To Detox or Not To Detox

Happy Tuesday!

I hope everyone is having a great day.  I'm loving the humidity break we've had the past two days.  It certainly is still crazy hot in NJ, but the humidity isn't where it has been which is luverly.

Today's post is kind of an all over post.

When I was on the cruise, I attended a healthy living seminar on metabolism and how to speed it up.  The trainer giving the talk was talking about detoxing to expel excessive gunk in your intestines.  Obviously, he was trying to sell a product and a body analysis service to us, but it got me thinking.  I didn't buy the "Magic Pills" he was selling because I'm not named Jack and I don't have a cow to sell, but I started thinking, okay, maybe I can do a version of a detox and make it work for me.

I've never been one to buy into the gimmicky magic pill, magic juice, magic diet trend.  I believe that while they do make you lose weight, you eventually put it all on plus some.  Plus, these are not healthy and very often contain some really scare ingredients.  I decided to do some of my own research and I enlisted my trainer to help me.  Together we found that the best detoxes are ones that involve turning around your eating habits and focusing on whole foods.  The body is a very impressive machine and can usually fix itself in terms of digestion and detoxing/cleansing.

Here's my plan:

Week 1:  Give up alcohol

Week 2:  Give up dairy

Week 3:  Give up processed/refined sugar

Week 4:  Give up wheat/breads

Every week I give up one thing that is not a whole food.  When I try to give up "all junk" it's hard for me because A) It's not specific B) It's too drastic.  I have to wean myself off or I'll binge, feel guilty, and get discouraged.

This week I gave up alcohol and it hasn't been bad at all.  After last week's cruise, I can fully say that I feel better with less sugar and processed junk clogging up my body.

I decided to start this now because I have 4 races as of now in the next few months and need to get race ready.  I think cleaning up my eats will be the perfect way to help me PR.

Have you ever detoxed before?  What do you like to do?


Today is going to be another busy one.  I'm going into my classroom to *hopefully* make more headway in organizing and setting up for the year.  Yesterday I did 4.5 hours and pretty much have nothing to show for it.  I have a bunch of half completed projects and border up.  That's all.  Returning to work is kind of like returning to college.  The whole first day you pretty much do nothing but catch up with colleagues and chat.  I love talking to everyone so I'm never too sad when someone comes in while I'm working because I welcome the distraction.  Productivity level=Michael Scott.

Tonight after the gym, I'm taking my friend Aly to try my beloved Maple Shade Custard Stand!  She's never been and I keep raving about it.  Hopefully she'll love it!  Have you ever hyped something so much that when the person has it, they are like, 'well, it's good, but...it's not as good as you make it seem.'  Womp.  Womp.  **But I think she'll LOVE it like me!**

I hope everyone has a great Tuesday!  I'm working on the cruise recap and hopefully it will be up tomorrow!

-e

Memorial Day Weekend 2015

Hey People!

I'm baaaaack

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I've been MIA because life as a new first year teacher is CAAARAAAAAZY!  I'll try to fill you in, but it's probably going to be a little too much.

I'll just start from this past weekend.

Memorial Day Weekend is one of my favorite holidays.  I love how patriotic it is.  I love how everyone stops for a minute to thank our armed forces men and women and to remember those who lost everything so we could have our freedom that we hold so dear to us.  

This past weekend I went down to Maryland to visit my friend Amanda.  It was fabulous!  Thank God I didn't hit too much traffic.  

2 Bags for 24 hours…only Jersey Girls

As soon as I arrived we did what we did best….SHOP!!

And sampled BBQ sauces at Williams and Sonoma...

Cracker Samples

Anything can be a sample if you try hard enough ;)
Ice cream toppings without ice cream?  Don't mind if we do :)

And BIG NEWS!  I'm going to be a bridesmaid in Amanda's wedding!  So excited!  I am so excited for her!
I can't wait to be a part of your Big Day!

Then, we did what we're second best at…

EATING!!

When in MD, you need to have a crab cake

…and Girls' Nites need strawberry margaritas

P.S. mayyyjahh kudos to Chad's for lining the rim with both salt and sugar.  Never would have thought of it but it was a great touch!  

Next we trained it home because we made...

Cookies  Cookie Dough Salad!

We bought chocolate chip cookie dough and white chocolate macadamia nut…then we cooked 1/4 and ended up eating 1/4 of the dough.  We then baked the rest on Sunday morning…and ate the rest of the dough…

We ended up staying up watching chick flicks (P.S. Safe Haven is fabulous!)  We both joked that in our 15 years of friendship sleep overs haven't changed at all.  We still participate in the biggies:

1.) Boys

2.) Food

3.) Chick Flicks

 It was so fun hanging out and just catching up and gossiping and being girls.  Much needed Girls' Weekend.

Sunday was pretty much the same…shopping…eating…talking

But this time…We found SAMPLES MECCA!  aka Whole Paycheck!!

Since my juicer BELLA has died, I've resorted to stopping at Whole Foods to pick up Greens With Envy…
P.S. I need my juicer because this habit is getting pricey...

Cheese smaples

More cheese samples :)

Salad samples

Pineapple samples

More cheese samps...

Fresh salsa and chips samps

More cheese samps

Strawberry cream cake samps

Lindt samps!!

 After free brunch aka Whole Foods Sample Fest 2015 we went shopping :)

We came across this little gem…Bath and Body Works
American Boardwalk candle.

What does the American Boardwalk smell like?  This candle was too kind.  This candle was summer n a jar.  The real boardwalk smells like cheap liquor, fries, ice cream, teenagers, sunscreen, and a little bit of vomit.

We then saw this group of dapper groomsmen standing by the train.

I love watching a good wedding.  The couple ended up doing their First Glance Photo here.  Such a cute moment.  Not sure if I like this new tradition.  I think I'd like a big church reveal.

Lunch was at Nando's.  It's a cute little African/Portuguese fusion chain place.  So delish!

Also, this is set right on the waterfront.  Gorgeous scenery and a perfect day to eat outside

I had mago lime Peri-Peri Chicken and Macho Peas!

End of the weekend picture :)

My Memorial Day Weekend 2015 was super good!  I hope you all have a great MDW and remember what this day is all about:  remembering our troops who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.  

Thank you to everyone who has served, is serving, and will serve.  WE love you and are so grateful for your sacrifices.

Happy Monday!

-Erin

Also, who is watching The Bachelorette?  I like Ben Z. and that's pretty much it.  I'm not really feeling it this season.  Hopefully I will find some more that I like tonight.

Sunny and 75

Happy Saturday!

How's your weekend going?!  Mine is awesome so far!

I'll do a Lukey recap tomorrow but today we're going to chat about Cape Cod Day 2.

It has been about 75 degrees this whole week!  Perfect for walking around...ok for the beach.  Cape Cod is beautiful, the food is delish, and the fact that they have dairy free ice cream rocks my sox off.  What they don't have?  Anything to do at night.  The concierge told us that "star gazing" was one of the top things to do at night.

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I'm not saying I'm a super cool girl who goes out every night, but star gazing is not something to do at night.  I was hoping to walk around a cute downtown, minicity, or boardwalk.  Nada folks.  Since Dylan is only 20, we really can't go to bars or anything...which is ok because I'm not sure how I feel about family bar nights?  Kinda seems like a weird jump from Family Game Nights?  Soamiwrong?  Does anyone do family bar nights?  Will we do family bar nights once Dylan is 21?  Only time will tell!

So back to the day...

We beached it up at Sea Gull beach.  There are no waves here so that was strange for this Jersey girl.  But there was chick lit.

Is anyone else reading this?  I'm creeped out!  I shkeeved during this book and had to put it down a few times.  After a few hours on the beach we decided to drive down to Provincetown.  It was ehhh.  The traffic made the usual 40 minute drive a grueling 2 hour drive both ways.  It was so crowded that we drove down and turned right around.  Yup, 4 hours for nothing folks.  We were all starving and once we reached Captain Parker's I devoured more clam chowdah (I preferred The Skipper's chowdah) and then munch 4/5 of this shrimp teriyaki stir fry. It was just ok.  Wayyyyy too much sauce and the shrimp had a weird skin thing on them.  I didn't love it.  The veggies were amazing though!

After dinner we hit up Katie's for dairy free ice-cream!  So.Stinking.Good!  I'll definitely be hitting up Wegman's for some dairy free ice cream!  

When we got back to the hotel I ate 2 warm chocolate chip cookies and we called it a night.  I've been very good about hitting the gym everyday on vacation.  Even though we're walking all day I find it helps me calm down and clear my head. I also am a huge fan of weight training and love to lift!

Tomorrow we will be checking out and hitting our final port...Newport, Rhode Island!

xoxo,

Er

Lobstah and Chowdah

Happy Friday!!  I hope y'all are having a blasty blast on this Friday!

Tonight Jess, Kate, and I are going to shake it for Lukeybear and munch at some goodies from Xfinity Live!  I foresee some Chickie's and Pete's Crab Fries in my future.  Nomnomnom!


This was a travel day aka we spent 2 hours in a car driving from Boston to Cape Cod.  Not a horrible drive...if you were me watching Real Housewives of NJ DVDs.  hee hee, I know how to pass long car rides because of our frequent trips to JMU.  Before we left Boston, we hit up Fenway Park home of the World Series Champion Red Sox.  I'm a Phillies fan at heart because I'm awesome they're our hometown team but seeing the Red Sox stadium was super awesome!  My dad calls it The Vatican of Baseball.  I think that makes Ted WIlliams the Pope, but I'm not so sure ;)

Fenway is America's oldest ballpark 

The Red Sox championship banners

My dad explaining the importance of Fenway Park to an unamused Deb

Deb quote of the day, "I'm getting a shirt that says, If my kid isn't playing then I don't care what is happening!" Ahh, the sports fan!

Yawkey Way

Dad standing in front of the Fenway Park sign

Then we had some fun in the gift shop...

So much no about this 

I pouted over the Phils losing The Flyin' Hawaiian

Jeter shirt in a Fenway shop?!
Maybe world peace is more than a childhood daydream and
something wished for by beauty pageant contestants...

Deb posing with a salt and pepper shaker that is really a bottle opener...
Those aren't the same...

Close up of Salt & Pepper shaker/bottle opener

Maybe this confusion is a reason why the Sox suck this season...

Outside shots of Fenway

Boys with the championship banners

Glove seat...get it?  Like a love seat...I crack myself up

Boys have a combined total of 20 Red Sox shirts and neither of them wore anything Red Sox
Interesting.
I'm wearing green to support The Green Monster :)
(And pink to support Lilly Pulitzer :)

I think this boy is being knighted at the Vatican lol

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Padre with Yawkey Way sign

So now to recap Day 4 of our vacay!  We went to Cape Cod...

It was ugly  (JK, view from lunch)

Lunch was gross, too ;)
Best New England clam chowder ever!

I love the accents of the native New Englanders.  It's so cute!!  Chowdah and lobstah!

Can you even take how ugly this is?!
This is the best salad I've ever had!  

Lunch was devoured at The Skipper.  OMG Amazing!

Shenanigans infront of The Skipper

After lunch we checked into the hotel (which had S'mores and cookies every night!!)  Winner winner cookie dinner!  

Just kidding we didn't have cookies for dinner (they were dessert ;)  We had...DAIRY FREE ICE CREAM!  

This was my coconut milk chocolate ice cream with Reese Cups!!
Holy foodgasm!

Lil Mama and Tall broski

car shenanigans 

Don't we look normal?!

Fudge house without a fudge sample girl out front?
Nothin like NJ!!

After dinner ice cream we went to play mini golf at Pirate's Cove.  It was face rocking fun!  I haven't played mini golf since I was a sophomore in high school and my friends and I went with my friend and her boyfriend.  Does anyone else remember how much fun high school dates were?  Everyone and their mother would accompany the couple on a date because it was so important that your friends like him!!

I golfed with a pink club and a pink ball
because, duuuuuh!

Deb's ball and nails matched!

Deb and I rocking our pirate gear!

Shenannies

Dylan and Daddy rocking their pirate gear.

If you're wondering...I rocked par for 3 straight holes then began my downward spiral to last place.  Yup, yup, Deb beat me!!  Dylan won (no duh...he's a golfer), Daddy came in second, Deb came in third, and I lost.  Grrrrrr!

Mini golf was super fabulous and I loved every second of it. 

Tomorrow is more Cape Cod goodness.  Rumor has it we're going to be beachin' it! 

I'll see y'all after I finish shaking it for Lukeybear, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Cole Swindell!  Could this concert BE anymore rocking?

xoxo,

E