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

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

Zen

Hey hey. Happy Friday! I’ve had a rather peaceful day here — always a good way to start off the weekend. After my classes this morning I went to the gym and took a yoga class. It was a lot different from the hot yoga I did last week, but worthwhile nonetheless. It was all about deep stretching…and boy, did I need it! It was extremely calming – a perfect way to end the week. I didn’t break a sweat, so I’m hoping to do that at a spin class tomorrow morning. I think I’m really going to get into these group exercise classes this semester : )

I’ve been home since doing laundry, picking up, and maintaining the yoga zen with Mr. Amos Lee. I made a Carrots ‘n’ Cake iced faux latte this afternoon – mmm! This one’s for you, Mom:

Kona Drip Coffee + Soy Milk + Agave

Thanks for the sweet comments about yesterday’s vent. Ya’ll are great about turning my frowns upside-down. Off to a b.ball game tonight with the roomies…

Take care!

~ Hillary

My Handsome Date

I apologize for the Debbie Downer post yesterday, but we’ve got to be real here…not everyday is a great day. Today started off on the right foot. I whizzed on down the street to my old dance studio for one last bumping DanceFit class before I return to my other house, my other life.

Upon my sweaty return, I had a predetermined breakfast date with Mr. Oatmeal. It’s been awhile, no? This morning’s classic date was pure love:

• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup blueberries
• 1/3 cup soymilk (added after cooking)
• a few raw walnuts
• dash of cinnamon for warmth

***

Question: I am looking to purchase my own domain name for a reasonable price. However, I do not want to buy the full web-hosting package. Suggestions?

Happy 20th Day of January! (Where did the month go?)

~ Hillary

Last Days At The Lodge

Monday = a new day, a new week, a new to-do list…and a holiday for some today! I jumped on our treadmill first thing for a 40-minute walking workout. After two long runs this weekend, my legs asked if they could go easy today.

• 10 minutes @ 3.6 (incline: 10.0)
• 10 minutes @ 3.8 (incline: 10.0)
• 10 minutes @ 4.0 (incline: 0)
• 10 minutes @ 4.2 (incline: 0)

While on the dreadmill, all I could think about was the Blogger Banana Bread I made yesterday, so of course I toasted up a piece for brex.

I got the recipe from Kath, but gave it my own twist with a few substitutions. I had to resist a 2nd piece – it was that good!

***

A week from today I will be sitting through a full day of classes – bah. I still have to figure out what is the best timing to leave town during this storm. Until then, I plan to enjoy my last days at the lodge (I heart Amos Lee).

Merry Monday,

~ Hillary

Grand Finale

Today has been a finale-filled day. First of all, I’m happy to announce I have completed yet another semester of college – yippee! 5-year plan – 5 semesters = 5 to go…

After my ridiculously difficult biology exam, I finished up my Christmas shopping with my roommate (finale #2).

I am currently watching the true FINALE of the night…So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 Results Show! I have been a dedicated fan since Season 2, and have gone to tour shows of both Season 3 and Season 4 (two memorable nights).

Ok…you’re probably wondering if I am ever going to mention food. I am hating on myself for the lack of photography this past week, and am embarrassed by the quick shots I have posted. Don’t think I haven’t been eating, I have been – probably more than normal actually – but I care about my photography, and I do not want this to be a blog where I post any gosh-darn photo. A bare kitchen + finals studying did not equal a fabulous week of eats. Now that that’s clear, here is the photo of the day:

2 Van’s Multigrain Waffles, 1/2 banana, real maple syrup + a glass of soy

I hope you will suffer through the next couple days of my drab eats; I promise to reward you with much holiday excitement soon!

Thank you for reading,

~ 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? : )

Almond Joy

It’s hard to believe I actually have to go to class today. It feels like I haven’t been in ages. What classes am I taking? Ha…just kidding!

I slept like a rock last night, but I still did not want to get out from under my cozy covers this morning. So…I stayed in bed and pondered about breakfast possibilities. I am in desperate need of a trip to the grocery store, so it was slim pickings.

Oats to the rescue:

• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 4 dried apricots
• chopped raw almonds
• dash of cinnamon
• splash of light vanilla soy milk

I am actually looking forward to going to the gym today – a break in my routine was much needed! I’ll let ya know how it goes…

Happy Last Day of November!

~ Hillary