enjoying a rainy day

I used to hate rainy days.  It meant being stuck inside with nothing but homework and reading and things like that.

Nowadays, I look forward to being stuck inside with nothing but homework and reading and things like that. 😉

(source)

Today, however, I enjoyed my rainy day.  Outside.

It was pouring outside.  Absolutely pouring! Umbrellas were pointless and even rain boots would have been a futile approach to staying dry.  And so, when I arrived to the local 5k to cheer all the brave runners on, I gave up on my umbrella and decided to just embrace the rain.  I could feel the runners’ energy.  I clapped and hollered, urging on the tired runners.  To keep on going.  To not give up.

My favorite moment was when an older woman with a bright smile shouted, “this is my first!”  This was her very first 5k!  This was her marathon.  I loved that I was able to share the moment with her as she thanked me for the motivation, running on to the finish line.  It made me want to go out and run! 😀

If you’ve never volunteered at a road race, I highly recommend it!

“Breakfast of the Week”

A fruity bowl of oats sprinkled in coconut, walnuts and a dollop of raspberry jam.

Delicious.

A Fruity Bowl of Oats

Grapes are fabulous with oats.  The heat brings out their natural sweetness.  A healthy dose of coconut, walnuts and your favorite jam pull it all together.  Sigh.  What a beautiful morning.

• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 2 Tbsp. crushed flax
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 sweet banana, sliced
• 3-4 strawberries, sliced
• handful of grapes, cut in half
• cinnamon and nutmeg
• toppings: walnuts, coconut, Trader Joe’s raspberry jam

1. Combine oatmeal, flax, milk, 1/4 cup water, fruit and spices in a microwave safe bowl.  Stir.  Place in fridge overnight.
2. The next morning, heat for about 5 minutes or until desired consistency.  Top with your favorite mix ins and ENJOY! 😀

Question: Rainy days…Yay or Nay?

 

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Life’s Changes and more shadowing…

Changes Through The Years…

I was thinking today, about all the changes I’ve made with exercise and eating over the past 5 or 6 years.  I realized that it changed from when I was small to when I was a very self conscious teenager to—what I hope to consider myself as, anyways—a pretty balanced person when it comes to food and exercise. 😀 

Here are some of the ways I’ve grown and changed…

10 years old: My motto was literally taken from a Nancy Drew book, when one of Nancy’s friends stated “I’d rather be pleasantly plump then ever give up icecream sundaes.”  Funny thing is, I still believe that…just not in the same way that I did then. 😀  At that time in my life, the more cheeseburgers, cheez-its, and hot fudge I could fit in my mouth, the better.  Two big bowl fulls of cheez-its at night-time while watching tv was totally normal.  Three (or was it four?) cheeseburgers at mcdonalds was totally fine too.  Living in a family where hiking and biking was part of our identity, I was never severely overweight, but I wasn’t healthy either.  Not to mention I wasn’t very happy either.  My energy was low, and going for even a walk down the street was a chore.  I figured it was enough that my dad dragged me up mountains in New Hampshire during the weekend… 😉

15 years old: Calorie counting…cutting out what I called “bad” foods…replacing normal, whole foods with low-calorie options…all part of who I was.  I think a lot of girls go through this at some point in their lives due to a changing body shape which results in a very awkward period of life.  And as a side note, I think it’s so great to see healthy, strong, confident women acting as role models for young girls.  If you have a young girl in your life (daughter, neice, sister, etc…) don’t forget that what you say and do, passes on to her.  Changing how society looks at women and beauty starts with you!!  Sorry for getting distracted…back to what I was saying: I didn’t know what healthy eating and living meant…it was all about keeping the calories as low as possible because being thin, to me, was the definition of healthy.

18 years old: Freshman 15…creating a new identity for myself…losing the freshman 15 through daily runs, etc.  This is when I began to love running, increasing mileage as time went on.  I also started reading up more on foods that were healthy, what it actually meant to be healthy, and decided after my first year of college, that I wanted to go into nutrition and dietetics.  Things were starting to make sense, and I felt my confidence go way up as I became more fit through running.  My energy also went sky-high as I incorporated healthy, lean proteins into my diet, increased my veggies and fruit intake, and switched from the low-calorie white carbs to including more whole grains in my diet.  And for once in my life I realized there was no such thing as bad food/good food.  Phew…what a relief! 😉 

19 years old: I loved running so much that I just couldn’t get enough of it.  However, I’m one of those peoples who loses her appetite when I’m running, and I didn’t really realize this at the time.  Since I was running about 2, 3, sometimes 4 miles every day, my weight started dropping without me even realizing it.  When I finally did realize that I was underweight, I had to force myself to increase my calories through including more calorie-dense foods.  Gaining weight was actually quite the struggle for me, especially since not too long ago, I was trying to lose that freshman 15.  It was a whole new balanacing act and way of thinking.

21 years old: I’ve learned so, so, so much over the years, in terms of what foods make me happy, how to balance exercise with rest days to keep me most energetic and happy, etc.  Life is so good. 😀

On To Today…

I’ve been having a lot of morning conversations with myself lately…haha.  This morning I tried to decide if I wanted to run or not.  Mentally I made a list of pro’s and con’s…most people would say “just do it” because by the time I actually decide, I’d have probably already been back.

But I had to think it through first.  And finally decided that a morning, 2-mile run, is exactly what I wanted to do.  Plus, I wasn’t meeting with the RD until 9’ish, so I would have plenty of time for showering and breakfast too…

Before heading off into the run, I made a toast with peanut butter and strawberry slices for some fuel.  I always need something in my stomach before going for a run, no matter how short or long I plan on it being!

The 2-miler was a very speedy run today.  I started off slow, and after the first mile, I thought to myself how enjoyable it was to be running at such a comfortable pace.  Then out of nowhere…

CRRRACK….BOOOM!!!

Thunder bolts!  I’ll tell you, if you saw me running that last mile, you’d have laughed.  I don’t think I’ve run that fast since…never!  I ran through the front door, panting breathlessly, just as it begain to downpour and the cracks of thunder became louder.  I never did like thunder storms. 😉

After showering, applying a bit of makeup, and fixing my hair into a semi-dry ponytail, I got to work on making breakfast.  I knew I wanted oats, but we’re completely out of bananas.  It’s amazing how much of a staple bananas are to my breakfast. 😀

So I improvised and went with pears in my oats…

• 3/4 c. oats
• 1 c. milk + 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 pear, diced (the other 1/2 was eaten in the making of this meal… 😉 )
• 10 dashes of cinnamon, 3 dashes of nutmeg (yes, I do actually count them out…I have this recipe down to exactly how I like it. haha)

Topped with:

• 1 T. chopped walnuts
• 1 T. FEED bittersweetness granola (again, not sure which flavor I prefer…this one really made me happy this morning, I have to say, with those big hunks of chocolate crunch. YUM!)
• 3 of the very last fresh strawberries…the rest are put away in the freezer, waiting to be put to use. 😀

Delicious!!  I almost didn’t even miss my morning banana… 😉

This picture was posed, FYI.  I ended up eating lunch at the hospital in a lunch meeting with the RD’s and a diabetes specialist. 

I’ve gotta tell you, eating lunch with RD’s is perhaps one of the greatest experiences. 😀  Nobody judges other people on what they’re eating, everybody loves talking about food as much as I do, and we all seem to have similiar tastebuds too.  Dark chocolate and kashi products seem to be common interest. 😉  Plus, they’re all so down to earth and friendly that it makes for very enjoyable company. 

In the mix of my packed salad:

• a ton of red leef lettuce and baby spinach
• carrot
• cucumbers
• red onion
• orange, cut up
• a few strawberries
• leftover salmon from yesterday
• dressing (1 tsp olive oil, drizzling of balsamic vinegar)

This was a fun and tasty salad… 😀

The RD that I shadowed today worked on the oncology floor, and it was so inspiring to be there and listening to these people.  They were, each and every one of them, so positive and uplifting that I found myself being in an even better mood then when I had first gone in.  I definitely like the idea of working on a floor where people are around for a while, rather then in one day and gone the next.  I’m a people-person when it comes to actually getting to know the people and visiting with them on a regular basis.  Plus, all the girls working on the oncology floor were super great.  I felt as if I was one of their old buddies, after just spending the afternoon with them.  By the end, we were all joking around and laughing.  There was such an upbeat attitude on this floor… 😀

I also sat in on a 2-hr. diabetes education class which was great to see.  The RD was great at explaining how the cells, glucose and insulin work, without making it seem too technical or “sciencey.”  😉

I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I came home around 5 and started feeling hunger pangs.  I wanted something quick and easy, so thank goodness mom had made some pizza for herself and dad at lunch time.  I grabbed two of these huge, thick slices of goodness…

…along with a side salad which I simply sprinkled with orange juice for a light and simple citrusy flavor.

I’m actually not going back to the hospital until next Tuesday due to the holiday coming up and busy schedules.  I’ll kind of miss shadowing and volunteering, but I can guarentee you that I won’t be bored either! 😀  I have too many plans, and it will be kind of nice to get the chance to do some of them. 😉

Hope you’re all enjoyin’ Hump Day!!  Do you guys have 4th of July plans?  I haven’t gone to see fireworks in forever, and would love to be able to catch some over the weekend after the birthday party that I’m going to. 😀

Exercise: 2-mile run in the morning, 3-mile walk after dinner to make sure I took advantage over the sun popping out for an hour or so. 😀

P.S…a bowl of cheerios with raisins and milk is a definite addition for later due to still being hungry. 😉  G’night all!

Hump-Day Happenings…

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.”
– Julia Child

Rainy mornings call for oats…they just do. 

I used my hug mug and favorite green spoon. 😀 

The mix was made of:

• 3/4 c. oats
• 1 c. milk + 1/2 c. water
• splash of vanilla
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• handful of raisins
• 1 T. flax
• 1 very ripe banana
• topped with 2 T. walnuts

I woke up a good 15 minutes earlier then normal just to be sure I could sit and enjoy this bowl of oatmeal. 😀  I don’t like having to rush through my morning, and having some free, quiet time is a must before I start my day.  Usually I’ll do a little bit of light yoga, eat a hearty breakfast, and blog a little…

Then I stashed a kashi bar in my purse, which I ate later for my 10 o’clock snack, and headed off to the hospital.  I met the RD at 9’ish, and we chatted briefly before I sat in on my first counseling session.  Talk about exciting! 😀  There’s something about 24 hr. food recalls and conversations about controlling diabetes…they just never get old. 😉  I especially liked seeing how the RD handled different situations, and how she changed her motivation tactics depending on the personalities of the people. 

Breakfast technically should have kept me full.  But even after having my kashi bar, I found myself feeling pretty hungry.  It probably has something to do with the extra exercise I fit in these last two days…needless to say, lunch couldn’t come soon enough. 😉

I headed to lunch with two RD’s.  I came prepared with some leftover chicken soup (which didn’t actually have any chicken left in it, hence the cheesestick for a lil’ extra protein,) two slices of homemade bread, and a large juicy grapefruit.  I found it a little hard to eat through all this food in the amount of time everyone else at the table finished their sandwiches, so I’m thinking that next time I’ll have to decrease the volume a little. haha…:D

After thanking the RD for letting me shadow and spend some time in her office today, I headed home… 

…Once arriving back at home, I was feeling pretty hungry.  I knew I’d be eating in another 1/2 hr. or so though, and didn’t want to fill myself up with a snack.  So I made myself a veggie plate of carrots and super sweet cherry tomatoes from Trader Joe’s.  These are like candy to me…so addicting! 😀

Dinner was Spicy Broccoli Soba Saute from MoosewoodCookbook.  I made a few changes: I eliminated the sake and used all water, added in a can of cannellini beans, used whole wheat pasta instead of the soba noodles (its what I had on hand,) and doubled the sauce for the 1 lb. pasta used.

On the side I also sauteed a head of cabbage in a T. of olive oil.  This was such a tasty and quick meal to throw together!  I really enjoyed the spicy/sweet combo of flavors, and really liked the addition of the beans for protein and flavor.  Everyone agreed that this recipe could only be better with mushrooms…mmm…

Then this package came in the meal from the guys over at FEED granola.  Yup, you can just imagine how excited I was. 😉  I love, love, love granola.  I ate it every morning for breakfast with hot milk while on my 12-day hike, and have had a love affair with it ever since (it’s just one more thing that never grows old!)  Now I mostly enjoy adding a bit of very good granola to yogurts, oatmeal, etc.  So I was more then looking forward to trying this stuff out…

I decided to open up the mini-sized Raisin Nut (available online, at Whole Foods, and other stores…check their website to find a local store near you!) Granola and topped my last, plain chobani yogurt with a sprinkling.  Oh. My. Goodness.  This may be the best granola I’ve tasted yet.  It was like a crunchy cinnamon raisin cookie…my mom agreed.  Even my dad who doesn’t normally care for oats or cinnamon said this stuff was super good. 

Sooo…my brother won’t be home until tomorrow.  But I can guarentee you that once he enters the house, I’ll give him my camera and tell him to figure out a day to snap away and give us all a recap. 😀  I’ll definitely ask him to talk about the Boston Marathon too, since one of you requested it. 😀

If I’m out early tomorrow, I’ll be going grocery shopping and finishing up some homework.  I also hope to fit in a short run tomorrow morning before I leave for the hospital…let’s see if I can motivate myself to get up and out before breakfast!!  Happy Humpday!!! 😀

Exercise: 3-mile after dinner walk in the misty rain…just enough to work out some kinks and stiffness in my legs after sitting in the office at the hospital.  It was a nice (and needed) recovery day after the past two days of good, hard workouts. 😀

Breakfast in a Jar

I realized today that the end of something great doesn’t have to be a huge disapointment. 😉

Take a Breakfast in a Jar for example.  To think that I’m normally disapointed when my almond butter reaches the bottom.  Not any more.  This might actually be something I look forward to. 😉

There were globs of almond butter on the sides and bottom of the jar…perfect for holding my morning bowl of oats!  Inside the jar, I added:

• 3/4 c. oats
• 1 large, very ripe banana (plus some slices to add on top too!)
• 1 T. crushed flax
• handful of raisins 

Oohey Goohey Goodness Gracious!!!  Everything sort of just melted together into almond butter heaven. 😀

So that was my lovely start to the day. 😀

And then I was off to work in the cafetaria for my food service class requirement.  After chatting with John for a while, to cover some of the many questions I had, I went on to watch–and helped when I could–the staff.  They were super friendly and put up with my awkward, clumsy, “I don’t really know what I’m doing but I’m trying” moments. 😉  haha…They were also super fast and knew exactly what the customers wanted before they even reached the counter. 

And I was pleasantly surprised to see some healthy options on the menu too.  There were fruit cups galore, oatmeal with “add your own” toppings, single servings of kashi cereal with lowfat milk available, whole wheat toast with peanut butter (and bananas available for those of us who love pb and bananas together 😉 ), etc.  It was nice to see that the employees and patient visitors had some healthy foods available to choose from. 😀

I was out by 12:30, home by 1 o’clock, and just started feeling hungry.  Guess that breakfast wasn’t simply tasty…it was super filling as well! 😀

I heated up some leftover chicken stew from yesterday along with a slice of homemade bread on the side.

…And a huge bowl of watermelon for dessert.

I kept toying with the idea of going to whole foods all afternoon.  But then I finally decided that since its so early in the week, the lettuce probably wouldn’t last over the weekend anyways, so I may as well wait and go later in the week.  Besides, the SUN actually dared to peak through the clouds this afternoon!!!  Talk about exciting.  It’s been a good 5-6 days since I last saw it, so I needed to run outside and enjoy it!! 😀

I ate this vanilla chobani with heart to heart before heading out for a run…

…Then I threw on my running sneaks, and headed out for another 4-mile run.  I never, ever do two long runs in a row.  Ever.  It’s sort of part of my unsigned contract to myself. 😉  But today, I just couldn’t resist.  My legs felt sore but I also felt good at the same time.  So I kept running and turned what was meant to be a short run into my longer run.  Dodging puddles, dodging cars (!!!), pumping up hills…so happy to be running! 😀

I also was 100% heartburn free on this run.  That’s one problem I seem to bump into a lot, and I’ve had a hard time knowing when its going to show up or what foods seem to bother it worst (there doesn’t seem to be a pattern at all.)  But today I popped 2 Pepto Bismol tablets, and all was well.  Obviously I can’t be doing that before every run, but I was so happy to see that it helped.  Has anyone else had issues with this??

When I came back from my sweaty run, I gobbled down some more watermelon. 

Dinner was served much later then normal tonight, since everyone had plans that ran past our usual dinner time.  But when it finally was time to eat, everything came together quickly.  The haddock was prepared my favorite way, along with a side of rice and roasted green beans.  I stole this idea from Veganomicon, and it came out absolutely wonderful.  The beans developed a nutty, roasted flavor, and earned rave reviews from everyone.  Best of all (for me anyways! 😀 ), it was easy to put together…

1. Wash and snip off ends of green beans.
2. Throw in a sprayed baking pan or cookie sheet.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil (I added 1 T. olive oil, since there were going to be 3 servings…tsp of olive oil per person)
4. Throw in 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until of desired crispness/firmness.

For dessert, dad broke open his Caffe Mocha Truffles that Nicole had bought him on Father’s Day.  He was nice enough to share…:D  They were so rich and chocolatey with a hint of coffee.  Mmm…

Mom and I headed out for a 3-mile walk while dad stayed behind to work on this wood pile.  Crazy, right??  The ice storm we had this past winter knocked down a ton of trees, which means my dad has been keeping busy with chopping it all up.  I think we’ll have firewood for a good, long time. 😉

I’m still a little hungry, so I’m hoping this snack will fill me up.  I mixed in a T. of crushed flax with yogurt and topped it off with kashi heart to heart and raisins. 😀 

Tomorrow I’ll be spending the day with the RD, and I can hardly wait.  She focuses mostly on outpatient counseling, which is something that really interests me as a career choice.  Speaking of which, I should probably prepare my lunch for tomorrow as well, since I don’t know how long I’ll be there for. 

Hope you’re all doing well…tomorrow’s HUMPDAY by the way!! 😀  Woohoo!!

Exercise: 4-mile afternoon run + 3-mile after dinner walk with mom…I saw a hint of blue skies on both outings.  Maybe there’s still hope that this rainy spell will eventually end! 😉 😀

***As an aside, I’ve been trying to convince my brother to do a guest post on here.  I think it might be interesting, considering he’s vegetarian and very active (he ran the Boston marathon this past year and continues running/biking pretty regularly.)  Would you guys be interested in a “day in the life” of Matthew?  Maybe if he feels wanted, he’ll post one up…;) 😀 haha…

Don’t Forget To Laugh…;)

Ever since seeing the breakfast cookie on Alison’s blog, I knew I needed to try it.  😀

I made this overnight cookie by combining:

• 3/4 c. oats
• 1 T. peanut butter
• 1/2 mashed banana
• 1 T. walnuts
• Chocolate Amazing Grass packet
• about 2 T. milk

Then I mixed it all together into a thick “batter”, and spread it all out on a plate and refrigerated it overnight with waxed paper pushed tightly on top.  In the morning I sprinkled the cookie with the other 1/2 banana and a sprinklin’ of coconut. 😀

I loved the taste of it…subtly sweet, but not too sweet either.  Just right for a hearty, satisfying breakfast.  And it was so much fun to eat too.  I’ll be making more of these in the future, for sure. 😀

On the side I had 2 egg whites that were leftover from a recipe that mom had made, where she needed only the yolks.  I combined the whites with some salsa and black beans to make a nice, protein-filled, spicy side dish.  Yum!!

I grabbed a cup of coffee with a splash of soymilk on my way out the door to the hospital for a day with the food service manager.  This was starbucks coffee, and I just couldn’t pass that up. 😉  In my house, it’s mostly reserved for the weekends, with maxwell house used during the week (which I could give or take depending on my mood.) 

Food Service is still covering the procurement function which is interesting but a little on the slow-paced side.  The manager is super nice, but I just don’t have the interest in business.  I know its all good to know, and I really appreciate how much time he’s putting in for me.  But I can’t wait till we get more into food safety and even getting some cafeteria and serving experience.  I like to be a hands-on girl whenever possible because I learn sooo much more that way. 😀

I was there for a measly 2 hours this morning due to a function that the manager was responsible for putting together.  I skipped on out of the hospital, happy to have the next couple of days off along with some really fun plans for the weekend. 😀  I also ate this pear and granola bar on my ride home.  The early morning breakfast demanded a snack to hold me over for lunch!!

The weather is so strange lately.  I can never tell if it’s rainy or sunny outside, because it seems to change every 10 minutes!  After having a battle of the mind, I decided to take my chances of running into a storm and went out for a 3-mile run.  I have to say…it was a tough run today!!  The humidity is really high, and my legs felt sore and tight.  And my breathing?  Way off!  I kept reminding myself: “Don’t panic, keep running.”  I tell myself that to make sure I don’t let my brain go off on the crazy idea that I can’t run the whole way back.  Just gotta keep on truckin’ through those types of runs! 😀

And I did make it…and of course felt great afterwards when I was all nice and showered and ready for lunch. 😉

Speaking of lunch…I went with a nice big salad because that’s what I was craving.  In the mix:

• mesculin greens
• carrot
• red peppers
• tomatoes
• 1/2 c. black beans
• sprinkling of balsamic vinegar and a tsp of olive oil

On the side I had 1/2 a grapefruit and lots of blueberries along with kashi crackers and a onion flavored laughing cow wedge.  This meal was so satisfying, crunchy, delicious! 😀

This is Part #1: Don’t Forget To Laugh…;)

That was my huge mess, made after I attempted to make a coffee shake/smoothie.  It sounded so tasty at the time, and I wanted to make sure I got some crunchy ice chunks in there.  So I kept throwing icecubes in.  Then I realized that a big frosted block was starting to form, so I decided I had probably added enough.  Shut the blender off, and with one quick turn of the wrist, dumped the shake into my cup…err…onto the countertop.  The massive ice chunk was too big to fit in the width of the glass, which made for a huge mess!!

I told myself to just laugh because sighing or groaning would do no good.  I then preceded to talk myself into believing that a second cup of coffee for the day wasn’t needed anyways…I had plenty of energy, with no need for more caffeine!!

So I cleaned out the blender and pulled out one of these for inspiration for a new smoothie attempt.

Here enters in the GREEN MONSTER.  In the mix:

• Amazing Grass packet
• 1 c. soymilk
• 1/2 banana
• 3 c. spinach
• about a cup’s worth of ice (minus any ice block formation! 😉 )

The verdict?  YUM!  This berry flavor is absolutely delicious, bringing it right up there with the chocolate flavor.  Yum!  I’ll be buying this flavore of Amazing Grass again…:D

The sun peaked out long enough this afternoon to inspire me to go for a 2-mile walk.  I even spotted some blue skies, which was such a beautiful sight after all this rainy weather!!

4 o’clock rolled around and I felt downright starving!!  I knew we’d be having a later supper to celebrate Father’s Day, with Nicole and Nathan coming over too, so I heated up a whole wheat sourdough slice with a blob of peanut butter.  Delish! 😀

Part #2: Don’t Forget To Laugh…;)

I finished dicing up the potatoes, added the oils and spices, and handed them off to my dad to get them placed on the grill.  One little slip is all it takes to get from a neat little foil packet to this…

Diced potatoes everywhere!!  I think they’ll be turning up in random spots for days…haha.  I didn’t realize there was a big pile right outside the front door, and as I stepped out in a hurry to bring dad a plate for the grilled corn, I nearly slipped as I dodged potato slices on each step.  I started laughing which caused mom to laugh, and dad..well…he no longer seemed to feel so bad about dropping the potatoes and managed a snicker or two himself.  Laughter is oftentimes the best medicine. 😉

Nicole and Nate finally arrived around 6:15.  Nicole brought me this Kashi Fiery Fiesta pilaf that she had spotted at the grocery store.  Does she know me super well or what? 😉  I can’t wait to try it out.  Thanks Nicole! 😀

My stomach was feeling a lil’ off for dinner tonight, so I decided to keep food simple.  My dad made a rib eye steak for himself and Nate, a veggie burger for Matthew, and Mom, Nicole, and I had turkey burgers.  I plopped mine right on top of my super-sized bed of greens.  I also carved off the corn from my corn on the cob, and topped it all with ketchup. 😀  It was mighty tasty! 

On to the Father’s Day Gifts!!

My gift is going to have to wait till Sunday to present itself…you’ll see why over the weekend. 😀

We all sat around in the living room to enjoy some good ol’ family-time conversation.  I love it when we all get the chance to get together…:D

And then we went outside to enjoy dad’s father’s day gift, by sitting out near the fire.  I sipped on some chamomile tea with a tea bag that read, “Enjoy the Experience.”  Loved the tea, loved the phrase. 😀

Everyone enjoyed the cream puffs we had made for dessert, but my stomach was still doing some somersaults, so I’m saving mine for tomorrow.   By 9 o’clock, I started feeling a little hungry though, and went for a strawberry chobani with barbara’s shredded oats on top for a little snack.  I’m lovin’ these chobani yogurts.  They’re so rich and creamy, and delightfully thick.  Mmm…

Can you believe we’ve already made it to the weekend???  😀  Hope you all have some fun plans and can enjoy some time off, along with some good ol’ relaxation too!! 😀

Exercise: 3-mile run before lunch which was tough but very worth it. 😀  I also went for a 2-mile walk to enjoy the short clearing of the weather to reveal a bit of sun and a spotting of blue skies. 😀

 

****Oh, and as a side note, for anyone interested, I was researching to see if I could find a good authentic recipe for Poutines.  But all that popped up was french fries and beef gravy and cheese curds (like what Holly had mentioned!)  So I asked my dad about it, and come to find out, this style of Poutines are an Acadian heritage food (my family stemming from New Brunswick.)  If you want to find out more about poutines, type in Acadian along with it, and you’ll find a totally different food then if you simply type in poutine.  Those fried, beef covered cheese curds are something totally different (but also French…;) )