How is Tuesday coming to a close already? I wish it were the weekend again and mostly because my weekend was full of sunshine, great food/drinks and good girlfriends!

Sunday was spent at Crossings Vineyards in Washington’s Crossing PA. My friend Kara and I took full advantage of a Living Social deal for an hour of yoga and 10 wine tastings! Any excuse to drink/see each other we're there!

The Vineyard grounds were absolutely beautiful!  

And the weather was warm without too much humidity (a rare day for NE summers) so we were excited to begin. This was my first experience practicing yoga outside and I was not disappointed. 

Kara was more interesting in the relaxation experience of it all. 

After an hour of  yoga, we moved into a tent for wine tasting and cheese pairing. Lucky for us, we had our own table complete with check lists/ notes, wine glasses, cheese plates and spit bucket (not like we need that!).

For the most part, the wines were delicious. My favorites by far were the cabernet and merlot blend and a chardonnay (not usually my type).  

Least favorites were awarded to the blush wine and chocolate cherry wine. Both were just too sweet for me. 

All in all, we gave two thumbs up for this living social deal! If you are in the Philadelphia/ Central Jersey area and are looking for a nice vineyard to spend your afternoon, I highly suggest heading over to Crossings! I’ll definitely have to venture back to the winery with girlfriends or the bf for a picnic lunch/wine tasting soon.

It is a HOT one already in the Northeast and just in time for the start of summer. I will tell you time and again that summer is not my favorite season. I know some of you would probably like to tape my trap shut for that comment (especially all my teacher friends) but really the fall has my heart.

Because I hate to be hot, I do everything in my power to avoid it, that includes when I work out, how I sleep and what I eat for the day.

1. Exercise early and often
 With my first full marathon hovering on the horizon, I started yesterday the summer routine of early morning runs. The quick 3.5 miles felt longer than I had hoped because of the humidity, but I kept telling myself it would only progress as the day went on.

I believe if I keep my runs to early morning (before 6:30 am), I will stick to my routine and be properly trained for November. Also the early morning runs are much cooler even than those at 9pm when the sun goes down. The ground at the end of the day still radiates heat and in the am, at least there is the possibility of cool relief.

2. Eating hot food= feeling hot
  I really hate eating hot food when the weather is hot. I’m talking over 85 degrees and I want a cold salad and a cold drink (preferably alcoholic) stat.  Last night the BF whipped up this recipes from RunnersWorld.com. Not only was it delicious but it was also Paleo and cold. Win, Win, Win! As the summer progresses you’ll continue to see ‘cool’ recipes for hot days.

3. Hydration Station
 I drink about 2x more water when the weather is warm. I’m sure most people are the same, who wants a cup of hot coffee on a hot day? (Other than the BF) The more water I drink the cooler I feel and it also has a tendency to curb my appetite. As runners in the heat, we should not only be drinking water, but replacing electrolytes and a great source for that is coconut water. I think it tastes gross, so I am venturing into ‘flavored’ territory.

Today is going to be another hot day here! And since my early am CrossFit was cancelled, that means a group class at the gym tonight (in the airconditioning) will have to do.

Question of the day: What do you do to stay cool?

Dear Doylestown Cardiac Unit-

Thank you. There are the most sincere and powerful words I can offer you. Almost 4 years ago, you saved my Dad from a horrible fate. The 20 minutes he had left, you took seriously and because of it, I have another Father’s Day with him worth celebrating.

You have saved the man that taught me how to ride my bike, how to ski and how to slide into home plate. You have saved evening dinners filled of laughter at his corny jokes. You have allowed for men to come and ask for permission to marry his daughters. You have saved us tears and instead provided memories filled with hope and love. You have provided us the gift of time, one in which we came so close to losing. Thank you. Thank you for saving the life of my dad, my mom and the rest of our family. He is the keystone that holds us together and with all of my heart and soul, I thank you. I will forever be grateful for that work that you do, because to me, you are heroes.

Yours Truly-
 Shannon

Eating Paleo often means getting creative with meals. The many ways you can wrap a hamburger without a roll, serve a side that isn’t carbohydrates, and creating a ‘filling’ for a recipe (i.e. meatloaf, crabcakes – they often call for breadcrumbs) are just some of the times, that it gets tricky to recreate the taste and texture of our favorite meals

This little gem of a recipe stems from our lack of groceries in the house and also the desire to pickup a hot dog and eat it with your hands. Not cut up on a plate like a sissy. An thus, the Hot Dog Egg Roll was born! (excuse the bite taken out- I had to make sure it was delicious before sharing!)

Hot Dog Egg Rolls
Serves 2

Ingredients:
4 Trader Joe’s all beef Hot dogs
4 eggs
1 T. butter
Spicy mustard

Heat up a pan with butter and add the hot dogs. Sear the hotdogs on each side until crispy. (I usually slice them down the middle for maximum crispiness).

In a separate pan, fry an egg and make sure to break the yolk so that it cooks all the way through. Plate the egg and add the hot dog to the center. Wrap the egg around the hotdog and Viola! You have yourself a hotdog eggroll.

Add spicy mustard to the side for your dipping pleasure.

Today is National Running Day and of course I woke up about an hour earlier than usual to celebrate! As many followers know, I have been running for about the last 3 years and it is a sport that has transformed my life. Running and meeting fellow runners has opened me up to the world of healthy living blogs, healthy eating, and other workouts such as CrossFit.

My first long distance race was with the HOPE Express which not only transformed my running goals, but also changed my life. Running in a 24-hour relay with my incredible teammates, coaches and drivers to support Kids with Cancer was something I will never forget. 

Today I ran 2.75 miles to squeeze in a quick run before the weather turns ugly this afternoon and before my hectic day begins. Now with the summer starting, it looks like early morning runs will be my ticket for November Marathon success.

Question of the day: What was your first running race? What made you want to continue!

Happy National Running Day!

P.S. Click here to receive an extra $20 off a Rock N Roll marathon race entry fee!

                                  
We have been blessed with a beach week of (mostly) sunshine!

The best part about vacation is forgetting what day it is. Is it Thursday? Friday? Who knows!  What we do know is… it’s not time to leave yet!

True to my word, I have been waking up early every morning (around 6) and enjoying the quiet time with the bf and an early am workout before hitting the sand. I have been running intervals of 1 mile or 3 mile runs every/other day.

My run Wednesday (before our crazy rain day) was into the town of Duck and back.

It’s such a cute town! I wish I could spend the summer here! The beach house we have rented for the week has been wonderful only ¼ of a block from the beach. And with our own pool it sure ensures a good time for the kiddos (the BF’s family is with us)!

Now I’m off to lather up and hit the beach and start 50 Shades of Grey. The first half of the week I read Silver Girl. What a GREAT beach read. I highly recommend picking up/downloading a copy.

See ya for cocktails later!