As you know from this post, I recently spent a week in Spain with two of my girlfriends, Jackie and Pam!

As you all know, I love food.  So aside from the whole exploring-a-new-country-with-fabulous-friends thing, what I was most excited about prior to the trip was all the food and wine.  And I’m happy to report, Spain did not disappoint!  We ate tapas-style for almost every meal, which means we maximized our “tastes” – lots of little bites of flavorful, interesting food.  While most of the restaurants we ate at were very good, there was one meal in particular that stood out for me.  We took a bike tour on our first full day in Barcelona, and afterwards our tour guide, Bill, a late-20s/early 30s hipster-type, recommended a few restaurants / bars / clubs to check out.  I made a reservation for Sensi Tapas that night (at 10 PM – when in Rome!), and it took the top award for my favorite meal of the trip.

I encourage you to check out their menu to get a feel for the experience.  Our waiter was an extremely friendly and knowledgeable guy who created an amazing Spanish dining experience for us three American girls!  With his guidance, we chose a bottle of red wine and selected seven tapas.  Each dish was presented individually in the order that the chef felt made the most “Sensi” given the combination of tapas we ordered.  I’ll follow the same logic and share each dish as it was presented to us.  I’m the first to admit that I’m no food blogger, so these photos are hardly what I’d consider “food porn” – but hopefully they make you just a little bit jealous!

Course #1:  Ceviche

All three of us voted this as our #1 tapa of the entire trip.  For those of you unfamiliar with ceviche, it’s simply raw seafood that “cooks” in citrus juice.  I can’t remember exactly what was in this ceviche (I think the menu online has changed since our visit), but it looks like it may have been tuna or some sort of whitefish, with red onions, mango, and a bunch of other fresh ingredients.  It was bursting with fresh flavor, and we all loved it (and debated getting a second serving!).

Course #2:  Cherry Tomato and French Brie Salad

The onion marmalade and brie toasts stole the show with this dish.  I’m not sure who got the fourth toast, but safe to say we probably fought over it 🙂

Course #3:  Thai-Style Green Chicken Curry
Not what you’d expect from your typical Spanish tapas restaurant, eh?  There were a surprising number of Thai-inspired restaurants and dishes throughout Barcelona, and Sensi featured a whole section of “Oriental” tapas.  This dish was good, as I love curry – but nothing special, although I enjoyed the variation in flavors it brought to our meal.

Course #4:  Mushroom “Crema Catalana”
This was not a tapa that we initially chose, but our server highly recommended it so we took a risk.  The verdict?  Interesting.  Apparently “crema catalana” is typically a sweet dish, but Sensi created a savory version with mushrooms.  The texture was similar to flan – a little jiggly and very smooth.  It wasn’t my favorite dish, but it was a departure from the norm and quite flavorful – reminded me of my mother’s beloved mushroom cups.

Course #5:  Filet of Beef with Black Pepper Sauce

Forgot to snap a photo of this one until it was halfway eaten!  Better late than never.  As many of you know, I’m not a red meat eater when it’s in filet form – it’s a texture thing.  I’ll eat ground beef til the cows come home, but I just can’t do a piece of meat like the above.  But Pam and Jackie certainly enjoy their beef, though, and I’m not going to be the one to stop them!  They say it was very good, and I can attest that the potatoes that accompanied the beef were very tasty.  And come to think of it, I probably got the extra brie toast in course #2 because of it!

Course #6:  Paella

A trip to Spain wouldn’t be complete without Paella!  To be completely honest, this Paella was a little disappointing.  Not because it wasn’t flavorful – it was – but because it lacked seafood.  The three pieces you see in the photo were all the seafood in the dish – it was mostly rice.  Fortunately, the rice was perfectly cooked and very tasty in and of itself, but we were a bit disappointed in the rice-to-seafood ratio.  Perhaps this Paella was actually more authentic than what we were used to, but we expected more shellfish. Far from a complete fail, but not our favorite dish.

Course #7:  Fresh Truffle Ravioli in a Parmesan Cream
Like the mushroom dish, this was also not one of our original selections, but the waiter recommended it with such enthusiasm that we gave it a try.  It seems our waiter had an affinity for decadent, cream-based dishes, because the two he recommended were the richest of the night.  It was also VERY tasty, but then again, when isn’t truffle cream tasty?!  It was also the only pasta we ate all week, and I enjoyed the change of pace.

When our waiter asked if we wanted to see the dessert menu, we sadly declined as we were just too full.

JUST KIDDING!  I ask you, have I ever been too full for dessert?  A an epic dinner like this wouldn’t be complete without dessert.  I managed to take a photo of the dessert menu:
We ended up selecting two to share – the Carmelized Apple (“childhood memories” – how cute is that?) and the Chocolate Foundant – “for dark chocolate lovers” – aka, ME.  Guess which one was better?

Actually, the apples were quite tasty and very refreshing.  They were also an excellent complement to the amazingness that was this:
Now that, my friends, is #foodporn.  Requires no explanation.

And with that, we stumbled home (a 25+ minute walk), bellies full and minds in a red-wine haze.  If you are ever in Barcelona, I highly recommend you dine at Sensi Tapas!

 

 

 

 

 

Four years ago this month, I taught my very first spinning class.  165 playlists later, countless “regulars” that come and go, and thousands of dollars in my pocket later, I’m still teaching with the same energy and enjoyment as that very first class!

I discovered spinning in late 2007.  I distinctly remember attending my first class at Lifestyle Family Fitness, thinking it would be “too easy” for my half-marathon running self.  Boy was I wrong!  I quickly got hooked to the music, energy, and challenge and started attending multiple classes per week.  My favorite instructor was a thin, tall, blond woman named Amory who had a great ear for creating playlists and was an excellent motivator.  When I was forced to leave Amory and join a gym with a pool to nurse yet another injury, I discovered that not all spin instructors were as talented as she.  On the contrary, many of them were just plain bad.  So in early 2010, it dawned on me – why not become a spin instructor myself?

The process to become a certified Spin instructor was not easy and required hundreds of dollars, many hours of classes and tests, and two auditions.  But after many months, I finally was scheduled to teach at the brand new Urban Active in Grandview on Monday nights at 7:15.   Today, four years later, I teach two classes per week:  Monday nights at 6:45 and Saturday mornings at 10:30, both at what is now LA Fitness.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Spinning, Spinning is a trademarked name for indoor cycling classes.  Not all cycling classes are “Spinning” classes, and I’m pretty sure mine at LA Fitness isn’t anymore, but I am a certified Spin instructor.  But whether your gym calls it Spin or cycle, it’s basically the same thing:  a room full of stationary bikes, all set up to face the instructor, who guides the class through a series of resistance and position changes on the bike.  The class is set to music, usually self-picked by the instructor, which means that classes can very greatly from instructor to instructor.

I thought I would share some basics of Spin – if you come to my class (thank you!) or are a regular at your gym, this is old news to you.  Spinning cane be boiled down to just a few basics:  resistance, position, and heart rate.  At all times, you have some resistance on the bike, and you are in one of three positions:  seated, standing, or climbing.  The instructor varies these throughout the class, ideally in sync with the music, to create a high-energy, fast-paced class that is guided by heart rate levels.  In that way, Spinning suits the needs of both novice exercisers and triathletes alike.  In any given class, I might have someone who is brand-new to exercise and another who is an Ironman, and both can get a workout that is suited for them.  It is also low-impact, making it kind to the body and a great cross-training workout – especially for runners.

A “good” instructor will not tell their class exactly what their resistance level should be – instead, she’ll guide by “light / moderate / heavy” or some variation of that.  What is heavy to me is not necessarily heavy to the man next to me, and, thus, each person must adjust their resistance to what feels “right” to them.  Fortunately, the bikes at my gym have monitors on them that display RPM – pace – so I can easily guide by that – “you should have enough resistance that your RPM’s slow below 80”.  You get the idea.

As I said before, there are three positions in spin:

The basics of good form are the same in all three positions:

• “Feet flat, shoulders down, chest proud, elbows slightly bent”
• “Sit to the back of the saddle so you can use your entire leg.  Push down with the quad, pull up with the hamstring, calves engaged”
• “Upper body is relaxed.  All the weight is in the lower body – legs are doing all the work”

And I pretty much repeat those three phrases a million times throughout the class.  Of course, there are details and tips I’ve left out, but you get the idea.  Good form is critical in Spinning, and more often than not I see riders slacking.  They point their toes, or hunch their shoulders, or lean on the bike with their upper body.  I could go on and on.  The best advice I can give you is to LISTEN TO YOUR INSTRUCTOR!  I’m always amazed (and driven crazy) but the number of people who seem to pay no attention to my instructing – like I’m there just for the music.  Don’t get me wrong, the music can make or break a Spin class, but proper form and instruction is the most important aspect of any Spin class.

And speaking of music – it’s my favorite part!  I’ve always loved music and keep up with the top 40 of the past 20 years, as well as a variety of other genres, so I think I’m well-suited to teaching Spin.  I don’t even want to know how much money I’ve spent on iTunes in the last four years!  But I’m a huge believer that music is the #1 motivator in a Spin class, so it better be good – and it better make sense.  For example, the slow and consistent beat of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” is perfect for a standing climb, whereas a fast-paced, clubbing song like Avicii’s “Levels” is more appropriate for a sprint.  I listen to the beat of the music and follow the melody and chorus – it’s amazing how similar so many songs are when you start to listen to them with Spinning ears.  When I first started teaching, I spent hours “practicing” on the bike, listening to new music and figuring out the best way to use it in class.  Now I can hear a song on the radio in the morning and play it in class that night!

A few weeks ago, one of my regulars, Lindsay (Hi, Lindsay!) was attending my Monday-night class on her 26th birthday.  To make her birthday a little extra-special (it was a Monday, after all), I asked her if she had any song requests for that night.  And boy did she ever!  To my amusement and enjoyment, Lindsay texted the most epic song request list of all time:

Let me tell you, she sure made creating that night’s playlist easy!  The end result looked like this:

If you’re curious, each song maps to a Spin movement as follows:

1. Warmup
2. Intervals
3. Standing climb
4. Seated heavy flat
5. Active Recovery
6. Intervals
7. Seated climb
8. Standing jog
9. Active Recovery / seated climb
10. Intervals
11. Standing climb
12. Sprints

LA fitness guidance is that class, including warm-up and cooldown, should last ~55 minutes, so I aim for my classes to be ~45-50 minutes of work.  This usually results in 12 “working” songs, which I break into thirds. Sometimes the first third is longer than the second two, and I don’t always follow the same pattern, but the example above is pretty typical.  I try to create a new playlist every week – of course, that doesn’t mean I have new music every week, but after years of teaching I’ve built up a pretty large music selection.  The only song that I repeat on the regular, without fail, is my beloved “Call Me Maybe”.  My class knows that I play it once every six weeks – no more, no less.  It’s my class and I’ll play what I want to.

That, folks, is a crash course in Spinning!  I feel as though I barely scratched the surface – there is so much I could tell you about – like the time an older man in my class told me that he attributes his PR in the Boston Marathon to taking my class (best.  compliment.  ever!)  If you’re in the Columbus area, check out my class – you can print a 3-day guest pass here. And if you’re not, I encourage you to check out your local cycling classes – if you find the right instructor, I promise you’ll have fun – and get a great workout, too!

Do you take Spinning classes?  What’s your favorite song to Spin to?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seven years ago today, this little girl came into my life:

And my life has been enriched beyond measure because of her!  To be fair, at just six weeks old, she looked more like this when I picked her up from a middle-of-nowhere farm south of Grove City on September 12, 2007:

Although I make a sincere effort not to post pictures of my cat on Facebook (opting instead to text them to my brother who responds with pictures of his cat in return) those that know me well (ok, even those that know me not-so-well) know that I am obsessed with my baby.  There, I said it.  I am obsessed with my CAT.  Not my dog – my CAT.  Now I know many of you are probably shaking your heads, thinking, “Sarah, you’re a crazy cat lady!”.  A man I used to work with told me the reason I didn’t have a boyfriend was because I kept a photo of Susan as my computer background.  Well, you know what?  I choose her!

You see, Susan isn’t just a cat.  She’s MY cat.  And as anyone who knows her can confirm, she’s a pretty special one.  So on this seventh anniversary of our meeting, I thought I would share seven things about Susan that make her pretty darn special, not to mention awesome.  Enjoy!

1. She welcomes me home
   People say that cats don’t care whether their owners are home or away.  Well, I am here to prove you wrong.  Susan more than cares – she gets very excited when I come home!  Every time I turn the key to my apartment door, she wakes from her sleep (or is already clamoring at the door) and welcomes me by rolling around on the rug.  We have a routine:  I put my bags down, bend down to pick her up off the rug, and hold her like a baby in my arms while she stares into my eyes.  #don’tjudge.
   
   
2. She has quirks
   For example, despite having many toys, Susan loves these two balls the most.  She carries them in her mouth, meowing.  She even brings them into the bed with her.
   
   
3. She sleeps with me every night
   Every night when I turn out the light, Susan falls asleep at the foot of my bed.  She kisses my face every morning around 4:30, in an attempt to wake me up.  Sometimes this can get out of control, like when I leave her for 8 days while I’m in Spain and then leave her again for a night when I travel for work like I did this week. I throw her off the bed a few times in a fitful rage until she gets the picture, laying calmly next to me for the remainder of the night until my alarm goes off.  She even rests her head on the pillow.  What a baby.
   

   It’s 6:33 AM Mom….

4. She’s a lap cat
   As a Chait, I’ve been fortunate to have many wonderful cats in my life.  But Susan is the first cat (ok, besides our beloved New) who is truly a lap cat.  She loves being as close to me as possible – which makes doing work at home tricky at times!  If I’m watching TV, she’s watching with me – while lying on top of my chest.  She’s very affectionate, and what more can one ask for in a pet?
   
   
5. She loves water
   Another quirk of Susan’s is that she loves water.  Now, I’m not talking LOVES loves water, like being completely drenched. But she often sits on the ledge of the tub while I shower (I have a clear shower liner), and when I get out, immediately jumps in and licks up the leftover water droplets from the facet and bottom of the tub.  Weird?  Yes.  Awesome?  Yes.  One time, when I was taking a bath like in the photo below, she FELL IN.  I wasn’t allowed to touch her for hours as she cowered in the corner in shame.  As my cousin Emily eloquently put it, “Don’t you just love it when cats make mistakes?”.
   
6. She isn’t shy
   This is probably an understatement.  To be fair, Susan is actually kind of a bitch.  She does not get along with other cats, preferring to walk around hissing and growling under her breath, letting everyone know that she is in charge.  But she’s not the type of cat to hide under the bed (like my brother’s cat), instead hanging out in the middle of my living room during my annual Passover Sedar.  She has a soft spot for Ashley (we have that in common) – and if Ashley’s being honest, she’ll tell you she has a soft spot for Susan too 🙂
   
   
7. She’s soft and fat
   While I prefer my men on the trim side, I prefer my cats FAT – and in Susan’s case, also very soft.  Susan is constantly the brunt of fat cat jokes, and my “friends” tease her – and me – mercilessly.  The vet assured me that while she is indeed overweight, she is not obese and does not have diabetes (yet).  Despite my best efforts to get her to drop a few by limiting her food intake, her highly sedentary lifestyle (her idea of exercise is laying on the floor, swatting at a toy) keeps her a bit on the rotund side.  And you know what?  She’s perfect just the way she is 🙂  Not to mention her grey fur is the softest fur ever…just ask my Dad.

And that, folks, is just seven of the hundreds of reasons that Susan is truly a unique, one-of-a-kind cat, and why I’m a “crazy cat lady”.

Happy Anniversary, Susan!  I love you.

Hola, everyone!  I’m back from Spain, jet-lag and all.  Recall that two weekends ago Jackie and I embarked on our journey east to meet up with Pam in Spain!  After two short but fabulous nights in Madrid, we traveled 3 hours south by train to the coast – Barcelona – for five more nights, where we met up with Pam’s boyfriend Reinhardt.  It was a fantastic trip – Spain really did live up to the hype!

I’ve never been one for sitting down and reviewing the hundreds of travel photos of my friends’ vacations, so I don’t want to subject O-HI-30 readers to that either.  But since O-HI-30 is about the “Adventures of a Midwestern 30-Something”, it’s only fitting that I share some of my overseas adventures!  To give you a “Sensi” of our trip (my favorite restaurant!), I’ll share some of the week’s highlights, in no particular order:

Consuming
Wine, mojitos, tapas, gelato…there was no shortage of excellent food & drink on our trip!  Both were surprisingly reasonably priced, and we indulged in all of it.  Wine was regularly ~$4/glass, and even our most indulgent of dinners was less than $40/person.  We ate tapas style for almost every meal, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Tapas = more tastes.  We also found ourselves falling into a rhythm of multiple drinks per day – wine with lunch, mojitos at cocktail hour, more wine with dinner…what can I say, we were on vacation!

My favorite meal of the trip was at a restaurant called Sensi – a tiny, cozy tapas restaurant that our bike tour guide told us about.  I plan on devoting an entire post to that meal, so in the meantime I’ll share a few other photos to give you a taste of Spain, O-HI-30 style!

One day in the late afternoon we needed a small lunch, so we stopped by a place that served crostini by the stick!  At the end of your meal, you simply count the number of “sticks” consumed to pay your bill!  Fun.

And, of course, there was lots of gelato consumed!  (Although I easily could have consumed more).  A creature of habit, I stuck with my go-to combination of dark chocolate and hazelnut every time!  So. Good.

Shopping!
Prior to the trip I was told that Spain has great shopping, and it did not disappoint!  Believe it or not, I’m actually not typically a huge shopper when traveling – it always feels rushed, like I should be doing something else, or that it’s too expensive.  But this trip was different!  On our first and only full day in Madrid, we headed out for some sight-seeing and quickly stumbled upon a fabulous street of shops.  Three hours later, we emerged!  We didn’t do quite as much shopping in Barcelona, but I still managed to buy two unique rings there.  Just like the food & drink, prices were extremely reasonable.  For example, I got a fabulous pair of light brown booties for $30!  Ladies + Shopping = Muy Bueno!

Biking
Don’t worry – I’m not talking triathlon biking.  I’m talking tour biking!  On our first full day in Barcelona we took a Fat Tire bike tour – highly recommended!  Jackie, Nash, and I did a Fat Tire bike tour when in Paris a few years ago, so I knew I wanted to do it again in Barcelona.  The tour was a leisurely four hours, with stops at interesting spots, beers, and food (not included in the price, however).  It was a great way to learn about the history and get our bearings in the city.

And our tour guide (Hi, Bill!) gave us the inside scoop on the best bars and restaurants, which brings me to…

Bars
Every evening, we walked the 20+ minutes to the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) neighborhood to partake in its hip and grungy scene.  The bars were largely dark and a bit on the dirty side, but they were fabulous!  We went to one bar twice – the first time, at 9 PM before dinner, when it was empty.  The second time was at 1 AM after dinner and before the club – and it was so packed we couldn’t move!  Both times I had a chili mojito, and HOT DAMN was it spicy!  So good!

And yes, we did go to a club!  Although I was extremely intimidated by the 2 AM and later “normal” club hours, we managed to build ourselves up and went to an outdoor club about 10 minutes from the city.  It wasn’t the greatest of clubs, but we had a good time dancing like maniacs and staying out til 4 AM.  And most importantly, now I can say I’ve been clubbing in Spain 🙂

Beach
On our second full day in Barcelona, we took a siesta from site-seeing and spent the day on the beach.  We traveled ~30 min by train to Sitges, a quiet-ish beach town just west of Barcelona.  It was just what we – I – needed (I was pretty hungover – too much red wine the night before!).  Lots of relaxing, some sun (it was cloudy early in the day), and a great beachside dinner that felt more like Key West than Barcelona.  I even treated myself to a 15-minute back massage on the beach!

Men
This post wouldn’t be complete without mention of the opposite sex!  Let’s just say, Spanish men are “Muy Guapo”.  Check out this gym-in-the-park we stumbled upon in Madrid.  We may have taken a “break” on a park bench for quite some time…and snapped some not-so-discreet photos…

Bullfight
Although it wasn’t exactly a highlight of the trip, the Bullfight we attended in Madrid was most definitely an experience.  Bullfighting is banned in Barcelona due to it’s gruesome nature, but it’s still legal in Madrid and a part of the culture we wanted to witness…or so we thought!  We lasted for about half of the bulls (yes, they kill multiple bulls per fight) before calling it quits.  Of course, as a meat eater I’m aware that animals get killed on my stomach’s behalf every second, but seeing it made into a sport was not pleasant.  A bunch of men against one bull, a blindfolded horse that gets rammed by the bull, and the final stabbing of the bleeding bull was just too much for us American girls.  I’m glad I went, and I won’t be back!

So there ya have it!  Eight days in Spain in one O-HI-30 post!  Regular posting will commence shortly.

Have you ever been to Spain?  What was your favorite experience?

Adios, amigos!

Tomorrow, Jackie and I are packing up our bags and crossing the pond for 8 days!  We arrive in Spain on Sunday morning, where we’ll meet up with Pam who is currently living in Zurich, Switzerland!  After two nights in Madrid, we’ll hop on a train to Barcelona where we’ll spend the remaining five nights, with Pam’s boyfriend joining us along the way.  Basically – an epic vacation with dear friends (we’ll miss you, Ash!).  Not the greatest photo ever, but it works….

We’ll spend our days walking, sightseeing, drinking red wine, and eating manchego cheese!  And talking, of course:)

I’m not taking my computer (yipee!), so I’ll be back the week of September 8th with plenty of photos that will make you jealous.  Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone – see you in September!  And as always – thanks for being one of the almost 800 readers of O-HI-30!

And before I part, I leave you’ll with this:  GO BUCKEYES!  (can’t believe I’m missing the annual tailgate…sniff, sniff.  Have fun guys:) )

 

 

“I’m on the Road”

Spoken like a true sales person.  It’s taken some getting used to, but six months into my new position I think I can officially say I’ve become a “sales guy” (ahem, gal).  The switch from marketing to sales has been surprisingly different – they really are two different beasts.  Aside from the obvious differences (instead of helping the sales people sell, I’m now the one selling), one major difference is the amount of time I’m “on the road”.  Whereas in marketing, traveling for work meant flying to Vegas with five of my favorite co-workers for a trade show, now it means spending hours in the car, alone, followed by nights spent in boring hotel rooms – also alone.

Take today, for example.   This morning I drove north to Akron for a meeting with a potential customer (not The King).  I first met up with my Distributor at his office (technically, I’m not a full-fledged sales person; I manage Distributors who sell our product).  After visiting a few of the customer’s stores (gotta be prepared), we had lunch at Bob Evans (happily, not Applebee’s – I’ve eaten more at Applebee’s since I started this job then in the past ten years combined) before heading to the customer’s office for our meeting.  After the meeting, I got back on the road.  But instead of driving south back to Columbus, I continued north and west to that state up north to meet with a different Distributor and customer tomorrow.

Which brings me to my current location – Detroit.  My hotel is actually located on 8 Mile, and ironically enough, my iPhone shuffled to “Lose Yourself” right as I was entering the city limits.  But before you freak out, Mom – we’re talking 8 Mile in the suburbs, not the middle of downtown.  I pulled into the hotel just before seven, and immediately noticed a nail salon in the shopping center directly next to the hotel.  And since I wasn’t quite hungry yet, I decided to treat myself to a pre-Spain pedicure!  It was just $23 (20% off for new customers!) and very relaxing.  Check out those matching third-toe blisters – a souvenir from my Saturday night 🙂

While sitting in the pedicure chair, I browsed my phone’s Yelp app for dinner ideas.  Sometimes when traveling I’ll meet someone for dinner, a co-worker or a Distributor.  Other times I’ll take myself out for dinner – I’ve gotten pretty good at dining alone (but I always need my “dining out alone armor” – Sex and the City reference, anyone?!).  But tonight, I didn’t feel like sitting at a restaurant.  I felt like getting takeout and being cozy in my hotel room, with my blog and the TV.  After a few minutes of Yelp browsing, I decided I was in the mood for Thai – it makes the best takeout!  I called Thai Fresh and placed an order for some fresh spring rolls and red curry with brown rice, and then walked the 0.05 miles down the strip mall to pick it up.

Upon check-in, I learned that my hotel does not have a bar – what?!?!  I had my heart set on a glass of red wine with my classy hotel room dinner!  But never fear – Trader Joe’s to the rescue!  In between the nail salon and the Thai place sits a TJ’s – aka, cheap wine!  And cheap it was – I picked up a $3.99 twist-cap (no bottle opener) and a three-pack of dark chocolate bars (I will only eat one, I promise!) for a whopping $6 – cheaper than a glass of wine at the hotel bar would have been!  Win, win.

Back in my hotel room, I changed into my PJs and set-up shop for a five-star dinner:

Yes, those spring rolls were actually THAT BIG.  Sadly, they didn’t hold a candle to my favorite ones from Basil and I only ate a few bites of one before but deciding to call it quits.  Happily, the curry was much better – a little spicy just like I like it, and the half tofu / half chicken I requested hit the spot.  As far as the wine goes, it tasted like $3.99 wine – which is perfectly fine for the Hampton Inn!  The only problem with this meal is that it resulted in a lot of leftovers that I’m unable to enjoy (no fridge and I’m not driving home until tomorrow afternoon), and I hate wasting food.  Oh well – you can’t win ’em all.  Oh, and I was looking forward to watching the E! Fashion Police Emmy’s special, only to discover that the hotel TV doesn’t have “E”?!  #onlyinmichigan

So there ya have it – being “on the road”, Sarah style.  Tomorrow I meet with my Distributor and their customer in the morning / afternoon before heading home – hopefully in time to see my personal trainer tomorrow evening.  In case you’re keeping track, that’s 500+ miles in two days – whew!  Good thing my Dad taught me about “This American Life” – this week’s episode was a real nail biter.

Do you travel for work?  What does “on the road” look like for you?

 

As any good Ohioan knows, late summer brings the best Ohio sweet corn.  But by the end of summer, we’ve all had just one too many nights of corn-on-the-cob, brushed with butter and sprinkled with salt & pepper.  Don’t get me wrong – it’s good stuff (although I prefer to take mine off the cob before eating) – but I like to look outside the cob too.  There are many uses for fresh corn – shave it into salads, use it as an omelet stuffer, make cornbread (which, as a baker hater, I would never do).  Tonight, I decided to use it as the base for a soup – a healthy corn chowder (full recipe at bottom of post)!

Per Saturday afternoon tradition, I met Karen for lunch yesterday (at Northstar – we split the big burrito and chopped salad – be jealous).  She had visited the farmer’s market that morning and generously offered to pick me up some produce.  With corn chowder in mind, I requested lots of corn, and she delivered.  This morning, I tackled the dreaded task of shucking 11 ears of corn (Karen took two of the baker’s dozen).   You might be saying, “What’s the big deal about shucking corn, Sarah?”, and I would tell you that the task is MUCH easier if you have a backyard or a garage, neither of which my apartment affords me.  So I’m forced to shuck in my kitchen, standing over the garbage can and making a giant mess.

Once  all the corn was shucked, I moved onto the even more annoying second step – removing the kernels off the cob. Luckily, Rachael Ray taught me a trick to make the task do-able:  flip a small bowl upside down inside a larger bowl, then place the cob on the flat surface and run your knife down the side of the cob.  The kernels will fall into the bowl and not all over your kitchen (well, most of them).  This is what 11 ears of corn looks like off the cob:

Fast-forward to 7 PM – soup making time!  I loosely followed a recipe my Mom gave me years ago that I believe was from Cooking Light.  First things first:  chop up a leek.  For those of you who are not familiar with leeks, they contain a lot of sand and thus must be thoroughly cleaned before using.  Slice up the leek into rounds and place in a bowl of cold water – the sand will sink and the leeks will float.  When you’re ready to use the leeks, use a hand strainer to remove them from the bowl so you don’t get any of the sand that’s sitting at the bottom.

Next up, chop a few cloves of garlic, an onion, and a red pepper or two (I used 1.5).  Another Rachael tip:  to slice an onion, cut off both ends, peel, and slice in half.  Place the flat side down and make a bunch of thin cuts along the short end of the onion.  Then cut the opposite way.  The result will be uniform small diced onion:

Heat a little olive oil or cooking spray in a large pot.  Add the garlic, onions, leeks, and half of the red pepper. Cook for ~5 min.

Then add the corn and most of a 32 oz container of chicken broth.  For a totally vegetarian chowder, feel free to use veggie broth – I prefer the look and flavor of the chicken broth.  Bring the corn mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer.

After the mixture has simmered for ~20 minutes, remove it from the heat and let slightly cool (I folded one load of laundry during this stage).  Then comes the interesting part.  Scoop about half the mixture into a food processor (I used my mini one) and blend until creamy, then add back to the pot.  This makes the soup into more of a chowder.

And last, but definitely not least, add the rest of the red pepper and some spices!  The recipe calls for saffron, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt.  If you’re not familiar with saffron, it’s a Spanish spice that comes in threads and is very expensive.  I buy it at trader joes –  a little jar was maybe $4 and I’ve had it for years.  You only need a few threads to give the soup some warmth and color.

In addition to those spices, I also added some cumin.  Cumin is my favorite spice, and I pretty much think it makes all soups better.  This soup can be a little on the bland side, so the more spices, the better!  Then I reheated the soup and let the flavors meld for a bit on the stove.  The recipe also calls for adding the rest of the chicken broth, but I like my soup thick so I omitted that step.

To serve with the soup, I whipped up a batch of homemade croutons.  Seem overwhelming?  Trust me – it’s not!  All I did was buy a bag of cut-up french bread in the bakery section of my grocery, then spray those slices with oil olive and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper before baking for ~15 minutes at 250 degrees.  When the bread is crispy but still chewy, it’s done. These croutons will stay fresh in your pantry for a couple of weeks when stored in an airtight container.  Yum!

I serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream, some chopped green onions (you could use chives), the croutons, and, what else – BACON!  I fried up a whole package of bacon this morning, ate some for breakfast, and then put the rest in the fridge to crumble on soup or salads all week.  I also added a couple drops of Sriracha ‘cuz I like it hot!

The soup was tasty!  I look forward to eating it tomorrow for lunch, and I’ll probably freeze the rest of it to enjoy at a later time.  You could also remove the corn from the cob and freeze in a ziplock bag for future use – a taste of Ohio summer in January!

Healthy Corn Chowder

Ingredients

1 onion, diced
1 leek, cleaned and sliced
1-2 red peppers, diced
~10-12 ears of corn, off the cob
~32 oz chicken broth
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
~6 threads of saffron
S & P to taste
sour cream, green onions, and crumbled bacon for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat pot with oil olive or cooking spray and add onion, leek, and 1/2 of the red pepper.  Saute ~5 mins.
2. Add corn and most of chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for ~20 min.
3. Remove soup from heat, cool slightly.  Puree half of mixture and add back to pot.
4. Add remaining broth (optional), red pepper, and spices and reheat.
5. Serve with sour cream, green onions, and crumbled bacon
6. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

I spent this past weekend on the East Coast, visiting my Aunt/Uncle/Cousins on my Dad’s side:

We had a fabulous weekend talking, laughing, SHOPPING (it was tax-free weekend in Massachusetts!), and generally just enjoying eachother’s company.  Atlee is about to move to Israel to work for five months (or longer…) and Talya is starting her sophomore year at that school up north, so it was extra nice to spend time with the four of them all in one place.

On Sunday, we drove into NYC for a family reunion on Neva’s side of the family (Yossi is my Dad’s brother).  I had heard through the family grapevine that Maurice (my cousin’s cousin) had met his wife on eHarmony, and it didn’t take long before we were discussing the woes of dating.  Maurice showed me a contact in his phone – “Aaa unnamed”.  Turns out “Aaa unnamed” is his WIFE.  Years ago, when he first met her, Maurice was too jaded to believe that she could actually be “the one” – so much so, that he wouldn’t enter her name into his phone, preferring to keep it as “Aaa” (so that she would be at the very top of his contact list).  I assume that Maurice’s fear that it might end poorly like so many “Aaa”‘s before her dissipated at some point, but by then it was an ingrained habit – so Lisa became “Aaa” for life.

Maurice put it simply:  “It’s a numbers game.”  The idea being, you might have to meet a lot of people before you finally meet the right person.  Of course, it’s not a numbers game for everyone – for some (very few), it only takes one; for more, it takes some.  But for those of us that find ourselves dating at age 30, it is most certainly a numbers game.  The more dates you go on and the more people you meet, the more likely you are to meet the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.  This might not sound very romantic, but it’s logical – and I, for one, have always liked math.

The problem with the “numbers game”, however, is that over time, playing it gets tiring.  One bad date or short-lived relationship after another becomes the status quo.  You get excited about someone new, and then before you know it, it’s on to the next one. You find yourself choosing to sit out the game entirely for weeks or months at a time, just so you don’t have to be disappointed again.  Factor in years and years of playing the numbers game, and you can understand why a person might become a bit….jaded.

I, for one, have been playing the numbers game my entire adult life, and have every reason in the world to be jaded.  Last year alone, I was stood up on four distinct occasions (that I can remember – there were probably more.  And to be fair, I’m talking the 2014 version of being stood-up; you make tentative plans (mini-golf on Sunday), and then the person falls of the face of the earth, never finalizing said plans and thus leaving you hanging).  I’ll send ten Match.com emails, only to hear back from one – or maybe zero.  I’ll go on two, three, four dates with guys that I feel lukewarm about, hoping that my feelings will grow in time – they almost always don’t.  Even my attempts at “casual” relationships backfire – apparently I don’t give off the “casual girl” vibe.

The point is:  I have every reason in the world to be jaded.

But you know what?  I’m not the least bit jaded.  Despite all evidence that my next date is probably not going to be more than just the next number in my game, I can’t help but be an optimist.  This one could be different!  And so despite my better judgment, I let myself get excited for each and every date, each and every guy.  Yes, that might mean I’m setting my expectations too high.  Yes, that might mean I’m setting myself up for disappointment.  And yes, that might mean I’ll get hurt.  But that also means that I’m setting myself up for the possibility that none of that will happen.  And it’s that possibility that keeps my head held high, a smile on my face, and my eyes wide open.  After all, it only takes one.

And who knows – maybe my next “Aaa unnamed” will remain in my phone for life!

 

Some of my favorite “healthy lifestyle” bloggers occasionally write “Day in the Life” posts.  I always enjoy them – it’s interesting to read the minutia that make up a person’s day.  With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to do my own, “Day in the life of Sarah” post – and what better day than a boring Monday?!  If you make it to the end, kudos to you.

6:18:  Alarm goes off.  Snooze is set for 7 minutes, but I decide that I’m really tired and will wear my hair curly today, which means I won’t have to blowdry and straighten it = extra 15 minutes (probably less, but I push it).  I reset the alarm for 6:38.

6:38:  Alarm #2 goes off.  I set the snooze but get up before it goes off at 6:43.

6:43:  Turn on morning news, pour cup of coffee that automatically brewed at 6 AM, put in contacts, brush teeth, shower, comb hair & put in curly stuff, make bed, do foam roller stretches for my back, put clothes for the day in dryer with my wet towel to remove wrinkles, put on makeup, get dressed.

7:40: Put breakfast / snack snuff from fridge into lunch bag (I didn’t pack my lunch) and head out the door.

8:01:  Pull into parking lot at work, which means I’m “late” per usual.

8:05:  Arrive at desk.  Chit-chat with co-workers, wipe down my desk with cleaning spray (a Monday ritual), boot up computer, check emails and voicemail.

8:20:  Ask co-worker Alexa to put my icy hot patch on my mid/low back.  This is a daily occurrence, so she knows the drill. Since I’m not wearing a dress, we do this at her desk – it’s a private-ish area and I have no pride.  When you back hurts, it hurts, and icy hot patches are a godsend.  As are Alexa and everyone else who has seen too much of me in the name of coping.

8:21:  Head to break room to make breakfast.  Get really excited when I realize that I’m at the bottom of my peanut butter jar – peanut butter jar oats!  I head up the oatmeal per usual and then spoon it directly into the almost-empty jar before adding some fruit.  The warm oats melt the PB – it’s heaven.  Try it.

8:24:  Really get down to business.

11:34:  Eat a small handful of cereal to tide me over until lunch, which won’t be until later as I have errands to run.

12:11:  Leave building.  Drive to mall.

12:20:  Head first to the Gap to return two sweatshirt-type tops that I ordered online to wear on the plane to/from Spain, but didn’t like in person.  Then stop at Ann Taylor Loft to play personal shopper:  black leggings for my Mom (fail – didn’t have her size, just like at her store at home) and white camisole for Pam (win – visiting her in Spain in two weeks and am bringing her some requested items!).

12:38:  Lululemon draws me in – “just to see what’s new”.  Luckily, none of the new designs interest me so I leave after a quick walk-through.  My wallet thanks me.

12:43:  Leave mall and drive to Chipotle.  Was planning on picking up Subway at the mall (much easier and healthier), but I was craving Chipotle in a major way so went with it.  That’s what I call intuitive eating!

12:51:  Enter long Chipotle line.  Order my standard:  Salad, no dressing or rice, both kinds of beans (the musical fruit!), chicken, tomato salsa, corn salsa, a little hot salsa, cheese, a lil sour cream, and GAUC (worth the $1.95!).  Is it just me or are they getting stingy with toppings?  I had to ask for a little bit more cheese!  Also order a kids-sized chips – I just like to add a little crunch to lunch!  Refrain from ordering my standard iced tea and save a couple of bucks.  Side note:  in college, my girlfriends and I ate at Chipotle every single Sunday night for all of freshman, sophomore, and most of junior year before it eventually fizzled (don’t worry, our friendships didn’t!)

1:00:  Head for car, then realize I forgot fajita veggies like I always do.  Walk back into Chipotle, head straight for the counter and ask for a side of them.  You only get what you ask for!

1:13:  Arrive back at work, listen to voicemail, fill up water bottle.

1:20:  EAT this masterpiece.  Save half the chips for a later time.  I keep ziplock baggies at my desk for this very purpose – perhaps they will last until my next Chipotle visit!

3:14:  Refill water bottle.  Send more emails, talk on the phone with some of my Distributors, send even more emails.

5:25:  Leave work.  On a normal Monday I might stay an extra 15 minutes, but today I drive across the street to a Firestone to get my driver’s side front headlight replaced (my co-worker noticed it was burnt out – Thanks, Bill!).  Firestone tells me it’s going to be $45 to get it replaced – $45!!!  Right as I’m about to begrundingly pay – I can’t drive without a headlight – the mechanic realizes he doesn’t have the bulb in stock.  I leave, somewhat annoyed at the high cost and the fact that I’ll have to come back tomorrow.  But just as I”m leaving, the mechanic magically finds the correct bulb and replaces it – FOR FREE.  I ask him twice if he’s sure – I don’t want to get him in trouble with his boss – and he says yes.  I can’t help but think that this is what drives corporate business people crazy – that was a part and some labor! – but it was very kind of him and I drive away happy.

5:45:  Catch up with Ash on the phone while driving to the gym to teach spin class.

6:05:  Arrive at gym.  Change clothes.

6:20:  Do a quick 10-minute strength routine of push-ups, knee-to-elbow planks, side dips, and bicycle crunches.

6:30:  Enter spin room 15 minutes before class to get organized and help newbies get set-up.  Turns out, that wasn’t necessary today – only six people show up!  Tied for my smallest class ever.  The instructor before me had 22, so I’m very jealous.  The two pictured here are two of my regulars – hi Abbey and Ron!

6:46:  Class starts, one minute late.  I usually am very good about starting class right on time.

7:40:  Class is over, including cool-down.  It was hard, but the playlist I made was fun (“Tearin’ Up My Heart”) and I always love teaching.  Wipe-down bike, gather up gear and head downstairs to sign-out for class.

7:58:  Arrive at grocery store.  I prefer to go on Sundays, but since I was traveling this weekend I didn’t have a chance to go.  Hate going after spin as I’m usually starving, but amazingly the Chipotle kept me full all afternoon and all through my spin class – an extremely rare occurrence!  Zip-through grocery, picking up just a few essentials – produce, dairy, a few other goodies (those peanuts were $1 – great snack to keep me occupied at my desk!).

8:27:  Home!  Hold Susan (my cat, in case you somehow don’t know this fact) like a baby in my arms and watch as she stares up at me.  For real.  Don’t judge.

8:27:30:  Put Susan down and unpack groceries.

8:32:  Unpack gym bag, hang up clothes.  Pack pool bag for tomorrow night – might go swimming outside after work  (it finally feels like August!), or might go to yoga in which case I’ll come home first.

8:40:  Rinse off in shower, put on PJs.

8:52:  Make very random dinner.  Still am not starving, and tuna salad sounds good – something I haven’t made in probably a year.  Chop up some green onions, red pepper, and tomatoes, throw in pre-shredded carrots and corn as well as a small amount of capers for extra salty goodness.  Realize that both the jars of light mayo I have in the fridge are long expired (one was over a year old – gross, Sarah).  Don’t have any of the plain greek yogurt I normally buy (wasn’t thinking clearly at the store, apparently), so I improvise and use cottage cheese instead in addition to a few good squirts of spicy brown mayo.  Decide I also want a piece of toast with some cheese and a plain sweat potato, which I microwave. Like I said- very random.

9:15:  Sit down in comfy chair to eat and read blogs.  This dinner reminds me of the ones I ate in college.  Try to distract Susan from the tuna smell with some of her toys – it half works.

9:40:  Stop reading blogs and move on to writing my own!  This is a fun post to write and requires less “thought” than some of my other more content-heavy posts.  Susan sits next to me on the arm of the chair while I write.

10:10:  While the photos for this post (slowly) load, I get up to stretch my legs and clean-up from dinner.  I pour myself a glass of dark chocolate almond milk – yum.

10:20:  Sit back down to finish post.  Add photos, preview, make edits.

10:45:  Publish!  Not documented:  Taking out my contacts, brushing my teeth, and hitting the pillow.  Blogging keeps me up too late!

If you made it this far, it’s time for you to go to bed as well.

How was your Monday?!

One of my fondest memories of my childhood is my mom getting home from a long day of work followed by an aerobics class at the local YMCA, making the family dinner while still wearing her sweaty exercise clothes.  Her example showed me that it was possible to be a great mother while still taking care of yourself – something that so many of her peers felt unable to do.  From a young age, I learned that exercise is not just about vanity, or even health – it’s about doing something that makes you feel good.

Never having been one for sports, it wasn’t until college that I discovered the joy of exercise for myself.  It began freshman year at the Jesse Owens South recreation center on campus, with a modest 25 minutes (the time limit) on the elliptical machine, followed by some half-hearted attempt at abs and arm exercises.   Twelve years later, my workouts look different, but my love affair with exercise is still going strong.

Just like most girls, I’ve always been more into cardio than weights (I’ll save society’s influence on women for another post). In college, I regularly lifted, but I did so begrudgingly.  I understood the importance of it; a couple of stress fractures and a diagnosis of osteopenia (one step away from osteoporosis), along with my mother’s influence, taught me that.   But I viewed lifting as something that I had to do, something that wasn’t enjoyable and simply made my workouts even longer than they already were.  Needless to say, when I started grad school, something had to give – and I wasn’t about to give up my beloved spinning classes and running.  To be fair, I took up yoga around the same time, so I didn’t entirely give up strength training – but it definitely was not a priority.

Fast forward to February 2014.  A newly minted MBA, I found myself with a lot more free time – and a strong desire to get serious about strength training.  But after taking a 2.5 year long break, I knew I needed something new and challenging to really get me back in the groove.  Enter Sweat Box.  More specifically, enter Dustin Kelch at Sweat Box.  I started seeing Dustin upon recommendation from my friend Andy.  Andy had long been singing the praises of his personal trainer, and after just one complimentary assessment I could see why.  I immediately signed up for 8 sessions, and six months later I’m finding myself singing those same praises – this time, in blog form!

To be fair, Dustin is the first personal trainer I’ve ever seen.  But I think he’s pretty darn awesome!  One of the first things I noticed about Dustin is his attention to my weaknesses – mainly, my back problems.  He’s always been very cognizant of the muscular back pain that plagues me, and is quick to modify workouts that aggravate it.  He also suggested the back stretch that has by far and away been the most helpful of any I’ve ever tried, even after many years of physical therapy, massages, and the like.  Instead of rolling back and forth on my foam roller, I hold it in one position for 30-60 seconds, with my arms stretched above my head.  This allows the muscles to relax and begin to let go.  It’ s been a real life saver – thanks, Dustin!

Another thing I liked about Dustin right away was his calm, quiet demeanor, atypical for a trainer.  Dustin doesn’t yell, he doesn’t overuse phrases like, “three more Sarah, you can do it!”  He doesn’t tell me to “speed it up” when speeding it up it might compromise form.  Instead, he encourages with a gentle “three more” and “take a break when you need to”.   But you’d be mistaken if you thought Dustin was a pushover or not challenging enough.  Dustin pushes me 1000 times harder than I would push myself.  He challenges me to try the exercise a few times before I decide I “can’t do it” – and guess what?  I almost always can.  He keeps things interesting, making my brain work almost as hard as my arms and legs.  I still do bicep curls like in my college days, but now those bicep curls are accompanied with a step-over or walking lunges – working multiple muscles at the same time.  He knows my real limits, and makes sure I get there each and every workout.  In short – I get my money’s worth.

In case you don’t believe me, I thought it would be fun to share my workout from this past Saturday!

Step-up @ 15 x 8 (that means 15 lb in each hand, 8 on each side)

Inverted Push-Up x 15

Squat Jump @ 15 x 20

Whip Smash x 20

REPEAT ABOVE FOUR EXERCISES

Bosu Chest Press @ 25 x 20

BOSU Power Over with Rotation @ 10 x 10

REPEAT ABOVE TWO EXERCISES

Leg Press @ 185 (+ weight of sled ~ 50lb) x 20

Pull Down @ 70 x 20

REPEAT ABOVE TWO EXERCISES

And last, but definitely not least:

Cart Drag!  (it was a drag)

Dustin doesn’t skimp on time – the above workout takes a full 45 minutes (and I’m not big on breaks – again, gotta get my money’s worth!).  All the circuit repeats add up!  Gone are the days when I thought lifting wasn’t a cardio workout – I’m always amazed at how quickly my heart starts racing.

I see Dustin 1-2 times per week, on Wednesday evenings and/or Saturday mornings (before I teach spin!).  It’s definitely not cheap, but at this stage in my life (no kids, cheap rent) it’s an investment I’m willing to make.  I try to do a workout (or half of one) on my own a day or two a week, but it’s not nearly as enjoyable!  I love not having to think – I just show up and do what he says.

If you’re thinking about seeing a personal trainer, I highly recommend it (and for you cbus readers – Dustin and the Sweat Box!).  It builds bone density, revs your metabolism, and prevents injury.  But most importantly, it makes you feel like a badass!  I think it’s especially beneficial for women, who tend to be cardio junkies in pursuit of burning just a few more calories.  But ladies, I have news for you – I’ve never felt better about my body as I do right now, at age 30!  Strength training makes me feel lean and strong and sexy in a way that running and spinning never have.  And just like my mother did for me, I hope to pass on the love of exercise – and strength training – to my own daughter one day.

The question remains – have you sweat today?