I returned on Friday from the first business trip I’ve been on with my current company. I was attending a conference called the Shingo Prize Conference, which focuses on management systems and strategies for achieving “operational excellence” (for those in the biz I work on implementing Lean and driving continuous improvement in a manufacturing environment sooo this conference is basically a mothership for my kind). I learned SO much and had the privilege of listening to and meeting knowledgeable people from many different industries but I will spare you all a full-on geek-out on my personal blog.

However, I will NOT spare you from pictures of all the fun stuff I did when my coworkers and I weren’t working hard at the conference! None of these pics are edited, sorry no profeshunul Photoshop skillz today.

Gorgeous view from the conference center in Provo

Salt Lake Temple aka Cinderella’s real life castle

I know the quality of this picture is undeniably the worst but I can’t get over the THOUSANDS of flowers planted in Temple Square. These were the most beautiful flowers I think I have ever seen.

We spent our last night hiking in Little Cottonwood Canyon. It was SO SO cool to drive through the same areas Brandon and I saw during our ski trip in March, when there was a lot more snow! We actually climbed up pretty high and did some casual rock climbing that was out of my normal comfort zone and now I think I’m hooked. I can’t wait to go scrambling around on some rocks the first chance I get on a camping trip this summer.

Last day – after plant tours, we spent the afternoon on Main Street in Park City. Can I please just move to Utah now?

UGH! What an awesome trip! The weather was beautiful almost the entire time, with just a few rain showers here and there. I couldn’t stop staring at the mountains and the sunshine felt so amazing on my face after such a long winter in MN. I saw people golfing, biking, climbing, running, and I heard there were even ski resorts still open! Utah. God’s country, man. The only downfall is the requirement that you have to buy snacks with any alcohol, but that can very well be seen as a positive I think

How goes the running? My training has gone really well the past week or so to my complete surprise. My “long” runs of 7, 8 and 9 miles were absolutely brutal over the last month with a LOT of walk breaks and painfully slow paces. To be honest, I did not have a lot of endurance built up before beginning my half marathon training plan and it was starting to bite me. I also experienced intense leg pain and calf tightness after my 7-mile-long-run week, which I partially blame on waiting too long to replace my shoes. I had been running in my old New Balance shoes for well over 2 years and had completely trained for my last half in those shoes. I went to a specialty store (Marathon Sports for TC people – HIGHLY recommend!) and got fitted by a running shoe expert. I ended up in the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13 shoes – they feel great on my feet and seem to have cleared up all the knee and calf pain I was experiencing.

My running is getting better but I don’t think my self portrait skills are improving at all.

So, I took it really easy the week my calves were so tight, reinvested in a foam roller (Teto completely shredded our old one) and struggled to do my best on the next few weeks of running. Last week, my training wasn’t  too consistent – I logged a quick 3 miles on the hotel treadmill DYING in the elevation and worked hard on the hike, but that’s it. On Sunday, I think the extra rest helped me push through a steady 10 miles, no walking, feeling great. I went from spending almost 2 hours in the fetal position wanting to throw up after my 9 mile run to feeling like I was on cloud nine just a week later after 10. I have 3 more full weeks before my half marathon race so fingers crossed the runs continue to go well and the race is just as enjoyable! Keys: hydrate well all week, avoid booze the night before running (der), and fuel after mile 6 (Mocha Clif gels are my fav).

Finally, this is belated but I need to give a blog shoutout to my roomie, friend, life coach, travel buddy, recipe tester and life love for his birthday <3

This is the most mild of all the embarrassing photos I was tempted to post! and it has a baby Teto in it!

I love this guy so much I even allowed Saturday’s birthday celebrations to commence at Fogo de Chao, home of never-ending skewers of RED MEAT. And boozy papaya cream. Actually delicious.

I love you, Brandon!

While the dude of the house was gone, I reverted back to my college ways of veggie bowls and faux-dinners. If you have been tagging along since I started the blog way back in my last year of school, you may have noticed the shift from single-sized dinners to leftover-friendly monstrosities with more protein and usually lots-o-cheese. While I missed Brandino mucho, it was actually nice to get back to eating lighter dinners that were super quick to prepare and easy to clean up!

The slightly pathetic food diary of my 2-week bachelor pad experience with equally pathetic iPhone photos –

Whole wheat angel hair spaghetti with peas, goat cheese and sautéed mushrooms. This was cleaning out the fridge at its finest. Notice the BRAND NEW candle that Teto broke because he was angry to be left home all alone for the weekend while I was in Chicago. Won’t let my devil cat get me down, put that thing on a coffee filter and keep ‘er burning!! Trashy chic.

Tuna salad with celery and olive oil based mayo + cottage cheese with pretzel thins for dippers. I am obsessed with pretzel thins right now! The fridge got a little more bare when I scrounged some roasted carrots with sautéed mushrooms and spinach to sneak some legit nutrients into this sad excuse for a dinner.

One of my very last homemade black bean burgers atop quinoa, goat cheese, and sautéed onions and green peppers. With sriracha, naturally.

Tuna salad made with Greek yogurt, mustard and lemon pepper seasoning melted into a quesadilla with some white beans and sharp cheddar + salad with Craisins and sunflower seeds on the side. Anyone out there know if there is such a thing as unsweetened dried cranberries? There’s no way they could be as delicious as Craisins but I try to avoid the added sugar when I can!

Dinner tonight! Buttered noodles with goat cheese and spinach with another Craisin-tastic salad paired with cannellini beans – my fave bean. FYI, just in case we ever have to play the Newlywed Game together or something.

The funny thing is, Brandon is home now but has had dinners for work almost every day since he has returned. My single lady dinner bowls have lived on!

What is the weirdest thing you eat for dinner when you are on your own? I also tend to eat way later when making dinner on my own, like 9:30ish – anyone else? Courtney – if you are reading this, I need you to comment and be honest. Let’s not forget the time we stooped to my personal all-time low of noodles and ketchup as a meal…

I especially wanted to share a few of the Chicago spots we stopped in at throughout the weekend and share some highlights. I did a poor job of taking pictures this time around but still have a few memories to share and save for later:

- Dinner friday night at Gemini Bistro was spent catching up with my friend who was my classmate, coworker AND roommate during our time at Wisconsin together. We had so much fun and saw Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler at the restaurant, which is my second time ever spotting a celeb so I was a little excited. FYI – K. Cav looked supa fly with the best hair and the coolest fur jacket. LAGUNA BEACH FOR LIFE!! We shared the scallops and mussels which were perfection!! The mussels came with bread to soak up the delicious broth – so so so good.

- I met Sushi, my friend’s little Shiba Inu for the first time after many months of Instagram-stalking her cute pics of the pup.

- Shopping in Old Town and Michigan Ave – only one new pair of jeans so I controlled the damage pretty well I think.

- Lunch at Ditka’s of all places with my two Bears-crazy girlfriends which I actually loved – I admit I am a bandwagon Packers fan so I can’t defend myself around these ladies at all. They already have the Bears schedule memorized and analyzed, so it was hilarious to check out the Bears memorabilia at this place with them and nod my head and smile while they chatted football. The chicken avocado sandwich was yummy comfort food on a windy chilly day, too.

- Saturday night we got our hair done at a blow dry bar (really fun because who doesn’t love someone else washing and brushing their hair? but  not something I would do often I don’t think) and then dinner out at Mercadito where we had almost every taco on the menu and the most interesting and delicious tequila drinks. HIGHLY recommend!! We also had a guac trio and two kinds of ceviche, which are only a sample of the menu. Gotta love a place with an extensive guacamole menu. We capped the night with drinks out in River North.

- Sunday headache recovery took place at Prasilo – insider tip like I know what I’m talking about: my gf told me they take brunch reservations which can be a rare thing in Chicago. I had the BEST eggs benedict ever – on a pretzel croissant with Brie and spinach YUM!! and the servers were very helpful and nice.

SIGHHHH it is so sad to come home away from all my friendlies in Chicago. I always have such a fun time when I visit!!!

I returned from the Windy City to this mess:

Yeah, this is totally fine.

I spent the weekend before last in my hometown visiting my family and hanging out with my BFFs for life, drinking margaritas and… well mostly drinking margaritas –the best kind of night, really. In other news, my legs are totally effed/tight/sore/cramping so I have been foam rolling like a motha all week but no real miles to report. Next week was supposed to be a “step back”/lower mileage week in my training plan so I am taking that weekend off a little earlier and hoping to pick up where I left off next weekend.

I know I haven’t kept up my promise to check in more often. Life and work has been so busy lately and let’s face it, I suck at blogging. Hope you enjoyed this little update anyway!

Yesterday I ran (ran/walked if we’re going to be honest here) 6 miles. Longest I have run in probably over a year. Note to self: do not consume fettuccini alfredo in servings the size of your face the night before long runs. All that butter is not a good idea, peeps, but I slowly made my way through the long run for week 3 of my half marathon training plan.

Yep, I decided to train for another half! I’m registered for the 13.1 Marathon in Chicago on June 8! I will be running it with a friend so I am extra excited, plus it gives me a reason to visit Chicago – my fave destination. I am now on week 4 of 12 weeks of training and going strong. I’ll post a full update on my training plan and progress soon.

Getting back into running has been a very slow process. I did a terrible job of working out regularly after finishing my first half marathon last May for a variety of reasons. My IT band was injured after the race, I was still getting accustomed to a new job, and am in general a very lazy person when I give myself the choice. I’m not really that person who craves a workout (and if you are, I HATE YOU) and I put focus on my job before a lot of things during the week, but I’m aware that some sweat in my life helps me recharge and be physically and emotionally ready to take on my busy work days.

I’m always trying out new workouts and plans, and have casually been doing probably 2-3 days a week of strength/free weight workouts, TurboFire and ideas from fitness blogs with some random yoga sessions thrown in there, but nothing with enough consistency to really improve my fitness/endurance. I started feeling a little squishy and out of shape around the holidays and started run/walking about once a week before starting an actual “plan” on 5/18. Now, even though I’m almost a month into my training plan, I am still feeling like I’m “getting back into running”… and the proof is in the shinsplints I have today

Here’s the list of things that have been helping me get pumped to hit the pavement… or the treadmill, for the foreseeable future until Minnesota decides that it’s really time to warm up WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

Anyway. While I cry myself to sleep over the weather, here’s the list of Things That Make Running More Fun When You Are Out Of Shape And It Hurts A Lot:

• New workout playlists!!. Share what you’ve been dance-running to during workouts in the comments or on twitter plz. I ‘m building a new playlist, but I need some ideas! I am not great at keeping my music selection fresh and am in NEED of some pump-up jams. Some current favs of mine include Calvin Harris, KANYE AND BEYONCE (on every playlist ever, do it), The Strokes and Purity Ring. I have also been loving listening to full albums all the way through for the first time on long runs (Justin Timberlake – I like the whole album much better than I liked Suit & Tie the first time I heard it! and Atlas Genius just OK on my 6 miler yesterday – maybe better driving music than running music.)
• Fresh running gear. My shoes from last year are starting to wear out in the heel, and I had INTENSE pain on the bottom of my right foot after my last half. I’m planning to get fitted at a running specialty store to try to find something that’s more suited to my foot and running gait this week. I’ve also been scoping out some spring-weather layering options… WANT:
• Summer daydreams. I was less than in-shape for our ski trip to Utah, and I paid the price with super sore quads and less time on the mountain. We have a trip planned to the Boundary Waters this summer and I am using the thought of being in better shape for outdoor adventures (and who are we kidding, impending bikini season) to keep me excited about getting my butt in gear.
• Inspiration from the blogosphere: Are you trying to get into running regularly or running long distance? It always inspires me to read about bloggers who take on seriously impressive distances (at FAST paces!) and have a lot of passion for the sport. When I can’t convince myself to even WALK 3 miles, I like to check out these chicas – they eat wimps like me for lunch: Hungry Runner Girl, Rose Runner, sweat once a day and Once Upon a Lime.
• Cross-training. As I said, I can be lazy when it comes to workouts. A lot of days it becomes another box to check on my to-do list rather than something I look forward to for an energy boost. During my last round of half marathon training, I followed a plan that recommended a cross-training day and I ignored it. I am sure this contributed to the knee/IT band pain I experienced and the difficulty I had recovering from the race. This time around, I am incorporating at least weekly yoga and some light strength training. I’m hoping the extra stretches will keep me pain-free and the weight training will help with any muscle imbalances or poor form that make running not so fun.

I will share some more info about the race/race weekend, my training plan, and some progress updates in the next couple weeks. For now, I am loving the improvements in fitness I’ve seen already and I’m pumped to get back up to double digit distances! Anyone else chasing spring fitness/health goals?

Gotta go hang with my homies now, bye!

Over the last year, I have made it a habit to make a little meal plan for the week each Sunday. Sometimes that meal plan is as simple as an inventory of leftovers from the week before and a plan to order Domino’s, but I try to keep it a little classier when I have the time. I try to come up with a list of what we will be eating each day, then build my grocery list from there. Having a list at the grocery store is a must, especially if you go hungry like I ALWAYS seem to do!

Brandon prefers a more meat-centric diet while I tend to enjoy meatless dishes a little more. Our meals end up striking that balance with salads, roasted veggies, and a few vegetarian choices sprinkled in with lots of fish and poultry main dishes. I also lurve soups, casseroles and pasta dishes that are easy to stash and reheat at work for lunch (some vintage blog recipe links: vegetarian chili, spicy turkey chili, healthy turkey shepherd’s pie casserole, chicken parmesan casserole, veggie-packed whole wheat pasta and chicken bake, and stuffed peppers).

Here’s what is on the docket this week:

Dinners
Chicken pot pie casserole (recipe inspiration at Emily’s Bites) – we tested this out tonight and will be using leftovers for lunches!
White chicken chili – this one is an old standby. I always double the batch!
“Wing it” options for busy nights: Shrimp stir fry with frozen shrimp & veggies, burgers (frozen beef burgers for Brandon, black bean burgers for me) and sweet potato fries, or breakfast-for-dinner (usually an omelet!)

Lunches
Leftover casserole & soup should last us the week and through the weekend. I also love the idea of grain bowls a la PB Runner, and I will usually grab lunch at/around work at least 1x per week.

Breakfasts
Oatmeal with banana, walnuts and honey
Greek yogurt with fruit
PB toast + fruit
Eggs if we are up early enough (almost never – I should really bust out the egg cups again one of these days)
Usually grab bfast at work at least 1x per week

I showed Joe the Trader some love today and then rushed home to do some meal prep for the week. I have been working extra long hours lately due to a special project and it is so nice to have food pre-prepped with easy options to sub in when days get crazy. Before starting dinner, I got started on:

- Chopping veggies (for salads, egg scrambles, etc.)

- Pre-cooking grains (for lunches & stir fry options – jasmine brown rice this week)

- Poaching chicken, shredding, then freezing for later (I’ll use it if we end up making the white chicken chili during the week)

- Cooking & freezing black bean burgers (I used BTHR’s awesome recipe!)

I’ll also portion out the casserole leftovers into lunch containers for the week. It feels sooo good to go into Monday with a dinner plan. It makes it easier to head straight to the treadmill when I get home from work or work a little later without worrying what we will eat later on.

While I worked hard on meal prep for the week, Teto helped out with folding some laundry. So helpful.

Here are a few great posts from some of my favorite blogs on weekly meal planning & prep – I learn everything I know from Google:

Back to Her Roots – How I Prep Food for the Week

Beth’s Journey – Meal Planning Tools (she also frequently posts weekly meal plans that are weight-loss friendly, very informative!)

Fitnessista – Plan & Prep an Hour to Clean Eats

The Lean Green Bean – Sunday Food Prep Inspiration

Do you have a weekly meal prep routine? Do you have any favorite recipes that make great weekday leftovers? Tell me your best tips!