Favorite Healthy Foods + Giveaway

By on April 29, 2013 in giveaway

Let’s start off the week on a good note, shall we? Today I want to talk about some of your favorite healthy food. Not the fresh stuff, because lord knows fresh fruits and veggies never gets old, but the best foodie finds on the market.

Some of my favorites include chia seeds, flaxseed meal, and every kind of nut butter under the sun! What are your favorites?

I wish I had all day to roam supermarkets looking for the next great food find but that just isn’t reality. Who has time for that when you are so busy doing other things? Enter Bestowed: A monthly care-package subscription that sends you the latest and greatest healthy food and lifestyle products on the market with no effort required.

When they reached out and offered to send me one of their boxes to review it was a no brainer. A few days later look at what arrived on my doorstep!

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The first thing that caught my eye is the one sheeter of information the company includes in the box. I think this is great so that you can learn more about the products but also be wary in case of food allergies.

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So many goodies to try!

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I immediately broke into the granola upon taking that picture. I am a granola monster. It is very light, not at all greasy, and packs great flavor. I’m a big fan and will probably end up buying more on my own!

As for the rest of the goodies, well they varied in range from salty to sweet and everything in between.

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So, here is where you all come in. Bestowed has generously offered to send one US-reader his or her own box! For everyone else, you can save $5 off your first box by using the code: 5OFFBSTOWED01

To enter, all you have to do is tell me what your favorite non-traditional food item is!

For an extra chance to win, Tweet about this giveaway saying “@knack4nutrition is hosting a giveaway for a chance to win a @bestowed box! Enter here: http://www.knackfornutrition.com“

I will choose a winner on Friday, May 3rd! Good luck!


* I was sent the box for free but all opinions are my own.*

Comments { 33 }

Saturday Long Run + ZOOMA Meetup in Georgetown!

By on April 27, 2013 in long run, running

It is a positively beautiful day in the District. I awoke to the sound of birds chirping and sun beating through the window. My plus one and I had big plans for the morning so I am grateful for the nice weather. On the agenda, another PDR for him and speed work for me.

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(My plus one’s tree in front of his home. Isn’t it beautiful?)
We fueled up for our run and hit the Mt. Vernon trail a little after 9AM.
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It was definitely crowded (as it tends to be on nice days) but I think we caught a bit of a break since the Nike Women’s Half Marathon is tomorrow. We headed toward the District on the Virginia side and looped up and over the Key Bridge to make our way to Georgetown.
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It was there that we split up. As I have mentioned previously, I am serving as a race ambassador for the ZOOMA Annapolis Half Marathon on June 1st. So I stopped by to chat with the lovely founder, Brae, and chat with runners that were stopping by. I didn’t really know what to expect but it ended up being a great time and definitely got me excited for the race!
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I also randomly bumped into my BFF blogging buddy Amanda who found me hanging out in the Georgetown Lululemon storefront. ‘Twas a lovely reunion.
After hanging out for a while I snuck off to get a couple more miles in and rounded out the morning with 8 miles in around 1:22. Not too shabby! Then we grabbed a cab home, grabbed some food, and now have big plans to do a whole lot of nothing.
I hope you are having a great weekend!
Comments { 2 }

Easy Weeknight Dinner: Homemade Pizza!

By on April 25, 2013 in running, ZOOMA

One of my favorite things to do during the week is to sit down to a home cooked meal after a day spent eating out of tupperware and snacking. Although I don’t love putting in a ton of time and effort into my meals, taking 20-30 minutes to do something with my hands and dirty up the kitchen a bit leaves me feeling relaxed and rewarded. Many weeks I prep big batches of salads, soups, and roasted vegetables that carry me through the week, but last night I was in the mood for pizza.

Here’s how to go from dough to plate in 30 minutes (cooking time included!).

Upon walking in the door I pull the dough out of the fridge to let it come to room temperature and simultaneously let the oven heat to 400 degrees. Letting the dough set isn’t necessary but I have found that it makes the dough easier to work with.

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Stretch and roll your dough into the desired thickness. Since pizza dough is pretty calorie dense I make mine on the thinner side as that helps control portions and leaves you with leftovers (always thinking!).

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Chop any desired toppings. I recommend using a bunch of spinach as it wilts down to a minimal amount and packs a nutritional punch.

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Top with cheese for the traditional eaters, nutritional yeast for the eclectic, and spices for all. I’ve found that an italian blend, red pepper flakes, and a bit of S&P makes for a tasty combination.

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Bake on a cookie sheet drizzled with olive oil for 18-24 minutes at 400 degrees.

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And viola, a legitimate weeknight meal without a ton of effort!

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My all time favorite crust is the garlic and herb variety from Trader Joe’s (seen here) but any will work!

P.S. On a different note, this weekend ZOOMA is hosting a meetup at the Lululemon in Georgetown!

“For locals and out-of-towners alike, this is an opportunity to grab some swag, talk running, and hang out with fellow ZOOMA lovers. Check out giveaways from Muscle Milk Light, ZOOMA, Lululemon, and possibly more!”

More details here.

Question: What is your favorite weeknight meal?

Comments { 2 }

Family Time and Mediterranean Food

By on April 24, 2013 in Uncategorized

Yesterday was a busy but great day. Work was go, go, go so it passed by in a flash. I so cherish those days that I feel productive and part of something bigger than myself.

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Gatsby probably had 7 naps in the time I spent finishing up loose ends and trafficking ads. :) We FaceTime at night so he can tell me all about his day.

For whatever reason my commute was a breeze and I made it to my cousin’s house with no problems! What a blessing. Since she lives a bit further out in Virginia I anticipated a cluster on the highways.

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I arrived to a beautiful spread of every Mediterranean food under the sun. She went all out and it was much appreciated.

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(Pretty sure I could eat this every night)

We caught up for nearly three hours. Funny how you can go months without seeing someone even though they live so close by. I just hate that and am trying to get outside my OCD ways and do things after work so I can hang out with people.

Anyways, I actually got up this morning for a workout. I lured myself out of bed in the early AM hours with the promise of a very relaxing night at home. I did a mash-up of my favorite exercises as I didn’t have time to plan anything beforehand.

Tonight I just want to do nothing beyond cook a nice dinner and finally catching up on Game of Thrones. Have I told you lately how much I love my bed?

Question: What is your favorite type of cuisine?

Comments { 2 }

Just another day

By on April 23, 2013 in Uncategorized

I stayed up way too late Sunday night watching Game of Thrones. I am slowly chipping away at the seasons and I am almost caught up. I heard the most recent episode is a real doozy. That said, I obviously did not make my planned AM workout. Instead, I rolled out of bed, had an extra cup of coffee, and put my game face on (read: makeup) for a fresh week.

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Breakfast was a yogurt mess at my desk while shuffling through emails. Once I got in the zone the morning passed quickly! Despite bring my lunch to work I was lured into a team lunch at Lia’s.

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I am really trying to keep my eats clean this week in light of my extravagant weekend so I went with a fresh salad with avocado and shrimp, dressing on the side. I also had a piece of bread and a bit of oil because I was famished when we arrived and I am NOT good at being hungry! :)

I snacked my way through the afternoon (all within my calorie limit on MyFitness Pal!) and headed home to workout with my roommate. We did another one of Zuzana’s ZWOW workouts and holy butt muscles batman!!

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We are both going to be really sore today!

Also, despite really not wanting to do anything last night, I headed to the gym for a quick sprint before throwing in the towel. I managed 2 miles in under 20 minutes and was so excited!

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After a shower I promptly got into bed and didn’t move the rest of the night. I lead a very exciting life.

Happy Tuesday!

Question: Do you prefer solo or group workouts?

Comments { 2 }

A Weekend Away in Kansas

By on April 22, 2013 in Uncategorized

For some reason it feels like forever since I’ve sat down to blog. I’ve been going full team ahead lately with not much downtime. Not that I am complaining as I do so love to travel. But I am looking forward to a bit of downtime next weekend and hanging out in the city I call home. But first, let’s go backward. I spent the weekend in Kansas with my plus one.

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We flew in Friday for a weekend full of family, food, and belly laughs. Since we had a very early wake up call we were starving by the time we touched down. My guy had most of our meals planned out with the intention of showing my some of Kansas’ best eats. First up, Strouds, which did not disappoint.

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We joked about how we can only come here once a year because it is such a heavy meal. Certainly a treat!

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They are known for their cinnamon roll biscuits that they bring at the end of your meal. They are the most doughy, sugar-ladent treat you will ever taste and my mouth waters just thinking of them!

After such a heavy lunch we went back to the hotel to rest up for a bit. We had some technology time, as I was completely glued to the news as the hunt for the Boston Bomber was underway.

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We cleaned up for dinner and had a bit of time to spare before our reservation. So we went to a running store and I finally took the plunge and bought new shoes!

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Brooks Pure Connect 2.

Dinner was at a lovely restaurant from the 1920s called The Majestic. We enjoyed great wine, steaks, and live jazz music! We hit up a local casino afterward but stayed only a little while as the odds were not in our favor.

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Back at the hotel, dessert was consumed before calling it a day. What you are looking at is a shot of icing. Oh yes, why eat the whole cupcake when you can just eat the good part?!

The next morning was my favorite part of the trip. My guy planned out a running route along Kansas City’s Plaza area and we took off for a fun 4 mile run.

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It was a beautiful hilly run. I refueled with a Sonic Diet Cherry Limeade. :) When in the South/MidWest…

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The rest of Saturday was spent hanging with my guys family before heading back to the hotel to get ready for his friend’s wedding (the real reason for our little getaway).

The ceremony was beautiful and we met some very nice people at the reception. Oh and I took a bathroom selfie of my new dress from Marshall’s because I love it!  

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Our weekend was over in a flash. By the time we got home from the wedding it was time to hit the hay and our flight took off quite early yesterday morning.

So I am back in town with a fresh fruit bowl and the best of intentions for making it a healthy week!

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It was definitely an indulgent weekend and I am feeling the after effects. I don’t have any regrets about my food choices as it was certainly a culinary treat but I need to reign it in now that I am home.

Question: What was the best thing you ate this weekend?

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Comments { 5 }