Sahale Snacks and Strength Training

Happy Hump Day, everybody. I can’t believe tomorrow is Thursday already! This week is flying by for a change. The past few weeks have seemed to drag, so this is a much welcomed change. Today I have a review for you at the end of tonight’s post!

I started out my day with some early morning strength training. I did:

• 30 push ups
• 30 bicycle crunches
• a few planks
• 20 triceps overheads
• 20 chest flies
• 20 “donkey kicks”

I really needed to get in some strength training, so I skipped my usual elliptical session to pump some iron instead.

I refueled with a little breakfast bowl o’ cereal at work:

Mmm Kashi Good Friends and Peanut Butter Puffins! Always a good combo. However, it didn’t leave me full for long, so I later had some gigantic, unpictured grapes.

I had a meeting over lunch, at which they provided us pizza! Luckily, they had a big veggie pizza, so I had me some slices of that goodness.

Sahale Review!

I had my afternoon snack courtesy of Sahale Snacks today! Sahale uses all natural ingredients to come up with their yummy flavors. Debby sent me two different combinations to try.

First was Glazed Cashews with Pomegranate and Vanilla:

Shane actually got into this bag before I did, and he said, “oh man these things are awesome! They taste like ice cream!” At the time, I didn’t really understand what he meant. However, today when I tried them out, he hit it dead on! These things were awesome! And they did taste like ice cream! haha. The vanilla flavoring they used tastes exactly like vanilla bean ice cream.

Mmm this is the dessert. This type was also named “Best Snack Award” by Shape Magazine this summer. the whole mix contains roasted cashews with pomegranate and apple, along with pure vanilla bean. YUM!

Next up was Soledad Nut Blend:

I wasn’t too sure of the ingredients, but I figured I have concocted up crazier things! So I didn’t judge before trying. This mix packs in almonds, apples, flax seeds, dates, basalmic vinegar, and red pepper.

Isn’t it purrty? See the flax seeds??

I could definitely taste some cumin in this mix, too. It’s got a Mediterranean flava to it. Altogether the flavors worked, but it was a little too complex of a flavor for me. I was definitely fond of it, as it provided both sweet and savory, but I think I prefer the cashews. Obviously a lot of people like it, because it was named “Best Trail Mix” by Men’s Health this summer. And I definitely loved the incorporation of flax seeds 😉

I think Sahale Snack mixes would be a great alternative to bars when you’re feeling snacky! I could definitely see myself over-snacking on these bad boys though!

What’s your favorite “snack mix” or trail mix? Or do you make your own?

Lunchtime Venture to Target

Half way through the Hump Day!! How’s your week going? Mine is just whizzing by. I can’t believe tomorrow is Thursday already. Today was hectic. It seemed like my phone was ringing nonstop. Every time I went to start one task, I got a call for another! I hate that…

I knew it wasn’t going to get me down though, because this is the sky I lost myself in during my early morning walk with Niko:

Something about that sky just made me appreciate summer SOOO much. 😀

After my dawn-light walk, I blended up a Green Monster! I haven’t had one of these suckers all week, so it made me a happy camper:)

In today’s mix was Green SuperFood, a green apple, 1 kiwi, 1 carrot, spinach, almond milk, and some ground flax.

That baby kept me full for a good three hours. Once the three hours were up, I made some creamy oats, Carrots ‘N Cake style.

Oh so good! This meal filled me up to the brim. Even though I wasn’t hungry yet, I took my lunch a few hours later because I had to get out – the weather was perfect!

and somehow I Ventured over to Target (pun intended:-P.) Oh, and this is the title of my post because it was literally the highlight of my day so far – ha!

I’ve been wanting to try a running skort, so I got this cute little black one!

Sorry for the weird angle – Shane took the picture with my iPhone.

The skort’s! I’m taking a rest day today, so I didn’t fully break it in, but I did a little simulated run around my kitchen, and so far, so good. I also got some Arnold Sandwich Thins and some Diet Dr. Pepper (DDP) for the hubski (his crack.) I’d been to Target for longer than I’d planned (big surprise!), so I decided to just grab a lunch there and make it when I got back to work. I ended up trying a Kashi frozen meal – Chicken Florentine.

Wow, this was awesome! I’m a HUGE fan of pine nuts and spinach and the Florentine flavor altogether, so I knew I’d love this combination.

It was awesome, but let’s just say I’m glad I didn’t have any meetings afterward. Whew, was it garlicy! For my pre-run snack I had some fage with a TLC bar again (no picture, but it looked the same as yesterdays, I promise!)

I decided to change up my rest days this week. I’m taking my rest day tonight instead of tomorrow because, well, I just feel like it! haha. Plus, my tempo run was a little rough, and a day off would probably do me well.

However, now I have more time to devote to dinner tonight! I’m trying a new recipe: Creamy Quinoa Primavera. Sounds good, eh?? I’ll post the recipe tonight or tomorrow morning and let you know how it turned out.

What’s on your dinner plate tonight?

Hump Day!

Hi there! How was everyone’s Hump Day? I had a crazy-busy day. It seemed like I didn’t even get a chance to go to the bathroom! Yikes…

I did manage to find time to NOM though! 😛 I’m sure loving Peanut Butter Puffins! They’re a perfect mid-morning snack after my Green Monster gets done digesting.

The cardio I did yesterday must have amped up my appetite, because just a couple hours later, I was starved! Hubski and I ended up going across the street to Panera for lunch, where of course I got the Fuji Apple Chicken salad! I need to find out how to come up with a dupe dressing and start making this on my own. I love, love, love it, but $8 for a salad? That’s a weee bit stiff.

B-e-a-utiful!

Told ya I was hungry. Nom! (See Shane’s bread bowl in the background? He got the summer corn chowder – it was delicious, too!)
Even after inhaling this, I was still ready for more, so Shane and I split this:

I swear, the chocolate chipper cookie at Panera is to die for. I used to work at Panera back in college, and every night I closed, I always took home one (or two??) of these bad boys.

This monster meal held me off throughout my abundance of meetings all afternoon until I was ready for my pre-work out snack. I had a lemon Lara Bar, which is currently my favorite flavor. I haven’t tried many, but I sure do like this one!

Since I cooked dinner the past two nights, I needed a break tonight. Hubski and I debated getting Indian, then I debated getting sushi, but somehow we ended up cooking frozen pizzas LOL.

I had the roasted vegetable pizza by Kashi.

I gotta say, it was pretty darn tasty. The vegetables weren’t as abundant as the box picture portrayed, but I’d still get it again :-p Plus I sprinkled some red pepper on it – cause I like it spicy!!

Pizza porn:

Shane took this picture, and was so proud of himself. I told him he should be my photo guy! haha 😛 We’re such goofballs…

Oh, and since I’m still trying to kick this cold’s butt before it kicks mine, I had this:

Love that Emergen-C!

So, as planned, I headed directly to the gym after leaving work, where I proceeded to get a kick-butt strength training session in. I’ve created a new strength routing, which I’ll post about in tomorrow’s post. I feel I haven’t been getting in enough strength training lately. While body-pump is tons-o-fun, it just doesn’t give me the good-sore feeling that a really focused session gives.

Tonight I did:

• 10 minute warm up walk on the treadmill at an incline
• 35 minutes of shoulders, chest, and triceps (there’s a method to my madness, just you wait! :-P)
• 10 minute cool down walk on the treadmill at an incline

I felt it was a good workout, and I can’t believe how weak my shoulders are. I was shaking! Yikes..

Tomorrow it’s back to pounding out the mileage- four miles to be exact! I might squeeze just a tiny bit of strength in if possible.

Well the hubski’s calling me to come down stairs and get relaxin’! Perhaps I might live on the wild side and make me some banana ice cream tonight! 😮 If I do, I’m definitely making the raw chocolate syrup to go on top this time (equal parts maple syrup and cocoa powder.)

I hope everyone has a nice ending to their hump day!:-D

Love,

Paige