Saturday, July 13, 2013
Chris: Home Sweet Home (7.13.13)
I know I didn't post yesterday, but you know how it is on the last day out of town. Ericka and I decided to go sightseeing by foot, bike and boat. For a play by play of our adventure, see Ericka's post (Taste of Chicago). We definitely went out with a bang. We ate brunch, toured Soldier Field, walked Navy Pier and caught a water taxi to Michigan Avenue. It was by far the best day I spent in Chicago over the course of the week. I didn't get to do everything that I wanted, but I did alot and have a reason to go back. As for the no carbs for the day, I got an omelet during brunch and ate at the airport before we departed. Dinner in the airport consisted of a beef dish and a chicken dish from the Chinese restaurant in the airport. It wasn't the best I've ever had by far, but at least I didn't eat carbs, lol. The flight home was smooth but one of the emptiest flights I've ever been on, literally, it was only about 35 passengers on a Southwest plane. It was so few people that we didn't even have to line up according to our numbers on our ticket. I had a great week in Chicago with training for work, sightseeing with coworkers and getting some much needed relaxation with Ericka. It was filled with great food, loooooooong walks and pretty good weather. I am attaching some pics from the week long trip and hope you enjoy and get to see the trip through our adventures. If you are headed to Chicago in the near future, holla at me as I know all the hot spots now. I am Chi-town expert!!!!!
Ericka: A Taste of Chicago (7.13.13)
Hi guys, sorry about the posting delay, but we had a busy day yesterday. Between packing, bicycling, walking, catching taxis, getting to the airport and spotty Wi-Fi service, I just didn't have time to post. But even though we didn't get in until a little past midnight, I woke up bright and early to spill the tea!
So yesterday was our last day in Chicago. Well let's start with Thursday night. We walked to a place called Tavern at the Park for dinner and it was really good. Chris had a cup of chili and some of the best wings ever. They were smoked, not fried. I had a scallops, shrimp, avocado and cod ceviche for my appetizer and a manchego caprese napoleon salad for dinner with a glass of rose. I guess I was a little tired from all the walking and late nights that when I got to the hotel I laid down for a nap at 7 p.m. (yes a nap) that ended up being 4 hours long. Of course by the time I woke up Chris was sleepy, and I was ready to go out. He was not getting out of the bed so I aggravated him until we both fell asleep around 1 a.m.
Back to yesterday. We slept in a little, because we had a long day ahead of us. Our flight wasn't until 9:05 p.m. Once we got out of bed, I made Chris do some yoga poses with me to loosen us up for our bike ride. Wow that boy is not flexible at all. He is like a rock, unbending and unyielding. We then set out for our first destination, the bike shop. The plan was to rent a tandem bike for the day. So neither Chris nor I have gotten on a bike in years. I don't know why we thought we could ride a tandem bike which requires synchronized movements. We tried, but it was a comedy of errors so we returned it for 2 bikes. Then we set out on our adventure, and boy was it. We are not used to riding in the street, especially streets as busy as Chicago's. I'm glad we lived to tell the tale. So here was our route based on Google Maps:
I got on the scale this morning, and much to my surprise I was 1 pound lighter. I know I did a lot of walking and biking, but it was still vacation so I did a lot of carb free eating too. Speaking of carb free eating here is a taste of some of the food we ate:
So yesterday was our last day in Chicago. Well let's start with Thursday night. We walked to a place called Tavern at the Park for dinner and it was really good. Chris had a cup of chili and some of the best wings ever. They were smoked, not fried. I had a scallops, shrimp, avocado and cod ceviche for my appetizer and a manchego caprese napoleon salad for dinner with a glass of rose. I guess I was a little tired from all the walking and late nights that when I got to the hotel I laid down for a nap at 7 p.m. (yes a nap) that ended up being 4 hours long. Of course by the time I woke up Chris was sleepy, and I was ready to go out. He was not getting out of the bed so I aggravated him until we both fell asleep around 1 a.m.
Back to yesterday. We slept in a little, because we had a long day ahead of us. Our flight wasn't until 9:05 p.m. Once we got out of bed, I made Chris do some yoga poses with me to loosen us up for our bike ride. Wow that boy is not flexible at all. He is like a rock, unbending and unyielding. We then set out for our first destination, the bike shop. The plan was to rent a tandem bike for the day. So neither Chris nor I have gotten on a bike in years. I don't know why we thought we could ride a tandem bike which requires synchronized movements. We tried, but it was a comedy of errors so we returned it for 2 bikes. Then we set out on our adventure, and boy was it. We are not used to riding in the street, especially streets as busy as Chicago's. I'm glad we lived to tell the tale. So here was our route based on Google Maps:
1.
Hotel to Bike Shop 19 minutes- Walked
2.
Biked to Yolk 12 minutes
3.
Yolk to Grant Park & Soldier Field 10
minutes + 25 minutes riding around
4.
Soldier Field to Navy Pier 14 minutes
5.
Walked 15 minutes around Navy Pier
6.
Water Taxi to Michigan Ave- 5 minutes
7.
Walked Up and Down Michigan Ave= 1 hour 45
minutes
8.
Water Taxi to Navy Pier- 5 minutes
9.
Navy Pier to Bike Shop 14 minutes
10.
Bike Shop to get Froyo at Starfruit Café- 10
minutes
11.
Then back to the W- 11 minutes
Now again this is based on Google Maps. It doesn't account for A.
Neither of us has ridden a bike in years much less on busy Chicago Streets so
that took a little adjusting to B. we did not know where we were going and took quite a few wrong turns, and C. by the time we started walking back from
Michigan to water taxi stand my feet and legs were tired; I’m already a slow
walker so you can imagine the snail pace we were moving at. We had the bikes
from 12:30- 6:15 and other than the time we spent eating brunch (45 minutes)
and taking the water taxi (30 minutes including wait time) we were either
walking or biking.
 |
| Chicago Cuts Ribeye |
 |
| Hey Ricky Omelet |
 |
| Cloudgate $212! |
 |
| Chicago Cuts- Dungeness Crab & Avocado Louie |
 |
| Tavern at the Park- Caprese Salad |
For more photos check out Chris' blog!
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Ericka: A 3 Hour Tour...On Foot
When I left you last, I was on my way out to explore the city by foot. I did not expect to, nor did I plan on walking around for 3 hours! My plan was to do a little window shopping. I started on State street and checked out H & M and a few boutiques. After that I doubled back and headed to Zara on Michigan. I did not realize it was 1.5 miles away. On the way there I started to get a little hungry, and what I wanted more than anything was a lettuce wraps. There were so many restaurant options that I didn't know where to start, and I ended up skipping breakfast and lunch which was not good. When I finally made it to Zara my feet were already starting to feel the burn. I was not wearing the most appropriate shoes for the trek. After I finished browsing I decided to go back to the hotel and face the 40 minute walk (31 minutes for most, but I'm a slow walker. Hey! I'm a southern girl from N.O. Where it's too hot, humid, and muggy for power walking)
10 minutes into the walk I saw a pedicab. I was so tempted to stop and hop on, but I decided to just press on. By the time I made it to the hotel, my feet were done. All I could do was take a nice nap (I love napping). When I woke up, my feet were still hurting. I think I was dreaming about walking while napping.
When Chris got back we walked (ugh) to a great restaurant called Chicago Cuts. We enjoyed a nice dinner; just the 2 of us without any distractions. We shared an avocado w/lump crab meat appetizer, a 26 oz prime ribeye (I love steak), creamed spinach and creme brûlée. Indeserved a real meal after all that walking, plus the skipped meals (don't do that). We then went to the Hancock Center's Signature Lounge. The view of the city was breathtaking. I enjoyed a nice glass of merlot and a chocolate martini and caught a cab back to the hotel.
Today I did 50 minutes of cardio (15 min elliptical, 10 min on some machine that I thought was a stepper but it was worse, 10 min spin bike, 15 min NTC Butt Blaster). I then walked to a little breakfast spot and grabbed a low fat yogurt parfait and a boiled egg.
While my walk yesterday was definitely a calorie burner, I've decided to count only 120 min of it because my pace was about 2 mph and i stopped to browse. So that brings my total up to 334 minutes for the week! Although I have met and surpassed this week's fitness challenge, I am still going to strive to workout at least 1-2more times this week.
Did you workout today?
-E
10 minutes into the walk I saw a pedicab. I was so tempted to stop and hop on, but I decided to just press on. By the time I made it to the hotel, my feet were done. All I could do was take a nice nap (I love napping). When I woke up, my feet were still hurting. I think I was dreaming about walking while napping.
When Chris got back we walked (ugh) to a great restaurant called Chicago Cuts. We enjoyed a nice dinner; just the 2 of us without any distractions. We shared an avocado w/lump crab meat appetizer, a 26 oz prime ribeye (I love steak), creamed spinach and creme brûlée. Indeserved a real meal after all that walking, plus the skipped meals (don't do that). We then went to the Hancock Center's Signature Lounge. The view of the city was breathtaking. I enjoyed a nice glass of merlot and a chocolate martini and caught a cab back to the hotel.
Today I did 50 minutes of cardio (15 min elliptical, 10 min on some machine that I thought was a stepper but it was worse, 10 min spin bike, 15 min NTC Butt Blaster). I then walked to a little breakfast spot and grabbed a low fat yogurt parfait and a boiled egg.
While my walk yesterday was definitely a calorie burner, I've decided to count only 120 min of it because my pace was about 2 mph and i stopped to browse. So that brings my total up to 334 minutes for the week! Although I have met and surpassed this week's fitness challenge, I am still going to strive to workout at least 1-2more times this week.
Did you workout today?
-E
Chris: Back on Track (7.11.13)
Okay y'all, I got my mind right yesterday after my brownie setback. I woke up a little late and had to rush to training, so I wasn't able to grab breakfast. Lunch was a success!!!! We have been provided lunch all week so yesterday was salad with the fixins' and sandwich station. I wanted a sandwich soooooooo bad, but I didn't give in. I fixed a big salad with chicken breast and NO salad dressing. While it wasn't the best lunch I've ever had, I felt really good about sticking to the diet, and I was satisfied.
I got out of training and went back to the hotel, where Ericka was relaxing. While I wanted to go to the gym, the bed looked so enticing, so I hopped in and took a quick nap. Ericka and I planned to go out to dinner, walk around Chicago and take in the sites. We settled on Chicago Cuts restaurant, which sits on the Chicago River. We wanted to sit outside but with no reservations and lots of people in town for The Taste of Chicago, we had to settle for eating inside. I've decided to get like the wife and post a pic for you guys (since she has definitely got more page views than me). Take a look at our meal.
As you can see, we had a bone-in ribeye with creamed spinach. It was very delicious and one of the mos enjoyable no carb meals I've had!!!
We ended the night meeting my co-workers at the Signature Room Lounge on the 96th floor of the Hancock Center on Michigan Avenue. The view was amazing, definitely the best view of the city. There are windows surrounding the lounge, so you can walk around the whole floor for various views of the city. I would definitely recommend as a must see if ever in Chicago.
I got out of training and went back to the hotel, where Ericka was relaxing. While I wanted to go to the gym, the bed looked so enticing, so I hopped in and took a quick nap. Ericka and I planned to go out to dinner, walk around Chicago and take in the sites. We settled on Chicago Cuts restaurant, which sits on the Chicago River. We wanted to sit outside but with no reservations and lots of people in town for The Taste of Chicago, we had to settle for eating inside. I've decided to get like the wife and post a pic for you guys (since she has definitely got more page views than me). Take a look at our meal.
As you can see, we had a bone-in ribeye with creamed spinach. It was very delicious and one of the mos enjoyable no carb meals I've had!!!
We ended the night meeting my co-workers at the Signature Room Lounge on the 96th floor of the Hancock Center on Michigan Avenue. The view was amazing, definitely the best view of the city. There are windows surrounding the lounge, so you can walk around the whole floor for various views of the city. I would definitely recommend as a must see if ever in Chicago.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Ericka: Party Pooper (7.10.13)
Yesterday I had a rather relaxing afternoon. I took a nice long nap before we went to Wrigleyville.
We went to a cool rooftop bar. Chris and i were joined by his 3 female co-workers who are all tiny & petite and can eat whatever they want. in fact they did eat whatever they wanted, because as they proclaimed "it's vacation!". I had hummus with veggies for my appetizer, 1 of Chris' steak skewers, and 1/2 a baja burger (avocado, pepper jack, jalapeños, red onion& tomato). I had 2 drinks, 1st a sparkling cranberry made with champagne and of course cranberry juice. I asked for sugar free juice and the waitress looked at me like I was crazy. Then I discovered they had skinny girl margarita so I had one of those too. I was so stuffed that I was thankful for the little extra I got in from walking from place to place.
The only thing is that it kinda sucked to repeatedly have say "no I don't want to try you nachos, I'm not eating carbs right now" and "I'm sure that fried corn dog tastes as good as it looks, but it's off limits for me". After a while I just say "doesn't suck to have to go to dinner with someone who is on a diet?" We laughed and that was the end of the food offerings.
This morning I put in a good hour of working out. I did 2 NTC workouts, because they are so convenient. First up was the 30 min shedder, then 15 min on a spin bike and then NTC 15 minute lean leg workout. I'm up to 164 minutes; only 136 more minutes to go for the week.
Now I am off to explore this wonderful city by foot!
E
We went to a cool rooftop bar. Chris and i were joined by his 3 female co-workers who are all tiny & petite and can eat whatever they want. in fact they did eat whatever they wanted, because as they proclaimed "it's vacation!". I had hummus with veggies for my appetizer, 1 of Chris' steak skewers, and 1/2 a baja burger (avocado, pepper jack, jalapeños, red onion& tomato). I had 2 drinks, 1st a sparkling cranberry made with champagne and of course cranberry juice. I asked for sugar free juice and the waitress looked at me like I was crazy. Then I discovered they had skinny girl margarita so I had one of those too. I was so stuffed that I was thankful for the little extra I got in from walking from place to place.
The only thing is that it kinda sucked to repeatedly have say "no I don't want to try you nachos, I'm not eating carbs right now" and "I'm sure that fried corn dog tastes as good as it looks, but it's off limits for me". After a while I just say "doesn't suck to have to go to dinner with someone who is on a diet?" We laughed and that was the end of the food offerings.
This morning I put in a good hour of working out. I did 2 NTC workouts, because they are so convenient. First up was the 30 min shedder, then 15 min on a spin bike and then NTC 15 minute lean leg workout. I'm up to 164 minutes; only 136 more minutes to go for the week.
Now I am off to explore this wonderful city by foot!
E
Chris: Setback (7.10.13)
Just let me say, I hate to admit this but my loyalty to the blog and blog viewers will not allow me to be dishnest. I had a brownie, but not even a whole one, which really pisses me off. In the words of Craig (i.e. Ice Cube) in Friday said, "I had a half of lil piece of joint" (In my case joint = brownie, lol). Was it worth it....................HELL NO!!!! But let me break it down for you and how it happened. So I'm at a work training and we go to lunch. What are they serving, you ask. There is salad with ceasar dressing, penne pasta with side of marinara and/or meat sauce and beadsticks that looked as if they were possibly the best bradsticks ever made (maybe that was because I knew I couldn't eat it). So, what do I do.........................Here's what I ate. I had the salad with no dressing, meat sauce with no pasta, roasted bell peppers and NO breadstick. Boo-yah baby, no carbs!!!! And I was cool, but then 2 hours later, training is getting long, and I'm getting super tired, I mean like my head bobbing in class I'm so tired. So at 3pm, we get a break, so I get up and to my dismay, there is a tray of brownies of all sorts. BUT, I say "no", and I go to the restroom but when I get back they are staring me in the face. AND I CAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!! After the 2nd bite, I'm just thinking, "it wasn't worth it"!!!!
But, I couldn't let it define Day 2. For dinner, I ate steak skewers and chicken and I'm right back on track. I really wanted to say "Eff it for the day", but Ericka got my mind right, and I didn't want to make it a total waste of Day 2, so I stood strong.
As for exercising, I did a good bit of walking today, so I would count that as about 20 minutes of exercise, but didn't hit my goal of 50 minutes. That's okay though, just ran out of time so I'll make it up this week.
Honestly guys, not sure y'all know how hrd it was to tell on myself but thought it would be unfair to y'all to not be honest. The point of this blog is for me and Ericka to share our experiences, successes, failures, etc., so I'm glad I tol on myself. It also serves as motivation for me to right the ship. Back on track tomorrow
But, I couldn't let it define Day 2. For dinner, I ate steak skewers and chicken and I'm right back on track. I really wanted to say "Eff it for the day", but Ericka got my mind right, and I didn't want to make it a total waste of Day 2, so I stood strong.
As for exercising, I did a good bit of walking today, so I would count that as about 20 minutes of exercise, but didn't hit my goal of 50 minutes. That's okay though, just ran out of time so I'll make it up this week.
Honestly guys, not sure y'all know how hrd it was to tell on myself but thought it would be unfair to y'all to not be honest. The point of this blog is for me and Ericka to share our experiences, successes, failures, etc., so I'm glad I tol on myself. It also serves as motivation for me to right the ship. Back on track tomorrow
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Ericka: Dieting & Vacationing (7.9.13)
Dieting and vacationing are 2 things that don't mix well unless you are on a vacation for recovering eataholics. I'm sure they have those. I envision lots of nature walks, swimming, bike tours and other physical activities plus healthy food options. I mean they gotta have it. There is something for everyone out there. I just saw a commercial for a dating site for people who like men/women in uniforms or who just like to wear uniforms, but I digress.
So how do you diet while on vacation? When on vacation you tend to eat more and drink more. Hello it's a vacation! But don't let that vacation ruin all of your hard work. You have to create a plan of attack. You know you are going to eat out, so look up the menu before you go and choose a delicious but diet friendly meal. Choose your alcohol wisely. Try a nice glass of merlot or a diet coke and rum. Go light on drinks that have sugar or are premixed. Bring work out clothes. If you are staying in a hotel , hit the gym at least twice for every 5 days of vacation. If you don't have a gym take advantage of the place your are in and take a nice jog, a scenic bike tour or a walk. Just make sure you know where you are going, and you stay safe. I can't wait to walk up and down the magnificent mile a.k.a Michigan avenue and look at all of the clothes, shoes, and purses i wish i could buy. With all of that said, it is still your vacation so have fun, live a little, and indulge a little more just be ready to work extra hard when you get back.
In preparation for my vacation, I drank 3 smoothies yesterday (breakfast, lunch and dinner) as a mini cleanse from my cheat days and in preparation for the food I will be eating at the taste of Chicago. I did have a very little bit of my day's famous white beans yesterday, sans the rice, b/c my 3rd smoothie wasn't as hardy as the others and it was smaller. Then this morning I got in 50 minutes of exercise (20 min on the elliptical in the bikram garage and a 30 min NTC workout), I had one more large smoothie for breakfast and then I was off.
So how am i doing on day 2 of the challenge? Well I've put in 104 minutes of exercise (only 196 to go for this week) I ate dinner with my son, parents, and joe at the dinner table without any distractions (Deuce is getting so good at feeding himself, and he is so independent, he's not my little baby anymore, le tear, le sigh) and I have yet to eat a bad carb yet. 2 days down, 28 more to go. Chris left for Chi-town a few days earlier so of course I couldn't eat dinner with him, but he is with his work family, and I hear he had lovely dinner with them.
Ciao,
E
So how do you diet while on vacation? When on vacation you tend to eat more and drink more. Hello it's a vacation! But don't let that vacation ruin all of your hard work. You have to create a plan of attack. You know you are going to eat out, so look up the menu before you go and choose a delicious but diet friendly meal. Choose your alcohol wisely. Try a nice glass of merlot or a diet coke and rum. Go light on drinks that have sugar or are premixed. Bring work out clothes. If you are staying in a hotel , hit the gym at least twice for every 5 days of vacation. If you don't have a gym take advantage of the place your are in and take a nice jog, a scenic bike tour or a walk. Just make sure you know where you are going, and you stay safe. I can't wait to walk up and down the magnificent mile a.k.a Michigan avenue and look at all of the clothes, shoes, and purses i wish i could buy. With all of that said, it is still your vacation so have fun, live a little, and indulge a little more just be ready to work extra hard when you get back.
In preparation for my vacation, I drank 3 smoothies yesterday (breakfast, lunch and dinner) as a mini cleanse from my cheat days and in preparation for the food I will be eating at the taste of Chicago. I did have a very little bit of my day's famous white beans yesterday, sans the rice, b/c my 3rd smoothie wasn't as hardy as the others and it was smaller. Then this morning I got in 50 minutes of exercise (20 min on the elliptical in the bikram garage and a 30 min NTC workout), I had one more large smoothie for breakfast and then I was off.
So how am i doing on day 2 of the challenge? Well I've put in 104 minutes of exercise (only 196 to go for this week) I ate dinner with my son, parents, and joe at the dinner table without any distractions (Deuce is getting so good at feeding himself, and he is so independent, he's not my little baby anymore, le tear, le sigh) and I have yet to eat a bad carb yet. 2 days down, 28 more to go. Chris left for Chi-town a few days earlier so of course I couldn't eat dinner with him, but he is with his work family, and I hear he had lovely dinner with them.
Ciao,
E
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