Salad Monster

Good evening!!!!   Today has turned into a MUCH better day than yesterday…

I had a busy morning with work, so I got off to a late start with my run–> and it was HOT outside by the time I got out there!! The sun was right over head, so I had to cut my run pretty short!

Considering how much I had been running during my half-marathon training, I felt almost lazy for only running 2 miles… but then I realized I need to be easier on myself! I’m just starting to get back into my running “groove,” and I haven’t really run since the beginning of June! So it makes sense that 2 miles might be challenging for me again! And I felt SO good when I was done– I really think exercise is essential for keeping my anxiety in check.

And, since my cup of poisoned-juice wasn’t exactly cutting it this morning, I ended up enjoying the last of my honeydew melon as my post-workout breakfast:

I always eat my melon straight out of the container in the fridge… don’t judge me.   Now that my honeydew is all gone, I think some watermelon is in order! I can’t BELIEVE I haven’t enjoyed watermelon this season yet! Watermelon is my favorite!! (Cantaloupe, however, can just stay away from me– I can’t stand it!)

After my pudding smoothie the other day, I haven’t been craving smoothies for lunch lately… in fact, it seems like all I want to eat is salads!! I feel like a salad-eating-monster!!

So, of course, my lunch was a HUGE salad!

An entire bag of mixed greens, diced cucumbers, crunchy red peppers, cherry tomatoes, and a blanket of raw goat cheddar. I topped it with my homemade garlic-lemon vinaigrette, and it was HEAVEN! I was practically licking the bowl when I was finished!

After work, I caught-up on some much needed rest. We had a late night seeing Inception, so I only ended up getting about 3 1/2 hours of sleep last night! That’s not okay with me, so I took a 2-hour nap to compensate. I woke up feeling like a lazy bum, but it was worth it! And I more than made up for it by doing my No More Trouble Zones workout:

While it’s sometimes hard for me to get motivated to do a strength workout, I always feel great when I’m done! I think the first circuit is definitely the HARDEST on this DVD… then it’s kinda downhill from there! Although, having 7 circuits ahead of you can be a little overwhelming when you’re already shaking from the first! I also have to make a few modifications during this workout-- there are a lot of push-ups and plank variations! I have a pretty weak upper-body, so holding my body up like that gets exhausting– and I feel no shame doing “girly” push-ups!

I made a quick run to Trader Joe’s to get some new produce (not risking another bad-tasting  juice tomorrow morning!), then it was dinner time! Since I have a “no-using-the-oven” rule during this heat wave, the husband had a turkey sandwich for dinner:

And I had a bounty of veggies for my dinner!

A mixed green salad topped with cherry tomatoes, cucumber and the rest of my lemon vinaigrette, along with a side of my raw pesto and veggies for dipping! It was exactly what I was craving! Isn’t it funny how our cravings change with the seasons? When it’s cold outside, it’s like pulling-teeth trying to get me to eat a raw salad for dinner! And now, it’s ALL I WANT!!

And, of course, no night is complete in our house without dessert!

I whipped up a batch of chocolate-peanut butter banana soft-serve for the husband, and a dark-chocolate batch for myself! (I just added 2 T. of cocoa to my batch, instead of the usual 1 T.)

Now we’re going to catch-up on some Real Housewives of New Jersey (our guilty pleasure ) and Top Chef!

Hope you all have a great night!!

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