This Weekend I....

Ahh boot camp was HARD today and my partner in crime Catherine accidently didn’t wake up- I think her alarm didn’t go off. For the first ten minutes every car that drove by I looked over to check if it was her, eventually I figured I can do this if she is or isn’t here – STOP WORRYING BAILEY! I have in my head I cannot do a class without a friend/ buddy, soo false.

A quick weekend recap:

• I shopped until I dropped. Spent a good amount of my paycheck at Gap- but hey it was friends and family (40% off the whole store!) so I got TONS for my money.
• I spent the day with my college BFF Lauren. Love that girl. Can’t wait to be roomies in thirteen days : )
• Had Chipotle—YUMMY
• Went for a family bike ride and managed to get stung by a bee.
• Finally saw The Heat with my friend Court
• Went for a 3 mile run and felt great. I really want to be a runner, so I am going to try to make it happen. Will keep you posted.
• Made some great food/lunches for the week.
• Got told I need glasses… Great I really am getting old!
• Started packing again for college…. Ahh it’s that time of year again.

But today I want to focus on what a typical Sunday would be like for me:

Sunday is one of my favorite days of the week! Most people dread Sunday’s, which I do too, during the school year that is. But when I am home during the summer my family goes grocery shopping for the week on Sunday. Which always results in a fridge full of good food. Yes, we are out with all the other crazies but I love shopping Sunday then preparing meals for the week Sunday afternoon. When we are out we get a grocery cart full of fresh fruits, fresh veggies and meat for the week.

A typical grocery list would be like this: chicken, shrimp, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, celery, broccoli, asparagus, grapefruit, bananas, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, unsweetened almond milk, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, string cheese. Of course there are times when we need almond butter, sugar, flour, pasta, etc. But that’s not every week. I like to grocery shop at Trader Joe’s because they have organic foods for cheaper than the regular grocery store. We also go to Costco for big bulk items.

Then we come home and grill 10+ chicken breasts, shrimp & veggies (peppers & onions). I love doing this because then we have lots of options for the week. Everyone in my family is busy and on the go so Sunday is our only night of the week we always eat together. After I am prepared for the week I shower and get to bed. 

LOVE this divider for my food. This isn't all the food
I am eating today, this is just part of it 

I am a strong believer in being prepared for the week. When you are prepared in life things will go smoothly. If I don't have food ready for my lunch, I will grab whatever is in the fridge, which usually would be quick and unhealthy foods. By doing preparation on Sunday’s my weekday’s are much easier.

This is a typical Sunday for me. Is it like this every single Sunday? No. Because things get in the way and we live a life that has other commitments besides working out or going to the grocery store. If you struggle with lunches/ dinners during the week try to be prepared. You will see a big difference!

Surround Yourself With Good People {Week Two}

I don't know where to begin to start talking about my good friend Katie. Let's start from the beginning, which brings us back to 2007...

It was the first day of 8th grade and I was scared. My family just moved to a new school district and I only knew a few girls through church. I was going to be that girl who didn't have anyone to sit by at lunch, I was going to be all alone, I was going to be a loner. Until I met Katie and her sister Ashley in class. I had a class earlier in the day with each of them so when it came to lunch I was on the look out for them because I new they were also new to the school.

 

HS football games

My 16th birthday dinner

I can remember it almost exactly, I was wearing a blue shirt with blue and white stripped shorts both from American Eagle (I was obsessed with American Eagle. People would joke I owned the store and they wouldn’t even ask me where my clothes where from because they knew my response). I was sitting with some friends from church when I looked over and they waved me to sit with them. I thought I HAVE FRIENDS!

I of course went to sit by them and the rest is history.

We have had some immature fights but we are girls and were in high school. It was often hard being friends with twins because you can't be mad at one and not the other! So therefore we always have made up. : )

Throughout high school Katie was a close friend. We would go to all the football games together, boat, have sleepovers in a tent, swim, shop, go to movies, just have fun times together. It was hard to say bye to her last August when we all left for college. We were at her house and some tears came but I wasn't too worried because I knew I would see her in two short months.

Dinner out this summer

Fast forward to this summer- Katie and I have grown so close. This past year I have grown to love exercise and living a healthy lifestyle. Which as you know if so different from the high school Bailey. I’ve changed and that’s ok. Katie has been so helpful in my new journey, she is supportive and so encouraging. Katie, Catherine and I try to exercise together at least once a week.

Country Jam this summer

We share recipes and workout ideas. We get together on Friday nights to rollerblade and do abs. We wake up at 4:45 am to go to boot camp together. We shop til we drop. We are the losers at the grocery store on a Sunday with all the moms and dads. We boat and laugh. We celebrate fun moments. Oh my the list could go on. But I wouldn't change our friendship or our history for the world.

My 19th birthday dinner

We have grown so so so much this summer and this August the goodbyes will be a lot harder. (although we already planned a time to all meet up in September!) I truly so love and care about this girl.

Katie is such a caring friend and she is so supportive. Check out her blog to learn a little more about her.

My Love For Panera

Panera. Is. The. Best. Restaurant. Ever. End of story. Ok I love, love, love Panera. It is one of those restaurants you can eat at and walk away feeling GOOD. To me, it seems like there aren't a ton of restaurants left like that.

Yes, I people were wondering why I took this picture. ha ha

Things I love about Panera: the freshness, the greens, the look of the chicken, how they cater to you (no worries if you want something taken off or added to your meal), so many healthy options, the quality of their food. I am a poor college student; however, I will not settle on a crappy meal from McDonalds. Maybe last year at this time I would... But not anymore! I am willing to pay a little more for better quality.

So fresh

When I go to Panera I like to do the soup and salad combo. I love their chicken noodle soup (all natural, too!) or chicken lemon one, but when I am doing GF I like the bean soup. For a salad I LOVE the Cobb salad. It has leafy greens, bacon, cheese, dressing, chicken, tomatoes, and avocados. I get it with out cheese and bacon and with the dressing on the side.

Panera list the calories of all of there food so you can be aware. I love when restaurants do this. It makes you think before you get that tasty mac n’ cheese that is 930 calories, gulp. The salad I got started around 550 calories; however, the way I eat it is healthy because I omit the cheese, bacon and dressing. So it may still be somewhere around 300 calories but it is GOOD calories. So tasty and so healthy.

It is so darn good and if I could spend $13.67 on every meal I ate I probably would be at Panera more often. : )

I am doing day one of my two day cleanse (Thirty Day Challenge/ Cleanse) through Isagenix today... The mom I nanny for told me to brig the kids out to lunch and then to DQ for a treat. AHH! It's going to be hard but I'm feeling pumped and ready! I CAN do this and I WILL do this.