Weekend Snapshots 7.28

Another wonderful summer weekend in Omaha is over. How does time go by so fast? Here’s what I was up to this weekend:

My first Yelp Elite event

Josh and I were invited to House of Loom for our first Yelp Elite event. There was food from Blue, Blatt, Plank, Roja, Culprit and Over Easy.  We ate so much delicious food. I learned that Nutella poptarts are a thing. I now need another one in my life ASAP.

We went with Molly and Brian and had so much fun. The venue had props scattered around, so of course we had to act like we were five for some photos.

I also ran into Megan, a fellow marketing girl. She represents Flagship Restaurant Group, the owners of some of the yummiest restaurants in town. It was great getting to see her again and catch up.

Rowing with Jess

Jess taught me how to use the rower machine at our Saturday morning workout session. It was so much fun. Although between that and kettle bell throws I did a number on the palm of my hand. Is it weird that makes me feel like a badass? Cooper was an awesome workout buddy and cheered me on the whole time. And by cheered me on I mean laid on the floor and looked mildly amused by my sweating and panting.

Whole Foods shopping

Saturday grocery shopping started off with a huge salad from Whole Foods. I can’t get enough of their avocado kale.

A day at the lake

Jeff and Joanna invited us to their family’s lake house on Saturday night for some fun in the sun with friends. I was nervous the weather would be horrible as it was overcast and called for storms all morning, but it ended up being the perfect day.

Josh and I went paddle boating around the lake. Josh was in charge of steering while I was in charge of paddling. I thought it would be fun for us to paddle around the whole lake, but I didn’t realize how big it was when I made that proclamation (This picture shows like 1/10th of the total lake size). It took us about an hour, but it was really fun. We also got to check out some cool lake houses and discovered these giant multi-person inflatables that look like a party on the water.

I also went tubing for the first time!! Jeff’s dad was so sweet to offer up tubing rides, and Hannah was brave enough to be my partner. While there was a lot of screaming on my part, I managed to stay on the tube the entire time. I was incredibly proud. It was so much fun.

Josh’s cousin brought some yard games. Josh and I got totally dominated in corn hole. But we didn’t go down without a fight.

There was so much yummy food. Joanna said she made sure to make a double batch of guacamole because Josh and I were coming. I guess our reputation proceeds us? 😀 We also were introduced to scotcharoos. I think they must be a Midwest thing because neither Josh nor I have heard of them before. I’m not a fan of chocolate and peanut butter together (I know, there’s something wrong with me), but Josh absolutely loved them.

My first of many plates of yumminess.

I have been craving s’mores for so long. Josh doesn’t like to eat marshmallows because of the gelatin in them, so we don’t eat them as much as I would like. We managed to find some vegan marshmallows for him at Whole Foods, while I stuck to the good old fashioned kind. We were both happy campers. Hannah was so sweet to pick up dark chocolate, which is such an upgrade from the traditional milk chocolate s’mores. I ate two and enjoyed every bite.

All of us at the lake. I love my friends (Please excuse my shirt. My bikini totally soaked the front).

Zumba

Sunday I woke up and started my day with a GNC juice courtesy of Jess. After I read her post about getting her body back after having Jada, I asked her about the supplements she uses. I so respect and trust her and I’m excited to try out some new-to-me products. After breakfast I headed to Zumba and had so much fun rocking it out. I also felt like I had the energy to kick it up a notch.

Street of Dreams

 After my workout (and showering – I was sweaty!), Josh and I headed out to West Omaha to check out Street of Dreams 2014. This is a yearly event where a new luxury development opens about six properties to the public for viewing. They’re fully furnished and a great way to talk to the builders and designers and get to see some of the latest trends in the industry. Josh and I had so much fun oohing and aahing and imaging lives in homes we could never afford.  We did talk to a builder who has new properties at a lake-front development that is in our price range (In like four years when we have enough money saved for a down-payment). If only I could convince Josh that getting to paddle-board in front of our house is worth a 35 minute commute…

Healthy Dessert Options

Friday and Saturday were indulgent for me. I felt pretty good about it though, since I was working out and had managed to enjoy myself without going totally crazy on all the yummy food (Still, I cringed when stripping down to a bikini at the lake). I know I am never going to be the person who turns down a s’more for the sake of my figure, but I do think it’s a good idea to have some healthier dessert recipes up my sleeve for when a sweet craving hits. I’m still doing the no desserts and alcohol on non-special occasions, but it seems like there’s always some special occasion going on. I figure the next time I’m invited somewhere fun I can bring one of these bad boys.

(Disclosure: Foodie is compensating me for sharing recipes but I chose all the recipes myself. I want to eat them all.)

Check out 12 Healthy Summer Desserts

by Erin Fairchild at Foodie.com

Questions of the Day: What was the highlight of your weekend? Have you gone tubing? Are you a lake or an ocean person?