House Warming and House Shows

Ok....I apologize for those of you who read this...I have been slacking...but I promise to keep all the happenings in this past week short without skipping my meal pictures and recipes. :)

So we had our housewarming party finally!  Which was so great for me so I could meet a bunch of people, which I did and I ended up having some really wonderful discussions about God and life with many different Tennessee folk!

On Saturday my roomies and I were frantically trying to get the house together and cook for this party.  We did share this party with our neighbors as well since they moved in when we did and we are good friends with them. 

So here is was I made..all gluten-free of course for those of you that need it, or not..it's delicious either way. :)

Summer Salad.....mmmmmmmm

A recipe from my cousin Brooke (http://www.exerciseforfries.com/p/my-favs.html) it was a big hit!!

Recipe:
Ingredients
1 onion
1 package on grape tomatoes
1 bundle of asparagus
1 can of artichoke hearts
1 avacado (I love avacado so I put two in)
Top it off with some crumbled feta cheese..I'm not much of a feta person so I only use 1/2 cup
and some salt and pepper for taste

Dice them all up and mix it together and there you go!!

I also made these

Marshmellows dipped in melted dark chocolate...sprinkled with nuts and rainbow sprinkles...I hear graham crackers are good as well...The kids enjoyed them and so did us big kids :)

Our spread

The next morning after we stayed up till 2 AM we did end up sleeping in a bit. Then one of my roomies Christy and I went to Rock Island for a little day trip with a couple of her friends. 
The drive there was so fun seeing the country side of Tennesse and all it's southern glory, it was about 1 1/2 hour from Nashville and let me tell you it was a sight!

Amazing Huh?!?!

We  They went cliff jumping ( too high for me! ) after that we rock climbed our way up the falls...it was gorgeous and I will be going back to hike and swim some more.  Maybe even a little camping trip...who wants to come?!?!


Ok...now onto normal routines at the start of the week...started with a 2mile run and some Jillian Michael 6 week six pack.

and this for breakfast..

Oatmeal is the breakfast of champians...I did add a spoonful of Nutella and some Strawberries...it's keeps me full for hours...can't forget my cup of steamy green tea as well...I try to switch off coffee and tea everyday.

Again Nutella freak right here!  It has less calories then peanut butter usually so I feel ok about it :)

Then for snack 2 hours later I had 1/4 cup of almonds...again a good power snack.

Last night we went to a house show and I saw some of my friends show off some amazing talent, one being my roommate Staphanie...The presence of God was there and these songs were so enlightening.  I'll be going to more for sure. 

Today's video will be dedicated to the release of the new Hillsong Live CD "God is Able" amazing!

Blessings, Darlings :)

Time to start the routine

I'm all about a good routine.  Now that seems wierd because as a teacher I'm supposed to be flexible, which I am when it comes to teaching but for myself I like to have a simple routine to follow to keep me on track (ADD girl right here).  So while I always do my typical morning workout, except Mondays (my exercise day off), I'm really making an effort to follow a workout regimine instead of it being a free for all.  So here is my routine starting 6 AM (until I start working):

Tuesdays: Long Run (4-8 miles) and Jillian Michaels 30 day shred 20 min.
Wednesdays: Zumba or soccer workout (sprints up and down the field and plyo metrics) and Jillian Michaels 6 week 6 pack
Thursdays: Repeat Tuesdays
Fridays: Repeat Wednesdays
Saturday and Sunday: 7AM start of my choice :)

This is all before I join a gym in the fall so my workout schedule will be changing.

I truly beleive if you want results you need to push yourself.  It's 70% diet too, if you workout but your diet is lacking then you won't see results.  A routine really helps if you feel lack of motivation.  Working out in the morning also gives me time to eat a good breakfast and spend some quiet time reading my bible and praying.

When I say diet I don't mean go on a special diet, just eating well and portion control is all that matters really. 

Anyways.... Morning #1 start of the routine.  I went for my long run and then came home and made breakfast which was this.

Two slices of Udi's gluten-free bread with a layer of Nutella (you will find my love for nutella to be over-bearing) and two eggs.  I also had a small glass of cranberry juice and a cup of coffee.  It was a great post run meal!  Usually for a pre-run snack I have half a banana and a little peanut butter.
I believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day so I really take time to make sure it's a good one.  It's also my largest meal of the day.  I usually eat 3 meals and 2 snacks...and maybe a little dessert.  I try and eat dinner as early as I can as well.

I have been trying to finish this really long application for a charter school I want to work at for low-income students.  The application is really long and has consisted of like 6 short essays and a lesson plan (It's a great job, it's worth it) So I went to this great cafe here called Fido, it's a really popular spot for 20 somethings here is Nashville.  It's very trendy according to everyone ;).  I planned to work on my lesson plan there and while I was there for lunch I had this creation.

A bowl of chilled watermelon and peach soup and a fat-free honey latte.  It was pretty tastey but had some things in it that wer not pleasing to my mouth.



Last night I was able to try out a women's bible study at the church I tried Sunday.  It was nice to be around women talking about God but it did make me miss my church family back home.  I'll be trying another church Sunday call Cornerstone.  Praying God roots me somewhere soon! :)  I'll post more tonight about today adventures.

To leave you off with this aweosme song from Coldplay's new EP...in love

It's Harry Time!

I just got back from a week in Atlanta on Saturday to visit my cousins.  It was a really fun city, I would like to spend more time there.  Besides the angry drivers in the city the 4 hour drive to Atlants from Nashville is gorgeous!  I wanted to pull over numerous times just to take it all.  When I got to my cousin and her husbands house we got ready for a lovely dinner at a restaurant there called "The Treehouse".  I reccommend it, but you should sit outside, the air conditioning didn't really work inside.  Here is my delicious meal I ordered..

Stuffed grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, and squash and zucchinni.

It was all gluten-free.  For those of you who don't know I have celiac disease which is the worst possible condition you can have for gluten- intolerance.  I'm really strict on it now that I found out it was an auto-immune disease.  I basically only eat whole natural foods and nothing processed just in case there is hidden ingrediants.  I'm just starting to try new recipes to find things I like.  I'll be adding some recipes later.  For the most part I eat fruits, veggies, meat, and dairy.  I miss my baked goods so I'll be trying out different GF flours to makes some!

Anyways....back to Atlanta...We went to the aquarium there which was amazing!! It's $700 to swim with the sharks (sign me up!) For those of you who don't know I'm obsessed with marine life, particularly whales!  I LOVE WHALES!! I would go whale watching for the rest of my life if I could.  Here are the baby baluga's I stared at ;)

1,2,3.... awwwwwwww!!!  I adore them.  That night we went out to a taco place called Verde..best fresh tacos I ever had, I got the vegetarian and the grilled chicken...yummmm!

Then we watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1 to recap before part 2 on Friday.

I have been looking forward to the end of Harry Potter for a year now.  I'm def. a Harry nerd!!  Before we went to the IMAX to watch Brooke (my cousin) and I took a body pump class, and even as an aerobics instructor myself that was the hardest class I have ever taken.  I'm still sore after 3 days.  Then it was time for the much anticipated movie!

Check out those glasses, we were ready!!

It was a beautiful movie, so emotional, so exciting, and so true to the book, a must watch.  I couldnt get my mind off it, I'll be seeing it again (Harry Nerd)!

The last night I was there we made some fondue and played scrabble.  I so enjoyed my time with them and will be visiting often. 

When I got home Saturday the rommies and I went to a friends boyfriends party for graduating med. school.  I met a lot of really cool people. 
That's how I would describe the people in Nashville "cool" and "trendy".

Sunday I tried out another church call "Music City Assembly"  It's a really great church, awesome teaching, acoustic worship and the perfect size for me, but I still didn't feel it was the right one.  I still have about 15 on my list so on to the next one.  I'm looking for a great community (which Nashville has a lot of those), a dynamic youth group, and missions work. 

I'm missing my church and family cak home but I know the Lord will root where I need to be

This was too long of a post I promise I'll keep up it so I wont have to post this much again :)

To leave you off with this lovely song..

Blessings Darlings!

And it's only the begginning...

NASHVILLE!!

Well after 3 years of wanting to move to this excting city I finally did it!  It has been worth the 1600 miles of driving, despite missing my family and friends.
To my surprise the first night my Dad and I arrived (my road trip moving buddy) we got to stay in the Opryland Hotel (if you ever visit you must visit that place), which was just grand as you can tell.

                    Opryland hotel....largest non-gaming hotel in the world...it was pretty fabulous

The next day I moved into this

                     Which is alright with me because it's super cute and now our lawn has been mowed!

Then I looked out back and to my surprise there was a huge beautiful backyard and this...

                                      My quiet time place...it's worth getting eaten alive bug bites..

Now I'm decorating my room (pictures to come, not finished) and going furniture shopping..

Have I mentioned I have 3 lovely roommates, well I do!!  All so talented women of God, I consider myslef blessed.  More to come on them :)

I'm now pumped for those teaching interviews, I can't wait to get back into the classroom, I miss being around those sweet ones.  For now I'm enjoying my summer off, one of the many perks of being a teacher.  I shall learn to relax for once.

This week I found the most perfect place to run in downtown Nashville

                                                            Yep pretty much obsessed

I feel like a champion running here because of the major elevation change...thank you Jesus!

Oh and did I mention I'm really going to start following my gluten-free diet now?  Finding out my celiac deisease is also an auto-immune disease slightly freaked me out into eating mostly all naturl and whole foods and to read all labels....goodbye processed food...I'll let you know how this goes...recipes to come.

BIG NEWS!!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows part 2 comes out tomorrow and my IMAX tickets are ready to go!  I'll leave you with this..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK2WCPYMERg

It produces some tears...grab a tissue or two

Blessings!!!