Saints Go All the Way

"Saints go all the way, Saints go all the way..." most have probably never heard that song, but I have because I date a complete New Orleans Saints freak!  As you may know, I am a Packer fan (sad they lost, but now they have the monkey off their back) but I am also a Saints fan (thanks to my boyfriend). This weekend him and I went to the Saints-Vikings game up in the cities, since it was just a short little drive from home.

We happened to get some fantastic seats, something we don't do often... so great that we got some really nice shots of some great athletes from both teams!

"Stand up and get crunk"

It was really a great time!  This is the first time I have ever been to a game where I was in the minority, hence me in black and gold surrounded by a sea of purple and yellow... it felt very strange and kind of uncomfortable, since we had some pretty unsportsmanlike things said to us.

Fitness Plan
Monday: 60 min lift, 3 mile run
Tuesday: 5-6 mile run
Wednesday: Boot camp, 45 min cardio
Thursday: 4 mile run
Friday: 45-60 min lift, 45 min cardio
Saturday: Run or rest
Sunday: Run or rest

I'm not really sure what my schedule will be like on Saturday and Sunday, so not exactly sure what I will do for workouts, but I know one of the days will be a run!

If you're looking for a good burner for the day, here is my lift from today...

MB wall ball (squat throw) 10 x
Heavy bag :45
Vasa pullups 20x
Roller ball 20 yards
Hanging leg raises w/MB between legs 25x
Whippers (heavy ropes) :45
Tread wall 50 feet (about 1:30)

I did this in a "add on" fashion, so it looks a little something like this...

MB wall ball + Heavy bag
MB wall ball + Heavy bag + Vasa pullups
MB wall ball + Heavy bag + Vasa pullups + Roller ball ... etc.

Substitute in any exercises you want, it's a butt kicker! The whole routine, plus a 5 minute warm up took me one hour.

Are You Ready For Some Football?!

Last  night marked the kickoff of the NFL season, and it just so happened that my two favorite teams took part in that game... the Packers (my #1) and the Saints (my #2)!  

Go Jordy!

I am a Packers fan because I grew up in WI.  Granted I was born and raised the first 10 years of my life in Minnesota, my parents and grandparents are from WI and we were raised with green and gold in our blood.

Who Dat!

I am a Saints fan, mostly because of my bf.  He taught and lived down south and was a Saints season ticket holder and fell in love with the people, the state, the culture and the team.... I found myself doing the same thing! I have taken three trips to New Orleans... 1.) When I was in middle school for a basketball tournament 2.) Vacation 3.) NIRSA conference (Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV).  During my vacation there my bf and I were able to catch a Saints game, which was really what won me over.  Lambeau Field has an awesome atmosphere, but the Super Dome has a completely different feel.  Not only is it a constant party, but walking into the stadium I was overwhelmed with emotion thinking of this very space being used as an emergency site during Hurricane Katrina.  Not only that the people at the game were the most hilarious and friendly people ever!  All three were amazing experiences and quite frankly I would love to move to New Orleans!  

So last night was really going to be a win-win for me, regardless of who won.  

In the spirit of the Saints, we made beignets, a doughnut type pastry from down south!  Last time I was down there I picked up a box of Cafe Du Monda beignet mix to make back home.  Mmm mmm mmm!

Hope you all enjoyed the game as much as we did! Who is your favorite team?

Smile it's the weekend!

N.O. Part II- Mardi Gras World

In case you missed it yesterday I began my series of posts on my trip from last week that I spent in New Orleans for a NIRSA conference.  Yesterdays feature post was on the food of New Orleans, today I will be diving into one of my favorite things that I saw there...Mardi Gras World!

One of our socials that was put on by NIRSA was the Mardi Gras social.  For this social we went to Mardi World, a place where many of the floats from Mardi Gras are stored for site seeing.  If you want to see more pictures or learn more information about this amazing place check out this website.  Along with seeing many of the floats from the 2011 Mardi Gras parade, we were able to sample many foods (ie: jambalaya, crawfish beignets, mufalettas, etc.), hold gators, get tarot card readings, and have caricatures done. Here is a pictorial tour of my night at Mardi Gras World!  PS Be sure to check out the video below, this is what I walked into Mardi Gras World to see/hear :)

Welcome Mardi Gras World!

Let the floats begin

Drew Brees

Kisses for the Saints

Reggie Bush

Float making shop

Gorilla in the making 

The party leading umbrella

Today

Last night I made a veggie salsa/dip with the following ingredients...

1/4 c Red wine vinegar, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, onion, 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning 

Mix it all up and let set in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours so the flavors can soak in.

I didn't want to do a ton of grocery shopping this week, so I made a quick run to the co-op and picked up these four items.  The rest of my meals will be made from items in my pantry and freezer, since I tend to overlook those things so much.  

Sprouts, eggplant hummus, jalapeños, nonfat vanilla yogurt

A combination of these items and my veggie dip made up my lunch for today. 

Hummus, jalapeño, sprout and cheese sandwich 

That's it for today, check back tomorrow for the next post of my New Orleans series!

Laissez le bon temps rouler