Last Wednesday I turned 22! It was a pretty low key birthday...in comparison to my 21st, that's for sure! The day was well spent though and I enjoyed every minute of it. I started off with an early morning 3 mile run and it felt HARD. On Sunday late afternoon I managed to run 4 and a half miles easy - running is such a challenge for me in that some days I feel great and some days I'm just questioning myself why I even am doing it because my legs feel like two cement blocks. But on the days that I feel great, I am motivated to just keep pushing through! Anyway, I sweat a ridiculous amount and when I got back to the apartment, Michael had pancakes waiting for me (AWWW) so nice.

I decided to actually look a little nice on my birthday...I'm lucky because I really do get to wear whatever I want to work, but birthdays only happen once a year!

When I got to work I was surprised with lots of love! My c0-workers got me a spiralizer, muffin tin and a couple really cozy t-shirts. They already know me so well!

After work I went out with a few of my co-workers and friends to a couple different bars around work for SIPS, which is a city-wide happy hour that only happens on Wednesdays.

Michael picked me up around 8 and surprised me with a dinner at Talula's Garden, a place I've been DYING to go to ever since I moved up here. It did not disappoint. Unfortunately I had had a few drinks, I was very hungry and enjoying the evening so I didn't want to take out my phone to get pictures, but I did snap one of the beautiful garden we ate in. It's right across the street from Washington Square Park and it's a heavenly little spot.

We ordered an incredible cheese plate. I am STILL thinking about it, yet I cannot remember any of the cheeses that were actually on it! For my dinner I ordered the rainbow trout fish which was served over a crispy potato pancake along with roasted asparagus and a lemon cream sauce. I cleaned the plate. Talula's Garden is such a nice dining experience -  I definitely would recommend it to anyone who wants to have a beautiful meal in Philadelphia.

It was a great birthday! It ended with an even better weekend at the beach in Ocean City, MD! Details to come :)

- Rach

Do you have a favorite restaurant for your birthday? 

Good morning! I have a recipe to share with you along with some more weekend pics and a workout. Last night I came home from work and felt inspired to make a quick grab and go snack. I eyeballed a lot of this recipe so these are very rough measurements!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp rolled oats
• Roughly 1 cup almond butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp coconut flakes
• Water - as needed for consistency

Directions:

• Mix everything together besides water
• Add in water until mixture can easily be rolled into balls without falling apart

This is a super easy snack to make to have on hand and perfect for before or after a workout. I ate one after my early morning workout this morning. I tried a new gym only a couple blocks away from our new apartment. I wasn't feeling very creative in making up my own workout so I did this workout from one of my favorite bloggers, Jen at peanutbutterrunner.com. I switched the chest flies to pushups and added in 45 seconds of a cardio exercise after each round (burpees, skaters and jumping jacks.)

When I can get myself out of bed real early, I like to workout before hopping on the train to work because it gives me the freedom to come home and relax after work.

Before I go I wanted to share a couple more photos from last weekend. On Sunday we had brunch at Toast and it was delicious! I ordered the smoked salmon egg toasts. Such a perfect brunch meal. Michael ordered banana french toast and an egg sandwich. His french toast was definitely the best.

I also finally found a winter coat to help me survive when it gets cold...

In all seriousness though this is a SUPER warm down jacket that I got at Burlington for such a good price. And with that I'll leave you with:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y3815zqDHQ

- Rach

I've got two recipes to share! A burger with melted mozzarella and bacon paired with a spinach, berry and beet salad with an olive oil honey glaze for the dressing. Sounds fancy? It's really not. With the 4th of July coming up this weekend, I'm feeling rather festive lately and wanted to make something fun and different than I usually make for dinner. I stopped by Trader Joe's after work today (note to self: avoid going to Trader Joe's Monday afternoons at 5:45 p.m. at all costs) and the cheese section was calling my name. I have been craving cheese like crazy lately and I never splurge and buy fresh mozzarella, so it happened.

Burger Ingredients (for one serving):

• 1 lean ground beef patty
• Hearty slice of mozzarella cheese
• 1 slice of bacon (cooked)
• Lawry's seasoning salt (to taste)

Directions:

• Spray small pan with cooking oil
• Season patty with seasoning salt
• Cook on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes each side
• Place mozzarella on burger once flipped
• Let cheese melt, remove from heat and garnish with crispy bacon

For the salad:

• Toss together spinach, sliced strawberries, beets and blueberries (EASY!)
• I suggest adding walnuts or pine nuts to this as well. I loved it as is, but an extra little crunch would be delicious.

Dressing (makes 2 servings):

• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp greek yogurt (I use full fat)
• 1 tsp sea salt

Directions:

• Heat oil and honey over medium heat in a small saucepan
• Once oil starts to bubble, take the saucepan off heat and whisk the mixture
• Pour oil and honey into a bowl and add the yogurt and salt
• Whisk until you get a creamy consistency

Plate everything and enjoy!

I think I'll have to make these burgers again on Saturday!

- Rach