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sunrise from iwo jima
January 11, 2021

Sunrise-ing

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Hi friends – it has been quite a week since we spoke last Monday, huh? Like most everyone I spent the second half of last week glued to the news watching with horror the chaos that was unfolding a mere few miles away.

I don’t have anything insightful to share except that the stark difference between how the Black Lives Matter protestors were treated (aka a bazillion storm troopers in their face) vs. how the white insurgents were treated (able to walk into the Capitol with little resistance) was horrifying if, unfortunately, not all that surprising.

I know Biden’s inauguration in a little over a week will certainly not fix our country, but it’s at least a step in the right direction, and I’m looking forward to having a sane and rational leader for our country again. 

Anyway – for those of you missing my sunrise run pictures, you’re in luck – I met up with my friend Sokphal early this morning for the first time since last March.

Between covid guidelines, hot summer, my first trimester with zero energy, etc., it hasn’t made sense for us to meet up, but I’m so glad we finally got it together for this morning. I’ve missed her and also this view!

sunrise from iwo jima

Since running isn’t really feeling good for me any more these days at almost 21 weeks pregnant, we bundled up (and masked up – masks are way less annoying in winter than summer, right?! nice to keep my face warm!) and took a walk instead. 

dc sunrise

Man, I love these views. There’s nothing quite like a sunrise over water!

sunrise from mt. vernon trail

Sokphal passed a Starbucks on her way to meet me so she grabbed us drinks – hot green tea for me, thanks Sokphal! Since they always make it wayyyy too hot, it was perfect by the time we met up – hot but not burning my mouth! Nice to have it to keep my hands warm too. 

sunrise walk mt vernon trail

Good to see you Sokphal, I’ve missed our sunrise meet ups! 

walk with sokphal

As for the weekend, Matt and I spent it getting a lot of stuff done around the house! I did a thousand loads of laundry (it never stopssss) and organized and decluttered a ton, which always feels really good. 

Meanwhile, Matt was working on a cool project: a little reading nook for Riese (and eventually baby #2!) in the playroom! Isn’t this cute?! 

cozy reading nook for toddler

I wish I had gotten a before photo, but it was basically a mess – that window seat is built in, and it doesn’t open into storage or anything. Before it was basically just all sorts of arts and crafts in a big pile and books strewn all over the place in a mess. 

Matt has been wanting to make this area into something cooler for awhile now, and I was super impressed he envisioned this, measured and ordered everything, and installed it all himself! 

Here are Amazon affiliate links to everything in case you want to copy it. 🙂 

  • Sheer star curtains (only $17) and basic curtain rod (also $17)
  • Floating shelves (set of 2 is $60, we have 2 on each side)
  • Star twinkle lights (hanging from ceiling, $24)
  • Fuzzy gray toddler reading chair ($70 and felt a little overpriced because it’s not the most amazing quality and took awhile to puff up, but Riese loves it and it’s the right size/fit for the space)
  • Teal lumbar pillows (we want to get some bigger pillows for back support and in a different color, but these work for now)
  • Teal seat cushion (small size) + wider size – a flat pillow that fit the whole space would’ve been best, but we didn’t want to pay for anything custom and we love the color of these so it works!

toddler reading nook with floating shelves

As for food highlights since we last checked in, my sous chef has been helping me make lots of Flour Free Breakfast Pancakes (her absolutely fave breakfast, which is unsurprising because she’s obsessed with bananas and basically wants to eat 500 bananas a day and nothing else – oh, toddlers)…

helping make my flour free breakfast pancake

(Here’s a link to her hedgehog chef’s outfit, so cute)

And our favorite lunch as of late has been a mediterranean chicken pita situation. Leftover grilled chicken + tzatziki (for you locals, the Cava tzatziki is the best in my opinion – it’s at Whole Foods), bell pepper, pickles, tomato, feta, and arugula:

mediterranean pita take 2

I also made us a batch of my Zesty Italian Pasta Salad with my Creamy Italian Dressing recipe (I followed the recipes but added raw broccoli, and I added the optional sausage – it was a pre-cooked Italian sausage) to eat on for lunches and it’s been nice to have it on hand!

italian pasta salad with veggies and sausage

And speaking of broccoli, I have a Broccoli Cauliflower Salad recipe coming at you on Wednesday, so stay tuned for that – it’s a yummy and easy one that makes a great side!

We’ve also been enjoying salmon tacos – just seared salmon, some slaw, guac, and hot sauce – it could have used some black beans but we were out. 

salmon tacos

We had some leftover so we made salmon + cheddar quesadillas the next day for lunch which were also yummy!

And we’ve been eating lots of eggs as usual! Avocado toast, of course:

avocado toast

And omelettes – this one was simple with just sharp cheddar + chopped baby spinach. 

egg cheese and spinach omelette

Dinners have mostly been Blue Aprons, as usual!

We had some nice sunshine this weekend so the only other thing I did over the weekend was meet my friend Jen for an afternoon walk date – wanted to take advantage of the weather and it was so nice to catch up with her, as always. 

walking along the potomac near old town

I hope you all are staying safe and healthy out there and that you have a nice week – I’ll see you back here on Wednesday and Friday with some new recipe inspiration!

I’m also going to start working on a pregnancy update post (I’ll be 21 weeks this week, and we actually have our 20 week sonogram today… any questions/topics you want me to cover in the post, let me know) as well as a 2021 “Word of the Year” post, so stay tuned for those later this month!

- anne
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13 comments
  • Becca January 11, 2021 · 11:49AM:
    I just want to thank you for mentioning the shocking and horrific events of the last week. Looking at other bloggers who pretend that our country has not reached a point of extreme crisis and that all is normal--I just can't relate to that right now. It's surreal. Thanks for being real and using your platform responsibly.
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 11, 2021 · 11:52AM:
      Absolutely. Content was already planned/pre-written and scheduled to go live Friday (my Easy Quinoa Recipes post) or else I would have mentioned it sooner... I shared a lot about it last week on Instagram stories but know not everyone follows me there!
      Reply
  • Kris S January 11, 2021 · 12:17PM:
    Love the book nook! so cute! :D
    Reply
  • Tracie January 11, 2021 · 12:24PM:
    The reading nook is perfect! Something I’m sure your kiddos will love for years and years. I’ve had dreams of updating our tiny playroom but IKEA is all sold out of the storage system I had my eye on. Everyone must be starting the new year with some home projects!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 12, 2021 · 1:14PM:
      I bet so, it's a good time of year to motivate and update!
      Reply
  • Allison D. January 11, 2021 · 1:53PM:
    Thank you for talking about what is happening in the country. I cannot read blogs right now that pretend this stuff is not happening. For me, I appreciate the balance of commenting on this, but the usual light updates as well. Both your masks in these pictures are adorable. Can you share information on those?
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 12, 2021 · 1:14PM:
      Sure, they are from BioSkin!
      Reply
  • Roadrunner January 11, 2021 · 10:53PM:
    Well done getting out for the early morning walks, Anne! And love the reading nook. Big kudos to Matt on that, please! And also love the hedgehog chef outfit! Nice!
    Reply
  • Ana January 12, 2021 · 9:35AM:
    I would have loved a book nook like that as a kid! Matt did a beautiful job! And I also appreciate your addressing the awful events of last week. There are times when being silent is not the right choice.
    Reply
  • Jessica January 13, 2021 · 10:34AM:
    Hi Anne, I've been following your blog for years and I also want to thank you for mentioning the events in DC this pas week. I live in the area as well (over in the Palisades DC) and am also a runner and also pregnant - 28 weeks! First one for me. I've used a lot of your posts for training for my first/only marathon back in 2015 and for tips in general. It's refreshing to see a blogger acknowledge the horror we experienced here last Wednesday and I just wanted to take a moment to say I'm grateful for you and your blog! Also beautiful sunrise pics!! I need to be better at waking up early haha :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 13, 2021 · 11:41AM:
      Thanks for reading Jessica! Congrats on your pregnancy - how exciting! Maybe I'll see you around DC on the trails one day once we're both back after it! :)
      Reply
  • Anne
    January 19, 2021 · 4:03PM:
    Wow - look at those skies! We have had clouds and snow flurries off and on for what seems like a month. I honestly don't remember the last time I saw the sun! I wish I'd had that reading nook... as a kid, and now. I'm really impressed with Matt's ability to envision it and then carry out his vision! And, like so many others, I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you speaking up and speaking out on the events of nearly 2 weeks ago. Thank you for using your voice and your platform.
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 20, 2021 · 10:19AM:
      I was really impressed, too, I definitely don't have the same creative vision he does! And thanks!
      Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

When I’m not writing or cooking for fannetastic food, you can find me running, coaching nutrition clients, or on an adventure with my family. Feel free to reach out - I'd love to hear from you!

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