Last Week Things

Last week was certainly a low key week, as was the weekend. Full of work, coffee breaks, and workouts at the park.

Hope all of you have an amazing week!

Can you guess where I'm working?

Dinner a la Whole Foods

My  little "garden"

Oven baked frittata... Recipe coming soon!

Our crazy Arthur cat

Easy Mushroom Couscous

The last few weeks have been very busy! We're adjusting to life here in Wilmington quite well. Our time has been spent with lots of unpacking, working, and experiencing the new things that city life has to offer. We've been having a great time. 

My favorite thing about our move is having a real space of our own. If you've been following me for a while, you might know that we lived with my parents back on Hatteras Island. It's nice to have my own kitchen and to be able to cook without feeling like I'm in the way. I'm trying my best to avoid the easy and convenient take-out at my fingertips and instead, trying to cook wholesome meals that won't undo my diet. This super quick and easy couscous is so simple and is even more convenient than take-out! Serve it alongside a protein and some greens, and you've got a great balanced meal!

Easy Mushroom Couscous

Recipe Inspired by The Deen Brothers

Makes six servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

10 ounces mushrooms, quartered and thinly sliced

1 medium (about 1 cup) Vidalia onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup uncooked couscous

Optional: 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves (for garnish)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onions and cook until softened, about 7 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and the salt. Bring to a boil and stir in the couscous. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and let it sit for about 5 or so minutes.

Once all of the liquid is absorbed, fluff the couscous with a fork. Transfer the couscous to a serving bowl, garnish with the optional basil, and serve immediately.

What have you been cooking up lately?

Hope you have an amazing weekend :)

Countdown Workout!

Hello, hello. I hope you all had a wonderful Labor day. Hopefully it wasn’t spent working!! 

It’s been so hot here; I’m really looking forward to fall weather! Even with the heat, I’m still trying to spend time outdoors and get in workouts. Babe and I have been going to the park for HIIT workouts and walks after work.  I love having a workout partner—I always push myself harder when there’s someone watching me :)

I came up with a super sweaty countdown workout that we did last week. It was rough, but in the best way!

Countdown workouts are simple. Perform 10 repetitions of each exercise. Then perform 9 repetitions of each exercise, then 8, 7… all the way to 1 rep! By the time you are finished you will have completed 55 reps of each exercise. Most of these exercises are pretty basic and familiar. The burpees are full burpees with a push-up. The butterfly sit-up is similar to a basic sit-up, but the bottoms of your feet are together and your legs are open to the sides (like the butterfly position we used to sit in in PE class as kids). When you come up to complete the sit-up, try to reach past your toes.

Take as many breaks as you need to, but try to move quickly from one exercise to the next. Always start with a warm-up and end with a cool-down. Remember to listen to your body, rehydrate, and modify each exercise as needed.

And play some tunes to get you moving. I can't get this one out of my head!!!

If you try the workout, let me know how it goes in the comment section below. Hope you have a wonderful week :)

One Month

It’s a strange THING; getting in your car, turning on the engine and pressing “go home” on your GPS… when the very place that feels like home is in plain sight of the rear view mirror—just 50 feet behind you. In case you haven’t figured it out already, I’ve moved. In fact, today actually marks one month. It’s a good thing, I think. But it’s still scary.

This certainly doesn’t explain my absence here on the blog; I have a million reasons as to why my last post was May 31^st. I was preoccupied with work, we were taking lots of short trips to scout out potential cities to relocate to, babe got a new job off the island, Hurricane Arthur hit (which came with a stray four week-old kitten, deliberately named Arthur), and we leased a new apartment in the city, making the move to Wilmington, NC.

Arthur kitten

We’re really enjoying exploring our new city. We’re exploring the new restaurants and shops, taking walks around downtown, getting in workouts at the park, and loving the fact that anything we want is just minutes away. I can hardly believe that there’s a coffee shop that’s open until midnight. We’re definitely not on Hatteras Island anymore!

Our new favorite coffee shop- Java Dog

farmer's market flowers

 hot pink cake stand

the best little two-bite cupcakes to sample

a restaurant we will never return to!

 lots of HIIT workouts in the park

found in a used bookstore downtown

My least favorite thing about our apartment… we opted for a six-month lease and therefore, couldn’t find any Internet deals that didn’t require a one-year contract. Yes, no Internet for this lady! It will definitely make blogging a bit challenging, but there’s a selection of coffee shops nearby and I’ll be bumming their Internet :)

 Enjoy your Labor Day!!