Summer Snacks and Healthy Eats ...

We have had some pretty awesome weather around here so far and have enjoyed going to the pool, beach and bay.  Since we are constantly on the go I have been trying to stock up on healthy snacks and treats for both myself and the boys.  It is definitely easy to just grab junk but then I feel like crap after eating it so I wanted to share with y'all some of the things I am loving right now!

1.  Almond Butter ... On EVERYTHING!!  I love the crunchy/raw kind and eat it on celery, apples, toast with honey, bananas or mix a spoon full in non-fat Greek yogurt!

2. Guacamole .... I am obsessed with avocados and also eat them plain but I love to make guacamole!!  I use carrots, cucumbers, celery or multi grain chips to scoop up the deliciousness!

3. Hummus ... Once again fresh veggies to scoop it up!

4.  Fresh fruit .. I love to freeze grapes, blueberries and mango to take on to the beach with me!  SOOOO refreshing and the kids love it too!

5.  Healthy snacks like this trail mix here .. or I will make my own sweet trail mix that the kids absolutely devour!

6.  Chia Squeeze!  So simple, easy and nutrient packed!

7.  Quick summer salads ... this one is a Quinoa, Wheat berry and Brown Rice Salad.

8.  Dried Fruit ... this helps with the sweet tooth and sugar craving that I get!

                           

9.  Kind Bars!!!  We are LOVING these right now!  So clean and natural ... there is no excuse to eat junk when you can grab on of these bars:

Most of the time I am literally finishing up a run/workout then throwing on a bathing suit and packing up to head out for the day with the kids:

So these are all simple and easy healthy options that we love plus I always make sure my boys have their sandwiches ( I use natural PB and honey or strawberry jam ) .. luckily they are not horribly picky eaters!
And of course we splurge on our beach treats also:

MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Checkout Real Food Period for tons of healthy quick food!  Chef Debbie has a ton of yummy quick summer salads and meals waiting for you.

Hope you are enjoying your summer!

What are your favorite summer snacks??

Happy Running!

School's Out, REAL FOOD period, and Running Slump..

Summertime has officially started and we could not be more excited!!  We started off with a big Kindergarten Graduation on Thursday followed by the end of school for my oldest on Friday:

On Friday I was able to run with Dawn and FINALLY catch up with her and all her new beginnings!  We ran 10 miles of hills & more hills with a few fast paced miles.  This was a great run and even better company.  Dawn just opened an amazing store in Middletown with so many delicious and HEALTHY choices!  My dear friend Debbie is the chef there and let me tell ya she is uber talented!!  I got a quick sneak peak on Friday before the official opening on Saturday so I had to sneak a few pics to share!  PLEASE go check this amazing store out ... you will be hooked!

Look at all the choices!!!

Then we packed up and went to our favorite place:

Rere and Poppop's beach place!

There is something so relaxing and special about beach running!  I LOVE it ... We are so lucky to have our family all together and enjoy the beach.

My aunt and uncle came down and brought our cousin Aidan with them ..  He and my boys had a blast and of course had to show off their muscles!

I got up early and did a nice 10 mile run from Fenwick to Bethany and back ... It was the best weather for a run then a quick dip in the ocean:

Followed by some planking:  His and Hers style!

I have definitely been in a running slump lately since I am currently not training for anything right now.  I tend to overdue it when I am not following a training plan ... so I am trying to focus more on core work, weight training and speed training instead of high junk miles.  We shall see how it goes!!

This week I have done :
Sunday 10 miles in 72:04 .. core work!
Monday:  7.25 miles of speed work:  2 mile warm-up @ 8:12 pace followed by 1x1600m @ 6:38, 10x400m @ 1:27- 1:31 all with a 60 second recovery in between and a cool down!
Tuesday:  15 minutes on the stairmonster then BodyPump!
Wednesday:  9.2 miles with 4 mile steady pace of  7:50 then 4 miles quick pace 6:48 with a 1.2 mile cool down!

Now we are off to Real Food Period for some delicious food!


Happy Running!

End of a Chapter, MY Birthday and the Delaware Marathon Relay!

The past 2 weeks have seriously come down to crunch time ... the 2014 lacrosse season has come to an end, Mother's Day, My birthday, and the Delaware Marathon ALL happened within the past 6 days!

So here we go:

AWESOME SWAG!

May 11th .... Mother's Day and the Delaware Marathon Festival!  My day started at 5am and thankfully Momma Way ( Jen's mom ) picked me up and I hitched a ride to the start with Jen!  Jen ran the FULL marathon and I was on the 4 person relay team!  I honestly had myself so stressed out about this distance!  I LOVE mileage and distance runs ... something in me craves 20+ milers but the thought of running FAST for shorter distance scares the crap out of me!  I was afraid of failing and letting my teammates down.  I was scheduled to go as the 4th runner and probably should have relaxed and sat down for the 3 hours prior to my leg start BUT I was so nervous I couldn't relax.  By the time I was waiting in the transition area for John I felt like I had already ran and my legs felt heavy and tired ... plus it was VERY hot by this point.  Finally,  I just told myself to run and have fun ... I did!!  3:04:?? and 2nd coed open team.  Not horrible but I definitely felt the heat and fatigue by going 4th!

Jen killed it and finished the 26.2 in 3:36:52 ... she placed 1st in her AG!  YAY!!

THE WAY Crew!!

BOSTON BOUND 2015

Jen B., Jen W., and myself are all Boston Bound for 2015!!!

After the race we enjoyed a few beverages from Frank's Wine:

Champagne Cocktails are a winner!!

I have never ran this 26.2 race because it is a double loop and in my mind that seems awful .. BUT if you are looking for a fast, it is NOT flat, small field size ( 515 full marathoners ) this is the race for you!!  The after party is a BLAST and it is sponsored by my work ... YAY!

Right after the race I had to haul it home, shower, then head to my big guys lacrosse games!!  BEST Mother's Day ever!

My mom is truly a saint and we should celebrate her year round!  I hope my boys know how blessed they are to have her!

My sweaty lacrosse player!  He makes me so proud.

Melt my heart!

I could not have asked for a better day!  We celebrated Mother's Day over a delicious meal at Cantwell's Tavern and just enjoyed each other!

MY LOVES!

Tueday May 13:

MY BIRTHDAY!!!  I decided for my birthday I want to run a 35K and luckily my girls Dawn and Angel joined me in the celebration!

While I was running my first 8.5 miles I was receiving amazing text messages the whole time!!!! BEST EVER!!

IT felt like it was the peak of summer today out on the run!!  80+ degrees and 68% humidity already!
Angel, Dawn and I ran 9 miles together ( forgot to snap a pic of us all ) ... then Angel saddled up while I finished out my miles!  21.7 miles done in 2:55.

Then I went to lunch with Nicole, Lori, and Angel!!!!!!!  There is something SO special about having amazing girlfriends! I feel so loved and luckily to have them in my life!!

Nicole knows me better than myself sometimes and her gifts made me teary!!!  ( I will post pic asap )
AND this card from Angel was perfect ... We actually throw this saying out A LOT when we are struggling on our runs!

I am in LOVE with this Coach clutch from my BFF and my godsons for Mother's Day!!

Lori made me delicious cupcakes that I think we inhaled before I could take a picture!!!!

Then the party continued ... lacrosse practice with these fabulous girls:

Even though we didn't win EVERY game they completely make my heart and soul happy!  I feel honored to be their coach!  They sang Happy Birthday to me and brought me cookies and cupcakes ... Amazing!

Yup the party kept on rolling after practice I finally had my birthday tradition of Kenny's sushi:

MMMMMMM!

My Family!!

THANK YOU to everyone for making my day/week special!

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!

Happy Running!