We Can’t All Be Winners

I’m only a week away from achieving my 30 days goal, but – – – I’ve decided to quit.  I have been so cranky and frustrated the last two days (not for any good reason, I’m just in a funk) and the thought of blogging them was just too much.  Important note – all you are really missing out on is 10 bazilion servings of potato chips.

I have really enjoyed everyday blogging the past few weeks though, and I am excited to start trying for the goal again tomorrow.

For now, the winner of my Petite Treats giveaway:

tara says:

February 8, 2013 at 1:16 pm

I love minis – I can justify eating two or three or four, right????

Congrats, Tara!  Shoot me an e-mail with your mailing address so I can get you your book.

And A Class To Go Before I Sleep

My mom texted to check on me after I didn’t post last night, but I promise I wasn’t snowed in/buried alive/on a bender – I’ve just been busy!  Monday wasn’t quite as crazy as Sunday, but I am getting this post up early before night class so I have some tiny chance of painting my nails this evening.  If I miss another holiday colors polish opportunity I will be so sad.

Sunday I ate this Tandoor Chef Vegetable Pad Thai for breakfast.

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Not traditional “morning food,” but one of the best frozen entrées ever.  It is a little calorie-dense at 490kcal a package, but the texture and flavor makes it taste like a splurge and not a sad frozen dinner.

I tried to take a cup of my latest impulse purchase to work with me, but ended up passing Adam my glass after one sip.

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I love Silk’s almond milks but I think I am just not a soy milk girl; this had such a strong aftertaste to me.  Thankfully the husband enjoys it so our carton won’t go to waste.

Adam and Webster picked me up from work, and we got this box from the co-op hot bar on the way home.

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Vegan “cheesy” pasta and 3 stuffed grape leaves, shared 70-30 my favor.

We also split this Opal apple.

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It is fun to try new varieties, but we probably won’t get this one again for the increased price versus “regular” apples.

I was tired from work, and really didn’t want to go to the gym, so I bribed myself with this Justin’s Chocolate Almond Butter packet.

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That stuff is just chocolate frosting, I swear!

At the gym, I finished my first week of CT10k workouts.  4 minutes walking/1 minute running, x 8.  Except I shouldn’t listen to Fiona Apple while I run because I’m obsessed; I ended up running for 10 minutes straight in the middle of my workout.

Dinner was all over the place, but the components were all good.  A handful of baby carrots.

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Pizza crusts stolen from the husband.

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A bit of Chocolove Currants and Almonds in Dark Chocolate.

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Who knew I loved currants?  They definitely helped break up the intensity of the bar.

Finally, we made tasty smoothies.

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Thai young coconut, frozen banana, frozen blueberries, and a bit of brown sugar.

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Adam has recently decided that he is obsessed with Thai young coconuts, so expect to see more of these.  Especially since our coconut was so exciting – it was pink!

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Apparently it’s a common variation relating to the varied levels of phenol found in the coconuts.

Today I grabbed a Coconut Chocolate Chip Clif Bar for breakfast.

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I attended a workshop on TPN in the morning so I got to eat in the hospital rather than my car, which was nice.

Lunch was another tasty black-eyed pea salad.

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Black eyed peas with bread and butter corn, green pepper, smoked almonds, and green Tabasco.  I made a big batch so my lunch for the next two days is already packed.

With a serving of the dark chocolate for dessert.

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And when I got home I ate a pear.

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I took care of a few things for school when I got home from the hospital, and sudddenly I was starving.

Dinner was pretty lame, but I’m in a hurry trying to get to school so I can finish some reading before class.

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And lame doesn’t mean it didn’t taste good!

A box of Health is Wealth Asian Spring Rolls,

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with a dipping sauce of chunky peanut butter and Smart Balance Light.

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Mmmmmmn!

P.S. – You can still win!  Comment on this post before midnight for a chance to win a copy of the “Petite Treats” cookbook.

Last Friday Night

I spent Friday night getting a little drunk.  Mind you, not so drunk that I would actually want to listen to Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night.”  We did watch some bad stand up comedy on Netflix though.  <– Tim Minchin, not as funny as this joke would lead you to believe.  (It’s so dirty, don’t click, Nana!)

Yesterday, Bitchtastic

Friday morning started with a Chocolate Dipped Coconut Luna Bar on the way to the hospital.

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I had plans for a morning gym session but when I saw the weather report I decided to sleep in instead.  We got really lucky here, the snow was annoying but not anything dangerous.

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I had a nice day at the hospital in spite of the weather.  I got to chart on several interesting patients and had a little more practice with doing pediatric TPN orders.  I love the nutrition support aspect of dietetics but children are really different from what I’ve done with adults.

Lunch was a simple salad.

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Chopped green pepper and cucumber with evoo, Sriracha, and some salty peanuts.

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What a winning combination!

Plus a GoGo Squeez Cinnamon Applesauce packet.

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Great on the go, but not as amazing as the pile of fruit I had when I got home.

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Underneath my mounds of blue and blackberries was Naked Vanilla Oat Milk, a little honey, and 1/4 cup each All Bran Bran Buds and Nature’s Path Coconut Chia Granola.

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So flipping good.  And it was a good thing I got in a healthy snack because my responsible food choices took a downhill turn during the rest of the evening.

I blame the Bitch Bubbly.

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A girlfriend came over and she, Adam, and I drank the bottle in mimosas.

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The sparkling wine was pretty bad, but our next round was fantastic –

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Sips Lavender Lemondrop Sparkling Cocktails!  This was so fun, and quite delicious.  I described it to my coworker today as “Kate Spade’s Four Loco.”  I would definitely buy them again.

But maybe I’d eat dinner first next time.  My evening meal ended up being… A slice of bread with Smart Balance Light,

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and a huge bowl of popcorn with melted Earth Balance.

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Major thanks to the husband for making me two bowls of popcorn; I spilled that first one within a matter of minutes!

Fashion Friday

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Today, Tofutastic

Saturday’s meals were a little healthier.  Still very tasty though.

For breakfast, Adam and I split a great pb & j.

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With a pear on the side.

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I worked today, but only a half shift, so I had time to get lunch from Wegman’s hot bar.  Some tofu and veggies in mushroom dashi with two pieces of inari.

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I did lots of Googling, and as far as I could tell mushroom dashi is just mushroom stock, so I’m still not sure what that yummy sauce was.

We made tofu for dinner too.

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A bed of cabbage —a bag of “Asian Slaw” mix cooked with a bit of Earth Balance with caramelized onions tossed in towards the end— topped with walnuts —cooked in a skillet with salt and sugar— and tofu —super firm tofu cooked in the skillet we used for the onions, finished with a sauce of tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha, honey, and orange juice.

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I was glad I added the nuts at the last-minute to help break up the texture.  The flavors were spot on though.

I had Goody Good Stuff Tropical Fruit for dessert.

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Adorable, and much firmer than the other varieties.

Was your area hit with this weekend’s crazy weather?

Petite Treats Book Giveaway

Since the giveaway ties in with breakfast, I’m going to post this day in reverse!  Also I’m going to do it quickly, since I’m late picking up the husband.

Dinner – Veggie summer roll from Wegmans while we knocked next week’s grocery shopping out of the way early.

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Lunch – A tempeh sandwich with Sriracha Nayo and Strawberry Crofter’s on a Sandwich Thin.

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A pear.

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And more soft strawberry licorice.

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Breakfast – A ridiculous coffee in the car on the longish drive to an off-site clinic.  Venti soy latte with (half pumps) cinnamon dolce syrup.

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And delicious mini scones.

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Actually, Blueberry Lavender Skookies.  <– squeeee!

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The skookie recipe came from Petite Treats; Mini Versions of Your Favorite Baked Delights, a book I was sent to review.

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Here is what the publishers said about it –

Good things come in small packages—and now so do all of your favorite desserts!

Introducing “Petite Treats,” an adorable cookbook featuring delicious, bite-sized, reduced-guilt sweets that are sure to charm family and friends at any gathering.

From the authors of “Mini Pies” and founders of the Seattle-based Mini Empire Bakery, “Petite Treats” shows you how to miniaturize everything from tiny fruit scones and mini pies to bite-size brownies and cutesy cannoli—sweet satisfaction guaranteed.

This book includes dozens of full-color photos and easy-to-follow recipes, as well as decorating and presentation tips. Let “Petite Treats” be the star of your next holiday, birthday or cocktail party.

And here are my thoughts –

  • a good mix of healthy and decadent treats, all in the miniature
  • the instructions were easy, and easy to follow!
  • some recipes are vegan (like the skookies)
  • they included a mini piecaken (a pie within a cake) so you know that the authors must be on top of their dessert game!
  • the pictures make me drool

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They gave me the opportunity to share a book with my readers too.  Since you guys like me, I knew that y’all love things that are small and sweet!  <– that was so corny I think I made myself throw up.

For a chance to win a copy of the book – simply comment on this post by midnight on Monday (February 11th).

Ball Of Stress

I’ve been trying to let myself sleep in as late as possible this week and bars help me do that. I ate this White Chocolate Macadamia Clif Bar in the car on the way to the hospital.

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I’m feeling a lot better from Monday but I’m still making a point of not skipping breakfast.

For lunch I veganized my favorite bean salad by swapping out cheese cubes for spicy Nayo.

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Black eyed peas + chopped green pepper + smoked almonds + spicy Nayo.

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Nothing is ever as good sans cheese but this was still pretty damn good.

With a Mango Coconut Sparkling KeVita.

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And cola breeze and sour mix and match gummies for dessert.

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I found these Goody Good Stuff Gummies at 7-11.

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They are vegetarian and pretty good, though they are a little soft for my tastes. The husband loved them though; he had one taste and rest of my bags were gone.

I am having a really great time at the pediatric hospital, but I have to admit that I am really stressed out right now. There are a lot of things happening in my school and personal life at the moment that are freaking me out. I can’t talk about any of it on the blog, but I will say that I am a giant ball of stress. My stomach hurts all of the time.

Thankfully I had the afternoon free to decompress. I did some fun baking (and tasting!).

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Then I brought a friend some of my baked goods and we had a mutual vent session.

And I walked to and from the gym. The icy patches made the trips take forever, but it was a good way to clear my head.

At the gym, I did another Couch to 10k treadmill workout. 4 minutes of walking / 1 minute running, x9.

I ate these Darrell Lea Strawberry Licorice while I cooked dinner.

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I kept it simple.

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Adam and I shared a package of Tasty Bite Channa Masala – bulked up with some frozen veggies – over a package of brown rice.

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Easy peasy.

What do you do to let off steam when you are feeling stressed?

Breakfast In A Jar And Dinner On The Lam

Adding in exercise is making blogging very tricky this week.  When you leave for the gym at 9pm, all you want to do when you get home is sleep.  Especially if you have to run errands at Target on your way home from the gym.  Especially if you were too busy all evening to eat dinner.

I started my day with packet of Spiru-Tein S’mores protein powder shaken with 1 cup of Naked Vanilla Oat Milk.

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I was pretty amazed that the powder was vegan (minus honey which I’m not worrying about for the Vegan 20 Day Challenge).  It wasn’t the best tasting thing I’ve ever had, but I was impressed with how thick it got.  I shook it up in a recycled jar, making this a very easy to-go breakfast.

I’m having a good week at the hospital; it’s starting to feel like I’m hitting my stride.  If there is one thing I’ve learned so far from this rotation it’s this – I knew absolutely nothing about pediatric nutrition.

Lunch was a pear.

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A yummy sandwich of 5 grain tempeh on a Sandwich Thin with yellow mustard and Smart Balance Light.

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And the other half of my rice milk chocolate bar.

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When Adam got home this afternoon he helped me crack open this guy…

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I may have had to eat over my work, but I still had a great afternoon snack.

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Adam and I shared the Thai young coconut in smoothie form.

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With frozen banana, peach, and blueberries too.

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And fancy bread with Smart Balance Light on the side.

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I’m glad I had a big snack, because journaling took so long that I never had time to make dinner.

I did make it to the gym though.  30 minutes on the elliptical at level 6 random.  Certainly not the most intense workout ever, but a far cry better than what I wanted to do (sit on the couch).

And now all I want to do is go to bed!

Loves Of Late

Here are some of the things I’ve been loving lately…

1.  Getting to give you guys stuff.

random winners

Sarah and Ashley, you won my Sparkling KeVita giveaway!  Please e-mail me with your mailing addresses so I can get out your prize.

2.  The “Paperman” short.

I often enjoy the shorts before the movie better than the feature film.  Case in point – “Paperman” from “Wreck-It Ralph” and the “Knick Knack” from “Finding Nemo”

3.  The French Lavender Hair Stuff my mom got me from EO.

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I’m not one who loves showers, but fun scents definitely make them nicer.  EO also has a Coconut Hibiscus line {hint, hint}!

4.  “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men.

The music video is the best I’ve ever seen; it is totally captivating and goes with the song seamlessly.  Plus I like the song so much it hurts and howl along with it at least twice a day.

What song are you loving this week?

All Over The Place

I’ve been all over the place the past two days, figuratively speaking.  Literally, I’ve been in Buffalo, at work or in my apartment.  Influencing the craziness of my eats?  I started a 20 Day Vegan Challenge on Sunday, I was so hungry yesterday I thought I might actually eat a horse if one happened to gallop near me, and today I woke up far under the weather.  What can you do?

Sunday was fairly ridiculous.  In spite of being vegan and staying home from the Super Bowl party I definitely still managed to match the rest of America’s Super Bowl Sunday caloric intake.

Banana Bread Lara Bar.

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Chips.

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Summer roll from the co-op.

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Fancy bread with olive oil, x2.5.

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Vegan almond joy bar.

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Gummies.

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If my summer roll hadn’t been packed with veggies I probably would have had to turn in my diploma!

Then I got into bed at 9:30 pm Sunday night and barely made it out by 7:15 today.  I don’t seem to be sick with any typical flu-like symptoms {knock on wood} but I am tired beyond reason.  I swear to God I didn’t spend Super Bowl Sunday eating chicken wings and getting wasted, but when I woke up this morning I felt like I was drunk!  It took me 10 minutes to really figure out where I was and I stayed in a haze for most the morning.  And super embarrassingly, I almost passed out in the ICU during rounds!  Hopefully no one else noticed but the RD I was with said I got very pale for a few minutes.

I grabbed a (non-diet) Dr. Pepper during a quick break and that helped get my blood sugar back up.

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Lunch was a simple salad – romaine, raw veggies, pickled beans, and low-fat raspberry vinaigrette.

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And I had a bowl of cereal when I got home.  A serving of Nature’s Path Coconut Chia Granola topped with blackberries and Simpli Vanilla Naked Oat Milk.

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The granola was some of the best I’ve ever had!

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It held up in the milk without being too hard and it was loaded with big pieces of coconut.

I ate half of this Enjoy Life Ricemilk Chocolate bar while I did some history reading.

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And kept dinner simple with an Annie Chun’s Korean Kimchi Soup Bowl.

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I still had some reading to do for class so I needed to keep things quick.

Don’t ask me how I managed to drag myself to the gym after my night class, but I did.  I am hoping to start up with the Couch to 10k program again.  Today was 1 minute running/4 minutes walking, x 8.  Except a great song came on and I ended up just running the last five minutes.

I was starving when I got home so I ate a slice of bread with Smart Balance Light while I packed our lunches.

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All that stands between me and bed is a shower!

Did you watch the Super Bowl?  What’d you snack on during the game?