Wonderful Saturday

I started off the day by attending my 9th yoga class of the month!  I got up bright and early to head to the studio for the 8am Hot Vinyasa class.  My last hot class was actually the last yoga class I went to before finding out I was pregnant and I've definitely been wary to go back.  I had forgotten how wonderful I feel after hot yoga...so clean and warm and open!  The teacher started class by telling us about her sons and their fascination with superheroes and super powers, and how her family often had discussions about what their own super powers would be.  She told us to think of the possibilities if our super power was the ability to unconditionally, unequivocally love.  What things could we accomplish in the world if we had the power of that kind of love?

Following the superhero theme, the class involved lots of balancing in "flying" postures like airplane, stork, and standing splits.  It was challenging and I could see the sweat dripping off my arms but it felt amazing!  After class I stopped by Starbucks for an iced green tea, but the barista placed my order incorrectly and made me an iced passion tea.  He realized his mistake immediately and was going to make me the green tea, but I told him I'd try the passion tea.  It was tasty, but I think green tea is still my favorite!  I'm going to have to try an iced chai latte soon because chai is the best ever, but it's getting too warm outside to keep getting hot drinks!

When I got home I went for a quick run with the hubs.  My leg cramps/shin splints/whatever they are have really been bothering me this week and today was no exception.  I wonder if it's connected to all the yoga I've been doing, but I would think that yoga would be good for me because it builds strength and stretches me out.  I hope I can shake them because tomorrow I'm hoping to go for a 10-miler in the morning!

We made plans to have dinner with my parents so I decided to whip up a few things.  First were the Strawberry Nutella Muffins I read about on Peanut Butter Runner!  They were surprisingly simple to make and I had all the ingredients except fresh strawberries and buttermilk on hand.  The verdict: delicious and very light!!

We went to the produce market around the corner to get the strawberries and picked up a few other things to make a salad as well.  I wanted something different for the salad, so I got some potatoes, okra, tomatoes, and corn.  I sort of pulled things from various recipes I've pinned on Pinterest and created my own little concoction.  I cut red potatoes into bite-sized pieces and tossed them in olive oil and one ranch dressing seasoning packet along with about a pound of okra and a small package of grape tomatoes.  I roasted the potatoes for about half an hour before adding the okra and tomatoes, and then roasted for an additional half hour.  I put spinach in a salad bowl and then topped it with the roasted mixture and some grated parmesan cheese!  I was nervous since it was kind of an experiment but it turned out delicious!  We had a great night of food, wine, beer, and Wii Tennis.