Wonky WordPress

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I’m blogging after midnight on a Friday and I haven’t gone out or done any drinking; what is wrong with this picture?!?!  [Actually, you can subtract 30ish minutes from this post time-stamp because WordPress was being redonkulous]

I got in bed before 10pm again yesterday and could still barely peel myself out of bed; who’s going to tell my body about next week’s all-nighters?!  I have 9am class on Friday so I did at least manage to eat before I left the house.

Brown Cow 0% Vanilla Greek Yogurt (A 99cent find I was quick pleased with, although the texture was a bit thin.) with a strawberry honey straw.

In between my 1st and 2nd class I worked on Orgo with a friend.  And had a minor breakdown when I realized how little I know.  I also drank a big cup of coffee with skim milk. :::imagine a cup of coffee here; as I said, WordPress is insane:::  And snacked on some celery I took home from food lab.

I went to Orgo (and felt my blood pressure rise just a bit more), and then Anatomy (little higher), and then got the most ridiculous e-mail ever about our lab homework for next week and sort of lost it.  I AM SO ANGRY!  I’ll leave it at that.

Adam actually met me at school to study and I wasted a good 45minutes spazzing out at him about next week.  And then I realized something crucial – complaining doesn’t change the situation.  So I got to work.  We stayed at school until 7:30, but I am done with my homework for Monday.  I ended up grabbing dinner from the food court when I realized I wouldn’t be escaping campus as soon as I’d planned.

A Crunchwrap Supreme, with chicken, from Taco Bell.

Actually, we left school at 7:30 so we could get to UPS before it closed.  Then we went back.  I had to pick up my gym bag and do my printing; we didn’t really leave school until 9:30.

When we got home we had to put some laundry in …… and then we went for a run.  It felt a little crazy, but I made a committment to get back into shape, so I’m going to do the damn thing.  ~2miles/21minutes.  I did a quick strength/stretch when we got home, and it felt good.

Bedtime, no?

When is the craziest time you’ve ever worked out?

It’s All About Your Perception

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This morning there was an issue with the alarms – Adam actually slept through his first class! – so the big breakfast I had planned couldn’t happen.  We were in such a rush leaving the house it was not until I sat down in the car that I realized I hadn’t washed my face, brushed my teeth, or put on make-up!!!  Thank goodness I managed to grab this PB Cookie Lara Bar for breakfast.

When I got to Anatomy Lab it seemed like bad-news-bombs were just dropping all over the place –

  • we have a homework assignment, and my group’s is due even though the apparatus we were given was broken
  • I only scored a 75% on last week’s quiz
  • we now have a quiz next week (that brings my quiz/exam total for next week up to 5!)

But you know what?  My morning was better than their’s –

It’s all about perception; when things seem bad you’ve got to put them into perspective before you get upset.  By the way – yes, we did a frog lab; yes, it was awful.  I wasn’t bothered by the cats at all but Mr. Hops made me pretty sad.

In my break between labs I did some Orgo reading and ate lunch.  Plums (why did I buy so many of these?!),

and another turkey/Laughing Cow/Sandwich Thin.

Today’s Food Lab experiment was fat cookery.  My group had to prepare deep-fried Pakoda (Indian-style veggie tempura), pan-fried catfish, and fried bread (to experiment with the effects of the quality of the cooking oil).  The small room got pretty crazy with five groups frying, the smell was out of control!  I had to take three (small) bites of fried bread so I could write up my lab report and it was pretty nauseating.  I just took a tiny plate of food at the end.

Next week we are doing fruit, and I am much more excited to sample then!

I actually felt pretty sick just from that small amount of fried food, but I knew that the gym would make me feel better.  30minutes on the elliptical, random, level 6.  I kept my workout short because I was feeling awkward about just how bad I smelled!  My hair and skin are like smell sponges; when I worked at Cold Stone in high school the smell of waffle cones would waft off of me for days!

I took a shower as soon as I walked home (and scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed!).  Then Adam and I took a quick fountain diet soda walk and got started on dinner.  I was actually so hungry after our walk that I ate this mini bag of kettle korn while we cooked.

Dinner was three simple steps.  Prepare some quinoa.

Pan-steam eggplant and spinach.

Make a quick curry sauce out of 0% Plain Stonyfield, curry powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and brown sugar.

Serve and consume.

Adam thought this was going to be gross and he ended up pleasantly surprised, and I thought it would be wonderful and ended up underwhelmed.  It’s all about perception!

Have you ever been so tired (or rushed!) that you forgot to brush your teeth?

More of a Mountain than a Hump

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It has been a day!  I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it on the blog yet, but I have 4 exams next week so things are a little crazy.  Additionally, I’ve picked up a short-term volunteering stint with the Dietetics department at a local hospital.  Anyways, today was a bit insane.

I got into bed with a magazine at 8pm last night, and was asleep by 9:30, but my 6:50 alarm still felt pretty harsh.  That’s 9hours of sleep!!!  I guess I really was exhausted yesterday.

I didn’t have time to make breakfast but I did grab a coffee when I got from the hospital.

Equal parts house roast, sweetened English toffee cappuccino, and 2% milk.  If they had skim milk this would be my perfect cup of coffee.

I worked typing up the policy binder and creating a handout for diabetics on the clear liquid diet from 8-11.  Fact – Diabetics on the clear liquid diet are not encouraged to have sugar-free drinks, but should in fact consume 200 grams of carbohydrate throughout the day.  I am going back to work again on Monday.  It’s too bad that I can’t shadow someone in the department, but I’m glad for any exposure I can get.

The husband dropped me off at the hospital in the morning, and the department head looked at me like I was crazy when I said I was going to walk to campus.  That decision was twofold though – parking at the hospital is terrible, and my walk served as a workout since I can’t go to the gym on Wednesdays.  Hospital –> campus is a little further than 2.5miles, and the weather was perfect for a walk!

I had a short break before my first class so I snacked on this serving of Honey Nut Cheerios [stolen from the buffet last weekend].

After Orgo and Anatomy were over I sat and completed my Lab work.  I’m halfway done with next week’s work and since I’ll be busy with tests that is very helpful.  I couldn’t bring a sandwich or anything because of how long I was out of the house, so I packed this single serving of Caramel Cashew Trail Mix to munch on.

Target, I love you; this stuff is so good!  I would never purchase a big bag though, because there is no way I could keep my hand out of it and one serving packs 320calories 😀

I also ate this Clif Fruit Twist [left out the house by Camile].

I arrived at lab at 5:40 and I didn’t leave until 9pm, yikes!  We were working with molecule models and it was very time intensive.  Our new TA starts every lab off with a lesson, and even though it keeps us longer, I love it because it’s another opportunity to learn the (difficult!) subject.

Adam came to get me at 9, we drove a friend from lab home, and then we went on a short walk to get him chocolate milk.  All of which = no time for dinner.  Two thumbs down!

Honestly, it’s so late that I’m not even hungry.  Normally I don’t think skipping meals is a good thing but I know that I’ve been having crazy hunger cycles and since I honored my hunger and ate a ton a few weeks ago it seems like a good idea to honor my lack of hunger and not force it now.  Everything will even out.

Do you ever force yourself to eat when you aren’t hungry?  What’s your reasoning?

P.S.  If you haven’t yet, I’d love it if you’d vote for me for Project Food Blog.

A Play by Play

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I realize that my back hurts and that I am extremely exhausted.

I accomplish absolutely nothing all evening.

I mumble something incoherent about tuna salad and the husband makes himself a can.

I eat 90% of it.

The end.

An Afternoon Giveaway

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This is going to be a quick post, but I wanted to give y’all time to win!

Today’s been a bit crazy, but I found out some major good news about an issue with my program (via a 1.5hour meeting I didn’t have time for!) so I’m happy.  I had my 8am library class today, so I packed a Chocolate Bumble Bar to nibble between classes.

I’ve liked every BB I’ve ever tried, but this flavor is definitely a new favorite!  It was sweet in the most pleasant way, sort of like cocoa mixed with honey?!

I attended a “Welcome to the Dietetics Department” lunch this afternoon.

Fruits,

veggies,

small slice of cheese pizza.

You’d be surprised how “normal” the food is at dietetics events; the last one was just cookies and pretzels.

I snuck in a visit to the gym after my meeting.  35minutes on the elliptical, random, level 6.  Followed by a few minutes of strength/stretching.  I can’t believe how long I went without working out last year; I think I’d be going insane with school if it wasn’t for the gym!

I just got home a few minutes ago and I’ve already housed this Yoplait Greek Strawberry Yogurt.

I tried a Yoplait Greek at Kristen’s house a few months ago when I was in Orlando for my half marathon, but I hadn’t seen them available in Buffalo until last week.  While I finally found them here so I scooped some up (with my own money, fyi).  A Yoplait rep contacted me to say she saw them on the blog, and I thought of you guys!  I feel like a lot of people wouldn’t think of Yoplait because it’s not one of the “traditional” Greek brands, but it’s actually a really good product.  Additionally, I feel like this stuff could be “Gateway Greek,” for people who haven’t made the leap yet; the strawberry one is actually strawberry flavored rather than plain with fruit on the bottom.  The rep was more than happy to send me so coupons, and that’s where you guys come in!

Want to try some Yoplait Greek yogurt?  I will be picking two readers (randomly) to receive a free coupon.  All you have to do is vote for me for Foodbuzz’s Project Food Blog.  Then take a screen shot of the voting page and send it to me at emilyhwaxATgmail.com.  You have until noon on Thursday, good luck!

Pho Sho

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Did getting sucked in by Twitter keep me from accomplishing enough this afternoon? Pho sho.

Did I have a fabulous workout anyway? Pho sho.

Did I use a free sample to make some tasty soup for dinner? Pho pho sho!

Is this post punny in the worst kind of way? For sure!

I didn’t get nothing done, but I didn’t get enough done either.  Still, there’s a limit to how much work I’m going to get done after 6pm, gym or not, so I might as well go to to the gym!  Where apparently there is also a limit to how much I’ll get done after 6:00, because it was packed!  I settled for a quick treadmill workout.

  • 5minutes walking, warm up
  • 20minutes running
  • 5minutes walking, cool down

I covered 2.67miles, a little further than yesterday 🙂  Not an improvement from yesterday was the fact that I had to stop twice during my run to give my feet a break; I have the worst blisters right now 😦

Dinner came in the mail.

Star Anise Foods contacted me about trying their Garlic Goodness Happy Pho and I’m never one to say no to new things.  I’ve never had Pho before, so I can’t comment to its authenticity, but this definitely sparked my interest in trying some at restaurant.

Nutritionals –

Stellar sodium levels for a soup.  Just a head’s up – we found that this made way more than 2 servings (3-4?).

The cooking process was beautifully low-key as well.

We made a hybrid recipe from their traditional and vegetarian options –

Along with the package we did 4cups of low-sodium veggie broth, 8oz of sliced chicken, 4 sliced green onions, a heaping cup of spinach, and cilantro.

The verdict?

Two thumbs up.  This wasn’t very soupy, but that was user error because we let the water cook off while we took a phone call.  The flavors were mild but in a pleasing way, and the use of cinnamon was delightful.  I loved the texture of the noodles too, very soft without being mushy.

Want to try Happy Pho for yourself?  From now to October 5th you can get free shipping when you order online through Amazon.com.  Simply enter this code at check out – ESEFJ7WN.

Bed 1; Emily 0

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I, of course, did not get to bed quickly last night.  Seriously, Emily??  I get so frustrated with myself that I can’t seem to conquer bedtime!  I did manage to get today off on the right foot.  When Adam left for school (7:30ish) I got right out of bed and brewed some coffee.

—With Silk Almond Milk and cinnamon sugar.  This was the last of the Archer Farm Cinnamon Vanilla Nut; it was ok, but I don’t think I’ll be buying more.  The smell was fabulous but the flavor was burnt.

I spent my morning reading the position paper that I’ll be presenting in November.  FYI – position papers are papers put out by the American Dietetic Association to clarify their position on a particular issue.  Our topic is the ethics of feeding and hydration.  I already knew a lot about the Terri Schiavo case, but it was really interesting to learn more about the ethical guidelines behind very young/old patients.  I met up with my group at noon to discuss, but first I made breakfast –

I am super jazzed about that recipe; I came up with it just as I was falling asleep a few weeks ago and I think it ended up being super tasty and original.  Plus I would really, really, really like to attend the Foodbuzz Festival and this is one of the few contests where I feel like my entry actually stands a chance.

After my group meeting I had to do more transfer credit arguing, so lunch ended up being eaten in class.  A cucumber in Orgo,

And a Green SuperFood Berry Whole Food Energy Bar in Anatomy –

The bar was a free sample from Amazing Greens, and probably not something I would have purchased for myself, but it was actually really good.  At first the flavor is more “omg, are you kidding me?!” but a few bites in it turns into “hmmn, ok, pretty damn good.”  It’s sort of a grassy, nutty flavor with aftertones of fruit.  Plus for 210calories it did the trick of filling me up while I’m stuck on campus.

I typed post up in the library, and as soon as I press publish I’m going to go hunker down with some Orgo reading.  Hopefully after an hour or two of solid work I’ll feel caught up enough to go to the gym.

P.S. Voting goes until Sept. 23; if you have a second I would deeply appreciate your vote!  Or not, because I sort of feel like a creeper just asking!  🙂http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/1/view/363

Fall Fruit Panzanella, Nature’s Pride Bread Ambassador Entry

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Panzanella is an Italian creation known as “bread salad.”  The savory dish typically involves tomatoes and summer vegetables.  I decided to put my own spin on it, and created a sweeter salad to showcase some fall fruits.

This recipe is for six servings, but can easily be multiplied for a larger crowd (or divided for a single serving).  The dish is lightly sweetened and can work as a heathy dessert or component of dinner or breakfast.

Fall Fruit Panzanella, serves 6

  • 6 slices Nature’s Pride 100% Whole Wheat bread
  • 6 Tbsp chopped walnuts
  • 6 Tbsp butter or butter substitute
  • 2 cups uniformly chopped pears – I recommend Bosc, but the mild Asian would work as well
  • 2 cups uniformly chopped apples – Honeycrisp, Gala, or any non-sour variety will do
  • 6 tsp brown sugar
  • 3 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 pinches salt
  1. Lightly toast slices of bread.  Remove the crusts, and cube bread into small uniform pieces.  Each slice should yield approximately 20 cubes; it is easiest to stack the bread and cut all at once.
  2. In a skillet over medium heat, toast the chopped walnuts.  This should take 2-3 minutes; the walnuts are finished when you just start to smell them toasting.  Set aside the toasted walnuts.
  3. Reduce heat to low and melt the butter, swirling to coat the bottom of the skillet.
  4. Add chopped apples and pears to the melted butter.  Cook 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fruit has just started to soften.
  5. Add cubed bread to the fruit in the skillet.  Sprinkle in cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt and toss to coat everything evenly.
  6. Continue to cook the mixture, on low heat, for 1-2 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
  7. Remove panzenella from skillet and top with toasted walnuts.

Note – this recipe is my entry to be a Nature’s Pride Bread Ambassador at the 2010 Foodbuzz Festival.

P.S. Voting for Project Food Blog opened today, please vote for me if you think I have what it takes – http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/1/view/363