Loop De Loop

I’m going to apologize in advance just in case this post makes no sense.  I’m tired, and sick, and pretty damn loopy.

After my run and cookie consumption I started the day cautiously optimistic that I would keep feeling good.

To eat in class I packed a green pear,

and a 2% Pineapple Siggi’s.

I loved the 2% fat content of this yogurt but the pineapple was pretty weak.  There was no pineapple flavor and the pieces of fruit were few and far between.  But the yogurt itself was wonderful.  I enjoy the original Siggi’s and the 2% variety was a little sweeter and the texture very creamy and less stiff.

Adam was done at the hospital around the same time I finished my classes so I walked home to meet him for a date before work.  I’m not even gonna lie – he took me to dinner at my school’s food court and it was the best damn date I’ve ever been on.  I love spending time with the husband so much!  First we stopped in at Ashker’s for smoothies since we have a Groupon.

I can’t remember my exact selection but I know that it had a few fruits, carrots, and ginger.

It would have been fantastic except that I forgot that I freaking hate ginger.  The texture was spot on but it was just way too spicy for me.  I could only drink a third or so but the husband happily finished off the rest.

Then we walked back to campus.  I work in the basement of a dorm building so Adam clearly couldn’t hang out with me but I’m a total creeper so the simple fact that he was in the same building as me was exciting.

We were both starving (like gnaw your own arm off starving) so we hit up the food court and ended up discovering a new, totally adorable, perfectly priced “asian” kiosk.  We split a Vietnamese coffee for 99 cents.

And I got a tasty lobster roll.

It was good!

We are bottomless pits so we got pizza too.  $4 for two slices packed with toppings; apparently college food courts are the place to go for a cheap date!

My veggie slice came with banana peppers, roasted red peppers, and black olives.

Tonight was my last shift at work (the calling sessions only last for a month) and I was sad to say goodbye.  Of course there are people who are total jerks to tele-fund-raisers but most people were really nice!  I had several older alumni sweetly tell me that they loved talking to me.  I’ll miss it!

I’m not sure anyone will miss me after tonight though; today’s sickness levels hit their peak mid-shift and I basically hacked up a lung in the corner all evening.  By the time I met Adam I could barely talk.  The loopiness had set in at that point so it’s possible I also told bad jokes and laughed like a hyena the whole walk home but I can’t really blame that on the sickness.

But it definitely was my sore throat that demanded a strawberry milkshake.

Mmmmn, if I could set up a constant stream of icy beverage down my throat that would be excellent.

I had to stay up to set up my class schedule for next semester (I can register tomorrow morning) but now it’s clearly time for bed.  So goodnight!

Can You Guess

Having a (soon to be) doctor husband is great, for obvious reasons, but there are a few drawbacks.  Like the nasty bugs he wears home from the hospital, particularly if he’s been on a pediatric rotation.  He was sick last week, I’m sick this week; as long as the dog is healthy next week it’s all good.

In spite of my sore throat and late bedtime (<– I’m an idiot), I did manage to start my morning with a workout.  My goal for today was completing the route from Monday 30+ seconds faster.  Not quite.  I did the first loop (1.2 miles) in 12 minutes and 50 seconds and I could tell that my form was terrible because my knee was killing me.  So I stopped and picked up the dog for the 2nd loop.  We had to do some walking with our running but I was so impressed with him, 1.2 miles in 14 minutes and 40 seconds.

When I got home I ate the other half of my Vanilla Almond Luna Bar.

I’m glad I stuck with my breakfast goal because all I’ve eaten since then is three cookies!

I’m not going to tell you what they are because I’m sharing the recipe tomorrow.  I will tell you that they’re good!  I’ll give you some hints, can you guess what I made?

What type of cookies do you think I made?

Window Shopping Wednesday

I am not much of a shopper, much to my mother’s chagrin. The woman can spend days at the mall, while I start to feel itchy after just a few hours. It’s not that I’m not materialistic, I totally am, it’s just that the thought of adding more stuff to my life makes it hard to breathe. But I like the idea of things. So I’m an avid window shopper. I browse catalogs I’ll never buy from and hold my breathe when I pass the window at J.Crew. So while I’m stuck at school on Wednesdays, I thought we could have some fun via blog. Let’s window shop!

Here’s what I’m coveting this week –

1.  The entire Capitol Colours line from China Glaze.

They are sparkly nail polishes and they were inspired by The Hunger Games?  Count me in!  I want to say I like “Smoke and Ashes” and “Stone Cold” the best but honestly I’d rock them all.  And I need to go see the movie asap before I die of longing.

2.  The coral sculpture from Delightfully Chic.

I love the look of faux coral (you should never buy real) for decorating.  The bathroom in my dream house is going to be beach themed but I think this piece would look nice in the living room too.

3.  The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

A “funny” book about a cancer support group for teens sounds like the perfect blend of humor and substance.  530 5-star reviews on Amazon can’t be wrong.

4.  The Spork Little 3 Pack from Daytrip Society.

I know some people don’tget the spork but I’m a fan.  I like that these are nice and small (they are for kids, or adults with small mouths!) and the pink plastic is fun.

5.  The Hansel Dress from Piperlime.

God I love lace so much!  This is classy, and summery, and sexy all at the same time.  I love the cut of the dress and that it’s structured and fitted but not tight.  I like the little line on the waist too.

Have you seen The Hunger Games yet?  Did you read the book?

Humbolt Fog

Last night’s sleep session was a disaster.  Usually my sleep issues are related to falling asleep but lately if I get woken up I can’t fall back to sleep either.  The dog woke us up in the middle of the night and it took me at least another hour of tossing and turning to get back to rest.  The husband brought home some sort of bug from the hospital and my throat was killing me.

I overslept today and the morning was rushed but I managed to do what I needed to do, mostly.  I was heading to the gym after 9 am so sticking with my monthly goal I ate a small breakfast before I left.  A few sips of strawberry Powerade Zero,

and a half of a Vanilla Almond Luna Bar.

I didn’t have much time at the gym but something was better than nothing.  20 minutes on the elliptical at random level 7.

After a quick walk home and an even quicker shower I made a Lemon Cookie Smoothie for breakfast.

The last time I made it was apparently a dark and stormy night and I wanted a chance to get some better less awful photographs for the recipe page.

It probably wasn’t my best use of time though; I made it halfway through my smoothie before I had to throw it away and rush out the door.  I didn’t have time to pack lunch and having half a smoothie digesting in my stomach just made my hunger stronger all afternoon.

I got out of clinic a bit early and when I spotted a Manhattan Bagel on the drive home it felt like an oasis in the desert.

I was eating the chips that came with my meal before I was even out of the parking lot.

But chips only seemed to anger the beast (aka my stomach) and I ended up eating my bagel on the ride home!

Eating while driving is sort of nice because instead of dreading red lights you can use them to shove food into your face.  And my bagel was quite enjoyable; I got a veggie sandwich on a rye bagel.

Red onion, lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, veggie cream cheese, and a little bit of chipotle mayo.  I thought the veggies were pretty weak but the bagel was super chewy and good.

I had my 2nd to last shift at work this evening and then I came home to an easy salad dinner.

I needed a vehicle for a veggie, a fruit, and this amazing looking cheese, and salad fit the bill.

This Cypress Grove Humbolt Fog Chevre was delicious.  Sadly the blue cheese and goat cheese were in layers and not the hybrid mixture I was hoping for, but both were quite tasty.

Along with chunk of cheese I had romaine lettuce, groats, chopped honey crisp apple, and Stubbs BBQ Sauce for dressing.

Those ingredients sound strange together but it worked.

I’ll see y’all in the am for some running and some baking!

Commercially Yours

Does it feel like a Thursday to anyone else?  My brain just cannot accept that it’s Monday!  The husband thought it was later in the week too so I’m not alone.

Monday’s lunch was munched in class.  A pink lady apple,

a caramel Oikos,

and a giant iced coffee (coffee, Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk, English toffee syrup).

After class I had a group work meeting and then it was off to work.  My job only lasts for a few more days and I’m definitely going to miss the experience (and $!) when it’s over.

The husband is the man you wish your man would be (is anyone else still in love with the Old Spice commercials?!) so he not only picked me up from school but had dinner waiting when I got home.

A salad of Romaine topped with groats, raisins, ground flax, and Newman’s Own Light Caesar dressing.

And a serving of California Pizza Kitchen’s BBQ Recipe Chicken frozen pizza.

CPK is my favorite chain of all time and this pizza was no slouch.  “White meat chicken with a spicy-sweet barbecue sauce, red onions, cilantro, and smoked gouda and mozzarella cheeses over [their] famous crispy thin crust.”

The flavors were great, but the serving did feel a little small.  I’m going to try to go to bed soon instead of eating more though.  I have a few e-mails to send for clinic and then hopefully I’ll be off to slumber.

What is your favorite commercial?  Mine is Burger King’s Angry Whopper commercial (see below) because it reminds me of the “Broodwich” episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Biscoff Jar Bounty

Adam had to stay up late again last night to register for something online and I’m just as tired as ever.  It’s possible I didn’t get up until after 9:30 am and only then because Adam called and needed me to do something on his computer.  But then I got up and went for a run.

My goal was to run at least 20 minutes without stopping.  I did it; slowly.  2.4 miles in 24 minutes 30 seconds.  Towards the end I would have been moving more quickly if I was walking, but I kept running.  My workout was basically someone else’s warm-up and it was hard!  There were certainly no negative splits; I did two loops and the second time around took 30 seconds longer than the first.  But I’m glad I did it.  And now my goal for Wednesday is to do it again in 30 seconds less.

Before and after my run I took a few swigs of this Strawberry Powerade Zero.

For breakfast I fueled with something much more exciting.

Another round of oats in a jar, this time hot oatmeal with cottage cheese in a Biscoff Crunchy jar.

In the microwave, I cooked 1/2 cup oats with a pinch of salt and  1/2 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup water.  Then I pulled out half of the cooked oatmeal for tomorrow’s breakfast and stirred 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese into the remaining serving.  Then into the jar it went, along with the last 2-3 Tbsp or so of Crunchy Biscoff.

It was great!  If I’d done stovetop oats with a stirred in banana it would have been even better but I was short on time and I didn’t want banana in tomorrow’s serving anyway.

The rest of my day brings a walk to campus, class, a meeting, and a shift at work until 9pm.

Do you do OIAJ?  What is your favorite kind?

Three Dessert Sunday

The weekend is over and I didn’t catch up on any sleep, aaaahh!  After our late night (cough, 4:30, cough cough) I was thrilled to wake up to a pre-made breakfast.  Overnight oats in a jar.

In a pb jar with just a little peanut butter left (approximately 2 Tbsp) I combined 1/4 cup of oats, 1/4 cup Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk, and a caramel Oikos.

It was delicious.  And I have another round of OIAJ planned for tomorrow too, woot.

Lunch was leftovers.

They weren’t mine but they were good.

My mom got this cucumber salad as the side with her meal at Lagerhaus 95.

This afternoon I had a shift at work and an errand to run so I was thrilled when I came home to dinner already made.

Adam made tuna mac (cheap mac and cheese with spinach, edamame, and tuna stirred in).

I added more veggies (edamame and peas) and cheese (a few cubes of sharp cheddar) to my serving.

It was good but box mac and cheese is always disappointingly bland.

Then came desserts.  Yes, sssssss; there were three.  First was a Jell-o ‘Smores Pudding cup.

Meh.  I thought it would be more exciting than it was.  But Adam loved it, and now I’m inspired to make a better, homemade version soon.

Second was apple dippers.

A green apple dipped in a heaping Tbsp each Crunchy Biscoff and Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter.

Delicious.  You can’t go wrong with either of those dips.

Finally, I ate four Dove Coconut Cream Eggs.

Perfect!  My mom bought me these for Easter with strict instructions not to open them until next Sunday but they are already mostly gone, whoops.

What Easter candy are you most excited for?

Distraught Dog

Ugh!  I didn’t drink any beer but the boys sure have been; they are still not home!  And I can’t sleep without Adam so I’m up too.  I am so not catching up on sleep right now.

On the plus side no one asked me to share my plate of toffee pretzels.

But on the downside the dog is distraught that Adam’s not home.  Here are some shots of him sulking in the sweater bin –

Boys are dumb.