I hope everyone had a good Monday and that it was relatively painless to get back in the swing of things. My Mondays are always a rather harsh re-entry into the week with a 5 a.m. wake up call and teaching BodyPump before I even make it into work. This morning was especially tough given the extra-long weekend but I always end up happy that I started the day with my class because I am so motivated by my members who are there so early and ready to work out with me!
I ate a big bowl of banana oatmeal at my desk before a morning full of meetings. Brandon and I headed home for lunch and I made us amazing grilled cheese sandwiches.
Cranberry sauce, sharp white cheddar and spinach on Great Harvest Stuffing Bread. So delicious! And you can’t have grilled cheese without tomato soup. It was a gray, cold day in Charlotte so the soup hit the spot.
Brandon and I hoped to get our Christmas tree after work today but when we arrived at Home Depot we discovered that they were pretty picked over and expecting a new shipment tomorrow. We went home treeless and I had no excuse to skip yoga with Sarah. We attended a great class at Charlotte Yoga. I like to call this class “yoga church” because there is always some sort of inspirational message that really makes you think and turn inward during your practice.
Dinner tonight was leftover vegetarian chili from Saturday night’s get together.
I was really pleased with how this veggie chili turned out. I definitely did not miss the meat at all and Brandon didn’t complain once tonight about it.
We had a salad on the side and I had one more slice of pumpkin pie for dessert. I am officially done with Thanksgiving desserts! No mas!
And backing up with a quick recap of Sunday highlights since I posted early in the day and missed a lot. I was hoping to get 10ish miles in but ran short on time before hot yoga (priorities!). I ended up getting seven easy miles in.
First three miles with Sullie at a 9:00 pace and last four on my own at around an 8:40 pace. The weather was perfect – sunny and high 40s. I wore shorts, a long-sleeved shirt and gloves.
When I arrived home from my run I immediately showered and rushed off to the yoga studio for a 90 minute hot class. The Sunday hot class is a lot more relaxed than the normal ashtanga and vinyasa classes I attend and I look forward to the low-key practice to wrap up the weekend. My only complaint is that the class is always super packed. I don’t even want to think about how bad it’s going to be after the New Year.
I was so ready for a snack when I got home from class.
I turned to an old favorite – an organic apple with Trader Joe’s crunchy peanut butter. I also gave the apple a healthy sprinkle of cinnamon after I took this shot.
We kept dinner simple Sunday night with pasta and a salad.
Penne with Vodka Sauce (made with whole wheat penne and whole milk instead of cream) with sauteed shrimp and topped with basil and fresh parmesan. French bread with olive oil and herbs for dipping on the side.
Bed time! Another 5 a.m. wake up call tomorrow for ashtanga. I haven’t practiced it in a week and I miss it so much!
***The piglet and frog cupcakes are up on Bakin’ and Eggs!***
You grilled cheese and soup combo looks so delicious! My Mondays always feel crazy, too. They really snap us back to reality.
Those 5 AM wake ups are always tough after sleeping in a few days. Yesterday was tough for me!
I attended my first ever BodyPump class yesterday, and loved it! I found it tough just using the light weights though, so I really admire you instructors! 🙂 I’m definitely not envious of your 5am wake-up calls though! 😛
Emma – so happy to hear that you enjoyed BodyPump. I think it’s such a fun way to get strength training in. Thank you so much for reporting back! 🙂
Love the grilled cheese!!! 5am comes really early…no matter when I go to bed!
Jen
You are my hero for getting up so early on Mondays!
Did you post the veggie chili recipe? I’d love to try it and see if Jeff misses the meat!
I haven’t posted it and I’m not going to. Didn’t get any good shots of it. I will email you the details. 🙂
I totally agree on NOT WAITING! In fact, I can’t. I’ve put on 9 pounds in the last few months and honestly I’m at a loss as to what I’m doing wrong!? There is now way I can just vedge and relax all through the holidays, I’d be 18 heavier by the end. I really need to get in gear for the wedding. I’m ready to make some changes but am a little clueless as to where to start? I know being healthy is the most important thing but any tips on why I’m gainign this weight and what I can do to cut? (It’s not muscle by the way-stricly too much bmi.) 🙁 HELP!
Claire – let me know if you want to grab lunch or coffee sometime soon. Would love to see you (it’s been forever!) and I would be more than happy to talk through everything with you to see if we can pinpoint where you can make small changes that will hopefully lead to results!
Sadly, our Great Harvest Bread Co. in Rochester NY does not list any Stuffing Bread. It makes me so sad because I want to try it pretty badly! I am hoping that they just don’t list it on their website, and if I call I will be pleasantly surprised.
Jenilee – that is sad! I know that a lot of the GH stores do their own specialty breads so it might just be something the Charlotte store does seasonally.
Would love to have your veggie chili recipe!