I’m totally sucked into this new show. I don’t know why I do this to myself. SMH. I like to watch movies in the kitchen while I cook or bake, so I decided to see what was on Amazon Prime. I saw a show called Red Oaks and decided to give it a shot. I just needed some background noise that wasn’t my upstairs neighbors (they currently have no chill.) I didn’t think this show was going to be anything special, but it turned into a serious binge-watch. I only planned on cutting up some fresh fruit to put into containers but ended up meal prepping almost everything because I didn’t want to stop watching. Red Oaks doesn’t compare to The Night Of or anything like that, but it’s definitely worth the watch.
I just turned the show back on and now I get to end my night binge-watching and blogging.
I’m kind of glad I got all the cooking out of the way. The reason I’ve been getting into meal prepping is that I’m horrible at decision-making. Surprise. Surprise. I never know what I want for dinner and by the time dinner rolls around, I have no groceries for the meal and I’m too hungry to go get anything. I’ll end up eating random things in the fridge or snacking for dinner. Keeping prepped food in my fridge takes away the pressure to make a decision and saves tons of time. I used to be so good at decisions and now I literally flip coins.
Tonight I had ground turkey, brown rice, and my chicken and vegetable stir-fry.
Grumples and I woke up at 6 am for our walk. It’s BEAUTIFUL in the mornings and he can go four miles without stopping. It was about 62 degrees and breezy. I look forward to fall and winter because Grumples gets to be more active and it’s just too hot in the summer for him.
After I finished up some afternoon work, I took Grumples to the park for a walk. I even grabbed a green juice to take with us for lunch. The vet said he needed to lose thirteen pounds, so he’s getting longer walks during the cool mornings and frequent short walks during the day. He’s already lost two pounds, which is a healthy rate. He’s supposed to be losing 1% of his body weight per week for the next thirteen weeks. I’m not cutting back on his food since it’s a healthy amount, but I’ve cut back on treats and increased his exercise. 
Grumples acts like a human. He loves car rides and gets so excited when he sees horses or cows. Sometimes we leave my place just to take a drive and get out for a bit. He likes to stick his head out the window with his hair flying in the wind. 
This is one of my favorite roads to run and bike on, especially when the sun is rising. 
This stir-fry had carrots, chicken, bell peppers, onion, olive oil, and low sodium soy sauce. I cooked the chicken separately to prevent it from overcooking. The carrots take the longest to cook, so start with the first!
Stir-fry Recipe
I made stir fry, cooked up some ground turkey, brown rice, boiled eggs, baked sweet potato, diced pineapple, and prepared some grapes.
I also bought Greek yogurt, dark chocolate, oatmeal, broccoli steam bags, mixed nuts, brussels sprouts, steak, spinach, bananas, ingredients to make juices, and healthy baked goods.
I made maple pecan pumpkin muffins this afternoon that are to die for. They are SUPER healthy and I’m so excited to share the recipe. They turned out so well. I was standing in the aisle at the grocery store and they had an entire pumpkin section. They had pumpkin everything. Almost every brand joined the pumpkin cult this season. The options were endless. Most of the items were cookies and sugary treats, so I decided to bake something on the healthier side.
I will make sure to share the recipe tomorrow! I need to blog about my weekend first
UPDATE: HERE IS THE RECIPE! 
Rewinding back to Friday.
It was pouring all day Friday because of Hurricane Hermine. I caught up on a lot of work and then did some cleaning around the place. Fridays are always my power cleaning days.
I wasn’t feeling so great on Friday, so I was happy that it was raining because it forced me to chill inside all day.
For lunch, I made grilled over-easy eggs, cucumber, bell pepper, multigrain pita chips, guacamole, and hummus. 
I get cabin fever easily, so I met Becca at the gym for a Friday night session. Exercising helps with cramps and it’s always nice to have those endorphins pumping when you’re feeling irritable.
We both ran two miles on the treadmill for a warm-up and then did an hour circuit. 
Always goofing off
We love ending our workouts with a sauna session. 
I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and picked up ingredients to make zucchini pizzas. I love making these when I’m craving pizza.
Kyle and I headed to the Riverwalk to do seven miles early Saturday morning. It felt like fall outside. It was chilly and the leaves were falling. It put me in the best mood ever.
I did my facial routine after the workout! You can read all about my routine here
I made a quick lunch when I got back. I had eggs, pita chips, hummus, guacamole, cucumber, and bell pepper. I was trying to use up the last bit of the groceries.
It was HAWKEYE Football Saturday, so I converted Kyle It was a win too! This Saturday is the big game against Iowa State! 
We took Grumples for a little stroll in the park after the game. The sky was glowing and I couldn’t get enough of it. It’s funny how nature has a way of putting us in a good mood. It’s truly beautiful. 
We decided to cook dinner and relax on Saturday night. Kyle grilled up Jamaican Jerk chicken breast (for me) and a couple of Jalapeño cheddar burgers. I made a quick side caesar salad to go with it all.
If I had to eat that chicken every night for the rest of my life…I wouldn’t even be mad about it. It was so delicious!
I’ve mentioned Grumples behavior issues in previous posts, but I just wanted to update you all. I feel like he isn’t even the same dog anymore. I never used to be able to take him on walks with large groups of people around, he’d lunge at cars and other dogs. He isn’t treat-oriented and it was almost impossible to break his attention, which is really bad. I couldn’t even walk by people without him getting into a stalking position, like a cat that was about to pounce. It was the most frustrating thing in the world. It’s hard to explain to a person that my dog is so friendly when he’s barking his head off. He loves people and he loves other dogs, but the leash was making him aggressive.
Kyle has been working with him almost every day and has so much patience with him. We traded in his leash and collar for the ROK Straps Leash
He’s been giving Grumples the confidence to walk without acting up and has changed his behavior tremendously. We decided (Kyle decided because I was hesitant) to walk him a couple of miles uptown to grab coffee at Amelie’s French Bakery. We had given him several mini-trial rounds and believed he was officially ready. He proved himself at the park and on the back roads.
Grumples walked by tons of people, cars, buses, bikes, segway, runners and didn’t do a single thing. He sat before crossing the street, he stayed on the right side while walking and didn’t try to walk ahead. He didn’t pull, he didn’t lunge, he was perfect. I went in to grab a coffee and he sat outside by a table with Kyle. He let people pet him, walk by him and he was the happiest dog in the world. I may have shed a tear because we hit an incredible milestone. This was not the same Grumples seven months ago.
He deserved the best reward. We always save the empty bottles of peanut butter for him to cleanout. We were waiting to give this one to him for something special and I thought this moment was pretty special. He deserved this one without a doubt! He doesn’t get treats anymore because of his diet, so he was one lucky pup (Plus there wasn’t more than a tablespoon left in that container.)
The seasonal flavors have arrived at Amelies Bakery! We had a maple bacon, pumpkin pecan praline (holy deliciousness), and pecan pie. I also ordered a Le Sombre Chai. It’s my favorite caffeine treat (whenever I go for something sweet) and the perfect way to end a Saturday night. 
I met up with Becca early Sunday morning for a long uptown walk. The streets were empty and it felt like the city was all ours. The weekend weather couldn’t have been any more perfect.
After our four miles of walking, we decided to have breakfast at Tupelo Honey. I’ve had lunch and dinner there, but never breakfast. I’ve heard so many good things, so I was excited to give it a shot. Since the weather was so beautiful, and certainly wouldn’t last forever, we decided to have breakfast outside.
I’ve been trying to lay off the Fall spirit until it gets cooler out, but the weekend weather made it really hard and now all I can think about is fall. Everywhere I go fall slaps me in the face. I’m trying not to rush off the summer so fast because I know I’ll be missing it around January. I sometimes wish our seasons would change every two months. 
Tupelo Honey isn’t a place I’d go if you’re looking for a super healthy breakfast. I was kind of sad when wheat toast and fresh fruit were missing from the menu, but at least eggs and bacon were still present. 
I ordered the Tupelo Genuine Country Breakfast. It came with two all-natural, farm-fresh eggs, over easy, with apple cider smoked bacon, potato cracklins, and kale. I tried really hard not to eat too many of the potatoes because they were extremely delicious and sinfully fried. I didn’t want that in my stomach before a workout. 
We ran a couple of errands after breakfast and then headed to the gym for a workout. I did four miles on the treadmill and played around with the incline the entire time. 
We only did about thirty minutes of ab workouts and played around with the pilates ball. 
I had one of my favorite bars after my workout. No Cow Bars
I headed back to shower and get ready for the day after the gym. Becca and I decided to visit some shops in Plaza Midwood. We love antique stores and thrift shops. 
Plaza Midwood has tons of little antique shops and unique stores. It’s definitely a hip neighborhood.
I still like Waxhaw better for antiquing. The antiques and thrift shops in Plaza Midwood are way overpriced.
We headed to Ikea so I could pick up some organizing shelves for my closet and office. We decided to split a Greek yogurt soft serve ice cream cone! 
We also tried some Swedish candy. Very interesting.
I’ve never left Ikea without a new stuffed animal. You’re never too old…
After our errands, we decided to grab dinner at Bakersfield with Kyle and his friend Steve. Bakersfield has the best salads, so I was happy. They also have great queso and guacamole. 
The Jonny has mixed greens, bacon, cotija cheese, hearts of palm, avocado, red onion, toasted almonds, and a side of buttermilk chive dressing.
We walked next door to grab frozen yogurt for dessert! Treat yo self. I had the no sugar added vanilla with a couple of my favorite toppings. I like to add a small amount to hit the spot. 
I enjoyed my morning coffee on Labor Day morning while the sun came up. I love the rays that shine through the windows. I wake up around 6:30 am on weekend mornings so I can reply to blog comments and watch the news.
We decided to take Grumples for a couple of miles uptown so he could get in a good workout before it go too hot outside.
My boys <3
I’m such a proud dog mom.
This is why mornings are the best part of the day.
Grumples loves climbing the rocks! 
Happy boy!
Becca and I headed to the driving range to hit some balls Monday afternoon. 
It was such a beautiful day. 
We had been wanting to try the new coffee shop in uptown, Coco & The Director. 
This IS HANDS DOWN the coolest coffee shop I’ve ever been to. It’s huge…and they have so many options to choose from. 
They have an upstairs, a gift shop, seating everywhere, and a giant T.V. so you can watch the panthers games (just in case breweries aren’t your scene.)
They have books to read, game boards to play, and places for you to work. They even have big tables for large groups. 
Coco & the Director supports community artisans and locally sourced products and represents the best of Charlotte. That is how they get the “CO.” It comes from their favorite words like COffee, COmmunity, COnnection, COllaboration…Pretty clever
I had a latte with coconut milk. It was rich and creamy, just the way I like it. I also ordered a Greek yogurt with mixed fruit n nut granola. The prices were VERY reasonable too. 
I love this place so much and it’s now on the top of my favorite coffee spots in charlotte. 
Love our coffee dates<3
Kyle and I made banana egg protein pancakes for dinner. 
He made chocolate ones and I made them plain. 
We used bananas, eggs, flapjacks, water, and protein powder. 
Pancake perfection <3
We added Melt spread and maple syrup on top. 
Whenever I get a sweet tooth at night, I have chocolate protein plus Bolthouse farms! It really does the trick. Chocolate almond milk works too.
I woke up early on Tuesday morning to have breakfast and coffee before spin class. I had low sugar apple cinnamon oatmeal and coffee. 
I love doing spin class once a week to take a break from running. It’s so much fun and I love that my studio incorporates weights and strength training during the ride. 
This is the best post-workout recovery drink I’ve ever had! It’s the Isopure Amino Supplement
Before I sat down to work, I made a delicious protein shake. 
It had 1 tablespoon hemp seeds, 1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
I was feeling really sore late in the afternoon, so I decided to go for a jog to loosen up the muscles. Look at those leaves! They’re falling fast
I had leftovers for dinner and a decaf cashew milk latte. I don’t really like almond milk when it’s hot, but cashew milk is creamy and tastes just like milk! 
I caught up on Bachelor in Paradise and enjoyed the rest of my night! <3
