I got the itch!

I have been wanting to bake for the past two weeks. It has been like a weird itch that I can't scratch. I haven't had the right ingredients or the right recipe. I finally took the time to read some lovely blog recipes and go grocery shopping, so I have been a little Susie homemaker all weekend. It started Friday, when I whipped up (read:chopped for an hour) homemade vegetable soup! I was a little nervous making this recipe because I based it off of my grandmothers, which was then passed down to my meat loving father, who told me it wouldn't be the same without a beef stock. Well father dearest (because I know you are reading) my watered down vegetable stock is delicious! I'm kind of obsessed with it actually, and I made a hugeass pot so I can take portions to work this week.
This weekend has been amazing. It hasn't been any one thing that has made it great, I just kind of feel like everything fell back into place. I went on a run on Friday, and on my way home I saw a sign in Adams Morgan for free yoga this weekend. I called the place when I got home and what do ya know? they were having an opening weekend offer. Heck yes. Free anything and I am there. I spent Friday night like a respectable lady and had a drink at the Irish bar across the street with a guy in my program who is quickly becoming one of my favorite people to talk too. Don't you just love conversations that make you feel like you have known a person forever? Meee too. A male perspective on things does not hurt either.
So Saturday morning my roommate Nicole and I went to the free power yoga class. It was beautiful. I have been relying on yogadownload.com for my sessions lately and it was a very nice change to actually be in a studio. The place is gorgeous too! Its a huge room that holds over 100 people and it has carved ceiling and floor to ceiling windows to let in natural light. When I got back to the apartment, my baking spasm began. I made Flax and Oat Power Muffins from Angela's recipe page at Ohsheglows.com. The picture is of the second batch that I made today because I forced my roommates to try my "health food" and they gobbled them up! I am so glad everyone liked them, but I wanted to make them for a work snack this week, so I had to make another batch!
The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and getting career advice from a family friend. I gained A LOT of insight and I am really grateful he took the time to meet with me. I kind of fell of the wagon in terms of food in the afternoon, which I am not proud of, but after it happened I made sure I acknowledged my slip up and then decidedly moved on. I had a healthy salad for dinner before heading to the local Syracuse bar to watch my Orangemen beat down Villanova! It was a great game!!!
I went to bed early so that I could wake up this morning and attend another free yoga class! I ate a banana and an orange for breakfast with coffee and an unpictured power muffin to start my day. The yoga class this time is was Vinyasa and the woman owned my hamstrings, in a good way of course. I wish I could afford a package there, but I really just can't justify that kind of money for something I can do at home. I came home and made this bomb.com salad which had a bunch of spinach, tomato, cucumber, carrot, and the rest of this chickpea concoction I bought from TJ's. With a little balsamic vinaigrette and a toasted cut up piece of pita, I was totally satisfied. (Score 1 for intuitive eating :))
After lunch I decided to play housewife, so I did my laundry, changed my sheets, and made my very first batch of protein bars! I tweaked Susan's recipe from thegreatbalancingact.com. They turned out really well (I think...) They are chilling (both figuratively and literaly) in the fridge right now, but I am excited to have some new eats at work this week!
Since I am apparently feeling like superwoman this weekend, I threw on my tennis shoes and completed one intense run! I went through Rock Creek for the first time since I moved here, and I have got to say, I loved it. I didn't realize how nice the paths were right by my apartment because they have been covered in snow for the past month :P.
It kind of felt like a breakthrough today, I can tell that I am now able to run for longer periods of time and faster without getting fatigued. I completed my run in 52 mins. I don't know exactly how far I went because I don't have a Garmin (although I want one!) but I estimate it was around 4 miles. If you are a reader that knows where I live, I ran from my apartment to the Watergate Hotel and back! I think I got a runners high at some point too because I just felt so great and even though I was tired, I just pushed through it mentally. By the time I got back to my area of town, I wanted to walk around the block to stretch out my legs. It was perfect timing for my friend from high school to call and catch up. I ended up walking around for another 35 mins just chatting! Yay for unintentional milage!
I just watched the U.S. lose to Canada in hockey which does not leave me with a very good taste in my mouth. But I can't go ruining a perfect weekend :)
I am also having dinner with a high-school friend tonight, so there is still so much to look forward too! I hope you all had as great of a weekend as I did!
What was the best part of your weekend?
~Jenn