Hey there! I hope your week is off to the best start and that you’re having a great Monday. My Mondays have gotten so much better since giving up early training clients. I teach late on Mondays so it made for a long day to go from 6 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. and it kind of felt like I started my week off in the hole. It’s such a kinder and more relaxing start to the week to wake up around 6:45-7, eat breakfast, get my week organized and then head to the studio to teach my first class at 8:15 a.m.
Okay, time to recap the weekend.
We had a fun start to the weekend by teaching a “Back to School Boot Camp” on Friday for our morning crowd. Bonus, it was our friend Wanda’s birthday (she’s the photographer we work with all the time…she shoots everything for the studio and shot both of my books!). She has a birthday tradition of dancing to Flo Rida’s song “Low” so we always make sure to play it for her in class. This year she actually brought boots with the fur that she put on and did yoga in during the song. Love this lady.
The rest of Friday was computer work, working out, training a client, teaching and happy hour with some friends and students. I was home early to prepare for Saturday morning’s event with Premier Protein.
The event was a success and I’ll have a full recap with lots of photos tomorrow.
I met Tanner for lunch at Namastay Kitchen. I had our Namastay Bowl with chicken (and added avocado after this photo was taken).
I couldn’t resist taking a bite of Tanner’s turkey burger. Our brunch burger has balsamic onion jam, crispy prosciutto, arugula, basil aioli, cheddar and an over easy egg. SO GOOD.
I got home from lunch and did dishes and wiped the kitchen countertops. The next thing I knew I had Pledged every surface in our house, cleaned wood blinds, changed air filters, washed baseboards and walls and pulled the couch out from the wall to vacuum.
I also had the contents of one of our closets on the floor. Tanner came home and was like, “What are you doing!? You’re cleaning in like 4 different places?” I am such a cleaning mess. I go in circles where cleaning one thing leads me to the next and the next and then I eventually make it back to thing one.
He jumped in and helped and we ended up moving a ton of furniture around and completely redoing the living room. We finally called it quits around 7:30 and changed to head to a friend’s birthday party.
We stayed at the party for about an hour and then headed over to Foxcroft Wine Co. for a light dinner. We shared this bruschetta with a mushroom duck mixture.
And scallops over grits.
When we got home I made a cup of tea and ate a slice of carrot cake that I brought home with me from the birthday party! 😉
Sunday was a (much needed) lazy day.
I made brunch…nothing new to see here!
After brunch Tanner said, “let’s bake cookies.” He’s been wanting to test cookie recipes for the restaurant. I’d had my eye on some copycat Levain Bakery recipes so we got to work.
Overall, the cookies were a success! I used this recipe but made about 16 cookies instead of 8. Making 8 cookies from 3 cups of flour, 2 sticks of butter and a cup and a half of sugar just seemed insane.
The texture was spot on. They were a little crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside but I’d like to try them again with a few small modifications for taste. They are so close but not quite perfect. Regardless, I took a big container of them to the studio later that day when I went to teach and they disappeared like hotcakes!
I stayed into my PJs until 3:45 p.m. when I had to change to go to the studio to teach. I got sucked into a three hour vortex of going though old photos that I’ll share more about in coming weeks.
After class I came home to tackle my long run. I waited until the last moment of the weekend to do it but I loved the sunset run. The weather was perfect and it was a nice way to end the weekend.
I did a little over 8 miles at a 9:20 pace. My legs just did not want to move very fast last night but I just went with it and enjoyed the scenery and listening to Glennon Doyle Melton’s new book, “Love Warrior.” It was just released on September 6 and I’ve been seeing so much about it. I liked “Carry On, Warrior” so I wanted to listen to this one too. My initial thoughts are…that it’s really heavy. So heavy in fact that I had to turn it off and switch to music for the last 3 miles and my pace picked up considerably for those last few miles.
Tanner also ran last night (but not with me). He did 6. I’m trying to convince him to run the half with me but I don’t know if that will happen. After showering and hydrating, I whipped up chicken tacos with an avocado goat cheese sauce. The rest of the evening was spent on the couch with Parenthood and having cuddle parties with the girls. 🙂
Are you an “organized” cleaner or do you “clean in circles” like I do?
Any favorite chocolate chip recipes to share?
Did anyone else long run or race? How did it go?
Those cookies look insane (in a good way)! If I ever get in a baking mood again, I will have to give those a try.
It poured rain for my long run on Saturday morning. If I had been running by myself, I would have bailed for sure. But I was meeting up with my training group, which made me get out of bed and do the damn thing!
That is definitely one of the best things about training groups…accountability and having to show up! Way to get it done! How far did you go?
ha, I clean like that too! Once I get started I just keep going all over the place lol. The levain cookies are insane! I can see how they require a ton of flour for each cookie but again, that’s because they are insane and thick! I would love to try one that you made! I haven’t made my good old fashioned chocolate chip cookies in a while. there’s nothing better than that!
Mine were equally as rich and sinful but just a tad bit smaller! 🙂 Glad to have another ADD cleaner with me! 🙂
Just finished Love Warrior…I liked it, but it is heavy. I read it and am now doing the Courage Works Wisdom of Story.
I haven’t heard of Courage Works, thanks for sharing. I will check it out.
Ha ha I def have cleaning ADHD, too!
Avocado Goat Cheese Spread??? I think my heart just skipped a beat. That sounds amazing. I would love if you were able to share the recipe.
Those cookies look killer, too.
Ok, ok, ALL you food from the weekend look great.
My secret ingredient for super moist (ew gross word) choc chip cookies is…… instant vanilla pudding mix!!! Add it in and it’s like sprinkling magic.
Yes!! That’s what my mom has always done… The recipe we use contains 1/4 c white sugar, 3/4 c brown sugar, 1 box of instant vanilla Vanilla pudding mix for he “sugars”!
WOW!!! Glad I’m not the only one with ADCD – Attention Deficit Cleaning Disorder!?
Those cookies look amazing!!! I do have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe but, I dont think they are very healthy? They’re called Marry Me Cookies! I came across this recipe and can only make MAYBE once a year!!! They are dangerous!
Hated to miss your event Saturday morning but, needed pick-up daughter in Columbia on Sunday so had to do my long run Saturday morning. Would rather have been there with yall – I ended up running 11.2 miles as I got a little lost! I know! I was made fun of by my kids when I got home! ? I was just trying to run in NEW scenery!? Oh well it ended up being a great run! ?
Panrethood, I miss that show! Those cookies look really, really good. I did my 2nd to last 20 mile run before my fall marathon and it went really well! The rest of Sunday was then very, very lazy.
I definitely clean all over the place! I think of something else to clean, get distracted, and then come back to the original spot. Haha.
LOVE Levain cookies!! Those look great!
Long run this weekend consisted of 20 miles!! 22 next week and then it’s time to taper for the Chicago Marathon!
I hate cleaning and cannot bake! In fact my daughter and I tried to make soft pretzels yesterday, epic fail! I did run an 8 miler too. I’m getting ready for a half in Oct.
I definitely clean in circles! We are getting ready to list our house so I have lots of deep cleaning projects to tackle this week. It’s so defeating with dogs though isn’t it?
Ohhhh the old photos vortex is tricky!!!
I could use a house deep clean… if only I could find some time!
i’m totally an all over the place cleaner and often make a bigger mess “cleaning” than what originally existed. at least at first. and my boyfriend reacts in much the same way…uh what exactly are you doing ? i laugh just thinking about it. its like i get all hyped up and take on a huge project then dont have the time or energy to finish properly
Hi Jen! Thank you so much for trying out my Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies! I appreciate the shout out and love. You are inspiring me to get out and run again! 🙂
Chicken tacos with that sauce sound like heaven!
I’m a terrible cleaner. Awful. I start, then get distracted and forget what I was doing. I end up going back into a room an hour or so later and thinking ‘oh yeah, I was cleaning in here’.