Tag Archives: cucumber

Time to Break the Cycle

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I’m back!  Hell Week part deux is over!

This past week wasn’t a total fail, but I wouldn’t call it a success either.  You see, there’s this cycle I’m trying to break.  I’m really ready to change, but right now it’s basically a schedule that goes like clockwork.  Here’s what goes down on weeks with multiple tests –

  1. I get really excited about all the studying I’m going to do.  I write up an intricate schedule of all the things I’m going to accomplish.
  2. I look at the schedule and get really overwhelmed.
  3. I get so overwhelmed that instead of studying for any of my tests, I stick my head in the sand like an Ostrich and watch Grey’s Anatomy.
  4. I stop going to the gym and I eat a bunch of crap, because I’m “busy.”  Except I’m not busy, because I’m not actually studying.
  5. I feel like crap physically (probably from eating crap) and mentally because I’m disappointed with myself.

This happens every time!  When I was a kid my dad used to tell me that the worst part of procrastinating when doing an unpleasant task is that in addition to doing the task you have to spend a lot of time thinking about it.  I know not to do this, but somehow it hasn’t quite clicked 😉

I didn’t have time for breakfast because I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off (not studying for my tests sadly, I had 4 papers to read for my Nutrition class this morning).  I did manage to warm up with a mug of honey vanilla chamomile,

and to do this –

That’s a good use of time people!

The papers presented in Nutrition today were actually fascinating – the impact of obesity on pregnancy, the benefits of breastfeeding, nutrition intervention in people with developmental disabilities – but I was too wound up to really focus.

We had a block of time before Orgo and I ended up buying a veggie sandwich while I studied.

Meh.  Too much bread, not enough veggie; I ate half.

Then it was time to face the music.  I think the hardest part was that I had the two tests back to back – I literally had to sprint from my Orgo exam to my Anatomy exam.  In the end things went better than they could have gone.  I’m guessing a B/C on the Orgo exam and a C/D (ugh!) on Anatomy.  Moving on…..

I’ve got a weekend of freedom!

Actually, we’ve got some excitement on the agenda tomorrow; Adam, Katie and I are going to run in a 5k!  I’m not even close to being ready for this race (when will I run something I’ve actually trained for?!?), but it will be fun to see if anyone comes in costume.

When I got home this afternoon I decided to dig deep, roll up my sleeves, and start working on breaking that cycle!  I reorganized my binder and got started on Orgo reading.  (go me!)  While I read I ate a crunchy snack.

A sliced cucumber,

and a serving of Sing Buri Cashews that Sahale Snacks sent me.

The nuts were soooo good.

The mix of cashews, peanuts, sesame seeds and dried pineapple was sweet and savory with just a perfect bit of spice.  I never like cashews when they are by their lonesome, but in mixes like this they are divine.

Plus a small vegan pecan pumpkin blondie.

And then it was time for a quick dinner.

(That’s on the small plate from my blondie)  I reheated some leftover roasted broccoli in 1/2 Tbsp of butter, then scrambled in two Eggland’s Best eggs, and topped with a dollop of chunky salsa.

Yum, I love eggs with broccoli!  When I cook eggs I let the yolk and white set separately for a while before I scramble; it gives them the best texture.

Dinner had to be quick because we were meeting a group of friends for a movie.  I packed my own snack, a small assortment of candy from the bulk bins.

Sidenote – when I get candy from the bulk bin I pick and choose the exact pieces I want.  I generally take 1-2 pieces of each candy (that’s 1 jordan almond or 1 gummy bear), it takes at least 10minutes, and I drive the husband crazy.

Anyhoo, we saw “Red” and it was hysterical!  Everyone in the group agreed that it was one of John Malkovich’s best movies.  Two thumbs up.

What is your favorite action comedy?

Mexican x Dos

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A few things need to be said to preface this post –

  1. Today was carbtastic!
  2. You are not seeing double; my lunch and dinner pretty much were identical.  In retrospect, I think I was just so excited about dinner that my fried brian jumped the gun at lunch.
  3. I just finished taking a midterm and I have tests in Anatomy and Orgo on Friday.
  4. I promise this blog will stop sucking (or will at least suck less) when said tests are finished.

Breakfast (1), Cliff Spooky ‘Smores Z-Bar.

This was my first time with this flavor and I thought it was pretty great.  The flavor was marshmellow-y without being too sweet.  Not very filling though, which leads to (2) – a cinnamon raisin bagel with strawberry cream cheese.

I also bought an iced tea.  The vat of coconut cocoa iced tea had been tempting me for days so I finally caved.

Whoops! Where do I think I am, Brooklyn?!  Of course this was pre-sweetened!  Sometimes I forget that BSC is the mecca of all things unhealthy, and also making things that should be healthy into things that are unhealthy.  You guys know that I love all foods sugar laden, but tea is one of the few things that I think should not be sweet.  I took a sip and then dumped it in the trash.

Something that should be sweet is candy!  Like candy corn.

During the 2hour anatomy review session I also snacked on this cucumber.

I went straight from class, to class, to a review session and by the time I was heading home at 1 I figured I should just buy lunch on the way so I could focus on my midterm.  Enter nachos.

I stopped at a ‘fresh fast food’ Mexican place that we don’t usually frequent on the way home and I figured I should try an old favorite.  I was pretty impressed – these were cheesey without being too cheesey (ahem, the jalapeno nachos from my year on the couch!), and packed with beans.  I felt healthy(ish!) rather than sick after eating them.

Special K Red Berries with skim milk.

Picture a small vegan pecan pumpkin blondie here too; I couldn’t take a photo because I ate it during my timed online midterm.

Dinner came courtesy of Foodbuzz, as well as my recent crock pot obsession.  Let me explain.  As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program I was sent a sample of this Pace Picante Sauce.

We’ve been loving stewed chicken in the crock pot lately, so why not salsa stewed chicken?!  Soooo simple – 1lb of chicken in the crock pot, a jar of salsa dumped on top, 8hours on low, shred with 2 forks.  Note – the spice level (for a medium) in this sauce is perfect, and I like the level of chunkiness.  Two thumbs up.

Easy peasy, and in a few more short steps we had a fabulous dinner.

Oven roasted butternut squash and broccoli,

sautéed chopped green peppers and onions,

shredded sharp cheddar,

salsa stewed chicken,

dollop of Daisy store-brand reduced fat sour cream.

Fabulous.  Made even more fabulous when finished with the addition of Terra Blues Chips.

Fabulous x 10.

What’s your go-to order for American-Mexican food?  Burritos, enchilladas, or do nachos feed your soul?

Random Sampling

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There are two things you need to know about today going into this post – 1. It was an all over the place day; 2. It was chockfull of samples. Edited to add – whoops, make that three things – 3. I’m in a terrible, corny joke mood!  

Before I start I want to address the samples.  “Hello, Samples, how are you?”  Ok, ok, bad joke!  I just wanted to say that I respect my readers (you guys!) and try to give you the content you deserve (bad jokes aside), and I hope that this blog never feels like a commercial.  That said; I think part of my job as a food blogger – especially a healthy food blogger who also relies on a high volume of packaged foods – is to try, discuss, and introduce new and tasty products.  I hope you know that I would never sugarcoat a product that contains too much sugar (hyuck, hyuck), and that I always share my true opinion.  If I seem like I really like something, it’s because I do, not because I’m trying to impress a company.  And if it seems like I really, really like something, it’s because I’m kind of overeager and I’m pretty much always jazzed about something! 😀

All of that is to say that I started my morning with a sample.

Other than my diet soda addiction, I tend to shy away from “diet” products, so when Zone Perfect contacted me I figured it would be for a product that I should turn down because I wouldn’t purchase it on my own.  Then I realized that the products were cookie dough protein bars and all bets were off!  The bars came in a cookie jar (too cute!) –

And the packaging was adorable.

I decided to start with the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor; could it stack up to Balance Cookie Dough Bars (my very favorite product of all time)?

Yes!  I’m not going to diss BCDB’s by moving them to 2nd place (not a chance), but I’m pretty sure these firmly tie for my new favorite!  The flavor was mild but the texture was exactly like cookie dough.  The fact that there were chocolate chunks (instead of chocolate coating) made the experience seem 100% real.  I sort of felt like a naughty baker all through breakfast!  Are they healthy?  The short answer is, it depends.  Obviously all protein bars have more chemicals (and saturated fat) than a plate of waffles or scrambled eggs.  But tastewise this would make eggs its b***h.  If you don’t currently eat protein bars, I wouldn’t suggest throwing out your real food to buy these.  But if you do, then stock up immediately because these are amazing.  Note – I’m only taking CCCD here, I’ll let you know when I try the other flavors.

The reason I was eating an on-the-go breakfast in the first place is because I had to be at school at before 8am to meet with a teacher.  Afterwards I did some final studying and then I headed off to the big scary Anatomy Lab practical exam.  Phew, glad that’s over!  I dont’ think I got an A, but I did alright; and I’m very proud of how much I learned.

In between classes I did more errand running related to my transfer credits.  Please cross your fingers for me that it’s all sorted out soon.  I also finished a big chunk of work for a project, freeing up my afternoon.

Today’s Food Lab is one we’ve all been looking forward to for weeks – fruit!

There were triffles, crumbles, crisps, and an awesome variety of fresh fruits (papaya, mango, horn melon..).  My group made applesauce; it was delicious and I’m hoping to remake it at home soon.

I ran a few errands around Elmwood this afternoon and then Adam set off to multiple mail locations.  I got a fun box from Sahale Snacks that you’ll be seeing soon.  Also, Random Integer Generator picked #9,

congrats Monica!  E-mail me (emilyhwaxATgmail.com) with your address and phone # so I can get you your prize.

I also got a fun mystery box!  When I was at BlogHer I had a long talk with the Terra Chips guys about how much I loved Blue, and I was thrilled to find this in the mail today!

Thanks Terra Chips!  We immediately tore the bag open and I had this handful x 3.

They are just regular potato chips but they taste so amazing!  The chips are extra thick and crunchy and the husband and I are both obsessed with them.

Next we headed to the mall where I confirmed the death of my i-pod, tear.  It wasn’t all bad though, I did have a coupon (I am on the mailing list to basically everything) for Aunt Annie’s Pretzels.

Jalapeno and Cheddar Pretzel?  Yes, please!

Cheesey and spicy and awesome and about a billionth of the calories of the jalapeno cheddar nachos I scarfed all last year (I looked it up, the pretzel has 300calories).  I ate a little bit more than half.

Finally, we made the evening a full-fledged date and headed to the movies.

We’ve been dying to see “Easy A” for weeks and I’m so glad we caught it while it was still in the theatres!  If you get a chance, see it!  The movie was funny and touching at the same time and the music and casting were awesome.  The dialogue was amazing and Adam and I pretty much want to grow up to be the main character’s parents.

I crunched my way through the movie with some prepacked snacks; a Gala apple,

and a cucumber.

We rounded out the date with a walk around the neighborhood when we got home.  Two things – 1) I am so glad I married someone who loves to walk with me; 2) I am so ready to go to the gym tomorrow!

When we got home I finished up dinner with a final sample of the day.

Special K Red Berries cereal now has more fiber, and I was sent a sample as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers’ Program.  Nutritional – 

I poured myself a heaping 1cup serving with skim milk.

Fab-u-lous!  I dont’ know why I don’t eat cereal more often, I’m always in love with it when I do.  It’s been a long time since I’ve bought Special K, but I’m putting it back on my  grocery list.  The flakes were just sweet enough and they kept their crunch, even through a long soak while I unpacked my binder.  Plus (especially for 110calories!) I found that a serving really filled me up.

In summary – 1) Today was a lot of fun; 2) I think this post just goes to show that it is possible to eat a healthy diet….in a hurry…..while still having a lot of fun (although my veggie consumption today was pretty sad!).

Have you seen “Easy A” yet?  (No, why the heck not?!)  What’d you think?

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

Signs of the Season

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Friday, Friday, Friday!  But that’s not all I’m excited about.

Adam left first today and when he called to tell me he was cold I had one thought – “Blazer!”

Some people are excited about the first Pumpkin Spice Latte (don’t get me wrong, I am too, but October is the pumpkin month!), I’m jazzed about the first blazer of the season.

I’m not ready to give in to fall yet though, I’m still rocking the Reefs and my breakfast felt pretty summery.

A serving of Kashi H2H topped with a chopped nectarine and Silk Almond Milk.

Here’s what I’ll be eating for lunch –

Turkey, Laughing Cow, Sandwich Thin.  Yes, that is an entire cucumber in the bag, and I am happy to see you 😉

What is your favorite sign of fall?