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

Baking > Books

Hello hello!

Hope you had a lovely Saturday. I really shouldn’t complain, but why does tomorrow have to be Sunday already? I see a cram sesh in my future =[

I woke up a little later than I had planned – 8:30am on the nose – but I suppose that’s not too terrible for a Saturday morning. Breakfast was a bowl of cold cereal + an English muffin with raspberry jam for some pre-spinning fuel.

I was surprised when a different spin instructor walked into the studio today, but a great surprise it was. She taught the most challenging and FUN spin class this morning…plus the music was actually good [my style] for once! My roomie and I left with numb legs =]

After an hour at the gym, I did my weekly grocery shopping at TJ’s [I saved my trip for today since I am not of fan of running errands in the rain]. I was excited to see organic strawberries on the cheap – yay for the beginning of berry season!

I munched on a plate of raw veggies, a couple Wasa crackers and homemade hummus, showered and then headed to school. Again, I can’t complain since I had a mid-week “weekend”….but a 2-hour O.Chem lecture does not make Hillary a happy student. Baking to the rescue!

When I got home I threw together one of Tina’s speedy recipes: Peanut Buttery Bars. Side Note: I love that this girl whips up baked goods in the middle of the week. She is the queen of quick & healthy treats! You can literally count the minutes on your fingers that these take to make – so simple.

With only five ingredients, a 6-year-old could make these. In fact, they look like they were made by a first grader.

 P.Nut Buttah Bars

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup agave nectar

1 egg

chocolate chips [optional, but recommended!]

Combine all ingredients until smooth. Spread batter into a prepared pan and bake at 350* for ~15 minutes. In my case, I used a muffin pan with my favorite papers. I think this jeopardized their presentation, but I still got 12 chewy, nutty, chocolaty treats.

***

There wasn’t anything special about my dinner tonight, but it hit the spot: vegetarian comfort food.

Baked Beans + Tofu Dogs

Broccolini sautéed in Olive Oil & Garlic

Alrighty, I must close my laptop and open my book now. I hope ya’ll enjoy some time with family and friends tomorrow. Wish I could say the same. Instead, I’ll be relieving my stress with the box of Spring See’s chocolates someone sent me in the mail – thanks G.ma & G.pa!

Until we meet again,

Hillary

Silver Medal for Me

Hey there!

Wow, I can’t believe there are just a few more minutes until we can turn the calendar to April 2010. This year isn’t taking it’s time…that’s for sure. Have any tricks up your sleeve for tomorrow? =]

Today California honored Cesar Chavez with a holiday. No school para me. I slept in way past my scheduled alarm, and then made a bowl of latte oatmeal:

1 1/4 cup water

2/3 cup rolled oats

1/2 T instant espresso powder

1 /2 T ground flax

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla

bittersweet chocolate chips, almonds & a splash of 1% milk

It gave me that little buzz I needed to get pumped up about my final workout of my Move It in March Challenge. My roommates and I decided on a spin class to take together. Usually we have to leave extra early in order to get a bike…but that wasn’t the case this afternoon. It seems as though everyone else was taking a vacation from exercise.

We warmed up by running 1/2 mile together around the track before the 30-minute class. Then I ran on the treadmill for another 20 afterwards [2.2 mi.] + 1/2 mile cool down around the track.

Move It In March Results

Days of Exercise: 24/31

Run: 14.0 hrs. [~91 miles]

Spin: 5.0 hrs.

Other: 4.25 hrs.

Looking at the results, I am pretty pleased with how much I moved. I am a little disappointed about the 7 rest days [1 entire week], but think that I worked pretty hard during the three weeks I did exercise. My goal was to move more during the month of March. I didn’t have anything to measure my results against, so that would be something I would change if I do such a challenge again. I am proud of myself for pushing myself to run faster, as that is something I haven’t concentrated on in the past; I have certainly witnessed my strength – especially in regards to speed – increase this past month. 

Are you working on any fitness goals currently?

***

An hour later, after picking up paperwork for a prospective new condo, I came home starving. Enter lunch:

Wrap a la Homemade Hummus, Cucumber, Tomato & Baby Spinach 

0% Greek a la Homemade Granola & Strawberries

 

…and cookies [x2].

Have you had Lu European Biscuits? They are a favorite of my family. We prefer the darkest of the dark, of course =]

After my late lunch, I got ready and joined the masses in the streets downtown “celebrating Cesar”. It felt odd lettin’ loose on a Wednesday afternoon, but what the heck. The rest was history…

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

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

While We Wait

Although the blog surgery hasn’t gone as scheduled [still currently sitting in the waiting room], life must go on… and it has.

Yesterday, my aunt hosted a family dinner. Of course there were green, gourmet eats, including:

classic homemade hummus with fresh green parsley + raw veggies to start

…and homemade, bistro-style pizza with baby green spinach, artichoke hearts & chevre – two thumbs up!

***

Today went a little like this:

— Run with Ali, Amy & Stacy [50 min.]

— Run errands

— Meet Mom for lunch

— Fresh, spring haircut – bye bye long, winter locks

— Gather ingredients at the local co-op

— Smile due to SUNSHINE!

— Bake, bake, bake

— Realize Day Light Savings is glorious for running addicts

— Slip into shorts & ugly new race tee

— Run Sprint around town [32 min.]

— Eat homegrown green salad for dinner

— Watch Food, Inc. with my dad & contemplate never eating meat again

Proof:

post [second] run stretching in our green grass

I made mounds of Cheery Cherry Almond Granola

…and was even nice enough to share some with friends. Truth be told, I could eat a trough of this stuff, but I set a goal – remember?

I also made brown bread…perhaps a beautiful photo will appear for breakfast tomorrow?

Hard to believe Break is almost over. Hasn’t exactly turned out as I had planned, but I never regret a trip home.

Eat well. Be well… and watch FOOD, INC.

Hillary

A Winning Wednesday

Well, friends…another glorious day has come and gone. Here’s what I was up to on this stellar Wednesday:

chem exam

geography

exercise + lunch

nutrition quiz

shower + dinner

blog!

I checked off everything =]

It’s such a relief to have my 1st O. Chem exam behind me. Besides waking up late and almost missing the bus/missing my exam, it wasn’t a total nightmare. After class #2, I was able to come home for the afternoon since my regular 2:00pm wasn’t meeting. I was thrilled for many reasons: 1) It was absolutely gorgeous outside – 70* status, 2) I was feeling well enough to exercise, and 3) I wasn’t stuck at school from 9:00-5:00! So…I dropped my books, slipped on my shorts and headed out into the blue skies. I hadn’t exercised at all since last Tuesday (when I did an Allie–inspired 60-minute elliptical workout); my body was craving physical activity. I ran for 35 minutes at a comfortable heart rate of 155. My legs were thankful =]

***

For lunch, I refueled with light ‘n’ cheery eats to go along with the bright weather outside:

I enjoyed this sunny photo shoot.

1 Piece of Whole Wheat Toast + Hummus, Sliced Cucumber, Red Onion & Baby Lettuces

2% Greek + Kiwi and Blueberries

***

Before heading back to school for my final class, I made myself an iced latte. As tempting as it was to stop at Starbucks, I’m sticking to the challenge…plus, I’ve got Starbucks at home anyway.

Iced Coffee + Skim Milk + Agave — mmm!

I ate half of a granola bar, too. It was a Tropical Treat alright — so yummy, Mom! This one wins =]

***

I made breakfast for dinner tonight with my leftover roasted taters and a couple of scrambled eggs. Seldom do I eat eggs (as a dish), but top ’em with avocado, salsa and chevre, and I can work with it. Anyway…since dessert is 100x better than dinner, let us fast forward…

Celebratory [chemistry exam #1 is over] baking was in order. Chocolate Chippers, anyone?

I made a mini batch by halving the recipe on the back of the Guittard chocolate chip bag:

1 cup + 2 T whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup real butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup Guittard chocolate chips

1…2…3 chocolate chippers + a jam jar of skim milk = a perfect way to end this wonderful Wednesday.

Good night!

Snack Attack

Hello hello. Happy Friday!

With no school today [due to California’s non-existent budget], it feels like Saturday…but lucky for me, the weekend has just begun! I slept in this morning and, for once, it felt great! My body certainly need those extra zzz’s. However, I still have a deep cough and don’t know what to do about it besides rest.

I made a very simple bowl of oats, along with my 36th cup of Echinacea Complete Care tea, for brex and then got to cleaning house. Yes, even as a 20-year-old college student, I am still anal about tidying my house before having guests : ) Then my roommate and I hit up Trader’s, I ate snack #14, and here I am…

Speaking of snacks, I feel like Miss Allie lately. Normally, I am a routine eater and minimize my amount of random, mindless snacking; however, the past few days I’ve been attacking the snacks:

New Favorite: Dried Apricots + Dark Chocolate Almonds

I am addicted!

Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Granola Bar (handmade by my mama!)

Ben & Jerry’s Dark Chocolate Peaces – not impressed.

Cucumber, Carrots, Pita Bite Crackers & Hummus – all courtesy of TJ’s.

***

Anxiously awaiting for Tasha to arrive. We were suitemates my first two years of college, and I’ve really missed living with her this year. I am looking forward our girly weekend. Anyone else seeing Valentine’s Day?

Blogging may be minimal the next couple of days, but I will for sure be announcing the giveaway winner Sunday.

Have a LOVELY weekend,

~ Hillary

Random Rambling

I’ve realized that waiting until the end of the day to blog is a lot different than posting throughout the day. I am not sure which will work better for me with my new schedule, so let’s just go with the flow (wow…did I really just say that?).

Alright, so if we rewind to this morning, I had cold cereal for breakfast. If we’re getting exact: 3/4 cup Raisin Bran, 1/4 cup Humboldt Honey Granola, 1/2 banana, 3/4 cup soymilk – ugly pictures, sorry.

Before leaving for my 3 hour organic chemistry lab – jealous, huh? – I made myself a PB&B to take along. This was not just any ordinary PB sandwich though. Let me reveal the star ingredient:

You see…I’ve had the Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbook in my collection of recipe books for quite some time, but I have yet to actually make anything from it yet – that happens when you have over 21 beautiful books to chose from. Then, when I started blogging I kept seeing PB&Co. peanut butters everywhere – Mighty Maple, White Chocolate Wonderful, Dark Chocolate Dreams – so I told myself I had to get my hands on some. Well, this was much more difficult than I had thought. I couldn’t find it anywhere! However, my amazing relatives did a bit of searching in and around their area and it arrived on Santa’s sleigh. I can’t believe I waited an entire month before opening the jar, but it’s clearly not just any old jar of PB. It made an excellent peanut butter & banana sandwich on whole wheat toast. Now it’s time to crack open the cookbook…

***

After lab and inhaling my PB&B, I went to The Resort to workout. Here are the stats:

Strength (switched it up with conditioning first, cardio second)

• 2 x 20 side dips (each side) @ 10lbs.
• 4 x 10 bicep curls @ 20lbs. (total)
• 2 x 10 overhead presses @ 20lbs. (total)
• 2 x 10 “raise weights to chin” @ 20lbs. (total)
• 20 lat pulldowns @ 40lbs.
• 10 assisted pull-ups
• 2 x 10 squats @ 20lbs.
• 2 x 10 “toe touches” @ 20lbs.
• 2 x 20 outer thigh presses @ 40lbs.
• 2 x 20 inner thigh presses @ 40 lbs.

Cardio

• 10 minutes treadmill @ 4.0 mph (incline 10.0)
• 2 x 5-minute sets erg (rowing machine)
• 2 x 10-minute sets running around indoor track

***

Dinner

Two things I take account of each day, are 1) making sure I consume color, and 2) watching my carbohydrate intake. Today’s eats, although perfectly healthy, lacked color – cereal, PB&B, and an unmentioned latte + piece of dark chocolate are all brown…and well, brown is not a color in my book : ) Therefore, my dinner had to be colorFULL and low in carbs:

veggie burger with hummus and cucumber, steamed broccoli & fresh tomato

Tomato + Broccoli = Cancer Fighter: “Certain food pairings provide more nutritional benefits and fight disease better than those same edibles enjoyed solo. This team slowed tumor growth in rats by 52%, significantly more than tomato or broccoli individually…Scientists suspect that the lycopene in tomato works as an antioxidant that protects the body’s cells, and active agents in broccoli fight off carcinogens” (article ripped from unknown magazine).

***

Last thing…I think I’ve developed Blogger’s Elbow. I totally just made this up, but I’ve been feeling unusual pain in my right elbow lately. I have no idea what it could be from besides typing too much! I’ve only been blogging for a little over 3 months, so this is not a good sign. Luckily, I have not felt any carpal tunnel symptoms in my wrists. So, question: Have any of you blogging addicts experienced anything similar…suggestions?

Ok, that’s all of my rambling for the night.

Peace Out,

~ Hillary

In Sickness & In Health

…I promise to give you something to read every day (no pinky promises).

I really tried to fight off the on-coming cold, but I’m pretty sure it got me. Now I am trying my best to not let it take complete advantage of me. Why, oh why, do colds and finals like each other so much? Their relationship has really got to end.

After my 8:00am lab practical (which went well, I think!), I headed over to the gym. Poor decision, Hillary…poor decision. Didn’t I just mention I have a cold? Yes, stupid me. It took me 30 minutes on the stationary bike + a few weight exercises to realize what I was doing was ridiculously dumb. I headed home, took a steaming hot shower, and told myself too push through my last long day of classes. And so I did.

I had a light lunch, with lots of crunch:

1/2 sandwich on toasted whole wheat w/ hummus, Havarti, cucumber & lettuce (you’ve seen this before)

+ d’anjou #3

Mr. Cold wasn’t in the mood for foodography (food + photography) today. So, since my posts are more than boring…check out my Inspirations – they have great holiday tips, recipes…and much more exciting lives : )

Can you believe Christmas is only 15 days away? Ahhh…I wish the holiday season was twice as long.

Have any magical cold remedies?

Until tomorrow…

~ Hillary