The "Get Healthy" Challenge

My company has challenged us to get healthy. They are paying for our gym memberships and a Nutritionist for the next 6 months. If we pass the challenge, we'll win a 1 night stay at the Gaylord Palms resort along with a dinner party and a brunch. With that said, Game On!

Joining Erin & Alex today for Weigh-In Wednesday.

The first phase of the Nutrition program is the detox phase which is what I am doing right now. This phase eliminates carbs and red meat from your diet. You are allowed to eat white meat, seafood, fruits & veggies, which is good enough for me!  


The detoxification diet encourages you to eat 6 small meals per day (Breakfast, snack, Lunch, snack, Dinner, snack.)

One of the biggest challenges for me so far (other than craving pizza & milkshakes, of course) is that you definitely have to prepare your meals the night before. I cook dinners at home but I have to prepare breakfast, lunch and any snacks for the next day. Snacks can include hard boiled eggs or 1 cup of berries, melons, etc.

I almost forgot to mention WINE!! Wine isn't allowed in this phase. That's a pretty huge challenge for me as well!

Here's some other helpful nutrition facts that I found out in my first consultation:

- The best time to do cardio is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

- Milk is liquid sugar. If you are a coffee drinker, use a non-dairy powder sugar free creamer

1 gram of Protein = 4 calories

1 gram of Carbs =  4 calories

1 gram of Fat = 9 calories

One. Day. At. A. Time. 

Weekend Fun in Another Town

What a fun-filled and hectic weekend! Of course I'm completely exhausted  today which makes for a rough Monday... but it was all worth it.

On Friday, we headed out of town to St Petersburg, FL to see Slightly Stoopid in concert with a group of friends. We stayed the night at a cute boutique hotel in the heart of St Pete which was walking distance to the concert venue.

On Saturday morning we went for brunch at a cute Tapas Restaurant in St Pete and enjoyed some Bloody Mary's and Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon.

The weather was beautiful in St Pete on Saturday so we decided to walk around and explore the city. Everyone was out walking their dogs, eating brunch/lunch out on restaurant patios and we really enjoyed the vibe of this town.

 

We walked through the Farmer's Market, checked out the St Pete Pier and walked around the Tampa Bay waterfront.

 

After exploring St Pete we headed back home and had a quiet Saturday night. 

On Sunday, I met up with an old friend that was in town visiting. Since it was Cinco de Mayo we went for some drinks at a Mexican restaurant that had live music and good drink specials.

We then went for dinner at Kobe Japanese Steakhouse where the chefs cook on the hibachi grill in front of you and entertain with tricks and jokes. The food is always delicious too!

Linking up with Sami today for Weekend Shenanigans.

 

Cheers to another week!

High Five For Friday

Wow, this is officially my 100th post! I feel like only joined the bloggy world yesterday... but I'm happy with the direction it has taken and hope to continue to meet many more funny, beautiful and inspiring ladies in this space.

I'm also gonna have to start planning a giveaway to offer my lovely followers very soon!!

Joining Lauren today for H54F.

 

 (*sorry for the super tiny pics. My blog template restricts me from using anything bigger. I gotta get that fixed.)

#1: We're headed to St. Pete, FL tonight to see one of my favorite bands - Slightly Stoopid! I saw them about 5 years ago but their music has grown so much since then... I'm excited!!

#2: My new goodies from Ulta (saved $100 using my rewards card and several coupons & promotions currently going on). Several products I decided to try after reading Whitney @ I Work Yoga Pants to Work's "What's on my Face" post including Revlon's PhotoReady Foundation and Benefit's High Beam Highlighter.

#3: Having fun last weekend with one of my best friends and her housewarming party.

#4: New favorite snack - Flipside pretzel crackers, with pepper jelly and brie cheese. This is also an awesome finger food to serve at parties.

#5: Painted my nails for the weekend with a sheer pink nail polish called Sheer Blossom. Light or nude colors are much harder to mess up!

Cheers to the weekend!

 

Weekend Shenanigans

On Friday night K and I did our usual happy hour/dinner and drinks date after work. Of course I had to have an Abita beer along with some fried mushrooms.

On Saturday, we went to a local Oyster bar for lunch where they shuck oysters in front of you and serve them to you right on the bar...no plate or anything. This place has been around since 1950 and probably has never been painted or renovated since then but it has become a staple in the community and is well known for having AMAZING and cheap oysters! We are officially hooked!

On Saturday night we went to a friends housewarming party at their beautiful new home. We're excited that they just bought a house in a neighborhood close to ours. I love their backyard balcony view of the lake.

We had lots of fun on Saturday night and got to catch up with all our friends. I also posted a picture on Friday of the gift "basket" I put together for them.

Unfortunately, Jager shots were served at the housewarming party so Sunday was a wash for the both of us. We relaxed at home, grilled some steaks and caught up on some Dexter episodes.

Joining Sami today for Weekend Shenanigans.

 

Cheers to another week!

High Five For Friday!

Happy Friday everyone!
So happy the weekend is finally here and the weather is supposed to be pretty nice this weekend in Florida! 

Joining Lauren today for H54F.

#1. Love my new mint green cardigan from Kohl's. Paid $11.99 after using a 20% discount coupon online.

#2. Healthy meals at home. Baked tilapia, sweet potato, broccoli and spinach. 

#3. Raspberry Wheat Shocktop beer. Just as good as Abita Strawberry.

#4. The gift "basket" I made for our friends housewarming party this weekend. Includes: Clay pot, wooden spoons & utensils, red spatula & baster, Airwick scented oil diffuser and a kitchen towel.

#5. I've been feeling pretty unmotivated lately and I ran across this quote this week which has encouraged me to never give up.

Have a great weekend!

Quick & Easy Dinners for the Working Girl

I'm sure many of you are in the same boat where you simply don't have time to cook fancy dinners from scratch...especially during the week when our days are consumed by our jobs, going to the gym, errands, etc. These are some of my go-to products and recipes that I use to make quick & easy dinners during the week for my household of two:

Chicken & Veggie Stir-fry:

You can use an combination of fresh or frozen veggies and Kikkoman Stir-Fry sauce can be found in the ethnic section in your grocery store.

Oven-Broiled Pork Chops:

I season however you like and broil 11 minutes on each side. Some sides that I rotate using are sweet potato, corn on the cob, squash, zucchini or salad.

  

 Butterball Turkey Burgers:

Baked Tilapia:

This also take under 30 minutes to bake in the oven and is good with any sides. I season it with creole seasonings, lemon and capers and I like it with sides such as asparagus, broccoli or spinach.

Boil-in-a-Bag Brown Rice:

Takes about 10 minutes to cook as opposed to nearly 30 with other types of brown rice.

 

 

Shrimp Alfredo with Whole Wheat Pasta

 I make with either chicken or shrimp and often substitute the Alfredo sauce for the Vodka sauce, pesto, or regular pasta sauce.

Velveeta Shepherd's Pie:

This is a new find of  mine. Velveeta now has a bunch of different easy-to-make casseroles. I like the Shepherd's Pie and I substitute the ground beef for turkey. So easy, K can do it himself when I'm running late.

What's on your weekly menu?

Travel Tuesdays: Nassau, Bahamas

We visited Nassau for the second time last October when we went on a 3-day Royal Caribbean cruise. It's a beautiful island with some cool things to see.

The Port in Nassau

A childhood friend of mine now lives in Nassau so we had our own personal tour guide on our most recent trip. She took us to an ocean-front restaurant called the Beach Club Cafe which was amazing.

 

She introduced me to the best Strawberry Mojitos on the island.

If you are visiting Nassau, I also recommend you take a tour of Atlantis Hotel. You can walk through their huge aquarium or go have fun in the water park.

Sands Bahamian Beer is my favorite and Conch fritters are definitely worth trying if you are visiting the Bahamas.

Linking up with Helene today for Travel Tuesdays.

    Looking forward to reading about your travels!

Weekend Fun & Pampering

The weather in Central Florida has this bad habit of being beautiful and sunny all week and then on the weekends when we finally get to play it's cold, wet and gloomy. So it was a lazy weekend for me. K was in Vegas for a bachelor party so I had the weekend to myself. I did a lot of pampering and a little bit of drinking and eating.

On Friday,  I went for oysters for a coworkers birthday. You can't beat $6.95 per dozen!

After work I went for happy hour with two girl friends and then picked up my favorite beer - Sea Dog Blueberry beer and went home to watch to relax after along work week.

On Saturday, I finally got my hair fixed with some new highlights and lowlights. I've been doing my own color (blonde box dye) for several months and it was in dire need of some professional help. It looks A LOT healthier now.

 

On Sunday, I went to use a gift certificate that I got back in December for my birthday for the cutest spa in town. I got my nails done and they have a "gravity chair" which flips you backward to do a pedicure. It was super comfortable!

Linking up with Sami for Weekend Shenanigans.

I really enjoyed my relaxing weekend. Hope everyone had a great weekend! 

H54F: Having a "Me" Weekend

Well K is off to Vegas for a bachelor party until Monday so I have the weekend to myself. I might enjoy this for the first 24 hours but then what?  I've booked a hair appointment, a mani/pedi, a yoga session, and a girls' date or two...what else can one do to keep busy?

Linking up with Lauren for High Five For Friday.

1. Our Corporate 5K was yesterday which had over 15,000 runners & walkers from about 700 companies. In the wake of the Boston Marathon, many people were hesitant to participate this year but it turned out to be a success. #PrayersForBoston

2. Thanks to the bloggy world, I've also jumped on the Strawberry Abita bandwagon. I would have never know about this heaven in a bottle if I hadn't joined this lovely community only a few months ago.

3. My company is covering our gym bill for the next 6 months and has set up a 90-day challenge for us to do. Whoever succeeds in achieving their goals at the end of 90 days wins a night stay at the Gaylord Palms hotel in Orlando.

4. Ran across this Nutella & Go snack at the store. Hazelnut chocolate is my guilty pleasure. I had to try it but no more! My 90 day challenge starts May 1st.

5. Grabbing some drinks with the girls after the Taylor Swift Red Tour concert last weekend. The concert was amazing!!

 

Have a great weekend!!

My Bucket List

I started writing my 30 before 30  list a while ago and now that I'm finally getting around to posting it, the sad realization has hit me that I'm only eight months away from turning the "Big 3-0".  Realistically, it'll be impossible to get all of this stuff done in time, especially the amount of traveling to different countries/cities I want to do. 

So this list has now transformed into my bucket list which I'm hoping to be able to accomplish in the next 5 years. I think that works out better. No pressure!

Emily's Bucket List:

1. Visit New York City - NYC Trip Recap
2. Get promoted in my job - Yay! Got my promotion the week after we got back from NYC
3. Go Parasailing
   
4. Purchase my 1st home
5. Volunteer in the community - Ronald McDonald & VA Clinic
   
6. Visit Jamaica  - Been there twice now to Negril and Montego Bay
   
7. Spend a day at the Spa 
8. Purchase brand new car
9. Play Trinidad Carnival one last time
10. Build a deck/ back patio
11. Travel to Hawaii
12. Own a shar pei or bulldog - Lola Chanel came into our lives in November 2014. 
13. Get another tattoo that is meaningful
14. Be a maid of honor in a wedding 
15. Visit California - San Francisco Trip Recap
16. Go on another cruise - We cruised to Cuba in May 2018
17. Tour Europe - July 2019 (London, Paris, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Rome)
18. Visit Bora Bora in Tahiti
19. Do a trip for our anniversary every June
20. Experience Las Vegas - Las Vegas trip recap.
    
21. Purchase & custom design a new home- New Home tour
22. Host a Thanksgiving dinner at our house  - Thanksgiving 2017
    
23. Visit Mexico - Summer 2017 in Playa del Carmen
24. Swim with dolphins
25. Visit a Buddhist temple - I visited a local Buddhist Temple for a food festival and luckily had a Thai friend show me the ropes in terms on the religious etiquette when entering the temple.