saturday – Stronger With Caitlin

Perfect Summer Weekend

July 30, 2018July 29, 2018 by givememycrownalready, posted in weekend recap

Hi! I hope the weekend was glorious! We had great weather all the way through, even though rain was threatening on Saturday.

After work on Friday, I fit in a sweaty total body workout with a little dose of cardio at the end. When I got home, my sister and her family came over to hang outside and I got some quality auntie time.

I was woken early and abruptly on Saturday by a cat who was ready to seize the day, but once I set him loose, I fell back asleep until almost 10am. I guess I needed my rest!

When I was up for good, I started the day with two poached eggs on a whole wheat toast and a big bowl of watermelon.

As I digested and hydrated, I watched an episode of Safe on Netflix. I started it on Thursday and was dismayed that I only had time to watch one episode. I was hooked from the start!

I tore myself away from the screen long enough to crush a 3.1 mile run. It was super hot, but my usual trail is shadowy and there was a nice breeze to guide me through. My legs felt strong!

Upon my arrival home, I jumped in the pool to cool down- much needed- and dived into this Greek salad with chicken. Perfect fuel to re-energize. It looks a little bland because of the blanket of dressing, but I promise there was a load of veggies underneath, including baby spinach, bell peppers, carrots, cucumber, and tomato!

My mom and I went grocery shopping in the afternoon to prepare for the week- lots of healthy choices! On Weight Watchers, it’s good to mix things up so we don’t get sick of certain foods and turn to less than great options.

I settled down to finish Safe- there were only eight episodes- and was sad, but satisfied when it ended. I sort of predicted the ending by the penultimate episode, but I wasn’t disappointed.

For dinner, I grilled up some shrimp in blackening seasoning, lime juice, teriyaki sauce, and sriracha and they were so good! I threw them atop two corn tortillas with bell peppers, broccoli slaw, and a dollop of sour cream mixed with the same ingredients as the shrimp. Note to remind myself to do this more often, maybe with Greek yogurt! Such a little detail added so much flavor to my meal! I also had a few chips to round out my meal.

I assume this meal would pair well with cold beer or a tequila beverage of some sort, but I was saving my extra calories for some Saturday night ice cream! What can I say, your girl’s got a sweet tooth.

The rest of the night, I watched the Red Sox and played hard with my main dude. He’s been very busy lately and is constantly on the prowl. Of course, I mean the Sim-dude.

On Sunday, I was up early to hit the beach! We got breakfast to start off the day. Two eggs over easy with whole wheat toast and a big bowl of fruit. My mom shared a slice of bacon with me too.

My favorite part about the beach is going in the water. It was chilly, but the waves enticing, and we stayed in for quite awhile twice.

I think that’s actually a person’s Shoulder and not my thumb. And no visit to the beach is complete without some ice cream. It’s all part of healthy living!

Let the Rain Come

July 23, 2018July 22, 2018 by givememycrownalready, posted in weekend recap

Hello Monday and hello to you!

Once again, I can’t believe how fast the weekend flew by. I had a ton of fun in the sun and spent the majority of the weekend relaxing. It might be a rainy week ahead, but at least we’ll all be at work anyway.

My friend/client snapped this shot of me training her on Friday afternoon. We were laughing, but really I was trying to get her to stop talking long enough to actually exercise!

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Lunch was a BLT salad.

That afternoon, this guy had his annual check-up. He’s doing great! I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since I adopted him. He’s the joy of my life.

Later, I got to cuddle with the cutest baby I know, little Lily.

On Saturday, I woke up and had a breakfast of an egg on toast with a sprinkling of cheese.

It fueled me through a 2.25 mile run, including a massive hill at the end. Woo.

My reward was an afternoon on the beach with my BFF!

It was a blast soaking up the sun and diving into waves. We headed into the city after for a drink and to walk around. It was such a lovely night outside and it was great walking around our old college neighborhood.

Sunday morning included what I’m branding the BELT- bacon, egg, lettuce, and tomato. Delicious! We attended mass in the morning in honor of the anniversary of my grandfather’s passing.

It was a nice moment to celebrate with family and we all went out to eat after.

That night, I went on a long walk with my parents, made these Skinnytaste bagels, and got some Sunday night things done.

Anything great happen this weekend?

weekend things

February 26, 2018February 25, 2018 by givememycrownalready, posted in weekend recap

Happy Monday, everyone! This weekend was another mix of busy and relaxing, sunny and rainy, and I was all for it.

My Friday started once I finished work and hopped in the pool for a swim. I got through 1.1 in about 45 minutes and was more than ready for lunch, which was a big salad. I had 8pm dinner plans that evening and had to take a nap to 1. Be able to make it ’til then and 2. Not snack on everything in the kitchen. Dinner was fun and we had ice cream for dessert, which always makes life worth living.

My Saturday started with this glorious breakfast. Poached eggs on toast with bacon.

Once I was digested and hydrated, I headed out for a run. It was a perfect day! I do try to make the 3.1, but I ran out of flat real estate and would’ve had to go uphill to finish out, so I stuck to 3 miles. My legs were already feeling shot and it was a struggle to make it through.

That afternoon, my sister and I went for lunch and a movie. First, we hit up a Greek restaurant for gyros.

Then we headed to the theater to take in Lady Bird, which was excellent. Female writer and director Greta Gerwig FTW!

My evening pretty much consisted of this:

I slept in way later than anticipated on Sunday, but I think my body was resting to avoid a cold. Plus, it was rainy, my favorite sleeping condition! I have a slight sniffle and tickle in the throat, but I’m persevering with mind over matter!

Breakfast was a stack of my favorite peanut butter pancakes. Still working on the art of the stack.

My workout was still a solid one. I started with strength training, upper, lower, than a mix of both and ended with 20 minutes of cycling. I love my workouts for my mind and body, but I’m also excited today is my rest day. I was definitely tired by the end.

Post-workout snuggles are always worth it.

I got some household stuff done, including laundry and meal prep for today, went grocery shopping, and then relaxed. Sunday’s always call for an early night when I have to work at 5am on Mondays!

Crush your week!

pancakes and beach days

June 26, 2017July 15, 2017 by givememycrownalready, posted in weekend recap

Once again, I am not sure how we’re already on Monday. The weekend was a good one but flew by!

I started off Friday night with a workout that I intended to be straight-up strength training and ended up being a run. The treadmill is not the most fun ever and I get bored easily, so I mixed it up a bit and did 6-6-5-5-4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1 alternating between walking and running by minutes, increasing speed as I decreased minutes and ended for a complete 45 minutes with some Tabata Intervals- 20 second sprints, 10 second rest. I was sweaty and tired by the end and ready for a relaxing evening.

I pretty much watched Sex and the City, read a bit, and fell into a deep sleep!

Saturday morning, I woke up for a hankering for pancakes and tried out a new recipe that I’ll get to later in the week…After breakfast, I went grocery shopping before hitting up the gym for a killer strength training workout, the effects of which I am still feeling as I type this Monday morning.

I fit in a quick shower and lunch before it was time to meet my friend for a movie night. He hadn’t seen Wonder Woman yet and since I enjoyed it so much-and the tickets at this theater were cheap- I tagged along. We ended up going to the Vista, which is where they shot that terrifying movie scene in Scream 2. It was kinda a big deal.

After the movie, we got dinner at Shake Shack and a classy dessert at McDonalds for a McFlurry and called it a night!

Sunday morning called for more pancakes, this time a different recipe.

Since Sunday was my rest day, I threw in a load of laundry and relaxed before it was time to meet my cousins at the beach. The wind prevented me from actually diving into the water, but it was nice and relaxing just sitting and chatting the afternoon away.

If you look closely enough, you’ll notice a line of seagulls just sitting there watching the ocean. I can respect that as I too have been enjoying my tour of SoCal beaches, but I was also suspicious.

That afternoon, it was time for beers, chips and salsa, burgers, and desserts.

I got home in time to fold laundry and enjoy another episode of Sex and the City before pulling the curtains on the weekend.

December 12, 2016December 12, 2016 by givememycrownalready, posted in Uncategorized

Happy Monday!

I’m trying to be consistent, but then I get out of the habit of blogging! At least I did some fun stuff over the weekend.

Friday night, it was gym-time. I really wasn’t feeling like going after a long week at work, but I had taken Thursday off and knew I would feel better once I finished. I ended up killing a lower body workout, ending with a run and felt great! Lunch at work was fried chicken- heavy- so for dinner, I had half a sandwich and a cup of tomato soup. The perfect accompaniment? The new season of Fuller House. Yes, it’s outrageously cheesy, but they know it, they use it well, and it’s all sorts of adorable. Nostalgia is in!

On Saturday, I was happy to not set an alarm and zzz. For breakfast, I made myself a veggie scramble and a waffle. So good and quite the meal to fuel my hike. My friend and I decided to hike to the Hollywood Sign, which is no easy feat. We took the long way and about a quarter of a mile in, I needed to pee. So we turned around and I used the MOST DISGUSTING port-a-potty known to man. It’s a good thing I can squat. But, I was better for it, and crushed that hike. I mean…

I can’t get enough of the view, even on a cloudy day!

By the time we hiked down, it was time for food and you better believe I worked for those chips and salsa. After dinner, we saw Office Christmas Party, which was funny but also, when are we going to allow women to be powerful and in charge and not a total bitch? I expect more than anti-feminist jokes in a movie that features Jennifer Aniston and Kate McKinnon. C’mon!

I was sore and had wracked up 21,000+ steps on my Saturday, but I did myself a favor and trekked out to the grocery store to get it done! It might not be the most glamorous way to spend a Saturday night, but it made my Sunday that much better.

Speaking on Sunday, it was time for more Fuller House while I munched on my pancake breakfast, folded laundry, and cleaned. After breakfast, I tossed a bunch of stuff into the crockpot and headed out for a bike ride. I love the beach. I always thought New York City was the city of my soul, but the ocean gets me. Surf’s up! Okay, I can’t pull that off and I’d probably make a terrible surfer, but it’s still on my LA Bucket List.

(Side Note: Does anyone else remember that show California Dreams? I loved that ish.)

I rode for about 35 minutes and found myself a bench in which to gaze out into the ocean and write. Can’t.Beat.That. I really wanted to walk down to the water, but leaving my bike is a sensitive topic since it was, ya know, stolen.

After I headed back and grabbed a quick pb&j, I walked over to the gym and killed a body weight/plyometric-heavy workout. I mean, jumping plie squats, no but yes. Or yes, but no? Who cares, I did it. And loved it.

Back to the store it was, this time to Target, and it was MADNESS. I don’t like people surrounding me while shopping on the best of days, but this was chaos. I got what I needed, stood in line for too long, and hit the road.

Sunday night was productive. First, a dinner of chicken, broccoli, spinach, and ziti with a side salad. Then, I prepared my meals for the week, this time chicken and two-bean chili that smelled (and tasted) divine. Yay for new, yummy recipes! Next up, I needed to touch up my hair because it’s the holidays and people be paying attention. I also, importantly, finally got some nail polish remover and wiped away the buck wild nail polish sporadically on my nails. Yuck.

A new workout plan was in the cards, particularly of the core, which is always exciting (genuinely). Blog post writing time, regular writing time, and reading before bed, and I was ready for a full night sleep and to start the week!

Get it!