The Ride House

Have you ever been to an event and left knowing that you just found something special?  Something that made not only your heart happy but your soul happy?

This happened to me Tuesday night when I was lucky enough to attend a ClassPass event at The Ride House.  The Ride House opened about a week ago and this place has already generated a huge amount of buzz!  I was super nervous as I clipped in to my bike because #1 I had never clipped into a bike before and #2 the only class on a bike I've ever done is a Les Mills RPM class.

As soon as the music started though, I knew I'd be ok.  A hot sweaty mess, but ok.  Our instructor Jasmine was not only beautiful but so engaging and really got the whole class (or Tribe as they call it) excited and motivated for the next 45 minutes.  The playlist was awesome and I'm pretty sure I sang along with every song including the newest Ellie Goulding which literally made my heart so happy to hear!

The class included push-ups, tap backs and weight work all of which I'd never done in RPM.  The 45 minutes were really centered around riding to the beat of the music which was right up my alley.  By the time it was over I knew I'd be back for more next week!

After class we got to enjoy juices from Tribal, shopping from Lululemon and other goodies!  I also got to connect with the fabulous Mai Lyn!  If you haven't checked out her amazing blog go read it now!

I can't wait to get back for another ride!

Class Pass 2-for-1

In December I was asked to be an ambassador for ClassPass during their Dallas launch.  I got the opportunity to try out some great fitness studios and really started learning what I wanted out of a workout.  This month Meghan and Fiona from ClassPass have been in town hosting some awesome events and free classes around town and I was lucky enough to attend 1 event at Beyond500 and 1 event at The Ride House.  I was also lucky enough to go to dinner with these 2 amazing ladies and was asked to be an ClassPass ambassador once again!  I will be spending the month of March trying out new workouts and studios and reporting back to all of you about what I've found.

For those of you that don't live in Dallas, don't worry, I still have something great for yall!  For a short time ClassPass is offering an amazing 2-for-1 deal: 2 months of unlimited classes for just $79! That's 2 months of barre, pilates, cardio, weigh -training, spin, etc! Swimsuit season is right around the corner so what better time to take advantage of such an awesome offer!  Sign up here!

Side note, see that cute blonde in the picture above?  That is my sorority sister Amanda!  Small world huh?!

If you live in DFW and sign up, let me know!  We can try some classes together and #livethesweatylife!  Also check back tomorrow for my review of The Ride House class!

Tomato Cream Pasta Sauce

Saturday I had the biggest urge to try a new recipe.  I have been making such clean and healthy recipes lately and dangit I wanted pasta!  After browsing my Pinterest boards I decided to actually pull out a cookbook and found my beloved Pioneer Woman books.  As soon as I saw the Tomato Cream sauce recipe I knew that's what I wanted.

Tomato Cream Pasta Sauce
via The Pioneer Woman

What you need:

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans tomato sauce (15 oz)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• fresh basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• dash of sugar
• romano cheese
• 1-1/2 pound fettuccine noodles

What you do:

Cook pasta according to package directions.  *I will probably use linguini noodles next time as I had a tough time getting the fettuccine to cook all the way through*

Heat butter and oil over medium heat and add onion and garlic.

Inhale deeply.  I mean, is there anything better than the smell of onions and garlic cooking together?  No maam!

When onions are translucent pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper and sugar to taste.  Turn heat to low and cook for 25-30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in cream.  Watch your sauce change to a delicious orange color.

Add cheese to taste then pour over cooked noodles.  Top it all off with some freshly chopped basil.

Enjoy!

What a Weekend!

Good morning and Happy Monday yall!  Can yall believe this is the last week in February?  I for one am not sad to see this month go because January/February have been really trying with work.  I am ready for March for sure!  Linking up today with Biana today to chat about my weekend!

My weekend started on Thursday night when I got to have dinner with the amazing Fiona and Megan of ClassPass!  In December I was given the opportunity to be an ambassador when Class Pass launched in Dallas.  I loved every bit of my experience and was so excited when the girls reached out again about some new opportunities.  More on that later.

The girls and I ate at the amazing Cedar Social and then I took them to one of my favorite dessert places Emporium Pies in Bishop Arts District.  I ordered my favorite, the Smooth Operator which is a chocolate pie with a pretzel crust!  Ummm holy deliciousness!

After a long day of work Friday, I headed out for a few drinks with a couple of my girls.  Our friend Natalie was throwing a surprise party for her fiance and I was so excited because I hadn't seen Natalie since I've been back in Texas.  The party was so fun and I maybe had one too many glasses of champs!

I have such pretty friends!

Saturday I got to have lunch with my Aunt and Uncle and then had a much needed nap.  I woke up with the biggest urge to cook something new so I called Christine and made her come have dinner.  I tried The Pioneer Woman's Tomato Cream Sauce and it was delicious!  I will be sharing the recipe later this week.

Sunday was nice and relaxing with a barre class and a movie.  We are under a Winter Weather Advisory and they've even closed public schools today.  So far I haven't seen snow but I'm on the lookout!

Hope yall have a fabulous week!

Leave a Little Sparkle

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I thought this quote was appropriate for the weekend!  Happy Friday yall!  I am linking up today with the fabulous Amanda who is getting married today!  I can't believe she is freaking hosting a link up on the day of her wedding but I'm going to take advantage of it for sure!

Here are a few of my favorite things I found this week!

Favorite Recipe
Sesame Kale Glow Bowl

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Yall go make this right now!  I added beef instead of tempeh but this was amazing!  It made about 4 servings.

Favorite New Purchase
Amelie Sparkle Bracelet

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I have had my eye on this beauty for awhile now and when Pure Barre had a trunk show last week, I just had to pull the trigger!  It arrived yesterday and I put it on immediately!

Favorite New Health Kick
Juice Bar Shots

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I have been taking a couple of juice shots for the past 2 weeks and I feel amazing!  My sinuses are more clear, I can breathe better, and I have a lot more energy.  The 2 I've tried so far are the Hot Shot (lemon, ginger and cayenne pepper) and the Turmeric Tonic (orange, turmeric and cayenne pepper).

We're supposed to have warmer but rainy weather this weekend but then snow on Monday.  What the heck?!  Here's hoping the sun comes out at some point this weekend!

Dating in Dallas So Far....

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Alright yall it's time to get a little real over in these parts today!  I may have mentioned before but ever since I moved to Dallas I have thrown myself into the dating world.  I downloaded a fancy app called Tinder (thanks Sheana and please remind me to kick your butt next time I see you) and thought "how bad could this be?"  Well let me just tell you how bad....

Stick with me on this one.  It's a little long but I promise, it's entertaining.

Dude #1
First night we went to the bar by my house and had drinks.  Totally hit it off and I was excited for date #2.  Date #2 went ok but when he mentioned that he really only had friends who were girls it put up a large red flag for me.  Dates # 3 & 4 proved I was really over it and I let Dude #1 go on his way.

Dudes #2 & 3 only went on 1 date with each of them.  No chemistry.  Like none.  At all.

Dude #4 (this is where it gets interesting)
Dude #4 and I "met" (or matched in the Tinder world) right before Christmas.  We tired a couple of times to get together before the holidays but realized that with both of our crazy schedules it just wasn't going to happen.  We had text quite a bit for 2 weeks so I knew he was witty and funny and got my sense of humor and when we finally managed to meet for dinner the day before NYE I was excited.  Dinner was so fun and we were obviously very into each other.  He kissed me goodnight and I left with a few butterflies in my stomach for the first time in forever.  Date #2 was 2 days later on New Years Day.  We went to dinner and I mentioned that I hadn't gotten to look at Christmas lights in Dallas at all.  He said "well we can fix that" and drove around the beautiful neighborhoods of Highland Park for over an hour so I could see everything.  SO sweet right?  Date #3 was a beautiful dinner out and another goodnight kiss.  By this time I'm starting to think that Date #4 has got to be a good time, right?  He invited me over to watch a movie.  We are snuggled up on the couch enjoying the show and he even made a comment about how he wanted kids some day (the main character in the movie had a baby so it wasn't out of nowhere).  After the movie was over is when all hell breaks loose.  We obviously started making out a little (sorry Mom and Mema) and he just wouldn't take no for an answer.  When I finally put my foot down and told him that I just wasn't that kind of girl he literally looked me in the eyeballs and goes "I can just put you in the friend zone then.  I like you but at some point I have to cut my losses!"  Ummm 'scuse?  Did you really just say that to me?  So I stood up and walked out and haven't heard from the ass since.

Whew!

Last week was the breaking point.

Dude #5
Dude #5 really wanted to do "something".  Not just go to dinner or a bar but some kind of activity.  When he chose putt-putt I thought it was cute.  Until it started raining and he insisted on driving the 30 miles out to the putt-putt place "just in case it wasn't raining out there".  Well it was and the place was closed.  We drove all the way back to my side of town and he suggests a pizza place by his apartment where we could watch the Mavs game.  Sounds like a great idea I thought.  We drive over and he decides that since the 3 parking spots that were available were on the opposite side of the street than the one we were on that we could just park 2 blocks away at his apartment.  Keep in mind it's still raining.  He parks his car and goes "You know while I'm here I'll go ahead and switch my laundry from the washer to the dryer".  Because that's the most romantic thing you can do on a date apparently.  He invites me inside and I immediately wanted to run for the hills.  Besides being an absolute mess, there was a lovely piece of hardware on his coffee table that told me he has a very large interest in....ummm...trees (if you need me to explain this, I will).  I mean seriously, who leaves something like that out all of the time and why in the world would you let a girl in your apartment if you knew that was there?!?!

Needless to say I deleted Tinder shortly after.

While dating can sometimes be fun and exciting for some, I'm just not really having that luck.

So in the words of one of my favorite single gals, Charlotte York:
"I've been dating since I was 15.  I'm exhausted! Where is he?"

Bikini Body Recipes

Since bikini season is right around the corner-well at least for us Southerners, I have really been trying to step up my eating habits.  I know eating clean and healthy is not always easy and according to a lot of people it doesn't always taste good.  I have a friend who eats very clean and she'll choke down a healthy meal even if it doesn't taste good.  I just can't bring myself to do that.  I believe that everything you eat should taste amazing, healthy meals included so I wanted to round up a few of the recipes I've found lately.

Brussel Sprout and Kale Salad

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Yall this salad is so good.  I literally want to drink the homemade dressing.

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

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I haven't made this yet but how could these ingredients ever taste bad?

Tunna Ceviche

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So easy to throw together!  Perfect for a busy weeknight.

Bolognese and Zucchini "Pasta"

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Helps cure my pasta cravings for sure!

Breakfast Hash

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I can eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Great way to get extra veggies in for breakfast!

What are some of yalls favorite healthy recipes?

Hi, my name is Elise and I sometimes forget I have a blog!

Yall!!!!  How has it been almost 3 weeks since I've visited blogland?!?!?!  Life has literally been non-stop lately.  When I say I'm stressed to the max about my new job it's not an understatement at all!  I'm really hoping that by the end of February I'll feel a little less stressed and a little more like myself.

Ok in the spirit of getting back to my old self, I'm going to link up with the lovely Biana to chat about my weekend.  Unfortunately this was the weekend of no pictures so you're just going to have to use your imagination.  Sorry!

Friday night I got to see one of my old friends from college.  His little sister just had a baby so he was in town to see his family.  It was one of those nights where you literally look up and realize you've been hanging out for 6 hours and had no clue!

Saturday started early with a lovely Valentine's walk with Ashley.  We got to chat and gossip about boys and how we are both really hating being in the dating world right now.  The weather was beautiful that morning and it was so great to catch up with her.  In the middle of our walk I got a phone call from a friend.  I thought it was odd because it was 9am which is early for her to be calling and I knew she was out of town.  As soon as she said hello I KNEW something was up.  Turns out she got engaged the night before!  I can't reveal who it is yet but I am SO excited and happy for her.  Stay tuned for all of the wedding festivities that will be happening shortly with this one.

Saturday night I went back to my roots and headed off to a dance competition.  A few of us that used to teach together went and we had a great time watching the show.  One of my former assistants was competing and it was so good to see her!  I can't believe she's going to graduate high school in May.  I have to admit that being there made me miss the dance world but I'm hoping I can fix that by just going to take class.

Sunday I did what almost every other woman in America did this weekend: went to see 50 Shades of Grey!  The jury is still out on how I feel about it.  I almost think it was so bad that it was good, does that make sense?  I felt SUPER awkward sitting there listening to some of the dialog and of course some of the scenes were very uncomfortable!

Alright I know this was maybe the most boring post ever but I'm trying to get back in the swing of things!