February 06, 2015

Things I'm Pumped About Today* II

February 06, 2015/ sherri d'alessandro

*This was actually yesterday

It's been a while since I've written a "What I'm Pumped about Today" post, but, today seemed fitting as there were a bunch of random things that made me happy. (And, I think it's good to focus on the little things right now considering the weather is the ABSOLUTE WORST). Ok, here we go!

1. I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready for the gym at 6am. I had felt sluggish and really out of it all week so it felt good to feel back to normal again.

2. Chris kicked our asses in class and I left feeling pumped up and strong!

(Photo from last Thursday's class, but, I had the same feeling: happy, cold, and red-faced!)

3. I love dried mango and I recently learned that it's a pre-biotic. Keri Glassman put up a photo of dried mango and peanut butter last week - saying it was a great snack. I couldn't have picked a better quick recovery fuel yesterday. I had mine in almond butter instead and it was GREAT.

4. I originally thought that I'd be away this weekend so I had to turn down an invite to ride in Equinox's "Cycle for Survival". I am no longer going away and luckily there was still a spot open for me! There are rides all over the country and I'm so excited that I'm able to participate in the Boston ride. This is the mission: Why Ride? Approximately 50% of people with cancer are battling a rare cancer. Rare cancers include brain, pancreatic, stomach, ovarian, and thyroid cancers; leukemia and lymphoma; all pediatric cancers; and many others. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center treats more than 400 subtypes of cancer each year, and every dollar raised by Cycle for Survival goes directly to lifesaving research at the institution.

5. Then, my boss picked up pizza for the office. It's my favorite kind -- gluten free Margarita from Wicked, it was amazing and I may have had 3 slices.

6. This month, Rob and I are challenging ourselves to "dry-ish February". Basically, I've given myself 5 day passes for drinking. I used one for the Superbowl, obviously, and I have 4 more left. This means, I have to choose which days I really want to have a bev. Typically, I have one on Thursday nights and I did not last night and I did not miss it. I think I'll use one pass on Saturday!

7. I cooked up steak tips, avocado cream sauce (omg), twice baked potato, and peppers & onions. ALL of which is much healthier than it sounds and looks. I'll post it later. But, I'll tell you right now that it was DEEEEELISH!

QUESTION for you all: What little things were you pumped about this week? I'd love to know!

Have an awesome weekend and to my friends in the Northeast: Try not to let the incoming storm get to you too much. 6 Saturdays til Spring! xo

February 03, 2015

Weekend Sunshine XXII

February 03, 2015/ sherri d'alessandro

Heyyyy everyone! Are you still winding down from the excitement (and stress) of the Superbowl? Wheeeewwwwwww that was an extremely stressful 60 minutes and I'm SO HAPPY that the Pats won it. New England has been a wild little place for the past couple of weeks. The excitement for the game and the double-whammy of snow storms has made things QUITE interesting. I'm already over the snow after today's 18 incher. Last week, it was fun and I was ready for it. Today, I actually had a mini meltdown. There is no place to put the white stuff anymore and people are getting mean. My "neighbor" took his snow plow and picked up a giant pile of snow in his driveway and plopped it right in front of my car that I had just shoveled out for two hours. True story. So freaking rude and NOT neighborly. Proof in the pudding below.

Anywayyyy, the bright side is I had two workouts today, right? Ok then.

Moving on, this weekend was jammmm packed. Friday night, we headed back to Charlestown! Molly planned a surprise dinner for Peter's Bday. It was a whole lot of fun and I didn't take any photos. WHOOPS!

Saturday after work, we met up with Mark, Kristen, Lauren, Sean, Em & Dev for dinner in the North End and then an Improv Show. It was sooo much fun and we definitely all let loose a bit. This picture was taken after the show. We NEEDED espresso martins and cannolis, ok? Ok.

On Sunday after work, I didn't have much time to make a ton of food for the game so I whipped up some easy classics. Of course, I had to make my deviled eggs and use my new little deviled egg plate.

Then, I went with homemade guac, shrimp cocktail, stuffed quahogs, spanikopitas, and mini pizzas at half time. We obviously wanted 'game food', but, also tried to keep it on the healthier side. I think we did a good job with that. Rob and I literally hadn't stopped in days so we decided to stay in and watch the game on my christmas-present-TV that he gave me. At first, we were thinking "should we be out?" and then once the game got rolling and we were screaming and I was jumping up and down on the couch... we realized we made the PERFECT decision to stay in and watch it together. Not only did we have the best seats in the house, we were also able to watch every single play and also every commercial. It was perfect and so was that game. WOW.

Crazy, stressed-out seflie.

That's a wrap, my friends! The rest of the week, I'm hoping for warmer temps or rain to get rid of some of the snow. Unfortunately, it looks like we're getting two more small storms. Mehhhh. Stay warm, everyone! Hope you all have a great week! xo

January 26, 2015

Weekend Sunshine_XXI

January 26, 2015/ sherri d'alessandro

First and foremost, I'd like to wish my dad a very happy birthday! I am so grateful to have such an amazing role model in my life. I don't know what I'd do without you, Dad. Thank you for everything!

Now... Gooood eveningggg, friends! Everyone hunkered down and prepared for Blizzard 2015?! I know I am. This past weekend was the first time I wasn't away in two weeks! The last two weekend trips have been so fun and have definitely made the winter a lot more exciting and bearable. It also makes weekends spent at home... a little bit sweeter - no cabin fever! Here's a glimpse into the sunny spots of the weekend. I hope you all stay safe and warm over the next couple of days. I'll be sure to post some at-home workouts should you wish to add that to the imminent snow shoveling workout!

On Thursday night, Rae, Janet, Becca, Chris, and I took Nathan's Yoga Class at Urbanity Balance. The class was "Candlelight for a Cause" and all proceeds benefited The Pine Street Inn. Nate taught an AWESOME class. Candles were lit throughout the room and he focused on "heart openers" which was very fitting for the theme of the class. I think we all left feeling stretched, strong, open, and warm. If you're interested in taking Nate's classes (which I reccomend) you can check him out at Prana Power Yoga in Cambridge and sometimes at Urbanity Balance in the South End.

On Friday night, Rob and I met up with Lauren & Chris at one of my favorite Boston bars... Ironsides! It was SO SO SO FANTASTIC to catch up with Lauren & Chris! We had a lot of laughs, I'll tell ya!

I've been craving raspberries A LOT lately (mainly because I love berries and I eat a ton of them in the summer so I think I'm missing them hard core). Anyway, I bought a bunch of bags of frozen raspberries and made this 4 ingredient smoothie that was DEEEE-LICIOUS! Ingredients: 1 cup or so of raspberries, 1.5 tbs of peanut butter, 1 banana, & almond milk.

Saturday night, we took advantage of the 'snowy' weather and stayed in. I whipped up these quinoa taco bowls which were absolutely DE-LIGHTFUL. Rob gave them two thumbs up. Here's what I did: Cook quinoa with a little bit of taco seasoning in the water. As soon as it's done cooking, add cheese (I used grated Kerry Gold cheddar, but, it doesn't matter) and mix it up. Cook up organic, grass-fed ground beef (or chicken/turkey) in taco seasoning. Top the beef on top of the quinoa and then top with all the fixings! I love avo, jalapenos, tomatoes, and red peppers. Add some gmo-free chips for dipping and a squeeze of lime and you're good to go!

On Sunday morning, I spent some quality time with Juliet. Yes, I gave her that munchkin. Kim gave me that solid tip before I came over - win! Just love that little girl!