mizuno hitogamis + moroccan beef

Happy Friday! Even though it was dark and rainy this morning, I felt good knowing the weekend is so close.

I went for a short jog to the gym today. Usually I just drive (it’s about two miles) but I wanted to take these babies for a spin!

That’s right. They’re Mizunos. I’ve been a diehard Brooks fan for the past four years, but finally decided to try something new. I had a pair of Mizunos in 2010 (the Wave Precisions, maybe?) and really loved them… so I thought I’d try out this brand again!

And when I saw that Mizuno had a really cool “switch from another brand” tool that recommends shoes for you, I was sold. When I entered Brooks PureConnects, Mizuno recommended I try their Wave Hitogami.

I took their recommendation. Thought I must say I’m more of a green girl than an orange one.

The shoes fit great so far, and feel very similar to my PureConnects! Since I’ve only run a couple miles in them, I can’t give a full review yet. I’ll keep you posted!

When I got to the gym, Anthony was waiting for me with a workout. We usually do our own things at the gym but decided to join forces today, and I did some stuff with an actual bar. Big deal.

Here was our workout — fun and challenging!

• 3 rounds of: 7 cleans, 14 kettlebell swings, 21 situps. 2 minutes rest after all 3 rounds completed.
• 3 rounds of: 10-second handstand, 20 wall balls, 30 double unders. 2 minutes rest after all 3 rounds completed.
• 3 rounds of: 10 burpees, 10 rows, bear crawls (about 40 seconds).

It took us about 25 minutes to do it all.

How to we move from wall balls to Moroccan beef?

On the menu this week was another slow-cooker creation. I made this Moroccan-spiced beef recipe, and actually stuck pretty close to the instructions and ingredients! Only change was that I used a two-pound mix of random CSA steaks from our freezer (a T-bone and a sirloin) instead of brisket. And I threw in a can of chickpeas to “stretch” the recipe.

The meat had hint of cinnamon-sweet flavor that was noticeable but not overbearing. We added a bit of salt and cayenne pepper to spice things up, and topped with Greek yogurt to cool things down.

Couscous and a salad rounded things out! I love couscous because it’s so quick and easy, but loathe it because it gets everywhere. Those little grains are all over my floors, stove, and countertops now! #couscousprobs

And that’s it from me! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

• What’s your go-to quick/easy grain?
• Ever been to Morocco?
• Favorite shoe brand?