In and Out

Posted on 24 May 2013 by wickedhealthywashingtonian33

Being a foodie, I am constantly trying to balance how much I eat out in relation to how much I eat in. I love cooking and experimenting on my own accord in my kitchen, but I also love having other people cook for me and having new and cool food experiences in the city. I don’t plan on being in D.C. forever so while I’m here, I’m on a mission to try all the places it has to offer that intrigue me.

This has gotten more difficult as my neighborhood has decided to be the hippest place in town and open like a bajillion new restaurants. See THIS article from the Washington City Paper to get an idea of what I’m saying here. Not to mention all the other restaurants I want to go to all over the city and new ones popping up all over the place.

this guy is opening up on Connecticut Ave. in Dupont Circle!

It’s not just for “being healthy’s sake” that I don’t want to eat out too much- in fact, I’m a pretty firm believer that you can eat healthy pretty much anywhere and not be too concerned about that. It’s more so a money thing- eating out is expensive.

Being a master planner serves me well with meal planning and grocery shopping. I love saving money each week by making more of my own meals and buying things out less. But at the same time, I hate feeling tied to the food in my kitchen and guilty for being spontaneous or trying a new place out on a whim. When I have stuff that I can easily make at home that I already paid for, it’s really hard for me sometimes to throw caution to the wind, blow off my meal plan, and buy food out somewhere. BUT again, I love experiences out and I hate turning down these opportunities when they present themselves to me. Argh. First world problems- I know. But it’s a struggle sometimes!

What I basically try and do is pick 2-3 places a week that I want to go to and then plan on making all my other meals. Some I’ll plan out- so for example, I’ll make reservations with Will for the weekend somewhere or make note that I’m going to try a new place some time in the upcoming week. And then I’ll also choose a day where I just say I’ll get lunch out and then decide that day where I want to go. I think it’s the closest I can get to a good balance for me between planning, making my own food, eating out, making splurges, saving money, and being free in terms of my food choices.

Truth be told: I love eating out just as much as I love cooking myself. It’s all about the experience. Getting ready to go- being excited to go- getting there- perusing the menu- waiting and anticipating that perfect thing that you want- getting a beautiful plate of food- devouring the deliciousness- not having to clean up- going home happy and full. I don’t know about you- but dining is like, one of my favorite things in the world.

So this week, after a year’s worth of hard work going into the telethon at my work and having SIX consecutive days off because of it, I have decided to reward myself with a handful of dining experiences. I made sure I didn’t over buy things when I went grocery shopping so that I would be able to get out there and eat. But of course, keeping my wallet and my body happy, I also did buy plenty of yummy things to satisfy my hunger and soul throughout the week.

Beans + Greens + Veggies = Great, easy lunches

the hanging produce basket is jammin’

strawberries- my favorite fruit. I have a pasta strawberry pesto salad recipe I want to try out this week!

On Wednesday after bootcamp, to celebrate my first day off in the six day series, I took myself out to breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien (a tried and true favorite):

six vegetable quiche! mmmmmm.

a hot americano on a rainy DC morning.

And for dinner I met up with my friend Jess to try a place I haven’t tried before- Farmers Fishers and Bakers located on the Georgetown waterfront. SO DELICIOUS. And the restaurant is pretty cool looking- lots to look at in the inside.

We shared their warm, soft pretzels and a pork belly sushi roll- both were awesome. I ordered the shrimp scampi which is served with just the shrimp in a lil skillet, a vegetable medley, and a rice medley on the side. And because they have a killer dessert list- I just had to try their strawberry/rhubarb crumble. Nom.

Tonight Will and I are going to try out Piola- a new pizza place that opened three blocks from our apartment. Can you say dangerous? But until May 26th their WHOLE menu is half off! How awesome is that? They make super thin crust pizza and add a lot of their toppings after they take it out of the oven- this intrigues me. After briefly checking out their menu online I think I can safely say that I’m going to have a hard time figuring out what to order- so many tasty looking options!

I have a feeling that this weekend tacos from another new joint- Taqueria Nacional- are going to happen and maybe a baked good from the new bakery right next door- Bake House DC? Maybe this will be the weekend I finally get a sandwich from Sundevich?! I hope so. That place has been on my “food to-do list” for a while now.

So many places- so little time. But I need to remind myself that there is in fact plenty of time to try all these eateries. In due time I shall. In due time.

In between all these eating out times- there will be plenty of lovely meals made with the foods I shared above, yogurt with fresh fruit, bowls of overnight oats, and massive salads.

Carrot Cake Overnight Oats: 1/3 cup oats, 1/2 cup grated carrot, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1 tbl. coconut, 2 tbl. raisins, 1 tsp. honey, 1 cup of almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, 1 wedge of laughing cow cinnamon cream cheese, and 1 tbl. flax.

I’m constantly trying to find the right balance of everything I got going on and that includes eating out and eating in- you gotta be able to be practical and be able to “carpe diem” it up.

Keep it wicked healthy xoxo

To Train or Not to Train

Posted on 23 May 2013 by wickedhealthywashingtonian33

Next Saturday I’m running my first ever 8k. I know I can run five miles- I know that I have run five miles before- but there is a small part of me that is still nervous. Sometimes runs just don’t go as planned and you have an off day. I’ve actually had a couple of bad runs in the past handful of weeks only making me even more anxious about it.

I’m still fairly new to running. I ran my first 5k in October which was a huge deal for me. Hell- I can still remember the first time I ran for thirty minutes without stopping in August (covering just about three miles) and how I couldn’t stop smiling/had an internal mini freakout because I was so happy.

I had been so distracted by life and other things lately that I kinda forgot about this 8k… whoops. Like I knew I was doing it- it’s in my calendar- but my brain hadn’t really processed the fact that I’m going to actually run 8k.

Some of you may remember that I won a blogger contest for a free entry into the Run for the Dream race held in Colonial Williamsburg in the beginning of March. Being a big old history freak- I am quite excited about this. Will and I found a low cost hotel and we’re going to stay overnight Friday into Saturday (June 1st, the day of the race). Otherwise we’d have to leave at like four in the morning in order for me to get there early enough- woof.

So I never trained for the 5k I did- mainly because I knew I could run 3ish miles. I did a couple of test runs prior to the big day but I didn’t do anything special to prepare. Should I do the same thing with this upcoming 8k? This is a genuine question here, readers. I’m not really sure. It’s a little late for a training program so that’s out of the question, but if I consistently run 3-4ish miles and have run more in the past- should I be concerned?

At this point my plan is to wing it. Hopefully that’s not a mistake. I guess only time will tell. At the end of the day- I’m running the 8k for fun and not for a time so it’s not a big deal. But me being the perfectionist I am- I of course want to have a good run.

On Tuesday I did a practice run of five miles on the treadmill just to prove I could do it. Although it was boring and felt so long… I could do it. I don’t think I’ll have to worry about boredom when it comes to the actual race as Colonial Williamsburg will have plenty of interesting things for me to look at. I’m actually more so worried that I’ll want to stop and check out all of the historical shenanigans around me

I think what I’m most nervous about actually is the 24 hours before the actual race. With the 5k I was able to make myself dinner at home the night before, sleep in my own bed, make myself breakfast, and get to the race start with full knowledge of where I was going and what I was doing. This 8k is COMPLETELY different. I’ll be in a place I’ve never been before and relying on whatever food is available to me there and the hotel I’m staying at for quality zzz’s. The planner side of me doesn’t like this. I know it will be fine- but again, planner Allison says no bueno. Should I bring food with me? What other things might I want to think about bringing?

Any advice and tips on being on the road and running a race are welcome. Well actually, I’m accepting any and all running advice always.

In the meantime I’m just going to go with my “wing it” plan of running twice in this last week before the race and cross training in between. Here’s to hoping!

IN OTHER NEWS

Speaking of running…

My friend Barbara over at Food is Fuel is a finalist in the Brooks “My First Half” contest where she’d win a trip to participate in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas 1/2 marathon in November!

I would absolutely love your help in getting her to win the contest- she deserves it so much. Her story is really inspiring and relatable to anyone out there who has struggled and recovered from disordered eating.

All you have to do is go to this page >>> click here.

Click on “Barbara Kennedy” to view her bio and vote.
Click on “Submit Your Vote”
Select “Barbara Kennedy” on the ballot page and click “Submit Your Vote”
That’s it!

{a HUGE THANK YOU to anyone who votes for her!}

Also fitness related- have you been hanging ten lately? That’s my lame-o way of asking you if you’ve been participating in the CSX #GiveThem10 push-up challenge that benefits the Wounded Warrior Project. I blogged about it yesterday and have been taking photo evidence that I’ve been getting my push-ups done!

And related to NOTHING else in this post: I GOT MY VISA TO GO TO RUSSIA. Now enjoy this sensual moment between me and my passport:

Is it July 1st yet?

If some of you remember- I had yesterday off of work AND I had today off (and I have F, Sat., Sun., and M off). SWEET, SWEET, SWEET VICTORY!

I’ve been enjoying some serious downtime, relaxation, good food, long walks, middle of the afternoon yoga, retail therapy (I needed shorts), an 1.5 hour massage (paid for by the production company we worked with on the telethon!), and time with friends.

The good life- basically.

Keep it wicked healthy xoxo

More Salmon

Posted on 22 May 2013 by wickedhealthywashingtonian33

Yeah. I eat a lot of salmon. No apologies.

My inner cat like tendencies come through with my fish and salmon love. Gross but true story: I used to try and eat my cat George’s canned food when I was a youngin/toddler. Mhm- my Mom used to have to stop me from eating cat food out of his dish. I guess this should have been a sign for my future love of seafood.

Plus I was born and raised in New England. It’s pretty hard not to dig seafood when it’s around you all the time and made really well. AND I mean, my Mom is a big seafood freak (I mean that in a good way) so my interest in it was bound to happen.

Now that I’m out on my own and have my own kitchen, I make a lot of seafood at home. My blog is living proof of this. You would think that when I go out to eat that I would try and order different things because of how frequently I make myself fish. Nope. I have to refrain myself from immediately letting my eyes wander to the seafood section and sometimes have to convince myself not to get the salmon because I make it all the time. Whenever I order it I feel the need to justify it out loud to Will (he’s usually my restaurant eating partner in crime). My favorite restaurant, Busboys and Poets, does a great version on salmon if you were curious and I am obsessed. Also, recently at Cuba Libre in Penn Quarter- I had their salmon with a honey mango glaze… ummm holy crap good.

But anyway. Back to my home cooked salmon craze… I’m sure you saw the word salmon in the title and were like- really, Allison? Again with the salmon, huh? We’re going to see more pictures of salmon? The answer to all of these questions is yes. In all seriousness- the amount of pictures of salmon on my camera is ridiculous. Point taken people- I get it. There are worse things in life than to be addicted to salmon though, right? Right.

If it makes you feel better, I do put effort into changing the flavors up and cooking it differently from time to time {see: Lemon, Dill, and Garlic and Coconut and Ginger salmon as evidence}.

And this dinner was no different. I had heard that orange tasted good paired with salmon so I picked up an orange at the grocery store to marinade my salmon in. I didn’t follow a recipe and instead just followed my taste buds when creating this meal. Thus I don’t have a list of measurements to use for you to replicate this recipe (I’m a great chef and blogger, I know). At the very least, I hope to just inspire you to change up your flavor palates and experiment with food. It’s fun- not scary- I promise.

The jist of what I did is: I cut an orange into fourths, squeezed the juice all over the salmon, and added some of this spice mix (which I’ve been lovin on pretty hard these days):

I have almost all of these spices individually bottled in my kitchen, but there is something so easy about blends like this that just get the combination of things just right. I’m a sucker for em.

I ripped out the orange segments from the rinds and tossed them on the salmon and let all this sit in the fridge overnight.

Please note: blueberries were buy one get one free at Harris Teeter this past week. Hence my hoard of blueberries that you can see.

I didn’t cook the orange segments with the salmon- but you probably could and that would be fun I suppose. The salmon turned out pretty moist and definitely delicious- as always. Cooking salmon is wicked easy too. If you’ve missed any of my other bajillions of posts about it- check out this one for a quick way to cook it up. Dinner in less than fifteen minutes is a winner in my book.

I served the salmon on a bed of brown rice and with roasted asparagus- topped with tomato and basil feta cheese. So delicious. Also highly recommended. It was almost better than the salmon itself- almost. Asparagus is another favorite of mine- mainly because it only takes about ten minutes to roast. And feta makes everythang betta.

This is definitely a great summer meal. I enjoyed it post-spin class on my balcony while watching an old episode of The Daily Show that I missed last week.

Before I go and continue to enjoy my six days off of work (!) – I want to share with you all this wicked cool fitness and fundraising opportunity I was told about called “Drop and Give Them Ten.”

This Memorial Day weekend, CSX, one of the leading transportation companies in the nation, is asking people to do 10 push-ups in honor of our troops and to support them. How it works is that between now and May 29th, when you do 10 pushups, CSX will donate $1.00 to Wouded Warrior Project. If you post about your experience (through social media), CSX will donate another buck! All you have to do is do the work and use the hashtag #GiveThem10 when you tweet or instagram.

We can all definitely bust out ten push-ups. So who is with me? #GiveThem10 this Memorial Day weekend and support Wounded Warrior Project and the campaign.

In the midst of Memorial Day activities, #GiveThem10 is not only something cool to do for a good cause, but it will help you….

Keep it wicked healthy xoxo

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Sandwiches

Posted on 21 May 2013 by wickedhealthywashingtonian33

When I woke up, I had full intent on using my blog as a space to vent about my frustration with the humid, rainy, and all around weird weather lately in DC. That was until I turned on my television and saw what had happened in Oklahoma. I had remembered hearing talks of tornado warnings during the day yesterday, but the destruction I saw totally caught me off guard. Natural disasters are truly terrifying and my heart goes out to all of those affected by the devastation caused by the tornadoes. The membership I serve at work includes men in every state south of the Mason-Dixon line and west of the Mississippi River so there are definitely some people out there in my thoughts.

All of my love goes out to Oklahoma today. Stupid DC weather seemed a lot less stupid after today’s news report.

All of this being said, the on and off rain in DC has really had me craving more comfort-like food- you know- as opposed to salads. I’ve had this conversation with you guys before. It may be warm outside, but to combat the humidity, the AC is blasting everywhere and I’ve felt perma-cold and damp for the past couple of days. One of the formulas that equates to me craving comfort food is definitely: being cold + a rainy/cloudy forecast.

On top of all this- my sweet tooth lately has been going a little mad. During the telethon this past weekend at work- we had a lot of desserts around. There were cookies, boat loads of candy bars, chocolate cake, vanilla cake, cheesecake, carrot cake, tiramasu… the list goes on. And I’m not complaining- it was delicious and I regret nothing {if dessert isn’t a part of a balanced diet- then I want no part in one} I also understand the motivational effects that sugar has on people. You care less about working for twelve hours straight if there is a never ending supply of desserts around you. BUT what I don’t enjoy is the effect that eating big desserts day in and day out has on my cravings. I always notice that my desire for sugar gets a little crazy after I’ve been consuming it more than usual. And for as much as I love dessert- moderation is important and I can’t go around eating heavy desserts every single day. Well I could. But I really don’t want to. Too much sugar makes me moody- too much sugar makes me miss natural sources of sugar found in fruits.

Whenever I find myself trying to step out of the vicious dessert/sugar craving cycle, I turn to naturally sweet things that are better for you than a slab of cake. One of my favorite healthy but also sweet and seemingly indulgent foods is cinnamon raisin bread.

Now, I tend to prefer warm cinnamon raisin bread in the fall or in cooler seasons (as it is very much comfort food to me) BUT as I explained earlier, I have been needing a little love and comfort from my food these days. And sweetness.

In walks cinnamon raisin bread…

I’ve been loving on two sandwiches lately: one is more for breakfast and the other more for lunch. But both are savory and sweet though and involve cinnamon raisin bread and laughing cow cheese. Now, I’m no slave to brands but laughing cow cheese wedges were on sale for 99 cents at the grocery store this weekend so I mean… BUY ALL OF THE CHEESE.

I took this opportunity to buy the traditional swiss and one flavor I haven’t tried before- cinnamon cream cheese! I haven’t bought cream cheese in a while and was weirdly excited about this purchase. I had big dreams for it to be spread on the cinnamon raisin bread that I knew I had in my kitchen already.

Sandwich Number One

You know a breakfast recipe must be good if I’m giving up my usual overnight oats for it. All you need is:

2 slices of cinnamon raisin bread (any brand will do- I go for Ezekiel)
1 laughing cow cinnamon cream cheese wedge
1 egg / 2 egg whites (or any combo of eggs and/or egg whites that tickle your fancy- I only used egg whites because I wanted a less “eggy” taste for the purposes of the sandwich)

While I toasted the bread in my toaster oven, I whisked the egg and egg whites in a bowl coated with cooking spray and popped it in the microwave for two minutes to create a lil egg patty.

When the bread was fully toasted, I just spread on the cheese wedge and plopped on the egg patty. I cut it diagonally and served it with some apple slices and peanut butter.

Protein? Check. Healthy fats? Check. Carbs? Check. Fresh fruit? Check. Those are my targets in all of my breakfasts. Vegetables get bonus points.

This egg sandwich only comes second to this eggplant one that I made back in November… I need to make that again.

Sandwich Number Two

I haven’t completely cut out my greenery intake, but in order to please my soul, I have been making these power house half sandwiches to go alongside my salad. I use the term “power house” because this is one loaded and delicious sandwich. You’ll understand when you see it. Feel free to turn this into a whole sandwich- I probably will at some point soon. But for my half sandwich, whatcha need is:

1 slice cinnamon raisin bread
1 swiss laughing cow cheese wedge
thinly sliced apple
deli turkey

The prep is simple- you just make a sandwich basically and I know you ALL know how to make a sandwich (if you don’t- keep that to yourself please). I cut the bread in half and spread the cheese on both slices. I use the squishy cheese as the “glue” to hold down the slices of apple. Fold in your turkey and whatever remaining apple slices you have and VOILA!

Yes this sandwich is massive. Don’t worry, I find a way to eat it.

You could easily add more to this sandwich (I was thinking some spinach or some mustard) but I didn’t want anything to distract me too much from the cinnamon raisin bread. Clearly my priority. And also I mean… there was no room for any other ingredients. If it were a full sandwich you’d have much better luck with add ins. BUT I think my half sandwich is the perfect accompaniment to some salad action and a greek yogurt.

This ain’t your mama’s brown bag lunch, folks.

All I know is, in the midst of the post-telethon sleepiness and haze that has made up my shortest work week to date (yes. today is my Friday and I have the next SIX days off) these killer sandwich beauties have been making me smile.

Cinnamon raisin bread makes me feel like a kid. And when you have a lot of responsibilities and are fully aware most of the time of your adulthood, it’s quite nice to feel young again. Even just for a moment. STAY AWAY FROM ME STUDENT LOAN BILLS, I’M EATING A SANDWICH HERE AND REMINISCING ABOUT MY YOUTH.

Cinnamon raisin bread will always make me think of sleeping over my grandmother’s house when I was younger. Many times my sister Jess and I would wake up to mini cinnamon raisin bagels and cream cheese. Plain for me- strawberry for her. Hello, memory lane.

ANYWAY, I am quite ready for lunch right about now- good thing it’s getting to be that time.

Keep it wicked healthy xoxo

Lazy Sunday

Posted on 19 May 2013 by wickedhealthywashingtonian33

I cannot believe the telethon at my work has come and gone. It’s going to be so weird to go into work tomorrow and just have it be over… this thing had been my life for the past year! Craziness. I’m happy to report that overall, the whole fundraiser was a huge success. The show was a lot to handle, but it was so worth it and it was so fun to be a part of. Seriously. I met and worked with some amazing people on all of this.

Will took this screenshot of my show on the web last night. You guessed it- I’m the one female in the shot.

Will met me at my work at about one in the morning and when we got home, I opened the door to a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a card, and a big congratulations balloon. We’ve been together for three and a half years but he still manages to surprise me. It was very thoughtful of him and another reminder of all the shit I’ve done lately at work to make that show a success. I took pictures of the flowers in the daylight today.

After standing for twelve hours yesterday and running around like a crazy person (organizing and operating a Masonic telethon is tough work, guys), it has been very nice to just be a little lazy today. Even though I slept late and even took a nap earlier (sorry for falling asleep on you, Will), I still feel exhausted. Lucky for me, I get Wednesday and Thursday off of this week to compensate for the weekend work I put in. You all know I get Fridays off as it is. And we’ll have Monday off because of Memorial Day. Sooooo six days off of work in a row? Hell yeah. I cannot wait till the close of business on Tuesday for my week off.

But in the meantime, like I was saying, today was a day for laziness. I left my apartment once today thus far. To buy toilet paper. Win.

It was a morning for pancakes, bacon, coffee, and watching the SNL season finale with Ben Affleck and Kanye West from last night. It makes me so sad that Bill Hader and Fred Armisen are going to be leaving wahhh. There were a couple of wicked good skits (including the Iranian Argo remake- Bengo #@&* Yourself) but the final Stefan bit with Hader and Seth Myers (feat. Anderson Cooper and Affleck) was definitely the winner.

For the pancakes, I used a recipe from Sara at Nourish and Flourish. It called for: 4 oz. of greek yogurt, 1/4 cup almond flour, 1 tbl. coconut flour, and 1/4 tsp. baking powder. I topped my four pancakes with mashed banana.

For the greek yogurt I used one of Chobani’s new “bite” sized containers. They are conveniently four ounces, which was perfect for the recipe. Just what the doctor ordered.

I’ve wanted to try out the new Chobani bites for a while but didn’t want to fork over the cash for them. They found me in a weak moment on Friday and I totally bought them though. The orange zest is SO good and it tasted even better in the pancakes. Like seriously. They’re a little small for me for a snack on their own- but add some nuts, fruit, or other healthy fixings and they would make a deeee-licious treat. I think I’m going to use one in my overnight oats tomorrow. And by think I mean- I am. And I’m already excited about it.

The rest of the day has been pretty lackluster- I managed to make a big salad for lunch and in the process did some meal planning and prep for the week. And then as I told you already, I fell asleep watching the Bruins game and flipping back and forth with the Blues Brothers.

I woke up to watch the Bruins win, paint my toes, and eat a mug of greek yogurt, blueberries, mango, and a couple of crushed chocolate cat cookies (sorry I broke you into pieces, cats).

The rest of my day includes more rest and dinner with my friend Nick.

The work week beginning tomorrow is a lot less intimidating knowing that it will only last till Tuesday. Score. Try not to hate me too much. I haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to fill out all those days off- but it will probably include a lot of food adventures, fitness adventures, and friend adventures (oh and season four of arrested development).

Enjoy the rest of your Sundays! And because I’m sure the title of this post and my talk of SNL made a lot of you think of the SNL Lazy Sunday skit… I probably should just put that here for good measure..

and Lazy Sunday 2 (of course)

Keep it wicked healthy xoxo

My Day Job

Posted on 17 May 2013 by wickedhealthywashingtonian33

If you didn’t know- I work for the Freemasons. No, my job is naht in anyway health or fitness related. That’s what I handle in my off hours he he. My day job is connected to my passion for history and working with people! I technically work in the headquarters building for the Southern Jurisdiction of The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (but I’m sure that doesn’t mean very much to a lot of you). Masons like big, lofty titles- it’s fun (and confusing/overwhelming for outsiders). I work in the Development Office and on a daily basis I work on projects and work with people to raise funds to help support masonic charitable endeavors and the preservation of my building- which is a historic site.

The monumental building is a D.C. landmark and is called, The House of the Temple. It’s located on 16th street just off the beaten path from Dupont Circle. The architect- John Russell Pope- also designed the Jefferson Memorial, the National Archives, and a wing of the National Gallery of Art. This was actually his first memorial-like building in the District and it’s what led him to be commissioned to do all the others.

SO there’s a lot that goes into my job but all you need to know is: raising money and fundraising to rebuild and revitalize our historic site/museum is the name of my game.

Yes, this is where I work. If you live in DC- we’re open to the public for tours Monday through Thursday! Don’t let the sphinxes scare you away- stop by sometime! There is a big library, cool museum rooms, and lots of ornate beautiful spaces to check out. Plus I mean, the climax of Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol took place here so there’s that as well. You can read up on us in lots of places- but here’s the link to our wikipedia page for the cliffnotes.

WELL this weekend we are putting on a telethon to be broadcast over the internet (a webathon if you will) and it’s called, Celebrating the Craft. The Craft is another way to refer to the Scottish Rite just FYI. The goal of the broadcast is to unite our membership across the country for one night of entertainment and fun while also raising money to support the Rebuilding the Temple Campaign. This is a MASSIVE campaign (cough cough 97 million dollars cough cough) that will fund repairs that are crucial to the building and also create a world-class museum and education center for masons and non-masons alike to enjoy.

This is all very unrelated to healthy eating and exercise and those sort of things- but it is very much related to my life as it’s what I’ve spent 40 hours a week working on for the past year. I don’t talk much about work as I try and keep my blog and work separate BUT this has consumed me for a while now and I just have to share it with you all.

I normally don’t work on weekends but this one is dedicated to this show! I’m not going to talk your face off about all that it entails- but I needed to give my work a shout out. We’ve all been putting SO MUCH into this show and I cannot believe it’s all coming together. This is the biggest and most unique fundraiser our organization has ever set out to put on- and I played a big role in making it all happen. And I mean… it’s actually happening and going to be a massive success (yes, I can see into the future)! So awesome. I might work in development/fundraising, but I think I need to add a line to my business card that says: event planner extraordinaire.

This is a shameless plug for the show tomorrow night. SO HERE WE GO!

SATURDAY (TOMORROW) MAY 18TH- 6PM TO MIDNIGHT EDT

Go to www.scottishrite.org tomorrow night to watch
There will be an obvious link to click on to watch {If you were to go to the site now, you’d see a countdown clock}

And I mean, if you wanted to donate some money to the cause… I wouldn’t complain

When people ask you what your Saturday night plans, how badass will you feel saying checking out a telethon related to Freemasonry?! C’MON!

It may seem small and insignificant to a lot of you (freemasons, historic sites, all that jazz) but it’s a HUGE deal for me and this organization. I’m SO excited about the show tomorrow and to see all of my/our hard work come to fruition.

CLICK HERE to visit the Scottish Rite Freemasonry Facebook page to learn more about the event, see pictures of everything I’ve been working on, and to stay in the loop on everything my building is doing this weekend. We also have a pretty bumpin’ twitter you can check out as well.

And as always…

Keep it wicked healthy xoxo

PS: Again, I didn’t want to get too in depth with the show or what I do for work or the Freemasons in general. BUT if you have further questions about these things, I’d be more than happy to talk to you about them! Just shoot me an email.

Thursday Treasures

Posted on 16 May 2013 by wickedhealthywashingtonian33

Hello DC summer weather, fancy seeing you here. You know what, it might be muggy, but I wasn’t cold for the first time walking to work today and for that alone I am thankful. It was great to have on my light jacket and not feel like I needed more layers. Warmer and sunnier weather makes it so much easier to just run out the door in a flash without too much over thinking. Which we all need in the morning, right?

We have a big event at work this weekend that I am largely responsible for (!) thus I expected this week to be awful and stressful and hard. While I have been busy- it actually has been more so exciting to see what I’ve been working on for the past year here come to fruition. I have to work all weekend (boo) but it will kind of be fun because I’ve put a lot of time and effort into making this event a success.

Sometimes I hate that I’m a planner because the structure blows up in my face- but there are other times where I love that I’m planner (when everything goes according to plan). I’ve sort of done everything I could have done up till now to make this event go well. I also planned my food, workouts, and schedule for this week well so I haven’t felt totally crazy in the midst of work madness. Everything has been going right on cue (which is so rare! something always seems to go awry). So… knock on wood… but it looks like everything in my world is going to be a-ok. Again. Knock on wood for me.

I opted out of Thursday Treasures last week for an alternative post, so let’s get back to tradition. I am a lover of tradition.

Here are this week’s treasures on my brain:

1. French Toast

I was inspired by Anne’s stuffed french toast recipe (click through for the recipe) and went to making my own this morning based on the ingredients I had. French toast is always delicious- but its even better when it’s not heavy and full of sugar. It can taste just as good and be healthier. Win.

I used cinnamon raisin ezekiel bread, almond butter, sliced bananas, egg, vanilla unsweetened almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. I topped this bad boy with some mashed strawberries and banana (heated up in the microwave to create almost like a jam).

2. Television

Now. I don’t watch THAT much TV but there are certain shows I love. Mad Men being one. Can we talk about how HAPPY I was that THIS happened?

I haven’t watched last Sunday’s episode as I am a grandmother and can’t stay up till 11pm on a work night- BUT I am impatiently awaiting Will’s return from NY so we can watch the latest episode. Is it just me, or do you all think “the old” Don Draper is back? He’s been on FIAH lately. One of the most hilarious throwaway lines as of late:

Roger: Did Pete just tell you that the dinner was off with Jaguar?
Don: Yes, Unless it was the world’s most boring dream.

Awesome.

And in other TV news- ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT SEASON FOUR NEXT WEEKEND. Oh- is my excitement showing? Good. I know I’m prematurely shooting my wad here as I’m getting all amped about NEXT weekend. But if any family deserves the hype- it’s the Bluths. My friends are throwing a “Bluth Family Reunion Party” featuring ice cream sandwiches, hot ham water, mayon-eggs, and obviously- unlimited juice.

It’s going to be off the hook.

3. Ice Cream Sandwich

Speaking of ice cream sandwiches, I decided to have a love affair with one Tuesday night. Cream Cycle DC was started by chef Carlos Delgado (an awesome DC chef from Peru). They specialize in gourmet ice cream sandwiches and while they don’t have their own store front (yet), they sell their products at Smucker Farms on 14th Street.

They have crafted flavors like: lemongrass & basil ice cream with coconut cookie, olive oil ice cream & bacon bits with bacon cookie, cereal milk infused ice cream with granola cookie, and even banana habanero ice cream with coffee cookie.

I decided to go with a mexican jalapeno chocolate sandwich and it was one of the most interesting dessert experiences I’ve ever had! You can taste the jalapeno big time and your throat gets a little firery for sure. My brain was so confused because I was eating something cold… but my throat was on fire… which led me to want to eat more of the ice cream to soothe said throat… but then that just made things “worse.” AH! It was craziness.

4. The Office

I was going to include this in the “television” point above but it deserves its own dedication. I can’t even guys. I think I’m going to be simultaneously crying and laughing for a solid two hours. How is this happening already?! GAH.

5. Rice Pilafs

In addition to the pasta salad I’ve been loving on, I have been loving creating interesting rice pilaf combinations for dinner. This week I’ve been wicked busy and the idea of throwing a bunch of stuff in a pan and making it work has just been my go to.

When I was meal planning for this week, I decided I wanted scallops and I was going to sear them with some bacon, apple, onion, and spinach. Sounds yummy, right? Kind of forgot scallops are MAD expensive. So I ditched that idea when I was at the grocery store and picked up some cheaper tilapia fillets. Still seafood- still a happy girl.

But I still bought the bacon, apple, onion, and spinach forgetting that I had changed the meal. Whoops.

So I improvised like TIm Gunn was looking over my shoulder and sauteed those ingredients together with some brown rice. It ended up being pretty delicious and a good side to some deliciously lemon/herb tilapia (served with avocado). I like nights experimenting in the kitchen. Even if something doesn’t turn out AMAZING- playing with flavors and different ingredients is a good way to develop those culinary skills. I ain’t no chef- but I do what I can.

6. 14th Street

Can I just say for the billionth time that I absolutely love where I live? I actually feel like I live in the best nook of this entire city. And 14th street just keeps getting better with all the amazing new stores and restaurants they are opening. I could spend a lifetime wandering up an down 14th street trying everything.

A new sweetgreen, Mike Isabella’s future greek restaurant Kapnos and sandwich shop “G,” a second Ted’s Bulletin location, Etto, Le Diplomate, Bake House, Piola, Bar di Bari, Ghibellina, B Too… the list LITERALLY goes on for pages- those are just the ones I can recall of the top of my head. So many restaurants- so little money! Oh. Plus you know… just a casual new TRADER JOES.

7. Balance Gym

Between spin, bootcamp, and yoga (and a new body weight exercise class I’m trying tonight)- my gym is truly the best. And no- I swear they don’t pay me to talk about them all the time. The publicity is well deserved on their part. The instructors continually push me to do more than I thought that I could and as I’ve explained before, the community feel is exactly what I need at the end of my long work days.

One of the last working songs in spin on Monday was Justin Timberlake’s new song “Mirrors” which I didn’t realize how much I loved until it was bumping in the studio. So good. I highly recommend it if you haven’t given it a listen yet.

On Tuesday in bootcamp, after a warmup and some mobility work, the workout was as follows (and it’s meant to be done as quickly as possible):

10 goblet squats
10 kettle bell swings
10 split jumps
10 twisting mountain climbers
10 burpees
After you go through and do ten of each, you then go through and do nine of each, then eight of each… etc. etc. until you get all the way down to one of each

If you have access to a kettle bell- I highly recommend trying this workout out on your own. It will kick your butt. You’ve been warned.

I think seven treasures will do it for today- lucky number seven, am I right? With a busy working weekend ahead, I need all the luck I can get. And on that note- it’s back to the grind for this little girl.

Keep it wicked healthy xoxo

Wicked Healthy Washingtonian

the musings of a massachusetts girl working hard in the nation's capital.

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