Weekend Recap: New Shoes, New Pants, Boxes Galore, and Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

Good morning, everyone!

Hopefully most of you have a holiday today, and hopefully those of you with a day off have fun plans! With all the inauguration bedlam going on in DC today, Brandon and I intend to stay as close to home as humanly possible. We briefly went into the District yesterday, only to get caught in a series of blocked roads and massive traffic jams -- so our game plan is to avoid the city at all costs. Gargantuan crowds, traffic, and standing in the cold for hours are a recipe for my own personal hell, and (surprise!) I just don't want to put myself through that. Whoda thunk, right?

Inauguration traffic aside, this weekend has been hectic (and is going to continue being that way, since we're now T-minus 5 days until the big move), but still fun: the big news (!!!!) is that I finally, finally felt well enough to go for a run yesterday. It was glorious, people! The sun was shining, I got some vitamin D, and I got to break in my new Garmin, new running shoes (the exact same model as my old ones, but still exciting), and a new pair of pants from pv.Body. I'm kind of enamored by these pants -- I love the cropped look, the fold-down waist has an asymmetric hemline (so fabulous), and the waist is lavender (one of my favorite colors: so, so, fabulous). Adding to which, they're super comfy. I loved running in them!

New kicks! New pantaloons! Excitement ensues!

I knew I was going to need to keep this workout short and easy, since three weeks of illness-induced exile from exercise means that I'm definitely out of shape. I also knew I was probably going to struggle mightily, since the flu and bronchitis involve all sorts of respiratory misery that have left my lungs in pretty rough condition.

Knowing all that, I decided to not worry about my pace. I only ran 2.5 miles and I needed an embarrassing number of walking breaks, but that's to be expected at this stage. I know I'll eventually work back up to where I was before I got sick, both in terms of pace and distance, but I'm going to give myself time to gradually improve. To that end, I loved getting to use the Garmin that Brandon got me for Christmas -- instead of clocking my pace, I was able to watch my distance and know exactly when to turn around and head home. This thing is freakin' awesome.

I lurve this thing. Have I mentioned that my husband is the best?

Meanwhile, amidst the packing, organizing, and the glorious return to running, I decided to, y'know, get insanely ambitious and add a few things to my plate. Namely, baking.

Now, each person has their own way of dealing with stress. My coping mechanisms usually involve exercise, yoga, reading, and, occasionally, bawling my eyes out in the shower. Over the course of the last year, though, baking has become one of my go-to stress relief activities. There's something comforting about the way a baking project comes together from a gaggle of ingredients, and I've noticed that whenever I'm stressed out, I get back from running/the gym and immediately start eyeballing the Kitchen Aid. I have no idea why I'm suddenly channeling June Cleaver, but hey, it's better than bawling my eyes out in the shower!

I found this recipe for gluten-free vegan banana bread with chocolate chips from Monique at Ambitious Kitchen, and I decided to turn it into muffins. (This way I can take them to work, which helps ensure that I don't wind up eating all the baked goods.) I made some small modifications to the recipe -- I added 1/8 cup agave nectar and one tablespoon of flax seed mixed with 1 tablespoon water -- but the muffins turned out beautifully.

Of course, I had to test one to make sure they tasted as good as they smelled when they were baking. It's a hard job -- really, my selflessness knows no bounds -- but somebody's got to do it. (Insert excessive whining about how hard my life is here.)

I know, I know: you feel sorry for me. Look at the awful things I have to do.

Now I'm off to do more packing -- I hope everyone has a fantastic day!