Hello, friends! Happy FRIDAY to you! I hope you’re looking forward to a wonderful weekend ahead!
Here’s the next edition of What I’m Loving Lately. I missed last week’s post, so this one is jammed-packed with all sorts of fun stuff. ENJOY!
This yellow cake with sprinkles – My goodness, holy yum. Someone please make this for me. My birthday is less than 2 months away. Pretty please?
Michelle Lewis ”˜Run Run Run‘ video – If you’re running Boston and from this area, it’s guaranteed to pump you up and make you cry at the same time. My only gripe with the video, however, is that there’s not nearly enough SNOW for those runners to train in. Haha!
What You May Not Know About Muscle Soreness – Interesting stuff!
15-Minute Butt Lifter – Bathing suit season is going to be here before we know it!
Spring Vegetable Garlic Bread – Doesn’t this look incredible? And it would be such an easy meal to throw together!
My Story: How To Start a Blog & Fitness Career – Great advice from my friend Sarah!
Golden Girls Lego Set – Seeing this put the biggest smile on my face. Just had to share!
How to Make Target Furniture Look Superluxe – I love stuff like this. Lots of cool ideas!
Savory oatmeal – My go-to breakfast lately: Rolled oats with sliced chicken sausage (I just nuke a couple of links in the microwave), ground flaxseed, and apple butter. I also make a little extra fruit (or sweet potato) puree when I make it for Quinn and then add it to my oats. It’s such a nutritious, delicious, and satisfying meal. I look forward to it every morning.
Fitness Fashion Through the Decades – This was fun (and funny) to read!
365 Chocolate Sandwich Cremes – Obsessed. I’m going to make a bold statement and say: These cookies taste better than Oreos. For real. There’s just something special about the crème filling. It tastes more natural/not as artificial? I’m not exactly sure what it is, but they are incredible.
Macaroni Kid – I’m so glad that another mom told me about this resource! It’s a weekly local newsletter of kid-friendly events and activities. (It’s a national website, so you can see what’s happening in your area.) Local moms: There’s an active South Shore Macaroni Kid with SO MANY THINGS TO DO, and I just heard about South Shore Mamas, which seems great too.
15 Freezer-Friendly Dishes for Busy Days – Love this! I was so not a freezer meal person, but they’re growing on me, especially now that I have a little one. This post had a lot of great recipes that I want to try!
37 DIY Home Gifts For Mother’s Day and Beyond – Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Tons of great ideas!
If You Want to Lose Weight From Running, Read This – Nailed it.
Your Guide to Running the Boston Marathon Like a Pro – I’ve already read this a few times, and I’m sure I’ll read it again and again before race day. Just wanted to share it with the Boston runners!
8 Cool Things to Do With Hotel Amenities – Some neat ideas in here!
Question of the Day
What are you loving lately?
What do you think of freezer meals? Love ’em? Hate ’em?
Have you ever gained weight from training for a race/fitness event?
Those of you who have run Boston: Any advice/tips for the course?
47 Comments
that vanilla cake looks like heaven in a child’s eyes–it’s rainbow on a cake!
That cake though!! I love making extra food and stoking my freezer with meals. We lived off of them for the first month my son was born. This week I am loving signs of spring! After a long winter it’s nice to see some buds popping and temperature rising!
I’ve been wanting to try savory oatmeal- it sounds so delicious!
I’m having trouble getting to the spring veggie garlic bread link – keeps taking me to the cake (which is not a bad thing) – just curious if I am missing something/doing something wrong? Thanks! Happy Friday!
Oops. Maybe I linked it wrong? Sorry. I just updated it! 🙂
Great links! That spring veggie garlic bread has my name on it. Love the article of weight loss and running too!
The first time I ran a half marathon I gained a few pounds because I thought I could eat anything I wanted after my long runs. Then I learned how much better I felt by eating healthy meals after long runs!!
The Boston Marathon video is soo inspiring!! That is so awesome that you are running it!!!
I used to eat savory oats all the time- usually spinach, cheese, a runny egg, and salsa on top. Lately, I have been loving oatmeal pancakes. I just finished what Alice Forgot and I LOVED it.
birthday cake + sprinkles is always a win!!!! i use freezer meals in a pinch – i LOVE blake’s – they are all natural and no funny ingredients and taste great!!
Nice! I’ll have to check those out!
Love seeing your favorites! Recently I’ve been loving coconut oil in my coffee. I’m not much of a cream/sugar person, but sometimes I like a little something in my coffee (sometimes Bailey!). Coconut oil is amazing and not too strong of a taste!
Happy Friday!
AHHH that sprinkle cake– YES that looks so good!! I love freezer meals but haven’t made any in awhile. I need to dedicate a weekend day to prepping some, that would be awesome to have stashed away for a day I’m feeling lazy! 🙂
I’m going to have to try the Whole Foods version of Oreos! The last time I had Oreos they tasted especially artificial to me, and that’s saying a lot because they’re one of my faves!
Crying at that video. I’m from the North Shore and have fallen in love with running the past couple years. Running my first half in Pittsburgh in a couple weeks! I don’t think I’d ever qualify for Boston, but man that video is a tear-jerker
@Janelle: I am running the Pittsburgh half with my sister and cousins! Last year was my first time, looking forward to it again!! =)
When you get to Runners Village in Hopkinton, get in line for the porta-potty. Then when you get out of the porta-potty, get back in line to go again. The lines are long and you have to walk quite a ways from Runners Village to the starting line. The first year I ran, I was still in line to go to the bathroom when I should have been heading to the start – it gave me alot of unnecessary stress! And take a trash bag to sit on and one to put over you if it is cold. If the ground is damp at all you don’t want to sit in wet grass or mud!
Thanks for the tips!! 😄
I made some Peanutbutter Coconut Oatmeal bars and they are the “bestbreakfastever!” …for right now. lol
I loved seeing my little dog run up to a toddler who got a bit scared, so Penny started doing some sort of silly sideways hopping running thing that made the little girl laugh. I loved seeing my dog try to make friends with her, and seeing her laughing was so sweet.
I love warm evening strolls and seeing the neighbors out walking too.
Whoa. Those sound incredible. Do you have a recipe? 😄
That spring vegetable garlic bread looks fantastic!
I gained weight when I started doing fulls. And got slower. This year I put the emphasis on losing that weight and building more muscle – and staying out of the 26.2 game until at least next year.
Happy Friday, Tina! Now I want cake, and I haven’t even left yet to teach my morning group fitness class. hehehe I’m loving home-made acai bowls this week! And that fitness through the decades piece is pretty cool. Have a lovely day!
OH MY GOSH. So with my crazy competition life I haven’t been able to catch up on all my favorite bloggers. This morning I opened you up and the first thing I see is that cake. It’s like you were speaking to me. MY WHOLE 6 months dieting I’ve talked about nothing but sprinkles and them in the cake form. THIS IS MY DREAM CAKE Tina! Sorry I got a little excited, and I may have even screen captured it and sent it to my boyfriend, also competing this weekend. You made our day with that picture. XOXO. We are going to make it soon!
Haha! That’s my dram cake too! Good luck this weekend!
I always gain weight when marathon training! I know I need to take in some extra calories, but my mind and stomach convince me I need A LOT more than I do. I’m starving all the time!
I usually steer away from freezer meals except that now I have started reading the ingredients and some of them are not as awful as I thought. Definitely frozen fruits and veggies are great, but there are some things that I have found at Costco, Whole Foods, and TJs that have very minimal ingredients and ones that I can pronounce!
I am loving my latest article in the Huff Post and also just taking my blog more seriously and trying to grow it. Have a great weekend!
The cake and the Lego must make an appearance in my life!! I will gladly bake the cake for you if you want 🙂
your savory oats just reminded me to buy nutritional yeast! I used to put that in oats with chicken sausage and it’s so good!
I’m obsessed with savory oatmeal lately””I like to cook egg whites in and then add roasted veggies, tahini, and goat cheese on top.
My birthday’s not until November but this rainy weather makes a pretty cake like that sound like a great idea!
I’ve always (unintentionally) lost weight when running, though I’ve only done half marathons, never a full. I definitely don’t think it’s the “ticket” to losing weight like a lot of people think it is though.
Savory oatmeal sounds really interesting. I would never have thought to try that but I love chicken sausage so I would probably like anything with sausage mixed in haha
I’d like that cake now, please.
As far as Boston advice, go out slow and then slow down. Take advantage of how crowded the course will be off the start and let it hold you back. You’ll be glad when you’re passing all those people up and over Heartbreak. Well… I assume you’ll be glad. I didn’t take that advice and was definitely the one being passed later on!
Thank you! Great advice!
YES. Those cookies are 100% better than oreos. I’ll never go back!
Freezer meals are such a lifesaver for us because we are so busy always. Unfortunately our deep freeze got unplugged and we lost everything in there. So now its time to rebuild our stash.
I totally need to do the butt lifter workout!!! Summer here I come! 😉
Love that butt lifter! Thanks for sharing! I just got my first pair of trail shoes and I’m so excited about them! Definitely the highlight of my week. And I’m back in Brooks which makes it double exciting.
Those are my favorite kind of sprinkles! I would totally take an entire cake doused in those bad boys. While Oreos are pretty great, I always feel like their competitors/copycats do it way better…TJ’s Joe Joe’s, for example. SO GOOD!
OMG that sprinkle cake! I want it! I just started a Whole30 and that doesn’t really fit with the plan… haha.
Ooh I totally wanna try the Whole Foods version of Oreos – Oreos are my favorite! And I want to make the vegetable garlic bread, it looks fantastic 🙂
Hey Tina – Do you ever feed Quinn Happy Family products? We spoke with Shazi Visram, Mom and Founder of Happy Family – one of the fastest growing organic food companies, for her favorite foods in the grocery store. Her home is gluten free, dairy free, and 90% organic – and she shared some of her favorite products with us which we’ll be featuring on the In1 Daily section of the free Ingredient1 App. Thought you may be interested!
Ohhh that cake looks amazing! I’m in the midst of training for a race, so I’m cutting back on all those sugary carby treats 🙁 I definitely have gained weight while training, and it was always because my nutrition game was not on. Following a run with a cinnamon roll is not the best. it’s certainly delicious, but not a great idea.
Boston is SO MUCH FUN. I think the best part of it are the spectators and cops and everyone there. People cheer SO much, and theyre like they entire length of the course. I’ve never run a race with so much cheering!
I would say, if you’re going to the expo, to stop off at the Pourhouse across the street for breakfast foods. I went to college in Boston and am from the area, and oh god. Pourhouse. I dream about it sometimes. (tip- if there aren’t any seats upstairs, theres a whooooole huge room of tables downstairs.)
Wow that cake looks a-mazing! Sprinkles rock <3
It’s funny but I’ve never, ever liked regular Oreos, not the original, not any substitute brand. Not tempting at all. I do loooove Golden Oreos though! I am more of a vanilla person than a chocolate person.
I like these posts. 🙂
I gained weight for the last race…of course not intentional. I just wasn’t keeping track of how much food I was consuming. Lol
Oh, that cake – I love yellow cake and rainbow sprinkles, it is the best classic birthday combination ever!
Hi Tina! (Love your name. 😉 ) I’m a big snowcaps girl because of those sprinkles so I will have to request that for my birthday, too.
So glad you found your local ✿Macaroni Kid✿. My kids LOVE all the fun events we’ve been doing as a family since I found our local Long Island site 2 years ago. What’s better than free, kid-friendly local events and giveaways? Hope you have a fun summer!
I lost a substantial amount of weight a few years ago before I started running. I have found that running has never helped me lose weight. I totally fall into that “I ran today I deserve that pizza” trap. Mixing up my workouts and focusing on my diet above exercise seems to work better for me.