"Run, Lift, Run" Workout

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend. 

I'm still enjoying mine, but will be back to work tomorrow. I was so lucky to get to spend some time with my parents and friends last weekend (and very lucky that Dad sent me home with tons of fish), but I do enjoy getting to spend time in my wonderful new city. We're already getting into a weekend routine... Sundays at Java Dog and walks downtown and brunch on Mondays at Salt Works II. It's glorious!

Interval training doesn't have to be very difficult with tricky moves and fancy equipment. It doesn't have to be intimidating and require a special timer. Sometimes simple is better and this workout is just that! 

This workout consists of intervals of running and weight training. There are three intervals of each. The running consists of a mile and the weight training consists of bicep curls, overhead tricep extensions, and wide bicep curls. Choose a challenging weight to get a good burn, but don't go so heavy that your form is compromised. Sub walking or jogging for the running if you would like, but try to challenge yourself. If you're just getting back into running (like me!) or if you're just starting to run, try to run each mile faster than the last. Splitting the 3 miles into 1-mile segments makes the running much more do-able and allows you to focus on your speed rather than the distance. If 1-mile is a bit much for you, go for a half-mile. 

*Remember to listen to and honor your body. Take breaks as needed, stay hydrated, and always start with a warm-up and cool-down. 

Happy exercising, friends!

And have a lovely week :)

Pumpkin Swirl Bread

Fall baking is still taking place in this household. I love fall. And all things pumpkin. After I made a loaf of Wheat Pumpkin Bread a few weeks ago, I thought that the only thing that could make the recipe better was a delicious cream cheese swirl.

Naturally, I had to make it. And it was even more delicious! You may prefer to pour half the batter in the loaf pan, then add the cream cheese mixture, followed by the other half of the batter, so that the cream cheese is in the center. And that would be delicious too. I thought that the swirl looked pretty :)

I literally thought I dreamed up this cream cheese swirl. Apparently cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla are pretty standard ingredients for this sort of thing.

Pumpkin Swirl Bread

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Swirl

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350* and grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the remaining wet ingredients and mix well. In a small mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Once incorporated, slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Pour the batter in the loaf pan. In a separate bowl, cream the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Evenly distribute the cream cheese mixture over the bread batter. With a knife, gently swirl the cream cheese mixture and the batter. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.


I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!
What are your plans?

Fall Spice Iced Coffee + This Week's Workouts

Pumpkin Spice Lattes are great,but this Fall Spice Iced Coffee is much more figure-friendly and budget friendly. It's delicious and fun without going overboard and it can be enjoyed everyday, right from your very own kitchen.





Method: Brew your favorite coffee (Pumpkin Spice Coffee would be great here) and let it cool and chill. Once chilled, pour 12 ounces over a glass of ice. Add simple syrup and half-and-half to taste. Add one teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Stir and enjoy!

Don't have pumpkin pie spice? You can make your own: 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, and 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon.

And on to this week's workouts...

Sunday- rest day

Monday- 45-minute circuit class

Tuesday- 3-mile run

Wednesday- 4-mile run

Thursday- personal training session + 30 minute cycling

Friday- rest day

Saturday- 5-mile run


Hope all of you are having a great week!
How are you getting your sweat on this week?

One Pot Pasta (20-Minute Meal)

It's Monday! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We were able to spend our weekend with my parents at their house. It's been so nice to see them, and the drive with two crazy kitties was totally worth it. 

Since moving to a city where restaurants are everywhere, I have been a major slacker in the kitchen. If I actually cook, it's been assembling a salad or cooking rice. No real cooking taking place! With starting a new job and spending our evenings at the gym, it's been too convenient to eat out. 

I've had my eye on Chung-Ah's One Pot Pasta for quite some time now and I seriously regret not making it sooner. It was so delicious and easy to make. The andouille sausage brought the perfect amount of kick and heat to this dish. The sauce ended up so creamy and perfect that my family couldn't believe that there was no heavy cream in the recipe- just the remaining pasta water and some Parmesan, 

Prep and cook time was just under 20 minutes. I officially have no excuse for not cooking actual meals. 

One Pot Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti

1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced

1 large onion, thinly sliced

3 cups halved grape tomatoes

2 cups basil leaves (I used spinach)

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

In a large pot, add 4.5 cups of water and everything except for the cheese. Cook on medium-high heat until the water boils. Once boiling, r-educe the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until the pasta is tender and the water reduces, about 8-10 minutes. Do not drain. Add the Parmesand and stir until well combined and the sauce thickens. Serve immediately.

Enjoy the recipe! 

And have a fabulous week :)

This week's workouts

Hello, hello and happy Friday. I'm so glad that the weekend is here. After work tomorrow, I'm hitting the road to go visit my parents. I'm looking forward to a home cooked meal (let's just face it, I haven't been doing much cooking), big bear hugs from my parents, and I'm excited to see my friend Mary Beth. She's so dear to me.

This week has been a crazy one. I'm adjusting fairly well to my new job, but there's a lot to learn and seeing my calendar fill up fast is sort of freaking me out. At least they're all fun obligations. Just breathe :)

Anyway... I've made it a priority to work out this week, but I've switched my schedule around a little to accommodate other priorities.

Workouts

Sunday- rest day

Monday- ran 4 miles, med/hard

Tuesday- 30 minutes of cycling, hard

Wednesday- ran 3 miles, easy.

I also did 5 rounds/10 reps. (50 total reps. each) of the following: crunches, sit-ups, and push-ups.

Thursday- rest day! (Read: laundry day)

Friday- ran 4 miles, med/hard

Saturday- tabata blast!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!! Hope it feels like fall wherever you are :)

Chalkboard Witch Hat {DIY}

Hello, hello. Happy Wednesday. I hope all of you are having a wonderful week. I'm starting to get into a groove at my new job as Marketing Director at a local Chick-fil-A, which seems like a lot of fun so far. And I get to eat gorgeous salads for lunch every single day.

I have a super easy and inexpensive Halloween craft to share with you today.

I found a paper mache witch hat at Michael's at the end of the fall season last year for ten cents, so I decided to turn it into a fun piece for Halloween. This is where the chalk board paint comes in. Along with some festive ribbon and a a chalkboard pen, there are endless possibilities for your witch hat!

Have a wonderful day! I'll be back on Friday with a recap of this week's workouts.

Wordless Monday

Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Hi, friends! I hope it's starting to feel like fall wherever you are. I'm so anxious to break out my sweaters and scarves. I'm also on the search for the perfect fall boot for this size-12 foot. If you have any tips or suggestions, please share!!! 

On another note, I'm really worried about the safety of my drinking water...

Silly Arthur.

Anyway...

I'm really excited to share this Wheat Pumpkin Bread with you. It's the perfect breakfast or afternoon snack and paired with a cup of coffee or tea, you couldn't ask for a better simple pleasure. 

There are so many decadent pumpkin recipes out there. This is not one of them. It's not too sweet, not overly complicated, and it's quick. This  moist  Wheat Pumpkin Bread is my idea of quick bread perfection.

Beware: this bread didn't last long in our house. 

I blame it on the cats. 

This bread is baked in an 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pan, but it can easily be made into 12 muffins. I'm not sure how it could be more delicious, but feel free to jazz up this delicious bread by adding chocolate chips or pumpkin seeds. 

Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil (or substitute apple sauce)
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup flour (I used half wheat and half all-purpose)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350* and grease a 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pan with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the remaining wet ingredients and mix well. In a small mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Once incorporated, slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Pour the batter in the loaf pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.



Hope you have a wonderful weekend :)


Can't get enough pumpkin? Check out my White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins.

Fall Fitness Playlist + This Week's Workouts

Hello, friends. How is your week treating you so far? Today is officially day two of my new job. I'm learning what the job is all about and I'm really excited. In case you were wondering, I'm actually working in marketing. I'm glad I now have a job that will allow me to be creative-- I think it will challenge me, which is a great thing.

Now that I have more of a 9-5 schedule, I can easily establish a better routine for myself. A better routine for fitness, meals, and everything in between. 

Summer is usually a laid-back attitude of just "going with the flow" and fall is where I crave a routine! I'm already on track for a great new fitness routine (I'm following Monica's Turkey Trot 10K plan), and nothing makes committing to a workout easier than a great playlist.

And because I love you guys, here's a playlist that's great for the fall season. It's full of music that will inspire you to run harder and shake it faster :)

Have I mentioned that I love being back in a gym routine? Outdoor workouts are fun, but not when it's rainy out. Lugging weights to a muddy park to do a HIIT workout in the rain just isn't the same as a climate-controlled gym.

This Week's Workouts

Sunday- rest day

Monday- 3 mile run 

Tuesday- BodyRock HIIT workout and 30 minutes of cycling

Wednesday- 3 mile run

Thursday- rest day

Friday- I plan on a BodyRock HIIT workout and 30 minutes of cycling

Saturday- I plan on a 4 mile run 

What fitness adventures do you have planned for the week?

I'll be back on Friday with another delicious fall-inspired recipe :)