Team OC Fitness

As most of you have probably figured out, I love, love, love to workout. I think it's fun. Now, it took me a while to get to this point, but it happened. I'm hooked. And I love a good challenge. I think it was last year that my now alma mater started up free fitness classes for students, faculty, staff, and I guess alumni. They offered Zumba and vinyasa yoga a couple times a week. I didn't jump on board until towards the end of the school year. I didn't think it would be hard enough. But I was wrong. Terribly wrong.

I went to Zumba once, and I was sold. It's a party. A cardio party. And there's pretty much always a way to make a move harder, more intense (or less, depending on what you like). I was impressed. So I went to class for the rest of the semester, hit up the summer classes, and still try to go on Tuesdays or Thursdays when I can make it. Other classes are available, but I prefer the instructor that's there on those days. More intensity. 

This year, they added a kickboxing class on Mondays and Fridays. Again, I didn't think it would be challenging enough so I didn't think much about it. Then, one of my Zumba friends told me about it. Told me how hard it was. And I was like, "challenge accepted." Wow. It's a butt-kicking good time. I mean it's torture. But it's great. And it's hard for me. I love it. I would say it's kind of a mashup of "Insanity" and "Combat." This is from last Monday (with breaks...and some modifications): 

I have yet to go to the yoga class. But here's the thing, I really, really like my Yoga-X. Like a lot. So I don't know. I might try it out at some point. For now, I'm happy with my Zumba and kickboxing...and finishing up X2. 

In other news, I survived my first week of orientation! I'll be on the floor tomorrow! And I've been enjoying all the TV season premieres. I'm obviously a die hard "Grey's Anatomy" fan. But, I also like some "Castle", "Once Upon A Time", and "Parks and Recreation". I watched the pilot for "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D", and it was alright, but I don't know that I'm sold. I also watched "Trophy Wife". Decently funny. What do you watch? Any comedies you'd recommend? Ready go...

It's Here

I had my first day of orientation today! It's hard to believe that it's finally here. I'm about to start doing the thing I went through four years of school for. It's pretty exciting! A little nerve-racking, but mostly exciting. I woke up at 3, which was earlier than planned, but I was hungry, and then there wasn't much point in trying to go back to sleep. I can't say that I've missed waking up before dawn, but watching the sunrise on the way downtown was rather lovely. I was greeted by friendly faces. The classroom had an ample supply of snacks and coffee. I got to catch up some with a friend. Met my new colleagues. Listen to hours of well-presented speeches on really fun (not really) things like policies, procedures, and benefits. Great stuff. And I used some Melaleuca oil gel stuff last night, which seems to be helping clear out whatever junk I had going on this weekend. So, I'm feeling better, the first day of orientation is over, I made it to kickboxing class (which kicked my hind side), and now I'm watching the season premiere of "Castle." It's been a good day. So blessed!

Weekend Foodie

It's definitely been a weekend full of fun and food. I headed to the OK State Fair on Friday night to meet up with some friends. We walked through several buildings...the baby goats are my favorite...and indulged in some classic fair food. It's been a couple of years since I've been to the fair. And I normally go for a corn dog and a cinnamon roll and/or I share a funnel cake (because when you eat a whole funnel cake bad things happen...like you lose your gallbladder)...but anyways... I started off with a corn dog, which I regretted after I ran into the fried PB&J. Obviously, I will be trying that next year. 

For dessert, I opted for cheesecake (on a stick), dipped in PB sauce, and rolled in Oreos. It was good. But I know that I could make better cheesecake and better PB sauce, so people tell me I'm a "fair food snob." Better stick with the cinnamon rolls and funnel cakes... My friends shared some of their grub. We all tried some fried watermelon. I didn't hate it. And the marshmallow cinnamon cream dipping sauce was fab. The fried Oreos were pretty intensely sweet. And my bite of funnel cake was bomb.

This afternoon, I hit up the Greek Festival at St. George's. I've always wanted to go. Never had the time. I like Greek food. And I was told it's pretty great. So I went and got some tasty stuff. Like I would much rather indulge on Greek Fest food than fair food. I can recommend the gyro wrap and the calamari. 

And, if your sweet tooth can handle it, the Zorba sundae is legit. Salted ice cream with baklava. Goodness. Besides some great food, there's live music and dancing and a bunch of fun things for kiddos. And, let's not pretend that I wasn't tempted by the inflatables. 

My summer is officially winding down. Just in time for the official beginning of fall...aka PUMPKIN EVERYTHING SEASON!!! Now, excuse me while I go try to convince my body that it is not coming down with the upper respiratory infection that's been going around. I can't be having that! 

Where has the time gone?

Today marks my last pre-work weekday! It has been a wonderful summer, and I feel so blessed to have gone on so many adventures, met some wonderful people, and spent invaluable time with family. It's also been great getting 10+ hours of sleep a night (except for the nights I wake up and have to get a snack). And I've definitely enjoyed the days when I've had time to workout twice. But I'm very excited to be starting work on Monday! And more excited to reunite with some of the girls I graduated with! It will also be nice having some kind of schedule/routine. 

I have finished my annual Grey's-a-thon, which honestly hasn't happened for probably the past four seasons...I had school or something. It takes a long time to get through 9 seasons of something. So while that was going, I refinished my bedroom furniture (like stripping, sanding, and re-staining...and I had to paint knobs and pulls...), worked on some Scentsy things (have you seen the new fall stuff?!), and of course some cleaning and organizing. I've also been running what feels like an insane amount of errands. I've been doing a little cooking, but it's very random and totally thrown together. Like, I made some salsa yesterday and it's really good, but I couldn't give you the recipe because I just threw it together. I'm wrapping up phase 2 of P90X-2 this week. And just found out that P90X-3 is coming this winter!!! So I'm like a kid in a candy store or something.  

I'm definitely trying to make the most of my "last" weekend. I'll be hitting up the State Fair and the Greek Festival. And I get to watch the brother in OC's Freshman Fanfare. I feel like I was in that just yesterday. Time flies! 

{Flourless} Chocolate Chunk Blondies with Sea Salt

I got in a little baking amongst everything else going on today! I had found this "healthy" sweet treat recipe on Pinterest a while back. I'm so glad I finally tried it! Plus, it was a good excuse to break in my recent Target find:

Pretty great, right? These blondies are flour-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free...but not taste-free. The big secret ingredient? Chick peas. Mixed up with honey and natural peanut butter. ANYTHING is better with peanut butter. (Fine, I realize that may not be completely true...but mostly.) I broke apart some Velata discs for my chocolate chunks. Great choice. I promise there is a difference in the taste between regular chocolate chips/chunks and Velata. It's kind of epic. 

Being me, I under-baked these babies. So mine turned out very soft and gooey. Yum. I couldn't tell you what they might be like if you actually bake them for an appropriate amount of time...but I'd imagine they still taste good! Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Chunk Blondies with Sea Salt

Inspired by: Ambitious Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz) chick peas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup broken Velata premium chocolate pieces 

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350*F. Prepare an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine everything except the chocolate into a food processor (really, a Ninja or Vitamix is best). Process until the batter is smooth. Fold in the chocolate chunks. 
• Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle a little sea salt on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean out of the center and the edges are slightly browned. 

Mushroom & Quinoa Salad with Tilapia

I cooked!! And it was good!! But seriously. This meal was inspired by the need to use the mushrooms, tomato, and goat cheese that were in the house. Also it's Fish Friday...so tilapia was an obvious choice. And I like quinoa and balsamic. So ta-da! Dinner.

The rest of the day has been fairly uneventful. Errands. Refinishing furniture. Recovering from yesterday's X2 Chest+Back+Balance, ab ripper, and Zumba combo. Like things are sore that I didn't remember could be sore...Yoga-X was much needed this morning. Still, it's been a pretty chill day...and evening. I feel like Friday nights should be more exciting... Anyways, here is your recipe: 

Mushroom & Quinoa Salad with Tilapia

Ingredients:

2 tilapia filets (maybe like 6 oz each), thawed

1/2 cup quinoa

1 lb. sliced mushrooms

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 large tomato, cut into small pieces 

2-3 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Salt & pepper

EVOO

Balsamic vinaigrette 

Directions:

• Set the oven to broil on low. Line a pan with foil and place the tilapia on it. Season with a little salt and pepper. Drizzle with some EVOO. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, have your quinoa cooking (according to the directions on the package...I like to use chicken or vegetable stock for my liquid...more flavor).
• This is also a good time to drizzle your saute pan with EVOO, and cook the mushrooms and garlic. 
• Once the fish, quinoa, and mushrooms are done, you can combine everything in a large bowl. Drizzle on your balsamic. Top with goat cheese. Eat up!

And So The Countdown Begins...

Well, I have to admit that I've totally been slacking on the cooking thing. It's like I'm in school again. Which means I'm just eating a lot of peanut butter (not necessarily sandwich), Greek yogurt, fresh fruits and veggies, string cheese, and protein bars. It's really exciting. I just haven't got back into cooking mode. I was too spoiled in Zambia. And then last week in Minnesota. 

Yes, I had my last summer adventure before starting work. I got to spend some time with family, which was a blessing. Played some quality card games. AND I got some really excellent sleep. I got the swinging bed in the basement. It's very quiet. And no light comes in. It's magical. 

I enjoyed some tasty cuisine prepared by my aunt, as well as fresh-baked bread and fresh-grown veggies (thanks to the grandfather). My favorite snack of the week would have to be the cherry tomatoes...which is weird because I don't generally just eat tomatoes. But these were fantastic. Sweet. Juicy. Goodness. There was quite the supply of tomatoes, so besides just munching on them, I had them in things like Texas Caviar and on a Naked Chicken Bruschetta Burger. Yum.

We spent much of our time sorting through things. Unpacking boxes. Packing boxes. It's just about miraculous that we managed to get about everything loaded in the car to come back to Oklahoma. My uncle has got some good packing skills! Seriously, we looked like the Clampetts. Rocking chair and all. But now I've got some pretty good stuffs for when I figure out where I'm living...I should work on that. 

But my last summer is winding down. And I'm getting ready to start work in just 18 days!

The countdown is on!