foodie

get fit! // fitness update

September 10, 2013 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Weight Watchers //

Holiday weekends are rough. So are random outings (wine & canvas, Indians game, etc). In the middle of the fun & craziness of the last couple of weeks, I forgot to weigh myself last Tuesday. So I — very hesitantly — weighed myself this morning.

I was scared. But I lost a half a pound! And I’ll take it! I’m still reminding myself that this will be a slow process. Especially if I want to do this the healthy and sustainable way.

Workouts //

In an effort to not get burned out by the same ol’, same ol’! So I committed to Tuesday morning spinning classes at the YMCA. After my first (not my first ever — just my first there) spin class, I felt comfortable with my surroundings, but still challenged with the fitness level. Hooray!!

As an early riser, I’ve gotten used to working out with mostly people who are at least 30 years older than me. So to find that I was in a spin class with 5 other people — all age 60+ — made my heart burst with happiness! 🙂

And after the spin class they even convinced me to sign up for a Monday morning weight lifting/toning class!

Unfortunately, I’m still learning the ropes with my new phone. Aaaaand I’ve slept through my alarm (or it hasn’t gone off — I can’t figure it out!) both yesterday and today. Oy!

Food //

Food. Ohhhh food! I’m such a foodie. I freaking LOVE food. Well, I love good food. Like vegan & gluten free cupcakes. Which, turns out, are still cupcakes. And Hodges crab filled hush puppies. And sushi burritos. And chicken souvlaki salads.

Looking forward //

I may have missed my weekly kickoff workout of spinning this morning, but I’m ready for the rest of this week.

Wednesday I’m going to get in a long run; Thursday I’m going to fit in a short run; and Friday morning I’m going to get a power vinyasa yoga class in. Saturday is the Pretty Muddy Columbus Women’s 5k — PS — there is still time to register! And then Sunday I’m running a 5-miler in Westpark! For those who are unfamiliar with Ohio, that’s a LOT of travelling for one weekend! 🙂 But I can handle it.

I know that when I do this much travelling, my diet may not be as it should be; so for the beginning part of the week, I’m going to really watch what I eat. That way I can be a little bit more lax during my crazy fun weekend. 🙂

we’ve been busy!

September 5, 2013 by Rachel 3 Comments

Well I didn’t mean to be so quiet around here, but we’ve been keeping ourselves extra busy for the last week!

Friday night my friend Carli & I went to the #BelieveInCLE event at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland. The event was hosted by the Rock Hall, Inner Bliss Yoga (located in Westlake and Rocky River), and Lululemon Athletica.

It was a night of “Yoga, music & connection;” complete with a DJ playing music live during a challenging 90-minute yoga class. The connection part?? That came from the pre-yoga talk on mindfulness and the deep breathing of the 1100 people who came out to practice together! It was an amazing night. So incredibly powerful and moving! I’m so happy to have been part of the night.

Post-Rock Hall-Yoga-fun, Carli & I grabbed some food from Hodges (obvi!). I was BEAT the next day! Literally my only goal for Saturday was to not leave the house — mission accomplished!! 🙂

Because it was pretty much the only day that we didn’t have anything going on.

Sunday my parents were up from Kentucky (just for the day — sigh — I wish that they were up here for good! I swear I’m still in denial about the fact that they aren’t living here in Ohio anymore) and we hit up the Fairlawn Food Truck Round Up! I seriously had this on my calendar for over a month. The thought of eating another sushi burrito (from a freakin’ mobile sushi truck!!) was mouth-watering. There were a gazillion (technical term) people there. The lines were crazy, but to be expected for a food truck roundup, amIright???

My sushi burrito was followed by some teeny tiny cinnamon sugared donuts from Donut Lab! Yum!

Monday morning I raced in a 5k in Hudson — the first annual Race to the Taste! There were wayyyyy more people than I expected for their first annual race. And I had set a goal for myself to finish in 28 minutes — but I ended up finishing in just over 27 minutes! Still not a PR, but my best since Ari was born!

Later in the day we went to a family cookout. My parents may have already been gone, but the rest of our family welcomed us with open arms! They are freakin’ obsessed with our kid — and I totally love it! Cause I’m totally obsessed with him too. 🙂

I thought going back to work Tuesday after a long weekend would restore some balance, but that’s not the case. A crazy work day was followed by an awesome family (and coworker) night at the Cleveland Indians game against the Baltimore Orioles! We ~~rarely~~ never say no to free tickets! Especially tickets in an awesome suite filled with free food [where Ari ate more than his share of pickles, tomatoes and melon!].

The long night made Wednesday even longer. But I had previously scheduled myself to attend another Wine + Canvas event — and I wasn’t going to miss it!

It is seriously SO therapeutic to get creative and paint. It gets me out of my head, just for a little while. And in the end?? I have this awesome creation to display! 🙂

So yeah… we’ve been busy. It’s totally worth the craziness… but I cannot wait to spend the entire weekend on the couch in pajamas! 🙂

weekend wrap-up!

August 26, 2013 by Rachel 3 Comments

Weekends like this past one are complete bliss for me.

Unfortunately, Chad was out of town for most of it — he had to go to Columbus to work some overtime Friday morning through very early Sunday morning. So I hunkered down with Ari for a “mommy and me” weekend.

Friday night I took Babycakes on some errands. I had to exchange our pillows at Sleep Number, then we hit up Earth Fare for some Vegan yummies, followed by Babycakes & I splitting a FroYo from Menchies!

I had our sitter set up to come over pretty early Saturday morning because I had signed up for Yoga Rocks The Park Cleveland like a month ago. So I said goodbye to Ari, grabbed some green juice, picked up my friend Carli and headed to Tremont.

Truth: Tremont is one of my favorite places in the whole universe. Well, at least in Ohio. The other? Ohio City. Oh how part of me would love to live right in the heart of Tremont or Ohio City! Perhaps just Highland Square here in Akron someday?? Perhaps.

We arrived at the park a bit early. So we grabbed a pre-yoga coffee at Civilization. And then headed to registration where the YRP CLE staff was happy and helpful!

After checking in, we set our mats out in the sun and settled into our pre-yoga thoughts. Before the practice started, we met up with Alicia from Poise in Parma and Andy from YRP Cleveland.

Our practice was led by two fantastic teachers from Inner Bliss (located in Rocky River & Westlake). The practice was challenging and intuitive, just like I’d hoped. The practice ended with a live performance by Jeff Tucker.

Vita Coco and Good Greens (a local CLE company that we actually frequently purchase from), sponsors of YRP Cleveland, gave us yummy post-yoga treats (which I saved for later, of course!).

Cause, of course, Carli, Alicia & I had a lunch date at La Bodega. We were also joined by Alicia’s fellow yoga teacher Kevin. We ate, we chatted, and I babbled. Why oh why do I find myself babbling on like an idiot sometimes? LOL! Sorry Alicia!! Ha!

Lunch was delish! I had a ham, pineapple, brie, and honey mustard sandwich on sourdough. Oh. My. Goodness! Alicia wasn’t kidding when she said this little hole-in-the-wall place was completely worth it!

Since we were in Tremont, I asked the girls if they would help me hit up some of my favorite spots before I headed home.

Like Lily Handmade Chocolates. Ever since the Ohio Blogging Association February meet-up with Sweet Designs, I’ve been obsessed with chocolate. I used to hate it. I know, crazy, right??

Once I saw the Sweet & Sour Chicken truffle, I couldn’t say no. I know, I know… it’s weird, right? But that’s what made me want to try it even more. Odd – Chad can rarely convince me to try new food — but I’m always more than willing to try odd/fun desserts.

Alicia suggested that we swing by Wine & Design, which happens to be right next to Lily! I grabbed a bottle of Malbec and then — jackpot! — found out that Saturday is Tremonts’ day for Fresh Fork CSA pickup. Although we chose not to be members this year, I pleaded my case to the nice guys running the pickup to let me ‘shop’ for a weekly bag and some extras. Thank goodness they agreed. Cause I miss the crap out of that amazingly tasty local food.

Thank you, to those guys working that pickup location! I promise we’ll be CSA members again soon! 😉

After all of these Tremont shenanigans, I headed back home to my very sleepy Babycakes. After a quick nap, Ari & I went to a mommy & me dinner at a local restaurant. We were even home in time for his early bedtime ritual — bath time and all. Ya know, I know that you may think a lot of motherhood is so boring & routine (which I’ll admit it — it is) but bath time and our bedtime ritual is by far my most favorite part of the day.

After all of this fun, Sunday I was completely wiped out. We spent the day exhausted and pretty much laying around. Well, besides a trip to Target where I snapped this adorable picture:

Aaaand spent! That’s exactly how I feel after this fun and exhausting weekend. And I’m totally looking forward to the next one. 🙂

get fit! // fitness update

August 14, 2013 by Rachel 1 Comment

Weight Watchers //

Well I did my weekly weigh in yesterday morning. And I didn’t gain, but I didn’t lose either. I stayed at exactly the same weight as last week. Which, I’m not surprised. And I’m not necessarily disappointed.

This past week was full of randomness. Like wine from that Wine & Canvas event I went to; and ice cream from Mitchell’s; and a sushi burrito (no, I didn’t eat all of that); and we went to The Cleveland Flea again, so obviously there was snacking involved (thanks in large part to Mason’s Creamery). Oh, and lets not forget Chad’s high school reunion. So yeah. Lots of food randomness.

I also didn’t leave myself a lot of time to fit in my workouts. In fact, between battling some serious allergies and attending calling hours, I was wiped out! I managed to fit in 10 miles and a yoga class. But that was only three workouts, and definitely a struggle.

Workouts //

I’m starting this week out strong in the workout department! Not only have I already fit in a yoga class at Yoga Bliss (hooray, for having random days off in the middle of the week to free up some workout time!); but I’ve also scheduled all of my workouts well in advance for this week.

I hope I’m not jinxing myself by saying this, but my legs/knees/hips aren’t really bothering me. This is HUGE for me because I’ve always, always, always had lower body issues. Like, since I was a kid. In a major way. So I’m kind of excited that I feel good.

Challenging myself //

I ran for 60 minutes. The longest I had run prior to that was 54. That extra six minutes may seem insignificant, but I promise you it wasn’t. I gave it my all, and I made it. And I feel like I’m slowly becoming the runner I have been dreaming of!
In the last 18 months (aka – since I got pregnant), I’ve been so hesitant to push myself in my yoga practice. I’ve kind of been just making my way back to my strong practice and focusing on the basics. But I’ve been focusing on the basics too much.
So I let myself be challenged in the last two yoga classes I took. Y’all, I attempted handstand. Like, legit gave-it-my-all, tried handstand. During TWO classes. And I felt good about it. I didn’t make it into a yoga handstand, but I tried. And that’s what matters.

So don’t mind me, Ill just be over here plugging along on my fitness journey! 🙂

the cleveland flea // exploring locally

July 27, 2013 by Rachel 2 Comments

I had been hearing about the Cleveland Flea from everyone and their brother for the last couple of months. So I marked my calendar for this past July 13th — in pen! I was NOT going to miss it.

The July 13th Cleveland Flea was held at Sterle’s Country House — a Slovenian restaurant located in the St. Clair neighborhood of Cleveland. One of the coolest things about the Flea is that the location changes every month; it’s always at a different historic location in Cleveland.

It’s not at all what you think of when you hear “flea market.” The Cleveland Flea hosts local vendors of all kinds — vintage and re-purposed items; food trucks; artisanal food vendors; and local crafters and shops.

I was beyond excited to see local vendor, Hello Fizz. Especially since I had recently ordered their Ohio Pub Glasses on Etsy. When I mentioned that to the vendor, she said she remembered shipping my order and asked if the glasses arrived safely & in tact! I assured her they did and that I couldn’t wait to purchase more items from them in the future!

I didn’t have a chance to try the ice pops from Popsmith, but they’re definitely on my must-try list! And even though I was completely full from lunch at Wholly Frijoles, I did manage to try a sample of the Chicken & Waffles ice cream from Mason’s Creamery. I love love LOVE creative and savory ice cream flavors. It was so delicious!

Some other favorites were Rising Star Coffee, where I ordered some super refreshing iced coffee; Ape Made screen printed products, where I purchased adorable Ohio coasters; and mystache, where literally the only thing they sell is mustache pillows. Of course, I had to purchase one. For Ari. 😛

I love exploring Northeast Ohio and I really feel like this is event is not to be missed! The next Cleveland Flea is August 10th. I’ve marked it on my calendar. Hope to see you there, too!

*Note: Most images (aside from the Hello Fizz, Mystache pillow, and Masons Creamery menu) were borrowed from the Cleveland Flea website.

weekend wrap up // weekly mantra.

June 10, 2013 by Rachel 1 Comment

This weekend was everything a gal could ask for.

Late Thursday night my parents came info town from Kentucky. Even though we love, love, LOVE our sitter, Ari skipped for the first time and spent the day with Mimi + Papi!

But Mimi was too excited to make him nap [cough-cough–that’s right Mimi–I know you’re reading this!], so my babe was a cranky mess Friday night.

Saturday Ari slept in! Oh hooray! Once he finally woke up [at 8!!!!!] Ari, Mimi & I went for a 30-minute run followed by an hour long walk.

Then we hit up the Haymaker Farmers’ Market in Kent. Fresh produce, local meats & cheeses & food vendors are what our foodie dreams are made of!

It was Ari’s second visit to the market but his first experience tasting all the food. And that wasn’t our choice! My parents got a local beef burrito & a bean + veggie burrito from one of the vendors. Ari saw it & immediately opened his mouth & started kicking his legs with excitement.

This is where the baby led weaning is really fun. The kid gnawed on the burrito like a champ! Follow it up with three — that’s right; 3!! — samples of sheep feta (he tasted 1 & freaked out until I gave him some more). The kid is going to have the most sophisticated pallet of any baby!

We finally got him to lay down for a nap after the market for a short time. And once he woke up, we headed out on another adventure. This time to a festival in Highland Square, a local neighborhood here in Akron. The community was hosting a food and music festival called Porch Rokr — where families and homes in a ten-block neighborhood host dozens of bands to perform on their front porches! How cool is that!? We walked for a couple of hours and stopped to listen to bands for as long as Ari would let us stop moving. And then we moved on.

After our legs were sore and our baby was getting sleepy, we grabbed some dinner from The Lockview. When my grilled cheese arrived, Ari started to get excited again and jump up and down. I had no choice but to let him ‘take a bite.’ I say that loosely because it was really just sucking on the sandwich. But he loved it.

My parents had to leave Saturday night, so we tucked one sleepy baby boy into bed.

After getting some rest, I woke up and went to an early yoga class at Yoga Bliss Sunday morning. I stretched my way to a completely full heart. After yoga, Ari & I met up with Gretchen and her baby for some coffee at Nervous Dog. And after sipping our lattes and playing with our babies [and chatting up a storm], Ari and I went for another walk. This time to the Riverfront Irish Festival. I was sure all of the walking would make him nap. But it didn’t.

Our weekend was busy but incredible. Filled with everything I needed: family, food, friends, and fun.

And that’s why my mantra for the week is:

To me, showing up means making the most of every day. And this weekend, I’m confident that I accomplished this. And I want to remember to do this every day. <3