I made us a quick breakfast of whole wheat toast, almond butter, honey, cinnamon, and half a banana.  I’ve eaten a variation of this before every race, and [...]]]> This morning we got up bright and early to get to Central Park for my first race of 2010, and Ari’s first race of his life!

I made us a quick breakfast of whole wheat toast, almond butter, honey, cinnamon, and half a banana.  I’ve eaten a variation of this before every race, and didn’t want to jinx myself by changing it up!  Right after I took the photo, I misplaced my camera somewhere in the apartment… after a few minutes of mild panic, I found my old one in a drawer.  Excuse the recycled photo and poor quality of the images to follow!

We got to the park and caught up with Danielle, who looked far more stylish than I did.  Good thing I didn’t check the weather- 17 degrees!- but we both layered up anyway.

We stashed our bags and coats and headed to the starting line (where we bumped into Caitlin, who was right next to us!).

As this was Ari’s first race- and the first time he would run more than 2 miles at a time- I looked at today as our first race together, and just a fun way to spend a Sunday morning.  If we had to walk the whole way, so be it!

It was really cold.  My legs were completely numb and my hands hurt before we even started running, but we started off at a steady pace and held it all the way through.  I asked Ari multiple times if he wanted to stop- or even slow down- but he kept moving.  We maintained at 10:39 pace the whole way!!! We finished in 42:38; I was so proud.

Total distance: 4 miles

Total time: 42:38

We made the frigid trek back across the park to claim our bags and catch up with Danielle (who finished in 36:58!)…

… then headed over to Arte Cafe for brunch with a 14 lovely ladies (an 2 gentlemen).

It was fun to catch up with so many bloggers… I don’t know if I’ve been in the company of so many like-minded folk at once since the Summit!

Among them were Ada, Melissa, Heather & Mark, Ashley, Meghann, and many more.  Ari and I got to catch up with our favorite college gal before she jetted off to triathalon club.

Before she left, she gave us Chobani‘s new kids’ yogurt! I can’t wait to try these guys.

Instead of bread, we were given berry muffins.  This was probably my favorite part of my meal (other than the company)… the black coffee wasn’t so great.

I ordered an egg white omelet with spinach and goat cheese;  the muffin really filled me up so I didn’t have any of the toast or salad (quite unlike me!).

Thanks for a fun time, everyone! (Photo courtesy of Meghann.)

After we all went our separate ways (with plans for future meetings), Ari and I made our way home.  We took a little pit stop at Grandaisy Bakery for a small hot chocolate, which we split on the subway ride.

After I was showered and warmed up a bit, the rest of the day was devoted to work.  What else is a Sunday for, eh?   For some reason, I was hungry all day.  Only a little after we got home, I tore into the 18 Rabbits Belle Bananas Foster bar (review to come).

And some grapes to keep me going:

Ari had plans tonight so I ended up eating an early dinner with him.  I made Tomatoey Spiced Chickpeas which has easily become my go-to quick dinner (it requires almost no active cooking time) when we eat together. Ari is a die-hard meat lover, but for some reason he’s really taken to this vegetarian dish. I served it with Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Pilaf and steamed cauliflower (which also was consumed without complaints!).

Later, I made a chocolate peanut butter cup for Ari and a dessert plate for myself using dried fruit, a macaroon from Gina, and chocolate hazelnut spread from Liz (more on that later).

Now it’s off to bed… it’s going to be another 5AM morning for me tomorrow.  Tomorrow I’m going to clean out the closet and find my camera… until then, please be patient with the fuzzy photos!

Hope you had a great weekend, and have a very happy Monday

While this is going to be more of a “greatest hits” [...]]]> Good evening and happy Sunday!  How was your weekend?  I just got back from Westbrook, Connecticut, where The Upwelling’s former tour manager got married.  The boys were part of the wedding party so they came back from tour and we all went together.

While this is going to be more of a “greatest hits” post, I want to share a new dressing with you: coconut mint.

Coconut Mint Dressing

• 1/2 tsp shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 small handful fresh mint, chopped
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil

“Muddle” the mint, coconut and lemon together before adding the rest of the juices.  This releases the flavors and lets them really pop!  I drizzled the dressing over a tempeh/sweet potato/apple/feta salad…

… but it would make a great marinade for fish, shrimp, or tofu as well.   I’m getting so much mileage out of this bunch of mint!

In the car, I had the healthiest and most delicious “candy bar” imaginable: dried fruit stuffed with roasted almonds and bittersweet chocolate chips. These are so good.

Ari bought me a slightly more processed version, but still a favorite nonetheless.  There’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s.

When we got to the hotel, I took advantage of the time the groomsmen spent rehearsing to go to the gym.  I ran 3.1 miles (5K), walked another .4, and stretched.  As the Gina always says, no one wants to miss out on the fun, so I try to plan timely activities (like workouts and… ahem… the time I spend getting ready to go out) while everyone else is either sleeping or doing something else.

The bride and groom are both Jewish, and because the rehearsal dinner fell on Friday, we had a traditional Shabbat dinner.  The challah abounded!  Somehow I ended up with three pieces of bread on my plate, but Josh and Ari picked at most of it.

The entrée choices were Vegetable Risotto with Arugula Pesto or Cappelini Rustica; I wasn’t sure which (if any) option was vegetarian, but figured the risotto was a safer bet.  They both turned out to be meat free, and I loved the risotto! It was very rich, though, so I only ate about half of it.  And the flower.  Which I’m pretty sure wasn’t of the edible variety.  Whoops!

Strawberry sorbet for dessert…

… and a fun-size Cookies ‘n Cream Hershey’s bar.   This is one of those weird LVP-isms; I really don’t like white chocolate, but a couple times a year I get cravings that can only be quenched by this particular bar.  The bride and groom must have known this when they stuffed it in our goodie bag!

Also in the bag were these personalized M&Ms; they had the wedding date, photo, names and words printed on them.  Very creative!

We may or may not have gone to a casino late that night (this girl’s first time) to further my blackjack education and lose $5 on the slots.  It was a strange, strange place, I tell ya!  It was HUGE, and the lights are pretty dim and there aren’t any windows so there’s really no way to tell if it’s 4PM or 4AM.  Drinks are free, and you can walk everywhere with them!  People also smoked inside; it’s strange that a few years ago that was the norm everywhere.  The stores were opened past midnight, so Ari and I split a Godiva pumpkin truffle.

We got to the hotel really late, and with the exception of Stew, all slept in past noon.  We woke up famished, so we set out in search of brunch.  Where did our journey take us, you ask?  To the Grand Slam at Denny’s. Yes, you read that correctly.

The Grand Slam is a magical deal that lets you pick four breakfast items for only $5.99.  For an extra $.49 per item, you can choose from three “premium selections” like yogurt, granola or fruit.   We were all very excited.

We placed our orders, then  set to work.  When was the last time you colored at an eatery?

Ari ordered a festive pot of peppermint tea (which came with an unsolicited squirt of peppermint syrup):

I drank my coffee black.

The food arrived: I ordered (dry) whole wheat pancakes, egg whites, oatmeal and a cup of fruit.

I ate all the fruit and eggs (which were buttery but delicious), half of the pancakes and left all of the oatmeal.  Even had I not been an oatmeal snob, I don’t think anything else would have fit in my stomach.

Brunch understandably held me right up through the wedding, and left me with more than enough time to shower, dress (Hollywood Tape did not come through for me as I’d hoped)…

… and watch three hours worth of Married With Children episodes.

The ceremony was beautiful, and while it was traditional in some respects, there were some nice personal touches: the groomsmen walked down the aisle to Semi-Charmed Life, the bridesmaids to Bittersweet Symphony, the bride to Do You Realize?, all performed by a string quartet. There may have been some tears in my corner.

At the dinner reception, the guest seated to my right taught me a helpful trick to remembering where your bread and drinks go in relation to your place setting.

Make the “OK” signal with both of your hands.  Your left forms a lower-case “B” (for bread), and the right forms a “D” (for drink).  How handy!

Speaking of bread, this roll was particularly tasty…

… and where drinks are concerned, I stuck to vodka- sodas.

While we were eating our smoked mozzarella and pesto ravioli appetizer, Josh and Ari played an acoustic version of A-Ha’s “Take On Me” for the bride and groom’s first dance. This was really good, but I let it get cold and only had a few bites.

I didn’t leave a scrap of arugula salad with toasted walnuts, shaved parmesan, and mandarin oranges, however.  The couple next to me thought it was too big, but I would have gladly alleviated them of their portion!  This was my favorite part of the meal.

The entree was grilled salmon with mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots. It was good, but I was pretty full by the time this came around and only ate about half of the fish (but all of the veggies!) and gave my taters to Ari.

We danced around on the floor for a bit, but really just enjoyed being with friends and each other.  The band is booked through February with a short break in December, so it was nice to be able to spend the weekend together.

The cake was sliced and brought around: chocolate with strawberry and vanilla buttercream.  I ate about half, then went back out to tear up the rug.

Our eyelids started drooping around midnight, and we were asleep by 1.  We had to hustle in the morning to get back to the city, but we had enough time to have a nice brunch with the wedding party.  I had half of a sesame bagel with cream cheese, eggs, fruit (plus some unpictured grapes), and half a slice of French toast. Coffee abounded, as usual.

It was such a nice weekend.  I really cannot express how grateful I am to have been able to spend a weekend- more like a mini-vacation, actually- with people I love.  The next few days will be pretty busy… The Upwelling goes back on tour tomorrow, and I have a couple interviews for potential jobs.   My healthy habits have been slacking a bit, but one month from this morning (Sunday, December 13) is my 15K race.  I’ve updated my training plan, and will stick to it… I went on a 4.5 mile run late this afternoon.

Regular posting will resume tomorrow.  I hope you had a fabulous weekend, and congratulations to the newlyweds!

Yesterday, my last day in Minnesota, was quite relaxing.  I slept in a little, then woke up, had some fruit…

I did quite a [...]]]> Evening, chickadees!  How was the rest of your weekend?  I can’t believe it’s over already… the days are just flying by, and I can’t seem to do a thing about it!

Yesterday, my last day in Minnesota, was quite relaxing.  I slept in a little, then woke up, had some fruit…

I did quite a number on those grapes!  Produces isn’t safe when I’m around.

We had a 12:30 reservation for brunch at the club, so I didn’t want to fill up too much… but I did caffeinate.

I loaded my plate to the brim on round one at the buffet…

In the mix:

• mixed greens
• artichokes
• hearts of palm
• peppers
• cottage cheese
• cherry tomatoes
• pumpkin seeds
• cauliflower
• balsamic vinaigrette
• seafood salad
• citrus- marinated mushroom
• strawberries, cantaloupe & pineapple

The halibut cake (about the size of an orange slice)  called to me on round 2.

I took a little bit of everything for dessert: mini magic & fudge bars, the bottom of a piece of pumpkin cake, and fresh berries.

I sipped on a cup of Darjeeling tea throughout the meal…

Don’t silk tea sachets feel so fancy? I love it!

With good reason, brunch held me over for hours.  We went straight to the airport from the club, with just enough time to check in and board.  I snacked on Pink Lady apple on the plane, more out of boredom than hunger.  (Hopefully I’ll finish this book before the year is out… it’s been long enough!)

When I got home, I made something quick and easy (although perhaps not as aesthetically pleasing as one might hope): Annie’s Mac & Cheese with a Morningstar Farms Pizza Burger, one small sweet potato, chili flakes and a scoop of nutritional yeast.  The entire thing was made in the microwave! Unfortunately, not all of my meals can be like the ones I ate over the weekend.  If only!

As per Sunday tradition, I ate my dinner while catching up on Thursday’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

I wanted something sweet (because I hadn’t quite had my fill already ) so I microwaved a banana for 90 seconds and topped it with Pure Dark cardamom chocolate, cinnamon, and agave nectar.

The first thing I ever cooked by myself on the stove was a version of this… I used to eat it while watching Wishbone after school.  Pretty cool.

Well, I’m off to get dinner started.  Please excuse my foreseeable absent-mindedness over the next few days… I have a lot to do to organize myself, and a wedding to go to at the end of the week.  I’ll do my best!

Have a great night

I can’t believe it’s already Monday… and there’s only one more Monday of August! Where has the summer gone? I guess I’ve done a lot… I’ve been to Germany, Michigan, Utah, and Maryland… it’s just strange [...]]]> Good morning, friends! If you haven’t already, don’t forget to enter my giveaway! It will change your life.

I can’t believe it’s already Monday… and there’s only one more Monday of August! Where has the summer gone? I guess I’ve done a lot… I’ve been to Germany, Michigan, Utah, and Maryland… it’s just strange to know that it’s almost Fall.  Autumn is actually my favorite season, though… I love the feeling of a “fresh start” that a new school year always gave me, pulling out my sweaters, drinking hot Chai, Halloween, MY BIRTHDAY… so yeah, I’m pretty excited for the weather to change, now that I think about it!

Yesterday, I met my friend Lisa for brunch at the Manhattan Diner.  I haven’t seen her since June, and it was so nice to catch up.  Neither of us had fully recovered from the shock of being awake, so we drank lots of coffee.

We both ordered the same thing: an omelet made with organic eggs, avocado, pepper jack, carrots, and zucchini, with a side of mixed greens. We also both doused our eggs in hot sauce and ketchup… we’re fated to be friends

The bread was good, but nothing beats my beloved toast from the usual place, so I only had one slice.

All of that coffee was just what I needed, so after I left Lisa, I went home to gear up for a run.  I haven’t really exercised since my yoga class on Thursday, and although I walked about 7 miles throughout the weekend, I needed to feel the cardio burn.  It was great! It started raining towards the end of my run (about 3.1 miles) , but it actually felt really refreshing.  I came home a sweaty beast, but with enough energy to do my 8-minutes abs exercise, which I’ve sorely ignored lately.

Total time: 37:53 minutes

Maximum heart rate: 195 (98%)

Average heart rate: 165 (83%)

Calories burned: 405

By then, I was ready for a snack. I made a BIG bowl of plain Chobani, 1 banana, 1 nectarine, and a drizzle of pomegranate syrup.  It was perfect! My dad reminded me the other day how versatile (and yummy) pomegranate syrup is.  It’s also relatively inexpensive ($5/bottle), so I’d encourage you to try it if you haven’t already!

I was feeling industrious, so I made some of Gena‘s homemade raw almond milk.  I’d left the almonds soaking overnight, so this was easy-peasy and took almost no thought whatsoever! I don’t have a nut-milk bag, but a conventional strainer did the trick.

I let it strain through while I showered and packed up, and by the time I was ready to go, I had beautifully separated almond milk.  I saved the “nut meat” as well… I’m planning on making some Bonobo-style nori wraps! (Note: this is 1/2 Gena‘s recipe.)

I made it home just in time to meet some friends for dinner.  We went to Brick Café, and although the service was a little slow, it worked out perfectly because we got to catch up and gab a lot.  It was pretty much everything a Sunday evening should be: good food, good friends, and relaxation.

I started with a piece of baguette, smeared with a generous portion of olive paté.

I was a little boring and just ordered the tuna niçoise salad (mixed greens, hard-boiled eggs- yolks removed, asparagus, olives, and potatoes), but it was good! I wasn’t a fan of the creamy dressing, so I just asked for oil and vinegar instead.

Once home, I curled up with an almond butter-smeared VitaBrownie and watched Stealing Beauty.  I really liked the film! I want to go back to Europe.

I didn’t sleep too well… I woke up at 4 AM with some of the scariest nightmares I’ve ever had, involving… Jeffrey Dean Morgan.  Denny, why do you do this to me?!

Have a happy Monday

[Image Source]

Duran Duran or vampire fans fans in the house? I guess “werewolves” would be more appropriate, but Sarah‘s been raving about True Blood recently, and I’ve been watching in spurts.  Good thing I don’t have schoolwork to be distracted from!

Yesterday we slept late, and by the time we got up and out, [...]]]>

[Image Source]

Duran Duran or vampire fans fans in the house? I guess “werewolves” would be more appropriate, but Sarah‘s been raving about True Blood recently, and I’ve been watching in spurts.  Good thing I don’t have schoolwork to be distracted from!

Yesterday we slept late, and by the time we got up and out, it was 1 PM.  We decided to go to Brick, a nice bistro in Astoria, for brunch.

Ari and I enjoyed quite a bit of coffee (and I’ll probably get in trouble for posting this and the next photo of him… he wasn’t so pleased with them):

We split an order of bruschetta to start; I had one piece of toast and added a little olive tapenade (not pictured) to it.

We each ordered the special omelet (subbed with egg whites): zucchini, tomato, and smoked mozzarella.  There was a little too much cheese for my liking, so I just pulled some of it out and ate the rest.

After brunch, we happened upon a street fair.  We were full, but fresh watermelon sounded pretty tasty so we split a cup.

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring and wandered into Astoria Park.  I’m glad we went; it was a beautiful day and it’ll be a prime picnic spot in the future.  We ended up walking somewhere between 3 and 5 miles in high heat, so we definitely got our exercise in.

On the way home, we happened upon a really cute coffee shop that serves interesting drinks (watermelon blended with chardonnay), has WiFi, and has live music at night.  I wish I’d taken down the name and address, but I’m sure we’ll be able to find it again.

I got an iced coffee with skim milk and one packet of Sugar In The Raw:

After doing a little cleaning when we got home, I was starting to get hungry so I had a Granny Smith Apple with chocolate PB2.

Then I did some work, caught up on some blog reading, and before I knew it I was so hungry I could have eaten every one in the house.  Luckily, no one was home, so I had a pickle instead.

I was still starving, so I made a quick and easy stir-fry with ingredients we already had.  I used 1/2 block extra firm tofu, 1/2 bag “Asian blend” frozen veggies (green beans, mushrooms, water chestnuts & broccoli), garlic, ginger powder, sesame oil, light soy sauce, srirachi sauce and a little cooking spray.  I served it over Trader Joe’s Multigrain Pilaf (the TJ — cheaper— version of Kashi’s Moroccan Pilaf).

I was also having The Vegetarian’s Dilemma (tofu or hummus? hummus or tofu?) so I had a glob of hum with some stale crackers on the side.

For dessert, I had my Old Faithful: dried fruit (dates, prune, apricots) with almond butter and some dark chocolate (from Germany, pepper- flavored)

I spent the evening watching To Have and Have Not, a film that I discovered is none other than one of our very own Veggie Girl’s (AKA Liz) favorites!  It was wonderful.

Well, I’m off to get my booty to the gym, try to socialize, and do some work.  Hope your week is off to a great start!

Around the blogs:

Gina is giving away a cookbook by Sarma Melngailis (the founder and co-founder of One Lucky Duck and Pure Food and Wine)!

An Apple A Day is giving away Crofter’s fruit spread!

Yesterday we all went to brunch on campus before [...]]]> Or, The Inner Workings of A College Graduate, Pt. II?  Yeah, I’m sure I’m not the first one to make that joke! The last two days have been a whirlwind… I graduated yesterday (!) and have been having a really nice time seeing my family.

Yesterday we all went to brunch on campus before the commencement ceremony.  I knew we were going to be there for a couple hours as we waited for all my family members to arrive, so I started off with fruit salad and a copious amount of coffee.

An hour or so later, I had a waffle (the only one I’ve hever had on campus, in all four years!) with plain yogurt and berries.

Right before I left, I grabbed a piece of carrot bread.  Didn’t need it, but it was going to be a long day!

The proud mama:

My dad was prepared for every photo op.

My grandmother wanted my uncle’s tray to be photographed… he had a little bit of everything!

The graduation itself was really nice.  We got to choose who we sat with, the speeches weren’t too long, and I didn’t fall on my face! (I didn’t end up wearing my new shoes ) The only bummer was it was cold and windy… there were a couple fur coats in the crowd.  Our president pointed out that it was only fitting that our last official day in Minnesota should be spent in the cold! My high school graduation was blazingly hot, so I guess it evened out.

After the ceremony they set some dessert and coffee out for the reception; I was hungrier for real food, but I had a chocolate chip cookie.

“Graduation dinner” was another special one.  We went to Cafe Brenda; I’d been looking forward to it for months!

We started off with some wine:

Cafe Brenda’s entire wine list is organic.  I chose the Pinot Gris from Oregon from the table.

We ordered the Caspian (Two Dips — Asian Hummus Dip and a Sweet Red Pepper, Walnut, Pomegranate Dip. Served with Pita Bread, Vegetables and Olives) to share.  The walnut pomegranate dip was so interesting.  I have to recreate this!

We also got some shrimp quesadillas (Grilled Shrimp Tortilla with Sauteed Shrimp, Roasted Poblano Pepper, Tomatillo Sauce and Cheese. Served with a Coconut, Mint, Cilantro Salsa), which were so. freaking. good.  (George and I decided we have to go to La Palapa in New York as soon as possible.)

My portion (plus a little more hummus):

I also had half a piece of cornbread.

For my entrée, I ordered the Ginger Glazed Mock Duck Salad.

Warm Organic Mock Duck in a Maple Glaze on a Bed of Mixed Greens, Chinese Noodles and Vegetables in a Peanut, Lemongrass Dressing. This was just what I didn’t know I wanted. So good! It was massive, though, and because I enjoyed my tasting rights and freeloaded from my parents’ meals, I probably ate about 2/3- 3/4.

My mom ordered a special cake and arranged with Brenda’s to plate it for us.  The cake was beautiful, and came from one of Minneapolis’ best bakeries, Yum. It was called a patti cake (chocolate cake with buttercream frosting).  Check out the server’s tattoo!

I’m not usually a buttercream fan, but this was amazing.  It was sort of a cross between traditional buttercream and marshmallow fluff. The restaurant cut me the biggest piece, and as much as I wanted to, I honestly could not finish it without getting sick!

I left the restaurant completely bedazzled with new jewels.

I decided to stay overnight at my grandparents’ house since I don’t know the next time I’ll be out here again. I also didn’t have to worry about driving then, and happily left my car at home!  I brought my exercise clothes so I could take advantage of their treadmill this morning.  I only had a few minutes so I just ran a mile and did some floor exercises.  (I forgot my heart rate monitor at home so I don’t have any stats for you, sorry!)

My grandmother arranged for a beautiful private brunch for us at the country club this morning.

The table was lovely.

My Granny ordered dishes “in my honor” that she knew I would like:

I filled my plate with fruit salad, dry green salad, a slice of artichoke and sundried tomato quiche, toast with jam, and some of the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had.

More fruit:

A small cinnamon roll:

More toast with strawberry jelly:

My dad and uncle were such a help to me today; we got everything all packed up and the car is completely loaded so tomorrow all I’ll have to do is shower and leave.

I finally threw away my bag of bar wrappers: this is the accumulation since October, minus the ones I’ve eaten outside of Minnesota.  I read about a recycling program that collects used wrappers, but I think it’s now defunct.  Too bad… look how many I have!

Cranky McCrankerstein came out this afternoon while I was packing, hauling, and not paying attention to my hunger.  My dad and uncle took me to Whole Foods at 5, at which point it was all I could do not to stuff down my hot bar meal before checking out.

I had an avocado crack wrap for late my dinner/snack; there were a lot of other bitelets that didn’t make it onto the camera, but everything’s been pretty chaotic around the house.  I had to eat this off a paper plate with a plastic knife because everything else is packed!

I went over to Sarah’s to say goodbye to some of my friends, and arrived armed with Holey Donuts.  I had a Coconut Cream.

We’re all watching a cheesy 80s horror movie called Happy Birthday To Me. There’s a lot of strangling, screaming and slicing.  I’ve been in sort of a sugar coma all week, so I have a feeling I won’t have any trouble falling asleep tonight.  I’m meeting my dad and grandparents (everyone else went home) at Hell’s Kitchen for breakfast tomorrow, and then my dad and I are starting our long drive to New York.  I’ve been wanting to go to this restaurant for over a year, so it’ll be a nice way to leave.

I hope you’re having a great night.  Congratulations to all the graduates and their families!

My grandparents and I had a really nice time at their club’s Mother’s [...]]]> Yep, just one 10-page paper standing between me and my diploma.  Such a small thing, but that’s what makes it so hard to do! I’m just going to stay up all night tonight and get it done… blaaaaah. Anyway, enough whining!

My grandparents and I had a really nice time at their club’s Mother’s Day Brunch.  There were so many good things spread out on the buffet table; I loaded plate #1 with mixed greens, beets, cucumbers, carrots, asparagus, salmon and sundried tomato & feta orzo pasta salad.

I ordered a side of whole wheat toast, but it was so buttery! I only ate half of it, which I didn’t even really want, but I wanted bread.

Plate #2: grapes, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, pineapple.

Plate #3: More fruit and two small squares of nutty chocolate fudge.

I came home and took a turbo nap (2+ hours), woke up and made snack: sesame rye cracker with peanut butter, cinnamon and 1/2 banana.

Aside from one frozen banana in my freezer, there is no fruit in my apartment! I only have to get to Thursday, but I need some healthy snacking options so I think I’m going to need to get to the store.  I’m going out to dinner with some friends tonight (and then writing my paper, I swear) but it’s kind of a burger joint so I have a feeling I might have a little trouble with the menu.  I still have the bowling-ball-in-belly feeling leftover from last night’s beer/cereal-fest, but tomorrow’s the first day of “Senior Week” so I have a feeling maintaining healthy habits like diet and exercise is going to be a bit of a challenge.  We shall see!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend and are enjoying the last dregs of Sunday

Last night, Jalene and [...]]]> Look at me, sleeping the day away and ignoring my blogging responsibilities! Very naughty. Last night was fun, but I got home so late! I’m turning into such a grandmother that staying up past 1 really wipes me out.  Things have changed from freshman year, and probably for the better!

Last night, Jalene and I made personal pizzas.  It looks small, but it was the amount of dough for 1/2 a normal sized pizza, we just didn’t roll it out.

Whole wheat pizza with marinara sauce, spinach, mozzarella, dehydrated tomatoes, 1/2 TJ's salmon patty, black olives & chili flakes.

It was so good! Very doughy, and it gave my stomach the strength it needed for this pomegranate cocktail.

1 part vodka, 5 parts club soda, 2 parts POM juice.

When I got home I was exhausted, but not too tired for cereal! I mixed a bowl of Fiber One and Kashi Autumn Harvest with skim milk, but I didn’t photograph it. Almost like it didn’t even happen!  Cereal has been my go-to late-night snack for years.

This afternoon morning, we woke up and stumbled, bleary-eyed and glasses-clad, to campus for brunch.  I had quite a big meal, but brunch is by far the best meal (and best value) in the cafeteria.

Egg whites with ketchup and 1/2 multigrain bagel wtih cream cheese.

Canteloupe, grapes, honeydew and pineapple.

Flashback to about 10 years ago when these were new in stores!

Reese's Puffs with granola and skim milk.

We were so tired while we were eating (which was probably why I ate so much) that I’m surprised we even made it home.  I went back to bed for 3 hours (Miss Jalene is still snoring away in her room) and then woke up and had an apple with peanut butter.

I’m having dinner out at 6:30 so I probably don’t need much more than that to tide me over, although the dried figs just gave me the eye so I might need to dig into that jar.

Do you have any fun Saturday night things planned, or are you going to laze it up at home?