Nutrition Nut on the Run

chia cherry oatmeal.

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Let me introduce you to possibly the best bowl of oatmeal I’ve ever had…

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I did not want to take the last bite of this incredibly tasteful fruit + nut medley, I will tell you that.

chia cherry oatmeal.

  • 1 c. water
  • 1/3 c. steel cut oats
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1/2 T chia seeds
  • 1/2 T ground flax
  • 1 T sweetened dried cherries
  • 1 T dry roasted almonds
  • 1 heaping spoonful pecan butter

In a small pot, boil 1 c. water. Add oats, banana and seeds. Stir vigorously until bananas are like fluffy pillows and the oatmeal has a whipped consistency [about 3-5 minutes]. Pour into a serving bowl and top with cherries, almonds and pecan butter. 

It’s so fun to spice up your oatmeal with a few new ingredients… at least for a foodie ;) Believe it or not, I’ve never had chia seeds [except for in an energy bar, perhaps]! I don’t know why not. They can easily be added to so many recipes, and their nutritional profile is top notch. A while back, Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats wrote a post about the benefits of chia seeds – a great read!

I think I’m going to go lick the pecan butter packet clean, and then head out for some errands… possibly stopping at my favorite local coffee shop for a warm drink. It’s chilly outside!

Stay tuned for more on my serious sugar struggle.

Happy Thursday!

Hillary

There is light!

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Hello Monday, Hello You!

Today was the start of Week 2, Semester 7… 14 weeks + 3 semesters to go — not like I’m counting or anything ; )

I had a full day of classes today, but in between my physiology lecture and lab, I was able to sneak in an appointment with an advisor to double check on my degree progress. Being an organized, Type A student pays off… basically, the advisor confirmed – in less than three minutes – that I am on track to graduate in Spring  of2012 – I can finally see the finish line at the end of my undergraduate journey!

This is huge for me… I started college in 2007 burnt out from striving to be at the top for all of my college prep years. I knew I wanted a college education, but had little drive/motivation and no idea what I wanted to study/do with the rest of my life [heck, I was 18 years young!]. Long story short, I chose to attend Sonoma State University, not paying much attention to the majors they offered; I remained an ‘undeclared major’ for two years. I checked off GE requirements left and right, amongst a few too many useless P.E. and dance classes. At the end of my fourth semester, I was still undeclared, though not undecided. I had done a little research, and found that another California State University offered my dream major: Food & Nutrition Communication. Though, I had developed lasting friendships and thrived with the support from my nearby family, I ‘checked out’ of SSU and headed east. This decision took some guts, but I knew I wasn’t going to find something like what Chico State offered just anywhere. CSU Chico was actually one of the schools I applied to as a senior in high school, but declined their acceptance for another reason.

So, here I am today… somehow starting my fourth year of college. It hasn’t always been easy – I’ve had my fair share of road blocks – but I’ve learned one thing about myself: perseverance. When the going gets tough, I just keep going. Though I will not earn my degree in four years, I don’t believe the extra year it took me to ‘figure out my life’, and change locations/schools in the process, will have any detrimental effects of my healthy future.

Gosh, I could blab for six more hours [can you say gym adrenaline!?], but you wouldn’t want me to do that. So… just a few things:

Life from now until mid-December looks a little like this:

Human Physiology + lab

The purpose of this class is to provide students with sufficient knowledge of human physiology in the hope that each person will wish to become an informed and aware health care consumer or provider. This does not merely include knowledge of vocabulary, but more importantly, it requires an intellectual facility with physiological principles such as negative feedback, synaptic transmission and active transport.

Human Nutrition

Physiological and chemical roles of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and water in the functioning of the body. Factors affecting the digestion of foods, use of nutrients, and the body’s need for nutrients.

Science of Food + lab

A study of the physical, chemical, and microbiological aspects of foods; the function of and changes in components during preparation and processing of foods.

Intro to Foodservice Administration

Study of management tools and practices ranging from conceptual to applied as they relate to all aspects of the field of nutrition and food sciences.

There will be a lot of school snacks, such as:

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raw veggies.
fuji + cheddar cheese.

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dried apricots + dark chocolate almonds.
PURE bars are yumm-y!

 

And there will be even more trips to the WREC for some mind ease:

  • 2 mi. indoor track run [mile #1 @ 8:20]
  • 60-minute WRECPump!! <3

 

Crazy week ahead of me, but I have an epic weekend to look forward to…

Peace, Love + Healthiness,

Hillary

Sweat <—> Thirst

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Hello! How are ya’ll doing? Got through another Tuesday, I hope. Mine was obviously outrageously busy since I had time to stand in front of my mirror and take selfish photos of myself. I dug the white + khaki today. I’m all about simple. I was a Gap kid [well, not literally], an AE teen, and now… just Mama Hill.

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Hello!

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My roommate kindly brought home a container of blackberries for me yesterday, so – not surprisingly – that meant it was time to create yet another killer oat combo.

  • 1 c. water
  • 1/3 c. steel cut oats
  • 1/2 banana – cooked
  • blackberries
  • raw almonds [too lazy to toast]
  • cinnamon

It killed my hunger! Those are clearly some complex carbs right there because I wasn’t the least bit hungry for 4+ hours.

* * *

So, get this… I did the same exact workout as yesterday [1-hour spin class + 1/2-mile run]. It was even the same instructor, same iPod playlist, and same exact routines. I don’t think I’ve ever sweat as much as I did in last night’s class – it was so cleansing. I also drank my entire ‘water’ bottle [of iced green tea], which is a rarity. Today on the other hand, I did not take one sip from my water bottle and did not sweat nearly as much. I can not think of too many other variables that would affect my thirst this drastically other than my diet. I find this intriguing. I wish I was smart enough to know what foods made me so thirsty yesterday, and why an average bowl of oatmeal for breakfast left me stuffed for hours today.

Who knows the scientific answer?

Are you a thirsty exerciser? I’m not. I often have to remind myself to drink water after running.

One more day to soak up the sun, and then I’m headed back to my lovely bubble of fog – got a fun weekend ahead!

Peace, love + simplicity,

Hillary

Be KIND to Your Body

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Surprisingly, it wasn’t Waffle Wednesday around here. It was OIAJ Day. An empty almond butter jar is just too hard too resist, don’t you agree? It was screaming for some oat lovin’.

Into the oatmeal pan [you know you have a designated pot for oats too]:

  • 1 c. water
  • 1/3 c. rolled oats
  • 1 itty bitty banana
  • later [to avoid browning]… a dash of cinnamon

Bubble. Whip. Bubble. Fluff.

Into the empty jar it went with ~1T of creamy salted almond buttah remnants. I’m so glad I acquired a taste for oats + nut butter – what was I thinking?

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This 160z. jar of nut butter disappeared rather quickly – oopsie.

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Decreased Weight of Oats = Increased Creaminess of Oatmeal

* * *

Rewind to yesterday, Tuesday 5.25.10: I had a lot of fun with Molly and her boyfriend. It was awesome to catch up with her while having no other responsibilities – school, work, etc. Even though the wet weather put a bit of a damper on our day, but we still had a great time together… strolling around town, watching movies, and EATING! Although somewhat alike, Molly and I do not have the same appetite/diet – never have, never will. Nor do I have the metabolism of her 6’4” boyfriend; that being said, by the night’s end, I was less than happy about my day’s eats. It didn’t help that I had the Case of the Mondays the day before, resulting in two days of zero exercise.

What do you do when you can’t completely control what you eat? Do your friends’ unhealthy appetites affect you?

Today was a new day though, a new day to gobble up my greens. For lunch, leftover roasted potatoes and a colorful salad.

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Organic Lettuce, Strawberries, BIG Blueberries +
A Drizzle of Honey, Olive Oil, Balsamic & Fresh Black Pepper

I was in the mood to bake this afternoon – oh, the freedom of summer – so I decided to finally cross Mama Pea’s KIND Bars off my To-Bake List.

KIND

VS.

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There’s no competition whatsoever. Mama P’s recipe has the win in the bag! Have you had a KIND Bar? Don’t bother… instead, make these!

Be KIND [to your body] Bars

  • 1 c. organic almonds
  • 1 c. unsweetened coconut
  • 1/2 c. chopped dried apricots
  • 1/4 c. agave-honey blend
  • 1/4 c. brown rice syrup
  • 2T ground flax
  • salt

Preheat oven to 350*. Toast almonds until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Then coarsely chop. Add to a medium bowl with coconut and chopped apricots. In a smaller bowl, mix together sweetener, flax and salt. Pour over fruit ‘n’ nut mixture – combine thoroughly. Pat into an 8×8 in. square pat that’s been coated with [chlorofluorocarbon-free] canola oil spray. Bake for ~18 minutes, or until golden brown and edges are slightly crisp. Let cool before digging in with hungry hands cutting into bars.

Goodness, Mama Pea – these aren’t going to be so kind to my waistline after eating the entire batch.

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They may be a bit crumbly, but I promise that won’t phase ya. Crumble over 2% Fage and you’ll be one happy snacker. Then nibble on one after dinner as a dessert. I didn’t do this; it’s just a suggestion ; )

After my kind high-fat snack, I finally got in much-needed movement at the g.y.m.

60 minutes elliptical

  • 10 min. @ 10 [resistance: 3/6]
  • 10 min. @ 15 [resistance: 6]
  • 10 min. @ 5 [resistance: 6] – reverse stride

repeat set.

20 minutes treadmill [1.0 incline]

  • 5 min.@ 4.2mph
  • 10 min. @ 6.2mph
  • 5 min. @ 4.2mph

It was either an 80-minute workout, or 8 more KIND Bars.

I would write about my protein-packed dinner of quinoa – it’s love – and edamame , but my word bank is almost spent for the day, and the pictures aren’t so pretty. Here are a couple bonus items in lue of my abrupt closure.

1. My first post as a CL intern is UP: Spring Clean Your College Lifestyle Diet

2. … as is my Profile of a Healthy Eater interview @ YourNutritionista.com 

Night, friends!

Hillary

Pedal to the Metal

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Don’t be confused. I realize it’s not Wednesday – thank goodness! – but I missed Waffle Wednesday yesterday [oh, the tragedy!], so I wanted to make up for it today. Waffles on a Thursday never hurt anyone, did they? Ya’ll, I’ve been having serious issues waking up on time lately. You see, I consider myself a very punctual person and I love my mornings [as you all know], but I can’t get my alarm to wake me up for the life of me! I’m pretty positive this has to do with the fact that I can never shut my eyes and turn off the 2 million thoughts running through my mind before midnight; thus, the oversleeping is my body trying to compensate for my late bedtimes. I’d appreciate your 2 cents…

I didn’t think it was pear season, but appearently organic d’anjou pears are growing somewhere this Spring. A beautiful breakfast is always a good way to start the day.

Low-Fat Multigrain Waffles [Van’s] + 0% Greek mixed with Agave-Honey Blend, 1/2 organic d’Anjou Pear + Almonds

…accompanied by organic Moroccan Mint Green Tea

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Pears and almonds always remind me of my mom’s autumn pear crisp. I can picture sitting in front of our woodstove in a candle-lit living room with glistening raindrops decorating the windows eating a warm bowl of the soft, sweet ‘n’ spicy pears topped with crunchy oats and almonds . There isn’t anything more comforting than this thought.

* * *

Go Green!

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1/2 c. unsweetened organic almond milk, 1/2 c. very cherry frozen berries, 1/2 banana, 1 c. organic baby spinach, 1/2 T ground flax

* * *

I wish I had the time and mental energy to bake more, read more, and write more, but I’ve honestly got so many other tasks to do that will have more of an immediate effect on my life than my lack of blogging. The semester’s end is just around the corner, and I do not have my summer plans set – ah!

I only have 9 more days of class + finals! Between me and the end: 1 exam, 1 project and 6 – yes 6! – final examinations. Not to mention, I’m boarding a jet 1 week from today and will be gone for the entire weekend… and studying is not on my ‘vacation’ agenda. PEDAL to the MEDAL. I’m flooring it to the finish!

It’s Perfectly Normal…

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(1) …to eat waffles every Wednesday and never get tired of them.

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Van’s Low-Fat Multigrain Waffles topped with 0% Greek [mixed with Honey-Agave Syrup], Organic Strawberries & Almonds

(2) …to consume an entire 16 oz. container of 0% Greek in 2 days. Say hey to protein!

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(3) …that salty tears turned my smartphone’s screen into a sea of rainbows and now I must wait two days to replace my 1-month-old Blackberry. Lesson learned: don’t cry on the phone.

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[source]

(4) …for it to be rainy, wildly windy weather on Wednesday and by Friday, 80* clear blue skies.

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(5) …to pack green hummus to take to school:

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  • 100% Whole Wheat Flatbread + Edamame Hummus, Tomatoes, Cucumber & Organic Greens
  • 1 Organic d’Anjou Pear + 1 Slice Sharp White Cheddar
  • 1/2 c. Kashi Honey Almond Flax Cereal + 4 Dried Apricots – yes, I stretched the granola bar idea a little far.

(6) …to eat a victory garden’s yield of vegetables for dinner:

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More Organic Greens, Edamame, Avocado, Tomatoes, Yellow Bell, Light Feta, Raw Sunflower Seeds, Seasoned Rice Vinegar & Olive Oil + Fresh Pepper

Health in every bite!

Haha…who am I kidding, I am not normal! ; )

Everything Edible + Greek GIVEAWAY

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Hello dearest readers. So close to Friday, aren’t we? I can almost taste it. Speaking of taste, let me share with you everything edible about my Thursday. I started my day with a bowl of pear-almond oatmeal — nothing you haven’t seen me eat before. I think I’m due for some new oatmeal combos [hint hint.]

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1 cup water

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 d’anjou pear

1/2 T ground flax + cinnamon

almonds + agave

I had the house to myself again this a.m., so that meant blasting T.Swift and registering for Fall classes. I know…already? That’s college for you – ya never stop. Finally, after 6 semesters of registering for classes, it’s starting to get easier. I was able to get all the classes I needed; but, unfortunately, my schedule is all over the place. There’s always some bad with the good. Here’s what will be on my academic plate for Semester #7 [16 units in all].

  1. Human Physiology + lab
  2. Science of Food + lab
  3. Human Nutrition
  4. Foodservice Administration
  5. Consumer Health [online]

Before catching the bus, I threw a bar and an orange in my backpack…which would later become my lunch. I got this Honest Bar while in Sonoma over the weekend. It was a first for me. Honestly, I wasn’t as impressed as I thought I would be. The almond extract was extremely overpowering and left quite the aftertaste. Yet, I’ll give it texture props. I’m hoping the PB + Chocolate flavor will get a better score from the Nutrition Nut.

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My food lab was cancelled today, so I went to the gym during the time I would normally be cooking with my classmates. Working out in the middle of the day felt really off; as a result, my exercises weren’t all that energetic:

indoor track run – 1.5 mi.

30 min. Arc Trainer

wimpy abs + arms

***

A little bit of different schedule today meant that I didn’t have to make dinner in a hurry, or eat at a ridiculously late hour.

I made blog-inspired sweet potatoes:

  1. Peel & cut sweet potatoes.
  2. Toss in a large bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, baby drizzle of maple syrup, cinnamon, ground flax and sea salt. [I measured everything with my naked eye.]
  3. Bake @ 325* for 20 minutes.
  4. Flip flop.
  5. Bake @ 350* for 10 minutes.

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TJ’s Sorrento Arugula Mix, 1/2 Avocado, Red Onion, Pumpkin Seeds, Olive Oil + Balsamic 

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This was a 10 star dinner : )

***

Alright, alright…to the GIVEAWAY already. If you read my most recent post, you know that Stonyfield sent me a handful of free coupons for their organic, Oikos Greek yogurt. Well, they have generously offered to sponsor a giveway for you all so you can enjoy the greatness of Greek too!

One lucky winner will receive:

1 free 16 oz. coupon

4 free 5.3 oz. coupons

1 blue reusable grocery tote bag

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How To Enter!

There are 3 ways to enter to win this great Greek gift. Each way will give you an additional entry, so you can do one, two, or all three!

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite way to eat Greek.

2. Tweet about this contest on Twitter. [include a link to this post + @HILLontherun]…and then leave another comment telling me you tweeted.

3. If you have a blog, mention the giveaway and link back to it in one of your posts…and then leave anot
her comment telling me you posted about it.

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U.S. residents only please. The contest will run until Sunday, April 18 at 12:00 p.m. PST, when I’ll randomly select and announce the winner!

Silver Medal for Me

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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:

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1 1/4 c. water

2/3 c. 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:

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Wrap a la Homemade Hummus, Cucumber, Tomato & Baby Spinach

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0% Greek a la Homemade Granola & Strawberries

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…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…

Tuesday…Saturday Style!

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Good morning…and good afternoon to my East Coasters!

I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get around to posting yesterday. It was a super-sized Monday, I tell ya. I just kept thinking about the fact that once I got through it, I would have 3 days to relax. I know what you’re thinking, it’s only Tuesday. Well, due to California’s non-existent budget, they can hardly afford to keep their CA State students in school, so I have two furloughed days [Tuesday and Thursday], set around Cesar Chavez Day – a California holiday. It is really nice to have a “weekend” during the middle of a week, but the reality of furloughs is an awful awful thing. My college tuition has skyrocketed and I am getting less instruction [~10%]. No bueno!

Anyway, after 4 classes, studying for my exam, and 1 required lecture, I forced myself to go the the gym. It was the last thing I wanted to do after a long day, but since I didn’t exercise Sunday [like I said I would], I was at least going to make an attempt at something.

I knew from the start it wasn’t going to be an Olympic workout. I felt as though I had a brick inside my small intestine [quite the picture, huh?]. I could only find enough energy for 20 minutes on the Elliptical and 20 minutes [2 x 1 mi.] running around the indoor track. My body is not programmed to exercise at 9:00pm.

I treated today as if it were the weekend: I slept in [until 8:30am], fixed myself leftover waffles and an iced coffee for breakfast before cleaning the kitchen and doing work blogging in my pajamas.

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Toasted Banana Waffle with a dollop of 0% Greek, Fresh Strawberries, Almonds & Agave-Honey Syrup

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Iced [decaf] cafe au lait to cut the sweetness – so refreshing!

Going to go make the most out of my weekend…

Hillary

* * *

Blogger Bulletin

Check out Anne’s fANNEtastic new tees!

Congrats to both Jenna & Tina for submitting the first drafts of their books!

Heather’s giving away free Oikos to 1 lucky winner!

A for Effort

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Hey Guys! I’ve got a little gift for you tonight: pictures! I know I’ve been a slacker lately – the photos I have taken are barely passing quality – but I think I deserve an A for effort today : )

Breakfast #1

003 3/4 cup Raisin Bran, 1/4 cup Cheery Cherry Almond Granola, 1/2 Banana & 3/4 cup Almond Milk

Breakfast #2

006 Whole Wheat Toast + PB + [other] 1/2 Banana

Snacks

I packed a couple snacks to eat after my 3 hour lab. I didn’t pack a whole lot since I planned to exercise post-class.

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Back to Nature Multigrain Flax Seeded Flatbread Crackers [that’s a mouthful] + my daddy’s homemade hummus & a carrot

Dried Apricots + Dark Chocolate Almonds [6 ea.]

After 3 painful hours of Infrared Spectroscopy – don’t even ask me what that is – I sat outside in the sunshine and savored my snacks. I still had quite a bit of steam to burn off from my overwhelming class, so I threw my books into a locker at the gym and kicked up my heals. I didn’t run for very long [appox. 36 minutes], but I started to feel like my freckly face was getting pink from the radiant rays. It was just enough time to sweat out some of my stress. Running cures all. I finished up with a little conditioning…but should have done more.

While I waited for the bus, I grabbed a smoothie from Jamba. I tried one of their new all-fruit creations: the Five Fruit Frenzy. It was tasty, but nothing I’m anxious to have again. I’d much rather make my own mix…with spinach!

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Appetizer

032Buttery Smooth Heart-Healthy Monounsaturated Fat [a.k.a. 1/2 Avocado]

Dinner

I traded in my boring plain penne rigate for a more exciting option:

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The garlic and basil flavors add a lot to a simple dish. I sautéed a few cherry tomatoes in olive oil with garlic and red onion, tossed the al dente pasta in the skillet with the tomatoes, sprinkled in a little chevre & parm, and poured all that over fresh baby spinach – voila…dinner.

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Dessert

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…fooled ya! I actually did not eat any Chocolove today, but wanted to show you my new finds:

1. Coffee Crunch! My mom brought their new flavor to my attention as she knows coffee/espresso & dark chocolate sits high on my totem pole of favorite flavors – yummm.

2. MINI Chocolove Bars! How cute, right?

***

There ya have it…I finally managed to show you a day of all my eats…well, 90% of them. What can I say, this girl can eat! I have my very important ServSafe Certification Exam tomorrow. I am actually being recertified. I will be disappointed if I receive a lower score the second time around. [I dominated the test in 2007 with a 95%]. The pressure is on!

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Hope you have a happy Hump Day tomorrow!

Hillary

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