Friday Favorites

Happy Friday and happy long weekend! It’s so hard to believe it’s Memorial Day weekend. Where did this year go?! Oh, that’s right, it went to spending three months bitching about Charlotte and then two months falling in love with it. 😉 It’s certainly been a year of a lot of change, but I am feeling completely overwhelmed with happiness and contentment lately. Life is so good for so many reasons, and I’m so grateful. Let’s get on to some Friday Favorites!

Favorite snack. These gluten-free Nature’s Bakery fig bars are awesome. I was scared they’d be dry and pasty, like many packaged gluten-free goodies are, but nope, super moist. Nature’s Bakery sent me a generous sample of four boxes, and I plowed through one box way too quickly.

Favorite quick take-out meal: Harris Teeter’s sushi. It’s so fresh and simple (although they also have more complex options with sauces and tempura). Best grocery store sushi I’ve found. And it’s better than some sushi restaurants I’ve tried in Charlotte (talking about you and your BOGO rolls, Akahana. Blech. I should have known better.).

Favorite song: Shut Up & Dance by Walk the Moon. Love. this. song.

Favorite lunch: Levant Mediterranean. Hilary raved about the Falafel Salad with pickled vegetables and she did not lead me astray.

Favorite dinner: Mambo Grill & Tapas. I met my guy for a mid-week dinner date in Salisbury last night, which is a cute little town exactly in the middle between Charlotte and Winston-Salem. The Cuban food at Mambo Grill is unreal – so, so good. I got the Vaca Frita (shredded flank steak slightly crisped) and he got the Plantation Temptation (shredded flank steak stuffed in a plantain and topped with mozzarella). He got a second order to take home for leftovers. Smart man.

Favorite outfit: I’ve never left this shirt un-tucked before and I kind of love it as a tunic look with jeans. This was my date night outfit. 😉 (Jeans – Citizens of Humanity, shirt – J.Crew Factory, heels – Halogen from Nordstrom)

Favorite workout: finding my max back squat. Yesterday’s workout at Metro Crossfit was a make-up day (or you could do the assigned WOD) and I used it to find my max back squat for the first time. I hit 185 pounds, which I was happy about! I attempted 195# and the coach was like, “Umm…you squatted like 2 inches. That doesn’t count.” ha!

After my max back squat, I did Helen (3 rounds for time: 400m run, 35# overhead kb swings, 12 pull-ups — the gym is doing a series of workouts as baselines and re-measuring in a few weeks and Helen is one of the tests). Then I thought it was a genius idea to go for a quick 3 mile run to flush out the lactic acid my legs. It was brutal while running…but I’m not sore, so maybe my theory worked.

Favorite picture of Maizey. She is a hot mess. And I love her for it.

Enjoy your weekend!