I survived my first spin class

I may have previously mentioned I've been trying to get back into a regular workout routine again and it's been going well so far. On Saturday, I switched to a new gym that offers classes and miraculously, I survived my first spin class. This may not sound like cause for too much celebration, but you don't know my history with group fitness classes.

To give you some background, I don't handle the heat very well. My body gets overheated very easily and it doesn't take long before my face is bright red and my head is pounding. A few hours outside on a hot day has the potential to land me in bed with an awful headache. My family actually calls me "Heatstroke" because on numerous occasions, they've had to witness this nonsense.

It was the year 2007 and I was a junior at the University of South Florida. I decided to switch up my workout routine and attend a class at the gym. I forget the actual name of the class I chose, but it was basically 30 minutes long and it totally sounded like something I could handle. Aside from some arms workouts with dumbbells, it basically turned out to be a step aerobics class. Somewhere in the midst of stepping on then off, then right and left, over and over and over again, I realized I was getting a little overheated and stepped off to take a break, only it was too late and then, I fainted. In the middle of the class. I had no idea what happened until the instructor was standing over me asking if I was okay to which I answered yes and walked right on out of there. I can laugh at this now, but at the time I was completely mortified and told myself I would never take another group fitness class.

It's safe to say for someone like me, out of all the group fitness classes my new gym offers, spinning would be the class I'd be most likely to pass out in, yet there I was on Saturday morning, not passing out. I even made it through the whole hour! I'm still pretty shocked my mother-in-law convinced me to try it out, but I'm glad she did. I'm not gonna lie, 20 minutes in I was wondering what the hell I'd gotten myself into but that didn't stop me from sticking it out. I had to make a serious effort to avoid getting "overheated" and I didn't try to keep up with what everyone else was doing. It's 2 days later and  my thighs are so sore I could hardly get out of bed this morning. It's awful but I kinda also love it and I never thought I'd say this but I'll be back on Saturday morning for round two.

Do you spin? What classes do you enjoy?

The kitchen is my happy place

It's no surprise I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, which is funny because not long ago I wouldn't call myself much of a cook at all. In fact, I'd probably laugh at you if you asked me what I was cooking for dinner. Things sure have changed, though, because these days it seems I am at my happiest when I'm in the kitchen cooking (or baking, of course) up something delicious. Not only do I enjoy cooking and baking, but I get so much joy out of finding a new recipe I love.

It only makes sense that I'd like to pass these recipes on to you! After all, I'm sure most of you can relate to having hundreds of recipes pinned on Pinterest but not knowing which ones to try first. Trust me, I've been there. Maybe this list will save you from aimlessly scrolling through Pinterest trying to decide on a dinner recipe and realizing 3 hours later you totally forgot about dinner...not that this has happened to me before...

Lemon Basil Grilled Pork Chops

This is one of  those I knew Jonathan would go nuts over. He couldn't stop raving about how much flavor these had!

PF Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I've tried a few recipes like this before but found they were too complicated for me and by that I mean they required more ingredients than I had the patience for. This recipe is simple, quick and yummy! 

Cucumber Watermelon Salad with Feta & Basil

Let's just say I know what I'm bringing to our next family gathering. This was a big hit in our house!

Turkey Pesto Meatballs

This is a Paleo recipe and the first meatball recipe I've ever attempted. It's super easy and delicious! 

White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Blondies

I always get on a Snickerdoodle baking kick around this time of year, so I couldn't resist when I came across these babies. Jonathan looooves snickerdoodles so these treats were perfect to surprise him with when he came home from work yesterday. 

Last night, we did the Lemon Basil pork chops served with baked asparagus and the Cucumber Watermelon salad and all I could think to myself was how this was such a perfect summer meal. With each of these recipes only calling for a few ingredients, it was easy to pull together and everything tasted delicious! 

What have you been cooking up lately?