Fabulous Friday!

Due to yesterday’s grumpy nature and day mix-up (it just felt like a Friday…haha ), this morning I woke up feeling as if I had a fresh Friday re-do. 😉  Let’s have a recap!

6:30 am

Rise and shine!  I was anticipating an early morning workout, which is why I made sure I was all ready for it last night.  Breakfast cookie in the fridge?  Check!  Running gear layed out and ready to go? Check!

Oh, and speaking of breakfast cookies, I do believe you’ll be seeing a lot more of these next week, especially on my early school days.  They’re so quick and convenient, tasty, and keep me plenty full.  I always make mine with 3/4 c. oats, but this one had a hint of newness to it.  I used unsweetened chocolate almond milk for my first time ever! 😀  I was a little skeptical at first, but it actually seemed to add some nice flavor.  I can’t decide if it’s all in my head or not, but it tasted a little “hazelnutty” to me.  Oh well, in my head or not, I love it. 😉  It’s a nice addition, and added a nice chocolatey color if nothing else…haha. 😀

7:00-8:00am

There’s an argument in my house over who makes the better coffee: Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks.  We’re all coffee snobs and have very personal preferences on what coffee should taste like. 😉  I happen to be a starbucksgirl, myself.  Give me a nice, rich espresso or cafe au lait…grande (not medium!)…hot & unsweetened.  My dad is the same way.  The darker and richer, the better it is!  My mom, on the other hand, is the dunkin donuts fan of the family.  And since she puts up with the dark roasted beans for a lot of the time, we ground some dunkins this morning for a change.

And don’t let starbucks know, but it was actually quite tasty. 😀  I’m not a convert or anything, but this particular cup tasted nutty and flavorful. 

How about you?  Do you have a preferred brand or flavor of coffee?

9:00am

After blogging, enjoying my cup of joe, and journaling for a bit, I was out the door in a flash.  Today was my planned long run, but I wasn’t sure if this was going to become a 5, a 6, or a 7-miler.  I decided to just see how I felt at the 4-mile mark, and decide from there.

After reaching the 4-mile mark, I knew I had it in me for at least a 6-miler.  And then when I reached the 5-mile mark, I felt good enough for the 7 miler which is what I ended up doing. 😀  By the end, my energy was starting to fizzle out a little, reminding me of the fact that if I plan on making these sort of runs a regular thing, I’m going to have to start planning on what to do about packing water and snacks along too!  But all in all, it was a nice run, and probably the last 7-miler I’ll be doing before the 10k race. 😀

10:00am—or a little after…it took me longer then an hour for my run, but I’m not exactly sure on the time! 😉

What makes a better refueling snack then dates with peanut butter?  I’m not always hungry upon my return from a run, but, with the need to refuel, I know I can always manage to eat these because I just love them so much. 😀  I’m always craving salt and sugar after a sweaty run, so these take care of all the criteria. 😀

12:00pm

This may look like your average salad, but it’s full of all kinds of flavor!  Let’s see if I can remember it all…

• mesculin greens
• cucumbers
• tomatoes
• red onions
• 1/2 c. kidney beans
• 2 slices deli chicken breast
• 1 cheesestick
• 1/4 avocado
• 4-5 black olives
• roasted beets
• roasted carrots
• cilantro

Hrm…I think that just about covers it.  I love these types of meals.  It basically covers anything I’m in the mood for at the moment, and it’s super nutritious to boot.  Can’t beat it. 😀

Plus a pear for dessert…

2:00 pm

Anything more then one cup of coffee a day makes me a little loopy.  But when the smell of whole foods 365 coffee floated in the air, I couldn’t resist. 😀  Oh yes, this one is also approved by my coffee snobbiness. 😉  Has anyone else tried it?  It’s actually a really nice coffee.

I tried adding a bit of unsweetened chocolate almond milk to my coffee, after having nothing but good things to say about it post-breakfast.  I was a little thrown back by the flavor at first.  I guess I was expecting a sweet tasting, unsweetenened chocolate milk? 😉  But once I warmed up to the fact that it wasn’t sweet, I really started to enjoy it.  Again, it tasted nutty to me, and I really liked it.  Not a hint of chocolate was to be tasted (probably because it wasn’t sweet 😉 ) but it was enjoyable just the same.

3:00pm

Mom arrived home early from work.  What did this mean?  A walk of course! 😀  

But not before snacking on a bowl of yogurt with 1 T. flax and a bit of Natures Path Pumpkin Granola…yum! 

5:00pm

My sis and her husband, Nate, were coming over for dinner tonight.  And mom was doing the cooking, and making one of my favorite meals.  😀  Beforehand, I went out with Matthew to pick up a few things.  When I came home, it suddently hit me that I was starving!!  Not just hungry, but “wow, I could eat a whole cow” hungry.  Don’t worry, no cows were harmed in this event.  Only a few carrots and garbanzo beans—in the form of cilantro jalapeno hummus. 😀 

6:00pm

Time to take some family pics! 😀

Nate and Nicole…their 1 year anniversary is just a few weeks away! 😀

The parents… 😀

Nicole, me, and Matthew.  He’s going to be moving on Sunday, so it was nice to have the entire family again before he leaves. 😀

6:30pm

Dinner time!!  This shrimp fettucini is one of my absolute favorite dishes, because it’s so simple but amazing.  I will ask my mom for the recipe if anyones interested.  I do know that there’s shrimp, lots of garlic, tomatoes, and spinach. I topped it all with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and pepper.  Mmm….

7:00pm

Dessert came afterwards.  My mom makes this apple pie, with a recipe that was handed down from grandmother to mother to daughter.  I can’t wait to continue making it for special events someday too. 😀  For now, I’ll enjoy being on the “eating side” of the recipe. 😉  There was a scoop of Breyer’s Slow Churned vanilla icecream on the side, which melted right into the hot pie.

9:00pm

What else??? 😉  My bowl was practically overflowing.  I went with the thinner version tonight, and didn’t freeze the banana.  I think I kind of prefer it this way, because the granola slowly falls to the bottom.  And you all know how much I love scraping the bits and chunks at the bottom of a chiller bowl. 😉

Oh, and thanks for all the comments on my Friday Thursday Funk.  😉  Thankfully it only lasted the day, and I’m completely back to normal today.  Oh the beauty of a long run. 😀

Do you all have fun plans for Labor Day weekend??  Tomorrow I have a full shopping day planned with the girls in the family.  Can’t wait! 😀

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