cookouts, bridal showers and keeping the momentum.

Happy Sunday, friends! This post comes to you mainly because I'm avoiding cleaning out some of my old kitchen gadgets and dishes to make room for the brand spankin' new goodies we received at my bridal shower this weekend. Blessed does not even begin to cover it.

But since we haven't chatted since my birthday, I guess I've got some ground to cover. Let's talk about the fact that I gained 3 pounds this week at my weigh-in, despite tackling several workouts this past week in a desperate attempt to make up for birthday weight gained over the weekend. Frustrated does not even begin to cover it, and after an hour circuit class last Tuesday in a room covered by mirrors, it's safe to say that I haven't felt this bad about myself since I was at my highest weight.

I could write a series of posts on body image and how important it is to come to terms with who you are aside from your physical appearance, but my recent hiatus from strength training to more actively pursue my running has reminded me that strong is better than skinny any day of the week. It's something that, deep down, I think I always knew, but let's face it - sometimes we're more excited by a loss on the scale than we are by arm muscles. But truth be told, I didn't realize how much I missed being strong until I stopped doing bootcamp a few months ago and lost virtually all the muscle I'd gained during that process. The constant soreness I experience from strength training is fantastic, but detrimental to my running (this is my personal opinion - more power to you if you can bust out 9 miles after leg day at the gym). But I miss strength training dearly, and vow to pursue it more habitually once I get these pesky 13.1 miles out of my system.

The highlight of the work week was a 3.1 mile hike in 90 degree weather with the fabulous Healthy Habits ladies, followed by a cookout with all our favorite recipes from Skinnytaste. Here are some samplings from our fantastic cookout. Don't worry, we didn't have leftovers.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you southwestern black bean salad and chicken pesto kabobs. The black bean salad is a fantastic cold salad on its own, but we devoured the entire bowl before dinner with a bag of tortilla chips from Trader Joe's - I would highly recommend it for any and all summer cookouts and even as a healthy football party dish this fall. I used frozen corn, because I am inherently lazy. And not even sorry about it. The pesto kabobs are a perfect appetizer or main course - we used them as our main course, and someone brought a delicious tomato, basil and mozzarella salad that paired perfectly with these guys. Gina at Skinnytaste makes her own pesto and after I made hers for the first time, I've never bought prepackaged pesto again. It's fabulous. Understatement of the year. 

On the breakfast front, my wonderful friend over at Fabulous Fit Foodie sent a recipe my way for a southwestern scramble in a mug. I'm not a big breakfast person, and struggle to find things that are low in points but fill me until my next feeding (seriously, I eat every two hours like some sort of sick animal). I heat one link of chicken sausage separately, cut it up and add it along with the Laughing Cow wedge once the egg is cooked. Breakfast. In. A. Coffee. Mug. I'm in love. 

I usually eat my breakfast at work, so these are perfect things to store in the office fridge and use when you get hungry mid-morning.

All food and running aside though. This past weekend was my bridal shower, thrown by the best cousin/maid of honor, best friend and family I could ever ask for. The attention to detail, thought and extra mile taken turned out to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I cannot begin to tell you how blessed I feel. As I sit here staring at all our new goodies, every one of them reminds me of the person who gave them to us, and it's actually kind of a humbling experience to know that every time I use our new crockpot, Ninja blender or snuggly green throw, I'll be thinking of the people who love and support us. It's an added bonus to the gift-receiving process that I hadn't considered until it happened.

The shower was also my first "wedding festivity," making the entire experience way more real than it's felt so far. We have 70 days (yes, 70) until the big day and all the planning, weight loss, exercise and logistics have taken priority thus far - but this past weekend allowed me to stop and breathe in the moment, and realize how lucky Rob and I are to have everyone here to celebrate with us. So, in closing, I'll leave you with a few detail shots from the shower - you can thank my amazing cousin over at Shannon Barth Photography for the amazing shots of the smallest, most intricate and beautiful details from Saturday's festivities.

Happy Sunday, friends - may you not kill anyone at your offices this week!

another year closer to 30.

Happy birthday to me!

Twenty seven years ago, your lives were all changed for the better - I was brought into the world by two people who hopefully haven't regretted it since. No, but really. I like birthdays. If you couldn't tell.

I took today off work. People think it's crazy - it's just a birthday, and the older you get, the less they're celebrated. No one likes getting older after age 21, right? True, sort of. But I took today off. Because my birthday just so happened to fall on a Friday, giving me a 3 day weekend, and because it's my damn birthday and I'll do as I please.

I also packed my birthday "weekend" (because you shouldn't just get one day) full of stuff I wouldn't normally do. I'm writing to you from the comfort of my couch, feeling the warmth of the morning sun let in from the windows behind me. It's 8:41, and I just got back from a 9 mile run with my best friend in the most beautiful running weather this world has ever seen. I wanted to go write and drink the iced coffee that Rob surprised me with when I got home on a bakery patio somewhere, but couldn't bear to leave my dogs - they're sunning in front of the front door and soaking up not being left alone all day like usual. I opened the windows. It's not even 9 a.m., and this is the most perfect morning in the world.

I am going shopping later today. Months of weight loss have left my wardrobe hurting, and I can't wait to add some great pieces to it. I'm going to lunch, I scheduled a long overdue massage (courtesy of a gift card I've been hoarding since Christmas), and I have dinner plans with my future husband tonight. I'm getting drinks with my best friend and her brand new husband, and this is what birthdays are about. Tomorrow, I will act like I'm 22 and wear a fantastic pair of heels on a party bus like you'd do when someone turns 21. It will be glorious.

But what I'm trying to tell you is that I am in no way trying to play a "this is all about me" card in the typical, selfish sense that you're probably thinking about. What I'm trying to tell you is that everyone should do this. When you're young, you get birthday parties. There are dinosaur themes to explore, giant toys to be gifted and cake to be eaten (did I mention that the best fiancé ever is getting me a big fat German chocolate cake from my favorite bakery?) and new gadgets you MUST have. There are milestone birthdays - your first "double digit birthday," 16, 18 and 21. You're entitled to celebrate those because life hasn't hit you yet - there are no responsibilities to get in your way, no "real life" woes to be concerned about. Life is glorious during the early birthdays.

But the older you get, the more you're owned by other people. The government, your boss, your kids, your job, your mortgage, your debt, your bills. You spend so much of your adult life "playing the game" and birthdays often go unnoticed, or you find yourself not wanting to celebrate or not wanting anyone to go out of their way for you.

Take my advice: Go out of your way for someone's birthday. Send the card. Book the party bus. Make reservations. Don't act your birthday age. Take the day off work. Pull your kids out of school and go to the zoo. Write from the comfort of your couch. Sleep in, or enjoy being able to get a long run in without having to get up in the middle of the night to do it. Eat lots of calories and allow the entire day to be about you. Make it about you. Accept the free drink, make plans, invite everyone and take lots of pictures. Surround yourself with people who want to make it about you.

The other 364 days out of the year will not be about you. They will be about that mortgage, that boss, your kids, your significant other or, in my case, my dogs. They will be about the grind, the real world, the obligations, and other people's weddings, babies and birthdays. But one day is about you. It's okay to be selfish, to be excited about your birthday and to accept an offer when someone wants to take you out, buy you a drink or celebrate. You get a day. And anyone who tells you otherwise is just jealous they can't let go enough to do it too. In a world full of so much paperwork and bullshit, taking one major "personal" day a year isn't asking too much. Really, it should be a requirement.

So here's to the most beautiful day we've seen in Ohio in weeks - and to the very last birthday I'll have being a Mayberry (seriously, moment of silence for when I have to drop that last name, because while I love Rob, I'm slightly heartbroken). And when it's your birthday, remember that you are worth celebrating. You are worth taking the day off work, blasting the music loud and eating a big fat cupcake. You are worth the new dress, the fancy heels and the free drink. You're worth every damn bit of it, every damn year.

colds and food.

Once again, it's Sunday evening and I am left wondering where the weekend went. I've spent most of this weekend in a sinus-induced haze, leaving food tasteless, workouts difficult and even simple tasks like brushing my hair seem like monumental events. People who live with constant sinus problems or allergies never quite know if they're getting sick, or if it's just going to be one of those days that no amount of behind-the-counter Sudafed can fix. It's not quite enough to merit taking a sick day, but just enough to make every single moment of your day completely miserable as you try to trudge through. I wish companies had "sinus days" that I could take without feeling the inevitable guilt I feel when I stay home from work due to serious sinus issues. Sigh. I digress.

Enough about that. The highlight of my weekend involved trying two new recipes. Cooking at home on the weekend is the most difficult part of trying to stay healthy for me - Rob and I visited a breakfast joint down the street for the first time this weekend and my healthy "power wrap" with egg whites, turkey and spinach was the one "eat out" healthy choice I carried through the weekend (I lost whatever pride that choice gave me over a BW3's coma I faced later that day). But I find that when I actually plan recipes I'll enjoy, I'm much more apt to eat at home. I tend not to blog about the food I eat, mainly because the recipes are things I get from other websites or adapt to fit my tastes, so I feel like I'm stealing. And stealing isn't cool. But I need to share this weekend's eats.

Friday night, I tried a new recipe from Skinnytaste, my favorite go-to blogger for healthy, Weight Watchers-friendly eats. I realized that 90% of the time, all I ever eat is chicken. Not that it's a horrible thing, but I rarely branch out to red meats other than the occasional hamburger or taco night, and figured an inexpensive cut of steak was a good start since we're on a budget (I'd spend our life savings at the grocery store trying new things if I could). We made grilled flank steak with tomatoes, black beans and corn.  I rarely cook with avocados, and Rob was aching for me to include them in a recipe so I threw those into the mix as well. Honestly, this is awesome. The steak cooks in no time, and after you're done chopping all the goodies for your "salad," the whole thing comes together nicely and is a simple, different meal if you're the go-to chicken person like I am. Here's a pic of my finished product (perfect grilling courtesy of my fantastic fiance)! 

The leftovers held up great, and I actually bought flank steak again today, because Rob is desperate to make our own version of Chipotle. The plan is to stick with the original recipe, but also marinade the steak in a cilantro lime marinade ahead of time, and I'm going to throw it all on top of the best cilantro lime rice ever.  Yes, I like lime and cilantro, a lot. They add awesome flavor without adding calories, so it's clear that these ingredients become my closest friends. We'll see how this goes - I will keep you all posted, because I know you're hanging on my every word.

Today was chili day. I should probably note that Rob and I heavily disagree on how chili should taste. I grew up on chili that used ketchup as its tomato base, which may sound weird but it's become so normal to me that I prefer it over anything else. Rob thinks this is blasphemy, and wishes I would take a more "chili" approach. Today, our recipe went as follows:

1.25 lbs ground beef, cooked

2 cans Brooks mild chili beans

1 14.5 oz can garlic fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 8 oz can tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup ketchup

1 T. brown sugar

Chili pepper and cumin to taste 

("to taste:" my fancy food blogger term for "I have no idea how much I used")

I should probably note that the ketchup is also an estimate, as I left Rob directions and came home to a crockpot of mystery chili that ended up tasting kind of awesome. Brown the beef in a pan ahead of time, then throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and let it sit for a good 4-5 hours. 

This chili needs something still. It needs a packet of chili mix, or something to pump up the flavor (honestly, my sinuses could have also rendered my taste buds numb), but it's on its way to becoming a version of chili Rob and I can agree upon. Now, here comes the fun part.

I often make spaghetti with chili and Rob insists on setting the store-bought Skyline cheese out so it's room temperature when we have "Skyline nights." But tonight, I was aching for french fries and thought chili cheese fries would be a great fix. I honestly forget where I got the recipe for oven baked fries that don't completely suck, so forgive me if you've all seen this and I'm an idiot for just now getting the memo.

2 russet potatoes, cut however thin/thick you like your fries. I leave the skin on.

fresh cracked pepper and salt

olive oil

1 very large bowl of ice cold water

*serves me, and one hungry man

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cut the potatoes however you like (I like mine pretty standard - think Wendy's cut), and then let them sit in a bowl of ice cold water (yep, even put ice cubes in the bowl) for about 15-20 minutes. Drain and dry the potatoes and put them back in the bowl. Toss in olive oil (sorry, can't tell you how much on this one either, just don't soak them or they'll end up super greasy. A little goes a long way). Spread on a Pam-sprayed cookie sheet and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, flip fries and bake 20 more minutes. Pardon my less-than-stellar photography skills, as this was taken halfway into my meal when I realized I should probably tell you how awesome these are.

I know. This is so simple, and you're all thinking "okay seriously, we're not idiots, we can make french fries." But the ticket to these is really soaking them in ice cold water. It makes them crispy and not like the soggy oven-baked-fry-fails you've had before. Wherever I saw this, it was Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe, because clearly she is the only person in the history of cooking to have ever put potatoes in ice cold water and should be given all the credit in the world. She's lucky I like her. 

Ohio University kids - take your finished fries, top them with that chili and smother in room temperature Skyline cheese, and you will be taken back to O'Betty's heaven. I don't know, maybe I'm totally insane and I just miss OU from the bottom of my heart, but this unintentionally brought me back to sitting on the curb consuming a giant tray of these guys after last call mega mugs at Red Brick. And the best part about the whole thing is that really, it's not that awful for you. While I'm a big advocate for low carb, I will allow myself the occasional potato because really, it's a natural food anyway. These fries, chili-smothered or not, are a great alternative when you're really craving something totally sinful. Rob thinks they'd be awesome with different seasonings, so we'll see how that turns out in the future.

This is my first real shot at chatting about recipes, because I don't think it's worth it to re-tell you all about my favorite Skinnytaste, Pioneer Woman and Emily Bites recipes. I will, however, continue to tell you when things are awesome, if you're interested in reading about it. 

As this week begins, I am facing a crappy cold and an upcoming weekend of zero working out. Here's to hoping that my self-control can win this week and make the right eating choices that result in a loss at my weigh in. Hope everyone has a great week! :)