Getting Creative

Well, with the big holiday approaching, college students everywhere are being forced to get a little creative in the kitchen!

True. Students aren't exactly the pickiest of eaters, but we've reached a whole new low (you try making a slice of bread, a chicken sausage, and a banana into an edible meal.....)

Since most of us are heading home, our food supplies are dwindling and we're all:
1. too lazy to go to the grocery store
2. hesitant to buy anything that will spoil.

BUT I'd like to officially declare that eating healthy is possible - even when you're stressed, short on time, and low on food.

I work morning shifts at work 3 glorious days a week and I quickly learned that a good breakfast is a necessity if I'm being forced to be all smiley and customer service-oriented after getting a pathetic 5 hours of sleep the night before...

This morning, I packed up apple and cinnamon oats with butter extract (love that stuff) and a small container of chopped nanners and fiber one honey grahams.

Seriously -- when you go through that mental debate over stopping at the nearest starbucks or taking that extra 5 minutes to pack your own breakfast, go with some easy oats or some healthy french toast to cut back on calories and wasting cash!

So, I actually do take pictures of most of my meals, but I only show you guys the "blog worthy' stuff, because I feel like you'd be bored out of your mind if you had to see a million bowls of oatmeal and the not-so-occasional chocolate chip cookie :)

BUT, let's talk creative lunch choices.

Rule #1 when in doubt, heat up a skillet with some non-stick cooking spray and toss any combination of veggies and protein into the mix and onto a few slices of bread.

My lunch today: Sauteed onions, mushrooms, broccoli, and jalapeno chicken sausage on top of toasted sara lee wheat bread and tomato & basil marinara sauce. 

Rule #2: Eggs can turn anything into a meal -- whether it's an omelette, a fritata, or a sandwich -- egg beaters, egg whites, or whole eggs -- they can make a great lunch!

Lunch from Wednesday: Eggbeater omelette stuffed with sauteed mushrooms, onions, feta cheese and spinach with a side of pico de gallo

Rule #3: Open-faced sandwiches with creative ingredients make lunch less boring. Switch up your "meat" or protein choice & try some new bread options (english muffins, cinnamon swirl bread, or bagel thins are my favorite)

Lunch from Thursday:   Toasted everything bagel thin topped with Sundried Tomato and Basil Laughing Cow Lite Wedge, sauteed jalapenos chicken sausage and onions, sliced tomatoes, spinach, garlic salt and pepper. 

I'm just saying... when your ingredients are getting low and your hungry, stressed, and constantly on-the-go... take a few minutes to make yourself a meal & enjoy it :)

Here are some fun lunch ideas! click the link below!

 

Here are some yummy lunch ideas!

Meal times are my "me times" -- which probably explains why I eat 24/7.  I'm kind of self-centered and I need a lot of me time...

Anyways, workout today was a quick run in between classes: 6.5 miles


And my snack was kettle corn drenched in sugar-free chocolate syrup...

Yeah, it's "that time" for me.
Basically, I use it as an excuse to eat chocolate in bulk... one of the many perks of being a female.

Off to watch some quality guilty-pleasure tv shows! 90210 anybody?
HAPPY MONDAY!