So… I’ve missed blogging for a few too many days! What can I say? Life gets busy! But I’m back and I plan on staying here!

Let’s hope pictures are worth a lot because I’m going to give you a quick rundown on what’s been going on with photos!

Mellow Mushroom:

Friday David and I had a fun date at Mellow Mushroom! I got a tortilla soup with avocado and the veggie pizza- with no butter or cheese. Yummmmmmmm.

CPY Holiday Yoga Bash:

College Park Yoga is my home yoga studio (and Ryan’s and Katy’s!!). Saturday night they threw a fun vegan potluck dinner and they showed movies on a projector inside the studio. How awesome is that?!

My goodness, the food was out of this world! There was vegan pumpkin pie, raw fruit + nut leather, sesame sticks, a garbanzo + quinoa dish, zucchini + potato pie topped with homemade applesauce, tons of unique salads, mac ‘n cheese and edamame dip! I definitely had more than pictured here! (Thanks to Ryan for the following two photos!)

I splurged and (finally) bought a new mat for myself! I chose the Manduka biodegradable mat in this beautiful blue. It is SO much better than my old $15 Target mat!

Orlando Blogger/Dog Christmas Linner Party:

Sunday afternoon my little family (David, Dixie and me… the cats had to stay home!) headed to Sarah’s house for Meghann’s Christmas party with Katy #1, Katy #2, Ryan and Kelly!

This group (and our dogs!!) have so much fun together. With so much in common the conversation just flows! Food was great, too! Everyone brought a little something. Make sure to check out any of their blogs for full recaps (and doggie pics)!!

How gorgeous is Ryan’s raw vegan cheesecake? It was a-ma-zing!

Dixie is just a big baby sitting on David’s lap :-)

The highlight of the weekend just may have been passing these two houses. The house on the left was extravagantly decorated- lights everywhere- and the house on the right… well… they wrote “Ditto” with Christmas lights stapled to a wood board! LOL

Did you decorate for the holidays this year?

Read More 23 comments | Posted by healthy ashley | Links to this post |

I can hardly believe it.. some pictures of actual food!!

Morning started with naner PB oats and OJ…

During the day I had veggies with hummus, an apple and a sweet potato with veggies.  I had to eat dinner at work.. I didn’t get home until 7:30 p.m.! I had some salad with raspberry dressing, veggies and more than one roll :)

I also munched on the kitchen pantry when I got home. Whoops!

I’m still working on eating healthy while sitting at a desk for most of the day.

__________________

Yesterday I talked about the post-marathon exercise blues.

Another thing keeping me in the exercise slumps is these long work days! Our office works four 10-hour days… which is great for 3-day weekends but terrible for exercise! I don’t belong to a gym and I’m doing everything I can to avoid that. I’ve always done my cardio outside, but I keep indoors when it’s dark out for safety. As a result I’ve been missing all my cardio workouts Mondays-Thursdays.

:(  Cardio is like a drug to me and I miss it!

Instead of just joining a gym, I’m thinking of all the ways I can beat the darkness and evening tiredness. I’m going to wake up extra early Mondays and Wednesdays to run in the morning (still dark but less scary)… and I’m going to bike to and from work!

My drive to work is 12 miles and takes about 30 minutes in the car with traffic. I think biking will take about 45 minutes each way, and it’ll take care of my workout!

Tomorrow I am going to by a headlight, an extra tube and a kit in case something happens while I’m riding. Tonight I’m checking out some articles and blogs for tips about riding your drive. I’m especially loving this article as an all-around guide to commuting by bike.

I’ll keep you posted!

Any tips for biking to work? Have you ever tried any forms of alternative transportation?

Thank you Ross for your donation to my Team in Training fundraising campaign!! I’m almost to 40% of my goal!!

Read More 21 comments | Posted by healthy ashley | Links to this post |

To be completely honest, exercise post-marathon has been tough.

I’ve been meaning to post about this for a while since it’s something I never really thought about before.

After the marathon I had to take time to rest, which through me off physically. I thrive on post-exercise endorphins and not having them was killer!

Also, my mind was not ready to jump back in the game. Every time I’ve headed out for a run I want to go out, but as soon as I start running I just feel like I’m not into it.

My body is stronger than ever but I’m working on getting my mind back into the game. I miss my long, intense workouts ;)

To balance myself out and get back in touch with why I love exercise, I’ve been including a lot of yoga into my schedule. Even if I don’t push hard, five minutes in child’s pose is like giving myself a huge hug :)

A surprise giveaway for one of my bake sale bakers tomorrow.. and maybe some FOOD pics!!

How do your workouts change after big fitness events?

Read More 13 comments | Posted by healthy ashley | Links to this post |

Happy birthday Ryan!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m so grateful that I found such a great friend in Ryan through blogging earlier this year. Yesterday I was luck enough to celebrate her birthday over a spicy Indian lunch at Woodlands.

I ordered the Baigan Bartha- basically mushed eggplant with tons of spices and a big side of white rice!! Yum!

Birthday girl ordered Chana Masala- spicy chickpeas with white rice.

After lunch Ryan and I went to Whole Foods (as we usually do after anything and everything) to shop for essentials and plenty of things we didn’t need. One essential for any trip to WF is the big vegan chocolate chip cookie! This cookie was heavenly.

I haven’t blogged my food or workouts in forever! Last week I was sick and then the bake sale and then… you get the idea :)  I’ve missed you!

I promise to come back with a real post, but until then I leave you with a photo of Dixie loving. I swear anytime David or I are home we are rolling around cuddling with the baby. I love it!  What’s your favorite Indian dish?

Read More 15 comments | Posted by healthy ashley | Links to this post |