Hello, weekend readers! I’m writing to you from a lazy morning Saturday. After a busy day running around yesterday and a week full of workouts and sleepless nights and stress, it’s been nice to just slowly wake up today. And now write to all of you from my couch.

Speaking of workouts, yesterday I went to bootcamp at the crack of dawn and did a workout our instructor dubbed “the three amigas.” There were nine people in the class so he broke us up into groups of three for the workout. I was working with two other lovely ladies that I see frequently at the gym and at bootcamp.

After a good warmup, we got the workout of the day (WOD to use cross-fit lingo) on. We did AMRAP (as many rounds/reps as possible) of:

• 3 broad jumps
• 10 sandbag throws (up and over your head- so you throw the sandbag up and over you/behind you)
• 10 ball tosses with our partner (we stood in a wide circle with our backs facing in and tossed the ball around in the circle for ten rotations)
• Run .3 miles on the treadmill at 3% incline OR row 700 meters on the row machine

While the ball tosses were an exercise we had to do together, the other three were more individual. BUT we had to move through the workout as a group so even if I finished running my miles on the treadmill, I had to wait for my other two group members to finish to move on to broad jumps.

Sometimes group workouts like this frustrate me (because you can’t control your own pace) but I think overall they’re a good way to practice teamwork and patience. It’s also cool to have that support system feel when you’re getting through a tough workout- it’s less lonely and more fun

As usual, I went grocery shopping yesterday. All part of my Friday routine! But this time, my grocery shopping list and meal plan for the week was upgraded. I took the initiative to ask my R.D. for her recommendations for what should be on my grocery shopping list- including things I would normally avoid.

A lot of what she recommended I already buy every week- avocados, bananas, sweet potatoes, greek yogurt, nut butter, hummus, ezekiel bread, and eggs. I did, however, pick up a new nut butter to try (the two I have in the apartment are getting kind of low):

Mmmmmmm! I saw this and knew I had to have it. Plus the ingredients looked pretty solid. Not everyone like coconut, but I really love it so I’m amped to have this in the “pantry.”

My R.D. of course included foods I usually don’t buy. So, NEW foods to my kitchen include:

She is really trying to get me to re-welcome carbs into my life. I never stopped eating them per se, but my brain sort of gave them a “bad” connotation when I was losing weight. Guys… I hadn’t walked down the cookie/cracker aisle of the grocery store in like a bajillion years. It was like a foreign country. Small steps but big steps for me. She also recommended I pick up some lentils to add to salad. Not sure how to cook them or what they taste good with- but I’m always up for something new. I’m most familiar with them in soup… and Sweetgreen’s January salad

She also recommended I pick up some more dried fruits- I chose some prunes (as I already have raisins and dried cranberries at home). I’ve been meaning to buy these anyway to help with some of my digestive problems. ALRIGHT I KNOW- I’m an old lady- IT’S FINE.

Besides helping me out with grocery shopping, another thing she has asked me to do in order to help with my need to calorie count, is eating foods or meals where I can’t figure out the calories. This is challenging because 1) I know the basic caloric details of A LOT of foods. So even if I don’t know the specifics, I can make an educated guess. 2) The internet. It’s so easy to look things up online- they have everything there. But you guys already knew that.

So part of what I’ve been doing is eating out more and branching out to local DC places I’ve always wanted to try. It’s a lot harder to know the calories in food when you’re not making it yourself. But I need to remind myself that you can still make healthy choices at food places without knowing the details of each and every single calorie. Calories are not everything. They’re the science behind losing and gaining weight. But they are not everything- not even close- when it comes to eating right and healthy.

A lot of the places I eat out at, I choose because I can look at their menu or calorie content online. There are a handful of places in the area I’ve avoided like the plague because not knowing the calories in their choices freaked me out (sad, I know. control problems).

I’m pushing myself now to just be happy and try these places I’ve always wanted to! I’m hoping it will make me stress less, be more confident walking into restaurants spontaneously and ordering something, and relinquish the control I feel like I need to have over… everything.

Yesterday I tried out Chix… and it was AMAZING.

They opened one right next to my gym but there is one even closer to my apartment so I hit that up. They’re a green restaurant that serves up healthy latin-inspired dishes. And if you couldn’t guess from the title, they specialize in chicken. It’s pretty cheap too! (See what I did there- chicken puns… cheep cheep!)

You can order everything from wraps, to bowls, to salads. They have yummy unique sauces and endless choices of healthy sides packed with all the micronutrients you could ever want.

I ended up getting their 1/4 of a chicken special in their “chix chicken” rub (a secret blend of sweet spices). It came with two sides so I chose green beans and a mix of brown rice and black beans. With this meal you also get a free sauce so I got their mild roasted red salsa.

I felt pretty hardcore ripping through this chicken (I had very messy fingers) and the meal was filling, satisfying, and SO GOOD. I told Will all about it and can’t wait to go back. Next time I’ll be more adventurous because they have a lot of different blends of flavors I normally don’t eat- hello, peruvian spices. Plus, you can always feel good about eating something you know is healthy.

Later that day, I also took a walk in the snow. Yes! It snowed again for reals in DC! I love snow. I know what you’re thinking- but it was freezing outside! Cold weather and snow can be so enjoyable when you’re dressed appropriately. Guys, I’m from Massachusetts I CAN HANDLE THIS. (Plus, when I talked to my Mom earlier in the day and she told me that it was 4 degrees the other day at home it made me want to man up and reclaim my New England roots. 20 degrees and snow ain’t got nothing on me!)

My new winter jacket is the gift that keeps on giving. Seriously. Lands End knows what is up. Underneath the jacket was a sweatshirt and on my head (underneath the hood of my jacket) was a thick wool hat. Pair this with leggings under pants and a quality pair of gloves- good to go. Oh and also these boots-No, they’re not wicked fashionable but I got them for Christmas from my Mom (my family is always trying to keep me warm and comfortable) and do my toes/feet get cold when I’m wearing them? NOPE. These are the warmest things I could ever hope to put on my feet. They make it possible for me to walk long distances outside in the cold in the city. And for that- I am so thankful.

Plus the trek in the snow was totally worth it because I went to Baked and Wired (a cool coffee shop and bakery in Georgetown) for the first time ever (craziness) and picked up cupcakes! I chose the “unporked elvis” which is a banana cake and peanut butter buttercream frosting. I got one for Will too because I’m nice like that. Sometimes.

We nommed our cupcakes while watching some season two of Portlandia on Netflix. The cupcake was like banana bread- which Will and I both LOVE- and the frosting was finger licking good.

Now I don’t want you to think I’m still not making a lot of my own meals because I totally am. These are just the highlights of my new eating out ventures. The other night I tried out a recipe for “cauliflower steaks” which was brought to my attention from my friend (and blogger!) Nabi. Well actually, I didn’t follow the recipe per se, but I tried the technique of cooking cauliflower “like steaks.”

All you have to do is slice the head of cauliflower like you see above, pan sear them in some olive oil for 2 minutes on each side, and then roast them in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. It’s just a fancy way to roast cauliflower, basically.

I served mine over a ground turkey, kale, bell pepper, red onion, portobello mushrom, garlic, and spices galore medley I stirred up on the stove.

Alongside were some handy sweet potato wedges as well.

I recommend trying out the steak method! Roasted cauliflower is always delicious but this is just another fun way to do something different with your food. I’m sure the original recipe with the relish and everything is the bomb dot comb. I just had to be efficient and use the leftover chopped veggies I had on hand in my fridge.

Alright, it’s time for me to get off the couch and get on to seizing the day! Today is actually going to be a big investment day for me. It’s officially time for a new computer and a new iPod. I hate spending money and technology overwhelms me so this isn’t easy for me- but my computer is actually dying. So sad. My iPod has seen better days and its the one piece of technology I can’t live without. Currently the headphone jack is really screwed up and all my music sounds wicked awful.

I’ll keep you updated on these BIG purchases of mine. I’ll hate paying for the stuff but once I have it, I know how much happier I’ll be to have fully functioning technology that makes my life simpler and more organized.

But first- it’s lunch time. And Will and I are FINALLY trying out the sandwich place, Taylor’s. It’s apparently wicked delicious. There is a part of me that’s anxious about going there for whatever reason- but I’m excited. I’ll be sure to give you the full review next time I chat it up with the world via my blog.

Happy weekends everyone!