New Things

In a major change from our apartment in Brooklyn where it was stiflingly hot, I overslept this morning because I couldn’t sleep last night because I was too cold!  I will never complain about lower temperatures though, I can always add layers, in Brooklyn I would have had to peel off my skin!

In spite of my late start I’ve managed to get most of my to-do’s for the day completed.  We did a little bit more apartment organizing (almost done!) this morning and then I ate a juicy black plum before we headed out.

HPIM4059

We drove up to the North Campus of UB, my campus, today to get our id cards and it accounts.  The campus is a 20minute drive away which means I will have to be careful to schedule my commute around rush hours.  My class is all at night anyway though.  We needed money for the meter so we stopped at the campus Starbucks and I got an unsweetened iced coffee with skim milk.

HPIM4060

On the way home we stopped by the public library.  I can get a card yet because I have no mail addressed to me (you have to show proof of residency) but I am super excited to go back, it was HUGE!  They even had a Mark Twain room 🙂

Now that we are home I’ve been doing all my school/business things on the computer and eating a late snacky lunch.  First we cut into this bad boy (my hand is there to show the size) –

HPIM4061

This was a Crenshaw Melon.  I couldn’t really tell the difference taste/texturewise between this an a cantaloupe but it was fun to try something new.

HPIM4062

Ours was a little too ripe so I ended up throwing out part of my last slice, I think we will have to use the other half for smoothies.

Next I ate a low-fat cheese stick.

HPIM4063

And finally this

HPIM4064

This beauty was

  • Stoneyfield YoKids Banilla low fat yogurt
  • 2t fat free ricotta
  • 1small banana
  • sprinkle of cinnamon

It was so tasty it even looked enticing when stirred to mush.

HPIM4065

In a bit we are going for a run (the same route as yesterday to see if maybe it doesn’t conquer me this time!) and then the plan for tonight is a low key dinner.  Lates!

What new fruits or veggies have YOU tried this summer?

Cold and Not So Hot

My volunteering meeting went well – I completed orientation and once my TB test gets cleared on Friday I will be ready to start.  I am trying to get in as many hours as possible before school starts so I will be going pretty much full-time for the next three weeks – Monday through Thursday from 8am to 4pm.

After volunteering I came home and met up with the husband for more local exploration.  We drove out to Erie and walked around the waterfront a little bit.

HPIM4052

We spotted a cute ice-cream stand and I bought a lemon ice.

HPIM4053

I ate about half before handing it off to Adam.

We did more house-fixing when we got home and then headed out for our first Buffalo run!  I ate a Stoneyfield YoKids Banilla yogurt to refuel first.

HPIM4054

We did 2miles around the neighborhood in 20minutes.  I am painfully out of shape, I can’t wait until 2miles don’t kick my butt any more!  I kept my heart rate monitor on through 10minutes of floor work (stretching, 100 abs reps, and 50 arms reps with my 5lb weights) and all total I burnt 344 calories.

When we were done we cooked our first Buffalo dinner!  We made cold avocado soup and sandwiches.

HPIM4056

We used our George Foreman to make the grilled cheese sandwiches, I used 2 slices of reduced fat colby-jack on mine.

HPIM4058

And the soup was a Rachael Ray magazine recipe which I will include for those of you who enjoy cold soup, but it didn’t really float our boats.

HPIM4057

No-Cook Avocado Bisque, serves 4

  • 2 large avocados (we ended up accidentally buying “Slimcados” which have 35% less fat and calories but tasted the same)
  • 2C buttermilk
  • 4 scallions, green and white parts sliced separately
  • grated peel and juice of one lime
  • 16 ice cubes
  • salt
  • 1lb tomatoes, coursely chopped (we used three plum tomatoes)
  1. Put 1 avocado, buttermilk, scallion whites, lime peel and 3/4 of lime juice in the blender.  Blend on low speed and then blend in ice cubes one by one until smooth.
  2. Meanwhile coarsely chop the remaining avocado and then combine with tomatoes, scallion greens, and the rest of the lime juice.
  3. Divide soup among 4 bowls and top with with guac.

We were excited to have leftovers for lunch but after tasting it we are less excited!  I ate about half of my bowl (but my grilled cheese was great!).

Now I’ve got to go because we are watching old episodes of “My So Called Life” that we Netflixed, night!

Do you like cold soup?  I had some kind of cold fruit soup a few years ago that I loved but now I’m not sure if I enjoy it.

Alliteration, Always Awesome

Ick, ack, yetch!  My plan for last night was snack, mini-workout, early bed time and the heat put a crimp in all three.  I was too hot for food or movement (and I guess those two sort of cancel out) and I ended up not falling asleep until after 3:30am!  Not only do we not have AC but it is actually hotter in our apartment than it is outside.  I don’t even want to think about what moving day will feel like!  My late night pushed everything back this morning but the day is starting to turn around.

I enjoyed my breakfast bowl yesterday and when I saw bbbbbBlack Cherry yogurt in the fridge I knew I’d have to make it again!

HPIM3997

Black, Blue, Berry, Banana Breakfast Bowl

  • Stoneyfield Fat Free Black Cherry Yogurt
  • 1 medium banana
  • ~1/4C blueberries
  • 1T wheatberries

I made today’s bowl a little smaller because I am actually meeting Adam for lunch soon!  He is out doing laundry and I am going to try to get some studying done.  We are planning on packing up our kitchen and bookshelves today and we have to finish all of our business online because we have no internet as of tomorrow morning.  Hopefully we can sneak some fun in too!

Do you prefer blueberries, blackberries, or black cherry?  I am a blackberry fan.

Blue, Berry, Banana, Breakfast Bowl

My alliteration obsession was the driving force behind this morning’s breakfast.  Brought to you by the letter B –

HPIM3980

led to –

HPIM3981

led to –

HPIM3982

Yum.  This bowl contained

  • 1/2 C blueberries
  • 1/4 C wheatberries
  • Stoneyfield Fat Free Strawberry Yogurt
  • small banana

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Some facts –

*Blueberries seem to be out of season now but I was still able to have fresh ones for this bowl.  A month or so ago, when they were super cheap, I bought a few pints, washed them carefully, put them back in the fridge for a day to dry and then poured them into baggies and put them in the freezer.  Last night I just poured from the baggie into my measuring cup, put the cup in the fridge, and this morning I had thawed fresh blueberries.

*Camile asked a question about wheatberries and they are pretty new to me too so I did some research

  • A wheatberry is a wheat grain stripped of its outer hull to leave just the whole kernel
  • They can be ground up to make wheat flour or you can cook them whole for use in dishes
  • Nutrition is equivalent to that of whole wheat
  • A cup of wheatberries has about 300 calories and is packed with protein, fiber, and iron

I think they are chewy and tasty, here are a few spots you can order them –

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Today is one of the last low-key days before we have to actually start packing for the move.  I am headed down the street to do some studying, I have to mail a box to my parents, we need to update our filing system and file our CPR certification, and we are planning on heading over to the Meat Packing District for lunch.

What is the best thing on your agenda today?

Pie in the Sky

We are home safe and sound 🙂  There were a lot of little annoyances today but all that really matters is that we, and our bags, are home safe.  We had an 8 am flight to Atlanta, followed by a quickie gate change, a flight to LGA and then a cab ride to JFK.  Yes, you did read that right; when we made the tickets we were planning on taking the subway but after we got our car we had to store it in long-term parking and it was too late to change the reservations.  Due to travel times I ended up splitting breakfast and lunch into three mini meals.

 We were out the door by 6am but somehow I managed to find the match made in heaven for my car snack –

HPIM3907

0% Plain Fage with a dollop of lemon icebox pie, oh yeah!

HPIM3908

During our first flight I kept up the pie theme with a key lime pie Lara Bar.

HPIM3911

I also ate 200calories worth of peanuts which rounded out the meal nicely.

HPIM3910

Our 1st flight landed late and we ended up almost missing our connection!  We had to speed walk past all food stands and bathrooms so I was not a happy camper by the time we got on the plan.  Luckily we had just enough money left to buy a “Flight Delights” box on the plane.

HPIM3912

I was pretty pleased with this selection.  A and I split it so I ended up with most of the hummus and pita crisps, the chocolate, and a few nuts.

HPIM3913

After our ridiculous cab ride from one airport to another we got in our car and headed home.  Now it’s time for me to do some unpacking and try to magically find dinner for this evening.  I hoping this cup of hazelnut milk gives me energy for now,

HPIM3920

see ya later.

What was the most ridiculous travel experience you have had?  Today wasn’t actually that bad.  On two occasions I’ve been sick while we were flying and I’ve thrown up in airport trashcans – yuck!

Back to the City

After a final car trip this morning, we are home again!  I’m excited to be back (I was actually a little bit homesick this weekend), but that doesn’t mean I’m not super excited to head to St. Thomas on Weds 🙂

This morning we headed out the door bright and early (8am) and made our way back to NYC.  I brought a 0% Oikos Vanilla to eat in the car,

HPIM3755

and supplemented it with oj and an Amazing Grass packet.

HPIM3756

I liked this berry flavor a lot more than I did the plain one.  I found it a little too sweet, but apparently not too sweet to keep me from eating one of the hubby’s maple candies during the ride.

HPIM3757

Once we made it home sweet home we got right down to business – we had to sign/mail our lease for the Buffalo apartment (yippee!), pick up some 2day essentials at the store, and get an insurance check for our car.  FYI – Adam’s parents are amazing and bought us a car our senior year in college (no car was not an option because I had to drive to my internship so they totally saved my butt).  They have driven it for the past two years while we lived in the city but now we have a car again, which is pretty exciting.

HPIM3760

I ate 1.5slices of cheese before we took the car,

HPIM3758

and taking the car took us to 15th street so we took the opportunity to go to our favorite Thai place, Watana.  I got the lunch special, which was pretty exciting.

HPIM3761

My meal was Pad See Eiw chicken.

HPIM3765

It came with a side salad,

HPIM3762

soup,

HPIM3763

and a veggie spring roll.

HPIM3764

Everything was delicious, this lunch totally rocked my socks.  I loved all of the different veggies and the smaller portion of noodles was great because I have zero self-control when it comes to broad rice noodles.  I actually did take about 1/4 of the meal to go, but I attacked it within the next two hours.

HPIM3767

Before we drove home we did dessert Expansion style, by hitting up Union Market for cake samples.

HPIM3766

I had a killer headache all afternoon so I lazed around the house room and enjoyed the comfort of my own couch.  Reruns of Bones kept me pretty happy, as did my yummy snacks.

HPIM3768

3 strawberry chocolates,

HPIM3769

and a marzipan pig.  I also ate about 10, unphotographed, pieces of saltwater taffy.

HPIM3770

After that I made a strange sounding but great tasting bowl – 0% Plain Fage, tons of blueberries, a few pine nuts, and a smidge of maple syrup.

HPIM3771

The mix of flavors and textures in this was perfect.

Plus some protein plus pretzels from Newman’s Own Organics.

HPIM3772

These were hands down the best pretzels I’ve ever had, they had a great salty almost sour flavor.  I ate about 2x what was pictured.

Later in the evening I ate a small bowl of granola for “dinner.”

HPIM3773

HPIM3774

Then I was (finally) productive again by writing my thank yous.  We made the mail drop off trip a stroll, ending at Starbucks for a nonfat iced half pump white chocolate mocha.

HPIM3775

P.S. I was making serious eyes at the husband’s dinner during this post and while I was blogging he darted out of the house and brought me back this –

 HPIM3776

yums.  I almost never drink sugar soda but I adore dipping my pizza crusts and coke coke (rather than diet) is just a little more special for that classy activity.

Vacation Reflections

  • especially for the lack of good choices available, I did a pretty good job of getting in fruits and greens
  • packing a few of my own snacks helped me a lot (hello Amazing Grass packets)
  • when I get frustrated my food choices go downhill – I did pretty well at breakfast and lunches but after a day of dodging unhealthy choices I get frustrated and end up eating a bunch of crap.  I’d be better off having a few smaller indulgences throughout the day than, for example, eating chicken fingers with fries and mac and cheese for dinner
  • the above point is especially important when I am feeling bored in the evening
  • even when I can’t fit in a full workout (like my Saturday run, with hills, go me!) I would be better off squeezing in 2 or 3 minutes here and there

I have another trip coming up, right before my 24th birthday, so I will have to keep these reflections in mind; it’s a learning curve here!

Fun Hap’s in Bloggerland

  1. Mr. and Mrs. Hangry are giving away some MojoMix.
  2. Eat Live Run is helping us uncultured drinkers to figure out wine.
  3. An Apple a Day has 2 fun giveaways, Sahale/Ooba and Crofter’s spread.

Quick Quick

I don’t have much to post, but it is so exciting being in a house with internet that actually works that I wanted to do a quickie.  We’ve had a relaxed morning – I slept in past 10:30! – and we are headed to a movie this afternoon.  After that my sister/brother-in-law, the husband, and I are making the 6hour drive to their parents’ house in Virginia.

Last night I ate a sliver of rocky road fudge after my dinner post –

HPIM3722

And this morning I had a 0% Strawberry Oikos (fruit on the bottom) –

HPIM3723

My sister-in-law is so sweet that she bought Greek yogurt for me to have while I am here.  The husband’s family has very different eating habits from me (not super healthy, a lot of meat) but they’ve really made an effort to make me feel welcome.  Also, this yogurt was fantastic.  Oikos offers the only organic Greek yogurt on the market and I enjoyed stirring the fruit (more like a jam) up from the bottom.

Stir ya later!

How does your eating style differ from your family/your in-laws?  What do you do to make things work?

Nooners

My alarm clock didn’t go off this morning and Adam and I slept in until noon!  It is clear that we are on summer vacay?  As exciting as our late start was, it pushed the whole day back and made everything rushed (still worth it though, it was a happy mistake!).  Art imitates life, and this post will be a little rushed as well.  [Note – as I reread to proofread this post it actually is pretty long, ya me]

After getting out of bed (at noon!) I made some Buffalo business calls and then hurried to Starbucks to meet a former coworker for a study date.  I did brunch from Starbucks, a reduced fat breakfast sandwich with egg whites and turkey bacon.

HPIM3701

This wasn’t bad (and it wasn’t expensive, less than $4) but it wasn’t as good as the wrap from the other day.  I had it with a grandeunsweetened iced coffee with skim milk.

HPIM3702

Ms. N and I studied from 1:30 – 4:30; she is taking the MCAT soon so she’s doing sciences as well.

After my study date I met the husband for some errands and a walk (2.2miles roundtrip) to Atlantic Center.  We had to spend outside of our budget, pulling out the credit card instead of our weekly $200, but there were some items I’ve needed for forever –

HPIM3706

– bras, underwear, and yoga mats!  I have a very unattractive habit of sticking my hand down the front of my top to pull at my uncomfortable older bras so Adam was more than happy to get me some new ones!  I’ve never owned a yoga mat (I got two b/c the cheap ones were so cheap it made more sense to buy two and layer) before but my floorworkfrom the 10minute strength challenge is killing my knee and back bones!

After we walked home I tucked into a Yoplait Fat Free pineapple upsidedown cake yogurt.

HPIM3703

Then I did my packing for tomorrow, we are not leaving the house until after 1pm tomorrow and I am so proud of myself that I packed today – in college I would have flights home for which the car service would pick me up at 5am and I wouldn’t start packing until 4:50am!  All total we have more than 18hours (via bus and car) on the road this weekend so I had to pack reading materials and snacks for the husband and myself.

HPIM3705

I also half-wrapped my niece’s 4th birthday gift –

HPIM3704

We got her two Raggedy Anne books with a Raggedy Anne doll and some candy hearts (one of the books is about how she gets her candy heart).  My brother-in-law makes a big fuss about how “books are for suckers” so I’ve gotten his daughter a book for every single present we’ve given her!  We always do a book and an accompanying doll and it’s become a good tradition.

We are pretty much out of food so I had the world’s lamest dinner, a cup of CambellsChicken and Egg Noodle soup withsome oyster crackers from when I had soup at a restaurant a month or so ago (I thought of you when I took them Sarah!).

HPIM3707

HPIM3708

The soup was pretty terrible, it had a strong, strange herb flavor so I ended up adding Saltines too to help cover the flavor.

HPIM3709

While I ate I worked on some applications for Buffalo things.  After dinner I took a walk with the husband to drop off the mail, I was still a little hungry from my small dinner but the walk helped subdue my stomach.

I couldn’t commit to 10minutes of strength training but I took breaks while writing this post and completed 100reps of arm exercises with my 5lb weights and held one 60second plank.

FYI – This will be my last post until tomorrow evening, we are going on a short vacation!  We are leaving tomorrow to visit Adam’s sister in PA and then traveling with her to VA to meet up with all the rest of the in-laws.  It’s a pretty quick trip, we come home Monday, but it should be fun.  I’ll see you when we get there!

What kind of gifts do you give to youngin’s?  I’ve become a big fan of the book/doll combo, it encourages reading and the doll is more meaningful when connected with a favorite story.  I’ve given our niece The Hungry Caterpillar with a stuffed caterpillar, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do You See? with a teddy bear, and more.