St. Patty's Weekend Recap

Monday again. Ugh. Too soon! Some weekends seem to go way too fast! I think part of the reason I shuffle my feet in to work on Mondays is that I spend so much time lovin' the sunshine and warm weather my heart breaks a little when I enter my windowless, fluorescent-lit office. :-/
This weekend, Will and I decided to not be hermits and hang out with some new friends! Friday we met up with Sara and her husband Nick at the classy/swanky Mollie Fontaine house for a few beverages.

From our first trip to Mollie's. Taken moments before I was chased from this couch because it was "reserved"!

 Saturday I finally did a little clothes shopping (not that I didn't desperately need it or anything...). Ha! I had a lot of luck at Express actually - I hadn't shopped there much before, but I will definitely be doing it more now! Afterwards, Will and I met up with one of our co-workers, Kim and her husband for a green beer and a game of pool on Beale Street.
Sunday I was up bright and early for my second half marathon race in March! This one was totally tough, I think because I was still recovering from the one in New Orleans and I had just got over a cold. I was major slow! Oh well. It was still fun to do! Too bad the shirt is probably the ugliest race shirt I have ever seen - it's a white, short-sleeved dry fit tee with a half zip neck. The only person who could possibly make it look cool is a 57 y/o white country club golfer. Lol. 

Another one down!

Things I learned from this Half...
1. I need to buy wool/moisture-wicking socks!!! This was a humid and warm race and so my feet rubbed in my shoes and I finished with a few big blisters on my toes!
2. I love having my phone with me now - Pandora kept me going!
3. Sunglasses. No more running races while squinting! 

Things I'm Loving Right Now

1. This sunny and warm weather! When I got home from work, I went on a little walk to enjoy the sunshine and blooms.
2. Real talk - I am totally into the Joy the Baker podcast! Part of the reason I was so excited to get a new phone was that I could start listening to Joy and others like This American Life! :-)
3. These incredibly delicious grapefruit I picked up at the market on Saturday. They were grown locally in Arkansas by this farmer Will and I always chat with - I am always impressed by how ingenious farmers can be.

4. Speaking of farmers... we invited a baker from the Downtown market to our health fair at work on Tuesday and picked up one of her scrumptious loaves of jalepeno cheddar bread! I've been heating it for a few seconds in microwave and eating large chunks alongside my salad for dinner the last couple of nights. Yum!

5. I've been reading on blogs lately that Chobani came out with a few new flavors - so I thought I would give one a try. I picked up the blood orange variety the other day! I was a little skeptical, but no need - it was soooo goooood!!!!

6. As I worked on getting over my cold, I drank so many cups of green and chai tea. There's something about having a sniffly cold that makes me crave tea!! Another cold cure tip? Cheesy, delicious Mexican food!! Will and I went to Maria's Cantina in Midtown and I think it cured me! Ha!

Hope y'all are having a wonderful week! TG (tomorrow's) F!!

Climb, Run, Bike = Weekend Fun!

Despite my battle with a cold, I was able to have quite an active weekend!
Friday, Will and I fueled up with dinner at Flying Fish then headed to Bridges which is this awesome eco-friendly building in town with a rock wall. One of Will's market friends was volunteering so he let us know about the public climb night. I was having a tough time due to my total lack of upper body strength but Will was a total pro!

Saturday morning, I did an 8-mile runny nose run with Emily and StarRunners and decided to sign up for the Germantown half marathon this weekend. (I just might be going crazy - two halfs in just 2 weeks!). We'll see how this one goes. I'm way nervous! After the market and some chill time, I met Will for a little bike ride (he on rollerblades!) through Overton Park since the weather was gorgeous!
Sunday was pretty chill. I met Will at Cafe Eclectic for breakfast. So tasty! I spent the majority of the time lounging on the couch trying to kick this cold - today I am finally feeling much better though!

Delicious house-made granola!

The other exciting thing about this weekend?? I finally bought a SMARTPHONE!!!!! After much debate, I decided on the Droid RAZR rather than the iPhone. I think I'm happy with my decision. :-) The only drawback? This one doesn't slide like my old one... bummer! Ha!

Happy "What's on Your Plate?" Day!

The USDA collaborated with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and proclaimed today, March 8th to be "What's On Your Plate?" Day to raise awareness of the USDA's new MyPlate as well the theme for National Nutrition Month this year - "Get Your Plate in Shape!". So, to celebrate, I documented my meals from last night through lunch today for y'all to see!

Dinner

Salad and a quinoa black bean burger patty

Tea and a mug of cereal for dessert!

 Breakfast

Plain yogurt topped with sliced bananas, strawberries, and granola. Coffee to drink!

Lunch

Salad, apple, and 1/2 PB&J!

Hope you had healthy plates filled with non-starchy vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains today!! Now I'm off to drink some more tea - I'm feeling like I have a touch of a cold. Eek!

Deb in New Orleans

This last weekend Will and I headed south for 6 hours on I-55 down to New Orleans! After months of training with my fellow StarRunners, I finally ran the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon there! This was definitely the flattest course I have ever run - makes sense when you are at sea level! I think I missed the gently hills we have here in Memphis, it's nice to have a little "break" on the down part of hills. The course wound around downtown and the French Quarter - it was fun to get to see some of the city on foot - there are still thousands of beads in the trees left-over from Mardi-Gras.

Packet pick up!!

So happy to be finished!!!

My finish time was actually my slowest yet - 2:03:06. :-/ However, I was happy to get to run this one after my knee injury this winter! I felt pretty good for the first 8 miles and then it kind of fell apart after that - I just felt spent!

Of course, Will and I did a little city exploring. We didn't have a lot of time in town since we both needed to be back at work on Monday. Since we were on the coast, we made sure to get some SEAFOOD! However, we did miss out on the beignets - we'll just have to go back again!

Alligator soup! (That's right, alligator!!!)

Scrumptious Ice Cream Sampler at The Creole Creamery (A great suggestion from  Guy Fieri)

Looking handsome! We ate lunch on a patio/porch overlooking the street. Such a gorgeous day!

Seafood Cheesecake!

Crab cake!

Love these porches!

Hi from NOLA!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!!

List for Monday

Here are a few of the fun things I have been pondering or have come across of late that I thought I'd share with y'all. :-)
1. I seriously love this depiction of different people's different perceptions of what a dietitian really does. My office-mate shared it with me a few days ago! My personal favorite what doctors think of us - I had being asked "Are you from dietary?" What does that even mean?!

Source

2. I came across this fun little blog the other day and I am really looking forward to incorporating this little yoga/strength workout into my routine sometime... Click to see the workout!
3. The always adorable, Joy the Baker is coming to St. Louis on her book tour on March 22nd. Memphis is only 4 hrs from St. Louis - totally doable in a weekend - too bad it's a Thursday. :-( Vacay??
4. I eat breakfast and read the latest from this blog Running off the Reeses every morning. I just find this Cely girl so entertaining!
5. The line-up for Memphis in May comes out tomorrow!!! So excited. If anyone is wanting to come for a visit (hint hint!) that would be one of the best weekends to do it! ;-)
6. National Nutrition Month hasn't even started and I'm already so tired of thinking about it! As the newbies at our medical center, Will and I are in charge of planning all the activities. I feel like there is so much to do!!! The theme this year is "Get Your Plate in Shape" so we have a chef demo or two, a health fair, and a walk to coordinate!

7. I've been reviewing applications for new dietetic interns for work lately - they make me exhausted just reading about all the stuff these students did. I guess I did the same in college, but I am feeling like such a slacker in life now!!! Outside of work, I don't have a ton of activities - other than running group.
Speaking of running, my friend Emily posted a link to this charming video - now I'm nervous I'm an awkward runner!!

Happy Weekend!

The countdown to the New Orleans Half-Marathon has begun! Exactly one week until race day! I pray that I don't have any fluke injuries this time around. :-/ The bittersweet part is that the race marks the end of my training with StarRunners until the Fall most likely. Now I won't have anyone there to keep me accountable and provide interesting conversation when I run!

Here I come!!!

Since we'll be travelling next weekend, Will and I had another quiet weekend here in Memphis, which is a-ok with me! We started the weekend of right with pizza and beer from this pizza place super close to Will's new apartment called - Broad Street Pizza. It was a bit of dive-y kind of joint with plenty of goofy Elvis likenesses adorning the walls. We split this lovely pie... (pretty much the best way to carb load in my opinion...)

Bowl of banana peppers and green olives on the side - YUM!

Per usual, I was up early on Saturday morning to meet my fellow StarRunners downtown for an easy 8-miler. It was fun times running over to Mud Island with Emily and Cille. The miles seem to just fly by in good company! Afterwards, I made a quick trip to the Farmer's Market - it's kind of slim pickings at the moment - can't wait for summer! (Well, minus the suffocating southern heat...) We cooked dinner that evening - cathfish, buttered cabbage and lentils. I was responsible for the lentils again. :-) Will used this chipotle raspberry marinade he got from Dolly over Christmas for the catfish that was delish! Also, another great thing about the neighborhood Will now lives in? Raffe's! They you "create your own" six packs, so we get to try a bunch of different brews! We paired our dinner with one from a brewer in Alabama.

Sunday has been pretty chill. We took a walk in Overton park this afternoon to take in some of the fabulous warm, sunny weather! I was too warm in a jacket! (Can it really be February?!)
Hopefully this will be a quick week since I am so excited for the weekend!! But, come to think of it, I kind of feel like I'm always living for the weekend these days - sometimes I miss school! (Can I petition for a spring break?!) Sigh. I still have to convince myself I'm "all grown up" now. Anyways, hope y'all had a lovely weekend!