5 On Friday

Happy Friday loves! I am off today but heading to a funeral, working tomorrow through Tuesday then this girl is headed to the beach! Lets get thing's started with a few shots of this week...

(One)

Studying for the GRE was not fun this week but alongside wine... it's bearable

 (Two)

Happy hour at a girlfriends house with extra dirty martinis also helped make this week a little more manageable. She provided the drinks and I provided some yummy snacks including chips and salsa and cheese and crackers!

 (Three)

I may have gotten a little carried away with my excitement over my trip next week.

(Four)

I received my first influenster box! I am beyond excited and can't wait to try all the goodies inside! Be sure to look for an update on these different products!

(Five)

These beauties are currently en route to my apartment and I cant wait till they get here!

That about does it for this week! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Yours truly, 

Wednesday Eats- Spinach Pasta with Pesto and Salmon and of course... Wine!

Happy Wednesday friends! 

In yesterday's novel of a post, I posted that I have 2 new recipes to share with y'all and they will not disappoint! Today's new recipe that I tried out, thought of by myself... might I add is...

Fresh Spinach Pasta with Pesto Sauce and Salmon- with Caprese bread from the farmers market

Now granted every one's farmers market is different but if yours sells fresh homemade pasta... run there and get you some because it is amazing! I got my pasta from Bomobolini Pasta here in Richmond and I am obsessed with how it turned out. The pasta was light and had a ton of flavor and cooked up in no time!

Here is what you need to recreate this masterpiece:

Spinach pasta

Pesto sauce 

Salmon

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Cook up your pasta like you normally would, however if you are using pasta from the Farmer's Market, it probably only needs to be cooked half the normal amount. While the pasta is cooking, place your salmon fillet on aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Wrap salmon in the foil to make a packet and bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes. When your pasta is done drain the water and put it back into the pot and begin stirring in pesto. Place pasta in bowl or serving dish of your choice and add salmon! 

I just happen to also pick up a loaf of Caprese bread at the Farmer's Market so that that along with mine. The bread was amazing and had sun-dried tomato and fresh ground pepper and made for the perfect side to the pasta and salmon. A glass of white also makes the dish complete- my personal favorite right now is Governors White by Williamsburg Winery.

 Again if you are in the Virginia area- I highly suggest you check out this wine, its light and crisp and has just enough sweetness to it. 

 Bon Appetit! 

Yours truly, 

Changes/ Updates/ A New Mantra

Hey Y'all, promise I did not forget about the blogging world- I have had a lot going on some good and some not so good. Most of you know that I work in Children's Hospital and if you didn't, I am sure you now understand why my job may be hard at times. I work long long  long hours, way over what I really should but I do because I absolutely love what I do. On the other hand, when works gets sad it can be extremely hard to pull yourself out of the rut. I will not go into details, other then by saying last week was one of the hardest weeks I have had since starting in this position a little over a year ago. It also didn't help that after a tough week at work, I worked the weekend and will also work this coming weekend. It's a lot of time at work and while I am exhausted and still recovering from last week, I am also still surrounded by all my amazing resilient patients and families. On another bright side- hard work weeks always make me extremely grateful and thankful for my own health and the health of my loved ones. 

Enough about all that, lets talk about some positive changes! In the midst of all the craziness last week, I also decided that I am going back to school! I have been debating for some time now and ultimately made the decision that I am ready for Grad school. It will all be online, which makes me a little nervous but I feel confident that I will be able to handle the work load. In going back to school, I also have to take the GRE! Now to some of y'all this may not sound like a big deal... but this girl has been out of school for a 2 years and even the thought of studying and making reviews is frightening. Anyone have any GRE tips or advice? I am all ears! Over the next month I will be studying a little everyday and looking to take the exam in early August. While I would love to keep up my blogging, there may be days where studying wins... boring I know. 

Also in going along with a tough work week and deciding to go back to school, I wanted to touch a bit about taking care of oneself. This may seem like a no brainer to some, but to be honest I am absolutely terrible about it. I will work close to 60 hours a week and then turn around and fill my weekend with back to back plans and fit in an early workout close to every morning... not smart. For this next month I would like to spend more time listening to my body and what it needs, whether it be actually leaving work on time, skipping a workout if I didn't get much sleep, and even have a plan free weekend. I am far too young to be filling my time stressing in so many different areas of life and while I am young, and especially deciding to go back to school- I need to in my best form. How and what do you do to take care of yourself when life gets crazy?

Today is my first day away from work in over 8 days and I am beyond thrilled to have a little peace and quiet to myself. While I wish I had more exciting plans, I will be heading to Barnes and Noble to work on and hopefully finish my grad school application. It makes complete sense, but I was thinking it would be easier then applying to college... wrong. Later this evening I am also heading to a friends for a happy hour. She's making the dirty martinis and I am bringing the yummy snacks, can't wait to see her and catch up. 

Hopefully I grab another day off before working again this weekend into next week however... come Wednesday this girl is beach bound! I will share more on this trip later but I can't wait to be surrounded by my closest girlfriends, toes in the sand, and a drink in my hand! 

Sorry for the novel I wrote but it definitely feels good to be back on the blog! Over the next few days I will be giving you guys more of an update as to what I've been doing this past week, including:

- 2 new recipes, one sweet and one savory... both absolutely amazing

- New purchases- TJ Maxx and Marshalls should pay me for the all the shopping I do there

- More about my girls getaway to the beach

For now though- here is where my thought process is...

Hope you all have a fabulous week!

Yours truly, 

Making a Workout Switch

Anyone else ever get tired of their same 'ol workout routine and crave a change? That is exactly what this girl is going through right now. Right now my typical workouts include spinning x2, running x2/3, and an occasional yoga class. While I LOVE my spinning classes and definitely plan to keep those up, I am looking for a change on the other 2-3 days a week. Here is where my new adventure comes in... swimming! 

I am not stranger to swimming and have been a swimmer since I was old enough to float. I did swim team all throughout elementary, middle, and high school. My favorite strokes were always butterfly, free, and back and while the thought of getting back into these strokes is terrifying, its also so exciting and I can't wait to get back into it! 

I am planing to ease back into swimming but for some inspiration on sets to try, I turned to Pinterest and found some good ones! They look pretty tough I am definitely looking forward to the challenge and change. 

Here's a couple I will be trying this week!

Here's to trying something new!

Yours truly, 

In Need Of A Vacation- Suggestions!

Hey Y'all Happy Tuesday! Not going to lie, Tuesday is my least favorite day of the week. I feel like it drags on forever, its the day after Monday, and not even to Wednesday yet- who even likes the word Tuesday anyway. Gross. Anyhow lets brighten this dumb day up by talking about vacations... this girl is in need of a serious one! 

My best friend and I have decided we are going to plan a getaway for early August but are having serious trouble thinking of where we want to go! She is in law school in Baltimore and I hate that I don't get to see her as often as I like but give our crazy schedules its so hard to set aside times to do things- enter girls getaway. A few months ago I took a 4 day weekend and headed to the beach with some girlfriends and while I absolutely had the most amazing time, I think this time I am in need of a little more then 4 days. Working in the profession I do, its extremely easy to get overwhelmed and overworked and while I think I do an ok job at taking care of my self, I have not been on a real vacation since I started my job- over a year ago! It will be amazing to get away from work, not check email, turn off my pager (yes I carry a pager at work), and just enjoy the company of my best friend... and the beach!

Alison (my best friend) and I have been looking on sites like Groupon and Living Social trying to find a good getaway deal, however what I keep forgetting to factor in with the cost of everything is airfare! Poor little me can't be affording to go on a crazy exotic vacation, so here is where I need suggestions! I've also heard of a site Cheapcarribean.com that offers deals including airfare and also searches for all inclusive resorts- sounds right up my ally! 

Where do you look when looking to go on a vacation?

All suggestions are welcome and can't wait to see what everyone recommends!

Yours truly, 

What The Heck I've Been Up To...

Hey Y'all, sorry for the serious lack of posting last week! One of those weeks where I didn't make it grocery shopping, had wine for dinner, and still trying to figure out how I survived the week. I'm going to cheat a little bit and catch up by doing a major photo update! 

Last weekend I headed to Raleigh to see some friends and go to the Widespread Panic concert! It was SO much fun and  I have been listening to nothing buy them for the past week. 

Girls before the concert

Aubree lives in Raleigh and I wish I could see her more but I am so glad I was able to spend time with her!

Selfies at the concert is necessary.

Me and one of my good friends Allan, pardon my rough appearance- it was a long night. 

View of the stage

Bloody Marys and sunnies were required the next morning. 

Last week was so much of a whirlwind I don't have much to share other then I had wine for dinner several nights. I did make it to spinning twice but other then that it was a cluster of a week that included over 10 hour days. 

Come Saturday it was off to the farmers market for a little "me" time. I scored lots of yummies including these amazing berries. 

Saturday afternoon my mom came into town and it was off to Legends to enjoy some drinks and the beautiful weather! The view of Richmond also wasn't too bad. 

Lovely Richmond. 

Sunday mom and I headed to run some errands that included scoring some goodies from TJ Maxx and Marshalls. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I literally can not walk out these stores empty handed. They have somewhat become my new Target and I am always scoring the greatest finds. I will post more tomorrow on what I came away with and some other things I have accumulated since I last posted. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Yours truly, 

Healthy Ice Cream- Recipe

Hey Y'all, happy Tuesday! I promise I will have an update from my weekend and lots of pictures, however today I wanted to share a new recipe I tried out last week. 

It's summer time and lets face it, I've come home from work several times and not waned to cook a darn thing, especially on these hot days. Last week I posted a recipe I tried out using mashed bananas to make muffins and they did not disappoint. Sticking with my banana theme, I decided to make ice cream...well healthy ice cream! Yes you read that right... healthy and ice cream in same sentence. I followed a couple different recipes on Pinterest but here's what it came down to.

Ingredients:

4 sliced bananas frozen

1 cup of almond milk

A dash of cocoa powder

2 tablespoons of almond butter ( or peanut butter)

Blend!

Y'all... this is the real deal. It tasted amazing and definitely didn't leave me feeling guilty about having it as a before bed snack. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Yours truly, 

Five On Friday + A Little More

Happy Friday loves! I am linking up again this Friday for Five On Friday, however since I have been a little m.i.a this week, I have a little extra to share as well!

One

On my day off I celebrated National Running Day by going for a run to my favorite spot in Richmond

Two

I pick up some new glasses for a steal at only $6 from Marshalls

Three

 

I also picked up a new small coffee maker to use this summer to make ice coffee and coffee ice cubes!

Four

 

Pairing my new glasses + iced coffee on a hot afternoon made for one great afternoon treat!

Five

 

Latest addiction. It is amazing....go try it. 

A little extra....

spotting one of my favorite local Virginia wines on sale at the store for less then $10... can't beat it. This wine is definitely on the sweeter side but its also very light and refreshing, perfect for summer!

Another new pinterest recipe! 

This recipe off pinterest was amazing and what I consumed everyday at lunch in a whole wheat pita.

Avocado 

Tomato

Corn

Black Beans

Onion

Mix and add a dash of sriracha... yum!

 A fresh new candle for my bathroom. 

I picked this candle up at Marshalls and am absolutely obsessed with it. I love the chalk label detail. 

Now for my weekend plans!

Tonight I am headed out with some friends to celebrate my sweet friend Patty's birthday! I can't wait for a night out with friends and hopefully the weather will cooperate and leave us with a beautiful evening!

Patty and I a few weeks ago after Friday Cheers!

Saturday I am heading to Raleigh to celebrate another friends birthday- Kaitlin! Kaitlin just moved to Raleigh and I can't wait to see her and her new house! Saturday night we will be heading out for dinner and drinks then over to see Widespread Panic! A few other friends will be in town and I am beyond excited to be reunited with so many great friends! 

Here's to a great weekend ahead full of lots of friends and good times!

Yours truly,

Healthy Breakfast Muffins- Recipe

Happy Thursday friends! It's been awhile since I shared a recipe on the blog and being that I made some fabulous healthy muffins earlier this week, I thought I would share the yumminess. 

These were super easy to make AND only 116 calories per muffin... perfect in my book for a quick but satisfying breakfast. I found the original recipe on Pinterest and pretty much stuck to it.

You will need:

3 mashed bananas, the riper the better

3 cups of oats (the recipe calls for Old Fashioned but I only had Quick Cooking oats and they still turned out great)

1 cup of almond milk

1 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp of vanilla

2 eggs

Optional- handful of chocolate chips ( I used them in mine)

Stir ingredients together and fill in cupcake liners. 

Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes

Let cool and enjoy!

Again, these turned out absolutely amazing and I can easily see them being added to my Sunday routine to have for the week. 

Yours truly, 

Mental Health Day

Hey Y'all sorry for the lack of posting lately! 

I have been working straight since the weekend and finally snagged myself a day off. These past few weeks at work have been the hardest since I started and while I know the environment I work is a bit more demanding and exhausting then the average office, I using today to try and refuel and give myself a little TLC. I have a couple things to check off my to do list and then will be heading to a birthday/ baby gender reveal party later this evening, talk about two fun events! Check back tomorrow for updates of what I have been up to. 

Happy Wednesday!

Yours truly,