Will Run for Cheeseburgers

Bagel Craving

2012-02-10T09:24:00.001-05:00

It's sad to say that I go to bed thinking about what I want to eat for breakfast the following morning. Last night I laid my head down on the pillow thinking about eating a bagel from Einstein Bagels.
This morning I walked an extra 2 blocks just to satisfy my bagel craving. I ordered an everything bagel with butter, toasted, and added strawberry jelly once I got to the office.

This bagel was everything I hoped it would be and more.
Is it too early to start thinking about lunch? Dinner?
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A little ME moment

2012-02-08T12:31:00.001-05:00

I tore myself from my office long enough to walk over to Starbucks for some hot tea and a sweet treat.

Awake tea with a salted caramel square.

I'm just sitting at a table enjoying my treats while listening to some good music. Why don't I hang out in Starbucks more often? Probably cause I should continue my caffeine strike for another 7 weeks. A little tea never hurt no one ...

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33 weeks

2012-02-08T09:13:00.000-05:00

This post comes a bit delayed ... technically 33 weeks was on Sunday, so I'm really 33 weeks and 3 days. According to my Sprout app I have 46 days to go. I can start saying things like "Baby C will be here next month." NEXT MONTH! Isn't that crazy?

Although this past weekend I had a lot of fun down in Florida for my baby shower (hopefully pictures will be posted soon), I'm currently trying to get over a terrible cold that followed me back up to Charlotte. I stayed home on Monday from work and the rest definitely helped ... along with lots of liquids.

This week babycenter.com says baby is the size of a pineapple ... how a pineapple is currently fitting in my body is beyond me.

It's getting harder to get around and the size increase is definitely showing up more and more. Walking to and from work isn't as much fun anymore and that's only about 0.5 miles each way.

I ran 3.3 miles on Saturday and I'm worried that might be one of my last runs. We'll see though ... I don't want to give up hope yet. Plus I need to kick this cold before I can get back to exercising.

Ryan continues to make fun of my clumsiness. I'm constantly underestimating how much room I actually need to get by and end up running into more and more things ... doors, walls, chairs, whatever.

I'm still managing to eat fairly well ... trying to get as many fruits and vegetables into my diet. Unfortunately the cold kept me eating toast and cereal for 1-2 days straight.

And that's pretty much it for this week. We've got a lot to do to get ready for Baby C's arrival so hopefully after celebrating Ryan's birthday this weekend we'll get back to work on setting up the baby room.

The Ravenous Pig - review

2012-02-07T13:45:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite parts of traveling back to Orlando, Florida is going to the Ravenous Pig gastropub in Winter Park. Eating their burger was one of my last meals in Florida before making the move up to Charlotte, North Carolina back in 2010 so this restaurant holds a special place in my heart. Or should I say this burgers holds a special place in my stomach?

On Friday night Ryan and I were joined by my friend Katie and her fiance Chris to dine at this restaurant. We all ordered the same thing ... the Pub Burger. Although some might think the $13 price tag is slightly steep for a burger, the high quality product does not disappoint.

Pub Burger 13.

1855 angus beef, caramelized onion, buttermilk bleu cheese, truffle fries

I ordered my burger medium cooked and it came out juicy and delicious. I did not add any ketchup or other condiment to the burger because the buttermilk blue cheese that topped the burger gave it enough flavor.

Each fry was dipped in a side of garlic aioli (unpictured since the server had to get me some from the kitchen). The shoestring french fries are the perfect compliment to this burger.

This is definitely one of the best burgers I have ever had, in any state. I look forward to many more Florida visits to see my dear friends and to naturally have many more pub burgers.

left side vs right side

2012-02-02T09:26:00.001-05:00

So after almost 33 weeks of being pregnant I'm finally starting to feel some annoyances with pregnancy. I thought I was doing well with staying positive, but I've finally come to the point where I can't handle one small aspect of pregnancy ... side sleeping. More importantly left side sleeping.

From the American Pregnancy Association:

The best sleep position during pregnancy is "SOS" (sleep on side). Even better is to sleep on your left side. Sleeping on your left side will increase the amount of blood and nutrients that reach the placenta and your baby. Keep your legs and knees bent and a pillow between your legs.

When I asked the doctor during my appointment this past Monday, if sleeping on the right side would be allowed, she said "I wouldn't if I were you." This was pretty disheartening since she's a doctor and should know everything. Except she's young and has never had a baby so does she really know what it feels like to be constrained to only sleeping on one side?

My whole issue with left side sleeping is that I've done it for weeks now and my left side is so incredibly sore. My neck, shoulder, and chest are all in constant pain, even when I'm not laying down. I literally wake myself up in the middle of the night in pain from sleeping that way. I've been trying to alternate between the right and left side to somehow allow myself to get some sleep (in between waking up 2 or 3 times a night to go to the bathroom), and even that isn't enough. There is still a good portion of the night where I lie in tremendous pain.

I'm sure I'm making a bigger deal out of this than I should, but like those of you who know me, I get pretty neurotic about certain things and start overly obsessing about things out of my control. Then I get a hold of the Internet and find articles like this that leave me freaking out even more.

Sleeping on Back or Right Side May Increase Stillbirth Risk - from Medscape Medical News

June 15, 2011 — Compared with pregnant women who sleep on their left side, those who sleep on their back may have double the risk of delivering a stillborn baby, and those who sleep on their right side also may have an increased risk, according to a new study.

Maybe I should stop my researching online and focus on staying positive. I'm sure I'll bombard all moms at my baby shower this weekend to ask how they slept during their last trimester.

quick lunch work out

2012-02-01T13:20:00.000-05:00

After not working out since my run on Saturday I knew I should probably head back to the YMCA today. Unfortunately all of the treadmills were taken so I was forced to do some cycling on a seated bicycle.

I had it on level 5 and completed 3.25 miles in 18 minutes. Once I was finished with my cardio I headed to the weights area to do a quick bicep work out.

3 sets of 12 reps bicep curls using a pair of 5 pound weights
3 sets of 12 reps hammerhead curls using a pair of 5 pound weights

I quickly changed back into my "normal" clothes and dashed to Jimmy John's to pick up some food before heading back to the office.

I went with their "vegetarian" sandwich ... avocado spread, provolone cheese, cucumbers, lettuce, mayo, NO sprouts, NO tomatoes, ADD hot peppers. I haven't had one of their sandwiches in a while and it was definitely delicious. I love their bread!! Their sandwiches tend to be a bit pricier than Subway (my total today was $5.14 instead of my usual $3.25 veggie sandwich), but are 2 inches larger and are, in my opinion, better quality.

32 weeks

2012-01-30T10:35:00.000-05:00

We're down to the last 8 weeks! I had a doctor's appointment this morning and everything with Baby C is going well. My weight gain since the last appointment 3 weeks ago is 3 pounds ... I'm currently at 133 pounds. My blood pressure was normal and they were able to check Baby C's heartbeat after he stopped moving around so much!

The doctor also measured my stomach and saw that I was 32 centimeters ... which means I'm right on track for 32 weeks. I was worried that I wasn't "big" enough and she definitely calmed my fears. She said it's smooth sailing from this point on so fingers crossed that everything goes well.

Lately my biggest complaint is sleeping on my left side. Due to adequate blood flow for the baby, its recommended that I only sleep on the left side. I hate only sleeping on the left side ... I like options. I like being able to sleep on my back or right side if need be. But if baby's well being is on the line then I'll stick to just sleeping on the left side.

My back pain is definitely in full force by the end of the day. Carrying around so much extra weight in my midsection has been very hard on my body. I need to get back into the gym and do some more upper body weights before the baby comes to hopefully build up some more muscle.

I haven't used my prenatal massage gift card that Ryan got me for Christmas. I've been "saving" it for a good day and I think I need to just go ahead and make an appointment before the 8 weeks is up. Plus if I love the experience I can always convince him to get me a 2nd gift card, right?

I can't wait to meet Baby C. I keep talking to him and letting him know how excited we are that he's on his way. We try to tell him though to be patient, unlike his mom, and stay in my belly for as long as he needs to. There is no way I want a 10 pound baby but I want to make sure he's as healthy and strong as can be.

Power Walker

2012-01-27T14:23:00.001-05:00

Never did I think that I would one day use my running sneakers for power walking. Today I skipped the treadmill at the YMCA and walked around uptown Charlotte instead.

Aside for some gusts of wind and some worrisome dark clouds, the weather was perfect around 60 degrees and sunny. I power walked my little heart out while listening to the "Journey" radio station on pandora. I love my 80's music!

Once I was done I headed straight to Subway for my usual veggie delite.

I always joke that people in Charlotte never make their sandwiches with love ... They always seem sloppy and put together in a rush. Looking forward to being back in Florida next week so that I can get a Publix sub.

Yummy!!

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Speedy Run

2012-01-24T13:36:00.001-05:00

Today I spent my lunch doing two types of running ... Running errands for my boss and running on the treadmill. Since the errands cut into my gym time, I had to make sure I was super speedy to get 2 miles done.

I finished both miles in 21 minutes and didn't take any walking breaks. I was surprised at how good I actually felt at that speed. Hopefully Baby C enjoyed it as well.

For lunch I inhaled a delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a side of baked sour cream and cheddar chips.

I'm already looking forward to eating my afternoon snacks. I'd like to think that I do well with eating lots of small meals all day long.

I leave you with a picture of Honey from this morning.

She's not a morning person.

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31 weeks

2012-01-23T09:01:00.000-05:00

We're finally in single digits people! Only 9 more weeks until Baby C makes his appearance ... hopefully it's not any later than that :)

I say this every week, but I still can't believe how fast the weeks are ticking by. On Wednesday we'll hit the "2 months to go" until the due date.

I apologize in advance to Julie and her husband Dan for the work bathroom pictures. Ryan was in the shower when I left for work this morning so I didn't have a photographer handy. Unfortunately, Honey hasn't gotten a grasp on how to use the iPhone to take pictures.

I'm getting big ... definitely noticing an increase in belly size after each week. My back is starting to hurt more from all of the extra weight, but so far nothing unbearable.

Last week I managed to go to the YMCA 5 times and ran 4 of those times. My total mileage for the week hit the 10 mile mark which made me really happy. I'm honestly not trying to push myself too hard but I really want to keep working out as much as I can before my body tells me to STOP.

Baby C is roughly 3 pounds now and 16 inches long. I feel sort of bad for him that he doesn't have more room in my belly to grow. He's definitely trying to make room though ... he's been super active the past couple of days. Lots of moving around and possibly some fist pumping to the 80's music I've been listening to.

I'm trying to eat as healthy as possible but find myself craving bowls of cereal again. I'm hoping the nauseous/morning sickness of the 1st trimester doesn't rear its ugly head again.

Ryan and I have started our baby classes and have gone to 2 so far. Tonight I have a "mothers" only class which should be interesting. We really have learned so much and I'm sure we still have a lot more to learn in the next few weeks of class.

Here's to another great week!

Finally! A burger post

2012-01-20T14:12:00.001-05:00

Today I got one of the best text messages ever from Ryan ...
"do you want me to bring you food for lunch?"

Heck yes! Better yet he was bringing me take out from Kickstand, my favorite burger place in Charlotte. I decided to stick with something quasi healthy and went with a turkey burger on whole wheat bun with cheddar cheese.

Before I could eat my tasty meal I had some running to do. I headed to the YMCA and ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I did a combination of running and walking and completed 2.53 miles.

Once back at the office I waited for my special delivery. Around 1:30 Ryan told me he had my food downstairs.

So tasty and definitely worth running for.

Happy Friday!

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Pre and Post work out food

2012-01-19T13:27:00.001-05:00

Around 10am I decided to eat my Pre work out snack.

At 160 calories and 14 grams of protein I figured it would be the best way to keep me fueled during some cardio and weights.

Once at the gym I took a day off from running and did some cardio on the bicycle instead.
- 3.14 miles in 15 minutes at level 5 out 20

Then I headed to the free weights area and did the following exercises using a pair of 5 pound weights.
- 2 sets of 15 reps overhead press
- 2 sets of 15 reps side lateral raises
- 2 sets of 15 reps front lateral raises

It was definitely a quick work out but I'm glad I went to the YMCA instead of skipping out.

On my way back to work I stopped by Subway for my usual 6 inch veggie delight on wheat.

They need to stop skimping on the veggies on a veggie sub for Pete's sake!

Time to count down until 5pm :)

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Light tunes for baby

2012-01-18T14:22:00.001-05:00

So I'm sitting at my desk and thought that maybe Baby C is bored. I decide to play him some Mozart and rig my headphones onto my belly.

I have since put my sweater down to cover that massive stomach. I had seen "belly buds" on Amazon.com for almost $50 and figured I could just use some tape to replicate the same concept.

Hope he's enjoying his classical music.

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30 weeks

2012-01-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

Can you believe we are at 30 weeks? Only 10 weeks to go (hopefully) until Baby Chalmers is here. From babycenter.com:

30 weeks: Baby weighs as much as a large cabbage. Your baby rivals a good-size cabbage in weight, tipping the scales this week at 3 pounds. (Length: about 15 3/4 inches, head to heel.)

If you ask me how I'm feeling at any given time I'll tell you one thing .... TIRED. I can't seem to get enough rest no matter how much sleep I think I'm getting. It's gotten pretty uncomfortable to sleep on my left side and getting up a couple of times a night to use the bathroom doesn't help either.

I'm obviously getting bigger every day ... the weight is really starting to bother my lower back. I had always worked out my back while in the gym pre-pregnancy, but I guess my back muscles aren't strong enough to handle the extra pounds.

I'm starting to hate any shoes that require shoelaces. I don't like bending down to tie them so I try to avoid them at all costs. I can't wear my UGGs everywhere though ... although I would like to.

I'm still working out at the gym ... slow running/walking mostly for at least 25 minutes. It's starting to feel a little uncomfortable, but I'm not in pain so I'll continue to use the treadmill for as long as I can.

We started our first round of baby education classes at the medical center. It's really an eye opener as to what your body can do when delivering a baby. It's making me nervous and excited all at once. I really hope I'm up for the challenge, but at this point I don't really have a choice do I?

Nothing really new to report other than getting exciting for the Baby Shower on February 4th in Orlando, Florida.

Next doctor's appointment is on Monday January 30th so I'll have another weight gain update then.

Back on Track

2012-01-17T13:21:00.001-05:00

After a weekend full of bad meals and lack of sleep, today my body was not pleased with me. I decided to get back on track and headed to the YMCA during my lunch break.

I walked for 1 minute as a warmup and then ran for 24 minutes. I finished up the work out with 1 minute of walking as a cool down.
-2.32 miles in 26 minutes

Since I haven't had time to hit up the grocery store I headed straight to Subway for lunch.

6 inch veggie sub on wheat with cheddar cheese (should've been provolone but they ignored me), spinach, black olives, pickles, banana peppers, onions, and honey mustard sauce.

Delicious sandwich that definitely hit the spot.

Looking forward to making dinner tonight and continuing a chain of "good for me" meals.

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Apple Tart recipe

2012-01-15T17:24:00.000-05:00

People always talk about pregnant chicks and their cravings. One of my cravings during the past couple of months has been sweets. Anything dessert like really. With this craving comes a large desire to bake. Ryan actually mentioned how often I've been baking lately. It's not like he's complaining about my desire to bake ... I think he enjoys all of the treats that I make.

Friday night I looked around the kitchen and realized I had puff pastry sheets in the freezer and some apples in the fridge. Those seemed like 2 perfectly good ingredients for dessert so after some googling I found the perfect recipe ... "Quick & Easy (and Yummy) Apple Tart" from the Pioneer Woman's website.

Ingredients:

1 whole Sheet Puffed Pastry, Cut Into Thirds
3 whole Apples, Cored, Halved, And Sliced, But Not Peeled (I only used 3 ... her recipe had 4)
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon (not included on her recipe)

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 415 degrees.

Place puffed pastry rectangles onto a baking pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray. Add sugar, salt, and cinnamon to apples. Stir to combine. Allow to sit for a few minutes.

Arrange apple slices on the pastry rectangles in a straight line, overlapping as you go.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown.

Remove from pan immediately and place on a serving platter. Serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

apples ready to be cut ... thought I needed a lemon but obviously did not

apples with sugar/salt/cinnamon mixture

ready to go into the oven


hot out of the oven

Such an easy recipe to follow and make. The results were the perfect dessert for after dinner.

my version of the Egg McMuffin

2012-01-15T16:49:00.000-05:00

have you seen that commercial for McDonald's that uses the term "egg mcmuffin" to describe people or things in a highly complimentary manner?

Anyways my breakfast on Friday could be described as one of the best in a while. So simple yet so delicious. I even used one of my crafty kitchen devices ... little metal egg rings from Crate and Barrel.

Perfect little egg rounds ready to be placed on top of a toasted whole wheat English muffin, along with a slice of Canadian bacon, a slice of Vermont white cheddar cheese, and a smear of blackberry jam.

Save your time and money and make your own breakfast sandwiches at home. A piece of perfection to start your day.

First bowl of the year

2012-01-12T09:22:00.001-05:00

This morning I veered away from my usual breakfast sandwich. Instead I made a green smoothie at home (featuring banana, spinach, soymilk, vanilla protein powder, and ice) and packed some oatmeal for work.

I haven't had oatmeal at all in 2012 and figured this morning would be a good time to have the wholesome treat.

Into the bowl went some quick cooking oatmeal, steaming hot water, light brown sugar, and a banana.

What a difference it makes to start your day off with healthy food. I'm feeling more energetic already!

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Homemade Pizza Night

2012-01-11T19:07:00.001-05:00

Today after work, Ryan and I headed to the YMCA to run on our respective treadmills. I ran 2.5 miles in 28:30 minutes then called it quits. I've been getting side pains lately and think its ligament pain associated with pregnancy. Once we got home it was time to get started on our homemade pizza. I threw our pizza stone in the oven to pre-heat and got started on the pizza and garlic knots.

Toppings included pepperoni and pepperoncini peppers. I love how easy it is to make pizza at home using store bought pizza dough. Definitely a good post run meal. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2011 Year End Report - Daily Mile

2012-01-10T11:13:00.000-05:00

I received a neat email yesterday from Daily Mile that summarized my running stats from 2011.

Total distance in 2011 - 570 miles

Average miles per week - 10 miles

Number of work outs - 161

Average number of pounds burned - 18

Total Miles ran in:

January - 48

February - 60

March - 66

April - 44

May - 62

June - 65 - most active month

July - 60

August - 44

September - 39

October - 44

November - 19 - half marathon month

December - 22

I love seeing the breakdown of when I ran the most miles, according to months. This definitely motivates me to run more once Baby C is born. I have to beat my stats from 2011 :)

29 weeks

2012-01-09T20:41:00.000-05:00

Today marks 29 weeks of pregnancy. Time sure is flying by.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning (just a normal checkup) and had normal blood pressure and weight gain. Currently I weigh 130 pounds and have gained about 23 pounds since before I was pregnant. Plus I got to listen to baby's heartbeat, which is always my favorite part of those checkups. Next appointment isn't for another 3 weeks and then after that I'll be going every 2 weeks, then weekly until baby shows up.

Today after work I went to my 2nd prenatal yoga class at the YMCA. This time it was taught by a different teacher and was much, much better. There was more of an emphasis on relaxation which I definitely supported. I left feeling relaxed and ready to tackle making dinner.

This weekend Ryan painted the baby's room ... 2 shades of what I consider to be soothing, sea-like blues. It's hard to believe that a little person will be living with us soon. I hope he likes us. Other than painting we really haven't done a whole lot to prepare for his arrival.

Oh Baby Chalmers I can't wait to meet you! Stay in there though and continue to get healthy and big. Although I wouldn't mind if you showed up around 37 or 38 weeks ... not sure how I'm going to make it to 40!

Dunkin Donuts tradition

2012-01-06T07:58:00.001-05:00

Almost every Friday I treat myself to a delicious breakfast from Dunkin Donuts. Today was no exception, especially since we didn't sleep at home last night and had no other breakfast options. Unfortunately the repair guy has yet to repair our heater.

I ordered my usual ... Egg and cheese croissant, 2 blueberry munchkins, an orange juice fromthe pharmacy next door, and a 10 ounce French vanilla coffee. Since I only had about 4-5 ounces of coffee yesterday (never finished it) I figured I could have a few more ounces today. As you can probably tell I have not gone to the gym since Monday. There is something about sleeping at other peoples' homes instead of your own that is unsettling. Here's hoping to getting back on track and sleeping in my own bed tonight!

Starbucks to the rescue

2012-01-05T08:07:00.001-05:00

What's worse for a native Floridian than temperatures in the 20's? How about when your heater breaks and the house is rapidly becoming chillier and chillier?

Yesterday when I got home from work I noticed the heat wasn't working so I did what any normal person would do ... Call my dad. After that phone call my only options according to him where to get a hotel room for the night or buy a small space heater.

I headed to Target to buy a heater and was convinced my $30 would save the day. Once
I had it set up I started to really worry that it wouldn't run the entire night and at some point around 2am it would shut off.

So I texted Alex and asked if Honey and I could come over. Lucky for us he's a nice guy and only lives a mile away. Slumber party with Alex and Pablo!

Not really ... I had a somewhat comfy set up on the couch and a dog who barked at every noise she heard. Needless to say we didn't sleep very well. I'm sorry Baby C for sleeping on a couch and for not getting enough rest.

I'm also sorry Baby C for stopping by Starbucks this morning and ordering, gasp, coffee. Luckily they sell the 8oz coffees so I got that and a turkey, egg white, cheddar sandwich. After doctoring the sandwich up with some strawberry jam I'm good to go.

Now to call the heater repair guy ...

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Best afternoon snack

2012-01-04T14:40:00.001-05:00

I've eaten pretty poorly today ... Well let me rephrase that, just not as nutritious as it probably should have been.

Why change anything about my diet for today when I can continue this vicious cycle?

Behold one gigantic chocolate chip cookie leftover from our catered lunch yesterday. Just warmed it up in the microwave and voila it's a fresh baked delicious treat.

Maybe dinner will be healthier ...
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28 weeks

2012-01-04T08:59:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting my weekly BABY update but it's been tough getting the pictures taken. I apologize that my trusty photographer, Ryan, was not available for this photo shoot. You are now stuck with viewing some photos that I took in my own bathroom this morning.

First let me start of by saying that it was 21 degrees in Charlotte when I took Honey out for her walk this morning. I definitely added a scarf, ear muffs, gloves, and a coat when I headed to work.

Side view resembles what week 27 looked like. I haven't seen an increase this week, but then again I look at myself every day so all I see is BIG all the time.

My awesome round basketball baby. Maybe Baby C is telling us that he would like to play in the NBA when he grows up. If not I'll accept the fact that I'm fortunately gaining almost all of my weight in just my stomach area.

The past couple of days people have commented to me that I "must be having a boy since I'm carrying so low." This picture doesn't really do it justice but I have totally noticed a lower sitting belly lately.

According to babycenter.com, baby is the size of a Chinese cabbage this week. He's a little over 14 inches and weighs over 2 pounds. The third trimester will bring an additional weight gain of about 11 pounds. Lucky for me I ordered another pair of maternity jeans and will hopefully have them by the end of this week.

This week I've been battling a cold and am unhappy to report that I still have a bad case of the sniffles. I'm sure the frigid weather is not helping my situation at all, but hopefully slightly warmer temperatures at the end of this week will help clear away some of my sickness. Other than that I've continued to work out and eat as healthy as I can. Can't believe there are less than 12 weeks to go!

Dinner #2

2012-01-03T20:04:00.001-05:00

I've been fighting off the same cold for days. My appetite has been a tad bit off as a result. Dinner #1 tonight consisted of some raw veggies, a bowl of cherries, some cottage cheese, and some triscuits with cheese. Random random random.

Dinner #2 is a little more normal for pregnant Jess ... A bowl of lucky charms.

I've also started reading "The Hunger Games" which was graciously lent to me by my friend Danielle almost a month ago.

Hopefully it's as good as everyone says it is.

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My 1st Prenatal Yoga Class

2012-01-03T08:41:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I headed over to the YMCA for my 1st prenatal yoga class. Before the class I did some slow run/walk on the treadmill to get myself warmed up.

1.55 miles in 20 minutes

The 60 minute class had about 12 women in attendance, ranging from 7 weeks pregnant to 36 weeks pregnant. Although I would ordinarily consider myself an experienced yogi, this class was a humbling experience. It was a lot harder than I imagined to do the same poses I had done with ease in the past. After almost every position the instructor would remind us to adjust our bodies to allow room for our obviously large pregnant bellies. It was funny to see how much those things really get in the way :)

It was definitely a good workout and I can't wait to try the class again next week.

It's a bummer that the class is only offered twice a week ... once in the evening (Monday nights) and once on Thursday morning. Hopefully I can find some other yoga studios in the area that offer prenatal yoga.

Goals for 2012

2012-01-02T09:30:00.000-05:00

I don't really want to call them resolutions ... instead I rather list out some goals for the upcoming year.

Looking back at 2011 I think I did pretty well with achieving the goals most important to me. I set out to run 500 miles and I ended up running 568. I tried to blog more and I ended up with 241 posts in 2011.

For 2012 I'm looking to increase both of those amounts ... it won't be easy trying to juggle being a mom (baby Chalmers is due March 25), and trying to run and blog more. But I like challenges and know that I will do everything I can to meet the goals that I set out to achieve.

in 2012 I hope to run at least 550 miles
in 2012 I hope to write at least 275 blog posts
in 2012 I hope to take control of my finances and not spend as frivolously as I have in the past
in 2012 I hope to strive to be the best version of Jess at all possible times

I hope everyone is looking forward to the New Year with their own goals and ambitions. At the end of the day the most important thing is to be happy with yourself. What are some of your ~~resolutions~~ goals for 2012?

Philosophers Stone burger review

2012-01-01T15:14:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a lovely day in Charlotte. The weather hovered around a high of 58-60 degrees which meant I didn't have to wear pants! Any chance lately to wear a dress I gladly take.

Ryan and I decided to enjoy the day by eating lunch outdoors with Honey.

We headed to a local spot, Philosophers Stone, for some burgers.

I ordered a 1/2 pound burger with cheese, BBQ sauce, and some sort of relish/slaw mix. It was really really good. I definitely had no problem finishing the entire burger, along with the side of onion rings and pickle. I must've been really hungry from my work out at the gym earlier in the morning ...
- 2.5 miles in 29:30 minutes
- 3 sets of 12 reps using 5 pound weights of:
- overhead military press
- side lateral raises
- front lateral raises

I definitely have no doubt that I'll order another burger from P Stone in the near future.

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Young Adult - movie review

2011-12-30T10:42:00.000-05:00

Last night Ryan and I had a mini date night and headed to the local movie theater. The closest theater to our new neighborhood only has 2 screens and is usually playing what I consider "indie" or "artsy" films ... rarely any mainstream movies.

Out of the 2 choices available we chose "Young Adult," starring Charlize Theron, written and produced by Diablo Cody. From IMDb:

"Soon after her divorce, a fiction writer returns to her home in small-town Minnesota, looking to rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend,

who is now married with kids."

First off ... when did movies become so expensive? Why is it $10 a movie ticket? Maybe that's why movie attendance has slumped to 16 year low.

Secondly ... this movie was strange. It was a weird combination of comedy and drama and left Ryan and I thanking our lucky stars that we have such normal, happy lives. Charlize Theron did an excellent job of portraying this depressed, alcoholic, seemingly "has been". I would probably suggest waiting until this comes out on video (is that the correct terminology or should I say DVD, bluray?).

Gym recap

2011-12-29T13:40:00.001-05:00

This week I've done 2 workouts that have so far gone undocumented.

On Tuesday after work I went to the YMCA with Ryan and did the following:
- 20 minutes of cardio on the bike (total 7.2 miles)
- 3 sets of 12 reps bicep curls using a pair of 5 pound weights
- 3 sets of 12 reps lateral pulldowns with weight set to 25 pounds
- 3 sets of 12 reps seated row with weight set to 25 pounds

Today I used my lunch break for a quick cardio workout. I jumped on the treadmill at the YMCA and alternated walking and running for 30 minutes and 15 seconds.
- total time ran was 20 minutes and walked for 10 minutes and 15 seconds
- total distance 2.5 miles

So far I'm 3 workouts in for this week and look forward to going to the gym a couple more times. I can't slack off before the new year :)

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27 weeks

2011-12-27T08:49:00.000-05:00

The weeks just keep flying by. I say it every week, but I still can't believe how quickly all of this is going. I'm now in my 3rd trimester and feel like I've hit the home stretch. And by stretch I'm just referring to my ever growing stomach.

These photos were taken after Ryan and I went to the gym. I ran a little over 3 miles on the treadmill.

I haven't found any maternity work out clothes ... or haven't really looked for that matter. I'm still rocking my x-small NIKE top and small NIKE tempo shorts.

I definitely get some stares while at the gym. Not sure if people are just surprised that a pregnant woman would be working out beside them or if they are scared I'm going to go into labor all of a sudden (too soon for that people!).

The ever growing stomach has made it difficult to do things like bending down to tie my shoe ... from what I've heard it's only going to get harder for these tasks.

While at the gym I weighed myself ... 126 pounds. So far I've gained a little less than 20 pounds throughout the pregnancy. From this point on "they" say that I'll gain 1 pound a week. I'm curious to see where those 13 pounds will go.

I feel great all the time, albeit getting more and more tired as the day goes on. Ryan has been such a great help and even gifted me a spa gift certificate for my first prenatal massage. I can't wait to schedule that!

Rain rain go away ...

2011-12-21T08:13:00.001-05:00

All I want for Christmas is some sunshine in Charlotte. The weather predictions for the next 5 days call for rain. Boo. That's no way to spread Christmas cheer my friends.
This morning I popped into Starbucks to help brighten my otherwise dreary day.

A non fat tall chai latte was purchased using one of my holiday giftcards. Score!

Happy Wednesday. Here's to a good day full of productivity in the office and in the gym during my lunch break.

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26 weeks

2011-12-19T09:13:00.000-05:00

Another week has gone by and I'm still amazed at how big I've been getting. I'm still feeling great and somewhat energetic ... by the time evening rolls around I'm usually beat and ready for some rest though. I'm happy to report that I'm still popping into the gym every once in a while. I hope to maintain working out throughout the rest of the pregnancy, even if it means just walking for a couple of miles.

I'm still wearing most of my normal clothes, with a few maternity tops thrown into the mix. I tried to wear my maternity jeans yesterday, but they were still so big. Hopefully a few washes will shrink them a bit. For now I'm alternating wearing the "ultra low Levi's" and a pair of Express jeans I dug up from my closet.

Today's outfit ... Mossimo sweater from Target, circa 2007, Express jeans, and TOMS

Nice side shot of the growing belly ...

Finally a shot of the belly head on. It's crazy to think that I'll be gaining roughly a pound a week for the next 14 weeks. Hopefully I can keep the weight all in my midsection and nowhere else :)

No other updates in the baby front. I've slowly added a few more items onto our registry at Babies R Us and have created 2 other registries as well ... Target and Pottery Barn Kids. I definitely need my friend Julie to look over the growing list and make sure I'm asking for necessary items and not just cute bibs and blankets.

Looking forward to another great week!

Chicken and Egg

2011-12-18T19:27:00.001-05:00

Tonight's dinner came from my "Chicken and Egg" cookbook.

I set out to make the chicken pot pie with a few variations. I really don't like carrots and peas so I omitted those and added celery and corn instead. I also halved the recipe since it served 8 and Ryan and I were the only ones dining this evening.

The finished product. Perfectly golden brown ... Right out of the oven.

My plate ... Served with a side salad.

The remains ... Leftovers anyone?

This was an easy to follow recipe and the result was a super delicious home baked meal. It's a perfect meal for a cold winter night.

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Friday tradition is back!

2011-12-16T10:40:00.001-05:00

This morning I started off the day with a great Friday tradition ... Dunkin Donuts breakfast with Ryan. We haven't gone in such a long time, and welcomed their delicious croissant sandwiches with open arms (and stomachs).

I went with my usual egg and cheese sandwich with a vanilla chai on the side.

Both were tasty and delicious. Wish my happiness this morning would've lasted a little longer ... Headaches at work around 8:45 made my morning suddenly take a nose dive.

Let's hope the day gets better! Happy friday everyone :)

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My first jamba experience

2011-12-15T12:23:00.001-05:00

Today during my lunch break I walked over to Jamba Juice for the first time in my life. I was craving some fruit and figured a smoothie would be a quick fix.

After reading the menu for a really long time I finally picked the "acai super antioxidant".
- acai juice blend, soymilk, strawberries, raspberry sherbet, blueberries, ice, and antioxidant power boost
-16 ounce size has 260 calories, 4 grams of fat, 46 grams of sugar, and a whole lot of vitamin C

My verdict? Pretty tasty. Lots of sugar ... Probably should've ordered something less sugary. Kind of expensive ($4.10+tax for small).

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Back in the gym

2011-12-14T14:31:00.001-05:00

Today I felt well enough to head back to the gym. I decided to keep it simple and did some incline walking. I set the treadmill at 2.0 for the incline and kept an average walking pace of 4.0 for 29:30 minutes and completed 2.0 miles.

Once back at the office I made myself some Trader Joe's instant macaroni and cheese and ate a banana on the side for lunch.

Time to countdown until I see "Breaking Dawn" with my friend Danielle at 7:15pm. YAY!!!

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Food groups covered ... Check!

2011-12-13T19:21:00.001-05:00

Since becoming pregnant I've tried to put more emphasis on having enough protein in my diet. Unfortunately I get lazy and lean on eggs for most of my protein.

Tonight's dinner came together in a flash. I combined chopped green onions, red bell pepper, and spinach with pepperoni, Gouda cheese, and 1 egg. It was my take on an egg scramble ... But for dinner. On the side I had a slice of whole wheat toast with butter. What is it with toast and butter that makes it so comforting when I'm feeling under the weather?

And I can't forget about my fruit serving ... Some apple juice served in a mason jar. Dinner is complete!

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Feeling guilty about fast food

2011-12-13T13:05:00.001-05:00

So not only have I taken the past 2 days off from working out, I've also succumbed to the ease and convenience of fast food.

I don't feel well and couldn't make a healthier decision for lunch. Plus I'm exhausted and figured some iced tea might give me an acceptable caffeine boost.

At least I opted for the grilled chicken sandwich instead of the mouthwatering fried one.

Comfort food is ok once in a while ... Especially since I already feel guilty about eating fast food today.

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Better than McDonald's

2011-12-13T08:47:00.001-05:00

This morning I switched up my breakfast sandwich by adding one additional ingredient ... A slice of Canadian bacon. That one added ingredient made it very similar to McDonald's traditional egg mcmuffin. My version was clearly 100 times better.

Whole wheat English muffin, Canadian bacon, cheddar cheese, egg, and raspberry jalapeño jam. Perfect!

I haven't been feeling all that great and have decided to skip the gym again today. Hopefully I'll be back to 100% tomorrow.

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25 weeks

2011-12-12T09:32:00.001-05:00

I'm sitting at the doctors office waiting to take my glucose test.

I had to drink this prior to a blood test to check for diabetes. It wasn't that bad to drink but it's kind of making me feel nauseous at this point.

Ryan was unavailable to take my weekly shots, and since I wasn't at work I opted to take them in our bathroom.

There's the bump. I'm rocking a comfy sweater today since it's so cold outside.

Still wearing my ultra low skinny Levi's. They fit so why not?

Side shot for the real deal. Check that thing out.

I've been trying to work more on updating our registry, but it's just so hard to pick between so many items.

Other than that I've felt really good the past couple of days. I've kept up with working out 4 days a week and haven't had any issues.

Ok doctors appointment is over. I passed the test! And the doctor said my weight and blood pressure are both right on track. He said maybe I should have a bunch of babies since I'm doing so well with this one. I said one at a time ... Let's not got crazy.

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Happy Friday!

2011-12-09T12:53:00.001-05:00

Today I started off my Friday much like every other Friday ... With a bagel at Einstein's.

I wish they had some sort of reward program for frequent buyers ... I'm all about positive reinforcement.

Right now I'm spending my lunch hour at the gym.

Just started my 20 minutes of cardio on the bicycle.

Yesterday I ran 2 miles in 20 minutes on the treadmill before working out shoulders. My friend Sue thought it was a little silly that I would be working that one muscle but since it was day 2 of "upper body" I figured it was an easy choice.
-2 sets of 12 reps using a pair of 5 pound weights of:
*overhead press
*side lateral raises
*front lateral raises

Guess it's time to stop blogging and start focusing on my work out.

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Favorite dinner and dinner guest

2011-12-07T19:48:00.001-05:00

It's no surprise to anyone that reads this blog that breakfast is my favorite meal. EVER. Tonight I decided to treat myself with some early morning treats ... 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, and 1 slice of toast slathered with my new favorite jalapeño raspberry jam.

And yes I couldn't wait to eat my toast and took a bite before the photo.

The company for dinner wasn't too bad either ...

Honey enjoys lounging on me and my hot pink sweatshirt.

Back to watching some more quality tv programming ... All of recorded shows from CW :)

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Location:Thomas Ave,Charlotte,United States

Brats make a great refueling food

2011-12-06T20:21:00.001-05:00

Today after work Ryan and I hit up the gym. It took a lot of convincing but I finally got Ryan out the door and headed towards the YMCA.

Once there I did a total of 20 minutes of cardio ... 6 minutes on the bicycle (I couldn't adjust the height and couldn't last any longer) and 14 minutes on the elliptical.

Tuesday is leg day #1 so I did the following exercises:
- seated leg curl with 30 pounds (3 sets of 12 reps)
- leg extensions with 30 pounds (3 sets of 12 reps)

I was starving once we got home and opted for an easy meal of brats and salad. Delicious!

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Fro-Yo for lunch

2011-12-06T12:41:00.001-05:00

Eating frozen yogurt for lunch is acceptable. At least I think so. Especially when I added fruit in the mix. So it's healthy. Just like a salad.

Last night I started my week off with a good workout.
-walked on treadmill 2.05 miles in 30 minutes
-seated row using 25 pounds: 3 sets of 12 reps
-lateral pulldown using 25 pounds: 3 sets of 12 reps
-bicep curls using a pair of 5 pound weights: 3 sets of 12 reps

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24 weeks

2011-12-06T08:35:00.000-05:00

This pregnancy is moving right along isn't it? Seems impossible to think that I'm going to keep getting bigger and bigger for another 4 months.

Updates on the baby front - Ryan and I actually started our baby registry this past Saturday. What an experience! There are way too many baby items at Babies r Us. It's really overwhelming, and almost frightening to an extent. We stopped after 1.5 hours due to a) impatience and b) hunger. Hopefully I can finish our registry up online and avoid walking back into that store for a while.

My maternity clothes have also arrived in the mail. I'm still trying to decide whether to stick with the Old Navy maternity jeans (cheap, comfy and roomy) or the GAP maternity jeans (double the price and more fitted). I also found that Macy's sells a very small selection of maternity clothes at our local mall and I stocked up on some long sleeve shirts and sweaters (buy 3 get 1 free). I have yet to wear any of my maternity clothes. I still have one pair of "normal" jeans that fit so I'll rock those until I absolutely have to switch over. Stubborn? Yes.

I had a good week of working out and plan on maintaining the "easy" work out schedule for as long as I can manage. I worked out upper body twice last week, lower body twice, and did 4 days of cardio.

I should wear dark colors all the time ... much more slimming than some of my other outfits.

No bare skinned belly shots today ... should've planned my outfit a bit better and not have worn a dress. Today the weather in Charlotte is humid/foggy/gross but at least it's not cold ... temperatures are at around 60 degrees. Figured this might be the last time for a while that I get to wear a dress to work instead of layers of clothing. Ryan has some work to do with his photography. I'm still not overly thrilled with the quality of these shots BUT it was 7:30am and I was kind of in a rush. We'll let it slide again this week.

$10 lunch

2011-12-02T13:04:00.001-05:00

Today I ventured out into the big city and forewent (is that a word) my usual cheese quesadilla for lunch.

I headed over to Blynk organic for a tasty 2 piece meal. I chose half of a "chicken charm" sandwich (chicken, cranberry spread, brie cheese, and apple on a grilled panini) and a small "make your own salad." I think I went a little overboard with my salad and picked almost every topping.

In the salad went spinach, mandarin oranges, tomatoes, craisins, cucumbers, green olives, beets, eggs, onions, and feta cheese. Lunch ended up being $7.50.

Then I headed over to Amelie bakery for a little snack ... Caramel salted brownie for $2.

Love my under $10 lunch!
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Happy Friday!

2011-12-02T08:35:00.001-05:00

It was 27 degrees this morning when I woke up and all I could think about was having something hot and steamy to drink.

On my walk to work I stopped by Einstein's for my usual Friday bagel and chose a toasted asiago cheese bagel with butter.

Then I stopped at Starbucks for a non fat tall chai latte. Unfortunately they lost my 'cup' and I was forced to look angry and demand where my drink was. 10+ minutes of waiting at Starbucks is definitely unacceptable ... So my drink magically appeared with a coupon for a free drink during my next visit.

Happy Friday!

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Fit for a 5 year old

2011-12-01T15:50:00.001-05:00

I literally just ran over to our office mini fridge to grab my afternoon snack ... Juice box and string cheese. Talk about age appropriate snacks ... Not.

I'd like to think that I'm just treating myself after a good speedy work out during lunch today.

I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes and completed 2.02 miles. The 0.02 is important to note because it means I ran faster than 10 minute/miles.

After my run I headed over to the weights area to work out triceps and shoulders.
-triceps push down machine: 3 sets of 8 reps set at 30 pounds
-shoulder overhead press: 3 sets of 10 reps using a pair of 5 pound weights
-shoulder lateral side raises: 2 sets of 10 reps using a pair of 5 pound weights
-shoulder lateral front raises: 3 sets of 12 reps using a pair of 5 pound weights

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Afternoon treat

2011-11-30T14:06:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to share with everyone my current drink of choice.

At only 50 calories and 13 grams of sugar this is a mighty healthy juice box in my opinion. Cheers!

Dinner #2

2011-11-29T20:05:00.001-05:00

I seriously just ate what appeared to be a sufficient amount for dinner (grilled steak, sautéed spinach, potato wedges and half of a Roma tomato) and 45 minutes later I'm hungry again.

One of my pregnancy cravings has been bowls of cereal from the start. Although I plowed through boxes upon boxes of "lucky charms" I've recently switched over to "honey but cheerios". I might be extra hungry tonight from today's workout:
- 20 minutes on the seated bicycle (7.20 miles)
- 3 sets of 12 reps seated leg curls using 30 pounds
- 3 sets of 12 reps seated leg extension using 30 pounds

2nd day in a row of working out. I'm so pumped about it. Get it? Ha. I love puns.

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Brisk Walk during my Break

2011-11-29T13:07:00.001-05:00

Today during my lunch break I took a very brisk walk to the grocery store. Round trip was one mile in 13 minutes.

While picking up some steaks for dinner tonight (clearly 40 degree weather doesn't stop us from grilling on our BBQ), I picked up some chips and salsa for my Mexican lunch.

Cheese quesadilla with sour cream (lots of Tabasco). Side of whole grain chips and some medium salsa (unpictured).

Another highlight of lunch today was catching up with my mom on the phone. So much multi-tasking during my brief 1 hour break :)

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back in the gym

2011-11-29T10:08:00.000-05:00

I felt so productive all day yesterday. I had a good day at work, took a lunch break where I did some minimal grocery shopping and walked 1.4 miles, went to the gym with Ryan, and made a delicious dinner. I know this seems pretty mundane, but it was such a breath of fresh air to act like a normal person again instead of just working long hours without breaks, scavenging for food at random times of the day, then passing out from exhaustion. Let's keep our fingers crossed that I can have some normalcy for a few days.

It felt good to be back at the gym and working out. We took too long of a hiatus after the half marathon in Savannah.

I started my work out with 2.1 miles on the treadmill:

2.0 miles running - alternating between 5.3 and 6.0 - 21:25 minutes
0.1 miles walking - set at 4.0 - 1:35 minutes
total for the day 2.5 miles - 43:30 minutes

After some cardio I headed to the weights area and did the following back and bicep exercises:

seated row - 3 sets of 12 reps @ 25 pounds
seated lateral pull down - 3 sets of 12 reps @ 25 pounds
bicep curls - 3 sets of 12 reps using 2 free weights, 5 pounds each
bicep curls on machine - 3 sets of 8 reps @ 10 pounds

I was definitely huffing and puffing after everything was complete and ready to head home for some dinner.

23 weeks

2011-11-28T11:03:00.000-05:00

Ryan had a problem with my weekly photographs from the outdated "gross" work bathroom. He decided to step in from now on to be my photographer. He definitely needs some work; this week's photos are not some of the best. Hopefully you can tell that I'm getting bigger ... much bigger. As our friend Alex put it, "you're getting bigger every day." As long as I know Baby C is growing big and strong then the extra pounds don't really bother me.

This week I've gained 1 pound, which is not too bad considering we had to deal with Thanksgiving. I definitely ate an embarrassing amount of food on Thursday. To my dismay I didn't really improve my eating habits the rest of the weekend. Today Ryan and I are turning our lives around ... we do this from time to time when we notice how poorly we've been eating and when we've lacked gym visits.

I started the morning off with a glass of orange juice as I made some green monsters for Ryan and I. In the blender went the usual ... banana, spinach, vanilla soy milk, ice, and peanut butter. My 2nd breakfast of the day was a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with some vanilla soy milk. Hoping to pack in some vegetables during dinner tonight.

I even got around to ordering some maternity clothes last night online. Hopefully the jeans will come in the mail soon ... and will fit. If not it's back to leggings since I'm basically on my last pair of fitting pants.

I kind of look normal from the front ... all of my tee shirts are getting pretty snug though.

I love our beautiful Christmas tree as the background. It's a huge improvement from the terrible office bathroom.

Whiskey Warehouse burger review

2011-11-28T10:10:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Ryan, Alex, and I enjoyed some football and lunch at Whiskey Warehouse, a local bar/restaurant in our neighborhood. They had lots of drink specials and I settled on a virgin bloody mary from their "make your own bloody mary bar".

Their brunch menu looked pretty delicious but since Ryan and I had already eaten breakfast earlier in the day I settled on what I know best ... Burger.

The "bistro burger" had caramelized onions, Brie cheese, bacon, and a horseradish Dijon sauce. I added a smear of mayo once I got the burger but did not add anything else (no lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup).

The burger was perfectly cooked, slightly pink but definitely medium. The seasoning on the burger was spot on and super juicy.

The fries were a bit disappointing and I barely put a dent in those. Overall it was a very pleasant dining experience at Whiskey Warehouse!

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22 weeks ... and a few days

2011-11-23T08:54:00.000-05:00

Sorry this has taken so long to post! Work has been unreasonably busy and this morning I decided to just take a few minutes for me and Baby Chalmers to get this up on the site. 10+ hour days are no fun, especially with no breaks, but hopefully things will get better soon so my stress level can finally decrease.

Back to baby ... he's been growing quite a bit! This week Baby Center says that he is 11 inches and almost 1 pound. His vegetable comparison this week is a spaghetti squash. Seems a little big to be hanging out in my body. It's still so strange to me how much bigger he'll get in the next 18 weeks!

I've been feeling fine, just craving extra sweets lately. I still haven't had a chance to buy some maternity pants but I'm definitely at the point where I think I should be wearing those instead of my normal jeans. From this point on it seems I'll be gaining at least 1 pound a week.

sorry my hair is currently very Scary Spice-ish ... haven't had much time in the grooming department

does everyone enjoy my army green cargo pants? oh yeah old school.

woo hoo to wearing flip flops in November! too bad the low for tonight is 36.

And finally ... the main attraction ... the belly shot. Check that thing out!

Will travel for cheeseburgers

2011-11-16T18:15:00.001-05:00

Well Ryan and I are now at the Charlotte airport anxiously awaiting our flight to London, via NYC. Since we had some time to kill (and knew dinner choices would be slim) we stopped by Chili's for a bite before our flight.

I had asked if they had kids cheeseburgers, but they did not. I opted for their sliders served with onion straws and fries. It wasn't the best meal I've ever had, but it did the trick.

Fingers crossed for no delays and safe flying. See you from across the pond.

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21 weeks

2011-11-14T12:12:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that the halfway mark has come and gone and now I'm in 2nd half of it all. I've been feeling great lately and enjoyed taking a week off from working out after my half marathon.

This morning we had another doctor's appointment and everything checked out ok with Baby Chalmers. The nurse thought it was humorous that I was still wearing my normal clothes and could fit into my jeans (little does she know that I can BARELY fit into my jeans).

weight gain since the start - 13 pounds

I love hearing Baby's heartbeat and knowing that he's doing just fine in there. Grow Baby C grow! This week he's as long as a carrot and should be about 3/4 pound. Crazy to think how much more he has to grow. I was born a month early and weighed 5 pounds 11 ounces.

And like usual here are the obligatory bathroom shots of my belly's growth:

I figure I'll end up having to buy some maternity jeans in the next couple of weeks but for now I'll keep on squeezing into my normal jeans :)

30 minutes is a start

2011-11-14T09:35:00.001-05:00

After taking a long hiatus from working out since the half marathon, I decided today was the day I would head back into the gym. I dragged Ryan along with me to the YMCA. Even though we were only there about 30 minutes, it was still better than staying in bed and not working out.

I'm still not feeling all that excited about running so I stuck with some incline walking on the treadmill. After 21 minutes of cardio I headed over to the weights area and did:
*2 sets of 12 reps using 5lb weights - shoulder press, front lateral raises, side lateral raises

Happy monday!

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20 weeks

2011-11-09T18:18:00.000-05:00

I probably should've posted this a few days ago, but got too busy at work to blog. Don't you hate it when work gets in the way of goofing around on the Internet?

Anyways, this week has been pretty busy. Ryan and I ran a half marathon on Saturday and are currently getting ready for another trip next week. Plus I'm getting used to the fact that my jeans are no longer fitting me ... even the "bigger" ones. I'm trying to make it to the 6 month mark before I cave and buy any maternity clothes, but I think it's going to be rough.

Baby Chalmers also got his first present this week. Katie was nice enough to get him a really cute onesie (sorry no pic!).

I'm feeling great lately and am actually getting used to getting up multiple times each night to use the bathroom. I haven't worked out since the race on Saturday but figured my body could take the week off.

I'm not sure exactly how much weight I've gained total (I should have a number after Monday's appointment) but if I had to guess I'm over the 10 pound mark.

I'm wearing size 1 "too superlow 524 jeans" by Levi's, this shirt in a size small, and a fun scarf.

And there's the bump! It's definitely more noticeable now, especially later in the day. I still don't think I look big enough for people to comfortably say things to me who don't officially know I'm pregnant. I'm convinced I just have a beer gut. As Baby Chalmers grows so will I so I should just be patient and enjoy the weeks I have before I get super big.

Rock n Roll Half Marathon - Savannah recap

2011-11-08T13:20:00.000-05:00

on Friday November 4th Ryan, Honey, and I headed to Savannah for our big race on Saturday. We went straight to the Convention Center where the expo was being held to pick up our race packets. Unfortunately getting to the Convention Center took a lot longer than we had anticipated. There was a huge back up on the only bridge to get to the center.

After more than 30 minutes of waiting on this bridge we finally made it to the expo. We quickly picked up our packets (with Honey in tow ... it was her first expo too) and headed back out. We had rented a house on Tybee Island (about 25 minutes away) and still had to pick up the house keys.

We kept our meal relatively safe on Friday night and dined at the local Applebee's. I ordered some pasta and drank lots and lots of water in hopes to be well hydrated for the race on Saturday. We all tried to get to bed early since our alarm clocks were set to 4am.

On Saturday morning we quickly got ready and walked over to the shuttle pick up area on Tybee Island. After over 30 minutes of standing in really chilly weather we were finally picked up and headed over to Savannah for the race.

Carrie, me, and Katie

After some more shivering and some minor stretching we all headed to our corrals. I was in corral 2, since I had ambitiously thought I was going to finish the race in 1 hour and 45 minutes at the time I had signed up. Once I found out I was pregnant I knew this was no longer a feasible goal.

This was the view of the start line from corral 2. Each corral was on a lagged start and my group set off at 7:31am.

At this point it was still very very cold outside. I was running in my running tights, a sports bra, and short sleeved running shirt, AND my Northface zip-up. I didn't take off my sweater until after mile 7 when I had finally warmed up.

The course itself was pretty flat like everyone had said, but definitely had its moments of uphill. Crowd support was great and really helped keep me motivated. I managed to run for the first 60 minutes without stopping and after that walked for 2 minutes. I tried to run at least 10 minutes without taking any additional walking breaks but those last 3 or 4 miles were really tough on me. I shocked myself (and others) with my finish in less than 2 hours!

OvrPl	SexPl	DivPl	Bib	First Name	Last Name	City	State	Chip Time
2427	1089	216	2909	Jessica	Chalmers	Charlotte	NC	01:57:54

After the race I reunited with Ryan who had done so well in the race. He finished in 1 hour and 44 minutes. Such a little speedster!

Katie and Carrie did great during the run as well. We were all pretty tired from the race and ready for a break. Ryan and I headed back towards the shuttle for a ride to Tybee Island. The rest of the day was spent lounging around the beach house until it was time to head to dinner.

I'm so glad that I was able to run this race. Ryan and I had such a good time and look forward to our next half marathon. Hope Baby Chalmers enjoyed the race as well :)

BBQ at home

2011-11-02T19:48:00.001-04:00

Today after work Ryan and I headed out for a quick 2 mile run. Neither of us really wanted to do it, but knew it would be better if we did.

We finished our 2 miles in 16:41 minutes and headed back home.

Ryan started dinner for us around 11am. We were making pulled pork in the crock pot and had to start the process early. He sliced one onion and placed it along with the seasoned pork butt and some water in the crock pot and let it cook on low. Once I got home I took the pork out and shredded it and then discarded what was left in the pot. I then placed the shredded pork back in the pot with some BBQ sauce and a little water.

Along with our pulled pork I baked some mini cornbread muffins and made some cole slaw. On the side we had some baked beans and a sliced tomato (random I know but I figured we needed a vegetable).

Such a good meal! The muffins were the best part. I love anything "mini"sized.

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Good Eats and Good Tunes

2011-11-02T08:20:00.001-04:00

This morning was no different than others at work ... I ate my breakfast from my desk. I'm never hungry first thing in the morning so I always make something at home to enjoy between 8-9am at the office.

This morning I made an English muffin sandwich with 1 egg, shredded cheese, 1 slice of bacon, and some strawberry jam.
Along with that I had what appears to be a very small glass of orange juice and some hot chocolate.

I've been using Pandora a lot at work and this morning I chose this station:

I saw "Good Old War" in concert back in Orlando a couple of years ago. Such a good band. Another great song just came on:

Eddie Vedder will always be one of the greatest musicians of our time.

Happy Wednesday!

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18/19 weeks ...

2011-11-01T12:09:00.000-04:00

Ok so yesterday was a big doctor's appointment for Baby Chalmers. Ryan even tagged along to this one ...

we found out that Baby Chalmers is a BOY! Ryan and I couldn't be happier to know that the ultrasound not only showed what gender the baby is, but how healthy the baby is. The ultrasound person also made a note that my due date had been changed back to March 25th so technically I'm covering weeks 18 and 19 with this post.

After our doctor's appointment I headed to the YMCA for a quick run before going into work. I marveled at the new treadmills that had been installed and finished 3.0 miles in 26:00 minutes (walked for 1 minute as a warm up before running for 24 minutes, then walked for 1 minute as a cool down).

Once I left work it was time to hand out candy to all of the trick or treaters. Ryan and I sat outside on our porch handing out candy while Honey hung out with us. She dressed up as a very cute turtle.

I forgot to take some pictures yesterday of my "growth" so here they are from today's bathroom photo shoot:

Nothing really new on the pregnancy front other than the big gender news. I've been feeling good ... waking up a lot in the middle of the night for pee breaks. Nervously awaiting the half marathon this weekend in Savannah. I'm totally not ready for this race (having only run 8.25 as my long run) but will get through it.

Two Speed

2011-10-27T20:51:00.001-04:00

Today after work Ryan and I headed to the YMCA for a little gym session. I did the following workouts -
*3 sets of 12 reps of bicep curls using a pair of 5 lb weights
*3 sets of 12 reps of incline bicep curls using a pair of 5 lb weights
*3 sets of 12 reps seated row with 25 lbs
*3 sets of 12 reps seated lateral pulldowns with 25 lbs
*10 minutes on the elliptical

After we got home and showered we met up with Alex at Kickstand, one of our favorite burger places in Charlotte.

I ordered the "two speed" - cheeseburger with bacon and cheddar cheese with a side of sweet tator tots.

If I would've taken an after picture it would've shown an empty tray.

Nice to have burgers back up on the blog :)

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Steakhouse at my house

2011-10-25T21:05:00.001-04:00

I didn't want to have chicken tonight. Sorry defrosted chicken breasts thawing out on our kitchen counter.

Sometimes making dinner is a tedious task for me and I was dreading making it tonight. Until I got the great idea to bring a steakhouse dinner to MY house.

I stopped by the grocery store and after $20 Ryan and I had quite the feast.

Ryan grilled his and her steaks for us while I prepared the rest of the meal.

I boiled and the chilled some shrimp for some shrimp cocktail.

I threw some biscuits into the oven for a warm and tasty side dish.

Each meal had a baked potato with butter and sour cream, a perfectly cooked steak, and a Caesar salad with Parmesan ribbons and freshly made croutons.

Sometimes staying home for dinner isn't too bad.

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making homemade bread

2011-10-23T15:50:00.000-04:00

after stumbling upon Macheesmo's blog, and seeing his "no knead bread," I knew I had to try to make my own loaf of bread. I gathered up the ingredients and got ready to start the process.

Basic No Knead Bread Loaf (from Macheesmo's blog)
(Makes a large loaf or two small loafs)

*4 cups flour (2 whole wheat and 2 bread flour)
*1/3 tsp active dry yeast
*1 2/3 tsp salt
*2 1/6 cups water


Whole wheat flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt

First you mix all of the dry ingredients in a big bowl. Then you add the water and use your hands to mix it together.

Cover this loosely (I used a towel) and let rest on the counter for at least 18 hours.

This is what you get after 18 hours. After letting it raise for 18 hours you get to let it raise for another 2. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a floured counter service. Form it into a ball and put it on a towel, seam side down, that has been dusted with flour.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Make sure you preheat your pizza stone as well. Once the oven is nice hot, add your bread ball to the stone and put it away for 45 minutes. Don't forget to add a few slits on the top of the bread in order to vent it. After it is done baking let it rest for at least an hour before cutting.

Waiting to be cut

This morning we had some of our freshly baked bread as toast along with our eggs and bacon. I put some butter (what appears to be a lot) and a drizzle of honey. Delicious!

17 weeks

2011-10-23T13:50:00.000-04:00

this morning I woke up dreading doing my run. I hadn't run since Wednesday and knew I had to get one in. I lounged around in bed catching up on Twitter and Facebook while snacking on a 100 calorie mini Clif Bar (chocolate chip flavor). After noticing the temperature outside was hovering around low 40's I definitely did not want to head out to go running. I saw that Ryan was getting ready for his 5 mile run so I figured if he could do it, so could I. We headed out on different running routes .. he literally turned right out of the house while I turned left.

I finished the first mile in 8:23 minutes and realized I was probably going a little too fast. I took a 2 minute walking break after 15 minutes, and finished the 2nd mile around 17:20 minutes. At this point I realized that I probably shouldn't have been running "so fast" and wasn't feeling all that great. I got a cramp on my left side and got worried about Baby C. I told myself to run until the 27:00 minute mark and I could take another 3 minute walking break. The rest of the run averaged right under a 9 minute/mile pace. I even saw Ryan finishing up his run while I was trying to finish my last 3/4 mile. I finished strong at 8:48 mile/min pace.

5.0 miles - 44:00 minutes

After sitting on the porch with Ryan for a little bit to cool off, I told him to take my week 17 pictures.
Here they are in all of there sweaty, running girl glory:

Long sleeves and capris during the 45 degree run

There's the baby bump!

The baby bump is definitely noticeable now from the side view.

Doctored up Mac n Cheese

2011-10-19T13:54:00.001-04:00

Today during my lunch break I headed to the gym. It was rainy and cold out during my walk, which made me proud of myself for heading out to the YMCA instead of staying indoors.

At the gym I ran for 20 minutes and walked for 1 minute as a cool down. Total miles = 2.25

Then I worked out shoulders by doing the following exercises using a pair of 5 lb weights:
- 2 sets of 12 reps of side raises
- 2 sets of 12 reps of front lateral raises
- 2 sets of 12 reps of overhead press

I quickly ate my lunch upon arrival back at the office ... I was starving!

I made some of Trader Joe's "reduced guilt" frozen macaroni and cheese but doctored it up using some grated Parmesan cheese, hot sauce, and freshly ground salt and pepper. Delicious!

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Smoothie to go

2011-10-19T08:16:00.001-04:00

Some days I believe the only vegetables and fruits I ate are from being blended in the form of a smoothie, especially now that I'm pregnant. Let's face it - vegetables aren't on the top of my "cravings" list.

This morning I decided to make myself a smoothie to go, complete with a serving of vegetables (spinach) and a serving of fruits (banana).

What's better than eating, I mean drinking, your food on the run?

Cheers! Here's to hoping to a good day, aside from all of the rain, and working out during lunch.

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Back in the gym

2011-10-18T08:56:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Ryan emailed me and asked if I wanted to hit up the gym with him after work. Since I had taken a brief hiatus from the YMCA the past few days I figured it would be a good idea.

He headed down to the weights area and I jumped onto a treadmill once we got there. I decided to implement walking with my running to get used to the pattern for the half marathon.

I walked for 1 minute, then ran for 9 minutes. I continued this pattern for a full 30 minutes and finished with 1 minute of walking as a cool down.
*3.28 miles in 31 minutes (9:27 min/mile pace)

I guess my dinner didn't cut it last night cause I woke up starving this morning. I made myself a breakfast sandwich to go.

English muffin, 1 slice of Colby jack cheese, 1 scrambled egg, and some strawberry jam. Delicious!

Looking forward to a week full of gym visits :)

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16 weeks + 1 day

2011-10-17T08:22:00.000-04:00

I'm officially 4 months into this pregnancy. The past few days haven't been the most pleasant but I'm glad this Monday is going well so far.

This weekend I suffered from a 36 hour headache, threw up and felt nauseous for over a day, and didn't complete my long run for half marathon training. Things don't always go as planned; sometimes you just have to adjust accordingly. Instead of 10 miles on Sunday I ran 3 miles and felt good about it. I'm just glad I'm feeling better today and no longer have that terrible headache.

Back to this being a great day ... Today is one of those days where it only took 5 minutes to drive to work and find a parking spot (and accurately parallel park). I even managed to sit down at my desk 5 minutes early ... gotta love being here at 7:55 :) Not a bad way to start my week!

I've definitely noticed an increase in the belly size. Ryan is excited that you can actually tell I'm pregnant now. At times I still think it looks like I just gained some weight, and that strangers can't really tell that Baby C is hiding out in there.
I'm really fortunate that all of my jeans are of the "ultra low" variety. I haven't had any trouble yet finding clothes to wear out of my own closet and am still holding out on buying any maternity clothes.
Two more weeks until we find out if Baby C is a little girl or little boy. I can't wait. Until then I'm free from any doctor's visits.

Library visit

2011-10-14T15:55:00.001-04:00

Today during lunch I finally made it to our local library downtown. I checked out a few books and look forward to getting back into reading more.

I spent the rest of my lunch break reading and eating a cheese and veggie sub from Jersey Mike's.

As a mid afternoon snack Alex was kind enough to pick us up smoothies from Smoothie King. I went with a tired and true favorite, Angel Food. I chose the "skinny" option and elected not to have turbinado added and saved 100 calories. It's a delicious blend of strawberries, bananas, soy protein, non fat milk, vanilla, and honey.

Hopefully it'll help fuel my after work run. And yes that's people.com on my work computer.

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sweet potato soup recipe!

2011-10-12T09:39:00.000-04:00

I haven't been feeling 100% lately and the non-stop rain in Charlotte hasn't helped. Last night I decided to make myself some soup using the leftover vegetables in the refrigerator.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup - adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery (about 1 stalk)
1/8 cup chopped carrot (about 1/2 carrot)
1 cup chopped sweet potato
1 minced garlic clove
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup Half n Half
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1 Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add chopped celery, sauté about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes.
2 Add sweet potatoes, carrot, chicken stock, cinnamon, and nutmeg; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
3 Using immersion blender, blend ingredients until desired consistency.
4 Add half and half and maple syrup and stir over medium-low heat to heat through. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 1 hungry girl.

Vegetables cooking away

Finished product ... check out all of that butter! Paula would be proud :)

The soup was exactly what I was looking for ... hot, soothing, and tasted like fall. I paired my soup with a toasted croissant with extra pads of butter. Looking forward to making this again!

15 weeks + 1 day

2011-10-10T13:31:00.000-04:00

Baby Chalmers is now the size of an apple! I had another doctor's appointment this morning and got to listen to its heartbeat. Always a good sign to hear that everything is still going well in there.

I also asked what my weight was when I first went back in August (since I'm convinced our digital scale is waaaaay off what it should be).

sometime in March I went for an annual appointment - 107 pounds
8/15 - 111 pounds
10/10 - 116 pounds

I guess I haven't gained as much as I thought, but the past couple of days my clothes have definitely gotten tighter. I'm holding out as long as I can before delving into the world of maternity clothes.

I chased Ryan around Charlotte on Sunday for our 6 mile half marathon training run. I still managed to run at a faster pace that I've been used to lately (he finished about 4 minutes before me).

6.01 miles in 52:36 minutes (8:45 min/mile pace)
I took a walking break for 2 minutes at 3.5 miles and 1 minute walking break at 5.25 miles

I managed to run 3 times in the past week. I've been feeling some cramping after a few of the longer runs and don't want to put the baby under any stress. I'll probably hold back on some of the last weeks of half marathon training. Plus I've still been so tired lately that running more than 3 miles at a time seems daunting.

like the vintage bathroom that our office currently uses?

I always look like I'm concentrating so hard to take these pictures.

There's a good bump picture for all of you non-believers :)

Break from tradition

2011-10-07T10:22:00.001-04:00

When Ryan and I lived downtown and across the street from Dunkin Donuts, we would get breakfast there every Friday morning. I would always order the egg and cheese croissant sandwich and an iced coffee. It was our little tradition.

Now that I commute every morning to work (I drive an entire 2.5 miles) I don't have the luxury of Friday breakfasts with Ryan at DD. This morning I decided to create my own breakfast sandwich using a croissant from Costco (one of the perks of having my parents in town ... Access to their membership card).

I added a slice of white cheddar cheese and a fried egg along with a smear of jalapeño jelly. Delicious!

Happy Friday everyone!!

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one off the list!

2011-10-06T20:14:00.001-04:00

today marked my 500th mile this year! After running 5 miles on Tuesday, I knew I only had 2 more miles to go until I reached the big 5 - 0 - 0. Even though I was super tired today I laced up my sneakers and ran around my neighborhood for a couple of miles.

19 minutes later I had run 2.26 miles (8:24 pace). I'm glad one of my New Year's resolutions is now off the list. Maybe next year's running goal should be to run at least 600 miles ... gotta keep it interesting :)

14 weeks + 1 day

2011-10-03T10:27:00.000-04:00

The baby is now the size of a lemon! Big things are happening with Baby Chalmers this week. I guess I'm officially in my 2nd trimester (although I kept thinking I was last week). From Baby Center:
Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb!

I've tried to keep up with working out this past week and managed to go to the gym quite a bit during my lunch breaks. I swayed slightly from my half marathon training plan (unknowingly) and did 6 miles on saturday.

I've been trying to keep my runs slow and steady and not over-extend myself. I walked for 1 minute, then ran for 14 minutes, and kept this up until my 6 miles was reached.

6.06 miles in 58:59 minutes (9:43 min/mil pace)

This morning was another cold day in Charlotte ... I made sure I bundled up and even managed to look more professional than normal for work.

Weight gain this week has been 0 from last week. So far I think I've gained approximately 5 pounds total during pregnancy.

I'm still wearing all of my same clothes ... no maternity clothes for me! Jeans are Lucky Brand "Sweet n Low" size 25 (0) and the blue striped top is from Forever 21. Comfy light brown sweater is from Banana Republic and shoes are brown cords from TOMS.

Ryan and I have been trying to play lots of fun music for Baby Chalmers. Lately I've been on a jazz quick and the Louis Armstrong radio station is constantly on Pandora.

Fuel after Friday's Fitness

2011-09-30T13:06:00.001-04:00

How's that for alliteration?

I wasn't really feeling the gym today but was already dressed for the part so I walked over to the YMCA for the 3rd time this week.

I cycled on the bike for 20 minutes at a difficulty level of 3 on the hill setting for 7 miles.

Then I headed over to the free weights and did the following bicep exercises using a pair of 5 pound weights.
-bicep curls palms up, 3 sets of 12 reps
-bicep curls palms down, 3 sets of 12 reps
-hammerhead curls, 3 sets of 12 reps.

Now I feast!

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true or false

2011-09-28T16:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the barista at Starbucks gave me some interesting news ... a tall Mocha drink has less caffeine (from that one shot of espresso) than a tall coffee.

true or false?

well according to "The Complete Guide to Starbucks Caffeine" on energyfiend.com it says a tall (12oz) coffee has 260 mg of caffeine, whereas a tall (12oz) flavored Mocha only has 95 mg. The barista was actually right! way to go Starbucks.

Today I headed to the YMCA during my lunch break to get some running in. I had to wait for a treadmill but finally found an open one after 5 minutes. What's up with people working out at noon?

I walked for 1 minute as a warm up, ran for 30 minutes, then walked for 1:20 minutes as a cool down.

total mileage completed 3.5 miles in 32:20 minutes.

I think I'm going to try to continue working out during lunch. Granted I'm sitting here in sweaty (although now dried sweat) gym clothes but at least:

- I didn't have to get up early to work out before work
- I don't have to work out once I get home at 5pm
- The gym session breaks up the monotonous work day

Happy hump day everyone!

13 weeks + 1 day

2011-09-26T12:51:00.000-04:00

what is up with me delaying my weekly pregnancy posts by 1 day? better late than never!

this past week has been so much more enjoyable. I think I am really going to enjoy my 2nd trimester. I've found myself having more energy and feeling a lot better. I've been incorporating more vegetables into my diet and have stopped relying so much on cereal, bagels, and other carbs to satisfy my hunger.

The highlight of this past week was my major increase in running. I ran on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and did a long run on Saturday. Total mileage was about 20 miles for running and about 4 or 5 miles in walking. This puts me right on track for half marathon training.

I'm wearing another American Apparel shirt (so comfortable) in size x-small (Track Shirt) and size 0 (25) Lucky Brand Jeans. Still thankful my clothes are fitting and that I haven't had to jump into any larger sizes (yet). This week I haven't gained any additional weight so I'm still at about 5-6 pounds total for the entire 13 weeks.

Back on track with training

2011-09-24T12:15:00.001-04:00

This morning I woke up a little later than I was hoping (8:30) but that didn't stop me from heading straight to the YMCA. I got there by 9am and jumped on a treadmill.

In 3 cycles I did the following mileage while walking for 2 minutes then running for 8 minutes:
-3.07 miles in 30 minutes
-3.11 miles in 30 minutes
-2.05 miles in 20 minutes

Total - 8.23 miles in 1 hr 20 minutes.

Once I got home I made some breakfast for my hungry husband and I.

Eggs, bacon, and French toast. Now to do some shopping for the house!

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Bad breath breakfast for 1

2011-09-23T08:15:00.001-04:00

This morning I treated myself to breakfast (like every other Friday) and headed to Einstein's. I used a coupon for $2.99 for a bagel thin with schmear and medium coffee.

I went with the bad breath special ... Everything bagel thin with reduced fat garlic cream cheese.

And for those of you wondering about my medium coffee while pregnant, have no fear, I didn't fill it up all the way.

Happy Friday!

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Lunch break gym session

2011-09-22T13:20:00.001-04:00

I knew I wouldn't want to run today after work so I wore gym clothes to work to go during my lunch break. There is a YMCA a few blocks away from our office building so it wasn't too far out of the way.

Around 10:30am I had a snack to make sure I had enough energy for my run.

It was my first time using almond butter from Trader Joe's (I got the salted creamy flavor). I added some boysenberry preserves to the other piece of whole wheat toast and had quite the delicious little snack.

At the gym I walked for one minute as a warmup then ran for 29 minutes. I finished up my run with one minute walking cool down (total miles 3.32 in 31 minutes). The walk to and from the gym is about 0.35 miles, so add 0.70 miles to my run and I had a 4 mile day!

Now time to eat!

Oh and what are your thoughts on sitting back at work in my sweaty gym clothes?

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Back on the Booty

2011-09-21T10:25:00.001-04:00

Yesterday after work I headed over to the "booty" loop to complete 5 miles with some
Charlotte runners. I was very lucky to have Elisa stick by me and keep me at a comfortable pace (I didn't want to overdo it). After already running 5 miles, Elisa did a great job of motivating me through her 2nd 5 miles of the day.

I fumbled with shutting off the Nike app after the run so the time is a little off, but I'll take a sub 10 minute/mile for a 5 mile run at this stage.

Feeling better after 2 runs this week. I'm taking today off from running and will be back at it tomorrow with another 3 miler.

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2 in 1 day

2011-09-20T09:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I decided to bring back cardio exercise! Now that we've moved away from uptown Charlotte, I don't have the luxury of walking home for lunch. Instead I found myself with nothing to do yesterday at noon. I decided to head out for a walk and did 2.06 miles in 26:46 minutes around downtown. It was good to get some fresh air and escape corporate life for a little bit.

Once I got home from work I changed into some running clothes and headed out for my first run around my new neighborhood. One of the downfalls of the run were all of the traffic lights that I had to stop for ... at one point it was over 1 minute of waiting at the corner. I managed to run 3.26 miles in 29:45 minutes. Sad that it's only 1/4 of what I'll be running at the half marathon in less than 7 weeks. I'm trying to stay positive though, and keep hoping that with some training the next few weeks I'll be ready on 11/5.

I'm even heading back out to the "booty loop" today to run with the Charlotte Runners group. I haven't run with them in over a month so it'll be good to catch up with everyone ... and to run 5 miles :)

12 weeks + 1 day

2011-09-19T10:28:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to be finally writing this post ... Ryan and I are having a baby! We took our pregnancy test (correction tests) on August 5th and found out that I was indeed pregnant.

Since then I've gone to 3 doctor's appointments, had 2 ultrasounds, and have had lots of blood drawn. I've gotten my due date changed from March 25th to April 1st and have dealt with all of the ups (but mostly downs) of the first trimester.

Thankfully I've been feeling a lot better the past couple of days and am looking forward to getting some of my energy back.

So far I'm still wearing all of my same clothes. I've gained about 5 pounds but I think most of that is from not running. The doctor cleared me to run as much as I was running previously, but between traveling out of state for a wedding, moving into our new house, and generally feeling nauseous and tired all the time, I haven't logged as many miles. Last time I ran was 9/7 (eek!).

In these pictures I'm wearing an American Apparel t-shirt (Summer shirt deep v-neck in size xxsmall) and a pair of Citizens of Humanity jeans (size 25)

I know a lot of girls have posted weekly pictures of their baby growth, but I wanted to give credit to the 2 blogs that I read the most: Daily Garnish and (Never Home)maker, baby! Emily and Ashley have provided so many tips and advice during their first pregnancies, that I hope I can do the same.

I'm still planning on running the Rock n Roll half marathon in Savannah on November 5th. I'll probably do a combination of running and walking but am hopeful that I'll be able to complete the race with no issues. With less than 7 weeks to go I have a lot of training to do. Thankfully the weather has cooled down in Charlotte so I'm looking forward to less treadmill running and more outdoor running.

Which is better?

2011-09-16T08:07:00.001-04:00

This morning Ryan and I continued our Friday tradition of hitting up Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. I ended up with my usual, egg and cheese croissant, but switched up my coffee ... No iced coffee this morning! Instead I chose a French vanilla flavored coffee in the HOT variety. It's pretty chilly in Charlotte this morning (59 degrees) so I wanted something to warm me up.

On the side I bought 2 different munchkins ... Did you know you can order as many or as little as you want for $0.25 each?

On the left is blueberry cake and on the right is their new pumpkin flavor. Hands down I might have a new favorite munchkin ... The pumpkin one was delicious.

Happy Friday everyone! Oh and there has been NO time for running this week. Ryan and I have begun to move into our NEW house. Post to follow soon about that :)

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Flu shots, yay or nay?

2011-09-13T09:23:00.001-04:00

Yesterday while at the doctors office I got my flu shot for the season. From what I remember, the past couple of times I've gotten this shot I've effectively kept the flu away. Fingers crossed the same thing happens this time around. Worst part of the whole process is the arm soreness afterwards. My upper arm is still killing me from where I got the shot.

This morning my body was screaming for something nutritious. I guess the past few days have been filled with sub par eating options ... Totally happens when I go out of town, especially for a wedding.

I busted out the blender and made myself a delicious and healthy smoothie. I put in the blender some spinach, frozen banana pieces, a scoop of peanut butter, and some vanilla soymilk.

My body says thank you!

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Florida here we come!

2011-09-08T11:27:00.001-04:00

We just finished fueling up the car for the start of the loooong trip down to Florida. I find it funny I already had one of my snacks and we haven't even left Charlotte yet. Oh well :)

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Will Run for a Chicken Biscuit

2011-09-07T08:16:00.001-04:00

I planned on running at the gym this morning (like usual) but quickly changed my mind when I saw it was 58 degrees outside!

I headed outside for my run and did the following around Uptown:
-walked 2 minutes then ran 8 minutes
-walked 2 minutes then ran 8 minutes
-walked 2 minutes then ran 5:30 minutes to reach 3.0 miles (average pace 9:10)

My destination was Chikfila to pick up my free chicken biscuit.

Now to enjoy the rest of my morning before I have to work 2-10pm today. Gross!

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Sausage and Peppers with Pasta

2011-09-06T19:05:00.001-04:00

Tonight's dinner was my take on sausage and peppers.

First I diced 1 cup of tomatoes and simmered it with olive oil, oregano, basil, and parsley with a little kosher salt and minced garlic.

Then I chopped half of a yellow bell pepper and half of green bell pepper (a little over 1 cup).

I took the casings off 2 sweet Italian sausages and cut them into small rounds. I combined the peppers and sausage into a pan with a little olive oil.

After about 15 minutes I added the "tomato sauce" to the pan of sausage and peppers. I cooked some pasta, drained it, and added it to the pan. As a finishing touch I generously added freshly grated parmesan cheese and some shredded mozzarella cheese to the top.

Served with some garlic bread this was one heck of a meal.

And yes I had 3 pieces of bread ... I heart garlic bread.

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Worth every calorie

2011-09-06T09:27:00.001-04:00

This morning I toasted up one of Lender's 100 calorie bagel thins (in whole wheat for breakfast).

I topped each slice with some butter and apple butter spread (love the butter). I love that companies are embracing a healthier version of delicious (but ordinarily high calorie) food. Hopefully it'll keep me full until my mid day snack of organic strawberries.

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Saltwater Sunday

2011-09-04T14:08:00.001-04:00

Today I'm relaxing by Alex's pool at his new apartment. They boast a saltwater pool on all of their radio advertisements as one of their amenities. It's a nice reminder of the beaches back home in Florida.

Yesterday I did 2 blogworthy things and didn't photograph either ...
*5.02 miles in 50 minutes on the treadmill. I ran for 8 minutes then walked for 2 minutes for 5 intervals.
*ate a cheeseburger from the Penguin diner

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Location:Sunnyside Ave,Charlotte,United States

America (minus 1) runs for Dunkin

2011-09-02T09:34:00.001-04:00

Ryan and I continued our weekly Friday tradition of going to Dunkin Donuts before work this morning. I stuck with my usual, egg and cheese on a crossiant and small iced coffee. Lately I've been ordering 2, yes 2, blueberry munchkins. Those things are the jam ... The blueberry jam? Haha.

I wanted to apologize for being so disappointing lately on this blog. I don't run as much anymore, which is worrisome since our half marathon is in 2 months. Doctors orders ... Take it easy for a few weeks and only run 2-3 miles a few times a week. Grr!

I'm looking forward to running more in a couple of weeks. I miss it and have totally been in a rut about it.

Oh and another disappointment of the blog ... Where are all of the cheeseburgers? I promise to get out there and eat more cheeseburgers for those couple of people who read the reviews on here. Promise.

Happy Friday everyone ... Hope the 3 day weekend treats everyone well.

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Waiting around in the waiting room

2011-08-31T09:22:00.001-04:00

One of the worst parts of going to a doctors office is having to wait in the waiting room. Luckily for me I brought something to keep me entertained. And no, it's not a pair of knitting needles ... Although I did notice a fellow "waiting roomer" knitting away happily.

I started reading a new book ... Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. I heard some great things about it so I'm expecting big things.

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Will run for a bagel

2011-08-30T09:07:00.001-04:00

This morning Ryan and I headed to the YMCA bright and early ... Actually it was still dark out.

He headed down to the weight room and I went straight to the treadmill.

I walked for 1 minute as a warm up then ran for 30 minutes. I finished off my run with 1 minute of walking as a cool down.
*3.54 miles in 32 minutes

On my walk to work I stopped by Einstein's for a bagel and coffee. Nothing beats a toasted everything bagel with garlic cream cheese. Mmmm.

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A little leg attention

2011-08-27T08:40:00.001-04:00

I'm done with my workout today and check out how early it is:

Not bad for a Saturday morning. I headed to the YMCA for a run this morning and finished 3.1 miles in 28 minutes (1 minute walking warm up, 26 minutes running, 1 minute walking cool down).

Then I did something I hadn't done in forever ... A leg workout!
Using a pair of 5lb weights I did a total of 30 squats and 30 lunges on each leg.

Now time to make some breakfast!!

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Location:E Morehead St,Charlotte,United States

Happy Friday to Me!

2011-08-26T12:26:00.001-04:00

Today has been a crazy day at work and it's only going to get worse. In preparation of my hellish afternoon ahead I am making sure my belly is full.

An entire Bianca personal pizza for me. So happy!

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