Hey there! I haven't had the time to sit down and catch up lately - everything has been really busy, to say the least! I'll share some snap shots of the last week and a half or so, which seems to have gone by so fast. First off, I moved! Again! Michael and I got our first place together. It's been very new and exciting. We couldn't be happier with our place, and it seems to be finally coming together. We had an Ikea field day last Sunday and it took us three days to build a dresser. Okay, it was probably only a total of four hours, but when we get home from work the last thing we want to do is build furniture...

I'll share photos once the place looks nice, but here is one from the day we moved. Moving this leather couch was one of the hardest things I've ever done - it feels like it weighs 1,000 pounds and we put multiple holes in the hall way walls lugging this thing up the stairs!

The last few days we've just been busy trying to settle in. Here's a few snapshots from last week. We had a fun week at work including a venture to Painting With A Twist, a Good Humor sponsored ice cream party (clearly the ice cream deliverer doesn't eat the ice cream), and a morning of volunteering at MANNA which included making a batch of brownies for 300 people which was SO FUN. You better believe we cleaned the bowl pretty well...

On Thursday my mom and grandma came to visit! I had a blast showing them around Philly. They both have never been here before and absolutely love it!

I was able to leave work early on Friday to give them a little tour. We stopped at Agno for lunch, which is basically a really healthy & Mediterranean Chipotle (AMAZING).

I showed them a lot of the historic landmarks including the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Elfreth's Alley and Betsy Ross's house. We also walked through the National Museum of Jewish American History. It's a beautiful museum! I loved it because it wasn't too large or overwhelming. We got through the entire museum in probably an hour, if that. Definitely recommend! The bottom floor features a lot of Jewish pop culture and we were cracking up at a Seinfeld episode that plays on a loop. We ended up at Spruce Street Harbor Park on the river because we all needed a beer after walking all day. Spruce Street Harbor Park is easily one of my favorite places in Philadelphia.

Yesterday my mom came to my Saturday morning class at Sweat Fitness, we grabbed an egg sandwich at Reading Terminal Market and then we all hopped on the train to come to the new apartment. We spent the rest of the day buying some odds and ends for the apartment, some booze (necessary for a new apartment) and some stuff to make for dinner. It was the perfect Saturday ending with an amazing home cooked meal - angel hair with veggies and shrimp and delicious sirloin. Plus some munchies before hand...

Michael and I are heading into Center City soon to have brunch with my mom and grandma before they leave to go back to Florida. It was a short but sweet visit - we packed it in! I always say this, but I really do feel like I'm on a summer vacation even though I work full time - Philadelphia is such an amazing city with so much to offer! I probably won't be saying this in the winter, but for now, I'm loving it.

- Rach

How is everyone's summer going?

What's your favorite city?

Hey there! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend. We had a good one here in Philadelphia. I didn't take many photos because I really was just enjoying the long holiday weekend and time with Michael and his two cousins who came to visit from DC. However, here's a picture from the beautiful fireworks over the Art Museum in Philadelphia. The Roots and Ceelo performed and were so good, even though we were probably about a mile from the stage! This morning I woke up and made some oatmeal.Don't be fooled by this pic - I immediately threw it all into a plastic cup and took it to go so I could walk to work (just over 1.5 miles). Eating hot oatmeal while walking to work on a hot and humid summer morning is probably not the best idea. I don't have my blender up here yet, but as soon as I do I can't wait to make my smoothies I miss it so much!

After work, I head up to the City Fitness in Northern Liberties to get in a quick workout before teaching back to back TRX classes. Tuesdays are my busiest days - I leave the apartment at 8 and don't get home until about 8:30 but somehow it seems to go by SO quickly.

I'll leave you with one of the TRX classes that I taught! It's only 30 minutes, so it's perfect for a quick strength workout with short bursts of cardio. Efficiency!

TRX Golf rotations: 

      TRX sprinter start:

TRX Crunch:

TRX Hamstring Curl: 

Make sure to stretch out real good after!

Hope everyone has a great hump day. Also on repeat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2PsXT88UeU

- XO 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