One night in Las Vegas and my recent favorite eats and fitness

And just like that, we’re nearing the end of another week. I’m coming at you today with a look at some of the things I’ve been loving lately in fitness, food and life, some chatter from the week and a recap of my latest week of workouts. Here we go …

Less than 24 hours in Las Vegas

This time last week, I was preparing to head out on a 24-hour adventure to Las Vegas without the babe or the husband for the very first time, and that trip has come and gone. I went to Las Vegas to celebrate my future sister-in-law’s bachelorette party with her sister and friends, and I’m so glad I was able to make the trip for just one night. And there’s nothing like a good ol’ bathroom selfie at the Oakland Airport to kick off your solo travel …

(This red dress is going to be on serious rotation for me this summer, and my colorful and sturdy phone case can be found here.)

I flew out early on Sunday morning and came back on Monday morning. Dave held down the fort with Brady, and I tried to soak up my adult time as much as possible. When I arrived in Vegas, I joined the girls at the hotel — Mandalay Bay — a place which I had never actually stayed or been through before during my three other trips to Vegas, and it was nice. (Truth be told, many of the hotels seem very similar once you are inside them, except maybe for Aria, which is super fancy and I’ve never stayed.)

We laid out by the huge pool during the day, and this was the first time I’ve done that since summer of last year when I was pregnant on our babymoon.

It felt great to get some sun on my skin, lay back, people watch and even sip on a frozen adult beverage. I ordered a “frose” which is a frozen rose wine drink mixed with vodka. It was as delicious as it sounds. I also sipped on electrolytes and lots of water, so don’t worry, I kept it hydrated, especially with this adorable personalized plastic glass that was waiting for me in a super-sweet bachelorette gift bag …

(I’m obsessed with this pink coverup, which was also a bachelorette party gift from the hostess, and here is my new swimsuit, which I just bought and love and some new shades too.)

After the pool, we ate a big meal at a restaurant at the hotel and hung out in the room until finally getting ready for the main event — the Justin Timberlake “Man of the Woods” show at T-Mobile Arena, also on the Las Vegas Strip.

The concert was just as amazing as expected, because JT always delivers. He played a lot of songs from his new album, and I think they are starting to grow on me after being a little unsure of them at first. He also played all of the old favorites, which had me dancing up a storm from my upper-bowl seat. Good thing I changed into flats before we left the hotel room, so my feet were super comfy. 

(This outfit was a last-minute purchase the night before my trip, and I ended up loving it. These pants will be new staples in my wardrobe, loving this top and my new comfy gold slides too.)

After the show, we grabbed a late-night meal (egg and cheese croissant sandwich with a side of potatoes for me) and headed back to the hotel room, and that was the trip. It was short and sweet and pretty low-key, which was right up this tired momma’s alley. 

By the way, I’ve had a ton of questions on how it went to travel, pump, etc., and it wasn’t super fun, but it was totally doable. I definitely missed Brady a ton and was so happy to squeeze my little nugget when I returned. We quickly jumped right back into our routine and proceeded to have a great week. Yay for getaways!

Recent favorite eats

From travel to food …

Arctic Zero light ice cream

When it comes to ice cream, I actually like the real stuff. Like Ben & Jerry’s and gelato and all the full-fat dairy goodness. However, I’m always down to try the healthier and lighter versions, because you sort’ve feel like you can eat more of it in one sitting. Arctic Zero is a brand that makes some fit frozen desserts, which don’t have a ton of flavor, but are great for people who just want something to nibble on after dinner, and I’m not really into those original pints that they came out with a few years ago any more.

Well, the brand just debuted some new light ice cream, which is actual ice cream made from milk and is much creamier than their fit frozen dessert line. I’ve been working through a sample pack that they sent me, and I’m enjoying it for sure. It’s not as decadent as a lot of household name ice creams out there — and I’d put it on par with some of the Enlightened or Halo Top flavors, but perhaps not as good as Nada Moo.

My favorite flavor is the chocolate chunk, but cookies and cream is great too. If you’re into ice creams, but sometimes want something a bit lighter, this is a good option to try out. Thanks to Arctic Zero for sending it to me.

Lenny & Larry’s complete cookies

You guys know that I eat pretty darn healthy and always explain how whole, unprocessed foods are the best choice for the majority of your diet. However, there are some tasty bars and packaged goods out there that I just can’t say no to. For instance, Lenny & Larry’s complete cookies. (I also don’t say no to real ice cream, see the point above, nor cheesecake, pizza or burgers … just saying.)

I’ve found these cookies on sale at both Whole Foods Market 365 and Sprout’s Farmer’s Market recently, and I can’t help but pick up a few at a time. By the way, the single-size versions are also available at Trader Joe’s, and I like those too, but I’m partial to the big ones.

Anywho — these complete cookies are free of soy, dairy, etc., but there are quite a few ingredients in them, so they are not the cleanest snack in all the land, but what I’m most interested in is the taste — which is so good, as well as the protein and fiber content — both quite high. I sometimes eat these before my workouts, and they are just so satisfying — but truth be told, I could always eat more than one serving, and I usually do.

Project Juice Sub-zero Superfood Smoothies

This was a fun one to try out. Project Juice just launched these Sub-Zero Superfood smoothies, which are ready-to-blend containers of smoothies, which you store in the freezer and then pull out, add milk and blend up, pouring the mixture right back into the container it came in. Easy as pie! (Easy as a smoothie?)

I ordered eight different kinds to make an 8-pack, and I think my favorites were the ones with granola on top, but I also liked the protein versions, which have a bit more staying power than the straight fruit and veggie combos.

I would say that six out of the eight that I ordered were really tasty, however the one veggie-based detox smoothie I tried, was no good. I should have known with a name like “detox.” Overall, I just loved that each smoothie was totally ready to blend, with the addition of milk, and yet I still got to have so many good flavors in each bowl.

Thanks to Project Juice for providing the complimentary sample pack for me to try out.

And one more thing to note: You can get 50 percent off your first 8-pack order with the code TRYSZS, and you can also sign up for a subscription to get your smoothies on a regular basis. They are pricey, for sure, but if you are someone who likes to rotate your superfoods, try new smoothies and get in a ton of nutrients without keeping a lot of ingredients on hand, these may be for you. 

Weekly workout recap at 27 weeks postpartum 

Now on to fitness …

Here’s a look at my workouts from last week, at about 6.5 months postpartum …

• Monday: Took 1-hour BODYPUMP class, 10 a.m.
• Tuesday: Took 1-hour barre class, 2 p.m.
• Wednesday: Taught 1-hour Bootybarre class, 11 a.m.
• Thursday: 1-hour walk, 12 p.m. (Active recovery day)
• Friday: 1 hour walk, 10 a.m., 25-minute weights workout, 12 p.m.
• Saturday: Taught 1-hour Bootybarre class, 11 a.m.
• Sunday: Rest day (Vegas!)

This past week of workouts was a full one, and I’m happy to report that I taught two classes! I subbed a class midweek and taught my usual class on Saturday. I also took two classes, went on two long walks and did my own weights workout at the gym too. I only did two official “weight-training” sessions with BODYPUMP and the solo workout, although I did get in some lighter upper-body weighted work with the barre sessions. Overall, I’m so happy to be back at the gym, teaching and taking classes and using the childcare for Brady. Yay for fitness and the endorphins and joy it brings to me.

Best reads from around the web

• Funny: I meant to share this on the blog last week, but this video about leggings from a recent “SNL” episode is hilarious. I love it.
• Readers of blogs and blogging: I love this post from blogger Lindsay, who is letting her loyal readers know what she needs from them. I agree with so much of what she says in this post. A Lady Goes West is not a blog for bloggers, it’s a blog for readers, so I don’t often address this sort of thing. I’m SO grateful for all of you who come to the blog and read my posts, and I truly appreciate it. But in this day and age, as a blogger, you need a little help from your community to continue to grow and succeed, particularly on Instagram. As Lindsay’s post says, we’re not asking for you to do anything other than share our work, engage with it and if you enjoy it, encourage others to read our posts as well. Thank YOU for being here. And if you do like this blog, a little more love here and there would be soooo awesome!
• Diet tips to skip: This simple article is all about dieting tips you should NOT follow, and it totally is in agreement with my post last week from my RD friend Whitney. 

Favorite A Lady Goes West archives

A few good things to read from the blog …

• Newbies to wellness: Are you starting from scratch and pretty new to wellness? Then this one is for you … Check out “Five small steps you can start with to get healthier today.”
• Postpartum gym reflections: I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, because I’ve definitely had some eye-opening reflections (which have nothing to do with motherhood or babies) after my hiatus from working out for a few weeks during my postpartum period. Check out … “What I’ve learned about fitness from taking time off from the gym.”
• Clean beauty tools: I love multi-use products, and almond oil is perhaps my FAVORITE of all time … Check out “The all-purpose product you should have in your beauty regimen.”

Recent favorites in food and fitness and Las Vegas on A Lady Goes West ... Click To Tweet

This weekend, I’ll be teaching Bootybarre twice, we’re hosting some friends to watch an away Warriors playoff game and we’ll also be preparing for our trip to Atlanta next week for my brother’s wedding.

Have a wonderful day and weekend, my friends. Thank YOU for being here!

Questions of the day

What’s your favorite healthy treat?

What’s one great thing from your week?

What’s an interesting article that you read this week?