We’ve Got A Winner!

Hey! Sorry for the long, drawn-out wait to reveal the winner of the free Oikos swag. Just so you know, the results were in at 12:00pm per the giveaway guidelines; I was just a bit preoccupied doing other oh-so-important things that I didn’t get around to making the official report until now.

So…is it you?

 

 

 

Congrats, Runner Forever! Your 5 free coupons + blue tote will be shipped to you shortly! Thanks to all who participated. I think giveaways are a lot of fun, and am more than happy to host them on my blog. That is, if there are others who would like to sponsor them ; )

* * *

Anyway, I had a pretty uneventful SUNday. The sun came out as promised, and as a result, the pools were hopping with happy students, teens, and children alike. It’s interesting how the weather can turn from low 80’s to rain in a day or two…but that’s the plan.

I need to do something about my alarm clock pronto because it hasn’t been doing it’s job all week! Luckily I didn’t have a hot date at 8:00am this morning because I would’ve stood them up. When I awoke from my slumber a few minutes shy of the 9 o’clock hour, I made oats. I know…no ‘extravagant’ weekend breakfasts. You can never go wrong with oatmeal though. I’m sure many of you are just as crazy about it as I am. After all, it is the breakfast of blogging champions [a.k.a. Jenna, Kath, and Tina].

 

1 cup water

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 banana – cooked

1/2 T ground flax

cinnamon

topped with…

1/2 T brown sugar

1/2 T unsweetened coconut

1 T pecans

If you pay really close attention, you might have noticed I’ve reduced my oat measure from 2/3 cup to 1/2 cup. I don’t know why, but I’ve been all about the low and slow, creamy oats lately. I wanted to make another bowl of this sweet heaven – no, Hillary, no.

I’m not oblivious to the fact that the number of breakfast photos heavily outweighs the photos of any other eats, including: my lunches, snacks, afternoon coffee and chocolate attacks, and Iron Chef dinners. What can I say, breakfast is my favorite and gets an unfair amount of attention.

What’s your favorite meal and WHY? I like breakfast the best because 1) it marks the beginning of another healthy day full of delicious eats, 2) I love love love baked goods such as scones and muffins and other traditional breakfast items such as pancakes, waffles & French Toast, and 3) it fuels my body with energy to make the most out of my days!

* * *

Sunday Sweat Session:

• 15 minutes arms & legs
• 1 hr. sprinty spin class
• 1 mi. indoor track run
• abs & stretch

Then there was a fiber-FULL dinner & fro yo with my roomie. Yes, that sums it up.

Night!

Scratch That

Greek GIVEAWAY: Enter HERE!

***

Here I am at 10:00pm finally ready to write a post about today’s eats. I insert the sacred memory card [I only have one!] into my computer only to find dissatisfying images – scratch that! I’m just not one that can post any old photo. If only I could go back in time because I’m pretty sure all my munchies are digested and working their way out by now ; )

Anyway…I decided to jumpstart my Saturday by a going to the gym for a morning workout. It had been a little while since I’d gone to a spin class, so that’s where I was headed. I rocked the spandex shorts today, bee-tee-dub. It was an awesome, hilly [1 hour] ride. I finished my ‘routine’ with 15 minutes toning of the abdominals & arms…feeling strong and pain-free!

Before I left for The Resort, I ate some CHOs [a.k.a. carbohydrates] and protein. My childhood swim coach told me that PB + milk is a complete protein. Unfortunately, I’m still not sure what that means and if in fact it’s a true statement [I better learn this as I’m majoring in Nutrition], but I did find this — take it or leave it:

“Peanut butter is not protein-dense… To boost the protein value of peanut butter, simply accompany it with a tall glass of milk… Milk simultaneously enhances the value of the protein in the peanut butter sandwich. That is, peanuts are low in some of the essential amino acids muscles need for growth and repair. The amino acids in milk (as well as those in the sandwich bread) nicely complement the limiting amino acids in peanuts.” [source].

Here you are… p.nut buttah & banana photo #266.

Ok, so the rest of my day consisted of a trip to Target and whipping out an entire paper that isn’t due for another month. I’m definitely turning this puppy in Monday though and freeing one item from my hands. Writing papers >>> studying for science exams. If you couldn’t guess already, I love writing. I dream of seeing my name on the front cover of a book one day – reach for the stars!

In the midst of my paper writing, I gave my grandma a jingle to ask her a couple more questions [the paper’s about family migration]. We got to talking about stress, and how that seems to be the theme of my life currently. I had to Twitter her hilarious advice:

 

 

No more rambling – promise. Look what I’ve got to smile about tomorrow:

It’s going to be a sunny spectacular SUNday!

Peace + Love,

Hillary

Edamame –> Idamommy

Hey Yo! We made it over the hump of the week! I’m super happy that this week is zooming by; it’s just cruising downhill from here.

You can probably guess what was on my plate for breakfast today…yep, waffles it was! I went with an “open-faced sandwich” today – the more PB & banana, the better.

I normally don’t get to eat lunch home on Wednesdays, so it was a treat to have a break in my day to do so. I was dreaming of this lunch all morning.

Green Monster a la:

1/2 frozen banana

1/2 cup mixed berries [strawberries, raspberries, blueberries & blackberries]

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 cup fresh baby spinach 

Sandwich a la:

whole wheat toast

raspberry jam

extra sharp white cheddar

fresh baby spinach

…and because I always have something sweet to polish off a meal:

Remember the box of No Pudge Fudge Brownie Mix my mama gave me?

Mix together:

4 T mix

2 T 0% Vanilla Greek Yogurt

a few bittersweet chocolate chips

+ 1 minute in Mr. Micro = a guiltless decadent dessert.

After my last class, I rushed home to make an early dinner in lightening speed. I guess I should be on Iron Chef because this rushed salad was a victory!

It screamed Spring – fresh color, color, color!

Baby Arugula, Spinach & Lettuce Mix, Carrot, Edamame, Tomatoes, Sunflower Seeds, Feta, Olive Oil & Seasoned Rice Vinegar + Fresh Pepper

I also tested out a new item I picked up at TJ’s yesterday – edamame hummus – with a couple multigrain crackers. As if hummus couldn’t get any healthier, this was colorful too. Edamame makes green hummus – surprise, surprise.

I didn’t have a lot of time to savor my delicious & nutritious dinner because I had to rush out the door to go baby-sit. Edamame –> Idamommy…wow, I’m ridiculous. I wish I had had time to workout today, but making a little extra cash is always helpful. Plus, yesterday’s time at The Resort left my legs sore today:

1 mile indoor track run @ 8:10

strength [arms + legs]:

• seated row: 20 @ 40 lbs.
• bicep curls: 40 @ 10 lbs.
• “weights-to-chin”: 20 @ 10 lbs.
• bicep curl lunges: 20 @ 20 lbs.
• glute press: 40 @ 40 lbs.
• squats: 40 @ 20 lbs.

1/2 mile indoor track run @ 4:15

30-minute spin [11.2 mi.]

1/2 mile indoor track run @ 5:00

stretch

There are my eats for the day [minus a couple post-sittin’ snacks]. It felt good to take photos of my food again. It’s become part of me; the addiction is in my blood : )

How do you like to consume edamame?

Hillary

The Weekend is Calling

Where has the week gone? I haven’t posted anything since Monday, and boy have I missed you all very much! I did my best to keep up with ya’ll…but blogging wasn’t on the front burner this week – my apologies.

Yesterday was a Hump Day from Hell. I was at school from 9:30am – 7:30pm. There was nothing good about it, but the beautiful sunny weather brightened up my life perspective a bit. Hellooo summer dresses! …and winter white skin : )

Oh, that’s right…yesterday was Waffle Wednesday! How could I forget? The week is just one big blur.

  Van’s Multigrain + Crunchy PB + 1/2 Banana

Fast forward.

Today’s a.m. eats:

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup rolled oats + 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1/2 banana – cooked
• 1/2 T ground flax
• cinnamon
• spoonful of crunchy PB + splash of cow milk

Check out that fluffy consistency!

Just realizing I had PB & Banana two mornings in a row – bliss.

Unlike my typical lazy Thursday mornings – sleep in, make brex, and blog blog blog – I decided to use my time more wisely today. I tend to get a little bit of pre-travel anxiety before leaving for a trip, so I sprung out of bed at 7:45am and got right to my to-list. You may call me weird because I realize most college girls don’t wake up to wash their car before doing anything else…but that’s what I did, and I immediately felt a sense of relief. Little Blue was dusty.

My second statistics exam this afternoon was simple [wish I could say that about O. Chem], and my classmates raved about the cinnamon raisin rice pudding I made in lab today. When I got home from school, I busted out a speedy treadmill workout:

5.0 miles in 45 min. [including 5 min. of walking] + 15 min. abs, arms & legs

It must be my lucky week because I got a second surprise package in the mail! I feel so loved. After I told Allie [LiveLaughEat] that I had been having dreams about Heart Thrives, she sent me a package of two different flavors – apricot & chocolate – as well as two of her own, homemade granola AllieBars. I think it is so amazing how the blogging world can connect people from near and far. Mind you, Allie and I have yet to meet in person…but I definitely have found a “virtual friend” in this girl. Her blog posts are nothing but honest, creative, and hilarious reads that I look forward to every day.

THANK YOU, Allie! You are so sweet to think of me all the way over here in Cali. I am excited about my travel snacks tomorrow – you had perfect timing.

Nutrition Nut News

I received my score for my ServSafe certification exam and am happy to say that I am officially [re]certified. My entire class passed the exam, in fact. I am a bit ashamed by the fact that I scored a 90%, while in high school I scored a 95%. What does that imply? Earning a 90% or better does qualify you to teach the ServSafe course. Hah…me, teach?

Well…I’ve still got a ton to do before hitting the road in the morning to Sonoma County. Looking forward to a sunny drive with new tunes.

Enjoy your weekend! I’ll be tweeting about mine.

Hillary

Give It A Whirl

Hi again! Lucky for you, I can’t complain about a lot at the moment as I am blogging from my comfy bed [which now is bedded…after two days], with the soothing sounds of James Morrison. I enjoyed my Tuesday just like any other Tuesday Saturday. After my banana berry waffle, I was craving a Green Monster for lunch, so I pulled out the blender…and it stayed out the remainder of the day; I ended up using it a total of three times today!

Blender Round 1

Mmm…Dark Chocolate Milkshake. Fooled ya! That would be my delicious Green Monster a la: 1 banana, 1/2 cup frozen berries [raspberries, blueberries, strawberries & blackberries], 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 T ground flax, 1 humongous handful of fresh spinach, and ice.

I then got an intense craving for p.nut buttah:

Whole Wheat Toast a la PB & Raspberry Jam

After lunch and running a few errands via Green Monster energy, I came home and rinsed out the blender for round two.

Blender Round 2

After working for a hummus company [summer 2008] and being spoiled by both my mom and dad’s homemade hummus, I am never amazed by any tubs I bring home from the store. Today I decided to give making my own a go. I basically made the recipe up as I went, so it didn’t turn out to be blue ribbon quality [I’m thinking more tahini, more acidity, more zing!]…but it’s definitely edible : )

Healthy Hill’s Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained

2 T tahini [sesame paste]

1 T olive oil

1 T seasoned rice vinegar

4 T water

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/3 cup chopped parsley 

3-4 minced garlic cloves

salt to taste

I gave my hummus a taste test with half of a huge carrot for an afternoon snack and then I was off to the gym. Today’s time spent at the gym was a complete 180* spin from yesterday’s weak workout:

• 1 hour spin class
• indoor track run [1 mi.]
• arms + stretching

2 x 12 lat pull downs @ 40 lbs.

2 x 12 seated row @ 40 lbs.

4 x 12 “weights to chin” w/ 12 lb. bar

4 x 12 bicep curls w/ 12 lb. bar

2 x 12 tricep extension w/ 12 lb. bar

Dinner was Sunday’s leftovers: stir-fried tofu, brown rice, broccoli & carrot + sesame seeds & sesame oil [sesame 3x in 1 day!].

Blender Round 3

That you might ask is banana soft serve! I know it doesn’t look like much, but holy yum! For those of you ice cream/fro yo lovers, like myself, you must try this ASAP.

To make: Freeze your overly ripe bananas – the longer the better – that didn’t get invited to your most recent oatmeal party. Place however many bananas into a blender – I’d say 1 per serving – and blend away! You don’t have to add a thing! I didn’t freeze the banana for long enough tonight, hence the runnier texture, but with a dollop of PB&Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams, I couldn’t find a spoon fast enough.

Talk about a healthy dessert. This soft serve would be delicious with an encyclopedia’s worth of toppings.

There ya have it…today’s blender excursion. I hope ya’ll will give these recipes a whirl in your blender! Well, my contacts are getting drier by each word I type. Must turn off my light. I’ve got classes a holiday to prepare for!

Night,

Hillary

Morning Food

Mornin’!

Boy, oh boy… I think a quiet Sunday morning accompanied by an extra scrumptious breakfast is deserving of a spot on my Top 10 Favorite Things list…if there was such a thing ; ) The fact that one of my roommate’s guests was asleep on our couch wasn’t going to stop me from getting into the kitchen to make waffles at 9:00am. I made a variation of Sinless Saturday Sunday Waffles:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 T ground flax

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups 1% milk

1/4 cup canola oil

1 mashed banana

1 egg

…topped with a dollop of 0% Greek, coconut, toasted pecans & real maple syrup.

***

In other news, I made enough bread to end world hunger in my Elementary Foods lab Thursday. I got a few puzzled looks from passengers as I rode the bus home with a backpack full of Honey Whole Wheat Bread, perspiring the scent of sweet yeast.

Speaking of Elementary Foods…I have my second exam in that class tomorrow. I feel like all I ever talk about is test, after test, after test – story of my life. Monday is going to be a killer day:

10:00am: Organic Chemistry

11:00am: CA Cultural Landscapes

[Lunch + Study]

2:00pm: Exam

4:00pm: Food Safety & Sanitation

7:00pm: Required lecture about safety I must attend before registering for classes – ugh.

Doesn’t look like there’s going to much time for exercise, so I better get in some moves today. Just 4 days remaining of my Move It in March CHALLENGE!

Let’s talk breakfast!

1. What’s your favorite breakfast?
2. Do you have savory or sweet a.m. taste buds?
3. Coffee? Tea? Juice?
4. Little meal? Big meal?

Shower me with visions of sugar plums pancakes and pastries dancing in my head…

Hillary

Today, Tomorrow & Yesterday

Good morning guys & gals! It’s Thursday, so you know what that means…I don’t have to rush out the door to go to campus today. Clearly, I didn’t earn another A for effort yesterday. I was absorbed by academia all.day.long. Class. Study ServSafe. Class. Study Servsafe… I think it’s safe to say that the exam went well. I buzzed through all 90 questions in about 40 minutes. It ended up being a day of small snacks – including my last Element Bar – but I didn’t forget to celebrate Waffle Wednesday : )

2 Van’s Multigrain Waffles + Crunchy PB & 1/2 Banana …with 1% milk – mmm!

I had a great workout last night. I must’ve done something right because I was exhausted afterwards – I barely had enough energy to shower and put myself to bed – and am really sore today.

Work It out Wednesday

strength [I used a set of 10lb. weights.]

• 4 x 10 bicep curls
• 4 x 10 ‘weights to chin’
• 4 x 10 tip-toe squats
• 2 x 10 bicep curl lunges
• 2 x 10 triceps dips
• 1 x 10 arm raises

20-minute treadmill run [2.3 mi.]

• 4 minutes @ 6.6mph
• 6 minutes @ 6.8mph – incline 2.0
• 10 minutes @ 7.2mph

30-minute spin [11 mi.]

indoor track run [1 mile @ 8:55]

stretching – ahhh! [note to self: do more often.]

***

I was able to keep my eyes open a tad longer to skim through my new April issue of Fitness that arrived in the mail.

Look who I found! It’s the adorable Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats.

I also stumbled across this Running Clip Tip:

“Shortening your stride by 10 percent may reduce the impact on your legs and decrease your risk of shin stress fractures by 3 to 6 percent, according to a study from Iowa State University in Ames” – Fitness Magazine.

This may explain why I have minimal to no pain in my legs and haven’t suffered any major injuries from running; I’ve got the stride of a midget.

Anyway, now that my morning is already half over, I need prepare for class. School 12:30 – 5:00. Gym. Clean up house for guests! Yep…that’s the plan.

Have a great day!

Hillary

A for Effort

Hey Guys! I’ve got a little gift for you tonight: pictures! I know I’ve been a slacker lately – the photos I have taken are barely passing quality – but I think I deserve an A for effort today : )

Breakfast #1

3/4 cup Raisin Bran, 1/4 cup Cheery Cherry Almond Granola, 1/2 Banana & 3/4 cup Almond Milk

Breakfast #2

Whole Wheat Toast + PB + [other] 1/2 Banana

Snacks

I packed a couple snacks to eat after my 3 hour lab. I didn’t pack a whole lot since I planned to exercise post-class.

Back to Nature Multigrain Flax Seeded Flatbread Crackers [that’s a mouthful] + my daddy’s homemade hummus & a carrot

Dried Apricots + Dark Chocolate Almonds [6 ea.]

After 3 painful hours of Infrared Spectroscopy – don’t even ask me what that is – I sat outside in the sunshine and savored my snacks. I still had quite a bit of steam to burn off from my overwhelming class, so I threw my books into a locker at the gym and kicked up my heals. I didn’t run for very long [appox. 36 minutes], but I started to feel like my freckly face was getting pink from the radiant rays. It was just enough time to sweat out some of my stress. Running cures all. I finished up with a little conditioning…but should have done more.

While I waited for the bus, I grabbed a smoothie from Jamba. I tried one of their new all-fruit creations: the Five Fruit Frenzy. It was tasty, but nothing I’m anxious to have again. I’d much rather make my own mix…with spinach!

Appetizer

Buttery Smooth Heart-Healthy Monounsaturated Fat [a.k.a. 1/2 Avocado]

Dinner

I traded in my boring plain penne rigate for a more exciting option:

The garlic and basil flavors add a lot to a simple dish. I sautéed a few cherry tomatoes in olive oil with garlic and red onion, tossed the al dente pasta in the skillet with the tomatoes, sprinkled in a little chevre & parm, and poured all that over fresh baby spinach – voila…dinner.

Dessert

…fooled ya! I actually did not eat any Chocolove today, but wanted to show you my new finds:

1. Coffee Crunch! My mom brought their new flavor to my attention as she knows coffee/espresso & dark chocolate sits high on my totem pole of favorite flavors – yummm.

2. MINI Chocolove Bars! How cute, right?

***

There ya have it…I finally managed to show you a day of all my eats…well, 90% of them. What can I say, this girl can eat! I have my very important ServSafe Certification Exam tomorrow. I am actually being recertified. I will be disappointed if I receive a lower score the second time around. [I dominated the test in 2007 with a 95%]. The pressure is on!

Hope you have a happy Hump Day tomorrow!

Hillary

Smart Move

Ahhh…finally, a Sunday to relax. I am loving the fact that I don’t have to stress about getting everything done today since I have the entire week off – hallelujah! That’s not to say I don’t have a huge to-list that I want to accomplish this week. To-do lists are never ending…at least for me. If they were, life would be boring…wouldn’t ya say?

Anyway, I just got home from another great morning run with the girls. It was a completely different story getting out of bed today – losing 1 hour of sleep really makes a difference. The frosty rooftops and grey sky outside were not the most inviting either. Nonetheless, I piled on my layers, ate a half of a banana, and met the girls at 8:00 7:00am for our usual 7-mile Marsh run. That makes 17 miles of running for the weekend, or 2 hours and 32 minutes – yeehaw!

Post-Run Breakfast

My Dad’s Homemade Non-Fat Yogurt & Humboldt Honey Granola

+ the other half my banana & a drizzle of honey

Organic Oat & Wheat Toast + Homemade Blackberry Jam [courtesy of my aunt]

Speaking of blackberries, I jumped on the bandwagon yesterday by getting my 1st smartphone. As if I wasn’t connected enough, right? I figured the Nutrition Nut on the run needed to be able to keep up with the speed of the blog world…if only I could figure out how to use this advanced piece of technology.

A hot shower followed by a hot latte is sounding like it’ll be the next thing on my to-do list. Totally not prepared for a funeral this afternoon, but such is life.

Take it easy, my friends!

Hillary

Change of Scenery

GOOD morning! I am having an absolute glorious start to my Saturday…and hope you are too : ) I mentioned late last night that I had a long appointment with the pavement in the morning [a.k.a. a long run]. You also may know that I’ve been planning to run a 10-mile race tomorrow. It wouldn’t make much sense to go for a long run before a race, would it? So here’s the update: Due to the unfortunate circumstance of losing our family friend this past Thursday, I decided to forgo this one race in order to attend her service. With the race at 2:00pm and the service at 3:00pm – 45 minutes away from each other – there was no logistical way I could do both. There will always be more races.

That being said, I talked my regular Humboldt running gals into running 10-miles with me today! Spontaneity is not my specialty, but I thought if I was supposed to be able to run 10 tomorrow, why not today! We met up at the early hour of 7:30am, but I had no problem hopping out of bed, as the brightness of the blue skies was streaming into my bedroom.

Because I do not have a fancy shmancy Garmin Forerunner to track my mileage, I would be lying if I said I ran exactly 10.0 miles; yet, I ran for 92 minutes which – give or take – is 10 miles at my average pace.

It is really refreshing to have a change of scenery for exercising and eating. I plan to soak up as much of Humboldt’s finest as I can this week…including big bowls of thick oats. I had a simple, yet satisfying breakfast of banana walnut cinnamon oatmeal after my run + a steaming cup of Japanese Green Tea [inspired by Angela’s awesome post].

Going to pick up my race packet [gotta get my t-shirt, after all] and probably spend some time with the ‘rents today since they aren’t working.

Enjoy your day!

Hillary