Bachelor Mondays

Do you ever have days where absolutely nothing exciting happens? I felt like my day was pretty routine and uneventful.

Breakfast was strawberry Oikos Greek yogurt, Quaker Oatmeal Squares, a sliced banana, and crunchy Barney Butter.  And of course, I stopped for coffee on the way to class.

I had class all morning and came back for lunch at the sorority house. Salad bar with a large scoop of chicken salad on top. Toppings included tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, golden raisins, sunflower seeds, and celery. And a Kashi Cherry Dark Chocolate Bar.

I really wish I could be more creative with my meals, but I do the best I can with the resources I have. There are so many recipes I want to try, but I guess I'll just have to wait until I have a kitchen again:)

After my last class of the day, I walked to Pita Pit for dinner, because I didn't want what we were having at the house ("Veggie Night" aka mac 'n cheese, mashed potatoes, fried okra, black-eyed peas, and cornbread). I got a grilled chicken pita stuffed full with veggies (romaine lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, sprouts). It also had swiss cheese and taziki sauce. I even had the option to put it on a whole wheat pita! I had a Honeycrisp apple on the side.

Dessert was my own take on a S'more. A graham cracker spread with crunchy Barney Butter and Iz granola sprinkled on top. And a few squares of Exploding Coconuts Fearless Chocolate. I really liked it!

Right now I'm watching The Bachelor (highlight of my day) and drinking Stash Peppermint Caffeine-Free tea. Anyone else want to go on an elephant ride in South Africa?

I'm already ready for the weekend, because I am going to Mobile for Mardi Gras with Callie, Mary Alice, Dara and Jody! I only have two tests separating me from this weekend AND Spring Break!

Fun Fact: Mardi Gras actually originated in Mobile, not New Orleans!

Peace, Love, and Pie

Last night's dinner was one of the best I've had in awhile! Dara was a fabulous host, and she is an excellent baker. 

 A spinach salad with strawberries, mandarin oranges, and balsamic vinaigrette to start + a few pita crackers.

Dara is hard at work!

Butternut Squash risotto garnished with a little sage.

Secret Ingredients=white wine, pancetta, and asiago cheese.

Look at all these desserts!

Red Velvet truffles and White Chocolate dipped Oreos! The truffles literally melted in my mouth.

This peanut butter pie is probably one of the best desserts I have ever put into my mouth! (And, that's sayin' something!) Dara even used natural peanut butter and 1/3 less fat cream cheese. We at least tried to be healthy, right?

Dessert Round 1

It was a fun night full of good food, fellowship, and laughter!

I woke up this morning and watched a podcast and caught up on my TV shows (Glee and Modern Family) while eating breakfast. Kashi Maple and Brown Sugar oatmeal, 1/2 C skim milk, 1/2 sliced banana, 1 T chia seeds, and a spoonful of Justin's Chocolate AB.

I did some laundry and re-heated my leftover calzone for lunch. I also ate a Honeycrisp apple.

I got an impromptu pedicure with Mary Alice and spent the rest of the evening at Panera Bread working on a project. I stopped for a dinner break and ordered a You Pick Two. I tried the new Thai Chicken Salad (I really liked the edamame) and Black Bean soup. 

I saw this on another blog and thought it was fun!

A. Age: 21

B. Bed size: I’m on the bottom of a twin-sized bunk bed in the sleeping porch of my sorority house. I miss my Queen-sized bed at home!

C. Chore you dislike: Unloading the dishwasher and folding clothes.

D. Dogs: A Golden Retriever named Angel.

E. Essential start to your day: Breakfast + Coffee.

F. Favorite color: Turquoise.

G. Gold or silver: Gold.

H. Height: 5’6″

I. Instruments you play(ed): I played the saxophone in 5^th and 6^th grade. I wanted to be the next Kenny G.

J. Job title: Student at the University of Alabama. Hopefully, Registered Dietitian in the near future!

K. Kids: Someday!

L. Live: Tuscaloosa, AL (at the current moment)

M. Mom’s name: Gale.

N. Nicknames: I don’t really have any.

O. Overnight hospital stays: None.

P. Pet peeves: Slow walkers, sitting in traffic, and waiting in lines. Guess I’m not very patient.

Q. Quote from a movie: “So many out-of-the-way things had happened lately, that Alice had begun to believe that very few things indeed were really impossible.” 
–Alice in Wonderland

R. Righty or lefty: Righty.

S. Siblings: I have a younger brother named Andrew. He’s a sophomore at Auburn University.

T. Time you wake up: 8:00 AM on Mondays and Wednesdays. 7:00 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And, I don’t really have a set time on the weekends.

U. Underwear: Hanky Pankys are my favorite!

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Despite my Southern upbringing, I really don’t like collard greens or turnip greens.

W. What makes you run late: When I’m feeling rushed, and I forget something.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Just of my teeth at the dentist.

Y. Yummy food you make: Pumpkin Cream Cheese bars. I make them every Thanksgiving!

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Panda bears.

Hope you all have a good night!

Sunshine & Smoothies

Today was the morning of the Tuscaloosa Dietetic Association's 4th annual 5K run/walk. I have participated in the run since my freshman year. It's exciting to see how much it has grown over the past 4 years. The first race only had 70 participants, and there were close to 300 this year!

I ate a banana spread with crunchy Barney Butter as pre-race fuel. I think the word "race" automatically attaches a connotation associated with pressure. Even though it was just a 5K, I was a little nervous, but I decided to treat it as a normal run. I was happy with the outcome and felt so accomplished that I had already ran 3.2 miles before most people had gotten out of bed! Refreshments were provided after the run, so I helped myself to two mini muffins (one bran and one blueberry) and two cups of coffee.

I was craving something cold and refreshing for lunch, so I walked to Smoothie King and ordered the Angel Food smoothie (strawberries, bananas, soy protein, skim milk, and vanilla). I left out the turbinado and honey. I drank my smoothie and layed out on Alpha Chi's sun porch, while listening to Jack Johnson. It was bliss.

Lunch #1

I went on another 3 mile run to get in some more mileage for the day. I came back and made a bowl of oatmeal, consisting of Kashi Maple and Brown Sugar oatmeal, 1/2 C skim milk, 1 T chia seeds, Iz granola, and a handful of almonds and dried cranberries. And veggies + dip.

Lunch #2

I've been working on a project, and just had a wonderful phone date with Laura! 

Later, I'm going to Dara's house for dinner/Boston reunion!

On the menu: butternut squash risotto, spinach salad, peanut butter pie, red velvet truffles, and wine. 

My mouth is already watering!

Boston Memories

I woke up this morning and ate half of a banana before going on a run around campus. I mapped my run, and it came out to be about 3.5 miles. I ate a bowl of 1 C Barbara's PB Puffins and 1/2 C skim milk topped with the rest of my banana.

After class, I met my mom and grandmother for lunch at FIG, a "girly" lunch spot featuring salads, sandwiches, and soup. My breakfast wasn't very filling this morning (I usually like to add healthy fats/protein), so I was more than ready for lunch. I usually order the goat cheese salad when I go, but I was in the mood for a sandwich today. We all shared the sweet potato fries as an appetizer. They are so good and come with an awesome Asian dipping sauce. I ordered the Rio Wrap, filled with chicken, lettuce, tomato, avocado, cashews, and Thai mayo. It usually comes on a tomato wrap, but they were out today. It came with a big plate of roasted vegetables that I substituted as the side.

I went shopping with my mom after lunch. She even brought my dog, Angel!

She doesn't like pictures very much.

I saw the new Liam Neeson movie, the Unknown with Mary Alice later this afternoon (check out her blog!) It was action-packed, suspenseful, and it makes you think. I highly recommend it! After the movie, we met up with another friend and went to dinner at Mellow Mushroom. I ordered the House Calzone (filled with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese) and added roasted red peppers and pesto. It was huge, and I definitely could have split it! I ate half and boxed up the rest to eat for lunch tomorrow. I still managed to eat a few squares of Chocolove dark chocolate for dessert.

In November, I went to Boston with six other nutrition majors for the American Dietetic Association's annual conference. It was one of the best trips I have ever taken, and has been the highlight of school year so far! One of the many reasons I love my major is the close friendships I have formed with the girls in my classes. It's a relatively small major, and we've basically had the same class schedule since the beginning of junior year. Not only did I enjoy getting to spend time with these girls, but I fell in love with the city of Boston. It's historical, clean, has amazing restaurants and night life, and everyone I met was friendly! We are having a Boston reunion tomorrow night, so I thought I would share some pictures from the trip. 

Read Mary Alice's review of Sonsie, a hip restaurant that is the place to see and be seen. It was a meal to remember!

Visiting Tufts University!

Hope you all have a good night! TGIF!

A Little Trivia

Trivia Night:

 Rebekah, Me, and Cameron

Callie, Katie, Me, and Rebekah

Trivia was fun as always! We definitely didn't come close to winning, but we did answer a lot right! Here are some of the questions we had. See if you can answer them!

1) Who was the host of Pimp My Ride?

2) Which president's birthday was on Monday?

3) How many bones are in the adult body?

4) Who just won the Daytona 500?

5) What is the premiere date of the new Harry Potter movie?

6) Who is Lil Romeo's dad?

7) What is the name of Clarissa's brother on Clarissa Explains It All?

8) What does Alma Mater translate to in English?

9) Who is Darkwing Duck's nemesis?

10) What country are they traveling to on the Bachelor next week?

11) Who are the new judges on American Idol?

12) In Star Wars, who is Han Solo's mentor?

13) Who was named MVP of the celebrity basketball game?

14) What animal was executed in France by public hanging for killing a child?

Mornings are usually my favorite time of day, but I woke up this morning running behind and completely unprepared for the day. I hate feeling rushed in the mornings, because it's my time to recharge and get ready for the next day. And, I always look forward to eating breakfast (favorite meal of the day)! I met Allison at 7 AM to finish taking pictures for the series, because we thought morning shots would have cool lighting. It was a little overcast, so that didn't really work out to our advantage. I still thought we got some cool shots though! I ate breakfast in the car on the way to class this morning. A Kind Bar and a banana. I barely made it to my 8 AM!

I went to class from 8-10:45 and came back to the sorority house for lunch. It wasn't that great today. Tomato soup, salad, and a bowl of cantaloupe and honeydew for dessert. I love fresh fruit!

I ran errands this afternoon and went to the Rec. I ran a lap around the Rec ( 1 2/3 miles) before coming inside to finish the rest on the treadmill. The outside running conditions were terrible, and I just wasn't feeling it today. I ran 3 more miles on the treadmill and called it a day. I worked on graduate school applications and ate vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt mixed with a little Iz granola for my afternoon snack.

I worked the registration table and greeted guests at a Social Entrepreneurship Awards Ceremony tonight. I am an Ambassador for the College of Human Environmental Sciences, and they were helping host the event. After it was over, I went to dinner at Chuck's Fish to celebrate my friend Callie's birthday. It was delicious! I ordered fish tacos that were served with grilled amberjack and topped with avocado and mango salsa. It came with a side of chili coconut rice!

 Me, Callie, and Callie (the birthday girl)

Callie, Allison, Callie, Me, and Rebekah

I'm so ready for the weekend! Tentative plans for tomorrow include a light run, class (only one on Fridays!), lunch with my mom and grandmother, a matinee movie, and a carb-heavy dinner to fuel up for the Tuscaloosa Dietetic Association's 5K Run on Saturday morning! Saturday evening will be spent with all my lovely nutrition gals! Hope you have a great night!

Where did the afternoon go?

I didn't quite make the 6 AM run this morning. I decided sleep was more important than exercise. I had a bowl of 1 C Kashi Heart to Heart cereal and 1/2 C skim milk topped with a handful of Iz granola and dried cranberries for some added texture and crunch. I also had a Golden Delicious apple on the side.

I had class from 9-12 and came back to the sorority house for lunch. Mexican lasagna and a salad with all the usual toppings. And strawberries for dessert!

After lunch, I worked on my Italian paper. My afternoon snack was a Nature's Valley trail mix bar. I took a break to fit in a work out at the Rec. 30 minutes on the elliptical and 25 minutes on the bike. I went straight back to my Italian paper and before I knew it, it was time for dinner! Dinner was cancelled at the sorority house, so I just made an AB&B sandwich. I even grilled it on the panini press. Yum. Elvis knew what he was talking about! I also had Vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt topped with sliced banana and Iz granola. And some carrots!

I've got to be productive and get some more work done! Later, I'm meeting up with some friends at Innisfree Irish Pub for our new tradition of Wednesday night trivia. It's always a good time!

My challenge to you is to leave an Operation Beautiful note in a public place sometime this week. It's really fun, I promise! And so rewarding knowing that you could have made someone's day!