Happy Thursday friendly I apologize for being totally MIA this week from the blog and social media, I have been really sick and have been sleeping and seeing lots of doctors this week. I'm hoping to get rid of this bug quickly, but if anyone has any tips to get better quick please let me know! Despite being sick I wanted to keep on with thinking out loud Thursday so here we go...
1. I have gotten some questions about how I'm doing with my lupus flare so I wanted to address that, but first I want to say a big thank you! Thank you for all the sweet messages and notes, I really appreciate it! Aside from feeling crummy because I picked up a bug my doctors are trying to figure out the best course of treatment to get the lupus under control. Treating an autoimmune condition is not easy because everyone is very different so what works for one person won't necessarily work for another. Right now my main focus is on kicking this bug and then trying to get better overall. I have been resting LOTS and taking it super easy at the gym because I tire so easily right now.
2. On a funner note the awesome team at Daily Harvest sent me a case of their smoothies to test out. I'm super pumped to try them once my stomach settles down. Some of my friends have tried them and really liked them, plus their flavor combos sounds AMAZING!
3. My local grocery store has been carrying a ton more types of squash this year and I'm slowly working my way through trying them all out. One of the goodies I found was turban squash. I have yet to try it but I couldn't resist snapping a picture because it looks so cool! Has anyone tried turban squash before and/or have any recipe/cooking recommendations?
4. I have to take a minute to gloat because last Saturday was the U of M v. MSU rivalry game and U of M won!!! If you're a fellow Michigander or a college football fan in general you can always appreciate a good rivalry game. Michigan went into the game undefeated and let's just say MSU isn't having a great season. A few of my best friends went/go to MSU and I always root for them EXCEPT when they play U of M, I was born and raised a wolverine and my dad would probably kill me if I rooted for MSU in this game. My boyfriend and I were on opposite sides, he's a MSU fan, and let's just say I was much happier when the game ended than he was. I about died laughing at MSU's failed two point conversion attempt at the end of the game where Michigan picked off the ball and ran it for a touchdown. Needless to say it was a good weekend to be a wolverine! (cue the Michigan fight song)
5. Since I wasn't feeling good and there was a lot going on I didn't get a chance to carve my pumpkin until the day of Halloween. Cora is always fascinated by pumpkin carving, she likes to sniff pumpkin guts, but of course she wouldn't cooperate for a photo. I wish I had the talent to carve those really intricate pumpkin designs, but I don't so I always stick with a basic face and call it good.
6. The first day of November was GORGEOUS here in the mitten. It was 76F degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Despite being sick I went with my family to a cider mill to enjoy the beautiful day. Apple picking season is pretty much over but that didn't stop us from enjoying walking through the orchard, feeding the horses, and soaking up the beautiful sunshine. I brought my professional camera along to capture some of the fall beauty and because I rarely get the chance to play around with photography. I had a blast capturing everything from fresh apples to fall colors. I've been sharing some of my photos on my instagram.
7. Fellow midwesterners if you're looking for Wild Friends seasonal peanut butter flavors Fresh Thyme stores carry them! I popped in Fresh Thyme to pick up some raspberries and was pumped to find a display. Even though I can't have nut butter I will definitely be picking some up to include in Christmas packages for my friends! If you get the stores app there is a coupon for Wild Friends nut butters too and who doesn't love saving money?!
I'll end things on lucky number seven today. Have a great Thursday and I hope to be back in full force next week!
This week has felt so long for a multitude of reasons, like food poisoning, and I'm really just ready for it to be the weekend. The Michigan v. Michigan State game is on this weekend and that is a HUGE deal. It's a really big rivalry and I'm pumped to watch some good football and just relax. Once again get ready for a whole bunch of randomness in this weeks thinking out loud...
1. One more reason to love fall is for all the yummy squash. I eat squash pretty much year round but nothing tastes better than fresh squash in the fall. My grocery store finally has a giant selection of squash in and I couldn't be happier. I just roasted my first buttercup squash, my favorite, of the fall and have been eating it mashed all week😋
2. Bob's Red Mill oatmeal cups are seriously a life savor! I was traveling this past weekend and didn't have access to my kitchen but I still wanted to oats after my morning runs so I packed two of these to go cups. All you have to do is add hot water and let it sit for 3 minutes and BAMB done! I packed some fruit to throw in with the oats because doesn't everyone travel with fruit😜
3. Speaking of getaways while we were out in Grand Rapids we trekked out to Grand Haven which is one of my favorite places. I could stay at the beach forever because it's so peaceful. Watching the waves and soaking up the sunshine is my idea of a perfect day. My soul felt so free at the beach and nothing beat walking along the beach with my favorite person. I was really sad that the pier which goes out to the lighthouse was closed because it is being rebuilt. We walked along the boardwalk and all along the beach. It hasn't even been a week but I miss the beach so much.
4. I have a new favorite hangout place in Grand Rapids- Z's Bar and Restaurant. I talked about it in yesterday's post. It had a super casual atmosphere and tons of TV's so it was great for a night of football watching. They also make an insanely delicious margarita. Next time I am in town I will definitely be back.
5. Once I got over food poisoning (again see yesterday's post) I made the drive to an area health food store to pick up a few items. I needed some fruit so I picked up raspberries and blackberries because they were both on sale, but I also nabbed two packages of Purely Elizabeth granola because they were on sale 2 for $10! While I was there I also picked up a tropical trail mix sans nuts because I can't have the fats and they had Wild Friends pumpkin spice so I picked up one jar to include in a care package since nut butters still makes me sick😭
6. Yesterday I was on the go all day, I actually got to wear heels and dressy clothes so I was pumped- I love an excuse to dress up and yes I am wearing purple pants. But because I had a prior engagement at 11am and couldn't pack a lunch I was stuck eating what I could carry on me. I packed a chocolate sea salt rxbar, my favorite flavor, and I had a banana in the car for once I got out. I don't normally have days like this but the rxbar did it's job of holding me over and not making me feel sick like other protein bars.
7. I'll end on lucky number seven again this week and leave you with this beautiful quote. I came across it while scrolling through Pintrest and loved it immediately. My mom always used to tell me that material things don't last forever but someone would never forget how you made them feel.
Have a great Thursday everyone! Do you have any fun weekend plans? Are you a college football (or sports) fan in general?
Happy Wednesday! Even though it's halfway through the week it's not too late to share a weekend dets and eats is it? It's been awhile since I've shared one and I had a pretty fun weekend for once that involved getting out and actually doing something-> wut🙆
Friday I was finally starting to feel a little bit better, this flare has been kicking my butt, but I was able to get normal food again. As much as I love oatmeal eating it for a week straight because it's the only thing I could keep down was a tad much. Friday I made a quick lunch before heading out to Grand Rapids for the weekend to celebrate one of my best friends birthdays. Lunch is one gluten free O'Dough's bagel thins topped with avocado, organic turkey breast, peach salsa, and goat cheese paired with a peach.
After eating lunch and loading up the car I headed out to Grand Rapids. I was seriously craving Mexican food so we headed to On the Border for dinner. It was still happy hour when we got there and they had a special on margaritas so we got one and I split it with my boyfriend. I got a burrito bowl with chicken and it was SO GOOD😍 I didn't use the dressing that came with it but it seriously hit the spot and satisfied my Mexican craving (except I'm craving it again writing this).
We were pretty lame on Friday night and stayed in, hung out, and watched movies. Technically we watched Jeopardy first (because we are really 80 years old) but we were all getting angry because the categories were so stinking hard! I'm normally fairly decent at Jeopardy but the questions were ridiculously hard. Despite being up late I still hit the mini gym for a sweat ses before getting the day started. I got in four miles while upping the speed every few minutes and then I walked for a few minutes to cool down along with doing some stretching.
After cleaning up we headed over to my boyfriends cross country meet, which happened to be in Grand Rapids. We watched the guys race, holy smokes some of them are so fast!, and we stayed for most of the girls race before heading out to get some food and take a nap. After lunch and a mini nap we headed out to one of my all time favorite places- Grand Haven. I love being at the beach in Grand Haven because it's so relaxing, it's definitely one of my happy places. It was a gorgeous fall day with a light breeze and even though it was chilly it was perfect for walking along the beach and just enjoying each others company.
By the time we left the beach it was getting close to dinner time, our stomachs let us know that loud and clear😋, so we headed to Carrabba's. I knew we were going to have a wait ahead of us because it was a Saturday night so I had part of the coconut chocolate rxbar I had packed, no one needs to be subjected to a hangry Rachael- it's not pretty😳 luckily I had a snack because we waited over an hour and a half to get our food and the restaurant was not even that busy. We were so frustrated because it was just pasta dishes and a salad for me. When we finally got our food there were pieces of chicken on mine that were not cooked all the way through and the dishes did not come out all at the same time. We were incredibly frustrated but luckily our waitress was great and the restaurant picked up our tab. Sadly we ended up getting food poisoning from there so needless to say Sunday and Monday were not a fun days and we will not be going back.
By the time we left the restaurant we were frustrated (little did we know what was coming😳) and tired. We wanted to go out but we headed back for a quick nap first. Around 10 we headed downtown to head to Mojo's which is an awesome dueling piano bar in downtown Grand Rapids, but the place was packed so we ended up walking down the street to Z's Bar and Restaurant. It had a very chill atmosphere, the service was great and there were tons of TV's so we ended up watching the end of the MSU v. Maryland game as well as the OSU v. Penn State game, the cubs game and post game celebration, and the end of Red Wings game. We all ordered some drinks, I got a margaritas and it was one of the best margaritas I've ever had. It was so nice to just hangout together, relax and watch some sports- it was seriously an awesome night for sports🙌 next time we are in Grand Rapids we will definitely be hitting up Z's again.
Despite not feeling the best we headed home Sunday morning. My food poisoning didn't hit until Sunday afternoon and it was not a fun 36 hours. Thankfully I am doing fine now, but I don't think anyone will want Italian food again for a very long time🙊
How was your weekend?
Did you do anything or go anywhere?
