First, before lunch I met up with my friends Merri and Laurel at the pool by Laurel’s apartment to soak up some sun and catch up.
My Friend Merri, the Bathing Beauty
Both Merri and Laurel are running in the Chicago Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon with me on August 1 and started their training last week. Initially, I figured I would follow Hal Higdon’s training plan, which requires two decent runs a week, along with one long run.
Then, I began considering shortening my running days to one run on Tuesdays, followed by a long run over the weekend so I could continue to take BodyPump Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and also take a yoga class on Thursdays and fit a rest day in on Saturday or Sunday.
Though I am excited to run in the half, I just want to finish the race and I am not worried about my time in the least. I want to finish strong though and feel adequately prepared, so after rethinking my plan, I am going to try to make running part of my workout three times a week, but I won’t beat myself up if I feel like missing a day for yoga or cross training instead.
Hal Higdon’s plan worked for me back in 2007 when I ran my first half, so I suppose sticking to his plan again is a pretty safe bet! 🙂
Snack + Lunch
Post pool time, I came home and enjoyed a snack of Brie cheese and whole wheat crackers with Ryan.
Brie + Crackers
We bought the cheese at Whole Foods after church this morning, and booooy is it a stinky wedge!
I really filled up on the cheese and crackers combo (I think I easily ate three-plus servings), so I wasn’t very hungry when lunchtime rolled around.
I wanted to try the Wanchai Ferry Beef & Broccoli frozen entrée I received to sample from Wanchai Ferry through MyBlogSpark, so I cooked it up to share with Ryan.
Wanchai
Sizzlin'
After looking at the slew of ingredients and nutritional information, I must admit this is not a product I would purchase on my own. Flavor-wise it was very tasty, but the long list of ingredients, white rice (I prefer brown) and less-than-stellar nutritional stats would deter me from buying it for myself.
Ryan, on the other hand, really loved it! 😀
Beef, Broccoli, Rice
Snack #2
Though my cheese and cracker snack sustained me through lunchtime, around 2:30 p.m., I started to get a little hungry again.
I made myself a protein frosty, following Janetha’s recipe.
Protein Frosty
It was really delicious but took a while to make because my blender struggled to chop down all the ice!
Rethinking Bridesmaid Dress Color
On to the second thing I am rethinking today…
This afternoon, Ryan came with me to the bridal boutique where I found the bridesmaid dress I like.
Bridesmaid Dreess Number One Contender
(You may see a picture of my sister in the dress here.)
I wanted to check out the color swatches for the dress one last time before fully committing to the cashmere/champagne color I love.
Though Ryan liked the dress itself, he seemed a little unsure about the color. When I described the color as “champagne” he thought that color was a light pink. Ehhh, not really. 😉
Ryan said he “trusts my vision,” but his reaction to the color is making me rethink my choice at the moment. I think the cashmere color is classy and timeless, but I want my groom to like it too! I picture the color with our flowers and color scheme (yellow, gold, ivory, white, wheat) and think it could look gorgeous. (Here’s an example.)
Ryan and I looked over some swatches and both liked the maize color, which was basically a muted yellow, so I am considering changing the dress color to that. We’ll see! I’ve got some thinkin’ to do!
Dinner
Post-bridesmaid dress dilemma, we headed next door to The Fresh Market to pick up a couple of whole wheat baguettes to use for our meatball subs for dinner.
The Fresh Market
While there, we also picked up a kitchen sink cookie to share on the way home, but that was gobbled up so fast that it eluded any photographs.
Once home, we straightened up the apartment for a bit before getting to work in the kitchen.
I used Quorn meatless meatballs as the base for our meatball subs, and smothered them in marinara sauce before topping the subs with lots of mozzarella cheese and placing them in the oven to get all ooey-gooey.
Quorn Meatballs
Balls 'n' Bread
Meatball Subs
Cheesy
Dinner is Served
Dinner was delish and suuuuper easy. Ryan and I both agreed this lil’ combo will be recreated again soon. 😀
Dessert?
I’m in a baking mood. I see some homemade treats in my future… Off to browse some recipes!
I hope you’re all enjoying the last little bit of the weekend. 😀
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Your dinner looks delicious… wow!!! YUM!!!!
And I love love LOVE the dress!!
that dress is gorgeous!!! i love the maize color idea…it sounds amazing, but that dress would look great in just about any color 🙂
I love quorn! im so glad to hear that someone else does too!
I would never think of a yellow, gold, white, ivory etc. colour scheme but it looks so classy and, like you say, timeless. Mine was black, white, and pale pink which I think is also timeless 🙂
That dress is so beautiful, classy but modern. I love the color scheme on that link, and it sounds like both the champagne color and maize would look beautiful!! My brother is getting married this summer, and my only problem with my pale yellow skin is that I’ll have to tan like crazy for it to complement my skin…so maybe take your bridesmaids’ complexions into consideration when making your choice!! Hope you bake up something delicious 🙂
Those meatball sammies look YUMMY!! My current running plan is just a few days a week with rest in between and it hasn’t failed me yet 🙂
Though, I’m not running super long distance, just training for 5/10Ks, but I think it’s a good idea to mix things up so your body is always trying something different!
I’m getting married next May- LOVE stylemepretty! 🙂
I love one-shoulder dresses- they are gorgeous. And I love the one you picked out. I think it will look great on your bridesmaids. I also checked out the example look you put up for your color scheme & I think they are beautiful! PERFECT for an October wedding.
PS: Don’t forget- Bachelorette tomorrow night!! 😀
LOL – thanks for the reminder!!!
I had so much fun looking at that bridal blog : )
I think your color scheme sounds elegant + unique, but just be careful b/c I know, personally, that some don’t look good in pale colors like gold and yellow.
YUM! Those meatball subs look delish!
How would you compare the Quorn meatballs to a “regular” meatball?
they’re yummy, but i do prefer regular meatballs… they’re just more… meaty??? 😉 i would definitely buy the quorn ones again, but i wished they had more spices or something…
Good to know, thanks! 🙂
Oh no I’m now addicted to the looking at weddings stuff and I’m not even close to getting married!
That bridesmaids dress is beautiful!
I went very simple for my wedding. Two of my bridesmaids wore black skirts, one wore black pants, and they all wore the same green blouse with a white tank underneath.
I love weddings!
No matter what you choose, those dresses will look stunning! I really loved the dark brown ones (but what doesn’t look fantastic on a model?!). I am so excited for the two of you! I feel like I know you in an odd way. Vicarious wedding party thrills! lol
haha love it! 🙂
Love reading about the wedding planning. Like I am pretty sure others already said, it is fun and feels like I can live vicariously, all girls like thinking about weddings 🙂 beautiful dress!!!
haha, I like the “balls n’ bread” caption, I found that amusing lol 🙂
My bridesmaids wore “Maize” and I think the color looked so pretty and classic! If you want to see pictures there should be some on facebook (Therese Dolezal) 🙂
i am so facebook stalking you…
So I personally REALLY like the champagne color but I can totally understand about wanting your groom to like everything too! I am sure whatever you decide will be lovely! 🙂
I think your training plan sounds great as long as you get those long runs in on the weekend. I followed Hal Higdon as well training for a couple of my half marathons. Love the bm dress!
since seeing that you dont care about time etc on that half, even then i dont think running only 2 times a week is smart. i know you are really active etc., i just think running 3-4 times a week makes for a better prepared runner both during the race and afterwards.
Be sure to ask your bridesmaids what they feel comfortable in… skin tone plays a huge part! This is the first thing I thought of when you mentioned wanting champagne… i think maize is a better choice and im relieved you’re re-evaluating it (whew its not even my wedding! but I’m all for a brighter neutral!)
Yummm meatball subs!! How did the Quorn meatballs taste? I’m trying to find a good beef substitute for them!
that is nice that you are taking into account what your boy wants! i am sure whatever you pick will be stunning. that dress rocks.