Forever Full

Hey Guys! I’m really excited to be able to have time this afternoon to write a post…but even more excited about Spring Break when I will have all the time in the world to blog, blog, blog! Hope you’re ready for some ch-ch-changes around here, because Nutrition Nut on the Run will be getting a face lift!

Until then…let’s talk food.

I made the BIGGEST bowl of oats today! Seriously, folks…it was enormous. The pictures don’t do it justice. It wasn’t on purpose that I made oats for army – I didn’t even wake up hungry, stoked about breakfast, like I usually do – it just happened.

Oatmeal Overload

In the mix:

1 1/4 cup water

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup oat bran

1/4 cup pumpkin

1/2 T ground flax

cinnamon

Top with:

1/2 banana

1 T walnuts

brown sugar & cinnamon

Although my normal ratio of oats to water is 2/3 cup: 1 cup, oat bran expands a lot more than whole oats and pumps up the volume! In the future, I plan to reduce the portions to 1/4 cup.

With a barrel of oatmeal in my stomach I was ready to head to campus and not have to worry about any hunger attacks. When I got home around 1:30pm, the oats still hadn’t thoroughly digested. I know I didn’t need any more food energy [calories], but I ate a light lunch anyway.

Mini GM: 1/2 Frozen Banana + 1/2 cup Almond Milk + 1 Huge Handful of Fresh Spinach

Low-Fat Cottage Cheese + Avocado, Cucumber & Tomato

TJ’s Chocolate Chunk Cookie [times two]

One of my least favorite feelings is that of continuously feeling full. I’m certain my calorie intake was way more than necessary this weekend and am feeling the lasting effects. The late night snacks aren’t helping either. I like going to bed and waking up “comfortably hungry”. I’d ask if you have any advice, but I’m pretty sure the answer is simple: don’t eat as much! Easier said than done, right?

Well, if you’re a reader of Skinny Runner, you know today’s Running Tuesday! I’m hoping a heart-pumping run/spin sesh will sweat out some of my excessive sugary treats [a.k.a. box of TJ’s cookies]. Then I am hopping on over to my bi-monthly Nutrition & Food Association meeting.

Are you participating in Running Tuesday today? If so, share!

Later,

~ Hillary

SUNdays Are For Running

I’ve been sitting here for far too long pondering about something profound to say – some interesting fact to enlighten you with, or topic to spark a conversation – yet, the thoughts aren’t flowing tonight. I’ve got writer’s block. I’m not inclined to write a sequential story of my day because if the idea of that is snore-inducing to me, than it most likely is to you too.

How about a recipe for perfect pumpkin pancakes then? I’ve been needing to use up the 30-oz. can of pumpkin I planned to use for pumpkin yogurt, so today I decided I would test out my roommate’s new waffle maker and make waffles for her + one other =] I easily found a simple recipe online, made a couple of adjustments, and voila…fluffy and moist Belgian pumpkin waffles.

I topped my waffle with 1/2 of a banana, walnuts and real maple syrup…although, a dollop of Greek yogurt and toasted pecans sound like another equally delicious accompaniment.

While my waffles digested, I finished up my Statistics assignments for the upcoming week, and then got on my gear for a run in the sun. My race is 1 week from today, so I made a longer run a high priority for the day. With blue, cloudless skies this wasn’t hard cross off my list. I felt a little sluggish for the first 20 minutes or so – perhaps it was Friday’s ice cream and cookies, Saturday’s 10 lb. Chipotle Burrito Bowl, and/or today’s initial meal of simple carbohydrates  – but I kept turning my iPod louder and louder, and finally got in the groove.

I ran for 62-minutes around the south part of town, near my complex. It isn’t the most scenic area, so a solo 62-minute run takes some true self-motivation. Not once did my legs hint at me that they were tired throughout my run. I felt like the Energizer Bunny, as if I could just run…and run…and run. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon sun. I had to get home to cram for my chemistry exam =[ I’m bummed…I even missed the Oscar entertainment tonight. Chemical reactions are clearly miniscule in life compared to which actress struts the best accessories, but life’s events aren’t always on the same schedule.

Hope you had a beautiful weekend wherever you are!

The Nutrition Nut — always running, or on the run.

I Like It Green

Hello, how goes it? I got up nice and early this morning and have been crossing things off my to-do list right and left.

First thing first…breakfast! Today’s inspiration came from Miss Caitlin. She is sort of famous for her pumpkin yogurt, and even though it’s no longer “pumpkin season”, she still enjoys her orange yogurt bowls on a regular basis. I love pumpkin, so yesterday while on my grocery quest, I bought a huge 30 oz. can of pumpkin. I was really excited adding another item to my breakfast possibilities list, but was so disappointed when I did not like it [icky texture]. I maybe ate half of what is pictured, and then resorted to a piece of toast. Dang it! Now I’ve got a life-supply of canned pumpkin that I need to figure out what to do with. Ideas?

1/3 cup Pumpkin, 1/3 cup 0%  Plain Greek, 1/3 cup Humboldt Honey Granola + a few raisins & drizzle of agave

Whole Wheat Toast with Real Butter, Cinnamon & Sugar

…sometimes you just need the real deal.

Next on my list: SPIN! I went to my usual 10:00am class at The Resort and left an hour later after a rockin’ ride. I think that makes three hard rides for the week – yippee!

After running a couple errands, I refueled with a Green Monster. Oh, how I missed these. It’s been far too long.

In the mix:

1 banana

1 cup almond milk

1/4 cup rolled oats

1 T ground flax

1 cup fresh spinach

Ice

…polished off with of hunk of 73% dark chocolate, of course!

I am hoping the addition of the oats to my smoothie will make it stick to my ribs a little longer than normal, so I can keep moving on down my Saturday “chore” list.

What are ya’ll up to today? Anyone have a kick-butt workout to share?

Peace Out,

~ Hillary

***

Your Questions Answered

What’s your workout schedule like? Do you plan it out or just do whatever you feel like doing that particular day?

My workout schedule is fairly random. It changes depending on whether or not I am at school [where I have a “free” gym], or at home where I do not belong to a gym, but have friends to run with/make me run a million miles =] I currently exercise an average of 5 days per week. I would probably prefer 6, but my school schedule makes that difficult. With the luxurious recreation center on campus [a.k.a. The Resort], I am able to switch up my workouts…as there are numerous types of cardio machines and fun classes, such as Zumba. The majority of my gym workouts usually include some sort of strength training as well. While at home, my workouts consist of running and DanceFit classes [run 3-4 days a week & dance 3 days].

Saturday School

Mornin’!

I’m off to “Saturday School” in a few. I know, school on a Saturday…there’s not much worse than that. My biology professor is holding a 2-hour review session for our final, so I thought I better take advantage.

I made some brain food to help jump-start my thinking cap:

None other than, pumpkin oats:

• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup pumpkin
• brown sugar & cinnamon
• walnuts
• splash of soy milk

One more reason to eat oats: “…oats are ideal for warding off symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is caused mainly by low light levels during the winter months, when serotonin levels get depleted, which lowers mood, energy levels, and appetite. Eating oats (in the form of oatmeal, for example) every day is a great way to stay happy and healthy all winter long” (Naturally Beautiful).

Gotta go. Gotta go. Gotta go right now!

Have yourself a wonderful Saturday,

~ Hillary

Soy Power

Hey there,

Happy (almost) Friday! I get really excited when I think about only having 1 week of classes remaining for the semester – woohoo!

Today got off to a great start with this delicious bowl of pumpkin oats. I used to think that pumpkin shouldn’t be allowed post-Thanksgiving, but it’s just too hard to resist.

• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup organic pumpkin puree
• 1/2 banana
• 1 T walnuts
• 1/2 T brown sugar
• cinnamon

After determining the number of microorganisms in unwashed fruit and unpasteurized juice in biology lab, I walked to Starbucks to catch-up on my reading for my next class. I sipped on a lovely half-caf soy latte. The soy coated my tummy for a little while, but I needed to put something more substantial in my mouth before my next set of afternoon classes. I decided on a Pluto’s salad: mixed greens, roasted fennel, beets, oranges, red onion, pumpkin seeds & a balsamic vinaigrette + 1 piece of focaccia bread.

[My camera missed the memo this morning before heading out the door – sorry!]

On my walk back to campus, I stopped inside a store downtown that I’d been admiring, but had yet to visit – Zucchini & Vine. Making a quick tour around the premises, I came across a deli case displaying the most beautiful chocolates. Just at the time of my discovery, one of the sales clerk exclaims, “You look like you’re seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time”. I immediately replied, “Well, I do love chocolate!” She continued to ask me if I liked dark chocolate…duh…and offered me a tasting of some special chocolate chips that were stationed on top of the case. How did she know that just minutes before I was day-dreaming about a piece of chocolate to polish off my lunch? Ha…too funny!

Unfortunately the salad wasn’t substantial enough, so between round 2 and 3 of classes I put a little spring back into my step with one of these:

Uh-mazing!

• 8 oz. chocolate soy milk
• 1 frozen banana
• 6 dark chocolate espresso beans

Normally I do not exercise Tuesdays & Thursdays because my schedule is packed with academics, but either the double dose of espresso and/or soy protein was screaming at me to let out some E (energy)!

When my fourth and final class ended, I briskly walked on over to the gym, slipped into my running shoes and shorts and sprinted 1.5 miles around the track, followed by 15-30 minutes of weights, and another 1.5 miles around the track – feeling good!

Dinner was simple. I didn’t want anything too heavy since the clock was nearing 8:00pm. I warmed up some TJ’s Butternut Squash soup with chevre and pumpkin seeds:

and to go along…

O.M.G…This was the first time I’ve had these tortilla chips (crackers?), and they are awesome. Give ’em a try!

Well, there ya have it…my day in a nutshell.

To healthy eating,

~ Hillary

P.S. That chocolate bar no longer exists…what did I tell ya? : )

Missing: Nutrition Nut

Long time no talk post! I apologize. My week has been craaazy to say the least. I honestly can not remember what my last meal was, and that’s unusual! Thank goodness for pictures. I had to wake up real early again this morning…it was still dark out as I ate my breakfast.

plain nonfat Greek yogurt with pumpkin butter, 1/2 banana & walnuts

+ 1 Van’s Multigrain Waffle with my aunt’s homemade apricot jam

After lab, I hit up the gym for a quickie:

• 15 minutes stationary bike
• 15 minutes stairmaster
• 15 minutes strength training with 15lb. barbell

Next stop: Starbucks. I was rather hungry, and had been dreaming of a (decaf) soy latte all morning. It was the perfect treat to hold me over ’til lunch. I was so happy to see that Starbucks  had ‘decked their halls’ with seasonal specilities. Ahhh, I just love holidays…especially Christmas!

After I showered and got ready for the remainder of the day, I searched my bare fridge for something to put together for lunch. I have been trying to be semi-creative with the ingredients I’ve got since I will away for 10 days and am not about to go shopping. I found some veggies, hummus, and TJ’s sesame flatbread crackers – yum.

After round two of classes, my stomach was giving me a loud signal that I was hungry. Oddly enough, I was craving a hot bowl of oatmeal. So…at 4:00pm, I pulled out Mr. Quaker’s goodness, topping it off with cinnamon, brown sugar and walnuts. I also ate the last ripe banana – it was too lonesome by itself in the fruit bowl : )

Now that my tummy had some nutrients to play with, I was out the door again to run pre-road trip errands. I don’t prefer shopping in the dark (it just seems like a daytime activity), but some things had to get done. When I finally arrived back home, I was surprisingly not hungry for any type of dinner. Good thing my hearty snack held me over because I didn’t have much in the way for dinner anyway. I did fix myself a cup of Echinacea Complete Care tea to help unwind from the day, along with a couple Dove Peppermint Bark Dark Chocolates that I discovered at Target today.

I’m off to my “second home” in the morning, the beautiful Sonoma County. I will most likely be away from the blogosphere for 24-36 hours, but the Nutzo Nutrition Nut will return ASAP.

Sweet dreams,

~ Hillary

Pumpkin Please

After fiddling around the house for a while, my roommate suggested that I might have more luck studying in the library. I took her advice, showered, and had a quick lunch before heading out the door:

La Tortilla Factory Carb Cutting Tortilla w/ hummus, tomato, cucumber & lettuce + 1 organic carrot

I studied microbiology for a good hour and half and then headed over to the gym for the following:

• 3 miles around indoor track
• 15 minutes erg (rowing machine)
• 15 minutes abs/stretching

I couldn’t seem to get pumpkin chocolate chip cookies out of my head, so I decided to solve that problem by baking some:

The cookies turned out super fluffy. I guess with “soft” in their name, I should have expected such. Definitely a yummy treat. If only I had cute neighbors to give them to.

Dinner was eaten between baking the (three) batches of cookies…simple yet again: Leftover Brown Rice, 4 TJ’s Thai Vegetable Gyoza & Broccoli…drizzled with (low sodium) soy sauce & toasted sesame oil. Of course I had a cookie (or two) warm out of the oven. Time to make a cup of tea and hit the books once more.

Take care!

~ Hillary

Orange you glad it’s Friday?

Breakfast: 2 Van’s Multigrain Waffles with pumpkin butter & a drizzle of real maple syrup

…plus a glass of soy milk to wash it down

I was late running out the door this morning – hence the missing a.m. post. I wanted to get a decent workout in at the gym before class:

• 15 minutes Stationary Bike
• 30 minutes ARC Trainer
• Jump Rope x 500
• 45 squats @ 15 lbs.
• 30 lunges @ 15 lbs.
• 15 push-ups

I grabbed a Numi Organic Tea on campus, a new favorite, to help get me through my microbiology lecture : ) I have only tried the Earl Grey flavor and it’s fabulous. Unlike most iced teas, it’s not loaded with sugar – just 12 grams in the entire bottle from organic agave and evaporated cane juice. The tea undergoes a unique fermentation process, resulting in almost 2x the amount of antioxidants of green tea – LOVE!

Lunch was leftover Annie’s – I hope you didn’t think I ate the entire box last night – and that adorable Cutie : )

Off to Trader Joe’s. I’ll show you what I find…

Hooray for Friday!

~ Hillary

FALLin’ in Love

Good morning! I got to set my alarm a little later this morning since three of my four classes are furloughed today – it’s ridiculous. Last night when I was thinking about breakfast, naturally, I couldn’t decide what to have. I slept on it, and this morning the decision was easy…pumpkin oatmeal. I can’t get enough of Fall : ) I love everything about it: the crisp, cool nights, the crimson leaves, and an excuse to put pumpkin in everything.

• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup oats
• 1/4 cup pumpkin
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1/2 banana
• 1 T walnuts
• 1/2 T brown sugar
• sprinkle of cinnamon

How do you like your oatmeal?

~ Hillary