Hi there! How was your weekend? Mine was full of tons of things except for sleep but I’m hoping to make up for that shortly 
This weekend was the kickoff training weekend for a leadership program that I run for my sorority. I recruited and selected 10 outstanding women who came from across the country to the DC suburbs for a weekend of fun and training.
I got myself ready for the weekend with a great breakfast on Friday morning. I had an egg sandwich with one egg white and wilted spinach on Udi’s whole grain toast with Trader Joe’s roasted red pepper spread, parmesan cheese, and hot sauce. There was a small Comice pear as well.
I picked up lunch from an old favorite – Java Green. I got the deluxe bibimbap bowl with brown rice and a plethora of veggies. Topped with gluten free hot sauce, this bowl was energizing and filling. I couldn’t eat but half of my rice!
I then made my way out to Virginia and kicked off the weekend with an intro session, ice breakers, and a pretty unexciting meal of a chicken breast with steamed green beans and part of a plain baked potato.
We resumed our sessions at 8am on Saturday morning and worked up until 6pm! There were a few little breaks including lunch and snack time but when you’re teaching and training the day runs together into one long session!
A highlight of the weekend was dinner last night at Big Bowl. They had a gluten free menu which excited me to no end and took being gluten free very seriously. That’s exactly what I like to see! Our server also did a fantastic job of making suggestions, answering questions, and being wonderfully patient.
The team got pot stickers and we also ordered the gluten free vegetable summer rolls which were light, crisp, and flavorful. I believe there were apples inside!
For my entree I got the chicken and broccoli in a garlic ginger sauce with brown rice. When I originally requested that my dish be cooked with less oil, our server offered to cook it with no oil instead if I wanted. I died and went to heaven. The serving was so big that I ate a little less than half, with maybe 1/3 of the rice, eating both leftovers for dinner tonight and there’s still a good cup of brown rice or so leftover!
When I got home this afternoon, I wasn’t sure how to use my few hours of weekend at first. I ultimately decided to quickly unpack and head to Whole Foods for groceries. On my way out the door I picked up a package that came yesterday and boy was I glad that I did.
I have quite the love affair with Udi’s products and last week declared how bad a [non]competitors product was on Twitter. The lovely folks at Udi’s swooped in and surprised me with the best, most exciting care package I’ve received in a while!!
I excitedly tore into the box with my empty grocery backpack still on my shoulders. The bread took priority over Whole Foods in the moment. Inside I discovered Udi’s soon-to-be-released new products: whole grain bagels, cinnamon raisin bread, and cinnamon raisin bagels. PLUS a loaf of my favorite whole grain bread.
I tore into the cinnamon raisin loaf immediately and am pleased to report that this is quite tasty (and not so bad for you!)! I’ve had 2 slices since I got home this afternoon and give it the Gluten Free Grazer seal of approval. There are tons of raisins and the perfect amount of cinnamon. My apartment smells heavenly now!
I did make it to the grocery store AND to the gym after sitting for 40 hours and too many potato chips. I did ~3 miles on the elliptical, lifted some weights, and then walked around my neighborhood for a good 30 minutes or so afterward while on the phone with my mom. I seem to finally be bitten by the exercise bug. After dinner and more raisin toast I got to using my new toy – The Stick to treat my leg muscles.
Now friends, it’s bed time. I didn’t sleep very much the last 2 nights and have been running on adrenaline!
What’s your favorite bread? Do you volunteer? Where? How was your weekend?
