High Five for Friday - Link up, Vol. 12

It has been a few weeks, but I'm back linking up again for this week's...

with Lauren @From My Grey Desk

So here are my 5 favorite things from this week:

ONE. Cupcakes...yummy, delicious, OMG I have to have another one, cupcakes...

Need I say more?! :D

TWO. I have a new-found love for Zico's chocolate coconut H2O...

It's amazing...anyone else addicted too?

THREE. This is a BIG one...since starting up Crossfit & running, I have successfully lost 13-14 lbs, lost a total of 9-10 inches off of my body (from neck, chest, arms, waist, etc), gone down 2 pants sizes and decreased my body-fat percentage. 

I plan on posting some before & after photos in a separate post.

FOUR. My July Birchbox arrived

Birchbox teamed up with Glamour magazine this month to create a box based on Glamour's "Five Senses of Summer" issue. I'll have a separate post featuring its contents - but let me just say, I got some cool stuff this month!! :)

FIVE. The Crossfit Games are happening right now!! 

source

If someone asked me a year ago, if I'd be interested in watching/paying attention to these games, I would have told them that they were insane. But I am so wrapped up in it, it's ridiculous!! :) The men & women competing are just ridiculously fit...I'm amazed!

Can't wait to see others' favorite things that are linking up this week!
Thanks for hosting Lauren :P

Another Easy Peasy Dinner

Well, I'm back with another SUPER easy dinner that I threw together the other night. Again, it's nothing fancy and I'm sure nothing new & inventive in the cooking world. But it was quick, pretty healthy and tasted SO good!!!

Shrimp & Broccoli with Rice:

Sauteed about 20 small shrimp (I love shrimp) in EVOO, minced garlic and some crushed red pepper
Boiled broccoli (like the bag said), but then baked it in the oven (10 min) with some s/p/Parmesan cheese
Microwaved some white rice
Tossed all together with s/p

You could make this dinner with steak, chicken, tofu or just some other vegetables. I've been buying those little cups of rice (white & brown) that you can just pop in the microwave for about a minute. They are the perfect serving size and super easy. Plus, there's a coupon in each package! :) Also, I tossed the leftover EVOO mixture together with the shrimp/broccoli/rice...and it gave it so much flavor! You could also substitute the white rice for brown rice - I was out of brown rice, unfortunately, but I try to mix it up from meal-to-meal. All in all, quick & delicious!!

So I don't know if can you tell, but I'm on a health(ier) kick lately:

 

Mango-flavored coconut water; taco salad; my "easy peasy pasta"; salad with chicken, cheese & Italian dressing

Apple; edamame; baked potato with cheese

 Panera's Thai chopped chicken salad, apple & iced green tea; Panera's grilled chicken Caesar salad, chicken noodle soup, apple & iced green tea

You know I'm serious when I'm even eating healthier at Panera...it's one of my go-to places on a weekly or biweekly basis, but I'm usually ordering their broccoli-cheese soup, a panini, bread bowl, bagel...not as healthy, but SO yummy! I will say, if you haven't tried their iced green tea, go for it! It's AWESOME!

Hopefully I can stay on this kick, because I'm finding that it's easier to make healthier choices when I plan out meals, use things I already have in my pantry, and look at restaurant menus ahead of time.

I found this on Pinterest, and I'm trying really hard to listen to it, because I think it says a lot:

Pinned here (Fitness Board)

I don't know about you, but that just makes me really STOP and THINK about what I'm putting in my body!! I'm not perfect though...and I'm still learning - I have cheat days, I may not be eating something that is as healthy as I think it is...but I'm trying. It's a work-in-progress!

I'd love to hear about any quick & easy dinners you've been throwing together...or things you're eating that are on the healthier side - leave them in the comments!! :)