Evening and Afternoon Update!

* I forgot to put up my dinner! I steamed asparagus and brussel sprouts...

Then added a piece of lasagna on top

 


I am heading to Jeff's sister's- Missy Mo's gym shortly. She is letting me use a guest pass to see if I enjoy this gym, isn't that sweet !?!
When I got back from class and before I took Jack for a walk, I had an afternoon Snack:
Greek Nonfat Blueberry Yogurt and

Chai Bumble Bar ( I had half)

Chai Bumble Bar Review:
I LOVED the smell of this bar!! It smelled exactly like chai! I really enjoyed this one in comparison to the cherry chocolate and I would say it is a tie with the apricot for me- The sesame was not overpowering, and it was sweet but cinnamon like as well. It was just the right amount of crunch and chew and sweetness for me. 

Lunch:
I packed my lunch in my Pink Insulated Lean Cuisine lunch bag- they were specifically designed to support Breast Cancer awareness/research. I order them online every year and they are available in september- october but they go FAST! I remember the first year they came out, I didn't get one because they ran out! this past year I ordered several and gave them as presents - half of their cost is donated to the komen foundation! They cost $9.95 ( well they did...I don't know about upcoming years) and I had free shipping! They have expanded their designs as well! Isn't it darling!?

I had an organic pear and an arnold sandwich thin filled with baby spinach, two slices of turkey and one slice of ham, and a chocolate.


Breakfast:

Smoothie ( vanilla designer whey protein, organic milk, frozen blueberries, 1/2 banana,frozen mango), I had the other half of banana with some peanut butter , some kiwi and pineapple and a piece of newman's own double fiber bread.

I WAS sooooo full.. It took me awhile to actually finish this breakfast.

 

* If you have noticed this yellow dish (and I have an orange one as well), they were christmas presents and are from pottery barn. I really enjoy them because they make my pictures a little more colorful on here, and they work so nicely for Jeff and I. It makes it a better surface to eat on if we eat in the living room.. and it makes it easy to carry everything in there as well. *

Update to Last Night:

I did have dessert! I made a single serving of No Pudge Brownie Mix using nonfat greek yogurt. I added some mini chocolate chips and a little peanut butter too.

What I ate to help me through Day 2...

Breakfast:
I took water and protein powder and quick cook steel cut oats and mixed them all together - microwaved for about 3 minutes? . I added frozen blueberries and cinnamon and peanut butter! We were out of bananas and milk this morning so I knew I had to head to the store!

I wasn't quite sure how well it would turn out because I am not up to speed with cooking properties of protein powder, which is typically not cooked. I do know how it can clump and not work out well- but this was fantastic!

Post Fantastic Run Fuel:
A slice of pizza ( I had made this the other day and gave it to Jeff for lunches etc.) there was this guy left so I had him with a salad: cabbage, baby spinach, arugula, goddess dressing, cabot cottage cheese...

I also sliced up that lovely pineapple with a kiwi. It was incredibly juicy and sweet and tropical. I almost felt like I was in Hawaii or something...


So I ate all of this lunch while I prepared dinner....

Eggplant Bolognese Lasagna!

I cooked 8 lasagna noodles as directed while browning 93% lean ground beef ( and one buffalo chicken sausage I had froze, thawed, and de-cased). When the noodles and meat were done, i put the meat in an empty pot and filled in with a jar of hunts pasta sauce ( garlic and herb) , a jar of TJ Marinara, and a jar of Bolognese sauce...

In the now empty meat pan, I sauteed eggplant slices with a little smart balance oil. I put sauce in the bottom of a 9x13, layered one layer of noodles, sprinkled with a little parm cheese then eggplant slices then covered with a layer of the tomato meat sauce, then sprinkled with shredded mozzarella and globbed with cabot cottage cheese.

I repeated with a layer of noodles and sprinkling of cheese

eggplant slices

tomato meat sauce

mozzarella shredded...

Dinner: 1/12th ! with a little extra sauce!

I am so glad I made the big pot of sauce I did- I love having extra sauce available and now I can use it for pasta later this week OR it freezes so nicely that I can just freeze portions for whenever!

I am in the mood for dessert- especially with the run this morning! I was surprised that although class was longer than expected, I was NOT hungry at all until I got home. I will probably bring a snack on wednesdays from now on though, esp since the class is 3 hours long!

Did you all have a wonderful wednesday?

I definitely feel like I did! Sometimes I get so excited about life in general just thinking about what my future holds ( like an engagement, a wedding, getting my degree, getting my certification, finding a great job, having babies, fixing up my home etc etc ) , even if it may not all happen the way I think or when, it is just uplifting to think about for me.

Day 2 of spring semester is over!

Body:
6 mile run! G-L-O-R-I-O-U-S!
I actually stopped at each mile so that I could remember the times to put on here-
Mile1- 9:03 ( I walked for the first bit to warm up)

Mile2- 7:35 min

Mile3-7:47 min

Mile4-7:01 min

Mile 5-6:31 min

Mile 6- 6:58 min

Total time was for 6 miles was 45 minutes something...

Mind:
Vitamins, Minerals and Nutricuticals Class is 4-7 not 4-6 ... phew.. Oh and get this, it was SO coincidental with today's earlier post- We covered the beginnings of free radicals, essentially the reasons you need Antioxidants!

One that was interesting, a lipid peroxyl radical, attacks healthy unsaturated fats that are in cell membranes. I also learned way more than I realized about just how much we produce free radicals, it was astounding! During lots of aerobic exercise ( like running 6 miles :-( ) .. our bodies take all that extra oxygen available and convert lots to free radicals! The good news, our bodies have nutrient mechanisms set up to fight free radicals! those mechanisms include the electron transport chain- which utilizes oxygen to create water and energy. Most recently discussed are the antioxidants found in foods AND in supplements that can really help stop these guys from damaging our cells, increasing our risk for disease like cancer. I will try to do a lengthier post this week or in one week after we do more on free radicals.

It reminded me of a comment on some blog I read , the commenter said how you should not eat polyunsaturated fat. That is absolutely NOT true- I assume this person either had no clue what they were talking about or maybe they heard some mis-information about those free radicals attacking the polyunsaturated fats BUT it is the free radicals that are the problem! Polyunsaturated Fats have more than two (hence poly) double bonds (unsaturated) in their chain - which means it is bent in structure- which means it does good things in your body because of the bent, flexible structure. Omega 3's, Fish Oils, are only a few polyunsaturated fats that help with inflammation, cell structure and functioning, heart and brain function... Anyway- when we discussed the lipid peroxyl radical it reminded me of that! I don't remember the blog- but I liked the writer!

Soul:
I made a lasagna

I had my school fax the loan people my info so they stop charging me and overdrafting my account!

I made it to Trader Joes for a big ol grocery stop...

Jeff is the sweetest ever! Superboyfriend does it again. The lady booked us a suite in the resort's lodge- but Jeff and I wanted a cabin to ourselves. Well- he arranged it ever so quickly AND he also emailed me a software thing for helping me with finances AND he sent me an email with the subject "heart u" AND we might be going on a ski trip too with all our friends- How wonderful!

back to the grocery store
Photo #1

Cage Free Eggs
Organic 1% Milk
Salad Mix
Cabbage
Brussel Sprouts
Two TJ Nonfat Greek Yogurt
Two Blueberry Greek Yogurts

Photo #2

Bag of Organic D'Anjou Pears (only $3)
Bag of Organic Kiwi (only $2)
Fresh Hawaiian Pineapple
Organic Bananas
Organic Fuji Apple
Frozen pineapple tidbits x2
frozen strawberries
Frozen organic blueberries
frozen mango
Frozen broccoli
Frozen bell pepper
Pork Tenderloin with Garlic and Peppercorn
Goddess Dressing
Cabot Cottage Cheese
Two packs of whole wheat pizza dough
Two jars of TJ marinara
Jar of Bolognese Sauce

My total bill was $65 !!! I think I did pretty good because this will last me quite sometime with all the things I have already built up in our pantry etc.!

I intentionally grabbed lots of fresh fruit so that I could take them with me to campus, and lots of frozen fruit for lovely smoothies!

Hump Day!

I thought I would post a little more in depth about my food choices from yesterday...Not in a bad way at all, but I wanted to analyze my thought process al ittle bit more. So since I already posted the photos from yesterday, you can read below!

Zone Bar: Chocolate Almond Raisin
This guy is 210 calories. 7 g total fat. 3.5 Saturated. 21 g of carbohydrates. 1g of fiber. 15 g protein. 100% of daily value for Vitamin C...
What I like:
It has 14g of protein!
The taste! whole almonds, and raisins - yum!
It is easy to eat
It is easy to pack, carry, etc.
They are cheap and readily available! I can get a box of 6 for about $4 at grocery stores, target, walmart etc.
It has a great added value of vitamins and minerals.

What I don't like:
The Saturated Fat is 3.5g. For me, I try hard to not let me saturated fat go over 20 g/ day for health reasons. I usually am way under but many "Americans" consume way more than is healthy.

The chocolate can taste a little funny - like if you were to eat chocolate chips then eat the bar- you would notice the difference. I am pretty confident this is from the palm kernel oil ( a saturated fat) in the coating- but overall I personally don't mind ever so often if its convienent to grab this.

I don't advocate this as a "proper meal". I enjoy the fullness of the protein and the taste of this bar. However, I always prefer whole foods, prepared well over packaged things. I knew that I would need to eat before my usual time (12:30-1 ish) since I ate breakfast at about 7:30, So I made my choices based on function. It was easy to take to campus with me and easy to eat out of the wrapper and it wasn't big enough to fill me as a meal, however, I was eating earlier than usual so I wasn't quite as hungry as usual either. I would have totally paired fresh fruit with it however I just ran out ( going to the store today!).

The small calorie count is why I brought the small sandwich as well- I figured it would be good to have that in case I couldn't get a long enough break to go to the campus cafe and it had protein and whole grains and fiber! (We have a mini fridge in our grad room in our class building- so I can at least store little things like that in there ).

The future-dietician in me:
Would have taken a greek nonfat yogurt with a fresh fruit like an apple and maybe some crackers or fresh veggies- If I had not run out of all that!

*Campbells Chicken and Vegetable Soup:
What I like:
the vegetables: carrots, roasted red pepper, onion, cabbage, roasted corn
the overall ingredients: no artificial
It was almost a little spicy but I think in an okay way
It had a great 4 g of fiber and only 3 g sugar

What I don't like:
I dont like potato in soups and didn't see it on the can, oh well.
It only had 3 bites of chicken!
Sodium was 480 mg. In general, you should consume about 2,400 mg of sodium a day and this whole can provides 960mg... so it's not exactly low sodium but its better than some cans, worse than some others.

The future-dietician in me:
Added frozen vegetables before cooking it, and the kale, and added a protein source and whole grain ( the sammy). Unfortunately, now realizing the high sodium, I wouldn't get it again! But I bought two while at the store- so you will most likely see the other sometime.

* they advertise how it is naturally lower in sodium because of sea salt. It is true that they used it and made it lower in sodium than other varieties of their brand- however- it doesn't mean that it is a "low sodium" food!
*on their website you can find info about thse new "Select Harvest Healthy Request" Soups- one info said it had 1010 mg of cholesterol... That is a typo!!! I was concerned because my father has high cholesterol, and that would be insane! I also knew that couldn't be because it only had a couple bites of chicken. It has 10mg.

Kale:
I tried Kale after seeing it in the grocery store so often and on other blogs. I really like how cheap it is as well! It took me a few tries to enjoy the taste of it though! I rinse it well with mildly soapy water and dry it out well. Rip it apart ( that's fun!) and throw it onto my toaster oven pan. Sprinkle with salt (f.y.i I use a Lite Sodium Salt in a blue container ) and pepper and toast on high for a couple minutes. I use my sense of smell to know if its done- so sorry I can't report a specific heat/time! I think you should try it because :

It is a cruciferous veggie like cauliflour, cabbage, broccolli...

It offers "glucosinolates" which get broken down by the body and turned into other difficult-to-pronounce "Isothiocyanates". I hope I didn't lose you because these "isothiocyanate" guys inhibit the development of chemically induced cancer in .. .the lung, the liver, the stomach, the esophagus, the small intestine, the colon and the mammary glands of ANIMAL MODELS!


Did we just find the cure for cancer? haha.. well, maybe one day soon.


Okay- hope you all enjoyed that!

The plan for today:

Trader Joes: need frozen fruit, fresh fruit like organic bananas, yogurt, milk... and on the way home I will stop to get staples like aluminum foil, face lotion etc.

Stop at the branch of the bank to get a stop payment /dispute form so that they can erase the overdraft charge.

Stop at financial aid on campus to have them fax to the loan company for deferment of that loan ( which I already have but whatever)

Stop at potential job place an drop off application

Gym... love me a good run

Class 4- 6 : Vitamins, Minerals and Nutricuticels (spelling?)


Busy busy...happy hump day!

Breakfast Lunch Lunch Dinner

So should I start at the beginning or end? .. hmmm I think I will start with dinner and finish with breakfast...

Dinner:
Chicken Veggie Soup + Sammy + Kale
I did enjoy this can of soup- although I don't care for potatoes in my soup unless it is potato soup and there was barely any chicken- this soup was tasty especially for a can variety.


On the side some toasted kale and a sammy... Look at how huge this ONE leaf of Kale is!?

Toasted that with my sandwich on Newmans Own Double Fiber Bread- I had turkey with mustard and used two slices of toast. Unfortunately, the top slice got completely burned so I just had one slice. Good thing because I was SO full from the soup!


Lunch #2 - Sandwich thin with chicken (deli slices)...

Lunch #1 before class Zone Chocolate Almond Raisin- While I prefer to eat whole foods rather than bars, This protein packed guy is just so tasty to me! It has whole almonds and raisins inside and covered in chocolate.


Breakfast:
Steel Cut Oats with banana and pb and a mini smoothie ( love the mini cup!). The smoothie had lots of wild organic blueberries, ground flax (yah!) and vanilla protein powder, and organic milk.

Back FROM School...

"back to school... back to school.. to prove to (the world) I'm not a ...foool...." Oh I am nervous but excited and anxious all at the same time for semester to start again! I have found some wonderful opportunities this past month and I am sorting it all out asap!

My class schedule right now is: Perspectives in Nutrition, Principles of Food, 2nd Half of Nutrient Metabolism, and Vitamins, Minerals and Nutricuticals!


Body:
Gym trip-
Strength: Back, Biceps and Quads
Cardio: ten minute walk on the treadmill, 25 minutes on the elliptical , 5 minutes stairs

Got back from class and took Jack for another 1 mile walk ( up hill, down hill, up hill, down hill) . We went yesterday too and the day before. I am trying to be a better puppy-mommy ( even though he runs away from us all the time). I swear, I wish we could have gotten him from his past owners way before they ever hurt him. Apparently he was so mistreated and has a little "running away" habit from whoever had him before Jeff. When Jeff got Jack, he nearly died a week later due to some kind of medical problems most likely from his mistreatment. Its sooooo sad how people mistreat doggies out there- I mean just give them to the SPCA or someone who wants to take care of them! okay- anyways- jack has lots of toys and lots of treats and lots of love here now!

Mind:
Class! as you can see its a full day of courses! Luckily, today was nice and easy to get back into things. My second class let out super early so I made a gym trip, and my third class got canceled ( profs kid is sick- not too seriously though).

I got my first two subscriptions to Southern Living! Thanks to Nana for a wonderful christmas present!

I am reading them now but unfortunately after dealing with an overdraft charge of $35 for a charge to my account that was not authorized! This is the second time this has happened with the account and I am ready to CLOSE IT! FYI Its a wachovia account- my other account only charges a 50 cent overdraft fee--- thats it - not 35 like wachovia!
I was fuming... but i talked to the company that charged me and they are canceling the payment and the bank is putting a stop payment - and I made sure the guy said he wasn't going to charge me for stop payment. I should have gotten it in writing.


Phew... okay blood pressure is going back down as i type.

Soul:
back to school... back to school... easy day but it was fantastic to see all my classmates again!

I went to check a place out for a job and they are "always accepting applications"... not that it means they will hire me but I got one and will turn it in tomorrow.

Made plans to meet Jeff's sister at the gym thursday evening! Woohoo! Should be fun!

I am going to make a list right now of the things that make me feel happy and grateful today because after the bank fiasco I am a little tiffed and need it.. here goes..

1.southern living magazine ...2 of them

2. looked into ACSM certification for fitness... I have been interested in doing this for 8 years... yes 8 years, my first year at Penn State University (Main Campus)- they offered this great discount for certification- and I didn't do it and I slightly "regretted" it but knew it would always be around as an option. Well , I am sick of waiting. I would love to teach aerobics classes, I remember leading warm up and practices and dance routines as captain in cheerleading and loved it, plus I LOVE aerobic exercise so motivating people to do it along with me would be a blast. I could even start a network for this nutrition career I am heading into!

3. Jeff has a new truck... phew! Our mountain getaway is booked! I can't freakin wait- a suite with a hot tub, fireplace, and within 20 minutes of wine country- aaaahhhh

4. I dealt with the fiasco of the bank. Alot of times when stuff like that happens, it made me feel so crappy and depressed and instead of letting it get to me - I dealt with it- I called the bank I called the people that charged me and its not immediately fixed but I dealt with it.

5. I chatted via email with my sister- Hi Christal! I love you! - I will get to see her in a few weekends for my grandfather's birthday, along with my cousin, and aunt. We will also be going to Asheville, NC that same weekend to visit our friends ( their wedding is in Vermont this August, they came here to fry turkeys a few months ago)...

6. School makes me feel like an efficient person- I am super excited for Principles of Food- We learn all the proper knife techniques, baking, leavening agents, cooking terminology and functions, recipes, sanitation, food preparation etc etc. Isn't that AWESOME!?

7. I am going to make lasagna with eggplant this week...

8. YOGA!

okay I think I feel better... time to tap into my breathe with a little rodney yee.

Namaste

Good Morning!

I hope I got to everyone on my blogroll this morning. I went to bed thinking about how much I love the blogging community and I wanted to wish everyone a good morning! Sorry if I annoyed you with commenting a gazillion times!

I read this post yesterday about people not asking to add others to their blogroll and that you should be "earning" a spot and I can't get it out of my head. It really bugged me- although the post was fantastic, and I enjoy the writer as well.

I just feel like one little part was ridiculous and silly and seemed so "high school drama" ish. I like adding other blogs to my blogroll not just because I want to market my blog. I may find a blog through a link and really enjoy it- and I want to be able to REMEMBER the exact link- So I usually ask to add the blog or "add each other" so that its mutual.

There are so many wonderful blogs out there, food and otherwise, For the Love of Oats, For the Love of Peanut Butter, Cookie Madness, Cookie Mouse, Cookie Pie, Eat n Run, Eat Live Run, Run with a Recipe, Running with Food, See Bride Run, She Runs She Eats, Sleep Eat Run, and don't get me started on the wonderful Vegan blogs... ( i just picked a few)

The point of listing those though, is to get across that joining a community is not easy. Those names are very similar- and it takes reading them often to get a good grasp on how different and wonderful they are. But, How can you keep reading them if you don't keep a link to their blog when there are TONS of blogs out there to keep straight at first?

I realize it is hardwork and you can't just expect to be adored by all. However, I have a true passion for blogging, for nutrition, for my career path and for running and exercise. This is why I write my blog and if I can market it along the way and inspire others- that would just be phenomenal. If I find another blog and want to add them or them add me, it is because I want to keep reading and growing along with them, Why is it so (gasp) rude,to ask to keep up with that blog by adding them?

When entering this blogland, I wanted to read each and every one of these blogs- likewise, I would love to have a huge readership to mine because I have a passion for my blog. The post I read made me feel bad about myself! I can't believe writing made me feel bad about myself. I felt like I was a "rude" blogger- or "not cool" enough to be in foodie blogland.

I have no clue if this was intended by the post. I don't go around adding people willy nilly just to increase my blog readership. However, I don't think it is my place to demand others to "earn their spot". I think that my blog, and their blog and commenting will do that on its own.  It is up to me to create a wonderful blog with fantastic posts, and if that inspires others to read and comment- Wonderful! If you are writing a great blog and have a passion for what you want to say, I consider that "worthy" of being added. If you just joined the community and want to learn more, you are worthy. If you just want to add me because you saw the blog and liked it , well I am honored they liked it and stopped in, and You are worthy.

How do yall feel about this?

Don't let anyone make you feel bad or make you feel like your blog is not worthy!