Friday, April 11, 2014

Friday Favorites

Favorite Read
Modern Pioneering by Georgia Pellegrini that I got from Lion + Maven

Favorite Workout
"Girls Night Out" with The Crew at Road Runner Sports 

Favorite Lunch
Eating on the patio at Big Star with fellow bloggers:
Lion + Maven // The Garden Apt. // 312 Beauty

Favorite Run
This morning along the lakeshore path, what a beautiful day!


What were your favorites this week?

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Quinoa Curry with Chickpeas and Sweet Potato

I came back from vacation in Florida last month and didn't have much fresh food in the kitchen but luckily my cupboard provided me with enough ingredients for this recipe. Also, Kristen at Fab Fit Chicago inspired me with her curry recipe! South Asians are all about their spices and curry generally contains spices, like turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and ginger, which have great health benefits. This dish can be eaten on its own for lunch or dinner but also makes a great side dish!



Ingredients (makes 2-3 servings)

4 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup quinoa
1 sweet potato
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 16oz can chickpeas
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. curry powder
1 cup spinach leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Sirarcha sauce to taste (optional)

Directions

Add vegetable broth (or water and vegetable bouillon) to large pan and bring to a boil. Peel and chop the sweet potato into small cubes. Add quinoa and potato to pan, reduce to a simmer once the water is boiling. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked and water mostly absorbed. Then, add the red pepper, chickpeas, peas, oil, and curry powder and sauté for a few minutes, add more water/broth if necessary. Add spinach leaves and cook until wilted. Add salt and pepper and hot sauce to taste. You can add more curry also to adjust taste. Ready to serve and great as leftovers too!


What is your favorite curry recipe?

What is your go-to meal when you get back from travel?

Monday, April 7, 2014

Week 6 of Indy 500 Mini Marathon Training

Here's week 6 training for the Indy 500 Mini Marathon on May 3. This plan is an intermediate program with the hopes of getting a PR and finally beating my 1:55 half marathon time. I made this plan with the help of The Crew and Kate of The Four Percent.




Monday - short run
4.75 miles at 8:40 pace, good recovery from the Shamrock Shuffle

Tuesday  - WOD at Cheetah Crossfit




Wednesday - Run Cross Training
I was supposed to do another 5 mile run today but I had a break down with the weather. I went outside all ready to run and decided that I just couldn't take the freezing weather anymore. So I went back inside and back to work and then later in the evening checked out BAC for the first time since it opened. I had signed up back in January and it was supposed to open in February but didn't until the end of March. I got a great sign up special with 2 months free so I'll get my money's worth before I make the big move. Anyway, I tried to run on the treadmill but that was boring (I hate the treadmill except at Shred415). And then I just hung around the machines for a while and did some floor movements. I've completely forgotten how to workout without a class! But BAC does have a lot of classes so I'll be checking out more of them over the coming weeks. 

Thursday - Cross Training + Sprint Workout
I had the chance to be one of the first people to check out the new Shred415 studio in Wicker Park! We just did a shortened half hour workout (usually an hour) but it was still a great workout. Since part of the class is sprinting on a treadmill, I count it as my "track" workout. 



Friday - Cross Training
Spin class at BAC - nice recovery before long run tomorrow!

Saturday - Long Run with The Crew
10.7 miles at 8:50 pace
My Nike+ app didn't work for the first quarter to half a mile so we ran 11. I had 12 on the schedule for this week but I skipped 11 last week because of the Shamrock Shuffle and this training plan is meant for the DC Half the week before mine that many of CRW people are doing. Not sure if I'll do 13 this week or leave it for after the Lakefront 10-miler. But anyway, the run felt great and only my feet/ankles were tired towards the end. The most annoying part is that the water fountains are still not turned on on the lake! Luckily there was a guy giving water by North Ave. beach but not enough stops for this long of a run. Later on Saturday, Ryan and I helped our friend move which involved a lot of stairs and thus my legs were shot by the end of the day. I also got over 7000 points on my fuel band, that's probably my most ever!


How do you plan your workouts at the gym?

What was your favorite/best workout last week?

Friday, April 4, 2014

Friday Favorites

Since last Friday I wrote about my upcoming big move, here are some favorites from the last two weeks!

Favorite Sport
Dodgeball playoffs were last week and we won the championship!!

Favorite Event
Finally got to cash in my bday present from Ryan, Amy Schumer live!

Favorite Dinner
Celebrating our PR Resolution Crew with NTC Chicago

Favorite Run
Shamrock Shuffle

Favorite Workout
Shred415 at the brand new Wicker Park location

What were your favorites this week?

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Week 5 of Indy 500 Mini Marathon Training

Here's week 5 training for the Indy 500 Mini Marathon on May 3. This plan is an intermediate program with the hopes of getting a PR and finally beating my 1:55 half marathon time. I made this plan with the help of The Crew and Kate of The Four Percent.




Indy Mini Training Week 5

Monday - long run
See post last week

Tuesday  - WOD at Cheetah Crossfit
A1) Front Squat: 3 x 3 reps at 80% of FS 1RM (85lb)
A2) Kipping Pull Ups: 3 x max reps -1, Rest 1 min

B ) 6 sets of the following – 100%:
1 min of work: 20 push ups + max wall ball in remaining time (10lb)
+ Rest 2 min

Wednesday - NTC Chicago
As part of the NTC PR crew we did an awesome NTC workout with Kate Hiipakka and then headed to Smoke Daddy's in Wicker Park to celebrate our 5-week program (which my program above is based on). It was a great time!

Thursday -  sprint workout
8 times 1 minute sprint, 1 minute rest

Friday - easy run
4-mile roundtrip to the Shamrock Shuffle expo

Saturday - rest

Sunday - Shamrock Shuffle!


What was your best/favorite workout this week?