GIVEAWAY: Don’t miss your chance to win a custom box of Element Bars. There are four easy ways to enter. Go get creative!

* * *

Hey! Happy Saturday/almost Sunday! Wahoo…I can hardly believe I made it through my last week of classes alive. I’ve got four finals standing between me and the end of my 3rd year of college. I will be officially done Thursday morning – I can taste the finish. This week wasn’t as terrible as I had it panned out to be. My key to staying sane? Exercise! Between being under the weather and travelling, my workouts had been few and far apart. I knew getting my heart pumping would help reduce my stress – at least momentarily – which is why I made it a goal to exercise every day. As Saturday comes to a close, I can say I’ve done just that – I fit physical exercise into my schedule 6 days in a row… and it’s in tomorrow’s plans as well.

Saturday’s Sweat Session:

45-minutes treadmill intervals

• 10 min. @ 4.4mph – 4.0 incline
• 10 min. @ 7.0mph
• 10 min. @ 4.0mph – 4.0 incline
• 10 min. @ 7.4mph
• 5 min. @ 4.0mph [cool down]

+ stretching and more stretching

Unfortunately, blogging didn’t make it to the top of my priority list amidst my mad dash to the finish, but I will share with you a few random eats from the latter half of the week…

1/4 c. rolled oats, 1/4 c. oat bran, 1/2T flax, cinnamon, pear & almond butter

whole wheat mac & cheese with peas please + a “green” monster [1 c. organic spinach, 1/2 c. very cherry frozen berries, 1/2 c. 2% Greek, 1/2 banana]

Thursday I came home after a long day at school to a tub of Great Harvest cookie dough sitting on my shelf of the fridge with a “Happy Studying” note. Roomie love! These definitely made an appearance for Cookie Friday ; )

So much real buttah!

I think I could live off of Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burgers. I easily eat through a box a week.

1 beautiful burger atop organic baby lettuces, 1/4 avocado, raw sunflower seeds + olive oil & seasoned rice vinegar

These slipped away faster than the shutter of my camera – oopsie!

I’ve tried to keep focused on Organic Chemistry, Food Safety, Statistics, and such… but sometimes I got a little sidetracked:

• I found my birthday cake: chocolate + avocado + spinach whipped cream. FYI, Ashley rocks my socks!
• I’ve been convinced to buy organic strawberries, and only organic. Read why.
• I’m ready for salad season, and so is Sarah [delicious recipe here!].
• Chocolate: The Dos & The Don’ts
• It’s National Chocolate Chip Day today! Like I need another reason to inhale my bittersweet morsels.
• Reality Check: 7 Harsh Truths That Will Improve Your Health

Do you have any excellent articles to share?

How do you stay sane when life gets stressful?

Whatcha up to this stunning weekend?

Catch ya later!

Hillary

Yesterday I got a little carried away writing with a plethora of P’s. I’ll try not to go there today with the letter T, although it’s tempting ; ) Any guesses about the title? Two hundred… treats, tweets, tests? [You’ll have to read to the end for me to reveal…]

Today’s Tuesday task list was tight, yet I managed to tackle it all:

• 3-hr. Chem Lab check
• Trader Joe’s Trip check
• Intern Interview – cross your fingers check
• Visit Verizon – a new Blackberry, alive & well…and not tear-soaked! check
• Running Tuesday check
• Homework [in progress]
• Blog check

First things first. BREAKFAST, obviously!

I created quite the tasty bowl of oat bran out of my nearly bare kitchen.

• 1 1/4 c. H2O
• 1/2 c. oat bran
• 1/2 T ground flax
• 1 T walnuts
• 4 dried apricots
• agave drizzle

No need to go fancy to get full, folks!

After chem and eating “lunch” [1 piece whole wheat toast + PB, 1/2 banana & 12 oz. soy latte -- I had the biggest craving for p.nut buttah!], I made my rounds at TJ’s and rushed home for my interview for a summer internship. I’m not going to say much more at this point; I don’t want to jinx the possibilities : )

After last week’s incident with my brand new Blackberry, my replacement arrived in the mail today. I hurried down the street to Verizon where they got Blackberry #2 up and running. Running. Yes, something I needed to do…especially since it’s Running Tuesday! Thanks to Sarah, this was about the only thing that got me motivated today. I made an attempt with the treadmill today:

3 x 10-minute sets

1. 6 min. @ 6.4, 4 min. @ 6.8 [2.0 incline]
2. alternate 6.6 & 8.0 @ 2 min. intervals
3. 4 min. @ 6.8, 6 min. @ 6.4 [2.0 incline]

+ arms & abs

I didn’t always enjoy running on the treadmill, but somehow it made it’s way into my regular exercise regimen. My Tip: keep it interesting with intervals!

Running with Rachel Ray for 30-minutes, and I was ready to make a 30-minute 10-minute [“healthy meal from start to finish”] of my own!

+

+

=

Spinach Ricotta Rav + Organic Marinara + Organic Italian Parsley

Organic Heirloom Lettuce + Organic Cherry Tomatoes + Chevre & Seasoned Rice Vinegar

It sure hit the spot for being a relatively low-fat supper, but I didn’t stop there of course…

Milk & Cookies

 Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites

I spied these little guys at TJ’s today and didn’t feel guilty about spending the dough [haha] on store-bought treats after the cashier raved about them: 100% whole wheat flour, oats & walnuts = 3 g fiber/serving. Perhaps I should apply for a Trader Joe’s PR position : )

Anyway, I must close. My to-do list is outta control! That is not what the Tuesday Two Hundred was referring to, but it might as well. The answer to my tumbler: this is the 200th post @ Nutrition Nut on the Run! That’s a lot of words, a lot of pictures…and a lot of smiles.

I hope your final week of April is A-OK!

Hillary

All day yesterday I had a million ideas swimming around in my head about what I wanted to write about in honor of Earth Day…but as you may have noticed, I never got around to getting those thoughts out to the world wide web. Between a dead loner phone and a busy schedule, the Internet and I were running different routes yesterday.

Anyway, did you all celebrate Earth Day by being “green”? I try my best to be friendly to Mother Earth every day. Here are a few ways that I reduce my footprint:

• Ride the bus to and from campus.
• Recycle. Recycle. Recycle.
• Wash and reuse plastic food bags.
• Bring reusable bags to the grocery store.
• & rarely ever use produce bags.
• Use a stainless steel H2o bottle.
• Use cold water only for laundry.
• Buy recycled paper products.
• Buy locally grown products if available.

How do you GO GREEN?

Of course yesterday’s efforts wouldn’t be complete without making a Green Monster. I went all out and added more green to the mix by adding avocado – yes, you heard me right…avocado in my smoothie. Ashley’s smoothies always entice me by their thick, glossy appearance – I had to give it a try.

1 cup organic baby spinach, 1/4 avocado, 1/2 cup frozen very cherry berry blend, 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

The verdict: it tasted healthy…obviously. Even though it may look like a chocolate shake, it was far from it! Seriously…how more pure can you get?

I can hardly recollect what else I consumed yesterday, but I do remember going to the gym for a 1-hour spin class + 1 mi. run + a bit of conditioning. Oh, and I carpooled to the gym : )

* * *

Today I woke up excited to know that I had finally made it to Friday – it was an emotionally stressful week to say the least. After a green lunch [veggie burger + edamame hummus + avocado], I decided it was necessary to celebrate Cookie Friday. So…I pulled out a few frozen cookie dough balls I stuck in the freezer from the previous celebration and within minutes, I had gooey, warm chocolate chip cookies.

I had another thing to celebrate today:

I am officially a participant of the Nike Women’s [1/2] Marathon 2010…and Courtney is too – hip hip hooray!

Naturally, I celebrated by going for a 32-minute run around the neighborhood in the beautiful, late-afternoon sun. Nothing else is a better cure for letting go of a rough week.

Court and I are ecstatic! I think this girlie weekend will be epic.

* * *

Dinner

Ya’ll seriously need to copy Caitlin on this. It is what you see – a ‘baked’ sweet tater & vegetarian baked beans – and it’s “epic” [as she would say]. It may be a little starch/sugar heavy, but just focus on all the incredible nutrients on my plate.

I may or may not have just polished off my fresh Friday cookies sitting here writing away; I’m not too worried about it though : )

Can I bicker for just 1 second?

• Weekend Weather Forecast: 80* sunshine
• Hillary’s Schedule: O. Chem Exam #4 Monday @ 10:00am

I’m going to figure out a way to soak up the sun somehow. I am going to find a way…

Happy Weekend!

Hillary

Hellooo and hooray for the weekend! I hope ya’ll have something exciting and/or enjoyable planned. Whatever you do, don’t forget to enter my Greek GIVEAWAY by Sunday @ 12:00pm. You’ve got three chances to win! …and speaking of Greek, I had my free honey Oikos for breakfast today with the last of my homemade granola and half of a crunchy pear. This was too sweet for my a.m. taste buds. It seems as though most of you prefer Plain Jane style when in comes to Greek, too.

After class this afternoon, I attempted to run outside. Key word: afternoon. I should have known…exercise in the middle of day is rarely a success for me. I gave it another shot though, and ran for 20 minutes around campus and our track until I finally listened to the throbbing pain in my upper back and gave in to walking. I added another 10 minutes to my watch as I made my way back to the gym where I did a thorough stretch. My legs are still unusually sore from Tuesday – what the heck! Hello, off week. You’re excused to leave now.

Lunch was an exact repeat of Wednesday’s eats, because 1) today was a lazy day, and 2) why wouldn’t I want a very berry Green Monster & jam-cheddar sandwich again?

Then I turned on Food Network – which I haven’t watched in ages! – while I winded down from the week with cookie baking. I think many of you would agree that the kitchen can often be a place to destress [ahem, Allie & Jenna]. So, I got to making Pioneer Woman’s “Good Ol’ Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies”. [Before you read on, go check out this amazing blog!]

I made a couple tweaks to the original recipe:

1 cup real butter

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. pure vanilla

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour & 1 cup + 2 T whole wheat flour

1 tsp. instant coffee granules

1/2 T baking powder

1/2 T salt

2 T ground flax

~2/3 bag Guittard semisweet chocolate chips

Note to self: Do not make cookies while home alone, and there isn’t anyone with whom to share 3 dozen cookies. I ended up eating more cookies than I deserved, but then I thought about Allie and Tina who have admitted to eating 4 1/2 granola bars or half a dozen cookies themselves; then I didn’t feel so bad. How do you handle food guilt?

***

I was surprised that I never got hungry for dinner, but when 8 o’clock rolled around I finally decided to eat something. I threw together a salad [basically a repeat from last night plus a bit a creamy chevre]. I made a smart choice in eating dinner [like I would miss a meal!] because it was nothing short of scrumptious!

I have a quiet, yet BUSY weekend planned. I’m hoping to tackle a few lingering items on my to-do list, fit in a couple worthwhile workouts, and pick up the slack with my studies.

“See you” soon!

Hillary

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…

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

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!

Hey there. Hope your weekend was a good one. I’m still in denial that today was my last day of freedom from homework until mid-May! My 5-week-long recess is over.

After a relaxing, quiet morning unpacking & organizing, I made myself a Green Monster for lunch before heading to campus to play at the indoor playground (also known as the g.y.m.).

1/2 banana, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 cup fresh spinach

+ 1/4 cup Humboldt Honey Granola

There was a bunch of new “jungle gym” equipment, including 10-15 more cardio machines – there is certainly plenty for all us gym monkeys to play with.

Today’s play date included:

Cardio

• 30 minutes Elliptical (10 minutes each at incline 5, 10 & 15 @ resistance 5)
• 1.5 miles interval running around indoor track

Conditioning

• 20 lat pulldowns @ 40lbs.
• 20 seated rows @ 40lbs.
• 20 glute presses (each leg) @ 40lbs.
• 2 x 15 squats @ 15lbs.
• 45 bicep curls @ 15lbs.
• 15 “pull weights to chin” @ 15lbs.
• 15 tricep dips

Sweaty and pink-cheeked, I went to Target for my “odds & ends shopping”, and resisted stopping by Starbucks for a warm pick-me-up. Instead, I saved a few extra dollars and made myself a soy cafe au lait in my own kitchen, courtesy of my new Aerolatte milk frother. If you’re curious, a cafe au lait (or misto at Starbucks) is made with coffee, while a latte is made with espresso. Unfortunately, I do not have an espresso maker; hence the not as gourmet beverage.

***

I had an early dinner tonight of leftover pesto pasta:

I can sense there will most likely be some snacking later tonight. Not too late though…it’s a school night! ; )

~ Hillary

Hi Hi Hi!

I’ve missed ya’ll very much these past 36 hours. Every hour in real life is like a month in blog world, wouldn’t you agree? Unfortunately, I don’t have 36 hours of material to make up for my absence (ha…school must be around the corner). I’ll admit it, I am a terrible traveling food blogger. Of course I thought about whipping out my camera and snapping a few pictures, but it just didn’t happen…except during the final stretch of my drive today when I was incredibly bored.

The pretty blue sky was just a tease. I think the storm is sticking around for a while longer.

After unloading my entire car, putting a few items away in their places, and looking through 5 weeks of mail (hello, Christmas cards), I hopped back into my car and headed to the health food sanctuary I’ve missed ever so much – Trader Joe’s! I was so excited to not have to spend a penny out of my own wallet this trip – thank you gift cards. My kitchen is now restocked with the TJ’s usuals, and ready for college “on the run” cooking.

Dinner tonight was pesto pasta:

penne rigate with pesto (locally made in HumCo), organic greens (they’re buried underneath the mound of pasta) and tomatoes, creamy chevre & fresh pepper

…and for dessert:

a homemade (by my mama) espresso cookie & piece of TJ’s Swiss 71% Cocoa Dark Chocolate

Chocolate + Coffee = A Happy Hillary

Well, tomorrow is my final day of Winter Break. I have so much I want to get done before classes start, and I have to tackle 5 new syllabi.

Sunday:

- finishing unpacking

- assemble my new bookshelf

- work up a sweat at the indoor playground

- print syllabi & organize school materials

- odds & ends shopping

- catch up with my roomies : )

Hope you’re enjoying your weekend,

~ Hillary

]]> http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2010/01/23/back-to-college-i-go/feed/ 0 http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2010/01/17/the-big-100/ http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2010/01/17/the-big-100/#comments Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:30:53 +0000 Hillary http://nutritionnut.wordpress.com/?p=1247

GOOD morning friends! This is a special post for me this morning because it is my 100th post! I have enjoyed writing each one of them and I look forward to writing many, many more. Thank you for your kind comments and support. I have fallen in love with the healthy living blog community, as it continues to make me smile each and every day. Thanks, ya’ll!

***

This morning I woke up for another hour-long run with my friend Amy. The rest of our weekend running crew bailed again, so it was just us out there fighting the wind ‘n’ rain. It was tough! My legs were already stiff from yesterday’s 7 miles, but the post-run feeling is always worth it.

I fixed up the last of the lemon blueberry pancake batter for a guaranteed delicious Sunday breakfast. They were just as tasty as they were yesterday – nom nom nom!

***

I mentioned yesterday that I was planning to do some baking. That’s exactly what I did. I made 3 dozen Chocolate Chunk Cookies. They’re loaded with bittersweet chocolate chunks, dried apricots, tart cherries, and crunchy pecans. Love the chewy-ness of the fruits and slightly sweet chunks of dark chocolate.

My shiny, new Airbake baking sheet worked like a charm. Thanks, Santa!

I wrapped up some of the cookies to give away [Goal #10: "Bake more often and for others".] and put the rest in the cookie jar. I wasn’t about to dispose of them all ; )

I’m getting a massage this afternoon – don’t hate – and then I am thinking about putting a few ripe bananas to use (a.k.a. more baking).

Hope you’re having a lovely Sunday,

~ Hillary

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