13 Miles of Hiking in the U.P.

Forgive me! It's been a whole four days since my last post. I so appreciate all of you who have checked in with me to make sure all is good in Mrs. Skinny Fat's world...seriously! Love that you enjoy my words!

Over the weekend, I hightailed it to Munising, Michigan....wayyy up north (approximately 760 miles round-trip) for a quick weekend getaway. And I mean quick!  I left late Friday night - didn't arrive to Munising until after midnight and then returned home late Sunday in which I quite literally walked in my door and went straight to bed.  I have since felt like a walking zombie!  Ugh!  My hormones never play nice, and when it's "that" time, it takes a toll on me like no other.  Not only do I feel extremely exhausted, but I also feel so heavy...gaining a minimum of four pounds of water weight each and every time. Such a treat, right? So while I had full intentions of writing Monday and yesterday, my energy levels were pitiful to say the least.  Today, I am slowly starting to feel like myself. Thank goodness!  I missed me, too! 

While the trip to the U.P. was extremely short, it was well worth it!  Munising is such an awesome, majestic, destination.  I absolutely love it there and always wish for more time!  Time is something I didn't have though...we basically had one full day to try and soak in all its beauties - Lake Superior, sandy beaches, Pictured Rocks, endless hiking trails, waterfalls, etc.  Ahhh.  The scenery is better than Mexico...I promise!  Pure Michigan indeed.

To make the most of the one day, My mother-in-law and I decided to spend all of our Saturday outdoors surrounded by nature's wonders.  Our goal was to hike 15 miles. We, however, got a late start and inevitably darkness caught up to us at 13.  We were disappointed at first and then we realized how silly we were because 13 miles is still an awesome accomplishment!  My legs were burning the next day!  We had an absolute blast on the trails - Miles was in pure heaven!

We took a couple breaks to capture some moments at Sand Point Beach. So glad we did!

Me reminding Miles that he is a dog, not human. That he has four legs, not two.
These conversations are frequent with him and always equally difficult.

My MIL running along the shores of Lake Superior with Miles.

Yet another pep talk of what makes him special in doggie life.

Running is what we do best!

Senior Pictures :) Or so it felt like...

It's so pretty! I would love to run these shores every day!

Miles, much like me, loves getting dirty! 

Such a cutie! And, he absolutely loves getting his photo taken.

This makes me laugh...strong resemblance of a seal!

The evening sky was so awesome! 

All tuckered out...13 miles plus! 

Later that night we made the guys some fresh salmon loaded with veggies.  It was extremely simple and oh so delish!  What you see is what you get...salmon, baby asparagus, white onions, yellow and red peppers, red cabbage, drizzle of white wine, and seasonings. 

Mmmm! I'm crazy for colors! 

See you later tonight!  Can't wait to talk detox!! On day 2 or 28, yikes!

Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride,
Mrs. Skinny Fat

Circle of Healthy, Happy Friends

Every year, our circle of friends venture to Higgins Lake, Michigan to celebrate Labor Day weekend.  More so this year than any other, I was moved by how much we have grown over the years to become the people we are today.  While so much has changed since college, our values remain the foundation, and from that, we have each in our own right built what stands a unique individual. Even with life's changes and our individual molding, it amazes me that we still fit rather perfectly - together. 

There are without a doubt many traits that make our group of friends great.  However, during this most recent gathering, I was awestruck in our shared belief to actively pursue a healthy lifestyle.  While we each have our own definition as to what living a healthy lifestyle looks like, we seem to naturally respect each others' beliefs as it's all towards the same end goal.   Even more so, we support each other - and that support was reflected time and time again during our weekend together.

I was overcome with so many moments of pride - here we are a group of twenty-something year-olds (okay, okay, all closer to thirty) away together for "vacation", yet we all packed food and ate as if we were at a "Get My Body Back" Bootcamp Retreat.  Other than alcohol consumption, we were all pretty much clean eating saints.  Especially us girls.  Not only did we eat clean, the entire time, we moved our butts.  We got in our morning runs and made for an upper body adventure with the kayaks! Us girls made the kitchen a creative cooking studio - and with contribution from the guys - we whipped up some amazingly fresh, mouthwatering meals.   

It was the ultimate weekend away; satisfied bellies, achy muscles, loads of laughs, a little gossip, blue skies, bluer water, sun-kissed faces, and a bottle of memories to remind us just how blessed we are to have so many like-minded souls in our corner. 

Mr & Mrs. soaking in the sun's rays and enjoying the beauties of Pure Michigan.

The girls. Without any prior arrangement, we all packed food that made for the perfect combination. It was pretty impressive!

Below is just a sampling of our many tastings! Fresh was the underlying theme! 

 

Us Girls venturing out on the kayaks while the guys sailed... 

Does it get any better than this? Soaking it all in!

"It was the ultimate weekend away; satisfied bellies, achy muscles, loads of laughs, a little gossip, blue skies, bluer water, sun-kissed faces, and a bottle of memories to remind us just how blessed we are to have so many like-minded souls in our corner." -  MSF 

Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride,
Mrs. Skinny Fat

Feeling Like Something Sweet? Reach for a Peach!

Last night, I had a craving for something on the sweeter side.  Normally, I would reach for a bite (literally) of a dark chocolate dipped whole food bar but with it being a hot...summer...night like it was, I decided to venture off a bit!  My solution involved reaching for a fresh Michigan Red Haven Peach and combining it with Organic Non-Fat Frozen Vanilla Yogurt.  Oh my!  It was DELICIOUS!  I used half of my peach with about a 1/3 cup frozen yogurt.  I savored every second of it and felt completely satisfied with the portion size.  

Whenever I am going to indulge in something like such, I try and make it "pretty" - in this case, I used my Great Grandma's glass with a gold rim pudding cup!  The dish makes for a perfect portion size...and is fit for a princess!  Try and make your indulgence an experience...after all it's all about savoring the moment!  

Michigan Red Haven Peaches Combined with
Organic Non-Fat Frozen Yogurt

Take time to make your sweet something pretty -
you're sure to enjoy it that much more!

Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride!
Mrs. Skinny Fat

Paula Red's Grilled Chicken Salad for Two

I love harvest time in Michigan.  In the area in which I reside, I'm surrounded by local growers...literally a half-mile either direction and I have access to the bounties of Mother Nature's goodies.  Secretly, it makes me feel like a kid in a candy store (as the saying goes) every time I stop by the local stand...which is about twice a week....okay, three! :) 

I just love making meals knowing everything is mostly freshly hand-picked right from my backyard! 

Paula Red's Grilled Chicken Salad for Two - in this case, Mr. & Mrs.

Spinach

1 Paula Red Apple (soooo good!)  -

1 Cucumber

1 Cup of Cherry Tomatoes - cut in halves

1/4 Cup of Raw Pumpkin Seeds
1 Grilled Chicken Breast - chopped in bite sized pieces (I like my chicken raised with love thus I only buy local!)

1/4 Cup of All Natural (organic) Honey Mustard Dressing (read the label friends) - and remember a little goes a long way!

Combine all together - shake...shake...shake - then divide it up on a plate. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm! It received my husband's stamp of approval! 

 Raised Locally with Love:  Paula Red Apples, Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, Raw Pumpkin Seeds, and Grilled Chicken Breasts....yum!

Just another angle of Michigan flavors combined!

Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride!
Mrs. Skinny Fat

Having Fun While Getting Fit

Earlier this summer, my husband and I decided to invest in kayaks.  He's not much into the running thing and neither one of us are into biking (yet, anyway) so we thought kayaking could be something that we could enjoy doing together.  We both went with the Old Town brand - mostly because of the quality and comfort but also because we loved their storage containers - makes it easy to not only pack a cooler of clean goodies and lots of water but also access it easily while on the river or lake.

Kayaking has certainly become one of our favorite things to do together!  There are so many rivers and lakes to explore in Michigan...it's fun to plan different adventures!  This weekend we ventured to the Manistee River (near Manton, Michigan) for about a 4 hour trip with my in-laws.  I just love the idea that all of us could enjoy each others company, the great outdoors of Pure Michigan, and participate in a an excellent form of exercise!  Kayaking takes strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance.  It's truly a great cardiovascular workout!  There were several times that I challenged myself to paddle upstream when there was a heavy current - burn baby burn! 

Having fun while getting fit - doesn't get much better! 

Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride!

MSF

Mrs. Skinny Fat Paddling...Love the Beauty of Pure Michigan! 

Mr. & Mrs. Enjoying an Amazing Afternoon on the Manistee River!