Good morning friends!

How are ya today? I hope you’re having a great morning so far. Spin this morning was great and my participants worked super hard – fabulous job guys!! In next week’s class we’ll be doing the new RPM 49 so if you can, come out!!

On to the new things I tried yesterday….

1. Recipe of the Week: Scallop and Quinoa Stir Fry. Scallops are one thing that doesn’t normally make it into my grocery cart, mainly because the nice fresh ones aren’t exactly cheap relative to other seafood. However, once in a while I get mad scallop cravings and last week they hit – hard. Since stir frying is usually my go-to cooking method, this was born:

The scallops, which I cooked all at once, should have been enough for this meal and leftovers the next day. Well, it turned out they were just a little too convenient… the leftovers also found their way into my belly that evening. Everything in moderation… including moderation, right?

2. A new hair colour: As you may recall from comments in previous posts, I tend to get bored with my hair very easily. In the fall, I dyed it a dark reddish-brown colour that I liked at the time but am sick of now. Yesterday I decided that it was time to get rid of my 2 inches of roots and all the leftover red, and go back to dark brown. The colour of choice: ‘Dark golden brown’.. not a super creative name on Loreal’s part – I would have preferred a nicer sounding colour like dark mocha or cappuccino or something… but what do I know about naming hair colours?

Let’s have a little before and after comparison shall we?

Before......

... and after.

Now, you don’t have to pretend to notice a difference because I can barely see the difference myself. As you can probably see, there’s not a whole lot of ‘golden’ action going on there, but it’s certainly darker and most definitely all brown. I’d say that’s the mission accomplished. Oh, and I also parted my hair on the other side, ya know, just because it was Tuesday. It’s not like anyone noticed (except one of my fabulous and exceptionally observant co-workers) but I didn’t expect them to. I knew, and that’s the point.

3. A new gym accessory. Lately I’ve been in the market for a new bag to carry all my crap to the gym in. My current one has been very well used and abused over the past couple of years, and has certainly done a good job… except for one occasion.

Out with the old...

As you can see, the bag above has no water bottle holder. The inside has a few mesh pockets that once upon a time were stuffed full of my spin workouts. After leaving the gym one morning, my water bottle managed to leak all over the inside of the bag, which meant either digging through my computer files to find and re-print the workouts, or saying goodbye to them if they were older hand-written ones. Clearly the spillage was probably more my fault than that of the bag, but as you can imagine, the situation wasn’t ideal.

While searching around for a replacement, I had a few criteria in mind. That is the systematic way to shop, right? If you have criteria, then the purchase cannot possibly be an impulse purchase. Right.

1. Must have a water bottle holder
2. Must have a separate compartment for sweaty clothes and spin shoes
3. Must have space for all teaching accessories – iPod, workouts, batteries, clock, mic belt, etc.
4. Must be reasonably stylish…. because one wouldn’t want to be seen walking around looking like a loon, would one?

Well ladies and gents, this weekend I found the winner.

... in with the new.

I knew about the Bon Voyage Duffel a while ago, but it was a little pricey at the time. On this occasion, it was available for a rather ridiculously discounted price and the opportunist in me felt the need to act immediately. In case you were wondering, yes, I did wait until Tuesday morning to use it, even though it was purchased on Friday. Patience is a virtue, right?

So why is this bag the bomb? Well, it has 3 big zippered pockets so that you can keep your sweaty gross clothes separate from your shoes, and in my case, I can keep my spin class gear separate from the other stuff like my water.

One of the pouches actually fits a laptop inside in case the need should arise. (Versatile, no?) There is a washable, removable wet/dry pouch, and a longer shoulder strap that can be attached rather than using the handles. I also discovered a few new pockets this morning, including mesh shoe pockets inside which I suppose you could use to store more water bottles if your shoes are too big to fit in like mine are – and if you’re the type that requires copious amounts of water. According to the tag on the bag, it’s been tested to hold up to 50lbs. Now, if only it were pink….

4. Dark Mocha Almond Kashi Bars. This obviously isn’t a risky new product trial, but I always go for the 7 Whole Grain & Almond or Peanut Butter Kashi bars so this week felt like a good time to try another flavour.

Check out the chocolate chips on that beauty!!

As you can see, there aren’t actually any big almond chunks on the top like on the box. They’re actually stuck inside the bar. This provided the excitement in my delicious (but highly predictable) breakfast yesterday morning. In the mix:

• about 1/2 cup Greek yogurt mixed with 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste, agave nectar, and a few shakes of cinnamon
• 1/2 Pink Lady apple
• 1 Mocha Almond Kashi Bar

A little hint of coffee, and not too much chocolate to be intensely sweet for breakfast. Beautiful.

5. Raspberry Vinegar.

It’s pretty safe to say that I like balsamic vinegar on, well, almost everything. This week I switched things up with a bottle of Raspberry Blush Vinegar. The main motive for this will be explained in tomorrow’s post, but I came up with a rather fabulous lunch creation yesterday: Chicken Waldorf Salad.

Walnuts, raisins, apples, chicken, Greek yogurt, and raspberry vinegar. Oh. My. Goodness. I hate to boast, but I’m on a bit of a roll this week. The vinegar gave the mix a subtle fruity flavour, and the combination with the walnuts, celery, and sweet raisins made the chicken taste ahhhmazing.

Alright folks, that’s all I’ve got for you today! I hope you have a lovely Wednesday, and before you go, tell me:

• Have you ever had any hair dye disasters? Or haircut disasters in general? Luckily I have not, but I’ve never really tried anything too extreme. Going blonde is probably not something you’ll be watching me try on any Tuesday in the near future!
• Anything odd sitting in your gym bag these days? When I transferred all my gear over to the new one, I managed to find $5 and perfume I thought I’d lost… woohoo!