Everything Edible + Greek GIVEAWAY

Hello dearest readers. So close to Friday, aren’t we? I can almost taste it. Speaking of taste, let me share with you everything edible about my Thursday. I started my day with a bowl of pear-almond oatmeal — nothing you haven’t seen me eat before. I think I’m due for some new oatmeal combos [hint hint.]

1 cup water

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 d’anjou pear

1/2 T ground flax + cinnamon

almonds + agave

I had the house to myself again this a.m., so that meant blasting T.Swift and registering for Fall classes. I know…already? That’s college for you – ya never stop. Finally, after 6 semesters of registering for classes, it’s starting to get easier. I was able to get all the classes I needed; but, unfortunately, my schedule is all over the place. There’s always some bad with the good. Here’s what will be on my academic plate for Semester #7 [16 units in all].

1. Human Physiology + lab
2. Science of Food + lab
3. Human Nutrition
4. Foodservice Administration
5. Consumer Health [online]

Before catching the bus, I threw a bar and an orange in my backpack…which would later become my lunch. I got this Honest Bar while in Sonoma over the weekend. It was a first for me. Honestly, I wasn’t as impressed as I thought I would be. The almond extract was extremely overpowering and left quite the aftertaste. Yet, I’ll give it texture props. I’m hoping the PB + Chocolate flavor will get a better score from the Nutrition Nut.

 

 

 

 

 

My food lab was cancelled today, so I went to the gym during the time I would normally be cooking with my classmates. Working out in the middle of the day felt really off; as a result, my exercises weren’t all that energetic:

indoor track run – 1.5 mi.

30 min. Arc Trainer

wimpy abs + arms

***

A little bit of different schedule today meant that I didn’t have to make dinner in a hurry, or eat at a ridiculously late hour.

I made blog-inspired sweet potatoes:

1. Peel & cut sweet potatoes.
2. Toss in a large bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, baby drizzle of maple syrup, cinnamon, ground flax and sea salt. [I measured everything with my naked eye.]
3. Bake @ 325* for 20 minutes.
4. Flip flop.
5. Bake @ 350* for 10 minutes.

TJ’s Sorrento Arugula Mix, 1/2 Avocado, Red Onion, Pumpkin Seeds, Olive Oil + Balsamic 

This was a 10 star dinner : )

***

Alright, alright…to the GIVEAWAY already. If you read my most recent post, you know that Stonyfield sent me a handful of free coupons for their organic, Oikos Greek yogurt. Well, they have generously offered to sponsor a giveway for you all so you can enjoy the greatness of Greek too!

One lucky winner will receive:

1 free 16 oz. coupon

4 free 5.3 oz. coupons

1 blue reusable grocery tote bag

How To Enter!

There are 3 ways to enter to win this great Greek gift. Each way will give you an additional entry, so you can do one, two, or all three!

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite way to eat Greek.

2. Tweet about this contest on Twitter. [include a link to this post + @HILLontherun]…and then leave another comment telling me you tweeted.

3. If you have a blog, mention the giveaway and link back to it in one of your posts…and then leave another comment telling me you posted about it.

U.S. residents only please. The contest will run until Sunday, April 18 at 12:00 p.m. PST, when I’ll randomly select and announce the winner!

Don’t Miss The Caboose

Hey Guys! I hope you had a really wonderful holiday [for those that celebrated]. I wasn’t one of them today. I actually spent Easter all alone studying chemistry, but don’t fear…I was not without good eats! I slept in today by accident…and I mean really slept in – 10:00am! However, it happened to be the perfect time to make myself an Easter a scrumptious Sunday brunch.

   

Aren’t they purdy?

It’s just a simple pancake recipe, folks. There was nothing tricky about ‘em:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1 egg
• 2 T canola oil
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

It’s all about the accessories: 0% Greek, organic strawberries, lemon zest and agave-honey syrup – holy yum!

Immediately after eating my stack of flapjacks, I headed back into the kitchen and whipped up another recipe. It’s a twist on my family’s favorite tabouli recipe, but I used quinoa instead of bulgar.

 

 

 

 

 

I didn’t use exact measurements [the plus of cooking vs. baking], but here’s basically what went down:

1. Cook 1 cup organic quinoa in 2 cups water – simmer covered for ~15 minutes.
2. Fluff with a fork and let cool. Add 2 T olive oil, juice of 1 lemon and a few cloves of minced garlic.
3. Pile in 1 can organic, rinsed garbanzo beans, ~1 cup ea. chopped cucumber, tomatoes and fresh parsley. Crumble in ~1/3 cup light feta and sprinkle generously with fresh black pepper.

Quinoa seems to be all the rage in blog world at the moment, so I decided to open up this awesome book of mine and see what I could find out….

 

 

 

 

 

Quinoa

“An ancient grainlike product that has recently been “rediscovered in this country, quinoa is not a true grain, but it looks like one and has similar uses. It is related to leafy vegetables such as Swiss chard and spinach.”

“Quinoa’s key nutritional distinguishing factor is its high level of lysine, an amino acid necessary for the synthesis of protein, making it one of the best sources of plant protein.”

Garbanzo Beans [because I eat a lot of these, too]

“One of nature’s perfect foods, these versatile legumes, with a firm yet creamy texture and a delicate nutlike flavor, are highly nourishing. They are rich in protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, folate, iron, and zinc.”

They are “…no slouches when it comes to iron content, with 1/2 cup providing 30% of your daily iron requirement. The body’s absorption of the form on iron found in garbanzo beans can be enhanced by consuming them with a dietary source of vitamin C.”

***

With lunch – a bowl of cold quinoa salad – I had a glass of Tejava. This is such a score at Trader Joe’s -  just $1.19 for an entire liter!

Naturally after lunch I “needed” something sweet: enter a P.Nut Buttah Treat.

 

Don’t Miss the Caboose

After another phone chat with technical support, I am almost to the point of revealing Nutrition Nut on the Run Version 2.0! This will be my LAST post at the current site. Don’t worry, you don’t have to change a thing. You will still find me eatin’ it up @ www.nutritionnutontherun.com.

Here’s to a great week ahead. I’ll fill ya in on what I’m up to when I don’t have to cram for chem!

XO,

Hillary

Tuesday…Saturday Style!

Good morning…and good afternoon to my East Coasters!

I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get around to posting yesterday. It was a super-sized Monday, I tell ya. I just kept thinking about the fact that once I got through it, I would have 3 days to relax. I know what you’re thinking, it’s only Tuesday. Well, due to California’s non-existent budget, they can hardly afford to keep their CA State students in school, so I have two furloughed days [Tuesday and Thursday], set around Cesar Chavez Day – a California holiday. It is really nice to have a “weekend” during the middle of a week, but the reality of furloughs is an awful awful thing. My college tuition has skyrocketed and I am getting less instruction [~10%]. No bueno!

Anyway, after 4 classes, studying for my exam, and 1 required lecture, I forced myself to go the the gym. It was the last thing I wanted to do after a long day, but since I didn’t exercise Sunday [like I said I would], I was at least going to make an attempt at something.

I knew from the start it wasn’t going to be an Olympic workout. I felt as though I had a brick inside my small intestine [quite the picture, huh?]. I could only find enough energy for 20 minutes on the Elliptical and 20 minutes [2 x 1 mi.] running around the indoor track. My body is not programmed to exercise at 9:00pm.

I treated today as if it were the weekend: I slept in [until 8:30am], fixed myself leftover waffles and an iced coffee for breakfast before cleaning the kitchen and doing work blogging in my pajamas.

Toasted Banana Waffle with a dollop of 0% Greek, Fresh Strawberries, Almonds & Agave-Honey Syrup

Iced [decaf] cafe au lait to cut the sweetness – so refreshing!

Going to go make the most out of my weekend…

Hillary

***

Blogger Bulletin

Check out Anne P’s fANNEtastic new tees!

Congrats to both Jenna & Tina for submitting the first drafts of their books!

Heather’s giving away free Oikos to 1 lucky winner!

Simply Sweet Signs of Spring

It’s official…Spring 2010 has SPRUNG! It seems as though we’ve all been enjoying lovely weather lately – I sure hope it sticks around. I know that sunshine can make any day better, which is why I’m looking forward to spending the rest of the semester in sunny Chico. I can’t wait to be able to read poolside…with ‘screen and a hat, of course.

It was an unusually beautiful warm day in HumCo yesterday…warm enough to get an afternoon ice cream cone with my mama. I could not turn down a scoop of organic Honey Vanilla Lavender ice cream on such a day : )

Arcata Scoop – could you be any cuter?

The preview of Spring weather inspired my mom and I to make something light and fresh for dinner. Where else do we look for inspiration? …none other than, In Praise of Leftovers.

We made Sarah’s Moroccan Grains & Greens Salad, adjusted slightly to our own personal tastes…and with the ingredients we remembered at the grocery store.

Barley [grain], Chard [greens], Sweet Tomatoes, Sunflower Seeds, Salty Feta, Parsley, Green Onion, Olive Oil, Garlic, Dash of Dried Herbs, a Lot of Lemon

…and a few wild prawns

***

For some reason it feels like Sunday today, and since Sundays are designated for big, hearty breakfasts, I made waffles after my 7-mile run.

Sinless Saturday Waffles

1 cup whole wheat flour + 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 T ground flax

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups almond milk [unsweetened vanilla]

1/3 cup canola oil

1 egg

[serves two]

I forgot the 2 T of sugar, but it wasn’t missed topped with plain 0% Greek, toasted almonds, strawberries & drizzle of agave-honey ‘syrup’.

Spending my last day at home facing the reality of homework. My ServSafe certification exam is Wednesday, and I’ve yet to memorize each and every detail about foodborne illnesses. It is an important topic to me, though [unlike the bonding of organic chemical compounds]. Have you read about my E.coli experience? Perhaps I’ll elaborate on the story sometime here in the near future.

Anyway, hope you are welcoming Spring into your life today. I’m going to take a stroll downtown and get an afternoon latte.

See you soon!

Hillary

Let The Countdown Begin

I think someone needs to splash some cold water in my face, and say, “Hello, Hillary…you do have a blog, ya know!” Sorry. I certainly have not been maintaining my blogging efforts the past few days. What can I say, the Nutrition Nut has been on the run. I feel as though I spend way too much of my time connected to the World Wide Web, and it is so refreshing to put away my camera, ignore the Internet, and live a life of normalcy – not capturing every move I make – like I did a mere five months ago.

I had a lovely and busy day yesterday away from the web. I slept in [I don’t have class ’til 12:30pm on Thursdays], made a creamy bowl of banana oats, and enjoyed having the house to myself for the morning. Sunshine was seeping through my windows, I had Grooveshark Popular playing, and before I knew it, I was shaking and twisting all around my room. Heck, I probably got a better workout than any 30-minute exercise DVD could give me ; )

After an afternoon of classes, I jetted over to the gym to squeeze in a workout before having to get ready to see Colbie! My roommate snatched the last bike for the 5:00pm spin class, so I was left to pedal alone.

• 45-minute spin [16.2 mi.] — a little slow?
• 1.5-mile run — I was cruising!

We rushed home to  scarf down a few bites of food and pretty up before heading back to campus for the concert. Although a small and casual concert, Colbie Caillat was 100% uh-mazing!

Isn’t she just gorgeous?

She sang all my favorite songs flawlessly. Her tour stopped in my hometown today, so my mom and her girlfriends are going to the show tonight. Speaking of home, I am really ready to go home for a week. One week from today, and that’s where I’ll be. Let the countdown to Spring Break begin!

Finally…today: I had a repeat of Tuesday’s delicious oat combo for breakfast before sitting through my final two lectures for the week.

Surprise surprise I went the gym this afternoon — it’s becoming my 2nd home, no? Every Friday I tell myself I am going to go to yoga, but then talk myself out of it. Well, today I made it happen! My body is a tad sore from this week’s previous workouts, so I figured I could use an hour of quality stretching and strengthening. I don’t know why I don’t talk myself into going to yoga more often. I left completely at peace; it was a blissful hour of exercise and wonderful way to end the week.

***

I ate a quick lunch before heading out to run errands, and consequently it missed the camera’s eye. My grocery bag was extra light today since I like to leave my fridge clean and empty upon leaving town.

I did buy a bag of my favorite chips and dug into them while my dinner was taking a turn in the oven.

Love these!

Tonight’s meal featured the last quarter of my free butternut squash. I told my professor that the squash was used to its full potential : )

Butternut Squash + Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Real Butter

Organic Baby Spinach, Red Onion, Pepitas & Sweet ‘n’ Tangy Balsamic

Since dinner was so healthy and all, I thought a little Friday treat was in order. Insert Starbucks ice cream and gooey Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chippers – mmm! I don’t know what’s with me and boxed food lately – bad bad bad – but it was rather nice to be able to enjoy warm cookies right after dinner without making havoc in the kitchen.

You know I couldn’t resist a miniature Starbucks carton of ice cream. There’s just no way : )

Alright, friends…now that you have a rough outline of my life since Wednesday, I’m going to go catch up on what ya’ll have been up to.

Namaste,

~ Hillary

No Pain No Gain

Hi Ya’ll!

Woo…it’s already 8:30pm and I’m just now finishing up my dinner and beginning to blog [it’s quite the process]. I must make it quick tonight though, as I have to study for my 1 exam & 2 quizzes that I have tomorrow [surprise surprise].

Breakfast, oh Breakfast…if only you knew how much I dearly love you.

A reader suggested I try mixing my regular rolled oats and oat bran, so that’s exactly what I did. Oh, and props to me for trying new combinations and going outside of my [food] box lately.

In the mix:

– 1 cup water

– 1/3 cup rolled oats

– 1/3 cup oat bran

– 1/2 T ground flax

– cinnamon

Toppings:

– 1/2 d’anjou pear

– 1 T walnuts

– drizzle of agave

– big splash of 1% milk

***

I was dreading today’s 3-hour organic chem lab – as we had our first lab exam + 2 labs to finish – but it wasn’t as horrific as I was anticipating, and I came out alive the full 3-hours later. I ate a late lunch after class, including half of a succulent orange and leftover mac & cheese. FYI, Annie’s + Avocado = A-mazing!

Then there was some time wasted before I headed to the gym to get my March move on! I had a fabulous workout:

– 40-minute spin [15.0 mi.]

– 20-minute treadmill run [10 minutes @ 6.0mph (incline 2.0), 6 minutes @ 6.6mph, 4 minutes @ 6.8mph]

– 2 x 20 lat pulldown @ 40 lbs.

– 20 side dips each side @ 10 lbs.

– 2 x 10 bicep curl lunges each leg @ 20 lbs.

– 2 x 10 squats @ 20 lbs.

– 2 x 10 “weights-to-chin” @ 20 lbs.

– 2 x 10 “toe-touches” @ 20 lbs.

I can’t believe I didn’t look at the treadmill to see how far I’d run – my guess is around 2.5 miles. I definitely pushed myself tonight, especially with the faster treadmill speed. I know I am strong, but rarely push myself to my maximum potential. They only way to get stronger is by exerting more effort. No pain, no gain!

Dinner: steamed TJ’s Vegetable Gyoza + broccolini with soy sauce, toasted sesame oil & seseame seeds.

You think a few potstickers are going to do it for me after burning all those calories? You’ve got to be kidding. Next was some 0% Greek & Humboldt Honey Granola. I think I could eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner : )

I’m outta here…

~ Hillary

Question: If you are a blogger and also a college student, as I am, how do you manage your time between studying and keeping up with the blog world? Where and how do you find the discipline to keep yourself away from the screen?

It’s the little things…

Afternoon, friends!  Tuesdays are officially the worst day of the week [in my book], but so far, so good…

I finally got out of bed around 8:15 – an hour later than I had wanted – but I must have needed the extra hour because I was still tired and moody (?) upon waking. I was in the kitchen making my breakfast when my roommate strolls in wearing her pajamas, pours a bowl of cereal, and asks, “Don’t you not have class until 11:00?”. She was right. As I’ve said before, I l.o.v.e. my mornings! I had already showered, gotten dressed and had a pot of oat bran simmering away before she had woken up…and she had class at 9:30! I hate having to rush my morning routine : )

Anywho…my bowl of oat bran today was double delicious! I like oatmeal 12x better than oat bran, but it’s nice to switch it up occasionally. I learned that the key to making a successful bowl of bran is cooking it on LOW heat, and making sure to not overcook it.

1 1/4 cup water

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 T ground flax

~ 1/4 cup blueberries

~ 1 T chopped walnuts

[TJ’s “baking” walnuts are so convenient!]

~ 1 tsp. agave

splash of 1% milk

A cup of [caffeinated] green tea is becoming a part of my morning routine.

***

Thankfully, we finished our chemistry lab early today, so I was able to come home to enjoy a hot lunch on this rainy, cold day [bipolar weather, I think so].

brown rice & stir-fried Soyaki tofu + slightly steamed broccolini, carrot & sesame seeds

The brown rice & tofu were left over from last night’s dinner, so I was able to just reheat them and enjoy within minutes. I honestly liked today’s lunch better than yesterday’s dinner – mmm…healthy & delicious!

***

It’s the little things in life that seem to be bringing me the most happiness right now: a creamy bowl of oats, a hot cup of tea, natural lighting and bright photographs, my reader’s sweet comments, a sweaty workout, a new magazine…

When life get’s tough, what makes you happy?

My muscles are soreness-free, so I’ll be hitting up the gym before my Nutrition & Food Science Association meeting tonight. Elementary Foods exam tomorrow. Statistics exam Thursday. Here we go…

I Taste Sunshine

Good Morning!

I wanted to challenge myself to write a post this morning before heading to school, so here I am. I may have gotten a head start last night (procrastinating O. Chem), but whatever works…right? =]

Breakfast

1 cup water

2/3 cup rolled oats

1/3 almond milk

1/2 banana

1 T unsweetened coconut

1 T agave

1 tsp. vanilla

***

Coffee Challenge

I seem to have totally forgotten about Goal #7 for 2010: “Visit Starbucks less frequently”. I have been so determined to reach the Gold Level by accumulating 30 stars, that my Starbucks habit has turned into a more frequent occasion than not. I want to challenge myself to not go to Starbucks this entire week. The only coffee I will allow myself to have will be made at home. Hopefully this snippet will keep me accountable…

***

Your Questions Answered

1) I want to know how you budget to shop at Trader Joe’s so often! I am jealous!

Growing up, my family did not put a strict budget on the grocery bill. Feeding my brother and I whole, natural, and usually organic foods was more important to my parents than saving a little bit of money from purchasing processed foods. Fortunately, I was raised in an area rich in fresh produce, seafood, organic dairy, and local cooperative markets to do such; however, that didn’t always mean cheap prices. I clearly obtained the same belief that quality (food) is better than quantity. There isn’t a Trader Joe’s near my hometown, so when I went away to college I thought that their prices were incredibly reasonable — $0.19 for a banana! I understand that what may be cheap to one may be pricey to another, but shopping at TJ’s works for my healthy lifestyle on a college budget.

[source]

2) I have a question regarding college… I have a test coming up next week for my nutrition class and I have no idea how to study. How do you memorize everything?

Despite the gazillion quizzes & exams I’ve taken in my lifetime, I still have not mastered a studying technique. I always do the practice exams/study guides if they are assigned, and attend any extra review sessions that are offered. Memorizing is something that does come fairly naturally, but when I have a ton of definitions to cram into my brain, I whip out the 3×5 cards. Sorry for such a generic answer. Good luck!

Just My Luck

Hello and Happy Thursday!

The weekend is near…can’t ya feel it? In my case, the weekend begins at 1:45pm today! I get an extra long Valentine’s/President’s Day weekend (4.5 days to be exact). I have been really looking forward to it, too, since my friend is visiting my new place for the first time. I was bummed when I woke up feeling under the weather yesterday, but when I woke up feeling 10x worse today, I was almost in tears – just my luck!

Fortunately, I don’t have class until 12:30pm, so I’m thankful to have the entire morning to hang at home and pity myself : ) I thought a bright red bowl of oats might cheer me up:

1 cup water

2/3 cup rolled oats

1/2 d’anjou pear

1/2 T ground flax

1/2 T agave

1/3 cup almond milk

cinnamon

I’ll be laying low today…something I don’t do particularly well. No exercise. Lots of tea.

Enjoy your day & stay healthy pretty please!

~ Hillary

***

Pink & Chocolatey GIVEAWAY: Enter Here!

Breakfast for Two

Good morning! Well, my Sunday is so far so good! I got up at a decent hour – 8:30 am is pretty darn early for a college student on a Sunday, wouldn’t you agree? Well, that’s because I had breakfast on my mind! The thought of breakfast is what gets me out of bed each morning. It is my absolute favorite meal of the day, and I had plans for a double breakfast today.

Breakfast #1

2 Van’s Low-Fat Waffles, Dollop of Greek Yogurt, Drizzle of Agave & Fresh Blueberries

Breakfast #2

After Breakfast #1, I got to baking Blogger Banana Bread (Muffins). I did not add chocolate chips or pecans to this batch, but instead, walnuts, a dash of cinnamon and sprinkling of raw sugar on top.

Enjoyed with a C ‘n’ C iced soy latte. If only I had a stainless steel straw like Tina : )

I wish mornings lasted longer. Must get going with my day…

~ Hillary