Today has really been one of the best days off! Ever since I have been back to work after months off from being so sick, I have not had a day off during the week. I am so happy that I scheduled a mini-vacation for myself over the 4th of July weekend. Instead of having a three day weekend like everyone else, I planned ahead to take Tuesday off, too – which gave me four days off in a row. I have not had so many days off when I have been healthy since last summer! It is really important to take time to re-charge your batteries from time to time, and I really hope that this mini-holiday did the trick! I am really looking forward to a three day work week starting tomorrow!

I set my alarm this morning so that I did not sleep the day away. It was such a treat to sleep until 7:50 in the morning. I woke up and enjoyed a few extra minutes in bed, and eventually got up to start my day. I enjoyed coffee and some Morning Joe on MSNBC and made a plan for the day.

Errands / Chores:

Bank

Gas for car

Seven Stars bakery

Whole Foods

Salon (pedicure!)

Laundry

Meal plans for the rest of the week

I had plenty to keep me busy, so I also planned to have some fun (what else is a day off for?) and spent a lot of the morning and early afternoon with my friend Danielle in her new home.

We started our morning together by snacking on a berry muffin that I brought over from Seven Stars:

In all of the years I have been going to Seven Stars, I have never tried a muffin there! I usually stick with my all time favorite – the ginger biscuit, and occasionally I go for the croissant. I am really glad that I went with the muffin this morning – it was really good.

After the muffin, we walked around Danielle’s new neighborhood and popped into a few shops along the way. On the walk back to the house we stopped at one of the wonderful East Side playgrounds where Danielle’s daughter played on the swings for a bit.

When we got back it was time for lunch. Danielle made amazing sandwiches for us that were just perfect:

Fresh (local!) mozzarella, avocado, and salami with mustard on fresh Iggy bread. I felt like I was dining in a restaurant instead of eating at my friend’s dining room table 🙂

After lunch I was on my way to do a few more errands. I went to my nail salon to get a much needed pedicure and stopped by Apsara House to pick up something for dinner later (tofu and vegetable pad thai will get me through the next couple of days, I hope!). Then to Whole Foods where I spent $21 dollars and I really hope that I do not need to go back to the grocery store until this weekend.

How far will $21 get you at Whole Foods I often wonder…

3 bottles of seltzer (a must have during the super hot summer days!!)

3 bananas

1 bunch of radish

2 peppers

1 container of tomatoes

1 WF light soy milk

1 package of spinach

1 UK cucumber

WIth this shopping trip I was able to complete my meal plan for the next couple of days. Here is what it looks like so far:

Breakfast:

Toast with peanut butter and 1/2 sliced banana

Morning snack:

1 greek yogurt

Lunch:

salad (with produce purchased at Whole Foods) along with protein (tuna, hard boiled eggs, etc. all things already at home)

Pre-workout / run snack:

Mini Clif bar or mini Larabar

Dinner:

Tofu & vegetable pad thai

I am on my own for the next few weeks, so I will be sticking to simple and nutritious meals as much as possible. I am sure there will be a few posts about the challenge of cooking for one in the next week or two!

Happy Summer everyone – I am off to the pool to enjoy the remaining hours of my mini-vacation!