Lately - Eats and Workouts - dani california cooks

Since returning from China (despite the maniac travels across the East and West coasts) I’ve been managing to eat really well and enjoy some awesome workouts. Especially since I’ve been so under the weather pretty much since returning from vacation, those two things have been high priorities to get me back on track. This weekend back at home really cured what ailed me!

Check out what I’ve been up to!

Breakfasts I have been ALL about the eggs. Every day while I’m traveling, I’ll call down to the hotel restaurant and have them whip up an egg white omelet with all the veggies and cheese. Also been enjoying some homemade whole egg breakfasts too.

check out my super cute mug wrapped in a sweater - gift from our project manager!

Lunches have been heavy on the salads and the seafood.

Love this salad from Mizuna in Spokane - sesame ahi tuna, spinach, ginger, cabbage, carrots, cucumber and a miso dressing. I also had this for dinner last week but subbed tofu for the tuna. Probably could eat this every day - my teammates make fun of me.
Miso soup and tuna sashimi salad with mixed greens and added avocado. Really nice meal to have with a cold!

And a garlicky shrimp caesar with lots of parmesan from Twigs - another go to for our team!

My go to tuna salad from Thyme back at home in Santa Monica. Happy to be home! Doing this recap post has made me realize how much tuna I eat. Might want to cut back on the mercury…?

Dinners have certainly been the most interesting.

Twice this past week I had the cioppino from Anthony’s - a Seattle/Washington flagship restaurant group. One time eating this in the airport alone and one time with my colleague in Spokane. Their outpost in Spokane is this gorgeous restaurant overlooking Spokane Falls, and we even saw a GIGANTIC raccoon nearby which we named “Tiger”. It was a really nice dinner, and a lovely way to break up the week! This was enjoyed with a very good glass of red wine. This was a super interesting dinner eating in at Mizuna. A winter vegetable stew with tempeh in a mushroom wine broth, with a walnut basil pesto on top. Something truly original, warming, and delicious. Not sure if I could recreate it at home (or if there is anyone else that I could cook for that would eat tempeh…)

Snacks have been lots of almond milk lattes. I love that so many coffee shops now have non-dairy and non-soy options! I told a barista in DC to petition her boss to start carrying almond milk and she went “I don’t make the decisions around here”. Ouch. Also a few too many ThinkThin bars in the afternoon - been enjoying their 150 calorie Protein & Fiber bars. Goal of mine is to cut back on these since they are pretty processed, but I do love their flavor, texture, and low sugar count of their products.

And straight up Justin’s almond butter with a spoon happened once…. Lots of kombucha too to get my immune system back on track too! Would try and ration one of these out over two days.

Over a month ago, I packed four bars of Lily’s Dark Chocolate with Coconut. I like this brand because it’s sweetened with stevia but still tastes rich. I figured I would have the bars on hand throughout the travels for whenever I needed a chocolate fix (ahem - daily). They ended up lasting me right until my final day of travels (even with Nate gobbling down almost a full bar) when on my flight home I ate last couple of pieces. I felt victorious in my planning!

Workouts have been extremely varied and I really feel inspired to build muscle!

I found my way back to Pure Barre in Spokane. I find barre workouts to be pretty light, but they are a great way to get some movement, build some strength and do something different. Me and my teammates go to Pure Barre often on days that we’ve flown in and don’t have the energy to go for a run but want to move around and work our whole bodies. Heaven to be back in sunny Southern California for beach runs (and selfies)! See the Santa Monica pier in the background.

Awesome hikes and vitamin D action with Hungry and Fit, Jamie, and Noke the pup. This was a great five-mile hike in Topanga Canyon and we felt totally transported out of Los Angeles. We even are pretty sure we saw Mandy Patinkin (Saul from Homeland!). Hiking in LA might be the best way to see celebrites.

But most importantly, I’ve found my way back to the mat. I think it was last week’s yoga class in DC when it was SO cold on the outside and felt SO good to sit in a warm yoga studio and move and stretch. And I also appreciated all of the readings by the teacher. I felt re-set and inspired to do more yoga, and found another hot yoga studio in Spokane and had another really great time back at the mat. Namaste!