a day of food.. and chocolate.

Morning! How are you all doing? I am having just the most excellent Wednesday. Yesterday afternoon, right as I was finishing up my HIIT session, my dearest, beloved Mom walked into the gym, to my complete surprise! Yay! So my next few days will be full of love and fun! I am a total mama’s girl//my mom is my best friend… if you couldn’t tell.

So without further ado (I’m actually off to walk with mom herself as I finish up this post), here’s a recap of my eats in a day (Tuesday as it happens.)

check out Jenn’s website for some more WIAW inspiration!

Tuesday: My morning started off with a little sip of coffee before I headed out for a 50 minute walk. It was misting the whole time but luckily the rain held off until a little after I arrived back home.

I started my morning off with my “hydration station”. 1/2 the coffee was drank before my morning walk. After the walk I had the rest of my coffee, a little apple cider vinegar + water, and a giant glass of water with lemon.

Breakfast followed: sauerkraut, 2 scrambled eggs,with broccoli, peppers, and cauliflower.

Thirty minute later, I realized breakfast wasn’t going to last me all morning, so I sliced up an organic gala apple and enjoyed it with some almond butter.

Breakfast held me through my classes (even if the classes made me sleepy…) and I finally arrived at lunch for a satisfying meal.

A jumbo salad with 2 grilled chicken strips hidden underneath, and topped with some red wine vinegar.

Afternoon snack (to fuel the studying!): 86% dark chocolate. snap, crackle, give me that chocolate! I think I’m an addict. I might be ok with it 😉

My workout for the day was a 30 minute HIIT workout on the treadmill. 30 seconds sprint, 1 minute walk. Repeat. Feel like a (sweaty) beast.

After my workout I still had over an hour until dinner and I needed a little refuel: chocolate chips (Enjoy Life dairy + soy free) with some raw almonds. More chocolate.. what can I say!

Dinner enjoyed with my mom and a club meeting: salad with all the veggies, topped with salmon that I brought from home (because I am a nutrition nerd.)

And there you have it– my eats for a typical day! Sometimes more, sometimes less, but always chocolate. It’s the best.

Questions of the day:

What is one food you eat (almost) every day?

Chocolate: dark, milk, or white?

Do I talk about chocolate too much? 😉

a weekend day in the life.

After a coffee and some water I started my morning with a 30 minute walk. It’s the best way to wake up! I love that movement first thing, and the fresh air is amazing. When i arrived back in my apartment, I talked to my parents (always a treat) and worked on homework.

After boring homework and laundry, the boy finally came over (he likes to sleep in…. one way we are definitely not similar). We went out for a late breakfast at Tandem – a coffeehouse and creperie. Coffee for her, latte for him. Tomato soup and cheese crepe for him, mediterranean (egg, feta, tomatoes, and spinach) crepe for her. It was a beautiful morning (let’s be real– it was almost afternoon at this point) to sit outside and enjoy each other’s company.

During the afternoon I grabbed some groceries, cooked for the week (paleo pumpkin bread #yesplease). Then I headed to the gym and walked on the treadmill while I watched an hour long documentary for class. I loved being able to move and get work done at the same time– there’s nothing worse than being stuck at my desk/staring at my computer all day.

Some snacks included chocolate chips, a banana + almond butter, and some carrots + salsa. Weekend meals are always a little less structured for me, especially because of the late breakfasts.

Before I headed off to lead Youth Group, I packed a quick dinner of Dubliner cheese, Applegate Farms pepperoni, spinach, and a sweet potato + Kerrygold buttah. Quick, easy, and incredibly delicious.

After I arrived home, I was pretty hungry so I had some 85% dark chocolate topped with almond butter.

All in all a successful and delicious weekend day 🙂

Questions of the day:

What does your typical weekend look like?

Are your weekend meals usually different than weekdays?

 

Thinking Out Loud…in pictures.

Thursdays are for Thinking Out Loud. Unfiltered thoughts, here they come.

1. Morning walks. Seriously, one of my favorite times of the day. I walked ~4 miles today while listening to a sermon by Timothy Keller and talking to my mom (on the phone). I am lucky to have the Swamp Rabbit Trail running right behind my school, so it’s easy to hop on for a morning walk/run. I used this trail all the time during my half marathon training but it’s a little hot for long outdoor runs these days.

2. Coffee. Even though I drink the same amount almost every day (~1/2 a cup before my walk and the rest after), there’s something I just enjoy infinitely more about drinking out of this extra large cup. I think it just makes it more fun & fancy.

3. Failed chia seed pudding. I made two of these last night as a meal planning attempt. Apparently I didn’t mix them well enough because this morning I ended up with clumped chia pudding at the bottom topped with some vanilla cinnamon-y almond milk. I’m sure it will be delicious, but not the pudding I was looking for!

4. I bought this candle last week (because it was on clearance at TJMaxx and I mean.. you can’t beat that!) but it’s just been sitting in the candle holder. My matches and lighter are tucked away in my storage unit and I haven’t taken the time to find them yet. All for the best though, considering we’re not technically  allowed to have candles in our apartments. Sigh.

5. These little 5 lb weights are the best. I keep them under my bed and they’re perfect for a quick circuit, or just 5 minutes of exercise to get my blood flowing between working at my computer for hours. I’ll share some of my mini workouts with y’all soon!

6. In addition to my extra-large coffee mug obsession, I have a straw habit. Drinking from straws is my favorite, and I notice I drink much more water when I have a straw– it makes grabbing a sip so easy and convenient!

7. The best for last. I’ve enjoyed a few pieces of this chocolate over the past few days. Honestly, I’m surprised it has lasted so long. If you are anywhere near a TJ’s you must pick this bar (and/or one of their other amazing flavors) up ASAP. The combination of dark, amazing chocolate, creamy sweet caramel, and the chunks of sea salt is so on point. I’ll definitely be picking up another bar on my next TJ’s trip.

  

Questions of the day:

What’s your favorite treat lately?

What do you do every day to make yourself smile?

The little runner that could.

On Friday morning, I woke up 2 hours before class and studied/finished up some last minute homework. It’s nice to have a 9:30 class because it’s just late enough that I can have 30 min-1 hour {depending on when I wake up} to cook, blog, or do any homework I haven’t finished.

^For breakfast, I noshed on some Roasted Red Pepper soup, with Udi’s Gluten Free toast and some egg whites on the side.^

^Lunch was eaten in the Dining Hall– salad, followed by some fruit, greek yogurt and cereal. It was pretty delicious, especially because I was starving by the time I ate it. I think I need to get some bigger breakfasts in..^

My afternoon was toiled away in the Research Lab, working on our video, and learning how to use all the fancy lab tools. I am so excited to start our real research this coming week!

After finishing up in the lab, I headed over to the gym for a quick workout- 35 minutes on the Arc Trainer and 20 on the Elliptical

   

 

A quick shower and change later, and we were all off to dinner. My roommate’s boyfriend is in town so a whole group on us went out to Whole Foods and noshed hard on their salad bar. I love getting anything I want– I usually get a bite of almost everything- how could you resist?

^Some Zevia. Delicious!^

Saturday:

On Saturday morning, I woke up much earlier than I had planned, but I just rolled with it. I worked on emails and such for a while, before putting on some Downton Abbey and starting breakfast.

^I made pancakes for myself and the boy. Whole wheat. It was a little experiment for my gluten free life. The boy has been reading some things about how processed gluten is what really usually bothers people , as opposed to more natural foods like whole wheat flour, or just the plain grains. I used whole wheat flour, and ate a couple of them. I didn’t feel too bad afterward, but I don’t know if I necessarily felt amazing.^

A little homework, and some cleaning, then it was off to the gym for the 10 mile run! I usually do my long runs on Sundays, but I wanted to get it done for the weekend, especially because I have a lot of homework that I need to be working on today.

Unfortunately, because of the cold {freezing} weather I had to run inside. Ugh! I plan to do most of my runs outside for the last month of training, but I just hope it warms up a bit! I stopped about halfway to refill my water, and go to the bathroom. Then restarted for the rest of the run. I wasn’t running fast by any means. It’s so odd to me how one run can be great {like my 9.5 last weekend}

 

My amazing boyfriend showed up and ended up running the last 2.5 miles next to me. It was such a treat, and great encouragement to have him there smiling, and telling me that I could do it! I was also texting my mom the entire time.. she always makes me feel better!

After my run, I headed back and ate a banana, and chugged lots of water. I did laundry, and then proceeded to lay on my bed until I began to feel nauseous. I realized that I hadn’t really refueled after my run, and that was probably why. I drank some water + Nuun and ate another banana + some trail mix. After laying down a little more, I felt much better. I’m upset with myself that I didn’t refuel better!

The rest of the evening was Mexican food {I had tilapia, and LOTS of chips + salsa, plus the rice + beans from NMK’s fajitas. Score!}, and then hanging and playing games with the friends. We played Head’s Up {Ellen Degeneres’ App!} and then just talked. I headed to bed around midnight.

 

Free day!

Tuesday, I was lucky to have a free day- no classes. Especially now, at the beginning of the semester, this was a real treat! I didn’t have much work to do, but I did have a number of errands and organizing things to deal with.

I started my morning around 8 {my roommate had to go to an 8:30 so… I woke up. It happens.} I read a little and played around, before making some breakfast. Another similar bowl- banana, greek yogurt, and gluten free cereal. With some peanut butter this time, to make it a little more lasting.

^and coffee… always coffee.^

After breakfast, I went for a quick workout, after stopping by the Post Office. Oh, the perks of living on a campus- everything is so close together.

 ^My workout was the biking around campus + two 20 minute stints on the Arc Trainer. I love it, and I feel like I can challenge myself when I do use it. I love a good leg burning workout.^

After the workout I showered, threw on some clothes quickly, and headed off for a date with my boy. It took me a long time to find the right place, but I finally did. We went to Saffron, an Indian Restaurant, which features a buffet for lunch. I had lots of amazing food, none of which I can tell you the names.. I’m not quite Indian-versed enough for that yet. It hit the spot! I have been craving Indian food all winter and finally satisfied that with a simple and healthy meal!

My afternoon was spent doing some homework, meeting up with friends, and having an important talk to my boyfriend. Just being with friends can be the best thing in the world.

^Dinner, later in the Dining Hall. Salad with hummus and quinoa. Followed by a banana and peanut butter +chocolate chips. A dessert that doesn’t break the belt ;).^

After dinner, I went off for a Bible Study with some great girls. We just caught up, chatted, and planned out our study for the semester. Nothing better than fellowship with Christian girls!

Questions:

What’s one food you’ve been craving lately?

 

One last day//Back to School.

Saturday was my last day home, and mostly spent with family. I woke up late, and just in time to head off to brunch with my mom and my best friend Krista. We went to Toast, a local restaurant with delicious, unique, amazing food! I had a Downport Omelette with egg whites which had gouda cheese, peppers, tomatoes, and  crab meat. It was amazing. I am loving seafood more and more. I might be branching out to more meats soon– like turkey or chicken!

I spent the morning/afternoon just hanging out with my parents and enjoying our time together.

A little later in the afternoon, my mama wanted to take a nap, and my dad needed to run some errands. So I headed off for a quick workout, and to use the last day of my gym pass! I hopped on the arc for a simple workout, 50 minutes of cardio.

 

After my workout, I headed home and cooked dinner with the fam. Salmon, blue corn chips, roasted carrots, asparagus, butternut squash, and hummus. So good. And so satisfying!

The rest of the evening was spent organizing whatever things I left in my room, while hanging with my mom and ad. It was such a perfect way to end my break. I love being home, and I love my family so much!

Sunday:

Sunday morning started early. My dad and I had to leave the house at 4:30 am to get to the airport early enough for my 6:10 am flight. Getting through security was kind of a hassle, because they opened my bag and took everything out! Obviously there was nothing in there, so it was fine, and in the end I am glad to know that they are doing their jobs! My first flight was on the tiniest little plane- we actually had to walk out to the plane and up its little stairs. Fun experience!

   

Around 7:45 am, I arrived in Washington D.C., and had 2 hours to kill before my connecting flight. I was practically ready to eat my phone by this point, so I headed off in search of some more socially-acceptable food. I ended up with some plain Chobani yogurt, and a packet of Keenwah granola. I had never heard of Keenwah before, but I am so glad I found it. It is a gluten free granola, made from quinoa. It was the perfect addition to my yogurt! It can be hard to find gluten free foods on the go, and it was awesome to run into this. Check out Keenwah for some delicious treats!

 

^Coffee. Of course.^

^Waiting in the airport.^

^My second flight featured this beautiful view. God is so good, and His creation is so amazing!^

My lovely roommate picked me up from the airport and I took her out to lunch as a thank you. We went to Everyday Organic, a local favorite of mine. I had a TLT {Tempeh-Lettuce-Tomato} on spelt bread, which is low-gluten. It was amazing, as per the usual.  If you’re in Upstate SC, definitely check it out!

The rest of the afternoon was spent catching up with the roommates, unpacking, and even a workout. After unpacking for a few hours, I was practically going stir-crazy, so I though a workout was in order.

   

A little Arc, Bike, and Stairmaster to round it out. Simple & easy.

I had dinner and caught up with some friends, before heading out to the airport to pick up the boy. It is great to be back and I am excited to see what this semester brings!

 

Quinoa and Beyonce.

Yesterday started off later than I expected. I had planned to wake up and head to church with my dad, but I slept almost an hour and a half later than I had planned, and completely missed church! I guess my body was trying to tell me something. I think I’m subconsciously preparing for classes {which start a week from today!}. On top of oversleeping, I was exhausted by 10 last night, and asleep by 1030. What?! I never sleep this much. But, it’s way more awesome than I realized…I may just be getting better at this whole sleep thing!

After moseying around and Pinterest-ing for a while, I headed downstairs to have a quick breakfast. We have a huge tupperware of cooked quinoa in our fridge, so I mashed it up with some banana for a more breakfast-y vibe. It was quick and easy. And pretty tasty. I downed this giant mug of coffee– LA style. It was aweosme. I need to do something about my caffeine addiction.

After my breakfast, my best friend came over and we spent a few hours just chatting and catching up. There’s nothing better. Unfortunately, by the time Krista left my house, my stomach was in incredible pain and I basically laid around for a few hours waiting for it to pass.

After a few hours of rest and lots of water, I felt a lot better, so I broke out some toys:

^An amazing orange Ralph Lauren bag, which my mom gave me for Christmas. It is the cutest, and so so perfect. I love orange, and this is me in bag form…love it.^

^Finally listened through the Beyonce CD, which I also received for Christmas. I’ve listened to some songs here and there but haven’t been able to listen to all of them until now! I love my Queen Bey!^

  

^After that, I headed out to the gym, to sweat out some of the cramps. It worked! I just did a 1 mile run, followed by 12 + 8 {20} min on the Elliptical. Not too intense, but perfect to just get sweating.^

 

^Dinner- prepared by my lovely mom. Tilapia, asparagus, and a sweet potato.^

The day ended with some Bachelor and crafting. Simple and fun!

Questions:

What are your go-to solutions when feeling sick?

Holiday Highlights

Before Christmas, we had lots of parties, fun, and all around hectic-ness. My mom and I babysat, and I needed to keep up to date with my workouts {hello, half marathon training!}. With all the treats and fun, I had to make sure I kept healthy and on track. I got in a workout almost everyday, except two when we were driving pretty much all day/went straight to family after a long drive. But rest is good too!

Also, if you guys haven’t noticed, I have gone gluten free in the last month. It has to do with my Hypothyroidism, which is officially “Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis” and is an autoimmune condition. Since eliminating a lot of gluten from my diet, I haven’t noticed a huge difference in my day to day feel, but I have noticed that when I eat a lot of gluten at one time/in one day, I can definitely feel a negative effect. Digestion/stomach wise, and energy wise as well. It’s an experiment in process. One of my goals for the holidays was to not overload on the gluten, knowing that it would really affect how I felt. I didn’t do a great job but I didn’t do a terrible job either!

Enough rambling… here are some holiday highlights.

Eats:

pictures of my eats are few and far between.. here we go though!

^coffee. x1000000. I always think I’ll be more rested/off caffeine when I’m home but… somehow that doesn’t seem to happen. Enter 1 million cups of coffee.^

A lot of savory breakfasts. In an effort to combat sugar cravings and offset treats.. I have eaten a lot of savory breakfasts in the past weeks. It’s really nice to start the day with veggies, and at least know I’m getting off on the right foot. Above ^^ spaghetti squash, bell peppers, some Earth Balance butter, and goat cheese.

 

^We had friends over for brunch one morning and produced quite a spread. Yes, that is a cupcake in the background. 2 actually. What else are you supposed to do when 2 of the most adorable kids are coming over?! I ate some fruit, yogurt, granola, and some peanut butter cookies. They’re gluten free! That makes cookies before 12 ok..right? 😉

^And last, an awesome salad I made when we had friends over for dinner. We ordered in pizza, but I was trying to stay off the gluten, so I make this huge salad from all the fixins. Everyone ate smaller side salads, but I was happy with my monstrosity!^

Workouts:

Before I left for family holidays and my conference, I got a 7-day pass to a local gym. It was so nice of them to give it to me for free, especially because they knew I don’t go to college here and wasn’t interested in buying a real membership.

Workouts mostly consisted of runs {half marathon trainings}! When I wasn’t running, I did some circuits, some elliptical, and some biking. Kept it simple while on the road with mostly cardio, which I was able to do in the morning before family time, conference things, travel, or whatever was going on that day! When I’m at home/school I can normally get away with a workout later in the day, but when traveling/away I find it so much easier to do it before anyone else is up {unless they want to come with me of course!} and not worry about when I’ll have time later.

Workout selfies… an experiment ;)-

 

^6 miles. Harder than when I ran 9. Weird. But I’m getting my distance back up and getting close to half marathon ready!^

Fun//Activities:

^all dressed up for a Christmas party at home.^

^The first picture is mine.. the second was made by our little 7 year old friend, Anna Grace. Yep. She’s more artistically talented than me. Mine is “more of a Christmas blob”- family friend. Pretty accurate though…^

^Brunch with old friend, little friends, and family^

^a huge dessert night! I made sure to conquer the {gluten free} peanut butter cookies^

 

^siblings and family friends. I wonder who the weird one in the bunch is…^

 

^Christmas nails. Get your holiday sparkle on. This was such a fun color!^

^Sometimes when I’m bored, I go to the strip club. make fun presents.^

^The result… little wrapped up presents for my awesome older sister. She had fun unwrapping all the little bunches and finally figuring out the count.^

^The most gorgeous Nativity scene. My mom actually won it at our church one year, and it is stunning! Baby Jesus doesn’t get put out until Christmas of course!^

^My mom did such an amazing job with our tree. Gorgeous!^

Questions:

How do you keep healthy during the holidays?

what day is it?

Y’all- I’m not going to lie. This week is INSANE. Between work, schoolwork, multiple birthdays, a test Friday, and leaving for the entire weekend…. it’s not pretty. But, you just have to make the best of it right?! And I’m incredibly excited for my weekend, so that’s a little motivation 🙂 here’s a quick view of the past few days:

wearing:

^my outfit the other day…I was pretty proud of such a put together look on a monday! And the little hair braid was fun too^

eating:

^my standard breakfast this week has been coconut cashews {SO addicting}, greek yogurt, and a small apple. Of course, I’ll have to change it up now that I’m doing Meg’s November Breakfast Challenge^

^another breakfast this week– greek yogurt, pistachios, and oats. The combo of the salty nuts + the creamy yogurt is just TOO good!^

^and of course coffee. Always coffee.^

^this quick lunch was eaten on the way to work the other day. Asparagus, spaghetti squash, meatless balls {you can laugh}, tomato sauce, and onions.^

     

^salsa and carrots…the new carrots and hummus? Never! but still pretty good in my book!^

doing:

packages from my AMAZING mom were in full swing this week!

package 1:

package 2:

^halloween costume for babysitting!

    

^selfies > afternoon studying^

    ^a date auction for my favorite fraternity!^

and a bonus to make y’all laugh–

Virgin America’s New Safety Video

Do you have those crazy weeks where time flies by in a bad way?!

Happy almost Friday!

morning.

this morning

Breakfast:

I woke up a little earlier this morning and had some more time to relax. I read some blogs, pinterest-ed, read the news, and talked to my roommates. Breakfast was a simple affair. Coffee, 2 slices of the gluten free pumpkin bread I made yesterday, and some pistachios. Seriously, my love affair with pistachios grows stronger every day.

Lunch:

After breakfast, I headed to class. This morning was Spanish followed by Physics. Phsyics passes soooooo slowly y’all. It’s 50 minutes of torture. Ugh. But– lunch afterwards is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Today I changed it up slightly– salad followed by some vegan ratatouille which I topped with some pesto {that I had to drain because it was 75% oil..}. Turned out to be a pretty delicious lunch!

On a more somber note- today is the 30th anniversary of the Beirut Barracks Bombings on the U.S. Marine Corps. My dad, a member of the Navy was actually there that day, on one of the planes attempting to abate the attacks. It is a sad and solemn day–the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since World War II‘s Battle of Iwo Jima.

You can read more about it here and here.

inspiration: