Happy Monday, friends! It’s a short week for me this week because I’m headed to Cabo for a bachelorette party on Thursdsay! It’s funny how time goes by so quickly. We were just in the initial planning stages of this a couple of months ago, and it seemed like August was so far away. And, here we are. I was in charge of handling bachelorette party decor for the hotel room, and I’ve got some cute stuff I’m taking with me. I’ll do a full recap of decor once I have some photos of it all hung up. On that note, I need to remember to pack tape and scissors.
I’m trying to pack a lot of work things into a short week, so we had a busy weekend, but we still managed to have some fun. And, even though we don’t have kids who are “headed back to school,” it still feels like the start of a new year is upon us (my fiscal year begins September 1), and everyone always seems to hit the ground running with a renewed sense of focus. That being said, summer, one of my favorite seasons, is still around through August as far as I’m concerned. While I welcome the changes of seasons, much like the change of the guard, I’m not ready to quite let summer go and I’ve never been one to rush the seasons. It’s been such a good one that I want to enjoy it down to the very last drop.
Vet Trip
The Spuds were due back the vet for their yearly exam. We knocked out all of their shots, their bloodwork and anything else they needed. Golden retrievers are prone to certain health issues like ear infections, skin infections and hip dysplasia. Knock on wood, Tex and Cali have never had an ear infection or skin issue. Fingers crossed these types of things won’t bother them as they age. We did book an appointment for their spay and neuter appointments in October. It’s good to wait 18 months for golden retrievers (if you can) to get them spayed/neutered. It helps their hormones develop fully and gives their bones a chance to fully form. We are glad we waited, but we are also looking forward to having their procedures behind us. Also – thank goodness for pet insurance. That really deserves a separate post in an of itself, but we’ve had full pet insurance coverage on both dogs since we got them, and I’m really glad we have it. I’ve never had it for an animal before, but I’ll share all my pros – and cons in a post maybe later this week or next! Both dogs received a clean bill of health this time around – so no more appointments until their spay/neuter.
Workouts
I was wiped out by the time Friday rolled around. I’ve just been exhausted lately. I don’t know if it’s burnout stemming from work fatigue, but Aaron and I were both exhausted. So, we opted to laze around our house. We took the spuds for a walk, and Aaron grabbed us some dinner from Chick-fil-A. And, I opted for a yoga session to see if it would help wake me a up bit. I also needed to get a good stretch in because I’ve been weight lifting and running. It felt awesome, and the Spuds joined me on my mat. (I did a Peloton Yoga by Aditi – a quick 30-minute session).
And, on Saturday after the vet, I was able to get in a quick 30-minute run before meeting a friend for lunch. I wasn’t sure if I would have time, but I was able to squeeze it in, hop in the shower and still make it on time. This was a hip hop run by Kirsten Ferguson, and she got in some good hills and incline! I’m 3 classes away from my century (100th) run!
Kombucha
I’ve mentioned that I love a good kombucha. And, Aaron grabbed me one from the store the other day. It was a new flavor, and the thing I really appreciated was the fact that it didn’t have a ton of added sugars. I drank one of these after my run and before I headed to meet my friend for some Greek food. We wen’t to Niko Nikko’s, which is a favorite of mine. I had the veggie pita with a side of French fries!
Saturday night
Aaron and I headed to Studio Movie grill for a movie on Saturday night for a little date night (one of our favorite dates). Their reclining seats are so relaxing. We saw Nope. A fun fact about me is that a I love a good thrilled/mystery/suspenseful movie. And, while this wasn’t necessarily on my radar, I actually thought it was pretty good. We saw The Black Phone a couple of weeks ago, and that one is a highly recommended movie if you are into scary movies!
Costco Haul
I also did a little Costco haul this weekend. I didn’t mean to. There were two items that we were out of that I definitely needed to purchase. But, an hour and a half later, I came home with several Costco finds. I also ran into a friend in Costco, so I stopped to talk to her for a good while, which would explain why I was in there so long. 🙂
I’ll share some of my highlights from the trip, but know that I also picked up some necessities like tons of freezer bags and some lighters (hello, hurricane season – although, this was mainly in prep for lighting my Fall candles). I grabbed these dog treats for the pups. They love love love peanut butter, so I figured they would enjoy these. We’ve been taking training treats on our walks to keep their focus on us, and I knew they would like these. Spoiler alert: they were a hit. The ingredients are also fairly clean, which is important when it comes to dog food/treats (because they aren’t regulated like human food).
These little frozen yogurts stood out to me. I was in the mood for something cool, and I hadn’t seen these in Costco before. They have a chocolate/vanilla option, an orange n’ cream option and a strawberry/vanilla option. They come in pre-packaged containers and are actually pretty delicious. I’d buy them again.
And finally, we are big hummus fans in this household. I’ve never seen this hummus in Costco, so I knew I needed to try it. It’s absolutely delicious, and it doesn’t contain any gums/preservatives. It’s one of the cleanest hummus ingredient lists that I’ve come across. Give it a try the next time you are there! Those were my three favorite new finds!
Sunday
Sunday we did church, ran some errands and stayed in the pool for the afternoon. Scrambled eggs and protein muffins were on the menu before church.
Bonus recipes for the week
I’m going to share a fun post on Wednesday of using chicken breast to make two dinners, but I figured I’d share some bonus recipes you can make this week. Super quick, super simple – especially if you are back to school, feeling the work grind or just don’t feel like spending a ton of time in the kitchen.
My egg roll in a bowl can be made in about 20 minutes!
Sweet potato fries and turkey avocado burgers for the win. This can be done in 45 minutes from start to finish.
And, crockpot meals are THE easiest ever. Try my crockpot ranch chicken for the win. If you want to add a veggie, throw some frozen – or fresh broccoli florets in the crockpot for the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Happy Monday! Hope your week is fab.
