It’s hot pink!  Her name is Cherry Pie.  Of course, I’ll probably find my old one as soon as I take it out of the package, but c’est la vie.  Since my first day of half-marathon training starts [...]]]> Well, I did it.  I bit the bullet and bought an iPod Nano after work today.

It’s hot pink!  Her name is Cherry Pie.  Of course, I’ll probably find my old one as soon as I take it out of the package, but c’est la vie.  Since my first day of half-marathon training starts tomorrow, I knew I had to have some kind of music player to get me through miles and miles on the treadmill.  This is my fifth or sixth iPod in 7 years (although I’ve only paid for three of them, but I’m excited to start fresh!  Have any great workout tunes? Please send them along!

This morning I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in bed.

My hot bowl of oatmeal contained:

• 1/2 cup oats cooked in 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 banana
• warmed frozen berries
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• walnuts
• cinnamon
• 1/4 packet Stevia

Since I no longer subscribe to the newspaper and the internet function on my Blackberry is broken, I’ve started using the mornings to both relax and watch the news.  It’s quite pleasant!

I hadn’t had time to go shopping for produce, so I tried a Chocolate Cherry Almond Luna Protein Bar as my mid-morning snack.  This was so. good. It tastes just like candy! The next time I’m craving a crummy chocolate bar, I think I’ll reach for one of these instead.

For lunch, I had a nice big salad.

In the mix:

• TJ’s Champs-Elysée salad blend
• 1/3 mango
• 1/3 block tempeh
• cherry tomatoes
• feta cheese
• steamed carrots
• TJ’s Goddess Dressing

I also had a container of TJ’s vanilla Greek yogurt, with a side of Zoë Heller.

I stayed at work a little late today and had to run some errands afterward, so by the time I got home I was starving. I whipped up this quick recipe from Health magazine for Cheesy Polenta with Roasted Vegetables.

The eggplants didn’t look so hot on the store shelf, so I substituted one large sweet potato instead.  I also subbed feta for goat cheese, quartered the recipe ingredients for polenta but only halved the veggies.  Easy way to load up on the good suff!

I had an extra plate of roasted vegetables with a glass of heart-healthy red wine.

I really should cook with polenta more often; it’s easy to make, goes with so many things, and is oh so delicious!  While eating, I watched The Believer, which I think I added to my Netflix queue years ago because Ryan Gosling is in it.  It’s a very disturbing film, but it’s funny: this is the fourth piece of media I’ve come into contact with in the last day about fanaticism!

For dessert, I had a chocolate chip biscotti that I picked up on the way home from my local Italian bakery.

Crunch and sweet, it really hit the spot.  I always forget how much I love it!

Well, I’m off to shower and do a quick Lunar Flow.  I don’t get to stretch my psoas muscles all day, and it feels so good to get into half-pigeon!

Don’t forget: you still have until 10 PM EST tonight to enter my giveaway.  You’ll score an album and some LVP treats… I’m a proud girl, if [...]]]>

THE UPWELLING’S FULL-LENGTH DEBUT, AN AMERICAN STRANGER, IS

IN STORES NOW!!! Click here to buy it on Amazon; it’s also available on iTunes, at Best Buy… the works!

Don’t forget: you still have until 10 PM EST tonight to enter my giveaway.  You’ll score an album and some LVP treats… I’m a proud girl, if ya can’t tell   What a great way to start the day!!!

Yesterday started out with a great breakfast: Puffins, Smart Start, and a banana, covered in my homemade raw almond milk.  This milk is incredible!  I think I’m going to make cashew milk next.  Has anyone ever made peanut milk?

A couple hours later, while I was getting some reading for work done, I snacked on an apple.  Right after the photo was taken, I sprinkled cinnamon on top, making sure not to touch my eyes!

Lunch was a Lilveggiepatch-approved “meatball sub”: an Ezekiel English muffin topped with tomato sauce, TJ’s meatless meatballs, and low-fat munster cheese. (It needed a little boost, so I went back and topped it with more sauce, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, and hot sauce. Mmmm!)

On the side, I had a salad with romaine, shredded carrots, tomato, hummus, and Bragg’s.

Pure belly-busting goodness.

For some reason I was hungry all day! A couple hours after lunch, I grabbed a fig bar on my way out the door.

I met a friend downtown for iced coffee at Joe. I always forget how much I like this place!

Now, here comes the funny part.  I pretty much planned my entire day around going to a 90-minute yoga class at 7 PM.  But, when the time for class rolled around, I really just wanted to go home.  I was feeling the pressure of work, and didn’t want to stay up until midnight getting it done.  Still, I popped into a deli and picked up a banana to fuel up for class…

I even checked in at the gym, wrote my name down on the list to reserve a spot for class, and went down to the locker room… but it was completely packed, people were waiting in line to use the shower, and it just wasn’t for me.  Instead, I went home, threw on my running shoes, and ran back out the door before I had a chance to talk myself out of that, too.  I ran a good 2 miles.

I’m going to have to start working on speed soon, because I registered for my first 5K!  It’s two weeks from Sunday.  It’s really important to me because, almost the same time last year, I was signed up for a 5K and then promptly broke my femur. I’m going to be smarter about racing this time; if it goes well, this will hopefully be the first of many

When I came home, I made an old favorite: a sweet potato topped with cottage cheese and black beans.

I also steamed up some broccoli. It was too hot to drink the broc wat!

Sweet potatoes are starting to get some love again… not that I ever stopped liking them, but I ate them SO MUCH at school that I wanted to give myself a little break.  Consider the hiatus over!

I finished off the Ashley Brooke Pinot Grigio.  Happy Monday!

For dessert, I had two of Jenna‘s chocolate-chip biscotti.  I wanted more, but I restrained myself.

Off to work I go! I’ll announce the giveaway winners tomorrow morning.  Have a great day

Yesterday morning, some of us met at 7:30 for a run. We [...]]]> Good morning and happy Monday! By now, I’m sure you’ve all read numerous recaps of the 2009 Healthy Living Summit… I know I have! It’s interesting to see everyone’s take on it, because, like us bloggers, no two experiences are the same.

Yesterday morning, some of us met at 7:30 for a run. We hadn’t had coffee, but look at all those smiling faces! (Thanks to Caitlin for letting me bogart her pictrures )

I joined the 3 mile group, and enjoyed great conversation (pug or German Shepherd?) with like-minded ladies.

We ended up going about 3.5 miles, and I know I could have gone on longer. Having someone (or 10 someones!) to run with makes all the difference.  Do I see a race in my future?

Total time: 33:36 minutes

Maximum heart rate: 192 (96%)
Average heart rate: 172 (86%)

Calories burned: 380

After the run we had over an hour until breakfast, and I needed something for my tum.  Coffee!  I spent an embarrassingly long time trying to find the filters…

… only to discover they were “tea bag” style, and the filters were the coffee. Doh.

The group reassembled and went to Finagle A Bagle for lunch.

Talk about maximum efficiency! The bagels shoot out, assembly-line style…

They are then sliced by a giant spinning blade.

There were so many interesting bagel choices! French Toast, Honey Grain, Stuffed Vegetable…

The line was long, but we were all in an out in no time.  That’s progress, baby, progress.

We found a grassy knoll to sit on and enjoyed our breakfast outside, enjoying the last minutes of the Healthy Living Summit.

It took me a little while to set up my breakfast (I can be a little high-maintenance about that, if you haven’t noticed : On a toasted honey grain bagel, I spread light cream cheese on half, and Barney Butter with honey on the other half.

I also made sure to get some fruit in.

I was in a little bit of a rush to make the 12 PM checkout, but I managed to grab Heather to take a sunglass-twin photo. Why spend good money on fancy shades when you can get sexy ones like these at Target?

I hustled back to the hotel, grabbed my stuff, and hobbled out.  When I got to the station, I surveyed all of the food choices.  Not great, but I did manage to find a Greek Salad at D’Angelo’s.

I wasn’t a fan of the creamy dressing it came with… a relief, because I knew it would also stink up the bus. (I removed the onions for that very reason!)

There was an absurd amount of feta and olives, and I left a lot behind.

I also munched on an apple while reading my copy of Body + Soul from the swag bag. There are some great recipes in there that I can’t wait to try!

The ride from Boston –> New York is almost five hours, so I needed another snack. I went back to the swag bag for a Fruition bar, made by the makers of Pro Bar.

Here’s an idea of the size of the bar, using my camera case:

Pros: There’s a definite strawberry flavor here.  It’s very soft and grainy, so you don’t have to work too hard to eat it like some other sports bars out there. It reminds me of something I ate as a kid during snack time at school (which is reinforced by the sticky fingers you will get upon eating this). I like its snack size; you don’t have to make the 400 calorie commitment that you do for a regular Pro Bar. It also has very pretty packaging!

Cons: It’s a little too soft for me. I wish it would either be firmer like a Larabar, or crunchier like a granola here. There are oats in here, after all, so it shouldn’t be so soggy!

Bottom line: Would I buy this? Maybe. I want to try the other flavors of Fruition; I’ve heard rumors of Blueberry, which sounds pretty good. I don’t know how widely available they are yet (I’ve never seen them in stores), but keep your eyes open!

I shlepped about 100 pounds home from Chinatown and just wanted a comforting meal.  I made my old standby comfort food:

Gliding Calm tofu; a sweet potato with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar; steamed kale with rice wine vinegar; brown rice. This meal really feels like the equivalent of a big bear hug.

Do you have any comfort foods or meals you turn over and over?

I enjoyed dinner with a small glass of Villa Farnia di Farnese’s 2008 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that my friend Howard gave me.

Frank Bruni describes this as a “good, solid, dependable wine;”  a staple in Italian restaurants.  It is medium tannin, smooth, and has the taste of black fruit.

I enjoyed the wine while watching Revolutionary Road and munching on one of Jenna‘s chocolate chip biscotti.

Er, make that two biscotti. I didn’t want the first one to be lonely!

Another great day. The Summit was a blast.  I had so much fun meeting over one hundred women who love to do some of the same things I do! Who’d a thought, in high school, that that would be possible?

It’s back to the grind, unfortunately, and I have a lot of reading to do. Hope your week is off to a great start!

It was cold when I woke up, so I started the day with a delicious hot breakfast.

For some reason it was [...]]]> Good late-night, lovepies! I hope you had (or are out having!) a fabulous Friday.  I had another lovely day with my family.

It was cold when I woke up, so I started the day with a delicious hot breakfast.

• 1/4 cup 10 grain hot cereal
• 1/4 cup oats
• 3/4 cup water
• cinnamon
• brown sugar
• scoop PB

For some reason it was a little watery, so I added a touch more peanut butter. Problem solved!

I enjoyed my breakfast with a side of a Gracie masterpiece.  Gorgeous, no? I love that baby Picasso and her sister (and her mommy, duh) so much!

I snacked on an apple.

My parents, George, Judy and I had lunch at Coffee News.

I ordered a Greek omelet with spinach, feta, tomatoes and olives.

I’m not usually a huge home-fry/breakfast potato kind of girl, but these are so garlicky and delicious.

I ate half the bread, about 2/3 of the omelet and a few potatoes.  I was saving up for a double chocolate chip biscotti, which I spied on the counter when I ordered my lunch! Too bad I didn’t know how good these were before today.

We went to the student post office because I knew a special package was coming…

Holey Donuts! I hit the jackpot in an An Apple A Day contest.

I’d been wondering how these were going to survive FedEx ground shipping…

Coconut cream pie, banana cream Oreo cookie, raspberry graham cracker.

Coconut cream pie (one whole box!), low fat chocolate.

Low fat classic vanilla fosted

Have you ever seen such pretty donuts? An average Holey Donut has less than 200 calories and 3-4 grams of fat, compared to 200-400 calories and 10-20 grams of fat in regular chain-store and supermarket donuts. They’re also not fried, so you can give your arteries a break. Here’s some of the Holey Donut story, written by Frank Dilullo, founder of the company.

Back in 1958, my father was literally one of the first franchisees with what is today the world’s most successful donut chain. Spending my childhood in the back of a donut shop eventually led to me running and owning my own donut shops. Always having a love for donuts, I set out to create a donut like no other; something that would elevate donuts to a new level; something more high-end, more gourmet, and really just the best donut you could make. Then one day, I walked away from the deep fat fryer and began to actually cook my donuts in a different way. Then at first bite, I said “HOLY $#!%, these are really good!” Thus, the name Holey Donuts!

Having a feeling that these donuts had to be very low in fat, we sent samples off to an FDA approved lab for testing… low and behold, they had less than 3 grams of fat. Wow, we were just amazed at the light, fluffy taste, texture and light color (which is the way donuts actually look before they are fried in that same dirty oil over and over again). From there, it was a story of dedication and perseverance to do whatever it took to succeed and bring these great tasting, guilt free treats to the world. After all, the Wall Street Journal put it best when they said “Food companies have been able to take most of the fat out of everything from cheese to Twinkies. But no one has succeeded in designing a marketable low-fat doughnut.”

I couldn’t wait to try these guys!

After lunch, I went on a great “mental health” run.  I ran all around the neighborhoods, twisting around the roundabouts (it’s amazing I didn’t get lost) to look at all the pretty houses.  I had to stop for traffic a few times (including one 5-minute stoplight I always get stuck at), and ended up running about 3.5 miles. I also did 8-minute abs when I got home.  My heart rate monitor was blinking zero for the beginning of my run so my stats may be a little off.

Total time: 43:40 minutes

Maximum heart rate: 195 (98%)

Average heart rate: 167 (84%)

Calories burned: 464

After showering and making myself presentable, my parents and I went to the English and French department receptions (yeah, we party hop like that). I had a plate of fruit and a slice of pepper jack cheese.

Then we all headed back to my grandparents’ house (I wore shoes this time ) for dinner.  We really must be related… they’d set out some pretzel thins! I could eat these all day long.

My grandmother set a lovely dinner table, as usual.

She was nice enough to arrange for a special vegetarian meal for me although everyone else was having shrimp and sausage jambalaya.

I had a delicious vegetable and tofu dish with some rice.

We also had a very nice mixed greens and vegetable salad, which I eagerly helped myself to seconds of.

My grandfather had really nice wine… I only had about half a glass.  For some reason I wasn’t really in a wine mood! Shocking, I know.  Plus, I had to drive myself back to St. Paul in the dark.

For dessert, I made a tasting platter of Holey Donuts for everyone to try.  All you have to do is plop a frozen donut in the microwave, and voila! Hot gooey deliciousness.  You can even put the entire box in! (Which, you know, I might do if I was in private… ANYway…) We sampled the coconut cream pie, banana oreo cream pie, raspberry graham cracker and low fat classic vanilla frosted.

I have to say, we were all blown away.  My mom and George are huge donut snobs (see The Donut Pub), and for George to give it a thumbs up really says something.  (He did, however, not see what “the point” of eating a low fat donut was.)  When I’m craving a sweet treat, I usually go the cake/ice cream route, but these were top rate.  The coconut cream pie is Holey Donut’s top seller; it was really good, as was the plain ole vanilla frosted. I went back for second samplings of the coconut cream pie and the raspberry graham cracker (tastes like a jelly donut).  These are going to be dangerous to have in the house…

I also had a scoop of fat free vanilla frozen yogurt with my grandmother’s famous chocolate syrup and raspberries. Nomnomnom.

My tongue is hurting from the sugar, but it was all pretty guilt-free! (Hmm… I see a Donut Diet in my future…)

I’m going to try to get to bed early(ish).  Our graduation commencement ceremony is tomorrow, and I want to be bright eyed and bushytailed.  Hope you are having a lovely week… I’m terribly behind on my Google Reader but as you know, you’re always in my heart

For 30 FREE donut holes with a Holey Donut purchase, enter code AWNY at checkout.

Bonne nuit!

This morning I went to the library and got [...]]]> Afternoon lovepies! I hope your Saturdays are going fabulously.  Mine has been okay… most importantly,  I got out of the house! One of the things I’m most looking forward to about the end of student life is not being shut up indoors all the time.

This morning I went to the library and got all set up with books, snacks (and that cute little GPS).

I snacked on a grapefruit, making extra careful not to squirt my neighbors.  (The library finally gave up on prohibiting food and drink, and there are not just funny little signs everywhere that say “Spills happen! Just let us know ” ).

I went with some friends to the Coffee Gallery, a coffee shop that’s connected to the Open Book center for book arts in Minneapolis.

This place is pretty much a paradise for bibliophiles… it has printmaking exhibits, bookmaking workshops, readings, performances (musical and otherwise), a [very tempting] gift shop, and a cozy little coffee shop.

While studying, I got a bowl of Zuppa di Pasta & Fagioli, or literally “hearty bean and pasta soup.”

I also got a cup of African tea (with milk and sugar) and a chocolate raspberry biscotti, to make up for the biscotti fiasco a few days ago.

This was pretty much the perfect lunch, and held me over very well.

It was nice to actually study with other people for a change, but I got a little distracted towards the end because I was 95% sure the lead singer of my favorite band in the entire world (aside from the Upwelling, of course ) walked into the shop. I frantically  stalked looked around for him, but he disappeared.  I just looked at their tour schedule, though, and they’re in Salt Lake City today.  Oh well!

When I got back, I went on a halfhearted run; I didn’t want to be out for very long but I wanted to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

Total distance: 1.34 miles

Total time: 13:16 minutes

Maximum heart rate: 203 (102%)

Average heart rate: 178 (86%)

Calories burned: 147

I came back and hand cottage cheese with cinnamon and a banana.

There might be an Easter egg in my near future, in addition to more book cracking. Have a great Saturday night!

I finally heeded Papa Veggie’s advice and got my tush out the door for coffee and exercise around 4.

I picked up a couple double grande nonfat chai lattés (say that ten times fast) and brought them over to [...]]]> Good evening bloggies! I hope everyone has gotten through today in one piece. Mondays are loooooong!

I finally heeded Papa Veggie’s advice and got my tush out the door for coffee and exercise around 4.

I picked up a couple double grande nonfat chai lattés (say that ten times fast) and brought them over to Sarah’s for some girly time. Espresso really makes chai so much better (and your brain so much more… effective!)… it’s a little spicy, and not so sweet.

I didn’t end up having much time at the gym, but obviously my lady champions over sweating and reality TV. I accidentally turned off my HRM before I was ready, but here are my rough stats:

20:00 bike

1.0 mile run

300 calories burned

The football team was stretching on the mats and I really didn’t have time to wait, so I did some quick upright stretches and figured my abs can wait until tomorrow to start their downward sag.

Monday and Wednesday nights are complete tests of time management, a field I do not excel in. I prepped my Gliding Calm tofu, put the spinach in the pot and stabbed my sweet potato (maybe a little too aggressively… sorry Mrs. Potatohead!) before I got into the shower so I saved a little time. I’m going to be honest and tell you that the spinach was a little slimy, but who notices that when it’s all steamed up? Okay, maybe the funk-tastic smell that wafted out when I took the top off the pot, but oh-ho! Enter Mr. Rice Wine Vinegar, and that problem is solved. Yes, don’t worry, I’m a little disgusted with myself, too.

My dad surprised me with a subscription to the New York Times today, so I caught up on some recent tragic events during dinner.

Class tonight almost made me cry. Well, not really, but we had to do math, I’m an English major for a reason. If there are any high schoolers reading this, I’m going to let you in on a little secret that will save your life: the pass/fail option. Glorious.

When I came home, I had a square of the chocolate Ari brought back.

I also had a cup of Lemon Zinger tea and four Almondina cookies.

There’s still a little work left to be done before bed, so I wish you very sweet dreams. Night night!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUat-0pTiAk]

I spent my day entirely on my tush, consuming one thing or another (food, coffee, books).  Surprisingly that’s pretty tiring, and I am spent.

I went to the cafeteria for lunch today to load up on veggies since I’m running a little low at home.  I had a huge salad (this [...]]]> For your aural pleasure:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUat-0pTiAk]

I spent my day entirely on my tush, consuming one thing or another (food, coffee, books).  Surprisingly that’s pretty tiring, and I am spent.

I went to the cafeteria for lunch today to load up on veggies since I’m running a little low at home.  I had a huge salad (this photo doesn’t do it justice) with spinach, cucumber, red cabbage, onion, carrots, beets, shredded pea pods, and stewed tempeh.

I also had some vegan black bean chili with cottage cheese.

And a tangerine, to seal the deal.

I went to Dunn Bros. with Sarah and Megan to get some studying done.  I had a skim latte with an extra shot of espresso and a dark chocolate/hazelnut/pistachio biscotti. I’ve been waiting to treat myself to one of these all week!

I stayed there so long that I got hungry again.  Good thing I brought a big bag and “helped myself” to fruit from the cafeteria! This grapefruit made a huge mess, by the way, but now I smell just like Hesperides.

I’m not sure what the night has in store for me, but for the time being it involves some serious veg-out time.  Have a lovely evening!