I’ve been back from my long weekend away at Ponca State Park for two days, but I’m still in vacation mode.

I always struggle with getting back into a routine after going on a trip. After three and a half days of staying up later than usual, waking up later than usual, not cooking my own meals, eating more sweets (s’mores!) than usual and drinking every day, going back to real life has been a challenge.

I came home to an empty fridge, I didn’t feel like cooking and I made poor eating choices. I had leftover strawberry-rhubarb crumble for breakfast and chips for lunch yesterday. This is what happens when I don’t plan! Also, my sleep cycle is off and my energy is low, so I ended up skipping my morning workout today.

I’m not feeling so hot. But I woke up this morning (after hitting snooze and skipping CrossFit) and realized that if I don’t get back to my routine, these bad choices will become bad habits. 

I believe it’s important to get back on track as soon as possible after a vacation. Otherwise, you will continue to be in vacation-mode for weeks. I don’t want to reverse all the hard work I’ve done over the past few months! So I’m getting out of vacation mode today and getting back to my healthy routine!

If you took a trip during the long weekend or just indulged too much on Memorial Day, use these tips to get back on track today.

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I am back to the real world after a magnificent long weekend away at Ponca State Park with eight lovely friends and my wonderful BF.

My plans to tweet, Instagram and Facebook my meals and adventures during the trip were quickly ruined when we arrived at Ponca. Cell phone coverage was very spotty in northeast Nebraska and social networking was not an option. I was disappointed at first because I had promised to share my weekend with my followers, but it ended up being quite fabulous to disconnect with the world for a few days.

Here’s a recap of my weekend in photos.

Day 1:

Before hitting the road, I had a chopped apple topped with natural peanut butter and chia seeds. I wanted to get a healthy start to the day.

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I’m getting ready for another cabining adventure! I’ll be spending Memorial weekend at Ponca State Park in northeast Nebraska. 

The photo above is me last fall at Platte River State Park in southeast Nebraska. I like to have a little style while I’m in the wilderness. 

This will be my third cabin adventure with the BF and our wonderful group of friends. Cabin trips are becoming my fave vacation. There’s very little planning involved, we get to go hiking, we sit around the campfire, we eat s’mores, we laugh and we relax. 

Our group has a great meal system. Each couple or individual is responsible for one meal during the trip. Since we are staying in a cabin, we have a full kitchen with a refrigerator and stove. We also have a grill and a fire, of course. Everyone comes up with delish meals. Click here to see what we ate during our Platte River State Park trip.

As with all of my vacations, I try to make lots of healthy choices and indulge in a few of my favorite foods and drinks.

I plan to pack some healthy snacks so I’m not tempted to munch on junk food in between meals. The meal the BF and I prepare for everyone will also be healthy and delish.

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The BF, our friends, Betsy and Tony, and I just got back from a long weekend in Austin, Texas. Tony, the BF and I ran the 3M Half-Marathon Sunday, Jan. 13 and we made a little vacay out of the trip!

One of my fave things about traveling is eating, so here is what I ate in the Lone Star State.

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I will be away from the blogosphere for a few days because I am heading to Austin, Texas tomorrow!!

I’m running the 3M Half-Marathon in Austin Sunday with my BF and a couple of friends. (Please cross your fingers that my nasty cold/sore throat goes away by Sunday!)

As always, I am super excited about the food experiences I will have while traveling. I hope to have some delish Texas barbecue!!

Follow my Texas food journey on the Sweet Success Facebook page, on Twitter @Hub_Sara or on Instagram.

To celebrate two blissful years of dating, the BF and I spent a long weekend in Kansas City!!

KC is a fab mini vacay spot for us Central Nebraskans because it’s a short (5 hour drive) and there are lots of fun things to do!

Before I discuss the fun things we did in KC, I must talk about the food!

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The BF and I are planning a weekend trip to Kansas City. I’m so excited to get away for a few days!!

But being away from home means eating out A LOT! One of my fave parts of traveling is eating delish foods I wouldn’t normally get at home (I’m soooo excited for some KC barbecue!). But I don’t want to come back from vacation feeling heavy.

Check out my tips for having a skinny vacation: http://sweet-success.tumblr.com/post/18381209717/how-to-have-a-skinny-vacation

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I have realized that I need to go on weekend trips more often. The BF and I joined our friends, Betsy and Tony Herrman, for a weekend trip to Manhattan, Kan. Getting away for just a couple of days was so much fun and just what I needed after a couple stressful weeks at work. Sometimes I forget that getting away doesn’t mean planning a big trip.

We went to the Little Apple to run the 34th annual Aggieville St. Patrick’s Day Celebration 10K and to explore the city, which is Tony’s hometown and home to his alma mater Kansas State University.

As with all of my trips, food played an important role in this little weekend getaway. I ate some delicious food in the Little Apple!!

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Why is returning to work after vacation so painful? After a week of sleeping in, wearing jeans and my Chuck Taylors and not having a care in the world, I’m back at work. Back to getting up early, wearing dresses and heels and stressing over deadlines. I’m already in need of a break from sifting through the hundreds of emails I received while I was out of the office. So it’s time to discuss the wonderful food I ate in Vegas!

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The Sweet Success blog will be quiet for the next week because I will be on vacation!!

I’m taking my BF to Vegas for his birthday. I’m soooooo looking forward to spending some quality time with my guy, being adventurous and, of course, eating lots of delish food!!

Vegas is the destination of decadence. Everything is over the top, including the food. The buffets in Vegas are out of control!!!! Although I plan to splurge on some treats, I’m ready to have a healthy trip. Here’s what I’ve done to prepare:

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