Good morning, sunshine!

In addition to being a Monday and the last day of August, it is the first day of school for my alma mater. Here’s to hoping that I look more put-together than I feel….I miss being a student. Guess that’s what happens after that whole graduation thing? ;) I’ll distract myself with blogging and coffee and a homemade clean-eating pumpkin pie energy bite…

I felt quite domesticated this weekend. This was my first full weekend home in a month and I filled it with all those little things we just never seem to have time for. Looking back, it was a productive 48 hours and I feel like I should still have a little downtime before diving back into another work week!

Saturday morning began with a run outside like usual, before it climbed up to 103 degrees and I hid indoors for the rest of the day. I love summer but not when it limits our time outside…autumn can’t come fast enough. I spent a few hours doing regular chores like laundry, ironing, vacuuming, dusting, banking, re-organizing my closet and making a donation pile of clothes. After a little strength sesh at the gym, I worked on my blog, registered for my next marathon, and found a couple new recipes to try. Seeing as how we were stuck indoors for the afternoon, I got right to baking!

As an afternoon pot of coffee brewed (I don’t care if it’s triple-digit-weather, coffee is always a good idea), I made TWO new clean-eating energy bites: Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites & Blueberry Almond Energy Bites. Both were AMAZING and totally different but I think the fan favorite is the blueberry version. Only 4 ingredients, it’s basically a Larabar in bite form. I’ll share the recipes to both later this week :)

Saturday night I also charged my Garmin (since I returned my FitBit), and downloaded some new music BECAUSE Sunday morning I had a 14-mile run on the agenda. I enlisted my dad to keep my company because it turns out that nearly 2 hours of running by yourself is pretty boring. He woke up at 6:30 and rode his bike next to me for 14.0 miles while I ran to my heart’s content. What a guy :)

I was more than happy with my average pace of 7:15 per mile, but I know I have quite a bit of work to do before I’m “marathon ready.” This week I’ve added in some speed intervals and a tempo run to start getting out of that comfort zone. The heat will make it a little more difficult but I’m pretty familiar with extra challenges.

After the long run (and LOTS of stretching), my mom and I treated ourselves to a manicure, pedicure, Quest Bars at GNC, iced coffees, and some fun errands. Lots of quality time with the parents this weekend! :) We’ve been watching the series Mad Men from the beginning (I’m only 6 episodes in) and obviously I’m in love with the costumes, hair & makeup. The show highlights the gender inequalities of the 1960s and the limited rights of women…but honestly, I would still prefer to live in that culture and decade than our current one. Everything seems so simple, free from reliance on the internet and technology, and people seemed to have more manners. Personally I find the “housewife” stereotype a little charming.

I took my domestic homemaker inspiration to make a more-elaborate-than-usual dinner. Pumpkin Kale Lasagna. My normal dinners are a clean combo of raw and cooked veggies, lean protein or a veggie burger, sweet potatoes, etc. I haven’t had actual noodles in forever and I never usually make something with so much cheese, but I DID run 14 miles that morning so it was a nice change-up! :)

The superfood lasagna was another success and I’ll post that recipe later too. By the time Sunday evening rolled around and I finished meal-prepping for the week, it was already time to climb in bed.

Lots of recipes coming your way. But I’ll leave you with one of my favorite songs from Sunday’s running playlist. My best friend texted me the night before with new music recommendations and I replayed this one three times ;)

XOXO