Forget Stair Master, Call Me the Hill Monster!

Sorry for not posting anything yesterday!! To catch you up, this is going to have to be one long post because I had one crazy, fun-filled weekend :)

Let's start with yesterday (and the title of my post)
I basically woke up with a food hangover - you know the feeling, 100% bloated and less than 100% beautiful. So after my regular bowl of blueberry muffin oats, I headed out to run my favorite path through all these gorgeous neighborhoods and cute shop areas... & I ended up running my first 7 miler!! I came back exhausted and starrrrvving and I made a delicious Southwestern Chicken Salad and my new favorite snacky: a Low-Cal Laughing Cow Pizza Sandwich


Southwestern Chicken Salad

Ingredients: Romaine lettuce (chopped), Low-fat Feta, Sweet Peas, Tomatoes, Chopped onion, Walden Farms Chipotle Ranch! Opt: Black Beans

Low-Cal Laughing Cow Pizza Sandwich
Ingredients:
- Two slices of 45 calorie Sara Lee bread
- 1 wedge of light garlic and herb laughing cow
- A smidge of pizza sauce
- Reduced fat grated Parmesan

Instructions: Toast in oven or toaster, smear the laughing cow on both slices, and top with pizza sauce and grated parm!! ENJOY for 130 calories

Then, I got ready for my HOUSEWARMING party!!!! I'd go into details, but let's just say it was filled with home made apple pie, store bough apple pie, home made raspberry buttermilk cupcakes, hummus, pita chips, salsa, and way too many tortilla chips.... OOOPS!!
And the home made apple pie was what I like to call Paula Dean style: butter topped with butter.

Fast forward to TODAY: SF Gay Pride Parade!!!
I headed to the city to actually march in the parade and show my support for the LGBT community.  It was beyond fun & all the energy and excitement can be contagious.  Before I knew it, I was waving wildly and skipping around... in a tutu and fishnets.  (do you need picture proof??)

Guys, you would be so proud: instead of pigging out on pizza and parade food, I packed a hummus, lentil and bulgar wrap, a zone bar, and a pudding cup :) YUMMMY & guilt free!

Don't judge me for this next statement... but word for the wise - pee before you start marching, otherwise your options are slim.  It's either the port-o-potties or the side of a very important government building.  And let's just say the line for the potties was a little too long for my liking.

Anyways, after thoroughly enjoying my very first LGBT parade, I basically passed out in a dehydrated coma for an hour, then woke up with an overwhelming desire to make another Low-Cal Laughing Cow Pizza and start cooking my dinner.  I made vegetarian (vegan, actually) stroganoff, using this girls recipe - props chocolate-covered katie! This girl comes up with the best desserts, check it out!

I did make a few adjustments, mostly due to my ingredient options.  In place of wine, I used vodka and chicken broth and in place of paprika, i blended cumin, cayenne pepper and onion powder.  SO DELICIOUS! Source.

Before I sat down for dinner, I got a sudden desire to work up an appetite, so I laced up my shoes and decided to do a little exploring/experimenting on some new trails.  Guys, I don't know where all my energy came from (especially after that 7 miler yesterday) but I decided to try all those hidden paths that are uphill, both ways, for miles.. and I LOVED IT!  Hills are my new passion.  Hence the new nick name - Hill Monster. Not only did I try out all these undiscovered running routes, I even experimented a little with my playlist - I brought back classics like Ignition, Suga Suga, Shake Ya Tailfeather...

After 5.8 miles in 50 minutes, I was ready for dinner, dessert (a nanner and vanilla smoothie), dessert (my favorite granola and some dates), dessert (and some leftover brownie bites)...
Great weekend!!!!!! Great memories :)

Question of the day:
- How do you experiment with your workouts?  Do you like to shake it up and tackle those hills for an extra challenge?