Good Morning <3
I hope all of your week’s are off to a great start! I can’t believe tomorrow is already Friday. I feel like my weeks go by so fast nowadays. I wanted to catch you guys all up before I head out on my trip today! I’m driving up to D.C. to surprise my brother for his birthday (assuming he doesn’t read my blog.) I’m so excited because Becca (best friend) took some days off and will be coming with me! I love bestie weekends 🙂 That means…Exploring! We don’t have any set plans, so we are going to metro, walk and go all weekend! I will also be keeping up with the August Fit Challenge while I’m gone!
I’ve lightened up the workouts the past week for myself. I went so hard in July and I think my body was telling me to rest. I’ve made sure to keep my miles below five, stretch more, drink water, and do strength training four times a week (instead of everyday.) I will step it up starting tomorrow! The break was much needed. I sometimes beat myself up when I take breaks, so I need to work on not being so hard on myself or realizing that it’s ok to take time off. Listen to your body first.
Becca and I headed to the park to workout on Monday night. We walked, did some outdoor strength training and other random workouts using the playground! Crazy how much you can do without a gym.
We met this little guy at the park after our workout. A super nice lady rescued four pitbull puppies and the parents from a bad environment. They were so sweet and it makes me so sad to think of how mean people are to animals!
SO VICIOUS!
We were coming up with fun outdoor workouts! Getting across the rope without using your feet was so hard!
He’s so precious. He gets to hang out with Kyle all weekend!
Becca and I headed to Amelie’s on Tuesday night to work a bit and grab a dessert! Can you believe I didn’t drink coffee!? I’m doing pretty well! It’s going to be hard in D.C. since all the coffee is so good! I’m gong to bring my backpack and fill it up with water.
SO…I made Eating Bird Food’s delicious chocolate hummus brownies! I made a few swaps to save a trip to the grocery store. I love how basic and real the ingredients are! I added peanut butter chips and dark chocolate chips! I also used dark chocolate cocoa powder (to save a trip) and they were so good! You cannot taste the hummus and they were super fudgy! I used the classic Sabra hummus for mine! I highly recommend trying these out!
I ran two miles yesterday before getting caught in the rain and so I called it quits and headed to the gym with Becca. We did two of the August Fit Challenge circuits & then sat in the sauna (while chugging water.)
Kyle and I caught up on the show “The Nigh Of” sooooooooooooooo good!!!
Post gym popcorn!
Rewind to Sunday!
I still can’t believe I jumped out of a plane. I will be blogging all about that experience soon, but it’s going to be a long one! After taking the jump (he had no idea we were going), we headed back to Charlotte!
Steve (Kyle’s friend) and I cooked up a feast for Kyle’s birthday! & we also made the ULTIMATE birthday cake.
Look at that happy face!
These are my favorite little appetizers! They are inspired by a trip I took to D.C.
Ingredients: 1 Package Cream Cheese, 2 tsps garlic powder, juice from 1/2 small lemon, black pepper, red onion slices, fresh dill, smoked salmon, and a french baguette.
First stir the lemon, cream cheese, garlic, and pepper to taste together. Taste test the cream cheese to make sure it doesn’t need more garlic, dill, lemon, or pepper.
While you’re making the cream cheese mixture, place the baguette in the oven for 5-7 minutes at 300 degrees to heat. Once you take the baguette out, slice it into little pieces.
Spread the cream cheese over the baguette
Add the smoked salmon, red onion, and a speck of dill.
(Shoutout to Meighan for preparing these babies!)
Steve prepared all the meat! BBQ wings & garlic and herb chicken breast!
The broccoli was steamed and finished on the stovetop with sea salt, black pepper, and olive oil.
Recipe for the roasted potatoes can be found here!
Dinner was SO GOOD and we were all so stuffed!
Steve and I started brainstorming about cake ideas. We decided to do something over the top and completely crazy! Kyle likes peanut butter chocolate and that is exactly what he got!
Boxed yellow cake, boxed chocolate cake, rainbow sprinkles, Reese’s peanut butter cups, peanut butter M&M’s, peanut butter chips, creamy peanut butter, and chocolate fudge frosting!
We baked four layers! We also added peanut butter chips to the yellow cake mix.
Our frosting consisted of two containers of chocolate fudge frosting and one jar of creamy peanut butter!
We stacked each layer on top of layer of frosting and then frosted all the way around the cake. We lined the bottom of the cake with peanut butter chips, pressed peanut butter M&M’s all around the cake, topped it with rainbow sprinkles, stuck Reese’s pieces into the top and then added candles! We all had SO MUCH FUN making this cake!
It was huge! The five of us had to split one slice and still couldn’t get it all down! We had SO MUCH leftover.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLE!!:)
The cake was dangerously good.
I hope you all have a great weekend and I will keep you all updated from D.C.! You can keep up with my travels on Instagram and Snapchat: @taralynnmcnitt!
Questions for you!
- How do you know when to take a break from working out?
- What is the craziest dessert you’ve ever made?
- Snapchat stories or Instagram stories?
1. I know it’s time for a break when my knee starts to pop. The sound freeeeeaks me out. I’ll be on the elliptical and hear it pop through my headphones and immediately have to stop and switch to weights or something different.
2. I made rumchata cupcakes with cinnamon toast crunch frosting once. That was kind of crazy and also kind of AMAZING!
3.Snapchat all the way! But I’m still getting used to Instagram so I’m biased 😉
Have fun on your trip! I love reading about your traveling because it gives me so many ideas of what to do when I hopefully visit some of these places one day 🙂
Hi Anna!!
Knee popping can’t be good! I get swollen knees sometimes and they start to ache. Lately with all the weather change…i FEEL 90! I do the same and switch to weights.
oh those sound so good! Such a crazy combo, but I’m sure it worked!
I feel the same way!
& THANK YOU! I can’t wait for all the exploring!
xo-Taralynn
What type of shoes do you run with?
Asics!
Jealous! I LOVE DC. Have a fun trip! Also, that cake looks like sin. Ha!
I am usually pretty good about knowing when I need a rest day. Like yesterday, I didn’t even hear my alarm go off until 1/2 hour later. That’s when I knew I needed sleep more than I needed my morning work out. So I did my work out later. Or if I am really sore the next day from a previous killer workout, I’ll give myself some grace and chill out.
One time in high school my best friend and I baked cupcakes and decorated them all with all sorts of candies and stuff and then delivered them to people around town. It was really fun! There was also the time we pulled a prank on our youth pastor with a mustard-filled cupcake and forced him to have a cupcake eating contest with another guy. Still my best prank (and craziest dessert) to date!
I’m not on Snapchat, so I guess Instagram stories but I’m still not sold on them!
Hi Emily!
I love DC too! Makes me so happy to be here:)
That cake was a crazy sin!:) & the good kind!
That sounds like something my friends and I would do! We liked to do it on Valentines day with hear cookies and crazy sprinkles. AND MUSTARD?!!? EWWWWWWWW. clever, but ewwwwwwwww!
I’m not sold either, but I’ll eventually like it!
xo Have a great weekend!
Smoked salmon goes REALLY well with dill and also cucumbers!
I wonder if smoked salmon is cooked?
Smoked salmon is usually cured with hot or cold smoke 🙂 It doesn’t taste the same as raw salmon! (although I loved raw salmon in sushi) I bet this combo would be great on cucumbers instead of the bread!
A few things will tell me it’s time to chill~I start getting irritable for no apparent reason, (I feel happy, but there is a super cranky edge to my feelings) or my left knee and calf will start acting up or I get to the beating myself up for not doing it phase, as though skipping one workout will derail all my hard work. The last one can be a monster because it feeds into when I can get really hard on myself, which has taken a lot of time to break that bad cycle.
For my mom’s 50th birthday, I made a cake from Gourmet’s Best Desserts cookbook called Sugar Kirsch Torte. It was amazing, but I doubt I’d ever use that much butter again in one place!
I don’t have snapchat, so Instagram stories!
Have fun in DC! 🙂
Hi Dana!
Thats me too!! You just described me to a tee.
That cake sounds amazing and I bet your mom loved that!
Thank you!
I hope you have a great weekend!
xo – Taralynn
I love pushing my body hard, but when working out seems like a chore or I’m feeling that “burn out” sensation, I’ll slow down and focus on rest and rebuilding! Being pregnant has been a huge eye opener for me- listening to my body has been a big priority!
Looks like a fabulous week! Have fun in DC!!
That is kind of my mindset as well! I start to feel it like a chore! I bet you are so in-tuned with your body right now!
Hoep you’re having a great week!
xo
1. Honestly, I don’t know that I’ve taken a true total break from working out – I had a stress fracture a few years ago, but even then I would swim. Usually I just take a big step down in intensity, sleep in more mornings – take walks at night instead of an AM run.
2. We called it a “Cherpumple” – but it was a cherry pie, pumpkin pie & apple pie, each was baked into a boxed cake mix & then they were all stacked on top of each other & we iced it. My friend told his wife he wanted “something wild” for his birthday – instead of regular cake, so that’s what we came up with. It was so high – and hard to eat more than a few bites.
3. UGH. Neither. I guess I like that if I wanted to participate I could with Instagram stories. I had Snapchat for a hot second when it first came out before I realized I don’t give a damn. There just isn’t anyone I want to know that much about. It’s hard enough to pay attention to everything happening right in front of me, let alone in Snapchat land, so I just don’t. Sometimes I’m sad when it turns out bloggers I follow revealed cool stuff on there, but, then I get over it & survive.
Hi Jessie!!
You’re always on the go and being active. You’re so inspiring! Walking is a great little rest/break!
OMG! that is so crazy and sounds so incredibly delicious. I hope you have a photo of this!
Haha I go in and out of snapchat phases!
xo I hope you have a great weekend and I can’t wait to hear about it!
Taralynn
OMG….The Night of!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen acting so good! It feels like you are actually there with them!
The show is insane and it’s so hard to explain it to others without giving it away! I can’t stop thinking about the show all week long! IS IT SUNDAY YET!?!?!?
I am so hard on myself when I take breaks too. It’s frustrating because I know my body needs a break but I feel guilty when I take one. I know it’s a mindset and I try to change that but I haven’t yet. I will push myself until I get sick and then have to rest which is ridiculous! I’m kinda liking the Instagram stories, but I think I like snapchat better. Have fun in DC!
Hey Tara!
Yeah I’m in the same boat! It’s all a mental/mindset thing! I kind of like the Instagram stories too and I usually hate change at first and end up loving it later!
xo & thank you so much! Have a great weekend.
That cake is insane! But like, in an incredibly insane good way 🙂
I just made roasted red potatoes, they are seriously the best side dish.
Have a great trip!!
http://www.justbeingbrooklyn.com
Hi Brooklyn!
It was insane and we definitely got a little carried away, ok maybe a lot!
Glad you loved the potatoes! You can season roasted veggies & sweet potatoes the same way! so good!
I hope you have a great weekend!
— > The brownies!!! I’m so glad you liked them. 🙂
–> That cake! It sounds amazing. Isaac loves all things peanut butter and chocolate too. I’ve made him a Reese’s Puffs cake before, but I think this cake might need to happen next year!
–> I can’t wait to see all your DC adventures. Have so much fun celebrating with your bro and hanging with your bestie.
Hey Brittany!
Thank you for posting that recipe!:) They are so good and gone now!
A Reese’s Puffs cake sounds incredible! We got a little carried away with this one and it took four to-go containers to box it up!
I can’t wait to see your Charlotte adventures! #STATESWAP
XO XO
1. I know to take a break from working out 1. When I have worked out 4 or 5 days in a row. I know my muscles need a rest and I surely do mentally as well. 2. When I am so sore that I know I won’t be able to give it my all, then to me there is no point in half-*ssing a workout. I take a break to let my muscles rest so that the next day or day after that I can give it my all!
2. Ohhhh how I love dessert!!! I’m a sucker for chocolate or ice-cream. My sweet tooth is just terrible. I have LOTS of favorite desserts but I particularly love a warm chocolate chip cookie, vanilla ice-cream, loads of hot fudge, and of course whipped cream. NOTHING BETTER!!!
3. I am an avid, everyday follower of yours so I see both your snapchat and instagram! I like both actually. It seems like you post a lot of the same things on both social media sites. I do love Instagram though just because I love #####’s. They are fun and let you see someones personality though what they hashtag. That being said, I feel like snapchat is pretty awesome too! I say keep rocking both because I love what you’re doing!!
Hi Jen!
Thats a good sign! Workouts are always so much better after a break. I usually feel stronger than ever.
OMG….That sounds intense! & i’m a sucker for a warm chocolate chip cookie…& with ice cream!? YES!
THANK YOU& I’ll make sure to keep rocking both! I like them for different reasons for sure! xo
How do you know when to take a break from working out?
when i cant even breath while i was working out,or when i get up, my legs or chest or core or arms extremely tired or exhausted , then i know i need take a break , wo need push ourself ,but that doesnt mean we have to push ouself too hard to handle it, its not healthy and sometimes even danger, so i keep telling myself ‘‘ take a break if you need, cherish your body, not torture”
What is the craziest dessert you’ve ever made?
hmm,actually ,i never cooking, lol. i cant cook , to be honest , i dont like cook.so…..
Snapchat stories or Instagram stories?
not really have stories, because i am chinese, so i have to use VPN if i want use instagram,or twitter or facebool、yotube,or other website from your country,well ,not just U.S., its about our counry policy ,but still.i usually post some photos about my exercise or whether or anything i want to post ,makes me feel good
sorry about my bad grammar 0.0 keep learning it
Hi Luyee!!
You’re right & that is a great quote!
It’s not for everyone 😉 I never used to like cooking, but the more I did it, the more I LOVED it!
No apologies! I understood you fine!
xo xo
thankyou anyway, i really like your blog , i can learn about healthy lifestyle ,about workout, about love myself ,about English!!! thats wonderful!!! monday morning here , get started!!! good night there and have a nice dream 🙂
MAKE SURE you try out &pizza while you’re here! It’s a gourmet create-your-own pizza shop, with awesome hand-crafted sodas.
http://www.andpizza.com/
Hi Mystic (cool name!)
That sounds so cool!! I’ll look into that. Thank you::)
xoxo
WOAH! That birthday cake looks AMAZING!!! My birthday’s next week and I’m gonna have to start dropping hints to my friends! 😉
1. I have osteoarthritis in both of my knees, and they DEFINITELY tell me when I’ve been pushing myself too hard. If I end a gym session limping or wake up literally unable to bend my legs, I immediately break out the ice and take the coming days off.
2. The craziest dessert I’ve ever made was actually your whiskey dark chocolate cupcakes! I got a little heavy-handed with the whiskey in the icing, and I brought them into work but the (uncooked) whiskey was so strong that my store manager made people wait until they were off the clock to dig in!
3. SNAPCHAT! I liked Instagram the way it was. I love it for sharing photos and I like Snapchat for the sillier stuff.
Thanks Melissa!
That’s good that you’re aware of when to take it easy! I need to start doing ice baths, but eeeeek so cold!
Sure you got heavy handed with the whiskey 😉 haha! I love those cupcakes though!
I loved Insta too, but I think I can get on the story chain. They are making instagram way too complicated now! Snapchat is definitley for the sillys! I love it for sending snaps to friends! Instagram better not start doing that lol
xo
Now THAT is a cake!! I struggle with knowing when to take a break. Lately my body was feeling so tired and burnt out from HIIT and strength training so I decided to do Yoga with Adriene’s 30 Day Yoga Camp for my workouts this month. Maybe next month my body will be ready for more intense HIIT!
Have a great trip this weekend! If you ever want to visit Philadelphia Id be happy to take you to some great spots!
When I become so tired and exhausted that I don’t want to do anything! I usually go really hard with working out for two weeks, then all of a sudden I become so tired that all I want to do is sleep and I have to just stop for a couple of days to recuperate. I obviously need to work on that, but I hate skipping days! I need to find balance haha
I actually had the same problem as Melissa once! I had made some sort of jim beam frosting and boy was it intense. I brought it to work and my boss wouldn’t let her son have any haha I also attempted to make rainbow cake once and it actually turned out!
I prefer Snapchat, but that’s because I don’t like change haha
Have fun in D.C.!!
That cake looks amazing!
It was sinfully delicious.
The cake looks amazing!!!! I made a really yummy chocolate cake with chocolate sprinkles covering my chocolate cool whip icing, so not too crazy, but I’ve been known to add some candy around the bottom of it every now and then, haha. Hope you have a great week!!!
That sounds great! I love adding a cute candy layer at the bottom! It covers up my sloppy frosting mess:)
It looked like you had a wonderful time in D.C! I really enjoyed seeing the pics you posted on Insta and Snapchat! And that cake looks amazing….oh my goodness…the way you decorated it is awesome!
1. Consistent pain, lack of enthusiasm for workouts, weariness, and headaches are generally my warning signs. I’ve had to back off a little bit, too; because of my knee, I’m limiting my runs to every other day and keeping the mileage to about 3 miles per run.
2. Hehe…my sister and I made a layer cake and decorated it like R2D2 for one of our friend’s birthdays — he was crazy about Star Wars. 🙂
3. I still like Snapchat stories over Instagram stories.
Thanks Lauren! I had so much fun. I just uploaded all the photos for a post:) It was a very relaxing trip with the bestie!
1. Those are all good indicators for sure! I’ve been doing the same with my runs! I do 3-6 mile runs 4 times a week now!
2. That sounds awesome!!!
3. Me too!!
xo
My girlfriend needs to see this cake.
Haha it was pretty amazing!