Thank you for all of the encouraging comments about my desire for direction in my life and with my blog. I thought about what ya’ll had to say; since blogging is still a young hobby in my life, I feel like all I can do at the moment is keep putting one foot post in front of the other. Good things come with persistence, practice, and patience…

So… what have I been eating lately?

Steel Cut Oats

Apple Raisin Walnut Honey

Banana Brown Sugar Coconut Pecan

Do you see why I loveee mornings so so much? I go to bed dreaming about diving into another bowl of creamy, chewy, healthy steel cut oats… so maybe it’s a tad weird, but that’s how foodies roll, right?

Sweet Potatoes

The other night when I realized I had all four of the ingredients to make Caitlin’s Sweet Tater + Black Beans Balls, I got super excited. They were ridiculously easy to prepare, and ridiculously delicious to eat.

Sweet Tater + Black Bean Balls

• 1/2 sweet potato, mashed
• 1/2 c. black beans, rinsed + drained
• 3 T organic medium-heat salsa
• ground flax

To cook the potato, pierce with a fork and then microwave for appox. 6 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350*. Combine the mashed potato, black beans, and salsa in a small bowl. Roll into balls [should make between 6-8]. Spread the flax onto a flat surface and roll each ball in the seeds, to coat. Place on a greased baking sheet + let cook for about 20-30 minutes, depending on size. Enjoy with sour cream or Greek yogurt – yum!

Salads

After the sweatiest 1-hour spin class tonight + 1/2-mile jog, I came home stoked for sweet taters: round 2. I’ve made renditions of this salad quite a few times before, substituting the potatoes for squash, and either way, it’s quite the taste bud pleaser.

To make: Peel 1 large sweet tater + chop into bite-sized pieces. Place in a small bowl, drizzle with real maple syrup, ground flax, cinnamon + coarse sea salt. Mix to coat. Spray baking sheet with chlorofluorocarbon free canola [or olive] oil and bake in a preheated 350* for appox. 30 minutes. Then place your hot taters atop a hefty portion of organic spinach, creamy avocado, chevre, and red onion. Finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil + balsamic and fresh black pepper.

* * *

So… what have I been doing lately? Well, let’s see… soakin’ up the sun + sweating a ton!

I may be a California girl, but that does not mean I’m necessarily a summer/sun lovin’ girl. Perhaps a shock to some, but my body was raised in a climate that rarely exceeds 60* F, where rain is the norm most of the year, blue sky is received with a celebration, and you wear your winter coat to the windy beach.

circa 2007

That’s to say, I don’t know what to do with myself when I wake up in the morning to an apartment that’s a whopping 82*! So far I’ve figured out to stock my fridge with a huge pitcher of ice-cold green tea… and forget about doing laundry; there’s no way I’m putting on any real clothes – swim suit + shorts is all I need.

Hope your week is off to a spectacular start!

With much appreciation,

The Nutrition Nut

Humboldt County Readers: If ya’ll would like anything from the beloved Trader Joe’s, let me know by tomorrow night. I’d be happy to pick up your favorite product for you : )

I warned you.

Crumble a Be KIND [to your body] Bar over 2% Fage and you’ll be blown away by every creamy, crunchy, chewy mouthful – mmm. Now I’m outta Greek and I’ve got half a batch of bars to go – what’s a girl to do?

Today was a rather uneventful Thursday [cue to close your browser]. I woke up fully rested after 9+ solid hours of sleep, considered making pancakes for brunch, but the strong runner up of a double batch of steel cut oats with fresh summer fruit bribed me with its ‘staying power’. Steel cut oats… if you haven’t tried them, pleaseee do.

What’s your favorite type of hot cereal?

(a) Rolled Oats.

(b) Quick Oats.

(c) Steel Cut.

(d) Oat Bran.

(e) Multigrain.

(f) Other.

* * *

I went to Target today on a mission to find a can opener, and I left with my friend, Giada [plus a quality $2 can opener]. Somehow my May goal of limiting the lattes easily slipped my mind the past three weeks. I thought if I restocked my pantry with a fresh pound of beans, I’d be less tempted to visit Starbucks and perhaps revive my bank account from the deep ditch I’ve dug.

Giada De Laurentiis. Espresso Roast. Chocolate-like finish. On sale. Sold. I wish it were fair-trade, organic, and/or local, but you can’t have it all. I would be lying if I didn’t say that the celebrity name wasn’t the determining purchasing factor. The power of advertising – isn’t it crazy? Giada’s my culinary idol. Her huge smile makes me smile. You know when you were little [a.k.a. 14-years-old] and wanted to grow up to be like so and so, well Miss Giada was that so and so… she still is.

Who do you idolize?

Rainy weather = running on the ‘mill round 2.

40 minutes @ 1.0 incline [4.5 mi.]

• 10 minutes [6 min. @ 6.4/4 min. @ 6.8]
• 10 minutes [2 min. @ 8.0/8 min. @ 6.6]

Repeat set. Add in a few pull-ups, abdominal exercises and stretches. Then return home sweaty + refreshed.

Now the proud owner of a can opener, I was able to finally open my can of Trader Joe’s Organic Tomato Bisque. To go along with, a gourmet grilled cheese.

Comfort Food for a College Kid

 Whole Wheat Toast, Chevre, Roasted Red & Yellow Peppers & Organic Baby Spinach

Now the reason it’s taken me forever to push publish on this post is because the 2-hour season premier of So You Think You Can Dance highly distracted me. Most of you know about my obsession with the show from mentioning it all fall. Well, you best be prepared to hear me rave about it for the rest of the summer : ) Dance played a huge roll in my childhood [and Kath’s too!], and although I’ll never be able to move like those individuals on the show, their talent touches me like nothing else. To me, dance is the most beautiful art form. It raises the hairs on my arms. It captivates my soul.

What inspires you?

Dancing to Fame at KAR Regional Dance Competition circa 2004

Early morning tomorrow. Happy longgg weekend!

Hillary

I spotted this image on another blog today. This is seriously the mantra to my life at the moment; it couldn’t explain my thoughts any brighter better : )

It is only the second day of May, and it’s already disappointing me. I mentioned earlier that I woke up with a sore throat : ( I have no idea where I caught this evil bug! I immediately scratched running off my to-do list and lounged around all morning hoping a little R&R would do the trick. The morning was now the afternoon, and my ambitious energy was nowhere in sight — I hate that.

I thought making hummus seemed like a task I could handle: minimal ingredients + a push of a few blender buttons and zero cooking [I wasn’t about to turn on the heat with the outside temperature at 80*!].

• 1 15oz. can of organic garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
• 1/4 c. water + 2T
• 6T tahini
• 2T olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1T minced garlic
• sea salt
• fresh organic parsley [as much as you please]

Place beans and water in a blender [or preferably, a food processor]. Puree. Add other ingredients, saving the parsley ‘til the final pulses. It came out extra creamy today, but lacking the wow factor. If I had spices, I would have added them. I think it is still an improvement from Version 1 though.

Not surprisingly, it turned into my lunch:

The Savory: Homemade Hummus + Raw Veggies

The Sweet: 0% Greek + 1/2 c. Kashi Honey Almond Flax + Sumo Strawberries

* * *

Dinner was the winner of the day. I’m becoming quite the salad master… if I do say so myself.

The Savory & Sweet

Farmers’ Market Lettuce, Baby Spinach, Strawberries, Red Onion, Snap Peas & Herbed Chevre topped with Olive Oil, Balsamic, a drizzle of Honey and Fresh Black Pepper

I snagged the honey idea from Kath – love the subtle sweetness!

* * *

The next three days are going to be jam-packed. If I think positive thoughts, stay strong, work hard and worry less, I bet ya I can make it through!

Anything exciting on your agenda?

Here’s to a healthy & happy week of May,

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

Evening Readers!

Hope you had a refreshing Saturday. I sure did. I whizzed through my to-do list, and somehow skimmed over my homework ; ) After our last “chat”, I got to baking — my favorite way to procrastinate. I asked my mom to send me her recipe for Cappuccino Chip Muffins that I’ve grown up on. She started making these in 1992! This is the first time I’ve actually made them; they are super simple and definitely a crowd pleaser.

espresso

semisweet chocolate morsels

a hint of cinnamon

I most certainly ate not one, but two warm muffins & a homemade iced latte for an afternoon snack…you betcha! Not long after, I was back in the kitchen attacking the monster of a butternut squash that I brought home in my backpack Thursday. This is what it turned into:

Not bad, eh? It was scrumptious with a capital S.

I roasted the squash with olive oil, real maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt & pepper at 400* for approximately 30 minutes, until the edges were caramelized and the house was saturated with sweet air. Then baby spinach was washed, creamy avocado was chopped, chevre was crumbled, and pepitas were sprinkled on top…a drizzle of balsamic was the finishing touch. I definitely need to thank my teacher for this one.

Overall, I had a very scrumptious Saturday! I am so thankful to be able to fill my belly with nutritious and delicious eats. I really, really am.

Check It Out: My Green Monster recipe is featured on Green Monster Movement. Thanks, Angela!

Take it easy,

~ Hillary

Howdy ho, neighbor!

I really don’t have anything exciting to talk about tonight [no news is good news, right?], but I thought I would pop in for a quick hello.

I think my Statistics exam went swimmingly today. I’ll have to wait to find out if that’s really true. Food Lab…not much to say about that either. Today’s topic of study was food preservation, so we made jams and pressure-processed carrots, etc. I did come home with a butternut squash in my backpack. Haha, gotta love free veggies!

On another random note, today’s eats were scattered across the flavor map. My grocery stash is so low, it’s ridiculous. Ya’ll know I go grocery shopping weekly, so I guess I had an extra-large appetite this week. I swear I’ve got nothing: no dairy, no produce, no chocolate! Tomorrow = Friday = Grocery Shopping Day! I think my cart is going to overflow =]

Example #1 of my fridge scrounging:

Whole Wheat Toast with Chevre, Fresh Basil & Tomato

Example #2:

Apricot Almond Element Bar

I’ve only got 3 left! I ate this after my exam around 1:00pm and it held me over through my workout until 7:30pm! That’s a substantial snack!

I was really energized after class (thanks, Element Bar), and excited to put on my new Nike Dri-Fit top and get spinning!

Heart-Pumping Cardio

• 18-mile ride [48 minutes spinning]
• erg [12 minutes rowing]

Arms

• 2 x 12 lat pull-down @ 40 lbs.
• 2 x 12 seated row @ 40 lbs.
• 2 x 12 tricep extension @ 10 lbs.

Abs

• 3 x 12 side dips @ 10 lbs. [each side]
• 3 x 20 stability ball crunches
• 2 x 10 “knee-to-chest rollers”
• + 20 squats @ 10 lbs.

Alright, I must shut up now and get crackin’ on the chem homework!

Night,

Hillary

Hi Lovely Readers! I was happy to read that so many of you were excited about the little tale this morning. I got the melted jam idea from another blog, but now can’t remember which.

After finishing my morning post, I made myself a latte – or technically a cafe au lait (with 1% milk) – and a sprinkling of raw sugar…mmm. I’m going strong with my Coffee Challenge and have decided to extend my goal until this Friday (rather than Monday). I have a tough school week ahead of me, and thought if I can avoid buying coffee until Friday, then I can reward myself with a treat!

Foam a la Aerolatte

***

Lounging around in my pajamas all morning meant a late lunch…but when I got around to it, this is what it consisted of:

Frijoles Negros, Salsa y Avocado + Agua

Dos Kiwis

***

After studying up for my Elementary Foods exam, I got antsy to exercise. My muscles are still extremely sore from the past 4 days of exercise, but I wanted to work out some of the lactic acid build-up. Nothing hardcore:

Cardio

• 1 mile track [alternate jog/walk every 2 laps]
• 20 minutes: ARC Trainer
• 1 mile track [alternate jog/walk every 2 laps]

Abs

• 2 x 20 stability ball crunches
• 2 x 20 reverse crunches
• 2 x 10 side crunches
• 2 x 10 stability ball “knee-to-chest rollers”

Stretch!

***

Dinner was rustic and E-Z!

- organic polenta (sauteed in olive oil), marinara, chevre & tear of fresh basil -

Alright…time to study my fruits and veggies for Wednesday’s Elementary Foods EXAM.

Enjoy your night,

~ Hillary

]]> http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2010/02/21/work-it-out/feed/ 0 http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2010/02/19/blogger-blues/ http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2010/02/19/blogger-blues/#comments Sat, 20 Feb 2010 04:37:33 +0000 Hillary http://nutritionnutontherun.com/?p=1828

Hey. Sorry for the lack of commitment to my blog lately. The groceries get slim at the end of the week and I tend to lose my motivation to capture my repetitive eats. A bowl of cereal can only be so exciting, ya know? The “spring” sunshine this week was totally a tease. It’s back to grey weather here, with a chance of rain. School is getting more difficult each and every week, and the stress levels are rising. Clearly, I’m having one of those funky Fridays. Reading through my daily blogroll today, I got the sense that stress is in the air. It seems as though a lot of us bloggers have had a rough week. I guess I’ve got the blogger blues =/

On a more positive note…I am really glad I’m feeling better physically and have been able to exercise the past 3 days! I went to the gym last night and did the most random workout. Switching up your routine is the key because I was sweaty, beet red, and woke up with sore muscles this morning – success!

Run – 1 mile

Arms:

• 2 x 10 tricep dips
• 2 x 10 lat pulldowns @ 40 lbs.
• 2 x 10 seated rows @ 40 lbs.
• 4 x 10 bicep curls @ 10 lbs.
• 2 x 10 overhead presses @ 10 lbs.

Run – 1/2 mile

Cardio Burst:

• 100 jumping jacks
• 2 x 10 push-ups
• 40 squats
• 8 x 10 “block knee-chest raises”

Run – 1/2 mile

Abs:

• 3 x 20 stability ball crunches
• 10 stability ball “plank knee-to-chest rollers”
• 10 side crunches each side

[repeat 2 + 3]

• 20 side dips each side @ 10 lbs.

Stretch!

After class today, I met my roommate at the gym for another workout session:

• 1.5 miles – Run
• 30 minutes – Butts ‘n’ Gutts class
• 15 minutes – Spin …on the coolest spin bike ever! I’m not kidding, I am in love. I was able to hook up my iPod and view my playlists, etc. on the huge screen. There is a TV option, of course, and it has a personal fan. It’s quite the machine!

Speaking of exercise, when I was talking to my mom on the phone last night, she mentioned the Foggy Bottom Milk Run, a local race near my hometown. It just so happens that it is conveniently during Spring Break this year. I don’t think I’ve done the race since 2006, so I was stoked. I went online and signed myself right up, making the early registration date by 1 day! I’ve only run the 4.1-mile distance before, but I decided to go all out and register for the 10-miler — why not? Guess I better start running…

***

I had pizza for dinner tonight. For most college students that means calling up Pizza Hut to deliver an extra-large meaty combo (with a side of bread sticks – ick), but for the Nutrition Nut it means:

wheat crust – $1.29 @ TJ’s

pesto

tomatoes

red onion

broccolini

chevre

…and a chiffonade of fresh basil

Overall: The dough took longer to cook…therefore turning the chiffonade of fresh basil into crispy basil…and it lacked in the flavor department, but I enjoyed making it – that counts as something, right? FYI, I took 38 pictures of my dang pizza and wasn’t pleased with any of them. Ugh, picture perfectionist. This is the best I can do tonight, folks.

I just took out my frustrations on the chocolate chip bag. I must ban chocolate chips from kitchen – seriously.

***

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

Love,

Hillary

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

It must have been the cleanse because I haven’t been able to keep myself out of the grocery store or kitchen all day! All I want to do is cook : )

My mom requested that I make her a batch of her favorite Apricot Oat Bars while I am home. No problemo! After making this recipe several times, I can basically spit it out in my sleep. Oats and apricots were destined to be together, wouldn’t you agree?

Almonds would also be equally delicious!

My friend Daisy came over for the afternoon. We put the bars together as we gabbed and drank Tazo Calm Tea.

Oaty, nutty, chewy & slightly sweet – gotta love these.

I only had a nibble – I am still staying on the “lighter side” – and then delivered the batch of warm bars to my mom at work.

Post Script. Did ya’ll notice how I made progress on Goal #10? “Bake more often and for others”.

***

I have a bunch of lemons left over from the cleanse, so I thought I’d put them to use for dinner tonight. I ended up only using one…any amazing (healthy) lemon recipes out there?

Simple Spinach Salad with Avocado & Red Onion

(Raspberries would have been ideal in this salad, but I can’t get myself to spend $6 on half a pint!)

Whole Wheat Rigatoni with Asparagus, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice & Zest, Toasted Pine Nuts & Parmesan

Light as pasta can be!

…plus a piece of toasted local bread with local chive chevre – yum!

Tomorrow’s Friday! Who’s excited? My grandparents and friend Hannah are visiting this weekend from out of town – yippee!

Peace,

~ Hillary

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