Daily Indulgences

Funniest text from Sister this morning:
"Omg a guy just texted me 'Happy Monday!' any person who says such things should be shot"
Anybody want to hop on the I Hate Monday train?? 


I, however, had a great day :) no complaints here!
My morning shift at the gym started at 7:45 so I was up an hour earlier to get my bfast going and the coffee flowing...  but really.  Caffeine is essential.

Breakfast:
Bowl of basic oats with a packet of stevia, a sprinkle of cinnamon, topped with blueberries and bananas.  Guess what was added post-pic?  almond milk!! What else?

My shift was harmless...
However, it started pouring and I had to get about 3 cups of hot tea to stay warm at the front desk.  ALSO, walking home in the rain is always interesting.

I was fueled by a growling stomach... so I ran a bit. No joke. I had a backpack on too -- loser alert.

Lunch:
Lunch was a mix of weird cravings and leftovers.

Before you ask me what is wrong with my sense of sight, taste, and smell... it was delicious.  Let me explain: a bed of warmed spinach topped with feta, roasted broccoli, roasted sweet potatoes, meatless meatballs, ketchup, garlic salt, and greek yogurt. 


Greek yogurt + ketchup = creamy perfection.
I love the ketchup, baby.  LOVE.

Also --- had a Peanut Butter Cookie Luna Bar and some pretzels + pb on the side!

Class & Indulgence #1: 
Exhibit A: Arabic test.

Exhibit B:
Pistachio Creme, Ghiarardeli Chocolate, French Vanilla froyo with almonds, graham crackers, and waffle cone bits. 

Exercise & Indulgence #2:
I have to do a project on "Positions of Power in Everyday Life" and my only power position was... running.  Yeah, I'm predictable. I had to awkwardly ask my roommates to snap pictures of me while I was running along -- we got weird looks from passerby's.

So, back to my second indulgence of the day: running!
I texted one of my coworkers who had asked if I'd be down for running 5 miles to our favorite rock formation - obviously that was an automatic yes!  But, I was feeling antsy so I did a fun 6 miler before meeting up with him.  11 miles of light drizzles and great conversation. 


We even stopped at the gym to do a few pull ups... Casey can do a total of 3/4.  He can do a million.  We're going to work on my pull up ability and I'll master 1 full pull up by the end of the month!

Dinner:
More cravings, sparked by lunch.

A huge pile of spinach (warmed) topped with Brussel sprouts sautéed with turkey bacon, onions, and feta cheese, Meatless Meatballs, and a sweet potato with ketchup + greek yogurt. 


SOOO bomb.  Bacon really is magical.
I'm eating my wait in valentine's day goodies (and it's not even the 14th yet... good job, Casey)

HAPPY MONDAY!

Beach & Pizza

I had a delicious Friday!
I already shared some of my eats with you.... hello, that trifle?  Guess how much is left now.

Workout:
My day started off with an easy - I mean, super easy - run on the beach.  I wasn't worried about speed, distance, or time... I just ran and enjoyed the waves and the sun.  6 miles later, I headed back to the car and headed straight for the grocery store :)

You know that rule, never shop while you're hungry?  It's a rule for a reason.

Lunch:
I picked up all the ingredients for a make-your-own-pizza night... completely random, as I've never done this before.  I picked up both english muffins and bagels... I was craving carbs.  And I bought two jars of pickles?  I have no explanation for this.

I couldn't decide on what toppings I wanted on my bagel, so I ended up cutting it into 4 and making each piece its own special creation.

I went with fat free cream cheese as my base.  Then, from left to right, we have a raspberry jam bagel, a bruscetta bagel, an avocado/salt/pepper bagel, and a mustard and hot sauce bagel.... each combination was amazing. Seriously. Even that hot sauce one.

The bagels?  I stumbled upon Perfect 10 bagels from The Western Bagel (well-known for their Alternative Bagel brand).  140 calories, 10 grains... delicious and FULL SIZED.  Not like those little minis.

I also had a nanner with pb and almond milk. These bagels were so good, I had one for my snack.

I would have probably made another two for dinner, if it wasn't for the make-your-own-pizza ingredients that I just had to have.

Dinner:
After "taste testing" the banana trifle about 6 times... I'm surprised I still wanted dinner.
HA kidding I always want dinner.  Especially if it's pizza.

I had my gram as my sous chef, so she chopped up some yellow squash, zucchini, red and yellow peppers, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms for our veggie pizza!

I used a whole-wheat Bobolli, thin crust and topped it with pizza sauce, fat-free mozzarella, and enough vegetables to feed an army of rabbits... VEGGIE DELIGHT! 


before

The leftover pizza toppers were thrown onto a bed of romaine and spinach, topped with and italian balsamic and some ripe avocados.

10 minutes later.  This glorious thing popped out.

I made sure to sautee the squash before baking the pizza, in case they didn't cook all the way through. I had raw pizza toppers.... another lie, I would eat anything if it was on top of a pizza crust.

My plate:

A little red pepper flakes for some kick, and I was in heaven.

I love how my plate looks like a pile of vegetables... little do they know that cheesy carbs lurk underneath.  I'm telling you, if you're trying to incorporate more veggies into you or your family's diet, pizza is the way to go.  It was cheap, made in under 15 minutes, and SO tasty.

Pizza night will be a regular thing from now on.
I'll need to start getting creative with toppings... Any suggestions?

14 Miles and a New Best Friend

Happy Humpday!

I'm really bummed to be leaving the beautiful (and cold) East coast tomorrow... I'm returning to San Diego for just a few days and then it's back to the Bay for Spring Semester!  WEIRD. After a month of doing absolutely nothing that involves cognitive thought processes... it's going to be quite a change.

Anyways, I decided to enjoy my last Tuesday in Virginia doing a few things I love the most.

Breakfast
Those of you who are into healthy living blogs have probably heard of Overnight Oats.  It was one of the first "recipes" I stumbled across after I started reading more blogs and it definitely intrigued me.  For some reason, it's taken me 8 months to try!  I think I was obsessed with my warm oats a little too much.

Overnight Oats can be made a bunch of different ways (depending on taste prefs), but I've been doing 1/3 cup of oats, 1/3 cup of almond milk, 1 tbsp of greek yogurt, a dash of cinnamon, a dash of vanilla extract, and a packet of stevia.  You mix it all together and put it in the fridge overnight!  Then you wake up, pull it out, stir it up, and top it with whatever you'd like! Easy, huh?

The result is a cream, thick pudding-like substance and keeps me full for over 4 hours!  Weird.

I've been topping my Overnight Oats with multigrain cheerios, bananas, blueberries, and some PB2 peanut butter powder -- YUM. I've had this breakfast 3 days in a row and I haven't been disappointed yet.  It has some major "staying power" if you know what I mean.

Workout:
After all my carbo loading the night before, I knew I'd be able to tackle a long run.  Since being on winter break, I haven't been able to run more than 10 or 11 miles at a time... Yes, it sounds like a lot, but my long runs are usually upward of 14 miles. So, I laced up my sneaks and just started exploring.

It was fun.  There was powder on the ground from yesterday's snowfall BUT it was warm and sunny outside.  Perfect running weather!! I covered 14.3 miles and it felt good (not forced).

Lunch:
I came home, still not tooooo hungry from my oats -- I told you, it really fills you up.  BUT as soon as I got in the shower, I felt kind of empty.

Long runs make me crave weird and random things.  So, I made PB toast with sliced strawberries on top, a bowl of oatmeal with cheerios and almond milk, and 1/2 of a random custard bun.

Try this fruit and nut butter combo!  It's delicious!
And it's a nice break from the usually banana and pb combo, or the jelly and pb.

After a nap, Nelly and I headed out to do some walking.
It was so gorgeous outside AND the weather was behaving itself (for a change...)

Nice huh??

OH!  So, after our walk,  I had to pee... but instead of doing that, I walked into a running store to look for a fuel belt (to hold water and some sort of fuel for long runs).  I ended up making a new best friend!  The guy that works there has  run 35 marathons, a few triathlons, and 2 iron mans.  UM, cool! So, we started talking about my mileage, my fueling, my lack of cross-training.. etc.

He invited me back today to run around for him so he can correct all my weird bio-mechanics and give me a few running/training tips.  I'm kind of excited.  I don't know if he's married... If not, I'm all over that.

Dinner:
I wasn't necessarily starving, I just felt really empty.  Meaning, I needed food - fast.
I did the most logical thing: grab every sort of leftover from our fridge, heated it up with some chopped red onion, and put it on top of some lettuce.

Butternut squash, lentils, garlic shrimp, swiss chard, bbq pork, hearts of palm, feta cheese, and roasted red peppers on top of mixed lettuce!

Close up of my random char siu - bbq pork - just to prove that I eat my meat :)

Anyways, it was a great, relaxing day.
I just got back from the gym and I have a lunch date (with my parents) + date with my new best friend at the running store this afternoon! SWEET!

So.. What Happens Now?

Well, we've found ourselves in that awkward in-between stage...

You know, that time when Christmas is over but you're still in the holiday spirit so you have to wait around for New Year's to roll around in order to have yet another reason to celebrate?

What are you supposed to do with yourself?!?!

I've narrowed it down to three crucial things:
      1. Shopping
      2. Salads
      3. Running

Boxing day shopping (which is basically a holiday in itself) for 6 hours, where you will spend half your month's paycheck on absolutely nothing you really need.

 

Sister and I picked up our friend and headed to Carlsbad Outlets for some boxing day celebrations. And boy did we celebrate.  We hit up all the girly places: BCBG, Lucky, Banana Republic, Coach... the list is kind of endless.  I walked away with some prizes!  Including 3 skirts, a sweater, and a cardigan from Banana for 80 dollars!  whaaat?!?! 

We stopped at Rubio's for some premium Americanized Mexican food... which is still delicious.  You really can't complain when fish tacos are involved. 

I got the Balsamic and Roasted Veggies Salad with Chicken and it was glorious.

Pretty impressive for a taco place, huh?  The roasted veggies and the corn were my favorite.  I added like 5 different kinds of salsa which gave it that Mexican kick (aka I can't feel my tongue anymore because it might be on fire).

Sister and I stopped at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for an after-lunch dessert.  We grabbed a S'mores on a Stick and an Almond Joy Marshmallow stick.

Don't worry, we only took a bite of each and then put them away for later.  And the shopping continued... Sister literally almost bought a 44" television... I made the mistake of sitting down on the couch in Bose and got totally suckered in with the whole "guess where the hidden speakers are" demonstration.  Plus it had a reallly cool remote... you can't blame me.

We came home, napped (shopping drains you, man), and got up to go on an awesome run right as the sun was setting.  I wanted to snap a pic, but I was on a roll.  7.5 miles/8:23 pace 

Sister and I whipped up leftover salad with vegetable tian and beer can turkey and put in Dexter, everybody's favorite serial killer, which is basically my idea of a perfect night.

Hello, gorgeous... you will be the future father of my children.  I will even let you kill all my ex-boyfriends!  don't judge, he's a hunk. I can overlook minor flaws like that horrible habit of murdering people

-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------

TUESDAY:

Still on that shopping, running, salad kick!

But, instead of shopping, Sister and I tried to be productive -- we woke up early and watched Gilmore Girls while doing some work (she's a real person with real work, I applied to internships)

Workout of the day: 10.3 mile run, some boxing with Sister.

Feast of the day: SOUPLANTATION/SWEET TOMATOES!!

This is like my dream come true: all you can eat salad bar, carb bar, froyo.... oh my.
We stocked up on the salad (which is inevitable, no matter how hard you try to "just take a little")

 And then hit up muffin heaven -- I had about a million blueberry muffin tops, apple cranberry muffin tops and some cornbread.  (btw muffin tops are only drool-worthy when actually on a muffin)

And THEN I hit up their STUFFING with turkey soup.  Only I scooped the stuffing in first and drizzled the creamy turkey soup on top (kind of like a gravy).  It was like Thanksgiving all over again.

Oh... and then the apple cranberry cobbler with vanilla froyo x 2 happened.

I'm telling you, only go to Souplantation if you don't plan on moving for the next 4 hours.  You might have to be rolled to the car because you're too full to walk like a normal person.

I went to my high school's girls' basketball game with an old friend/ex boyfriend, and it was fun just to catch up and pretend like we didn't graduate from high school a billion years ago.  

GUESS WHAT I'M DOING TODAY: 

Sister and I scored some free tickets to the Holiday Bowl!!!! I know a player on the team and he's a sweetheart (with extra tickets) sooo... Go Bears!

Catch ya later with some updates!

Tender Greens

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!

How are you spending the holidays?
I know how I'm spending mine :) FAMILY AND FOOD.
 
I think one of my favorite things about the holiday season is all the crazy good seasonal treats that are only available around Christmas time!  So, I mean... obviously we didn't want to miss out on a chance to try GOLDFISH COCOA ADVENTURES.  Obviously.

We also got some Vanilla Cupcake goldfish!
How have I never boarded the goldfish train until now? I will be a permanent member of the goldfish club from now on... I'm a fan.

Workout today: 13 mile run 
 
After our run, Sister and I had some last minute Christmas shopping to do (procrastinators...) so we picked up Mom from work and headed to Liberty Station to browse and grab some dinner!

Tender Greens -- I've been wanting to try this place for awhile!  It's local and organic, using only the freshest ingredients.  Quality you can taste :)

When you walk in, you place your order and you can actually watch all your food being freshly prepared -- super cool :)  And the restaurant had some serious ambiance. Mood lighting, big wooden tables, candles everywhere -- perfect for a date (not that that'll ever happen, let's be honest).

I had to order the Tomato Soup With Basil and Olive Oil Drizzle.  This soup was sooo good! and we all took turns dipping our grilled bread (that came with our entrees) and maybeee our mashed potatoes into the tomato-y goodness.

A side of Mashed Potatoes (just because we like our taters).

For our entrees, we all god ginormous salads.  I ordered the Tuna Nicoise salad with sear herb-brushed Ahi tuna and a side of sherry vinaigrette.  WOW.

Sister got the Mediterranean salad with added salt & pepper chicken.

And Mom got the Backyard Flank Steak Salad with butter lettuce, radishes, pickled beets, and a horseradish vinaigrette dressing.  Mmmmm :) her steak was heavenly.

After our extremely fresh and gourmet salads....
It was time for the dessert conversation.

It went like this...
Me: "So... did you see that cheesecake?"
Sister: "Um, yes, I scoped it while you were in the bathroom.  Maybe we can get some and just have  a bite?  Take the rest home for later?"
Me: "Sounds like a plan.  Oh, and that cookie that size of my face... we can take a bite of that too."

Lemon Cheesecake

and a Cowboy Cookie: chocolate chips, pecan, coconut, and candied walnuts.  OH MY GOD.  Screw sampling, we all know there was nothing left to bring home...

I'm telling you....
Holidays are the best!!! 

Gram, Mom, Sister and I are about to get dolled up, head to lunch, and go watch Jesus Christ, Superstar down in La Jolla :)  WOOT WOOT.

Merry Almost-Christmas!

Cravings

GOOD MORNING!!

After my non-stop peanut butter binge last night... I did some googling to figure out why I'm all of a sudden craving nuts, peanut butter, and comfort food.

First find: women succumb to cravings way more than men, mostly due to the monthly hormone cycle we all know and love....

Second find: I stumbled across a Raw Foods blog that addresses common cravings and what our body is trying to tell us -- super interesting!

• Are you craving a quick blood-sugar raiser, like cookies, candy, ice cream, or other sweets? Two options: you may be withdrawing from processed sugar (it's a freakin' drug) and miss the feeling of a “sugar high,” or you might also be craving carbs because you’ve under-eaten and need some glucose in your bloodstream.  
• TRY: filling up on plenty of fresh, whole fruit (not dried).  
• Are you craving a “comfort food” you used to eat after having a bad day, or something special your mom (or grandma or other chef-like family member) used to make when you were little? Then you’re probably having a psychologically-rooted craving. You may be associating a feeling of comfort, familiarity, and overall okay-ness with a particular food item. These are not good cravings to succumb to. 
• TRY: finding constructive ways to deal with difficult emotions instead of swallowing them down with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.
• Are you craving something super salty, like popcorn, chips, canned food or soup, broth, foods with soy sauce, or ketchup?  If you don’t consume overt salt or if you really like chowing down on high-potassium fare, your body might be crying out for some extra sodium. 
• TRY: eating celery, seaweed, raw cultured vegetables, swiss chard, or spinach when these cravings strike
• Are you craving something dense and rich, like cheese, butter, peanut butter, fast food, or heavy desserts? Your body is probably desperate for calories. Nine times out of ten, when you crave extremely calorie-rich foods, it’s because you haven’t been getting enough fuel for a while (days, weeks, or even months) and your body is pretty peeved about it. 
• TRY: The key to battling this craving isn’t necessarily to eat more fatty foods, but to eat more, period. Amp up your overall intake, and the heavy food cravings will typically subside. (One caveat: sometimes cheese cravings are also due to dairy withdrawal or low sodium levels.)
• Are you craving a pure, unseasoned protein source, like chicken, eggs, or fish? You probably aren’t getting enough protein.
• Are you craving red meat—even if you haven’t eaten it in years? This is a classic iron craving. 
• TRY: Load up on dark leafy greens or sea vegetables, and eat them with another food high in vitamin C to enhance absorption (such as a salad with spinach and orange slices)

----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------

This morning: fun day, run day!!

Um.... can I just say that my fiber intake has finally caught up with me.  About 2 miles into my run, I had to go to the bathroom (for the 2nd time!).  I figured I'd just hold it until the feeling passed.  5 miles later I realized that wasn't going to happen.  I alternated between saying the f word and the poop word before running to the nearest grocery store....

Then I was on my way :)

15.5 - 16.5 miles... my GPS was giving me weird readings so I'll just go with a "range."

Yeah... super attractive, I know.  My endorphin rush kind of takes over and makes me take post-work out and self-absorbed pictures.
 
Lunch: Salad Beast -- head of romaine lettuce, cilanto lime dressing from Tjoes, fat-free feta, tomato, TJoes Veggie Masala Burger, some soy crumbles, crimini onion, green onion, and mixed veggies

I guess I just got over my fiber flub this morning....
some people never learn.


HOPE YOUR WEEKEND IS OFF TO A GREAT START!!