5 Things To Do With: ZUCCHINI

By Holly on June 19, 2013

There is nothing better than summer zucchini. Nothing, I tell ya.

I mentioned on my Summer Bucket List that I need to work on not being depressed about our lack of garden this year, so part of my solution to that is buying COPIOUS amounts of zucchini at our farmers market.

And here is what I’m planning to do with it:

1. Make a Lasagna

Paleo Lasagna from Eat Drink Paleo

I love a good zucchini noodle, and it is surprisingly delicious to make a lasagna without pasta! If you do well with dairy, you can DEFINITELY work in some cheesiness. If not, it is still really really awesome. And the smugness you get from eating a mostly vegetable dinner? AMAZING.

2. Make Zucchini Boats with Bacon Gremolata

Zucchini Boats with Bacon Gremolata from BHG

I’ve avoided making a gremolata mostly because the name bugs me. Look, I don’t always make sense, ok? But gremolata just sounds a little bit gross. But bacon makes everything better, yes? Gremolata included, I think.

3. Make Chocolate Muffins Healthier

Chocolate Zucchini Paleo Muffins from Fresh for Five

This looks way more fun than your standard zucchini bread, right????

4. Make Zucchini Ribbon Pasta

Paleo Pasta from Multiply Delicious

Vegetable noodles are THE BOMB, you guys. I mean look, no one is ever going to convince me that spaghetti squash tastes like pasta, so I’m not trying to tell you that zucchini tastes just like spaghetti — but zucchini is freaking delicious! And throwing some other fun stuff together in a bowl completely increases both the yum and comfort factor.

5. Make Pancakes

Zucchini Pancakes from Project Granola Mom

We at these ALL. SUMMER. LONG. last year and as a matter of fact, I don’t know why we stopped. I am going to rectify this soon.

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Need even more inspiration?

*My friend Sarah recently posted her zucchini boat method
*I can show you the UGLIEST way ever to prep zucchini
*AndreAnna makes a mean zucchini garlic hummus

So tell me…what is YOUR favorite way to use up zucchini?

2013 Summer Bucket List

By Holly on June 17, 2013

I like how summer just snuck right in this weekend. I was contemplating not making a bucket list this year because work is still taking up a ridiculous amount of time and brain space, but I just can’t. do. it. I had to make one!

This year’s bucket list is decidedly short and mostly superficial but I think that is just what I need. Work is taking up a lot of time, so I want to make sure my time outside of work is full of silly, superficial pleasures. To me, that will make this summer a success!

1. Get tan. Stay tan.

Oooh, I am already working on this in the best way and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. Sometimes I don’t mind being super pale. Sometimes I like a little color on my skin. This summer — will be the SUMMER OF COLOR!

2. Prioritize manicures + pedicures.

Iowa realization: it brings me great pleasure to look at my fingernails and have them look nice. It’s really not that difficult and I like it a lot. GET IT DONE.

3. Get at least 2 more massages.

Secondary Iowa realization: getting a massage after a crazy week of workouts feels amazing, and I’m worth it.

4. Learn the words to some really awful cheesy pop songs. Sing them incessantly while driving.

When the sun’s blazing and the air conditioner is blowing — the only thing that makes running errands fun is belting out a little Justin Timberlake. Or Daft Punk. Or Selena Gomez. Or Taylor Swift. Sorry, it’s a fact.

5. Smell like summer ALL THE DAMN TIME.

My shower is stocked with coconut conditioner. My lotion smells like the beach. My skin is tan, my house is clean and smells like a sea breeze. Summer – 24:7.

6. Find a maxi dress you love FOR REAL this summer.

This is like searching for Bigfoot. But dammit, I am COMING FOR YOU!

7. Eat on the patio at least once per week.

Icy beverage, paper plates, the smell of BBQ in the air? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

8. Don’t be too sad about the garden.

I didn’t plant a summer garden this year and really, it’s depressing the crap out of me. But I need to snap out of it and start to plan fall. YOU ARE STILL ALLOWED TO ENJOY ZUCCHINI AND TOMATOES, HOLLY. EVEN IF YOU DIDN’T GROWN THEM YOURSELF.

9. Workout a few mornings per week.

Afternoon workouts are harder these days for two reasons: 1) it’s a million degrees out and 2) I have a lot less mental tenacity after work these days. I want to squeeze in some AM Sweat Sessions.

10. Drink a lot of iced coffee. (Ok, not too much. But, still.)

Iced Coffee is THE BOMB. But I’m usually too lazy to prepare a batch. This summer, I will rectify that.

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What’s on YOUR summer bucket list?

Nacho Ordinary Wedding Weekend

By Holly on June 11, 2013

The short story is we eat nachos 3 times in 2.5 days and I wanted to make a bad pun out of it. The longer story is that we had an amazing weekend, and I really didn’t want to leave on Sunday!

You know how sometimes vacations are fun, but you are happy to be home? Well this was a super-fun-I-wish-we-were-still-there kind of weekend and we are now (as we do every time we are on the Central Coast) making grand plans to move down there in the next five years. Of course there is a possibility that this will never happen, but every single time we leave we spend the drive home planning the move, so you never know.

So, for starters, Sarah gets a gold star for picking this weekend to get married because it was a great weekend to get the heck out of Sacramento!

We drove down Friday morning and really took our time. It’s a 5 hour drive but we probably stretched it out to about 7 hours by the time we did our traditional road trip stop at In-n-Out Burger for lettuce wraps and then a little perusal at our favorite bookstore in the Bay Area. We rolled into town at about 5ish and after stretching our legs and unpacking our stuff in the apartment we had rented, we headed downtown to get some coffee. Afterward we drove about 10 minutes south and met up with the bride and groom at the Avila Beach Farmers Market.

Avila is a darling little beach town and they have a cute Farmers Market on the promenade on Friday nights that is full of live music and good food and lots of energy.

There is also a long pier that Garrett and I always like to walk down — He likes to walk down it because he is always hoping to see something crazy. I like to walk down it because it is relaxing.

This time Garrett got his wish because we saw a fisherman catch a Tiger Shark.

Um, obviously IT WAS NOT RELAXING AT ALL TO ME TO SEE A SHARK BEING PULLED OUT OF THE OCEAN.

After that we had some drinks, and obviously some ice cream — this is what you must do in Avila, have ice cream on the promenade — and then Garrett and I let the bride and groom go get their beauty rest and we headed over to Sycamore Mineral Springs to soak in one of their hot tubs.

This is also something you MUST do. There are a ton of private springs nestled on the side of a hill and you get to sit and soak all of your stresses away for over an hour. It feels amazing when you are through and we do it every single time!

photo source

On the way home we may have picked up some nachos. FOURTH MEAL!

Saturday was the wedding, and we spent the morning relaxing and heading out to breakfast. I ordered Breakfast Nachos, and I’m just going to tell you right now that the best food concept ever invented EVER is the breakfast nacho. You heard it here first. On our way home to get ready we did a little shopping downtown and because I am crazy, I impulse bought a dress that I ended up wearing to the wedding that afternoon. Yay for new dresses! Here it is (see also: THE BRIDE! YAY!):

The wedding and reception were awesome, and wouldn’t you know it, the cocktail hour included a nacho bar. BRILLIANT, I tell you. Brilliant! Also, it included champagne.

The bride’s sister approved…as you would.

It was a great day and we were super happy for Sarah. Lots of love in that venue!

Reluctantly on Sunday we headed home, although not before stopping at our favorite donut place. Look, I am not made of wood and these donuts are REALLY FREAKING AWESOME. We weren’t really hungry, but we picked up a box because we thought they might sound good on the (FIVE HOUR) drive home. I had kind of forgotten about them when we stopped to get gas. Garrett looked at me when we pulled into the station and said “Hey, do YOU mind pumping gas?” which seemed kind of weird because he was driving. But when I got back into the car, I realized why:

BUSTED.

We rode that sugar high home the entire way.

I guess I am a little glad to be back to my real life — we decided to start a Whole 30 Lite yesterday. We are basically Whole 30-ing all of our meals that we eat for the next 30 days except for the ones that we are eating at the homes of others. We have a few things planned over the next month and I just didn’t want to be Those People — too much stress right now — but we are going to Whole 30 it at home. I’m anticipating it will feel great, and I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. You know I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

Fun Things To Read On A Friday

By Holly on June 7, 2013

Well, if we are lucky, by the time you read this Garrett and I will be down in San Luis Obispo. Buster is hanging out with Grandma (Dog massages! Walks multiple times per day! Unlimited brushing! AND TREATS!) so you know he is a happy camper, and we are too — I definitely foresee some relaxing and celebrating our future. Hopefully there is some of that in your weekend too?

How about we roll right into this weekend with some links? So many to share this week:

*I was in Whole Foods last weekend buying a few things and the checker said to me “Oh you must be Paleo.” That’s the first time that’s ever happened and I sort of panicked. I have a lot of anxiety around being vocal about my love for Paleo and not having The Ideal Lean Body. I think this touches on some of the reasons why, but I’m working on it. The last paragraph reminded me of my friend Amy’s recent post about worthiness. Also: about Stacy’s recent post about fat phobia in the Paleo-sphere.

*I bought an ice cream maker last weekend and it will either be the best or worst decision I’ve made this summer. Not gonna lie, this is first on my list to tackle. Also: this is a close second.

*How Happiness Changes With Age –I sure shouted AMEN! reading through this article. Loved the breakdown of promotion vs. prevention motivation. I’ve never quite heard it broken down like that. Makes sense!

*I’m saving this list for when I’m in a rut.

*In case you were wondering, this is what I consider Food Porn. I really want to do this when we get back from vacation!

*Since I won’t be doing much prep cooking this weekend, I think next week should involve A LOT of crockpot recipes. I want to try this.

* I was once told by someone I cared about that it worried them that I was the type of person who would never be happy. I think they meant it as a criticism. I took it as a compliment. I’m annoying like that.

*Productivity Maximization? I need to read this with a highlighter.

*I love the concept of Energy Density with respect to food. I obviously don’t agree with the nutrition breakdown they use here, but the concept itself was sort of fascinating. I may bust out my scale!

*I recognized a lot of myself in this post about Running Mistakes I’ve Made.

*Did you guys catch Sarah Wilson’s 10 Beefy Reads for Vegans and Meat Lovers. OHMAHGAWD, juicy. And full of links.

*I enjoyed listening to Jonathan Bailor from The Smarter Science of Slim on The Balanced Bites Podcast recently. Some of his Simple Tips were interesting, and you can find a 28 Page PDF of his 7 Days of SANEity Quick Start Guide right here.

*Can we talk about something that is striking me as the best idea EVER, lately? HAMBURGER SALAD:
Nourished Kitchen has one
Pioneer Woman has one
My girl Mel has one
I mean, why didn’t this occur to me sooner?

*Speaking of Paleo pals…did you see that the dynamic duo at Nom Nom Paleo wrote a cookbook? Oh you guys, I would buy anything they sell. No joke. They are good eggs!

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What’s on your reading list lately?

Whole 30 – Version 3.0?

By Holly on June 5, 2013

So here is the absolute truth as I see it:

*Right now, life is pretty dang good. Aside, of course, from wishing I was slightly less busy with work though it is trending in the right direction. So really, all is good.

*Concurrently, I am not at all happy with my body. But I’m not sure how riled up I feel like getting about this.

One of the great things I took away from the Everyday Paleo Seminar was the idea that if you aren’t managing stress, nothing else you manage is going to be super effective. I am a living breathing example of this right now, and while my stress management is also trending in the right direction, I can’t help but feel annoyed by the fact that I’m still exercising, still eating fairly well, and stock piling ALL OF THE FAT, EVERYWHERE. Perhaps that’s a slight exaggeration, but only slight.

My natural tendency is to write down some goals, make a plan of how to get there and then execute at all costs. But something about that just feels like it might be…well, a little stressful, right? I am not dying to put another thing on my plate, but I keep thinking about the other thing I took away from the Everyday Paleo Seminar and that was the idea that we should base our eating (and drinking, for that matter) on things that help us look, feel and perform at our best. I am pretty damn happy with my bodies performance in life right now (I’m alive! I’m still PRing at the gym! I’m sleeping well! My stress level is getting back to normal!). But the look and feel part — well, those definitely needs some improvement.

I wish I could remember where I read this recently (I’m sure it was on a blog) but the jist was that when it comes to food, focus on addition and not subtraction. Don’t focus so much on avoiding everything awful, but rather make it a priority to focus on adding in the good stuff first. I thought that was such a great way to frame things. And for the past few months I have been doing just that: if I can squeeze some kale into my smoothie, I’m doing it. If I can have 3 vegetables with dinner instead of two — I’m on it! Water instead of coffee? BOOM. I’ve got the “addition” pretty dialed in, and yet I am still unhappy with look and feel. (Back Fat — seriously needs to EFF OFF!) So now I want to think a little bit about subtraction.

My first instinct was to do a Whole 30, but I certainly don’t want to make a habit of saying “I feel fat! Do a Whole 30!” That sounds a little yo-yo diet to me, right? Also, I have written about my experiences of doing a Whole 30 and there is no doubt that it is a challenge. Am I in the right mind frame to take on this challenge?

But here are the other facts: I am the type of person who actually finds relief in some rules/framework. Part of my stress lately comes from that fact that I am not making the time to take care of myself. And usually when I am in the midst of a Whole 30, I not only end up prioritizing cooking in a way that I love, but I also feel really free from the whole “Should I be make a bad decision and have this ice cream tonight?” type of anxiety because there are really only two choices during the Whole 30: Commit or Quit. Committing is more challenging, yes — but also in many ways, so much simpler.

Anyway…no resolution just yet, and definitely no commitment. My biggest takeaway from the Whole 30 has always been that it is the little things that make such a huge difference, and I would like to see some huge differences here shortly. But we are out of town this weekend (and coincidentally staying in walking distance from the best donuts in California) so something tells me I may feel a bit more passionate about when we return? Maybe I’ll take my copy of It Starts With Food with me for a little light vacation reading. I’ll keep you posted.

Any of you doing a Whole 30 soon?

August And Everything After

By Holly on June 4, 2013

In August of 1996 I moved down to a small college town on the Central Coast of California in what was sure to be The Next Great Chapter in the tale of my epic life. Clearly I was full of that specific kind of arrogance that one only has right as their college years begin and I had waited so long on this precipice of independence that when I was finally able, I took a running swan dive off a cliff into the sparkling abyss below.

Unfortunately college, for me, was very shallow water the first time around.

While I loved the town I was in, at 17 I was just not ready to be on my own and responsible in the ways that were demanded. Looking back the demands were so few, but at the time they felt like the weight of the world, and after only a couple of years I knew it was time to go back home. I needed to regroup. I needed a new goal. I certainly needed a new boyfriend and frankly, I needed a new life. Be careful what you wish for.

In hindsight, this was also the first time in my semi-adult life that I absolutely led with my gut. Somewhere in my mind I just KNEW that packing up and leaving was the right decision, and as I’ve gotten older I have remembered this particular moment when I’ve needed to trust myself. But at the time, when you added up the facts it was a disastrous choice — Cal Poly was an amazing education and I was just throwing in the towel. San Luis Obispo was a safe and small town (uh…for the most part) with so many amenities that I was trading in. But at the time I didn’t care what the facts said, my heart said “Go back home. Now.” And as August of 1998 unfolded, I realized why.

A year later, in August of course, I found myself heading south again. I would spend a few years in Los Angeles losing myself and finding myself (over and over and over — it kept me quite busy actually) and after a while I knew it was time to head back home again. Home looked a little different this time — it was a new city, Sacramento — and my mom was living there alone without my dad. But I was ready to finish college, it was a slower pace of life than LA and I needed the change. This time I wasn’t so bold to think I needed a new life — I was still scarred from the result of that wish the last time — but I was open. Open to whatever and whoever was coming next.

I enrolled at Sac State and rented a bedroom in a (what would end up being a CRAZY) 5 bedroom house that would ultimately be occupied by 4 other female students. I didn’t know a soul in town and I wasn’t quite ready to live alone. This seemed like a somewhat less scary option and I packed up my car and started my new life on August 13 of 2002. It was over 100 degrees that day, and if you have ever packed and unpacked your life on a day that hot, I tip my hat to you. It was a rude awakening and I will not lie, there were many times that day I thought that The Universe must be telling me that I had made the absolute wrong decision. I was coming from an apartment 11 blocks from the beach. From a job where I was successful. From a town where I had made friends close enough to call family. And now I was here. In the fiery furnace of hell, living out of boxes and not knowing a soul.

Shortly after I unpacked — sweaty, alone in the house, and super disheveled — Sarah walked in. I’m sure she thought I was a hot mess. She and her brother were carrying her mattress up the stairs and somehow or another it got away from them, went sliding down the stairs, and crashed through the glass partition in our front door. It was just the perfect icing on such a craptactular moving day that the only thing anyone could do was laugh hysterically.

After that day, Sarah and I spent the next 6 years as roommates. We both finished college, had many fun days and long crazy nights, and after graduating we even both moved on to our Real World Jobs with the same company (that 8 years later we both still work for!) I used to always joke that no one lives with a person that long unless they are married, and most people seem to agree, but something about our friendship has just defied the odds, you know?

A few years ago, Sarah moved back home. What is coincidental is that Sarah’s “home” is the Central Coast, so she has an intimate knowledge of this gem of our state that I had to leave all of those years ago to come back to my home. We didn’t know each other then, of course, but the geographic overlap of our coming of age created a common bond. Garrett + I love to visit her whenever we have the chance, not only because it is a beautiful place and always sort of nostalgic, but because there are only handful of people in life for which you can go months and months without communicating, but then pick right back up where we left off — and Sarah is one of those people for both of us. Years of shared history does that in the best way.

All of this is on my mind because this weekend we are heading down to San Luis Obispo to celebrate Sarah and her awesome fiance’s wedding. On Saturday night they will be married, and I was thinking about it all last night the only way to describe how I am feeling about the whole situation is joyous. I am not a super mushy wedding person, but something about the way this wedding has weaved together so many threads of my life just feels a little special. I can’t wait to be in this town, with my love, watching these two have this particular moment. It feels like a little wink from The Universe. But more importantly, it feels like another wonderful reminder that everything is unfolding just as it should.

The Great Iowa Adventure (Part Two)

By Holly on June 3, 2013

So when I woke up Thursday morning all of my work was done, and now it was time to focus on Vacation Iowa. I grabbed a coffee at Starbucks and said goodbye to the our Iowa corporate office and then headed back to the hotel.

That picture was from the day before, on Thursday, however, the weather was SUPER CRAPTASTIC. But then, like an hour later — all of a sudden the weather was great. Here was the view out of my hotel room (scenic, I know) before and after I showered and got ready.

Crazy, right? Midwest weather vexes me. The difference a few minutes can make absolutely blows my mind. Luckily it the weather turned in my favor because I was about to embark on a 3 hour road trip to see AndreAnna.

It was a mostly scenic drive and I made it out there singing 80s tunes at the top of my lungs, so all in all…not a bad trip. And I was so happy to see AndreAnna! It was SO. DANG. GOOD. to catch up with a good friend over some beverages on the patio in the sun. We had a million things to talk about, she is an awesome hostess and almost immediately we decided we should go and get manicures and pedicures.

The thing I miss so much about friends far away are days like this where you just get to HANG OUT! We took full advantage and also added in some pampering! I decided right then and there, sitting in that salon chair, that I am going to do much more pampering this summer. We had a relaxing Thursday night and AndreAnna’s husband made some awesome gluten free pizzas for us to sample (WHICH WERE AMAZEBALLS) and then we turned in pretty early because we had a big Friday ahead.

Friday we were up early to get in a workout at Quad Cities CrossFit. It was a partner workout with a combo of my most favorite (Squat Cleans) and my least favorite (Toes to Bar) movements. Ha! We powered through it though, and then of course we had to get some serious breakfast. I mean OBVIOUSLY.

We headed over to The Machine Shed for breakfast, and they are not at all kidding when they say they serve cinnamon rolls THE SIZE OF YOUR HEAD. It was a super cute restaurant, and we chowed down and headed out to our next adventure.

Sadly, our next adventure was not a tractor ride — but it was even better — MASSAGES! I mean, I literally was shouting out AndreAnna’s car window “I’M NEVER LEAVING IOWA.” Manis and pedis! Tough Workouts! Delicious Food! FREAKING RIDICULOUS MASSAGES! I mean, what else does one need? (Ok, ok — maybe my dude and my dog but luckily Garrett was sending me silly photos and texts the whole week to let me know they were doing just fine back at home.)

After massages we grabbed some groceries for that evening because AndreAnna had invites some friends over and the ladies were having a Ladies Night while the gents stayed at home. We hit up Sam’s Club and managed to pick the loudest, most unruly cart in the store as well as drop an entire 6 pack of beer on the ground. We were like Laverne & Shirley, but we got out of there with some good eats and an in tact 6 pack.

When we headed home it was time for some patio drinking again (the weather was AWESOME on Friday) and then it was time to shower and put our party pants on because it was Ladies Night On The Town. We headed out to Front Street Brewery and I got to try their amazing BBQ Pork Nachos. They might LITERALLY be the best nachos I’ve ever had, and despite the fact that I try not to consume corn chips on a regular basis, I consider myself a bit of a nacho conossieur. Don’t worry, I’ve put that on my resume.

We rounded out the evening with…well, quite a few “Vodka Sodas with a Shit-ton of Lime” — which I highly recommend. They go down easy on a hot summer night and you are practically hydrating while drinking. They may, however, make you force the driver of your vehicle to pull over while you are passing the Mississippi River. I mean you guys: IT WAS A FULL MOON OVER THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER! This just seemed so novel to me. I’m a California Girl…so looking at the freaking Mississippi River just made me realize I was soooooo far from home! Far enough from home that I had to bust out the spirit fingers.

All in all, it was a very fun night with some very fun ladies:

I don’t have a lot of pictures from our adventures on Saturday, but that is probably for the best since the weather got SUPER yucky and we mostly lounged around working off our vodka sodas by playing cards and drinking more. No one needs pictures of me and my greasy ponytail playing cards, I promise. Sunday, the weather was equally icky and unfortunately Sunday was my big travel day back home — which involved another 3 hour road trip. Iowa, you are no fun to drive in when there are crazy thunderstorms! I guess it was fitting though, because had it been another beautiful day I really may never have left.

I was up and on the road early. It was so sad to leave — I wish AndreAnna and her awesome family were my next door neighbors because seriously, we had SUCH A GOOD TIME — but I had also been away from my life for 7 days and you know how that goes, right? I knew it would be good to get back home. I had to drive 3 hours back to Des Moines and then get on a little puddle jumper plane to get up to Minneapolis — eep! I don’t love tiny planes — and then from Minneapolis back to Sacramento.

When I got to Minneapolis I was pretty exhausted, but then out of nowhere they called my name at the gate upgraded me to First Class for the rest of my flight home. You guys, that like actually happens in real life! After that flight experience, I seriously I NEVER WANT TO FLY COACH AGAIN….HAHAHAHAHAHAHA uh, you know, unless I’m actually paying for it! I rolled into the Sacramento airport at about 7pm Sunday night and despite it already being a long day I was super energized when I got there. It was still light out and super hot and it just felt like home! I was so, so happy to be back reunited with Buster, then Garrett cooked me a nice dinner, and I slept soundly in my own bed for the first time in a week.

Sometimes it takes some time away to make you realize all the silly little things that you love about your life, right? I couldn’t have asked for a better time in Iowa, but I have enjoyed being back home and back to my routines over the last week and a half. It’s starting to feel like summer around here and I am marinating on some things I want to make sure I do over the next few months. A bucket list of sorts — but with much less productivity and more superficial fun!

Fun Things To Read On A Friday

By Holly on May 31, 2013

Yep. We matched. Unintentionally. Like Dorks.

Happy Friday, y’all!

I still have some fun things to say about Iowa last week (So good to see AndreAnna — I’m so glad you all agree with me that she should bring her blog back: BRING YOUR BLOG BACK ANDREANNA! HEEEEEEE) but this week has been NUTS-O (Of course it has. When, oh when, will my life feel under control? UNKONWN.) But I guess I will be saving that for another day. Today I thought you might want some things to take your mind off…well, whatever it is you are avoiding doing right at the moment.

Internet rabbit holes, FOR THE WIN:

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So I’ve been contemplating my workout routine and trying to strategize how to make it more well rounded for me personally. I know! What a concept! There isn’t One! Right! Workout Routine! (GASP.) Anyway, based on my current life, stress load, health goals, etc I haven’t made any decisions but I’m gathering information and working it all out. The following posts have given me some good food for thought:

*Steady State Cardio A Thyroid Killer
*15 Ways to Squeeze More Yoga Into Your Everyday Activities
*Sprinting and Walking are totally underrated
*Top 30 Tips to Lose Belly Fat — Look I’m sick of Bikini Body magazine articles too, but this list is actually useful.
*Core Fitness For Women — Yep, they talk about kegels as core fitness. WHAT?

Anyway, that was a lot of info about exercising…sheesh! How about some other stuff, like…

*100 Questions to Inspire Rapid Self Discovery– ooooh, some good ones, right?

*I watched this in the Minneapolis Airport on my layover last week and totally loved it.

*Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls…so I will — nothing like a sensationalized title to get ya clicking, eh? But I thought there were a lot of great points in here.

*Why Vegans and Paleos Should Stop Hating Each Other YESSSSS!

*A friend of mine is gathering 8 people together for dinner and sent us an email that included a link to this interactive online scheduler. HOW BAD ASS IS THIS? Game: Changed!

*Things I am cooking this weekend:
Chicken Bacon Alfredo
Avocado with Warm Bacon Cilantro Dressing
*Kiwi Blackberry Summer Sangria
*Bloody Mary Salad
and maybe just maybe a Grain Free Chocolate Pudding Pie We’ll see!

*Speaking of things to cook: I’m hosting a Great Gatsby themed dinner party in a couple of weeks for book club — any recipe suggestions? FIRE AWAY!

What are you all up to this weekend? We are getting Buster groomed for the first time (OMG that dog is shedding like a crazy dog. He is leaving clumps of hair around the house that look like those old school rabbit’s foot keychains. Which, btw? Those were GROSS, right?) Also doing some heavy lifting, some dog walking, and some serious iced coffee drinking. It’s going to be over 100 all weekend! Hope you all have a good one!

The Great Iowa Adventure (Part One)

By Holly on May 27, 2013

Greetings! I’m back from my 7 day adventure traipsing all over Iowa and I’ve had about a day to recover, so hey — why not get right back into it. (Boy, I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.) I fully intended to blog my way through the state, but it went by so much quicker than I thought and I just never felt like pulling out my laptop — so indulge me in a little recapping, would ya?

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I started my week last Monday at 3:30 in the morning. When I booked my flight out, 6am seemed like a reasonable idea, but let me tell you, A 6AM FLIGHT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. I don’t know what I was thinking! But after about 6 hours of travel (and a nap or two) I made it to Des Moines safe and sound.

I hadn’t been there since early 2006 and while many things looked the same (airport, hotel, etc), so much seemed different – especially with respect to my life. Back in 2006, when I first started working for my company, I had to go to Des Moines for 2 weeks for training and at the time, Garrett and I had only been together for a little over 2 months so it all seemed SO DRAMATIC to have to be gone for 2! WHOLE! WEEKS! This time around I was like “Ok babe! Take care of the dog! Hope you don’t starve!” hahahaha. Well, not exactly, but you know what I’m saying, right?

After I checked into the hotel and got settled, I decided to brave it and walk over to CrossFit Primal and get in a workout. Visiting a new CrossFit gym is always so intimidating. I always expect it to be full of fire breathing Games Athletes that are going to roll their eyes at me. It NEVER is though, so I’m glad I put on my big girl (workout) pants and headed over.

I felt right at home with the instructor and the class and it was nice to feel like I had some semblance of routine even though I was on the road. I am a pretty good traveler but 7 days on the road is a long time so I wanted to keep things as normal as possible (which is why on my way home I totally stopped at Walgreens all disgusting and sweaty and bought handsoap for the hotel bathroom…because seriously? A BAR OF SOAP? Who washes their hands with A BAR OF SOAP?) Anyway, the workout was fun and I knew INSTANTLY that my legs would be feeling it the next day.

And lo and behold, they were! Which made it glaringly obvious how low the the hotel toilets were, but that is neither here nor there. Tuesday morning I woke up early after a SUPER crappy night of sleep. Tons of thunder and warnings of tornadoes kept me a little anxious all night so needless to say I didn’t squeeze in a workout before I headed into the office.

Luckily the weather was pretty nice all of Tuesday and despite not staying outside to enjoy it the day just flew by. Tuesday and Wednesday were my long days at work so I just tried to stay focused on the tasks at hand. But by Wednesday night I was ready for some vacation! I met up with blog reader Jillian for some well deserved cocktails and we had an awesome meal chatting it up like we had known each other forever. I had a real “I Love The Internet” moment!

Afterward I walked back to the hotel and got everything ready for my big road trip to Davenport the next day to hang with AndreAnna. It had been almost a year and a half since we had last hung out and I was super excited to get to her neck of the woods and see her in real life!

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about how the vacation portion of the week went down….

Fun Things To Read On A Friday

By Holly on May 16, 2013

Howdy folks! Happy Friday! I don’t know about you but I’m counting the minutes until cocktail hour. (PS – Sarah once told me to go out on a limb and try this Pinot Grigio ($6.89 at Costco, WHAT???) and I’m so glad I did. It’s pretty darn awesome!) It’s been a great week around our house and even better on our plates. We’ve been eating super duper clean (I feel GREAT!) and so I think I’ve earned a little Friday night glass of something special. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into some tri tip tonight and coast into the weekend.

I plan to soak up some time at home because I’m going to be in the great state of Iowa all next week for work (and some play!) I’ll definitely be missing Garrett and Buster, but I really like Des Moines and haven’t been there in a while, plus I also get to squeeze in a little visit with AndreAnna! Fun, fun!

What are YOU up to this weekend? Cooking or reading anything fun? Please dish! And now…onto some links:

*****

*In the mood for a marathon? Uh, TV Marathon that is…I have enough running lately. Check out The Best TV Shows for Binges

*Mark’s Daily Apple has had some good posts up lately. Not that he doesn’t regularly or anything, but I just particularly enjoyed: Why It’s Important to Cook Your Own Meals and 10 Psychological Hurdles Keeping You From Losing Weight & How to Overcome Them.

*I’m intrigued by this homemade electrolyte drink. Let’s be real, I’m equally intrigued by this recipe for Lava Flows because they make me miss Maui! (Hot damn, we had a fun time there!)

*I’m in a kitchen creating mood – I think I’m going to make these lemon bars this weekend.

*I love this post about resilience. Volatility is the new normal.

*Who couldn’t use a confidence boost? I liked these 10 Rules for Feeling More Confident and these 50 Self Esteem Quotes to Give Your Confidence a Boost.

*This tip about The Magic of Later is something I do ALL THE TIME! So useful!

*Need some web distraction? How about checking out 100 Websites You Should Know and Use.

*****

Hope you all have a great weekend!

5 Things To Do With: ZUCCHINI

1. Make a Lasagna

2. Make Zucchini Boats with Bacon Gremolata

3. Make Chocolate Muffins Healthier

4. Make Zucchini Ribbon Pasta

5. Make Pancakes

2013 Summer Bucket List

1. Get tan. Stay tan.

2. Prioritize manicures + pedicures.

3. Get at least 2 more massages.

4. Learn the words to some really awful cheesy pop songs. Sing them incessantly while driving.

5. Smell like summer ALL THE DAMN TIME.

6. Find a maxi dress you love FOR REAL this summer.

7. Eat on the patio at least once per week.

8. Don’t be too sad about the garden.

9. Workout a few mornings per week.

10. Drink a lot of iced coffee. (Ok, not too much. But, still.)

Nacho Ordinary Wedding Weekend

Fun Things To Read On A Friday

Whole 30 – Version 3.0?

August And Everything After

The Great Iowa Adventure (Part Two)

Fun Things To Read On A Friday

The Great Iowa Adventure (Part One)

Fun Things To Read On A Friday

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1. Make a Lasagna

2. Make Zucchini Boats with Bacon Gremolata

3. Make Chocolate Muffins Healthier

4. Make Zucchini Ribbon Pasta

5. Make Pancakes

1. Get tan. Stay tan.

2. Prioritize manicures + pedicures.

3. Get at least 2 more massages.

4. Learn the words to some really awful cheesy pop songs. Sing them incessantly while driving.

5. Smell like summer ALL THE DAMN TIME.

6. Find a maxi dress you love FOR REAL this summer.

7. Eat on the patio at least once per week.

8. Don’t be too sad about the garden.

9. Workout a few mornings per week.

10. Drink a lot of iced coffee. (Ok, not too much. But, still.)

Oh Hey!

Pictures I’ve Taken

Some Stuff I Write About

More Organized Stuff I Write About

Looking For Something Specific?

What I’m Pinning

Archives

Posts