Van’s sandwich with flax almond buttah [hooray!] & raspberry jam.
Hope you had a wonderful Waffle Wednesday : )
Peace, love, health & happiness always,
Hillary
I went on another beautiful bike ride with my dad today. It was a step up from our previous ride. We rode to the quaint, coastal town of Trinidad. It was a foggy Friday morning here on the North Coast, which meant for a cool ride. The sky wasn’t that gorgeous blue that it was last time around, but instead, its typical whitish-grey.
After climbing the hills to Trinidad for its spectacular view of the waves, we were greeted by this:
The thick, perspiring fog was smothering the ocean, and it didn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. No whale watching today. We strapped up our helmets again and off we went…
Pre-ride fuel.
I’ve been on a cold cereal kick. Must be this incredibly hot summer weather, hah! ; )
Post-ride fuel.
PB & [raspberry] J on organic sprouted wheat flax bread + 1 juicy peach… then there was an apricot and another half of banana. CARBS!
Dinner. I think my Humboldt sushi craving is officially cured.
Mango + cilantro in sushi… who would’ve thought!?
Hope you’ve had a relaxing Friday night : )
Hillary
Question of the Day:
Do you like bike riding? My heart belongs to running, but I have certainly been enjoying giving my body a ‘rest’ with these refreshing rides.
Are you watching the Tour de France? The TV is turned on at the crack of dawn in this household for the month of July just to follow the yellow jersey. My dad owns a bike shop. Enough said.
Hey Yo! We made it over the hump of the week! I’m super happy that this week is zooming by; it’s just cruising downhill from here.
You can probably guess what was on my plate for breakfast today…yep, waffles it was! I went with an “open-faced sandwich” today – the more PB & banana, the better.
I normally don’t get to eat lunch home on Wednesdays, so it was a treat to have a break in my day to do so. I was dreaming of this lunch all morning.
Green Monster a la:
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 cup mixed berries [strawberries, raspberries, blueberries & blackberries]
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 cup fresh baby spinach
Sandwich a la:
whole wheat toast
raspberry jam
extra sharp white cheddar
fresh baby spinach
…and because I always have something sweet to polish off a meal:
Remember the box of No Pudge Fudge Brownie Mix my mama gave me?
Mix together:
4 T mix
2 T 0% Vanilla Greek Yogurt
a few bittersweet chocolate chips
+ 1 minute in Mr. Micro = a guiltless decadent dessert.
After my last class, I rushed home to make an early dinner in lightening speed. I guess I should be on Iron Chef because this rushed salad was a victory!
It screamed Spring – fresh color, color, color!
Baby Arugula, Spinach & Lettuce Mix, Carrot, Edamame, Tomatoes, Sunflower Seeds, Feta, Olive Oil & Seasoned Rice Vinegar + Fresh Pepper
I also tested out a new item I picked up at TJ’s yesterday – edamame hummus – with a couple multigrain crackers. As if hummus couldn’t get any healthier, this was colorful too. Edamame makes green hummus – surprise, surprise.
I didn’t have a lot of time to savor my delicious & nutritious dinner because I had to rush out the door to go baby-sit. Edamame –> Idamommy…wow, I’m ridiculous. I wish I had had time to workout today, but making a little extra cash is always helpful. Plus, yesterday’s time at The Resort left my legs sore today:
1 mile indoor track run @ 8:10
strength [arms + legs]:
1/2 mile indoor track run @ 4:15
30-minute spin [11.2 mi.]
1/2 mile indoor track run @ 5:00
stretch
There are my eats for the day [minus a couple post-sittin’ snacks]. It felt good to take photos of my food again. It’s become part of me; the addiction is in my blood : )
How do you like to consume edamame?
Hillary
Hi again! Lucky for you, I can’t complain about a lot at the moment as I am blogging from my comfy bed [which now is bedded…after two days], with the soothing sounds of James Morrison. I enjoyed my Tuesday just like any other Tuesday Saturday. After my banana berry waffle, I was craving a Green Monster for lunch, so I pulled out the blender…and it stayed out the remainder of the day; I ended up using it a total of three times today!
Blender Round 1
Mmm…Dark Chocolate Milkshake. Fooled ya! That would be my delicious Green Monster a la: 1 banana, 1/2 cup frozen berries [raspberries, blueberries, strawberries & blackberries], 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 T ground flax, 1 humongous handful of fresh spinach, and ice.
I then got an intense craving for p.nut buttah:
Whole Wheat Toast a la PB & Raspberry Jam
After lunch and running a few errands via Green Monster energy, I came home and rinsed out the blender for round two.
Blender Round 2
After working for a hummus company [summer 2008] and being spoiled by both my mom and dad’s homemade hummus, I am never amazed by any tubs I bring home from the store. Today I decided to give making my own a go. I basically made the recipe up as I went, so it didn’t turn out to be blue ribbon quality [I’m thinking more tahini, more acidity, more zing!]…but it’s definitely edible : )
Healthy Hill’s Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
2 T tahini [sesame paste]
1 T olive oil
1 T seasoned rice vinegar
4 T water
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/3 cup chopped parsley
3-4 minced garlic cloves
salt to taste
I gave my hummus a taste test with half of a huge carrot for an afternoon snack and then I was off to the gym. Today’s time spent at the gym was a complete 180* spin from yesterday’s weak workout:
2 x 12 lat pull downs @ 40 lbs.
2 x 12 seated row @ 40 lbs.
4 x 12 “weights to chin” w/ 12 lb. bar
4 x 12 bicep curls w/ 12 lb. bar
2 x 12 tricep extension w/ 12 lb. bar
Dinner was Sunday’s leftovers: stir-fried tofu, brown rice, broccoli & carrot + sesame seeds & sesame oil [sesame 3x in 1 day!].
Blender Round 3
That you might ask is banana soft serve! I know it doesn’t look like much, but holy yum! For those of you ice cream/fro yo lovers, like myself, you must try this ASAP.
To make: Freeze your overly ripe bananas – the longer the better – that didn’t get invited to your most recent oatmeal party. Place however many bananas into a blender – I’d say 1 per serving – and blend away! You don’t have to add a thing! I didn’t freeze the banana for long enough tonight, hence the runnier texture, but with a dollop of PB&Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams, I couldn’t find a spoon fast enough.
Talk about a healthy dessert. This soft serve would be delicious with an encyclopedia’s worth of toppings.
There ya have it…today’s blender excursion. I hope ya’ll will give these recipes a whirl in your blender! Well, my contacts are getting drier by each word I type. Must turn off my light. I’ve got classes a holiday to prepare for!
Night,
Hillary
Ahhh…finally, a Sunday to relax. I am loving the fact that I don’t have to stress about getting everything done today since I have the entire week off – hallelujah! That’s not to say I don’t have a huge to-list that I want to accomplish this week. To-do lists are never ending…at least for me. If they were, life would be boring…wouldn’t ya say?
Anyway, I just got home from another great morning run with the girls. It was a completely different story getting out of bed today – losing 1 hour of sleep really makes a difference. The frosty rooftops and grey sky outside were not the most inviting either. Nonetheless, I piled on my layers, ate a half of a banana, and met the girls at 8:00 7:00am for our usual 7-mile Marsh run. That makes 17 miles of running for the weekend, or 2 hours and 32 minutes – yeehaw!
Post-Run Breakfast
My Dad’s Homemade Non-Fat Yogurt & Humboldt Honey Granola
+ the other half my banana & a drizzle of honey
Organic Oat & Wheat Toast + Homemade Blackberry Jam [courtesy of my aunt]
Speaking of blackberries, I jumped on the bandwagon yesterday by getting my 1st smartphone. As if I wasn’t connected enough, right? I figured the Nutrition Nut on the run needed to be able to keep up with the speed of the blog world…if only I could figure out how to use this advanced piece of technology.
A hot shower followed by a hot latte is sounding like it’ll be the next thing on my to-do list. Totally not prepared for a funeral this afternoon, but such is life.
Take it easy, my friends!
Hillary
Saturday, why do you always zoom by? How cool would a 48-hour Saturday be? I don’t know about you all, but my Saturday to-do lists are always a mile long and rarely do I ever get everything done, leaving me one more thing for Sunday: stress.
Every single bite of food I ate today was entirely delicious, starting with my last two Cappuccino Chip Muffins. It’s kind of ironic that I happened to have these particular muffins today because this weekend is the annual Super Sale at my dad’s bike store, and my mom originally made these for the customers way back when in 1992. What a coincidence.
I’ll definitely be baking another batch of these soon!
I went to The Resort in the a.m. for day 5 of my challenge. My [other] roommate joined me for my usual 1-hour Saturday spin class. I did not have a terrific workout; though, perspired enough to call it exercise.
Lunch was KERF-inspired:
1/2 Sandwich on Toasted Whole Wheat with Raspberry Preserves, Sharp White Cheddar & Organic Baby Spinach
Mini Green Monster: 1 Huge Handful of Spinach, 1/2 Frozen Banana & 1/2 cup Almond Milk
The sandwich combo was to die for. Thanks for the jam & cheddar idea, Kath!
Then it was back to campus. School on a Saturday – ewww.
After two hours of carbon, carbon, and more carbon, I refueled my brain with the snack of all snacks.
I bought 1 6-oz. container of Fage yesterday – such a treat!
Add 3T Humboldt Honey Granola & 1T raisins and you’ve made magic.
My roommate and I picked up Chipotle for dindin. My second experience was just as tasty as the first! I ordered a Veggie Fajita Burrito Bowl. I had mine piled high with: black beans, cilantro-lime rice, fajita veggies, cheese [jack + white cheddar], lettuce, roasted chile-corn salsa, fresh tomato salsa & guac! I seriously have a Chipotle baby in my belly at the moment – so full!
Well, I’m off to cram cram cram…and find a recipe for a scrumptious Sunday breakfast. Good night!
8:00am: Hillary wakes up to the clinkering of her bedroom blinds on the window pane as the cool breeze invites itself in. She clutches onto her clean, comfy sheets and lies content for a few minutes, enjoying the silence throughout the house. The pleasant thought that she doesn’t have to rush out the door anywhere comes to mind – resting her head on her cloud of a feather pillow for a couple more hours is possible – but because she is a 20-year-old going on 40, she decides that a productive Sunday morning would leave her feeling more satisfied.
8:15am: Hillary remembers her plans for breakfast and springs out of bed! She collects the ingredients from each corner of the kitchen as quietly as she can, cringing at a clunk of a cabinet door or crack of an egg that may wake up her nearby sleeping roommates.
8:20am: The French toast assembly line begins. First, crack the free-range organic eggs. Next, add a splash of milk. Sprinkle in the cinnamon. Whisk away.
8:22am: Hillary’s health-conscious brain reminds her to increase her breakfast’s nutritional value. She opens the fridge, pulls out the trusty Bob’s Red Mill ground flax and adds a teaspoon to the egg bath – easy as can be.
8: 24am: Place two slices of whole wheat bread into the “batter”. Fire up the pan with a dab of real buttah. Melt homemade apricot jam for topping.
8:26am: Plop piece of bread #1 into the sizzling butter. Guestimate when the eggy bready is saying: “It’s time to turn me over!”. Flip. Stare at the transformed crispy side of toast. Repeat with slice #2.
8:30am: Top toast with 1/2 sliced banana, fresh blueberries & melted homemade apricot jam.
8:34am: Gather camera, twist open the blinds to let the light shine in, and snap a few shots as timely as possible as she dreads the thought of her French toast becoming cold.
8:40am: Time to eat! Hillary’s taste buds do some critiquing and make a few mental notes about what to change for future French Toast Sunday mornings.
8:40 – 9:00am: Hillary polishes off her breakfast while checking in with her favorite bloggers to see what they ate for their morning meal.
9:45am: Hillary is shocked by how fast the numbers on the clock transform from one to another. She presses the last few words into her keyboard and clicks publish.
Morning. How’s your Wednesday looking so far? As I promised myself last night, I rolled out of bed and headed to my old dance studio for an hour of DanceFit this morning. Ugh, let’s just say that pound of pasta sunk to the pit of stomach and hasn’t ‘escaped’ yet. Pretty sure I looked like an exhausted 2,000 lb. elephant trying to chasse around the room. Ha, oh well…I made an effort anyway : )
Brex
0% Plain Oikos + 1/3 cup Humboldt Honey Granola + 1/2 banana
Are you getting tired of this yet? Too bad…I’m not!
I heart my “H” spoon.
daily cup of decaf green tea + a piece of Rudi’s organic wheat & oat toast with AB & apricot jam
I love this new found hobby/passion/obsession of blogging. I could sit here all day and read/write about healthy living and drool over recipes, but I must get on with my life.
Later,
~ Hillary
I hope your day month is starting off on a high note. I love this month for so many reasons – gift giving, twinkling lights, snowmen, baking, peppermint, family traditions, stockings, cozy fires, the list is endless…
…and gingerbread houses : ) I made this entire house from scratch my senior year of high school in my Restaurant Occupations class – the best assignment ever! Can you spot Rudolph?
Of course I had to fix myself a cup of Candy Cane Lane Green Tea first thing this morning, and to go along…a bowl of PB&J bran.
Look at that steam!
~ Hillary
Hi. How was your last day of November? Are you as excited for December as I am?
I had a casual, uneventful day. I got to school a little before noon, anticipating another dreadful microbiology lecture, to find a note on the door: “class cancelled”. It’s ridiculous the little amount of actual class time I’ve had this semester. So, a Plan B was in order…I enjoyed my AB&J sandwich a little earlier than planned and headed to the g.y.m. I may have popped a few dark chocolate covered espresso beans in the locker room for a burst of energy : )
(whole wheat bread, Justin’s Maple Almond Butter, apricot jam)
Monday’s movement:
I had even more time to waste before my next class at 4:00pm, so I moseyed on over to Starbucks and had a double take of yesterday (iced decaf 2% latte).
After class, I had no choice but to go grocery shopping (unless I wanted a granola bar for dinner). I’m not sure why, but TJ’s shelves were empty. They were out of several things that were on my list. I think I’ll survive without Raisin Bran.
I felt my day was a bit carb-heavy, so I made a salad for dinner to try to balance out my eats:
(baby lettuces, avocado, red onion, pumpkin seeds & chevre + olive oil & balsamic
…and a beautiful pumpkin persimmon)
I found this treat at TJ’s. It had my name on it: “The Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Bar“.
Ok…I love dark chocolate, but 85%…that’s a little too much cocoa. I think 75% is my max. I have no doubt that this bar will be gone in a couple days though : )
Happy December Eve!
~ Hillary
