Afternoon cuddles

Holy Heck! Is it summertime in London or what? I don't think its been this hot since.....uhhh...umm......I don't even remember when! The sun is shining and people are outside in summery outfits. Sweet :) I went shopping today and enjoyed my last few days of freedom before classes start next week. I'll be attending classes full time this year from Wednesday-Friday. My Wednesdays are going to be the worst since I'll be in class from 9:30-6p.m.! Eek!

tuna salad from Pret after my PUNCH class yesterday.

So funny story, I told my instructor yesterday that I was going to skip some of the high intensity circuit stuff in between our punching combinations due to personal reasons. Oh and and when I say high intensity, I mean balls to the wall, give it your all until your face is red and sweat is dripping down your back! Throughout the beginning of class, I made sure to take it easy with my partner and not over exert myself. With the circuits, I did most of it but skipped the duck walks and walking pushups in between so I could catch my breath. After all that caution, my partner straight up leaves during the middle of class. And since our class was uneven, I paired with my instructor and did all sorts of fun, kick ass :) but high intensity combinations that included elbows, kicks, knees, uppercuts, jabs, hooks, etc.  I know I said no high intensity but I just couldn't help myself. Sometimes that adrenalin kicks in and you just have to deal with it. I'm sure this sounds familiar. In all seriousness though, my recommendation for people who are injured or can't do something high intensity and worry your instructor won't take you seriously, make him/her aware of why you can't do something, and in the worst/easiest case scenario, say your doctor told you not to do it.

protein=aids in muscle repair

We were lazy last night and ordered Papa John's in. What a deal for any pizza, any size, for £9.99. After dinner, I ended up falling asleep while trying to read in bed. I'm still working through this damn Optimum Nutrition book!

Blueberry oats for breakfast since we ran out of bread and I DEFINITELY can't eat eggs without bread!
In the mix:

• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup water
• frozen blueberries
• maple syrup 
• cinnamon
• dash of salt

topping: almond butter for muah

lunch this afternoon was the jalapeno chicken wrap from Pret. It was mighty tasty!

Oh bt dubs- did I already mention a Pret opened up right near our flat? :-)

afternoon cuddles=bliss

Walk like a duck

I've been on a fish kick lately. I bought these two tilapia filets yesterday and was scared they would spoil right away so I ended up cooking both of them.

• garlic chunks
• honey
• olive oil
• soya sauce (GF and tastes like the real thing!)
• siracha
• salt and pepper

with sauteed mushrooms and brown rice on the side.

tilapia itself doesn't have much flavor so it helps to have a really flavorful marinade/sauce. Mine was really delicious!! Excuse the huge chunks of garlic but I actually like it that way. Mmmm...garlic nom nom nom :)

cup o' grapes for dessert

and since the grapes didn't satisfy my sweet tooth, I decided to break out one of these bad boys. Gluten Free Coconut Macaroons (not be be confused with these delicious macaroons).

sweet, slightly chewy in texture and a very strong coconut flavor=one delicious macaroon!

My workout yesterday was my weekly PUNCH class at Virgin Active. PUNCH is a boxing class mixed in with body conditioning exercises. Yesterday's circuit in between the punching combinations were some killer exercises done across the gym floor such as duck walks, lunges, push ups, crab walks, and bear crawls.
The hardest exercise for me was probably the duck walks. Who honestly came up with this brutal exercise?!!!

http://www.laverstokepark.co.uk/burgers/buffalo-burgers.html

After teaching Zumba, I threw in a buffalo burger from Laverstoke Farms in the oven. Buffalo burgers are leaner than regular burgers and this one was extra special because it was deemed gluten free and contained no artificial colorings or preservatives.

I needed a substitute for a regular hamburger bun so when I found these, I was super stoked. Unfortunately, they didn't taste that great and I didn't really like the texture.

gluten can appear in the trickiest of places like regular condiments!

with sauteed mushrooms and red onions

I topped the burger with ketchup and dijon mustard.. YUM!!

Bowl of fruit, eggs, and toast for breakfast then its gym time!

For my your viewing pleasure

we played a rowdy game of fetch at 8 a.m. this morning

I love my boo bear too much!! Now if only I had her tenacity and spirit in me all the time... :)

Agenda: gym, lunch, take dog to the park, go to library and study (I'm too distracted at home!!), chillax!
Such a touching video tribute: 
http://whiteonricecouple.com/films-documentaries/video-creamy-peanut-butter-pie-mikey-jennifer-perillo/