The First Day Of Spring?

All anyone can talk about this morning is the fact that it’s the first day of Spring and we just got walloped with yet another winter storm.  The thing that gets me is that they say it like it’s a bad thing! (Or, like it’s a surprise…)  I may definitely be in the minority here, but I love it.  Sure, I’m as anxious for Spring, warm weather, and the first bloom as the next New Englander… but the snow is just so pretty, and once it goes away for good, it will be so long before we get to see it again.  That said, I’m soaking it all in while I can.

We did get hit pretty hard yesterday, so rather than brave it in my itty bitty car and end up on the side of the road somewhere, I elected to play it safe and work from home.  The fact that the snow day just happened to coincide with the day when I was feeling totally crappy and I got to work in my sweatpants all day was just an added bonus.

Because I didn’t have to drive into work, I had a little extra time for breakfast, so I decided to whip up some blueberry muffins.  I just threw together two eggs, maybe a little less than 1/4 cup of almond flour, a tiny pat of butter, 1/2 teaspoon each of baking soda and baking powder, a tablespoon or so of maple syrup, a few good shakes of cinnamon, and a whole bunch of blueberries.  I poured the batter into some muffin tins, baked them for about 20-25 minutes, and I ended up with a quick, easy, and totally delicious breakfast.

I had two of the muffins with some fresh pineapple on the side, and it was definitely quite the treat.

After a busy morning of work, I had a few minutes to throw together a lunch in between conference calls, so I got to it.  (Working from home and getting to make meals in my own kitchen is the bomb.)  I didn’t feel much like eating an actual meal, so I just blended up the last of the plain Chobani I had in the fridge, a bunch of frozen strawberries, a huge handful of spinach, and a bit of almond milk.

It wasn’t anything too special to look at, but it certainly hit the spot!

After work, I hit the gym for a quick (yet seriously difficult, for me) workout.  Not only have shoulder presses become my arch nemesis these days, but I haven’t done much running lately, so this workout was quite the reality check.  (I also haven’t worked out at night in a long time, so that was different!)  Luckily, I got through it without dying, and I actually felt pretty great once it was over.

1. Warm up: 10 minute walk on treadmill
2. Shoulder presses:
   1. 12 @ 40lbs
   2. 8 @ 50lbs
   3. {8 Push presses @ 60lbs} x4
   4. 8 @ 50lbs
   5. 12 @ 40lbs
3. Workout:
   1. Run 6 laps
   2. 35 Pull-ups
   3. Run 5 laps
   4. 35 Crunches
   5. Run 4 laps
   6. 35 Hand-release push-ups
   7. Run 3 laps
   8. 35 Walking lunges (each leg)
   9. Run 2 laps
   10. 35 Air squats
   11. Run 1 lap
   12. 35 Hanging knee lifts
4. Upper body supersets:
   1. {12 Cable curls @ 40lbs + 12 Cable pushdowns @40lbs} x4
   2. {12 Cable upright rows @ 40lbs + 12 High cable rows @ 40lbs} x4
5. {12 Back extensions +  20 Obliques} x4
6. Cool down: 10 minute walk around track

After my workout, I met up with my friend and her puppy for some fun in the snow.  Lima is a nine-month-old American bulldog, living, as my friend says, in the body of an elephant.  She is huge and powerful (90 pounds of solid muscle), yet so playful and loving.  I had an awesome time running around with them at the park; it was definitely a great way to enjoy all of the fresh snow!

Back at home, I decided to make chicken lettuce wraps for dinner.  I cooked up some ground turkey on the stove, and then let it simmer with a bit of liquid aminos, ginger, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper.  Once it was done, I wrapped it up in Iceburg lettuce, and topped it with a tiny bit of peanut sauce and some sliced raw almonds.  On the side, I had boiled carrots and snow peas.

Another quick and easy, yet tasty meal.

Questions:

Do you work from home or in an office? Which would you choose if you could pick either?  I would absolutely choose working from home if I could!

Did you get snow where you are this week? Are you still loving it or totally over it at this point?  Clearly, I’m still loving it!