Tuesday, May 26, 2015

happy tuesday bluesday!

it's been a long weekend, praise glory hallelujah. So today, Tuesday, has officially turn into Monday: the worst day of the week.

thought we could all use a little pick-me-up. So... what are you waiting for??!

enjoy!



xo,

adrienne. 

Monday, May 25, 2015

recipe monday: crazy sexy cool green smoothie.



hi yall, hope you're enjoying the last few moments of your long holiday weekend. Don't forget to thank/hug/kiss a veteran today!

where most people are out grilling, boating, or golfing this weekend, I took some much needed tlc and went on a little bit of a food bender. I spent a solid hour and a half grocery shopping last night, and buying up pounds and pounds of fresh fruit and veg.

now that the weather is getting warmer and warmer, I've been on quite the smoothie kick. There's nothing better than peeling off sweaty clothes, jumping into the pool/lake, and then kicking back with a huge cold green smoothie. Am I right, or am I right?

so here's a new one for you:

crazy sexy cool green smoothie. 



this one was inspired by my time in Costa Rica (aka Costa Freeeaakaaa, to some), and my trips to Mexico and Hawaii. 



in CR mangos littered the streets; they actually advise about the hazards of falling mangos. Seriously. 



in Mexico, limes and lime juice are just as much a condiment as salt is. 



and in Hawaii, where it's illegal to pick their largest export without a license, pineapples are an addition to every single meal. 

the green comes from the avocado and your choice of greens. and the crazy sexy coolness comes from whoever is drinking it. wink



i added turmeric and cayenne for their detoxifying and healing powers. If you suffer from any chronic illness, bloating, or other inflammation, look up the positive effects of both these spices.


here's what you need:
1/2 cup water
1/2 a ripe avocado
1 cup diced mango
2 cups diced pineapple
juice from 1/2 lime
1 handful of your favorite greens (I chose kale, which has an earthier, straight from the dirt, taste)
1 pinch cayenne (or more if you need more of a spicy kick)
2 shakes of some good turmeric powder

here's what you do:

  1. slice up your avocado. dice up the pineapple and mango. then juice half that gorgeous lime.
  2. put all ingredients into your blender in the order above. I've said it before, but the order is important because it makes for easier, smoother blending.
  3. blend until smooth.
  4. pour into your favorite mason jar, gram a great pic on Insta, and drink away the delicious, crazy, sexy cool goodness. 


drink up, buttercups!

xo,

adrienne. 

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

let's be realistic: 7th and 8th week of change.

hi, long time no talk! I know it has been a minute since my last post, but it's been crazy busy around these parts!

to be honest, i didn't want to write over the last two weeks. I had been in such a negative, dark place that I was worried it wasn't ever going to brighten up. Negativity can be incredibly insidious; it spreads like an infection, and can be chronic like a disease.

and that's not something I wanted to share.

luckily, i'm on a come up. I got to take some time off, go on a vacation, and hang out with my absolute best friend in the entire world. Before jetting off, everyone kept telling me how much I 'need this'. I didn't realize it at the time, but everyone was right. 100%. Without doubt or question. I needed it.

i wanted to keep this post short and sweet. Because of the funk I was in, I needed not to focus on my physical gains but more on my mental ones. You have to want and strive to be not even good, but okay. Being okay is manageable. Being okay is doable. Being okay is, bare minimum, what we need. And sometimes, that's the hardest thing you'll do.

so instead of discussing what I ate, how far I ran, or what muscles/weight I've gained/lost... I'll just leave you with some pictures.

enjoy!

xo,

adrienne.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

dear mom: a letter to the most important woman in my life.


dear mom,

i know that it's a day late, and i know i could have said it in a card but... You are absolutely, unbelievably amazing. You are one of the strongest people I know. You are one of the most brilliant people I know. You are one of the hardest working people I know. And I respect that.



not only do i respect that, but I cherish that. I love that. I believe in that. Because all of "that", amongst your other boundless phenomenal qualities, you have shown me that "that" is what makes you amazing. It is what makes you, you.

your amazing, and endlessly capable qualities have shown me to stand back up. I have lived through (some) of your adversity. I have seen some of your most vulnerable moments. I have seen how you persevere in the most challenging moments of your life... and you have still, without question or scrutiny, have been able to be the best mother in the entire world. I have no idea how you do it but you have shown me to...

stand back up. To get back up when I've been knocked down... By my career, by my friendships, by my relationships, by myself. And,  most importantly, in the face of adversity.

you have taught me to question everything. Everything. To question not only what things are, why they are, and how they are but what I want, but why I want it. 

you have taught me how to forgive. And not just by the rude stranger who cut in front of me in line. But by the people who I love the most. The people who I have the utmost respect and reverence for. Because, as you have shown me, a life of anger and resentment is not a life worth living.



you have taught me how to support others. Especially those who need it most. I have seen you (countless days, weeks, months, years) sitting by your fading parents' sides. Through defeat and success. Holding on to their hands and hearts, and reassuring them, your daughters, and yourself that it is going to be alright.

you have taught me how to accept defeat. You have continued to hold your mother's hand, long after she has succumbed to the reality of Alzheimer's, though you continue to fight against it. And yet again I see you do it, with your father's hand in yours. But you still manage and look forward to visiting with Grandpa, in the last flicker of his life, when I cant, out of fear and naivety, see him and be present in the environment that he must endure. One day, I hope to do half of what you do, for Daddy and yourself. 

you have taught me that life goes on. In the honor and reputation of those incredible relatives who have past. You openheartedly share with me the life, hard work, and dedication of my grandmother, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, and great grandparents. And you encourage me to honor their work, and exceed it in their name.



you have shown me what sacrifice truly is. You have shown me how sacrificing some of your life only improves, vastly, upon your child's. You have worked jobs that you probably did not like, and worked longer and harder at than you needed to, solely so that I could experience some of the things you didn't when you were my age.

lastly...

most importantly...

you have showed me how to love. How to love unyieldingly, unapologetically, and without regret. You have said no to me when I wanted, deeply, to hear yes. You have said yes to me when, perhaps, it was in my best judgement to hear no, all for the sake of a dream. You have showed me that chasing your dreams is the best love you can ever give yourself. You have proven to me, through action and word, that you can and will love someone regardless if you've given birth to them or not. You have shown me that love, true love, can never be negative and can only make you the best person you can ever dream to be.

you are my rock.

you are my soul.

you are my purpose.

and most importantly, I hope and pray every day that I can be half the mom to my kids that you have been to me.

happy mothers day.

love always,

adrienne. 



Wednesday, May 6, 2015

let's be realistic: 6th week of change.

finally, finally, spring is officially here in michigan. We haven't seen snow in about 2 weeks, and it was consistently sunny and warm over this past week. Praise the lord, hallelujah.

and with this weather comes with many positives, and a few negatives. Let's get the good out of the way: warm weather = long runs outside, and late nights around the bon fire.

now for the negatives: everything is covered in pollen, and me and pollen don't mix. I was one of those kids who never really got sick or had allergies when I was little. By the time I turned 14, though, I spent about 3 years in and out of doctors' offices and hospital rooms. My allergies kicked in when I was about 15, and they were off the charts. My body rejects most things foreign: all trees (except palm trees), all weeds, most grasses, soy, apples, pears, gluten, hops, cats, and many hearty herbs and flowers. On top of all that, I also have asthma.

so now with every plant/tree coming out of hibernation, my allergies and asthma have been off the charts. My life over the past 10 days has consisted of antihistamines, albuterol, and steroids.

my life, currently.


luckily, though, at 24 years of age I have a system figured out for this time of year. Clean, allergen-free eating; specifically timed medications; closed windows at night; no booze (except a glass of pinot noir, occassionally); and constant showering and laundry to get the pollen off my body. It's annoying, but not that bad and totally do-able! Even better, with this system of pills and treatments, I don't have to sacrifice my running!

pinot noir + popcorn on a saturday night. just call me olivia pope.

i've logged about 26 miles over the last week. I've run more than that weekly before, but I'm still so happy that I'm getting back into my running shape of seasons past. I managed to throw in  6, 7, and 8 mile runs over the weekend and I'm feeling amazing.

still running slow, but I'm finally back in the #25miles a week club.



those miles traveled have helped me clear my mind on a few things. Lately, I've felt like I've been putting in so much energy into my relationships. I feel like I've been clear with my needs and intentions, but I'm not receiving much in return.

and that sucks. 

i've been trying to focus on treating people the way I want to be treated, and making sure I give a little extra to my friendships. I've been focused on this for about 5 months now, but I feel like it hasn't been reciprocated. These solo miles I've put in on the pavement have helped me clear my mind and settle my thoughts on it: just because this effort hasn't been given back now, doesn't mean I'm completely off the good-karma train.

running, as i've said countless times before, makes me so much more level-headed. Things are clearer, I'm calmer, and it puts me in a much better place. If you haven't jumped on my run-wagon, you're missing out!

besides running, coloring books is my therapy. 


anyway, here's my week in review:

wet hair, baby abs poking through, and a messy room. sue me. 


fitness: 26ish miles ran, and some at home yoga #ftw
food: with my allergies in full swing, I've been doing pretty well. Recipes to come!
weight: I honestly haven't been keeping track, whoops ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.


cold brew + hemp milk = caffeine and 27g of protein! if you live in southeastern michigan, stop by DROUGHT. it's currently my new raw obsession. 


that's it! Not much more, not much less.

spring on, sprouts!

xo,

adrienne.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

recipe sunday: strawberry chocolate cake batter smoothie.

a few weeks ago, when I was stuck in bed with the norovirus, I took to pinterest and started looking up recipes. Now, if you know me, I am a huuuuuuge smoothie fan. In any way, shape, or form. And I kept stumbling across the "cake batter" protein shake. I kept finding various cake batter flavored recipes for spreads, smoothies, and ice cream. The key ingredient? Almond extract.


yeah, i know. I was surprised too! I thought you were only capable of getting cake batter taste (yum) the good old fashion way: by baking a cake. Yep, my mind was blown. So I decided to make a version of my own:

strawberry chocolate cake batter smoothie.




here's what you need:

1/2 cup coconut milk (or any other milk)
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 scoop vanilla vegan protein powder (or whichever one you like; here's my favorite)
2 medium sized bananas
1/2 cup chopped strawberries
1 drop almond extract (a little goes a loooooooong way, so be careful!)
2 cups ice

here's what you do:
  1. cut up bananas and strawberries.
  2. place ingredients in blender in the above order. The order is important! The weight of ice, and then the fruit, pushes all of the ingredients down into the blades creating a  smoother smoothie.
  3. blend away!



this recipe packs in about 26g of protein, making it the perfect breakfast/lunch/post workout smoothie. Depending on what type of milk and protein powder you use, it's vegan and gluten free too!




blend on, baby.

xo,

adrienne.

Friday, May 1, 2015

may run+workout playlist.

like i've said before, i get bored easily. Especially when it comes to my workout/run playlists.

and since we're on a way to warmer weather, I tried to keep it fun and light! There are some repeats from last month because, well, good music is good music. At least that's what I think!

Enjoy!


21 songs, 75 minutes.

may run+workout playlist.

  • Geronimo, Sheppard
  • Something New, Axwell ^ Ingrosso
  • 1901, Phoenix
  • Shut Up and Dance, WALK THE MOON
  • Hey Mama, David Guetta
  • Danza Kuduro, Don Omar 
  • Uptown Funk, Mark Ronson
  • Bitch Better Have My Money, Rihanna
  • Sugar, Maroon 5
  • I don't Fuck With You, Big Sean
  • Bailando (Spanish Version), Enrique Iglesias
  • Sun Daze, Florida Georgia LIne
  • A Little Party Never Killed Nobody, Fergie, Q-Tip & GoodRock
  • Style, Taylor Swift
  • Best Love Song, T-Pain
  • Irresistible, Fall Out Boy
  • No Church in the Wild, Kanye West & JAY Z
  • Beautiful Pain, Eminem
  • Best Song Ever, One Direction
  • This Is How We Roll, Florida Georgia Line
  • 212, Azealia Banks

as per usual, here's a link to the playlist via 8tracks. 

run on, darlings.

xo,

adrienne.