That’s the date I write on every single form, every single application. I write this ‘number’ a lot. It never changes. It’s 12 (13?) days past the day the doctor told my parents I would arrive, but alas… it’s the day I was born. After overstaying my welcome, I plopped into this world exactly 21 years ago today at a healthy 8 pounds 5 ounces.

My grandma holding her first granddaughter, Hillary Ann.

I have lived two full decades. I have twenty years of life experience. I appreciate every day I’ve had, and look forward to each that lies ahead. Some years have been more plump with adventure, laughter, and joy. Some years, there were bigger obstacles to climb and getting through another day seemed more of a challenge. Yet, I think it is only appropriate – on your birthday – to rejoice the positives of your life, the unique individual that you are, and who you’ve grown to be. 

“Be happy for this moment for this moment is your life.” – Omar Khayyam

* * *

Today I woke up at the early hour of 6:19am to join my favorite running gals on a 7-mile run. You’ve heard me say a time or two, I’m not a fan of sleeping in; I wasn’t about to waste my precious time in bed on my once in a lifetime 21st birthday. Up and at ‘em!

• 7-mile run around the golf course @ 7:00am. 66 minutes later… done.

• blueberry birthday pancakes. done.

In honor of my birthday twin [HAPPY 30th, TINA!], I made her recipe for Really Good Pancakes.

3 pancakes x 7 blueberries each = 21!

I smothered my pancakes in organic berries, agave, 0% plain Greek, and a dusting of lemon zest.

Delicious or Deceiving

Unfortunately, my b.day breakfast ‘cakes were not really good. In fact, I would say they were actually pretty awful – flavorless & rubbery. What went wrong? Oh well : ) I’ve still had a lovely start to my day and… I spy blue sky!

What’s the plan for the rest of my day?

Friends. Oyster Festival [details another time?]. Dinner with ma mere et mon pere. Cake. More friends. Bar hopping? More drinks… and the rest is history.

I feel icky. Not sick icky. The other kind of icky… the kind from sitting on your butt and eating all day icky. I wasn’t a fan of today: it was the epitome of lazy. I didn’t leave the house – ewww – and I broke my 11 day exercise streak. How about the things I did do?

1. I wrote my first post for College Lifestyles.

2. I made broccoli hummus.

Once I realized I had all 6 of the ingredients needed to make Sarah’s recipe, I jumped straight up off my behind and into the kitchen. After a few minutes of pureeing, I finally felt like I did something productive for my health today.

If you’re feeling lazy on a Friday afternoon, this is an easy way to make you feel a little better about yourself.

Recipe adapted from In Praise of Leftovers:

• 1 1/2 – 2 c. raw, organic broccoli
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 3T tahini
• 2T olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon [see note]
• salt

Difficult Directions:

Mix all ingredients in blender [or preferably, a food processor] until creamy.

Notes for Next Time:

1. Use the juice from half a lemon [as the original recipe states]; it was too acidic – oops.
2. Add beans, any kind really.
3. Add spice(s).

It is really delicious though, and low-fat! I betcha it’ll be featured in tomorrow’s second meal.

Do you have a favorite type of hummus?

One of my goals for the summer is to expand my recipe page. You heard me, all the stops are coming out this summer: folding, whisking, mincing, mashing… caramelize, chiffonade, julienne – it’s time I cook for real!

Muffins in the morning?

Night, loves! xoxo

P.S. Ask me a question! I don’t bite.

Hey Guys! I hope you had a really wonderful holiday [for those that celebrated]. I wasn’t one of them today. I actually spent Easter all alone studying chemistry, but don’t fear…I was not without good eats! I slept in today by accident…and I mean really slept in – 10:00am! However, it happened to be the perfect time to make myself an Easter a scrumptious Sunday brunch.

    Aren’t they purdy?

It’s just a simple pancake recipe, folks. There was nothing tricky about ‘em:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1 egg
• 2 T canola oil
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

It’s all about the accessories: 0% Greek, organic strawberries, lemon zest and agave-honey syrup – holy yum!

Immediately after eating my stack of flapjacks, I headed back into the kitchen and whipped up another recipe. It’s a twist on my family’s favorite tabouli recipe, but I used quinoa instead of bulgar.

I didn’t use exact measurements [the plus of cooking vs. baking], but here’s basically what went down:

1. Cook 1 cup organic quinoa in 2 cups water – simmer covered for ~15 minutes.
2. Fluff with a fork and let cool. Add 2 T olive oil, juice of 1 lemon and a few cloves of minced garlic.
3. Pile in 1 can organic, rinsed garbanzo beans, ~1 cup ea. chopped cucumber, tomatoes and fresh parsley. Crumble in ~1/3 cup light feta and sprinkle generously with fresh black pepper.

Quinoa seems to be all the rage in blog world at the moment, so I decided to open up this awesome book of mine and see what I could find out….

Quinoa

“An ancient grainlike product that has recently been “rediscovered in this country, quinoa is not a true grain, but it looks like one and has similar uses. It is related to leafy vegetables such as Swiss chard and spinach.”

“Quinoa’s key nutritional distinguishing factor is its high level of lysine, an amino acid necessary for the synthesis of protein, making it one of the best sources of plant protein.”

Garbanzo Beans [because I eat a lot of these, too]

“One of nature’s perfect foods, these versatile legumes, with a firm yet creamy texture and a delicate nutlike flavor, are highly nourishing. They are rich in protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, folate, iron, and zinc.”

They are “…no slouches when it comes to iron content, with 1/2 cup providing 30% of your daily iron requirement. The body’s absorption of the form on iron found in garbanzo beans can be enhanced by consuming them with a dietary source of vitamin C.”

***

With lunch – a bowl of cold quinoa salad – I had a glass of Tejava. This is such a score at Trader Joe’s -  just $1.19 for an entire liter!

Naturally after lunch I “needed” something sweet: enter a P.Nut Buttah Treat.

Don’t Miss the Caboose

After another phone chat with technical support, I am almost to the point of revealing Nutrition Nut on the Run Version 2.0! This will be my LAST post at the current site. Don’t worry, you don’t have to change a thing. You will still find me eatin’ it up @ www.nutritionnutontherun.com.

Here’s to a great week ahead. I’ll fill ya in on what I’m up to when I don’t have to cram for chem!

XO,

Hillary

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

]]> http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2010/01/17/the-big-100/feed/ 0 http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2010/01/16/rain-on-my-parade/ http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2010/01/16/rain-on-my-parade/#comments Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:48:33 +0000 Hillary http://nutritionnut.wordpress.com/?p=1211

Hey there. Good news…I am no longer in (as much of) a funk – an hour run + lemon blueberry pancakes (recipe here) is always a good way to start a Saturday morning.

My mom made restaurant-quality ‘cakes while I used my new Aerolatte milk frother to make Irish Breakfast Tea lattes, topped with homemade vanilla sugar.

Meyer Lemon Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

…topped with a dollop of plain Oikos & drizzle of agave.

The melody of tangy lemon zest, tart blueberries, creamy yogurt, and sweet agave was just right! Off to Costco with my dad for a couple school supplies (and samples), and then it’s time to bake. Speaking of school, I was just informed that California is going to be hit with a HUMONGOUS storm…starting tomorrow! I have no idea how/when in the world I am supposed to drive back to school now – bah, stressing already.

Have yourself a relaxing Saturday,

~ 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

]]> http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2010/01/07/cooking-crazy/feed/ 0 http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2010/01/07/themastercleanse/ http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2010/01/07/themastercleanse/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:37:17 +0000 Hillary http://nutritionnut.wordpress.com/?p=1020

Hi Pals! Sorry for being MIA. Let me explain myself…

On Monday, January 4, I took the plunge at attempting to detoxify myself from all of my delicious feasting and other not-so-healthy eats from the past year. [Critical Note: It took some tough thinking to decide whether I would divuldge this information to the world on my blog for several reasons: 1) I do not want to promote dieting, fasting, or starvation, 2) I do not want to be known for doing anything unhealthy to my body, 3) I do not want those of you struggling with EDs to follow in my footsteps.] However, the reasons for sharing this with you won: 1) I want my blog to be an honest depiction of my life, through the healthiest and not-so-healthiest of times, 2) I want to be able to look back at this journal of mine in the future and see what limbs I have gone out on in favor of my well-being, 3) This cleanse could be beneficial to some of you.

The cleanse I did is called the Master Cleanse, also known as the “lemonade diet”. I did the cleanse for 2 whole days (the original diet is 10).

For 2 days, all I put into my body was lemonade, decaffeinated green tea, and Smooth Move Tea. I did not follow the cleanse to a T by any means, so if you are interested, please check out the website, or even better, the book(s). I basically drank 32-48 oz. of lemonade every day, 1-2 cups of decaffeinated green tea, and 1 cup of (chocolate) Smooth Move Tea before bed. I chose the Smooth Move Tea as my herbal stimulant laxative of choice, rather than the Salt Water Flush. On Day 3, all I consumed was 8 oz. of pure pomegrantate juice, 2 cups decaffeinated green tea, and 1 mini Green Monster:

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

***

Lemonade Recipe

8 oz. room temperature water

2 T maple syrup

2 T fresh lemon juice

~1/16 tsp. cayenne pepper

[source]

Results & Insights:

1. I quickly realized (Day 1) that hunger is just as much, or possibly more, of a psychological need as it as a physical need. Eating is a huge part of my day life, so it was a challenge to erase all food/cooking thoughts from my mind.
2. I had a lot of energy! Although my net calories each day was close to none, I felt awake the majority of the day.
3. The number on the scale dropped 5 pounds (my lowest weight in 2 1/2 years).
4. The only ‘side effects’ I encountered were a couple slight headaches.
5. My love of food and writing about it (this blog) shined though even more. I can’t explain how hard it was to refrain myself from not writing a post (except I had nothing nutritional to note), while still reading about all your beautiful, healthy meals and lives.

If I haven’t mentioned before, I am not a competitive person, or an intense person for that matter, so I had no intention of completing the 10-day cleansing process. I simply wanted my body mind to get a taste (no pun intended) of living without food, to connect with the true feeling of hunger, and to hopefully eliminate waste stored in my body. If any of you are intrigued, please do the research on the Master Cleanse yourself; do not mark my word or actions ; )

***

I am happy to announce my exercise “log” (I don’t really have one) for 2010 is full. When I am healthy (no cold or injuries), I aim to fit in physical activity every day.

January 1: Run – 40 minutes

January 2: Treadmill – 45 minutes + strength

January 3: Run – 65 minutes

January 4: Treadmill – 30 minutes + strength

January 5: Run – 55 minutes

January 6: DanceFit – 60 minutes

January 7: Run – 45 minutes

January 8: DanceFit – 60 minutes (I plan ahead.)

How are your exercise goals shaping up?

I hope you now understand my unannounced leave of absence. I am looking forward to sharing with you nutritious & delicious eats from here on out…

Best,

~ Hillary