"Never miss an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting." Ralph Waldo Emerson
I’m developing a little crush on local nurseries. Earlier this week I stopped by Sunshine Grow Shop, a lovely, locally owned side of the road nursery in Lexington. It was a gorgeous afternoon and a coworker and I were running a quick, after lunch errand. We stopped at Sunshine Grow Shop to look for a specific flower she needed to complete her garden. Since I live in an apartment complex, I unfortunately do not have the luxury of being able to plant flowers. After my Earth Day purchase of Sweet Basil a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been inspired to have a few herbs for healthy cooking. While my colleague looked for her specific flower (some perennial that I can’t recall the name of) I took a stroll down the herb aisle. I met a very friendly worker, possibly the owner, who shared insight on one more herb I could have in my apartment – Rosemary. The owner explained that Rosemary requires little attention and can survive without much care. The scent was heavenly and I know the herb is versatile so I was sold. Now I think my indoor garden is complete and my apartment smells sweet from the natural, chemical-free scent produced by my Sweet Basil and Rosemary plant.
I’m looking forward to developing new recipes with both of my herbs and I’ll keep you posted! I’ve already enjoyed fresh basil several times this week in my morning omelets.
Since today is Wednesday, I have a good day of fitness planned. I’ll be working out during my lunch hour with a focus on total body strength toning, with a special emphasis on ab work. One of my favorite ab workouts is the P90x Ab Ripper X. So, when I’m in the gym, I modify or intensify some of the moves from the DVD. My favorite ab move on AB Ripper X are the Mason Twists. (It’s the last move in the workout, probably because it’s so intense.) To see an example of the Mason Twist, visit this site. At the gym, I do this move with a 8-10lb. dumbbell and do 3 sets of 25. It burns, but in such a great way. I also plan to attend Zumba after work. It’s a great way to get moving after being in an office all day.
Here’s what I’ve been enjoying for breakfast this morning:
This is definitely a protein packed, energy boosting breakfast. I have an egg white omelet with kale, tuna, Roma tomatoes, Vidalia onions, sweet basil and crushed red pepper for a little bit of a kick. Vanilla greek yogurt and blueberries and a mug of chocolate truffle coffe are my side choices this morning. All of this offers me 39g of protein– a great way to start a busy day.
Well, I’m off to work, then Zumba, then catching up with a great friend tonight. Busy, but great day ahead!
Wishing you the best. katie
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:
Do you have any indoor herbs? Do you have any advice on keeping these herbs, especially Rosemary and Sweet Basil thriving?
Do you have any recipes that use fresh rosemary or basil? Leave your healthy recipe in the comment section and I may feature your recipe in an upcoming blog post!
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Wish and Whimsy 