I’m In Love

…with spinning!

I had a kick-butt workout last night!

• 1.5-mile run [indoor track]
• 12-mile ride [spinning for 32 min.]
• 1.5-mile run, including sprint intervals [indoor track]
• + 4 x 15 “knee-to-chest step raises”

The new spinning bikes at the gym are awesome. I finally found something to push me to that next “level”…and it’s such a fun way to cross-train. As much as I would love to just run, and run, and run…I know that is not what’s best for my body. Drenched in sweat and high off endorphines, I hurried across campus to my bi-monthly Nutrition and Food Science Association meeting. I scored a sweet tee:

Only the cool kids wear I <3 Fruits & Veggies shirts =]

At home and out of the rain, I scarfed down a huge piece of leftover pizza while catching up with a friend on the phone. Then it was time to study my fruits & veggies for my Elementary Foods exam.

***

Today has been one of the longest Wednesdays to date. I was at school from 10:00am – 6:30pm! I was really hoping to post this morning before I left home, but clearly that did not happen. I inhaled a yogurt mess of 2% Greek, 1/4 cup Raisin Bran, 1/4 cup Humboldt Honey Granola & 1/2 banana, tossed my lunch into my backpack, and was out the door.

PB&Co Bee’s Knees & Banana Sandwich on Whole Wheat

Carrot, Cucumber & Tomato

2 TJ’s Truffle Hearts [from my valentine]

After my Elementary Foods exam [which went well, or so I feel], I had an hour and half to kill before my last class, so I decided to search for something to satisfy my already empty tummy. What is better than a hot latte in the middle of a long [wet & cold] day? I fought and fought the temptation, but at last…I caved and lost the Coffee Challenge. It was definitely worth it though. After a week and half of being espresso-free, my grande decaf latte with raw sugar was tastier than ever. However, this means no Friday Starbucks treat for me.

Warning: repeat photo…oopsie!

I was famished by the time I finally got home, so I whipped up my favorite 3-minute-meal:

Dr. Praeger’s California Love Veggie Burger + Mashed Avocado & Salsa

…with a side of black beans

I’m glad I made it through the day in one piece. It’s been one heck of a Hump Day! I’m feeling pretty prepared for my Statistics exam after tonight’s review session, and am looking forward to getting on the bike again tomorrow. Spinning = love.

Hope you are having a nice night,

~ Hillary

***

Just a reminder, I TWEET @ HILLontherun =]

I Spy Springtime!

The weather forecast did not disappoint today. It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood! I woke up before my alarm from sunshine pouring through my windows – a pleasant surprise in the middle of February.

My Organic Chemistry lab did not last the full 3 hours today, so I was excited to have the rest of the afternoon to play outside. It was ideal weather for a run, but I thought the smarter thing to do was to give my body one more day of rest. I hope to be back in motion manana!

Since exercise wasn’t an option, I had to come up with another activity to procrastinate studying for my O. Chem exam that involved soaking up some of nature’s best Vitamin D. Easy enough: give Little Blue a bubble bath!

All sparkle ‘n’ shine!

***

I worked up quite the appetite washing my little blue rig. I knew exactly what would curb my hunger…a recipe I came across in my PB&Co Cookbook last night while trying to read myself to sleep. It’s a refreshing & simple snack for a “Spring” day.

…plus, it’s got a protein punch:

1 cup soy milk

1 banana

2 T PB&Co Bee’s Knees

1 T Honey

Ice

***

Dinner

Salad a la: organic baby lettuces, avocado, red onion & balsamic — thrilling.

Roasted Potatoes a la: olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper + a dollop of “Daisy” (2% Greek)

I’d love to stay, but I must not procrastinate any longer. Did I mention I have my 1st O. Chem exam TOMORROW!

Wish me luck (I’ll need it!),

~ Hillary

Sweet Surprises

Hello. How goes it? It’s been another extremely longgg Wednesday for me. As if Wednesdays weren’t rough enough – I have class from 10:00am – 5:00pm (plus an hour commute) – I woke up with a chest cold. Great! I also had to be out the door half an hour earlier in time to drop of my O. Chem lab from yesterday’s 3-hour class from hell – that’s another story.

I made a waffle sandwich for brex in honor of (the recently engaged!) Janetha’s Waffle Wednesday:

2 Van’s Low-Fat Waffles + PB&Co Bee’s Knees + 1/2 mashed bananer

…and a jam jar of skim milk

***

I chugged along – “choo choooo” – from one class to another, and finally arrived home around the 6 o’clock hour to find a package waiting for me! After a long day at school feeling crappy and turning blue at the bus stop in the freezing February weather, it couldn’t have been a better day to recieve a surprise via the USPS.

Somebody loves me:

Can you guess who?

It’s someone that knows me really well…

Pink Socks, Pink ‘n’ Orange Thank You Notes, my favorite Bare Escentuals Rosie Pink Lip Gloss, and Pink Dark Chocolates

Homemade Granola Bars

Pineapple, Coconut, Macadamia Nuts & White Chocolate

Cherries, Almonds & Dark Chocolate

…and a fun ‘n’ fruity kitchen towel.

There’s only one person that it could be…and that person is my mom! Thank you, Mom! You never fail to show me how much I am loved. Infinite X’s & O’s.

***

My mind did not even consider exercising today, so after opening my sweet surprise, I slipped on my pink pajamas and fixed dinner.

Comfort Food Made Healthy

Grilled White Cheddar Cheese & Spinach Sandwich on Whole Wheat

with a bowl of Organic Creamy Tomato Soup

It’s just about time for a cup of tea and piece (or two or three) of chocolate…

~ Hillary

***

Don’t miss my V.DAY GIVEAWAY!

Bittersweet

Hey hey! Monday, oh Monday…what’s your opinion about the often dreaded day of the week? I don’t mind it so much, as I always think of it as a fresh start – to eat mindfully, to erase any negative thoughts, and to make the most out of another week of life : )

I got super excited last night thinking about today’s breakfast; yet, it ended up being bittersweet.

Greek + LAST of my Humboldt Honey Granola (tear) + 1/2 Banana + 1 T Raisins

I tell ya, I did not want this yogurt ecstasy to end!

***

School was school…minus 1. My last class of the day was cancelled – hooray! I hurried home for an afternoon snack.

Whole Wheat Toast with PB&Co Bee’s Knees & 1/2 Banana

***

With a couple extra hours on my hands, I had to figure out my plan of attack for the rest of the night. Since the semester began, Mondays haven’t included exercise; however, I didn’t have a good excuse not to fit in something today:

Mini Monday Moves

Treadmill

0-5 min: 3.5mph @ 5.0

5-10 min: 4.0mph @ 5.0

10-20 min: 6.0mph @ 2.5

20-25 min: 4.0mph @ 5.0

25-30 min: 3.5mph @ 5.0

***

Dinner looks familiar, doesn’t it? You’re seeing leftovers…that’s why.

1 Huge Handful of Fresh Spinach, Avocado, Tomato, Spinach Ricotta Ravioli with Marinara…drizzled with Balsamic

I know some like to keep their salad separate from the rest of their meal, but I’m clearly not one of those people. I’ll eat salad any way, any day!

Homework (a.k.a. The Bachelor – hometown dates!)…

Peace out,

~ Hillary

Question: Anyone know of excess flax causing stomach issues? It’s either that, or I’ve been hitting the fiber too hard. Ok…TMI : )

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

Joy to the World

HAPPY DECEMBER!

I hope your day month is starting off on a high note. I love this month for so many reasons – gift giving, twinkling lights, snowmen, baking, peppermint, family traditions, stockings, cozy fires, the list is endless…

…and gingerbread houses : ) I made this entire house from scratch my senior year of high school in my Restaurant Occupations class – the best assignment ever! Can you spot Rudolph?

Of course I had to fix myself a cup of Candy Cane Lane Green Tea first thing this morning, and to go along…a bowl of PB&J bran.

• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1 heaping T each PB & apricot jam
• splash of skim milk

Look at that steam!

What do enjoy most about this time of year?

~ Hillary

HOME, here I come!

Good morning and Happy Friday! I am frantically trying to get everything ready to hit the (rainy) road, but I wanted to share with ya’ll my morning eats:

Waffle Sandwich: 2 Van’s Multigrain Waffles with PB & apricot jam + a glass of skim milk

Then I packed some snacks for the road, giving myself a few options in the Luna Bar department:

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Catch ya on the flipside!

~ Hillary

Sunday Stressin’

So much to do, so little time! This week’s agenda is rather crazy. Professors love to cram everything in the week before a vacation. Although it’s tough now, it’ll pay off during a week of relaxation. Today is not a day for relaxing though. Got to buckle down and conquer my to-do list…unfortunately, exercise is not on that list today. I am hoping to get outside in the sunshine to give my car a bath, if all goes as planned.

As for breakfast today…whole wheat toast with PB, 1/2 banana & honey + a glass of skim milk.

My list is starring me in the face. Gotta run (I wish!)…

~ Hillary