Spring Things: What I’ve Been up to Lately

I love sharing photos and sneak peeks of what I’ve been up to lately, but it’s certainly been awhile! Like I mentioned before, I’ve been quite busy with the site redesign and traveling, but hope to be back with recipes soon so please don’t go away, friends.

Over Easter weekend I was in North Carolina to see Tony play baseball. Unfortunately I missed being able to see him pitch, but we were able to spend time together, which is always incredible.

Somehow I convinced him to watch the movie Frozen with me; it’s such a cute movie. I loved the snowman! Besides just vegging out, I made incredible overnight cinnamon rolls by hand. I think I was a little tipsy when I was kneading the dough at 2am the night before, but they turned out beautiful, soft, fluffy, and dare I say it… better than Cinnabon.

No really. Tony and his teammates devoured the entire pan that morning. Girlfriend points.

Tony’s parents were also visiting him over the weekend, so we jetted off to the grocery store to do a little shopping.

We picked up a cookie and I was surprised when they actually let me decorate it myself in the back of the bakery!

With all this eating, I brought Jillian along on my trip. Have you guys ever tried her workout DVDs? I LOVE them.

My favorite is Trouble Zones.

As a recovery snack, I usually drink a protein shake made with protein powder, fruit, and almond milk.

Simple but creamy, and delicious! I’ve been thinking about adding more protein shakes to the blog, so stay tuned.

Have you ever heard of PB2? OMGSH I love this stuff. It’s basically just powdered peanut butter. You mix it with water and it taste very similar to the real thing except without all of the calories & fat.

I love stirring it in my yogurt or adding it to my shakes.

Another one of my favorites are Kind Bars. They’re such an awesome snack and I love the flavors they have.

Do you have a favorite flavor? I think mine is anything with pecans!

I also have been making my own protein bars because buying bars gets expensive.

My Quest bar addiction is killing me. I’m also to afraid to buy them in bulk for fear that I’ll eat them for all of my meals.

I’ve also been really into english muffins. Those nooks and crannies get me every time.

I love topping mine with peanut butter & jam, or smashed avocado + salt and pepper. Do you prefer english muffins, bagels, or toast?

My friend Angie is getting married, and recently I attended a bridal shower. It was absolutely gorgeous. We even got to wear floral crowns.

FLORAL CROWNS, you guys!

Isn’t she beautiful? I can’t wait for the wedding.

Chocolate has never been my sweet of choice but I’m always on the hunt for fancy artisan chocolates. In my opinion, the darker, the better! This was a good find and I love the toasty almond pieces in the bar.

I can’t eat too much chocolate though, because I’m working on my figure for Summer. Ahhh the constant battle between my love for fitness and my love for food.

By the way, I got this dress at a cute local boutique in Minneapolis called Primp. It’s actually one of my favorites because it’s small and fairly inexpensive.

Which means I buy way too many dresses.

Okay so now onto a real obsession: Boom Chicka Pop by Angie’s Kettle Corn. If you love popcorn then you MUST try this.

I tried to get Tony into it, but I think he’s more of a salt & lots of butter kind of guy. Just means more for me. And trust me, I’ll happily eat it for dinner.

While Tony was in Arizona for Spring Training, I had lunch with two of my blogging friends: Tessa from Handle the Heat and Jenny from Picky Palate.

We went to Chelsea’s Kitchen in Phoenix and I ordered the Sashimi Salad. It was really good.

Of course since it was warm in AZ, I requested that Tony take me to get frozen yogurt. Kind of a fro yo addict.

My go to flavor is vanilla with Reese’s Cups, frosted animal crackers and M&Ms. What’s yours?

I baked Tony some cookies before I came to see him. These were my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Usually his favorite cookie that I make is one with white chocolate, coconut, oatmeal and strawberries. Sometimes I add in peanut butter M&Ms. I think baking for him is a reminder of how much he loves me; he gets so happy while eating them. Cute, right?

Cookies followed by salad. Seems strange but whatever.

My favorite salad that I make is one with kale, romaine, sesame seeds, peas, carrots, sesame oil, red pepper, tomatoes, and chickpeas. My goodness, I love how delicious and fresh it is.

Do you ever feel like Target traps you in their store with all their amazing products?

Usually I purchase my candles from my local yoga studio (because they smell amazing), but I’ve been addicted to Target’s soy candles. They’re fairly inexpensive, although it probably doesn’t help that I burn through them in less than a week.

In other news, I’m SO ready for Summer. It’s still been quite chilly in Minneapolis, but I’m ready to break out the bright nail polish and enjoy a cocktail on the patio.

I hope you enjoy a little glimpse into my life.