To the movies

Hey Bloggies,

Didn't make it back into the city until 9:30 pm so I skipped a workout, ate some cereal instead and went to bed. I did accomplish my other goals for the day...can't win em all.

On to a more interesting update. You may recall that during my volunteer time in Lima, Peru I found out that the children attending the boys home/school in which I worked, had never been to a movie theatre. Not so surprising given their economic state, but a 10 year boy should be able to experience the simple joys of action on a big screen. My volunteer coordinator made it her mission to get the boys to a showing. Last week I found out that she was able to secure a bus, the missing piece in her mission, and they went!

The smiles say it all!!

-Nicole

On the road again

Hey bloggies-

Left New York once again this weekend to pop over to Philly...haven't been in NYC for a weekend since the the weekend of June 17th!

Before catching my train to Philadelphia I met up with a friend at the Shake Shack for a drink. I opted for a glass of rose.

How cute are these glasses? Spot for your finger too! Almost wish I had saved mine (it was plastic).

Once in Philly I met Matt who is working at University of Pennsylvania for the month of July. We caught a late night showing of Happy Potter, which was fantastic!!

I slept in until 9:45 Saturday morning, which felt amazing, and then met back up with Matt for brunch at The Continental. When asked if we wanted to try the basket seats I pretty much jumped for the chance. I love unique decors and why not swing in between bites of food?

To start off they gave us pink lemonade water ice to sample:

I went with savory, Crab and Leek omelette with a coffee:

Matt went with sweet, the tiramisu waffles...I think that face says it all:

and a spicy bloody mary made with bacon infused vodka:

After brunch we walked around a bit, stopped by the Franklin Institute and down to Penn's Landing.

Before biding Matt farewell we stopped by Eulogy Belgian Tavern for an afternoon beer. I had to show off their extensive selection of brews.

I went with the Delirium that was on tap:

and had a few of Matt's mussels. The beer was delicious, the mussels were okay, the beer sauce was a bit too rich for me...I guess I prefer wine sauces?

I spent the rest of Saturday with my mom and sister, playing tennis, running and walking through the park.

Today is still somewhat up in the air, think I'll work on a photo book at the moment and have a workout planned tonight once I get back to NYC, but as for the rest of the day...well only time will tell :)

Catch ya later,

Nicole

Sweat It Out

Hey Bloggies,

Last night's lab BBQ started out innocent enough, a glass of wine, a cookie stuffed cookie:

Some un-pictured pita bread, dip, chips, and grilled vegetables thanks to my boss' wife, who pretty much handled all of the cooking for the night:

Then came the peanut butter pie and more wine, and then when I finally made it home last night, I thought it would be a good idea to have some thermaflu in order to quickly nip a cold I feel coming on...I have big weekend plans and no time for a cold.

Despite the combination of alcohol, sweets, and cold medicine, I somehow managed to wake up at a decent hour, full of energy and ready for a little sweat before heading into lab (crazy right?). I end up doing the Marine Corps Body Rock routine:

Round 1, my scores:

Sandbag Squat (right shoulder) – 11 reps, 11 reps

Plank Jump Push Up – 5 reps, 6 reps

Sandbag Squat (left shoulder) – 9 reps, 10 reps

Plank Jump Push Up – 6 reps, 6 reps

Time Challenge: 3 minutes 57 seconds

Sandbag Mini Squats (right shoulder) – 22 reps, 26 reps

Super Girl Push Ups – 6 reps, 5 reps

Sandbag Mini Squats (left shoulder) – 26 reps, 25 reps

Super Girl Push Ups – 6 reps, 5 reps

Round 2:

Sandbag Squat (right shoulder) – 11 reps, 11 reps

Plank Jump Push Up – 7 reps, 7 reps

Sandbag Squat (left shoulder) – 11 reps, 11 reps

Plank Jump Push Up – 6 reps, 6 reps

Time Challenge: 3 minutes 59 seconds

Sandbag Mini Squats (right shoulder) – 25 reps, 27 reps

Super Girl Push Ups – 6 reps, 6 reps

Sandbag Mini Squats (left shoulder) – 26 reps, 24 reps

Super Girl Push Ups – 6 reps, 6 reps

These routines are really amazing. I've posted about them a few times now but have only really started to dedicate to them during the last month or so and already feel so much stronger. The thought of burpees in the past was just absolute dread but now I can do 30+ no problem.

At first I was resistant to the site. I didn't understand why the instructor, Zuzana, wore such little clothing, and her grunts during the workout seemed like something out of a porn movie. Now I love to see how her muscles work during each exercise and I also find myself grunting during particularly challenging exercises. Further I find the site incredibly motivating and inspirational and I'm excited to check back regularly for new routines.

Later,

Nicole

A New Challenge

I'm all about a healthy challenge to help me meet my goals. And what better time then Wednesday (the sluggish mid part/hump of the week) to start a new challenge?

From July 13-August 13 my goal is to try 2 new things a week. One food related, so to either cook or try a new food/dish, and the second will be a physical activity. I'm extremely excited about both of these goals and have a few items in the fridge to help out with goal #1.

What's your motivation to meet physical, health, or life goals?

Happy hump day!

Nicole

Revisiting Summer List

Hey all!

Despite a good start to the day I ended up getting into a bit of an afternoon funk, but nothing an afternoon stroll couldn't fix.

And a couple of hours of work at my CSA.

On to tonight's dinner...

Today's CSA included both basil and cilantro so I decided to throw together a quick thai inspired meal.

A small can of light coconut milk, 1/2 tsp of red curry paste simmered for 10 minutes, and then added salt (for a more authentic flavor use fish sauce).

I then added my remaining grilled vegetables,1/2 cup of peas, and a handful of precooked shrimp. At the last minute I threw in some chopped cilantro and basil.

Served on top of lo mein noodles and dinner was served!

In the beginning of June I created a summer to do list, let's check my progress:

1. Linsday's wedding

2. Lots of hiking

3. Prep talk for next conference

4. Finish up big paper

5. Really start thinking about the next step...whether it's a postdoc or what have you

6. Lots of picnics in Central Park

7. Lots of kayaking around the city

8. Scuba lessons

9. Get camera fixed and start taking more photos with my SLR

10. US Open

Mmm...not so good, only 3/10 completed, gotta get a move on the rest!

Later,

Nicole

Shalalala

As much as I love to travel, it completely throws off my routine, and as much as I hate to admit it, I'm certainly a creature of habit. Today I attempted to get back to some kind of semblance of "Nicole" by waking up early and revisiting the 600 Fat Burner Workout . Today I completed 1 round (300 reps) in 35 minutes.

I then did a couple loads of laundry, showered, ate breakfast, and headed into lab (where I'm quickly finishing this post during an incubation). Not too shabby.

Breakfast, half a bagel with turkey and cheese:

And a chai shake with strawberries thrown in for fun:

Before I leave you, a recap of my 4th of July weekend in the Philadelphia region. My camera has also been on a semi vacation so the pictures are pretty spastic. In any case after having dinner with my grandmother for her 72nd birthday, I met up with my mom and sister for a movie in the park-the original Grease. I love the idea of movies in the park, watching a classic under the stars, what better way to spend a night?

The following day we met up with cousins from Maryland and headed to Peddler's Village for their July 4th festivities (held on July 2nd) and fireworks display.

My cousin Becky and me:

No pictures of the fireworks but the show was surprising long. Which was great because it ended up taking about 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot and on our way home once the show was over.

I headed into the city for the rest of the weekend to hangout with my friend Amanda, who has been a crocheting maniac! Look at these adorable beer koozies she made. Want one?, they'll soon be for sale!!

As I said the weekend photos were pretty random, but the weekend itself was pretty laid back, in any case I had to post a picture of this frozen yogurt from Yogorino . I had a pistachio topping with sprinkles, so delicious. Fortunately for my waistline there is not a location in Manhattan.

And last but not least-new music that caught my ear. Foster the People-"Pumped up Kicks"

And because they're my favorite band, and provided a name for this post, a little Arctic Monkeys-"The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala"

Catch ya later,

Nicole

Blog Vacation

Hey bloggies,

The last two weeks I've been consumed with talk preparation for a science conference, it was my first big talk so the blog hasn't really been my primary focus, and otherwise I've been enjoying the beautiful weather while it last!

What I've been eating lately...

Lots of salads thanks to an abundance of lettuce from my CSA share.

Lots of smoothies, my blender has been getting quite the workout :)

Smoothie in a bowl featuring 1/3 cup oats and almond milk (leave this part in the fridge overnight and in the morning combine with remaining ingredients), frozen strawberries, frozen cherries, and fresh blueberries all blended together with more blueberries on top!

Chai shakes...seriously a new obsession! The secret to a fabulous beverage...the vanilla bean!

Grilled veggies...

Last night my friend Sherika came over and I pulled out the charcoal for the first time since last summer! I love to grill but so rarely take advantage of the grills in the court yard of my building. Definitely need to do so more often!!

Ended up making mushroom burgers with pepper jack cheese, roasted red pepper, and more veggies on the side:

I also finally made it to the famous Sprinkles cupcake shop. The Manhattan shop opened up in May but I was looking for a special occasion in order to make a purchase. My grandmother's and roommate's birthdays seemed like the perfect occasion.

For my grandmother I bought a mocha, key lime, cinnamon, and coconut. We ended up dividing each into four so we could give each a try!! It's hard to pick a favorite, each was AMAZING, but I think the winner for me was the cinnamon. To be honest it tasted more like a coffee cake, but I think that's why I liked it so much. It was break from the norm.

How have you been spending your summer so far?

Nicole