I Have To Grudgingly Admit

… I love, love, loved The Hunger Games!  We are reading it for book club and I’d been resisting, but I got in bed with it last night at 11 and couldn’t stop reading until I was done!  My late night meant I missed my run this morning but it was still totally worth it.  I need to get my hands on the next two books asap.

Breakfast was a bowl of cereal (a mix) with vanilla almond milk.

Plus a pear.

We ran around all afternoon, including a trip to the mecca.

Squeee!  I didn’t buy even a tenth of what I wanted but still came away with a few goodies, including this Zico Chocolate Coconut Water.

I wasn’t sure what to expect but I think this might be my new favorite thing.  The taste sort of reminded me of a chocolate egg cream.  I hope this becomes available in Buffalo soon!

Our meals for the day were eaten at chains, but both were good.  Lunch came from Panera Bread.

I got a soup and salad combo.  A half serving of brocoli cheddar soup.

And a half Thai chopped chicken salad.

With an apple as my side.

And part of a cookie to finish.

I made it through the drive back to the house but then my late night hit me hard and I ended up taking an afternoon nap.  I’m still feeling pretty tired and my mom and I have another 7-hour drive home tomorrow so I’ve got to get to bed early tonight (as in the minute I publish this post!).

Dinner was at Red Lobster.

I started with a side salad with balsamic vinegar on the side,

and of course a cheddar biscuit.

The salad was watery so I ignored it in favor of the biscuit which was delicious (of course!).

I did another combination for my main meal.

The stuffed flounder – which wasn’t as good as my meal last night at Outback,

and coconut shrimp – which came with tasty piña colada sauce.

I wasn’t expecting to get such a platter of food!  I managed half of the fish and 4 of the shrimp, plus all of my side of cole slaw.

All that’s left to eat is sugar plums!

Spring Break Has Begun!

Actually it began yesterday, but I didn’t get a chance to blog until today.  I don’t have any big spring break-y plans, but it’s always enjoyable to get some time off.  My mom is coming to visit next week for her spring break though and we are driving over to Ohio to visit my grandparents.

Yesterday morning I walked to school in just pants and a long sleeve T-shirt (spring came just in time for its break!) and ate breakfast during class.  A GoGo Squeez Apple Strawberry pouch,

and a Peanut Butter Pretzel Mojo Bar.

Both were good and the combo of salty and sweet was great.

For lunch I had a Simply Asia Spicy Mongolian Noodle Bowl.

I guess it was the morning of packaged foods?

Other than the sodium content (which is something I don’t really worry about within my diet) the nutritionals on these bowls are pretty good and they allow you to get food in a hurry when you’re hungry.  1g of saturated fat and 13g of protein in under 3 minutes?  I’ll take it!

The afternoon included an unsuccessful baking attempt.

My goal was Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream for a St. Paddy’s Day treat.  But I hate chocolate cake and I really hate Bailey’s Irish Cream so it actually wasn’t too big of a loss.

Since we won’t be telefundraising over break I volunteered to work the final shift last night.  I drank a ProBugs Strawnana Split Kefir on the walk back to campus.

Work went well and at 8:30 it was officially the start of spring break!

Adam and I cashed in a meal out (and a Living Social deal) for dinner at Lagerhaus 95.

There, I drank water at a German beer house like a total loser.

We had an amazing meal and are planning on going back next week with my mom.  Adam and I split three things to maximize tastes.  We started with the Camembert Fondue – Franziskaner infused camembert wheel / crisp apple slices / crusty sesame bread.

Fondue is Adam’s and my favorite dish to share at new restaurants and this one did not disappoint.  The Camembert was served on top of sautéed sweet onions and the flavor mix was magical.

Next we had the special, a Crab cake Sandwich.  It was served with vinegary cole slaw and crisp green apples on a brioche bun.

I hate crab cakes that are full of breadcrumbs and this guy was super meaty and perfect.  The bun was almost sweet which was an interesting contrast.  It came with a trough side of clam chowder that Adam devoured.

Finally we had the Truffled Wild Mushroom Panini – Haus blend of fresh wild mushrooms / white truffle oil / cippolini onions / fresh arugula / gorgonzola / pressed on foccocia.

Everything was great,but this was the best dish of the night, hands down.  Adam doesn’t have a sense of smell and I was dying the whole meal that he couldn’t experience the scent coming off the truffled mushrooms.  The earthiness with the creamy gorgonzola – which was far creamier than any other gorgonzola I’ve tried – was great.

The panini came with a side salad that was also impressive.

There were several herbs, I couldn’t identify which ones, mixed into the lettuce and it had the most unique flavor.  The honey mustard champagne vinaigrette (unpictured) was nice too.

Overall we had an amazing experience at Lagerhaus 95 and I can’t wait to go back!

Sometimes great flavors seem to make you even hungrier for more and Adam and I stopped on the way home for a box of chocolates.

I ate half of every flavor, or two servings.  A little excessive because they weren’t even that good but I kept thinking each flavor would be better.

This morning I tried a Chobani 2% Passion Fruit Yogurt.

So good, my favorite Chobani yet!  I love passion fruit in general but this one had the perfect balance of sour and sweet.  If you’ve never eaten a passion fruit before the crunchy seeds might seem a little strange but I promise it’s worth a try.

Now I’ve got to shower and then I’m off to get my green on and make a trip to the grocery store.  Are you wearing green today?

Up All Night

…well not quite, but I did come close!  It’s possible I underestimated how many statistics problems were due!  Here are the totals –

Hours slept: 3.5; from 5:30 am to 9am

Assignments completed: all

Coffees consumed: 2, with skim milk and sugar

Snacks nibbled: 1 plate of pretzels with yellow mustard

Minutes wasted on Pinterest: too many!

The morning came quickly but I’ve actually felt pretty good all day.

The t-shirt bustle is the fashion industry’s equivalent to caffeine.

Oh, and I had caffeine too.

I shook a packet of Starbucks Caramel Via Iced Coffee with a bottle of water and was very impressed.  Everything went into solution with no grounds left behind and the flavor was great.

I think, fingers crossed, that my statistics exam was a success as well.  I was not as triumphant on the meal front though.  I only had time to pack one set of meals (actually I packed it yesterday, but whatever) and too little sleep and two few calories made the afternoon feel pretty long.  It was a good meal though.  Sliced cucumber.

A Sandwich Thin with Applegate Farms roasted turkey and maple apple chutney.

And the last of my Canada candy.

I shared a gummi bottle with a friend and she was dully impressed.

I ate my packed meal at 4:45 when we finished with clinic and then had to sit through my night class with a growling stomach.  By the time I got home I knew the only way to keep from going crazy was to use one of our restaurant meals this evening.  We didn’t have time to eat in and we aren’t allowed to do take out so we turned to Wegmans.  I was eating this veggie sushi the minute we got in the car!

And ate this frozen meal practically the minute we got in the house.

It wasn’t anything amazing but the nutrition stats were not terrible.

And soon after I tucked into a giant plate of pizza bagels.  No picture because the husband delivered me my plate like an awesome, but I ate two servings worth (~540 calories).  I think I’m all caught up on food now.

And now I should probably try to catch up on sleep!

When was the last time you pulled an all-nighter?

Has Been And Will Be

Howdy!  It has been – and will be – a long day, so I’ll keep this quick.

My morning started with a trip to the gym.  My CT10k plan called for 11 sets of 3 minutes running / 2 minutes walking, but today was my worst workout ever so I had to mix it up a bit.  My calves were soooooo tight.  I ran and walked super slowly and stopped practically every 5 minutes to stretch but my legs just wouldn’t feel right.  I ended up doing 6 sets of 3/2, followed by 30 minutes of slow walking with my notecards, and then another 6 sets of 3/2.  90 minutes and 6.7 miles in total.  And after my walk home my legs now feel completely better; weird!

I drank a grape G2 while I was at the gym.

Technically this was a drink purchase but I’m not going to count it.  I was feeling very light-headed so calories were a necessity and not just a desire for something other than water.  I am going to buy a few larger (read cheaper unit cost) G2s next time I’m at the store though.

I ate lunch on my walk to school, or at least attempted to.  First, a delightfully crunchy pink lady apple.

Next, I packed a B’More Skyr Vanilla Smoothie.

I had such high hopes – the packaging was neat and I adore Siggi’s skyr yogurts – but alas, stevia.  Yuck, I wish I had looked at the ingredient list more carefully.  I had to throw the drink out after just two sips.  Then I spent the rest of the afternoon bemoaning our no-take-out challenge; I didn’t have anything else to eat and I was starving!

I stayed strong though, and even managed to focus intently for my test.  I’m never really sure, but I think this one went much better than the last few.  Fingers crossed.

And in even better news, the husband got out early from the hospital in time to drive me home from school.  Thus bringing me to food 90% more quickly.

Those are cola gummis I got in Toronto and they were fabulous.  I have the rest of my stash packed for lunch tomorrow and I just can’t wait.

I also made an extraordinary sandwich.

A Sandwich Thin topped with Applegate Farms roasted turkey, sharp cheddar, and tons of sliced sweet pickles.

Mmmmmmmn!  When I was in middle school I’d occasionally pack pickle and cheddar sandwiches for lunch and they are still rocking my socks today.

My delicious sandwich was eaten on the go.  It was warm enough this afternoon to walk Webster sans coats!

We still have more freezing days ahead of us, but it was nice to get a little taste of spring.

Dinner was an oldie but a goodie.

Easy Peasy Peanut Noodles, with an updated recipe page.

Plus the last serving of Malted Heath Bar Toffee Blondie 2 Ingredient Ice Cream for dessert.

I’m pretty sad to see it go.

We’ll call dinner carbo-loading for the marathon night ahead of me.  The things I have to get done for tomorrow list includes studying for my first stats test, three homework assignments for clinical, and a major assignment for management.  And the number things on the list I’m done with is – zero.  Whoops!  Guess I needed to do some work last weekend.

I’m not sure when (or if!) I’ll get to bed but I foresee some midnight snacking in my future.  Sweet dreams to the rest of you!

Husband Sightings

We did not go to the gym yesterday.  It’s possible that when I said “no buts,” I had forgotten that the husband recently stepped on a nail.  When he got home I noticed the little detail that he’s still limping.  I’m a jerk.

Gym or not, today my body wanted carbs.  Time of the month and all that (ew).  The following foods were eaten today, at random intervals approximating breakfast lunch and dinner.  An onion bagel with Smart Balance Light.

Roasted peanuts.

A bowl of cereal with Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk.

An apple on the walk to school.

An unphotographed clementine that my professor gave us at clinic.  We started a new rotation today and I’m actually at the same hospital as the husband for the next three weeks.  We passed each other in the halls twice; swoon.  Plus we had the same patient and when I saw his handwriting in the chart I about died!

Chips.

Vegan fudge from the co-op.

A pile of roasted green beans.

And a big bowl of popcorn with Earth Balance.

Have you ever worked at the same place as your significant other?

My 2nd Weekend

It’s hump day, but my week is just beginning!  I spent Sunday through Tuesday doing nothing more than eating and watching TV.  Seriously, nothing more.  I stuck mostly to popcorn and “Futurama.”  It was great.  It was a good thing I had my “2nd weekend;” we had Monday and Tuesday off for Presidents’ Day.  But I do have to buckle down now to make it through the rest of the week.

I started today by fueling up with a good big breakfast.  I was super hungry and somehow my morning meal turned into a multiple course affair.  First, Amande Coconut Yogurt.

Made with cultured almond milk, Amande makes the best vegan yogurt I’ve ever had.  Adam is completely obsessed with and swears he’s never eating regular yogurt again.  I topped mine with a crumbled Bananas Foster Bar.

And another bar found its way into my mouth too.

Plus an apple.

And a bun with SmartBalance Light.

Now, what’s for lunch?  🙂

On The Hook

It’s Friday; two weeks of school are officially done and over with!  And 2 days of Vegan Month in, I realize I need to figure out a new eating plan.  Now that our larders are stocked it should be easier, but I’ve been waiting too long to eat and eating way too much.  Not good.

Due to a looming bedtime and the sheer mass of (uninteresting) food, I’ll keep this quick.  Coconut water was consumed during class.

This Jumanji apple wasn’t quite as exciting as its name, but it was sweet and good.

With 2 Tbsp of peanut butter.  Plus a ridiculous amount of peanut butter (3-4 Tbsp?!) eaten straight from the jar.

This Amy’s Rice Macaroni with Dairy-Free Cheese was good.

The cheese was by far the best vegan cheese you could hope for (it was good even on the just cheese scale, without the vegan modifier!).  But I wish I could find the vegan but not also gluten-free version, because I bet it’d be better.

The rice pasta was a little bit gummy.

Jordan Almonds (x2) were consumed for taste-testing purposes.

If you like Jordan almonds then I have got the recipe coming for you!  I’m baking this weekend and hope to post early next week.

Vegan jerky.

A bagel with SmartBalance Light.

An Earl Gray with soy milk during a monster-shopping trip.

A Red Hood Winter Hook was split with Adam when we got home.

And a big bowl of popcorn (with SmartBalance Light) was consumed while watching “Grey’s.”

Holy crap carbs.  I think I’m going to spend tomorrow embracing produce!

The Whole Dang Day

It looks like this might be a cranky week!  I’ve just got to roll with it.

Last night’s popcorn turned into fries when I had to leave the house for the cell phone I forgot in the car.

Waffle fries do not make me cranky.

What does make me cranky, is the fact that the shoes I wore to the hospital on Tuesday shredded my feet and left me with big painful spots by each heel.  When I went to put on my sneakers this morning I cried out in pain, so clearly a run was not going to work.  Not only did I have to skip a much-needed workout, but I still had to drive to school at 8am so I could park.  Ugh!

I parked my car for easy access to driving to the hospital this afternoon and headed to the library to do some printing.  (I have some complaints about that too but I’ll keep them to myself!)  Then I stopped by the bookstore for a tall, soy chai latte for the walk home.

Funky mood or not, I have to admit that vanilla soy milk definitely adds a little something extra to a chai latte.  And the warmth in my belly helped me through the cold walk home.

I ate this Crispin apple while I cooked,

but that was the end of the “breakfast foods.”  Instead breakfast looked like this –

I chopped up half a large eggplant and sautéed it in a little evoo and chipotle oil, then poured in some water and covered it to steam.  Then I added in a big handful of chopped okra and ~ 1/2 cup of marinara sauce.

While a bit strange at 9am, the eggplant, okra, marinara skillet is one of my very favorite meals!

This afternoon I have statistics, then clinic, then my night class.  Since it’s a cranky day week, I think I’ll be best served by leaving class at 8pm and hopping straight into a shower and bed.  So I’m sharing my dinner now!

A baggie of grapes.

And a serving of last night’s stir fry.

Topped with dry roasted peanuts because we ran out of cashews.

Should be good.

If anything else sneaks into my mouth I’ll update tomorrow.  See you then!

What do you do to help yourself get over it when you’re having a cranky day week?