The JCrew Warehouse Sale + Weekend Randoms.

Hey there! The weekend has come and gone, way too quickly as usual. I’ll survive, though, because I am actually really excited for this week because– 1. Friday is the 4th and there’s lots of fun (fireworks and bbq) to be had and 2. I have finally officially started my summer job, working with a Youth group at a local church. I’ll share more about it later, but I am really looking forward to seeing where God brings me with this experience.

This weekend was lots of randomness + business.
On Saturday morning, Nathan and I woke up pre-6 am to drive up to Asheville, NC for the J.Crew Warehouse Sale. If you haven’t heard of these sales– you are missing out. It’s essentially warehouse filled with boxes of J.Crew clothing for ridiculously  discounted prices. Once you’ve been to one of these sales it will pain you to buy J.Crew (or any major clothing brand, really) for their retail prices.

 

Our beautiful drive up, past the Blue Ridge Mountains.

 

The Magic Wallet– my price: $2//original: $20

 

Indigo denim jacket–my price: $30// original $120

 

A sweater from the sale. Fun fact: the tank top and scarf are also J.Crew. Not sure how much the sweater was originally but I paid $5.

Some random shots from the rest of my weekend:

Pumpkin Chia pudding enjoyed while waiting for the sale to open. I can post a recipe if y’all would like!

Another awesome breakfast- eggs (eaten too quickly for pictures) + bacon and broccoli. Eaten on the fly before a walk and devotional/reflection with my boyfriend.

 

Weekend workouts = stress free, fun time for me. Plus they help me prepare mentally for a big week ahead!

A delicious snack- a little pumpkin, light coconut milk, a splash of cinnamon, and a few chocolate chips.

A final delicious meal with the boyfriend this weekend. Chicken, peppers, squash, and wild rice with carrots, corn and peas. All topped with Thai red curry sauce.. #dontmindifIdo

A beautiful rainbow to end the weekend. A reminder of God’s love for us and the beauty of His creation!

Questions of the day:

What was the best thing you ate this weekend?

J.Crew–love or hate?!

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Real food + compression shorts in my face.

Yesterday morning started off bright and early. After a walk and a shower, I packed up my breakfast and lunch and headed over to the lab. After working a little, I was able to grab my breakfast while I read through some articles. Spinach + eggs, my latest favorite combination. Followed by banana and some chocolate hazelnut butter a la Justin’s. I was glad for the extra fat in the nut butter because the following few hours got pretty busy for us.

 

For 3 hours, I prepped football players for EMG and kinematic marker testing.. Not all too complicated but a lot of compression shorts in my face, and hairy legs that had to be shaved for the EMGs. Needless to say, it was not how I imagined I would be spending my morning.

Around 2 pm, we were finally able to stop for the day and eat some lunch. The next Monday, Wednesday and Fridays are going to be filled with this testing until we finish all the players, so that should be interesting. As awkward as all the prep was, it’s fun to have more people and activity in the lab for once!

Lunch: spinach, avocado, peppers, tilapia + apple.

When we wrapped up for the day, I was pretty exhausted, so I headed back to my apartment and rested for a little.

My morning was pretty active with the walk, and all the running around the lab, but I still wanted to get a little strength workout in. I decided to do a little circuit in my apartment. I did a circuit and of lunges, pushups, squats, jumping jacks, and punches with my 5 lb weights. The perfect strength session for a late afternoon pick me up.

Finally… dinner! I was so hungry by the time dinner rolled around.Luckily, it was a good one. The boy and I had a delicious “brinner” of turkey bacon, eggs, asparagus, and potato + onion hash fries. It was so good and nutritious.

And the most exciting news of yesterday…my best friend got engaged! (I did not find out via Facebook ha! She called me crying during dinner and I knew instantly). I am so happy for her and her fiancee and I can’t wait to help her plan!

That’s two friends engaged already this summer, and my cousin getting married this fall. What a joyful season!

Question of the day:

Do you love brinner?

It’s one of my top 5 favorite meals!

Quick & Healthy Dinners.

Even though ‘summer’ has technically began- my schedule hasn’t really calmed down. Studying all the time doesn’t have to mean unhealthy dinners though! I’ve been cooking dinner for my parents and me a few days a week, and I thought I would share a few of my quick and healthy dinners (+1 breakfast) with y’all!

First off: breakfast.

 Overnight _____ (oats, sweet potato, chia pudding). Anything that you can mix up and leave to ‘cook’ itself in the fridge overnight is a great option. This is a sweet potato, 1/3 cup almond milk, 1 T chia seeds, and some cinnamon. It’s perfect for a quick breakfast is the morning. I like to grab mine after my morning walk with my mom. It’s the perfect quick breakfast while I check email or start my studying for the day.

 

Now, some dinners.

1. Stir Fry. With the help of some frozen vegetables and shrimp, a stir fry like this can be ready in 20 minutes. I just took 2 bags of frozen vegetables and a bag of frozen shrimp. I defrosted the shrimp while the vegetables started to cook, and added some low-sodium soy sauce as it cooked. The vegetables and shrimp were so delicious, they didn’t need much seasoning. I added the shrimp into the wok, and allowed everything to cook, before adding a little more soy sauce and voila, it was all ready!

 

2. One thing that really saves me for dinners is prepping before hand. For example- if I have some free time on a Saturday or Sunday, I’ll cook up some broccoli,  asparagus, brussel sprouts- anything I know I like to grab from the fridge for a healthy dinner. Then, all I have to do is make the chicken, or fish and dinner is complete!

 

 

3. Brinner! When in doubt- breakfast! Eggs are such an easy and quick meal, and I don’t know many people who don’t like eggs. This is an easy way to make a protein-packed dinner. Plus- scrambled, fried, sunny-side up- you can customize the eggs to everyone’s liking!

 

I hope y’all enjoy these tips!

What’s your favorite healthy dinner when you’re short on time?

WIAW- eating at home.

Today’s WIAW is filled with quick and simple eats that I have been making during these study days. Being at home can sometimes make healthy eating difficult. The snacks are right in the cabinet and eating is more fun than studying any day! But I don’t want to be snacking away all day, and missing out on filling, nutritious meals. One way I avoid this is by making a dish, then putting everything away before I start eating. It’s easy to keep snacking away when the jar of almond butter or the bag of chips is sitting on the counter.

^^Oats, almond milk, banana, cinnamon, and almond butter. The lazy girl’s bowl of oatmeal. I just let it all sit for a minute, to soften the oats, but I didn’t actually cook them. It’s too hot for that nonsense anyway!^^

^^For lunch, I made a big salad. Lettuce. tomatoes, shredded cheddar, hardboiled eggs, and chips + hummus on the side.^^

^^A little later, I grabbed some almond butter and dark chocolate for a snack.^^

The afternoon was spent studying. Then, I ran to the gym and did some weights, Arc, and stretching there. Then, my mom picked me up and we headed to dinner together. She was gone all weekend, so it was good to catch up.

^^We went to a little italian place for dinner. Salad, and gluten free penne with chicken, sundries tomatoes, spinach, and garlic. It was amazing!^^
The rest of the evening consisted of studying, studying, and a glass of white wine. Not too shabby for a Tuesday.

What did you eat this Wednesday?

How do you keep from snacking when you’re at home all day?

Too much spinach.

Yesterday morning started in the most marvelous way- a walk with my mama and her adorable little friend Chase. 15 months of cuteness!

 

We walked for about an hour before baby boy needed to go home for his nap. After my mom and Chase headed off, I went back in to make some breakfast and start my studying for the day. I attempted a green smoothie but.. accidentally dropped in 2x the amount of spinach I wanted. Needless to say, this way a very vegetable-y smoothie. I still drank it, but I won’t share the recipe and put y’all through the same torture.

Lunch was small and eaten quickly, so I forgot a picture! Chips, salsa, hummus, and leftover veggies from the night before. Not a very complete meal, I know! Which is probably why this happened later:

^^^So much delicious in one place. Chocolate chips and almond butter- courtesy of Trader Joe’s. This is probably the most heavenly combination. I had to tear myself away so I could get back to studying.^^^

After a few more hours of studying, I went over and signed up for a gym membership. It’s a pretty small place, but they have all the basic machines + cardio equipment + free weights, so it’ll be perfect for me! I got in an hour of cardio on the Arc Machine, the best afternoon energizer!

A little bit later, I got started on another delicious dinner. Tilapia with lemon pepper, cooked in coconut oil, sweet potatoes, and chopped veggie salad. Another healthy dinner on the books.

The rest of the evening was pretty nondescript: more studying, some cleaning, and chilling with my ‘rents.

Snack a little later: delicious frozen fruit and chocolate chips.

 

What’s your favorite way to cook fish?

What oil do you use in cooking?

WIAM- What I Ate Monday!

What I Ate Monday- eats of the day!

The outfit I wish I wore to class. I am loving my new soft leggings, but I’m not quite into the whole leggings-as-pants scene when I’m not working out.

Breakfast.

I have been getting back into a small glass of Apple Cider Vinegar with my coffee and water every morning. It makes me feel so great, and it has great health benefits as well.

My meal consisted of 2 eegs, some spaghetti squash and eggplant. Simple and real. JERF!

Lunch.

Lunch was “take out” from the Dining Hall. A salad with chicken, baba ghanoush, an all the vegetables. On the side- full fat cottage cheese, with almond slivers, and a little pineapple/mango combination.

Dinner.

Dinner was also eaten at the Dining Hall. It’s not my favorite, but sometimes it’s the best I can do! It’s hard to get all the way back (1.1 miles) to my apartment just for dinner. I had a Moroccan Vegetable stew, with a salad. It was slim pickings at our dining hall, but I tried my best to make it work. Unfortunately I didn’t get any substantial protein at this meal, which is probably why I was starving when I got back to my apartment 5 hours later.

Workout.

For my workout I did an upper body session, followed by 40 minutes of steady state on the Elliptical. For some reason my legs were really feeling the workout and I was exhausted from simple steady state!

Late Night Snack ;).

I was so hungry when I got back to my apartment, I stole a few spoonfuls of this delicious coconut butter, along with some frozen berries. Not too bad for late night snacking!

How do you deal with Dining Hall (or work cafeteria?) selections?

 

What I Did This Weekend!

Hey y’all! How was your weekend? Mine seemed to just fly by- isn’t that always the way?

Here’s the short version of my weekend!

Saturday:

On Saturday morning, I woke up early to get started on work and chores for the day. First up, I made some breakfast for myself, and a little later when NMK came over, breakfast for him as well!

^^Breakfast for me. Fish, vegetables, and sweet potatoes.^^

^^Chocolate pancakes for the boy^^

While my boy was over, I did a little devotional and shared some prayer time with him. There is no better way to start the day.

Then it was homework time. Physics, Spanish, and MCAT work. Boring stuff, you guys don’t care about that!

A few hours later, I headed over to the dining hall for lunch with my roommate. The options were pretty slim, but I managed to get some good vegetables, some hummus, and a few chips for crunch.

The rest of the afternoon was spent studying. Boring.

I did manage to fit a workout in- 45 minutes of easy steady state on the Elliptical. Perfect for the weekend.

A little bit later, we gathered our Spring Break group to sort out details for the week. Next week is finally our Spring Break, and we’re going to Savannah, but I’ll fill you all in more after I make it through this crazy week!

We had planned to eat at our on-campus restaurant, but when we got there, the line was wrapped around and just horrifying. We ended up back at the good ole Dining Hall. Not my first choice for a Saturday night, but hey- free is free! ^^I ended up with some Moroccan Vegetable Stew and potatoes on the side. Simple and healthy {ish}.

After dinner, I finally took a break from homework and hung out with my boy and our friends for the rest of the night. Simple and fun.

Sunday:

Sunday was pretty much the same as Saturday– filled with homework. So I’ll just hit you guys with the details!

^^All dressed up for Sunday morning Church. The message was all about praying, and something I really needed to hear this week. I usually feel that way though :)^^

^^Workout– another 45 minutes on the Arc but this time it was a HIIT workout. And it nearly killed me. But in the best way ;)^^

 

^^A healthy dinner to round out the night, whilst watching the Oscars with my roommates. Sweet potatoes, asparagus, Sole fillet, hummus, artichoke hearts, green peppers, and onions. I spoil myself!^

Question of the day:

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Recovering and poor decisions.

I cannot believe it is already Friday! This week has been insane. I flew back in on Monday, and literally went straight to class. My roommate picked me up from the airport and dropped me off just in time for my 12:30 class. It’s been a lot of catching up these past few days, but that’s the price for an amazing weekend in Florida.

Here’s what I’ve been up to!

Eats:

This Tuesday, I started a Virgin Diet-esque approach. I have still been having some stomach issues, despite dropping gluten. The biggest thing was feeling stuffed and bloated after only having a small meal– no fun. My mom’s friend suggested I try this approach- dropping some other highly reactive foods {like eggs, soy, dairy +4 more}. After leaving them out of my diet for a while {the Virgin Diet is 21 days, but I am probably going to try it for about 10 days} you reintroduce the different food groups, one at a time, so you can figure out what you’re really reacting to.

^^A simple breakfast- toasted coconut, rice cakes, apple.^^

^^A berry + protein smoothie. I use SunWarrior rice protein and I love it- clean and not a huge ingredient list.^^

 

^^Salad, Dining Hall style. All the veggies please :)^^

^^A simple dinner- fish, sweet potato, vegetables, hummus and salsa^^

^^A healthy dessert creation- pumpkin puree, cocoa powder, almond milk, and a little stevia^^

Workouts:

On Monday I travelled back from Florida. My legs were ridiculously sore from the half marathon, and I honestly could barely walk. That night, when I had some free time, I stretched for a while and went for a 30 minute walk. It hurt but it also felt good to move around and get some blood circulating through my legs.

On Tuesday I was still sore, but not terribly. One of the most exciting things (in my opinion) about being done with half marathon training is that I have more time/energy now to focus on strength training. I did an upper body workout {based off of Meg’s} and a 25 minute session on the Elliptical.

Wednesday I went for a 1 mile run, followed by 30 minutes on the Elliptical. I then completed a 20 minute leg workout {based off of this program}. It was awesome. Let’s just say- today is Friday and my legs are still sore. Poor decision.

Thursday I was resting from leg day, so I stuck with an easy 30 minutes of cardio. Later in the afternoon NMK and I went on a nice walk as well!

Activities:

Some random pictures from my week.

 

^^Working in the lab sometimes means running tests on yourself. This one was particularly painful- you shave the area + scrub it to get the dead skin off + then wipe down with an alcohol wipe. All in the name of science.^^

^^Profound bricks by our bellower- “Donut Money”. I hope I can come up with something as wonderful this ;)^^

^^NMK. He’s fun. We adventure together^^

Question of the day:

What part of your body do you like to train most?

Snow Week- eats and activities.

This week has been insane. It started snowing on Tuesday and continued through Wednesday and Thursday. School was cancelled on Wednesday, Thursday, and most of Friday {enough that I didn’t have any class!} The crazy thing is that yesterday afternoon, it warmed up so much {50+ degrees} that nearly all the snow + ice melted. It was a week of relaxation and play. A little too much fun, a little too little work… oh well! Now it’s Saturday and time to catch up on all the homework/MCAT studying I missed this week!

Eats:

^^peanut butter banana toast. a classic.^^

^^granola, banana, and tropical frozen fruit.^^

^^lunch in the Dining Hall. The only one this week! Curry vegetables, and chips/veggies + salsa and hummus.^^

^^basic lunches on the snow days. Tuna fish, vegetables, salsa, goat cheese/hummus and chips.^^

^^dinner on campus before the Snowpacolypse. Grilled chicken, guacamole, and fries.^^

^^homemade dinner- eggs, tortilla, hummus, and bell peppers.^^

^^dinner out {Thursday night}. It was so nice to finally get off campus, even if it was less than a mile away. We went to Thaicoon, and I went with Pineapple Curry, and rice. I forgot to ask for brown rice, but YOLO ;).^^

Workouts:

Despite the snow, the gym was open {for limited hours} all week. Score! It was nice to get out of my apartment and move each day! I also went on a long walk with a friend or my boy each day. There is nothing like some fresh, cold air to liven you up!

Tuesday- 15 minutes biking, 30 minute on the Arc .

Wednesday- 50 minute Arc HIIT workout.

Thursday- 5 minute bike warmup, 15 minutes on the Elliptical, 30 minutes on the Arc.

Snow Day Fun:

  

^^all bundled up for the cold!^^

 

^^flakes!^^

 

^^sledding was so cold but awesome. But, after about 20 minutes, my fingers were so frozen I thought they might fall off!^^

^^a gorgeous view of campus on a walk with my boy.^^

Questions of the day:

Did you have any snow this week?

How long can you last inside, before you go stir crazy?

I can’t even make it one full day! Even if it is freezing outside, I have to get out and move.

Hurts So Good.

Ah, Sundays. For me that usually means church, active rest//light workout days, and lots lots lots of homework {which I’ve usually put off all week/weekend..}. This Sunday, I started my day off with a simple breakfast– banana, greek yogurt, and some trail mix. A little healthier today, since my trail mix didn’t include any M&Ms {disclaimer: that is because I ate all those m&ms yesterday ;)}.

After some studying in the morning {para mi examen de español esta lunes} I snacked on some trail mix + fruit.

^^my beautiful bag from my mama!^^

Then, I headed off to the gym to get a workout in. The 1 mile walk to the gym was a nice warmup. At the gym, I biked for 10 minutes, before hopping on the Elliptical for a 30 minute stint. My legs were definitely sore from that 12 miler yesterday, but this workout stretched them out. It hurt so good!

 

Sunday night was spent studying and trying not to stress over my Español examen Monday morning. Dinner was a mix– tilapia, bell pepper, onions, spinach, lettuce, and goat cheese. Basically all the leftovers I had sitting around! Followed up by some popcorn. Just the way I like to study 😉

Monday:

Monday morning started off early early. I woke up at 6:20 {guess I was nervous about my test!}, and studied for a few hours before whipping up something to eat. Greek yogurt, an apple, Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Raisin granola, and some cinnamon on top! Perfect healthy breakfast before a test day!

My first class was so long and so boring I practically fell asleep. #sorrynotsorry.. Physics just isn’t my thing!

Then it was more study study study and some lunch.

I went with a jumbo salad again! This is pretty much my classic Dining Hall meal– there aren’t many healthy options there, so I stick to what works. I don’t mind– this combination is pretty delicious! I used to nom hard on the pita chips, but now that I am gluten free, I can’t. Oh well.. probably healthier anyway ;)!

The test went well! It was long, but I am glad to be done with it. I always feel like the first test is the hardest– I don’t know what to expect, or what the professor’s style will be. But, once you get past that first hurdle, you have a better idea of how to study!

The afternoon was spent in the lab. Some days it’s the MOST interesting and I get a ton done. Yesterday, was not one of those days. I spent 2 hours trying to get a system to work. Oh well, they can’t all be fun days!

My workout was simple, because my little legs were still sore from Saturday. I hopped on the Elliptical for 10 minutes, before a treadmill freed up. Then I did a 30 minute HIIT workout on the treadmill. I ran 6.5-6.7 at a 0% incline, and then every .1-.2 miles, I increased the incline from 1-4%, and increased the speed. It felt awesome, and I definitely pushed myself harder than I normally do on the treadmill. I love a workout that changes it up and challenges me!

For dinner, I ate at the Dining Hall again– Chili and chips + hummus for me.

Then it was 6-9 pm of my MCAT class. Not the most fun night, but hey, it’ll pay off when I’m taking that test in May!

Question of the day:

Any snow by you today?

What do you do to challenge yourself in a workout?