening to podcasts, reading magazines, and then getting an awesome 5 miles in (while exploring my new neighborhood) was the perfect start to my weekend.

I hope you guys are enjoying your summer, and that I get to talk to you all again soon!

I’M BACK!!

Posted on June 9, 2016July 16, 2016 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Hi guys! How are you?! Happy Thursday!

I literally hate how long it’s been since my last post…

I have way, way too much to update you on, now that I’ve graduated college and am home for a few weeks before moving back to Boston (hooray!!) to start my first *real world* job. AHHH!!

Continue reading “I’M BACK!!” →

Exciting News…

Posted on August 11, 2014 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Remember how I promised (and Instagrammed, and tweeted…) that I would be writing a “How to Pack” post?!

Screen Shot 2014-08-10 at 10.40.20 PM — Instagram @ FuelingFab

Well….

At 9:00 AM this (Monday) morning, I am finally fulfilling that promise.

The piece I’ve been working on since the ‘Washington DC trip that wasn’t” (at least something good came of it, right?!) will be posted on one of my favorite blogs…

(If you don’t follow Chelsea’s blog already, ~~where have you been?!~~ get on it!)

She’s away on vacation (I know, aren’t you jealous?!), so it’s a pretty apropos topic, don’t ya think?

Anyway, I’m super excited to share it with you guys, as well as Chelsea’s audience! It’s always such an honor to be able to be a tiny part of a blog I read every day.

If you find yourself looking like a total diva carrying (aka struggling with) too many heavy bags (yes, that has been me), or even if you just want a few tips and tricks that I’ve learned over the years (and over this summer’s trips to NYC, Cape Cod, and back to the Cape), head on over to Chelsea’s blog!

I just hope I’m not eating my words about how I “finally got hang of it” as I begin packing for my semester in Italy..

As always, don’t be afraid to leave a comment there (and/or back here so I see it right away 🙂 ). I’d love to hear some of your tried and true tips for packing light because…

…let’s face it, no one wants to be that girl. ^

Have a marvelous Monday!

I know I’m a bit late to the party, but these were my thoughts this past Thursday as I finalized my post for Chelsea. Thanks Amanda, as always, for hosting ‘Thinking Out Loud‘ each week 🙂

xo’s

If you want to connect and see even more fitness, fashion, food, and fun, follow me on Twitter and Instagram @ FuelingFab!

PS – I’m not happy about this, but as you’ve probably noticed I’ve been sort of MIA on here lately. I’ve been working up a storm at J.Crew before I’m done for the summer, as well as running around like a mad woman as I get ready to leave for Europe in less than 2 weeks(!!!).

I love blogging and as you know, I have a ton of ideas and exciting, positive changes coming (aka becoming self-hosted, changing the title, etc).

That said, as I’m sure you understand, leaving the country for 4 months takes a lot of prep, and then I’ll be quite busy getting acclimated, exploring, taking classes, and enjoying my study abroad experience.

I definitely plan to document my travels (helllllo – Italian food, fashion, ((probably not so much fitness but maybe?)), and fun all over Europe?!), so I hope you stick around and come along for the ride. I’ll be sharing my daily adventures (plus my outfits, eats, and, ya know, all that good stuff) on here, as well as on Instagram!

So buckle up, sit tight, and join me on this journey, because it’s about to get a LOT more fabulous. 😉

Food is fun.

Posted on August 6, 2014 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Raise your hand if you agree with me! ^

It’s fun to make, it’s fun to order, it’s fun to buy (well maybe not the actual losing money part of that exchange…but it becoming yours is fun, no?), it’s fun to look at (and drool over), and mostly it’s just fun to EAT.

Am I right?

Anyway, that’s what was on my mind today as I looked at the food photos I had chillin’ on my iPhone that didn’t make the cut in the past couple WIAWs because they weren’t consumed in Cape Cod (round 1 OR round 2).

So this week I’m ‘attending’ the hilarious Jenn‘s link up party (have you seen her Instagram hashtags? I actually laugh out loud), not with a dreamy “WIWIAW“, or with fancy shmancy eats from NYC or Cape Cod, but instead with a regular old (but still insanely yummy!) WIAW.

Enough talk. Let’s get to the good stuff.

Yesterday’s protein-packed breakfast.

Screen Shot 2014-08-05 at 3.48.21 PM — Instagram @ fuelingfab

^ What you see here are 2 scrambled eggs – one with garlic and chili powder, spinach, and a few very thin granny smith apple slices (big fan of sweet & savory over here!), and the other with cinnamon and apple slices! I know, both combos sound a little weird for eggs, but seriously, you just have to try them before you judge.

Oh, and of course I enjoyed the rest of the (huge) granny smith + plain greek yogurt with cinnamon! Then after my workout I had a cranberry almond Simple protein bar.

‘Twas a very tasty, very healthy start to the day!

No clue how long ago I took these pics, but here are more before-work meals. MorningStar Farms garden burgers, Flat Out wheat wraps, pop chips (sweet potato is my absolute favorite!), white nectarines, and Sparkling Ice. Ya know, the usual.

And a during-work lunch. Still obsessed with carbs of all kinds, especially in the form of ginormous bagels!

I’m seriously loving the almost weekly Cosi takeout thing we’ve got going this summer… How gorgeous is this salad?

Screen Shot 2014-08-05 at 3.48.05 PM — Instagram @ fuelingfab

That avocado though. I just can’t get enough of the Peruvian Palm!

Screen Shot 2014-07-12 at 11.06.30 PM — Instagram @ fuelingfab

Yet another repeat offender – my fave mango salsa salmon!

A summertime classic – hamburgers and corn on off the cob! My burger was super thick so I cut it the long way and ate each half ‘open face’ with tomato, onion, mustard, hot sauce, and lettuce on top!

A snack of one nasty looking greek yogurt + frozen banana smoothie (sprinkled with cinnamon) and one of my favorite protein bars. Yes, the smoothie looks awful, but it tastes amazing.

I don’t know why, but I have always loved sloppy-joes. We had them with some clean sides – sweet potato, zucchini, and summer squash. See what I did there? 😉

Nothing like cupcakes at a party. I can’t remember the last time I had one, so as soon as I took my first bite, I remembered how stinkin’ delicious cake is. These bad boys were so moist and fudgy, I just had to have two!

This bar. Dark chocolate pretzel with sea salt. Sweet + salty = perfection.

Panera strawberry poppyseed & chicken salad. Nothing says summer quite like this!

Another thing I’m loving this summer (and all the time)?

Kind bars! I’ve liked every flavor I’ve ever tried, but my favorites are: Almond & Coconut, Almond Cashew With Flax + Omega 3, Pomegranate Blueberry Pistachio + Antioxidants, Blueberry Vanilla & Cashew, and Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt. Yummmmm!

Even more fun egg creations! (See, I told ya I make the ‘best’ eggs 😉 )

Apple cinnamon ‘pancake’, a wheat wrap, and another egg scrambled with tomatoes, broccoli, green peppers, and hot sauce!

You know what I love doing no matter what time of year it is?

Sipping a mug of coffee. (And simultaneously being a complete weirdo…)

I usually make about two cups of Archer Farms coffee (the s’mores flavor is especially fabulous!) in the morning, and then sip it all. day. long. I like it at any temperature, so I’ll reheat it, put it on ice, or just drink it at room temp!

The perfect pre-workout snack = Almond butter, banana, and cinnamon whole wheat ‘pizzas’.

And last but certainly not lease, I love ending almost every summer day with ice-cream.

(And the Kardashians…)

Woohoo that was fun! I love getting to see what foods other people are loving, so I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my everyday eats!

I’ll see ya soon with a special post, so keep an eye out for that 🙂

Have a happy Hump Day!

xo’s

PS – If you want to connect and see even more food, fitness, fashion, and fun, follow me on Twitter and Instagram @ fuelingfab!

In case you missed them, here are a few of my recent posts:

WIAW: Flashback to Finals

Posted on June 4, 2014 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Well, it’s that day of the week again, which means it’s time for another “What I Ate Wednesday“ post!

This week’s WIAW features some of the foods I feasted on during finals just about a month ago. I can’t believe it’s already been a month! Phew, so glad those stressful study days are over!

I haven’t taken as many foodie pics lately as I was hoping to, so these are basically all the photos I had on my phone from the past month or so.

Anyway, enough explaining…let’s see the eats!

These are amazing with peanut or almond butter, nutella, or really any form of chocolate. Long story short, these are an awesome snack!

Another awesome snack? This yogurt flavor! Tastes like dessert, but can be eaten any time of day!

It’s safe to say that I am beyond obsessed with pop chips. I literally ate a bag every. single. day at school. I had extra dining bucks left at the end of the year (as most students at my school do) which meant I could stock up on tons of my favorite chips so I can enjoy them this summer!

No matter where I am – school, home, traveling, wherever – I always crave bagels for lunch. My faves are cinnamon raisin, whole grain/wheat, and blueberry!

We all know I like to have dessert pretty much every day, but it is a necessity when I’m studying/ writing papers all day long for weeks on end! Cookies, candy, ice cream, froyo, you name it, I want it for an after dinner treat!

Obviously, I was a little too busy studying to take tons of pics of what I ate, but that gives you a good idea of just a few of the extra snacks and such I ate during finals this past semester!

Now that I’m home for the summer, I’m back to most of my typical at-home eats, which have been featured on my blog ever since I started it almost a year ago(!!!)

Nonetheless, here are a few pics I’ve taken recently.

My fave wrap and sweet potato fries (I’ve shown this baby so many times on the blog… Such as here, here, and here – just to name a few!)

Some of my favorite protein and soft baked snack bars as of late.

And lastly, one of my favorite summertime salads from one of my favorite restaurants! The new Cosi Peruvian Palm Salad – “Peruvian peppers, hearts of palm, avocados, tomatoes, diced cucumbers and romaine with white balsamic vinaigrette”. Oh my gosh, I’m obsessed.

That’s all for now. I’ll be back soon with more fashion shtuff!

PS – Feel free to follow me on Twitter @fuelingalife! I’m also considering creating an Instagram account for the blog. Butttt, I’m still contemplating changing the name of the blog. Hmmph, I just don’t know! Decisions, decisions (not my strong suit).

Any feedback/ opinions on all of that ^ are welcome! 🙂

Hope you have a very happy Hump Day!! And as always, thanks to Jenn for hosting the fabulous WIAW link-up!

xo’s

OOTD – Dress Up a Sundress (Work Day 2)

Posted on June 2, 2014 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Happy Monday! How was your weekend?

Mine was great! Lots of fun with friends and fam, a couple awesome workouts, good food (hopefully a WIAW post soon!), and bright, sunshiny days 🙂

I worked on Sunday (I talk about it in the mini vlog below), and as I said I would try to do – here is an “OOTD” for my second day of work!

The reason I point to my glasses and shake my head in the video is because I filmed that part (and took the following pics) the night before when I planned the outfit (and had no make up and my glasses on). The part when I’m not wearing glasses is right before I left on Sunday, and obviously the car part is after work.

Oh, and the little clip at the very end is from a sunny Sunday walk through a farm in my town! So beautiful, right?

Anyway, I’ve already shown most of the parts of this outfit in this post, but here are the links you can check out if you’re interested!

Navy Old Navy blazer.
White Old Navy sundress (Not available online, but somewhat similar to this maxi dress version).
Nordstrom elastic belt sort of similar to this one (I think I got mine 2 years ago, so I couldn’t find a link to the exact one – mine is thinner and all brown, but this is the closest I could find).
St. Christopher necklace (My mom ordered mine online a few years ago).
Gap wedges. I ended up wearing flat American Eagle sandals. (Again, I got mine ~2 years ago, so I can’t find the exact link).

Sarcastic snapchats (I didn’t actually mind working yesterday, just felt like being sassy – shocker)!

Home from work selfie! My summer freckles are coming in…

Still working on the maxi skirt fashion post, and I’m thinking I will do another WIAW this week if I have enough foodie pics! And an OOTD for the next time I work, as well 🙂

That’s it for today, but I will talk to ya soon!

xo’s

Fashion Friday: OOTD – First Day of Work!

Posted on May 30, 2014 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Happy Friday!!!

Today I’m sharing with you my first “OOTD” aka “outfit of the day”!

This is what I wore to my first day of work, which was 8 hours of training.

I also trimmed my hair about 4 inches so the split ends are gone!! For some reason it looks a little uneven in photos. I miss the length and my hair takes forever to grow, but I needed to clean it up a bit.

Anywho, I made a short vlog. Sorry the music is a tad loud, and that I look like I have no shirt on in the first half…I’m wearing a cami, which I do show at one point, so don’t get the wrong idea ;).

Here goes!

The full ensemble:

Target Merona Emily Sandals in Navy

Bath & Body Works Cherry Blossom Body Splash

Relic Rose Gold Watch (similar to this one), and Alex and Ani Bracelets (silver “L” similar to this one), gold “BC“, silver “endless knot“, rafaelian silver “Jordan Beaded Bangle“)

Gap Always Skinny Jeans (not sure what this color is called, I got them about two years ago)

J.Crew button-down (similar to this one)

J. Crew woven belt in navy (sort of similar to this one)

Old Navy gold necklace (not available online), Nordstrom Stone Stud Earrings (both are featured in my massive mall haul post!). And unfortunately, I’m not sure where the white dotted studs are from.

Before work selfie…

During work selfie (in the stock room, but I cropped out the shelves just for privacy reasons!)…

After work selfie!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this OOTD from Tuesday!

Get ready for more posts like this! I’m going to attempt to do these every day I work, but sometimes it gets a little stressful getting out the door in time. I’ll do my best, though 🙂

Let me know if you guys like OOTD posts, and if you like having all the links to the items I wear!

I’m still working on that fashion post for the maxi skirt. I have all the outfit pics taken and ready to go, but I still need to take a few photos in the whole get-up. Hopefully it’ll be all set and ready to post within a week.

Oh and some exciting news – After trying on 11 dresses, I finally found one I love. I brought it to the tailor today since the shoulders are way too big (I was shrugging in the pics so it looks like it fits here).

I think I’m going to wear these heels, but I need to figure out my jewelry. I’m torn about this necklace – thoughts? I love it but I’m not sure if it’s too much and hides the gorgeous neckline. I have to see what I can find, but I’ll either wear a necklace and small stud earrings, or no necklace and bigger dangly earrings.

Phew – please excuse the rambles!

I hope you all had a great week, and that you have a fabulous, summery weekend! I cannot believe it’s already (almost) JUNE!!

xo’s

First Link Up!

Posted on May 21, 2014 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

It’s Wednesday, and time for my very first link up post!

Thank to Jenn for always hosting “What I Ate Wednesdays”!

Since the day is half way done and I haven’t been taking food pics, I decided to just post a few recent summer eats I’ve been loving! I’m thinking next week I will try to do a full “What I Ate” post…but we shall see.

Anywho, here goes!

Klondike Mrs. Field Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich. Classic summer treat. Amazing combo – doesn’t get much better.

Clean, easy breakfast! I made a vlog about this one, so be sure to check it out!

Love me a nice big, fresh cinnamon raisin bagel! Especially with peanut or almond butter, and a perfect banana!

Cara Cara oranges are soooo good. And yes, I like to slice them up and eat them with a fork to keep my hands clean when I’m on the computer. No one likes a sticky keyboard!

So. much. chocolate. I’m obsessed with Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate Almond Milk. And these Balance bars!

I guess I like chocolate?

You guys know I love Carvelanches! Last night was my first of the season, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Vanilla soft serve with oreos, chocolate crunchies, and rainbow sprinkles! No words.

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Well unfortunately that’s all the foodie pics I’ve taken since I’ve been home from college, but I plan to take many more this summer.

I’ve been planning a lot of fashion ideas for the blog, and I’m currently working on my biggest fashion post yet! Be sure to keep an eye out for that!

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Hope you’re enjoying the day, and I will catch ya later!

Sunshine & Sunburns

Posted on May 21, 2014 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Howdy!

Here is a super short vlog from yesterday.

I’m hoping to do a fashion post (and possibly video) soon, so stay tuned for that!

Summer Smoothie Recipe

Posted on September 6, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Hello there strangers!

Well, I survived the first week of classes! Woohoooo.

Too bad this was the ‘easiest’ week of classes… And the work is already beginning to pile up. YAY! (I’m just complaining…it’s really okay, it feels good to be back in the swing of things).

I don’t have much time (per usual) because there’s a football game tonight (!!!), but I wanted to drop in with a recipe that was requested a little while back!

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Almost every morning this past summer I started my day with a couple scrambled eggs and a cold, refreshing smoothie.

Besides being portable (great for on-the-go breakfasts and snacks), smoothies are the perfect way to sneak tons of nutrients into your daily diet – and they’re absolutely delicious (especially on a hot summer day)!

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This is just one of my million smoothie recipes! You can literally add (or subtract) anything you want to create your own go-to smoothie.

You can amp up the protein by adding whey protein powder or any nut butter you like.
You can make it ‘thinner’ (I personally prefer a thick, ‘ice cream’ texture ;)) by adding any type of milk (dairy, soy, rice, almond, coconut), water, or fruit juice.
To make it thicker, you can add more yogurt (feel free to use flavors!) or xanthan gum.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless.

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Summer Smoothie

Ingredients

(makes 1 serving – a small snack or part of a complete breakfast)

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup vanilla almond milk
1 slice watermelon
1/2 frozen banana
handful frozen strawberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
handful fresh or frozen spinach
2 to 3 ice cubes

Directions:

Simply toss all the ingredients in a blender, blend away, pour into a cup, and slurp through a straw or, my favorite way, eat with a spoon!!

*The best order to add ingredients: liquids, frozen fruit, powders, ice, and then fresh fruit.

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I’m hoping to be back on here soon(ish) with a “Lately” post, and possibly some workouts for ya!

In the meantime, I’m off to shower (I ran over three hours ago…yikes) and get ready for the football game tonight! So happy it’s Friday 🙂

Have a great weekend!

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Questions of the day:

What’s your favorite smoothie recipe?
Got any fun plans this weekend?
Is there anything you want me to post about (food pics, workouts, life, recipes, etc…)?