in the groove

I never set the alarm last night, as I was hoping to either (a) wake up naturally or (b) sleep in, thereby skipping my anticipated morning workout.  I had a doctors appointment at 8, so either way would have worked out just fine and dandy. 

I wasn’t expecting to wake up at 6 though.  But I did.  And I took advantage of this fact by pulling myself out of bed and staying true to my workout plans. 

Starting with a whole wheat bagel.  And topped with PB&Company Bees Knees peanut butter and almond butter.

And dipped and dunked into a mashed, warmed banana with cinnamon for a sweet bite.

I can’t think of anything that works better in my body for prerun fuel than a bagel with nut butter and a banana.  I cranked out 4 miles without the slightest hint of a cramp or side stitch.  And my legs felt fresh and rested from not running yesterday. 

Felt.  So.  Delicious!

Post-run snack: 6-oz plain yogurt with crushed flax and granola

The leftovers were pulled out of the fridge for a delightful, deckside lunch. 

Minestrone soup. 

Whole wheat bread, toasted, with a pat of butter.

A side salad, drizzled with olive oil.

Deliciousness!

Afternoon Snack: kashi crackers and almond butter

Sometimes I want to spend hours in the kitchen.  Simmering, sauteeing, blending, and whipping.

Other times (ahem…today), I simply want something…well…simple.

I literally spent all morning, afternoon and evening doing homework.  It was fun and interesting, but by 5:30, I was so ready to step away and get my mind back to normal.  Most of the homework right now has to do with carbohydrate exchange counting, for patients with diabetes.  I realized that I had been focusing on this for too long, when I started to count the carbohydrates of my own meal in my head.  Time for a break? 😉

Dinner came together in a breeze, thanks to leftover pasta salad, a lonely veggie burger, and some raw veggies (most of which are fresh from the garden!)  Simple.  Delicious.  Exactly what I wanted. 😀

Upcoming Weekend Plans:

• Homework! Homework! Homework!
• Yoga on Saturday, Run on Sunday
• Finish a presentation that’s due for Monday
• Cookout at Nicole’s house
• Local craft fair!

 Let’s do the FRIDAY DANCE!

Question: You have one word to describe your personality.  What is it? 

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rest day

I love to blog.  Write.  Express my thoughts, however random or crazy they come. 

I love to blog.

Which is exactly why I didn’t last night.

I halfheartedly stepped away from my computer.  A rest day, of sorts.  For my brain and for my legs.  No blogging.  No running.  No biking.  No thinking.  Just…rest.

It’s hard to do, this ‘rest’ thing.  My entire life is kind of, sort of, all on my laptop.  Between the dietetic internship coming up, my blog, keeping in touch with friends and family, it’s all here.  At my fingertips.  On my laptop.

It felt good to step away from it all.  Freeing.  A breath of fresh air.

I spent my day taking a test drive out to where my internship will be (don’t want to get lost on my very first day!) with my dad, ordered a grande soy iced coffee, and shopped at whole foods.  The night ended with me eating a chicken sausage, sweet potato fries, and a bowl of vanilla icecream and peaches on my sister’s bed, watching Valentines Day while cuddling with two big bundles of fur known as Stitch and Highstreet.  It was the perfect day of resting, and was exactly what I needed for my brain.  My legs.  My sanity.

The internship starts on Wednesday.  Wednesday!  I can hardly believe how quickly it’s come.  It’s leaving me excited, anxious, nervous.  And full of nostalgia.  I must have looked at all my old freshman photos at least half a dozen times.  “Remember when?”

I’m big into walking down memory lane. 😉

The good news is that I’m feeling completely refreshed this morning.  I noshed on a whole wheat bagel, slathered in almond butter and honey roasted peanut butter, feeling 100% rejuvinated.  A rest day always leaves my brain feeling incredibly creative: ready to finish my powerpoint presentation! 😀  A rest day leaves my legs feeling antsy and energetic: ready for a 3 mile run!  A rest day leaves me excited for the internship and a whole new schedule that I’ll be introduced to.

Ready. 😀

Question: Do you ever take rest days?  Do you take them randomly (when you feel you need them) or do you have a set day where you try to plan a rest day?

tacklin’ the homework

I didn’t want to wake up this morning.  The sun was just beginning to scatter its light through the blinds of my window, my fan was making a hypnotic ‘mmrrrrr’ sound, and I was in that comfy spot.  But then I smelled coffee.  And heard people talking.  I lifted one eye to take a peak at the alarm clock sitting on my bed.

6:00am

It felt too early to function, but I got up anyways.  May as well get a good head start on the internship homework.

But nobody said I had to be creative with breakfast.  So I kind of wasn’t.  But it still tasted amazing.

“Un”Overnight Oats—mix together directly before eating

• 1/2 c. raw oatmeal
• 6-oz. plain yogurt mixed with 2 T. crushed flax
• 1 banana, sliced
• scoop of almond butter

 

 Mornin’ Snack: an unpictured orange

Do you know how long it’s been since I did any sort of yoga?  I have no idea.  In other words, it’s been a long, long while. 

I spent a good 20 minutes entering into sun salutations, planks, side planks, crow poses, tree poses, you name it.  And then I entered into a downward dog.  I can’t believe I used to be able to plant both feet flat on the ground.  Pssshhh.  You should have seen me this morning.  My calves were as tight as a t-shirt that’s two sizes too small.  Not pretty.

It’s okay though.  This is ground zero, and there’s no place to go but forward.  It’s one of the things that I love most about yoga. 😀

Lunch

Leftover Lentil Curry from yesterday.  Two slices of whole wheat toasts for dipping ‘n’ dunking.  Sliced cucumber from the garden.  Raw carrots.  Crunchin’, munchin’!!  Love these kinds of lunches. 😀

 

+ a chunk of 85% dark 

Afternoon Snack: Kiwis and almonds

 

 I knocked off a lot of homework this afternoon and my brain is still filled with things like enteral tube feedings and hypertension.  Which is good.  One thing I’m noticing about the nutrition field, is that nothing really sunk in the first time around.  But after 4 years of college, the information is finally starting to linger.  I can only imagine what I’ll know after the internship.  *Sigh*.  Can you tell I’m excited?

Dinner

Summer in a bowl. 

Mixed greens.  Cucumbers.  Carrots.  Broccoli.  Fresh corn on (off?) the cob.  Black Bean Chipotle Gardenburger.  Extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar.

It was so fresh.  So crunchy.  So flavorful.  So summery. 

 

For dessert, I pulled the other half of my whole wheat chocolate chip banan bread out from the freezer.  This is by far my favorite banana bread ever.  It’s so moist.  So sweet.  So rich.  Nobody will ever know it’s made with all whole wheat flour.  Trust me. 😀

I need to finish up the grocery list for tomorrow.  Any healthy recipes that you think I absolutely must make?  Even if I don’t get to them this week, I’m always looking for new recipes to try in the future. 😀

Question: Favorite summer meal?

easy as a pizza pie

I don’t know what I was thinking.

 

Last night, I envisioned myself sitting down for 8 hours.  Finishing homework.  Completing the powerpoint presentation.  Finishing.

But, really, who was I fooling?  Sitting down for such a long period of time is not possible.  Was not possible.  I gave up after the first hour and decided that I would be more productive if I gave myself mini-breaks spread throughout the day.  😉

Breakfast

Pb&Jam and Banana Oats!

I wanted a pb and jelly sandwich.  I wanted oatbran.  I wanted both.

I cooked up a nice big batch of banana ‘n’ oatbran (my regular, go-to recipe) and topped it off with granola, coconut, Trader Joe’s raspberry jam (which tastes surprisingly close to homemade!), and a big scoop of Teddy peanut butter.

The best of both worlds.

Lunch

You all know how much I love my salmon.  Especially the wild caught variety.

My family has tried all kinds of marmalades and toppings, but I alwasy go back to preferring the simpler side of things.  My dad poured on a teensy amount of Lite Soy Sauce for flavor, sprinkled on some freshly cracked black pepper, and grilled that baby up.  No words.  None.  Zilch.  I think I could live on salmon (I say this about a lot of things, don’t I?)

On the side, I had 1/2 a large sweet potato and some steamed green & wax beans that I picked up from a local organic farm.

Afternoon Snack: 6-oz. yogurt + 2 T. crushed flax + Pumpkin Flax Granola + Trader Joe’s Almond Butter

This afternoon, there were blue skies smiling at me…

…begging me to go outside.  The sky seemed to be saying, “Sarah, you need some Vitamin D.  Come on out and play!”

I couldn’t say no!  I have absolutely no willpower when it comes to such things. 

I grabbed two prunes for a source of psychological energy (running without eating something—anything!—beforehand always makes me feel ‘draggy’…I’m convinced it’s all mental!) before waltzing my way out the door.

 

I’m normally not much of an afternoon runner, but today’s run was fantastic.  I focused on keeping my pace slow and even, while just having fun with my new sneakers.  Hopping over curbs.  Running in dirt paths.  Taking in the summery breeze.  Feeling strong.

The run in three words: Wonderful.  Brisk.  Delicious.

Three and a half miles later, I was home icing my knees and feeling on top of the world.  I think I need to start introducing more afternoon runs for a fun change of pace.  😀

Dinner

This is my quintessential “quick and easy” pizza recipe.  It’s not quite as crisp, airy and amazing as my other pizza dough recipe (under the “Recipe” section,) but it’s super fast and still delicious.  No rising required.  You’ll have it on the table in no time. And it may just save you from ordering takeout when you want pizza in a hurry during a busy night.  And that, my friends, is what makes this pizza recipe a true family favorite. 😀

pizza slice x 2

 

Quick and Easy Pizza

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 c. warm water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 T. olive oil
• 2-1/2 c. whole wheat flour (or a mixture of white and wheat if you prefer)
• additional toppings: favorite sauce (I use canned tomato sauce with garlic powder, fresh basil and oregano added in) and veggies

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Stir in remaining ingredients until stiff ball forms.  Let rest about 5 minutes.
2. Spread dough out on sprayed cookie sheet.  Add sauce and veggies.
3. Cook at 425 for 18 minutes.

+ a side salad

 

+ 85% dark chocolate (Green and Black = my favorite)

Guess what?  After paying for the first installment this afternoon, I’m officially registered into the Dietetic Internship.  It feels so…I don’t know.  Official!!  

Question: Do you prefer working out in the morning, later in the afternoon, or at night?