Alright, back on schedule. It's early Monday morning and I just did my only real obligation of the week!! I guess with all the complaining I do about my online courses, they are good for something. I just finished Jump & Pump, my one-hour fitness class, which I do twice a week. Today we did about 25 minutes of cardio, 25 minutes of lifting and the other ten minutes were for warm-up, cool-down and moving from station to station. We did a circuit of the stairs, the bikes, jump ropes, ladders, and out right running. Each station lasted about 2-3 minutes and then we switched, and repeated twice. After the cardio we did a "body pump" lift, which I sort-of stole from a class I took a few weeks ago.

I have a few more pictures uploaded from the weeks past.

These are two breakfasts I eat. The first, (one of my favorites!!) is two whole wheat Eggo waffles topped with 1/4 cup of 1% cottage cheese, about 8 strawberries and syrup. It's a really filling, high fiber and whole grain breakfast choice--with protein from the cottage cheese! It's also visually stimulating, which adds to the appeal. The second is just some scrambled eggs with a couple tablespoons of reduced fat cheese and ready to serve bacon from Wegman's. I also had two clementines. Nothing special.

As you can tell from the above pictures, I was on a pineapple kick. I made my own pizza one night, Hawaiian, of course, and it was so good! I used Pillsbury pizza crust and the whole process took shorter than to order my own. Plus, it was really tasty. Even my parents, the pizza snobs, loved it! I used the leftover pineapple the next day with-yes, it's true, a white bread PB & J. I don't even like white bread anymore. It left me feeling 10 years old and not in a good way. We had it leftover from a casserole recipe but I think I might just throw out the rest. It's that unappealing to me.

Dinner last night was spaghetti with spicy Italian chicken sausage. We also had broccoli, bread and a salad. I used less spaghetti and more bread to mop up the sauce. I feel like pasta can be pretty lack luster, so I'd prefer crusty bread nine times out of ten. Instead of gulping down some cookies and cake, I just had about 3/4 a cup of Edy's Loaded Peanut butter Cup Ice Cream. So, I still got my sweet fix for about 210 calories. Not bad. I'm trying to get back on track but I suspect it might take me a few weeks into the new year to do that! Tonight-- it's dinner and drinks with the girls (and boy)so I doubt that'll be great for the waistline. No matter, it's worth it. Might as well milk this metabolism for all it's got, right? Well, time for my morning cup o' joe!

Ta-ta.

I'm going to try to make a New Year's Resolution early... be more dedicated to this blog. Not that anyone cares, but it helps me stay on track, and at the offset chance you're reading this, this is for you!

December has flown by, and it's been a whirlwind of bustling around malls, cooking sweets, ham, turkey, everything in between and trying to stay on top of school, work, and having a life. Same old, same old, right?

The nice thing about being in college (among, well, being in college) is that you get these nice long breaks with no commitments other than sleeping in, going out, staying up, hanging around and winding down. No homework, obligations, or anything for almost a month. If I could be having my college winter break right now, I'd be in heaven. Instead, I'm in online class hell, struggling to stay excited about class when everyone else is talking about New Years plans, having time off of work, and enjoying the last of the holiday fun. It's not been horrible, but I'd be lying if I wasn't starting to fade out a little. I love school, really. I'm a big nerd like that, but something about a semester at Nova followed by two online courses throughout December and January only to be rewarded with a three night a week graduate school course load is daunting! I'm just excited to be done with all these prerequisites and on to the good stuff. Speaking of the good stuff, I'm sure that's why you are here.

Holidays, to me at least, more than anything, mean good food with the people you care about. Not to be hokie, but memories are stimulated and created with food, it's true. So many good times have stemmed from families in the kitchen or around the table sharing food. For my family, it's no different. Things in December were busy enough for me to not take pictures of everything, or anything really, so I apologize, but I'll give you what I have.

As you saw earlier, I spent my Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania, with my boyfriend and his family. I begged and begged my mom to do a "Thanksgiving in December" and finally she agreed. So, on a snowy December day when we were stuck inside due to a blizzard, this feast happened. It was everything traditional of an expected Thanksgiving menu. Nothing strange for our family: turkey, stuffing (or dressing, as Susie calls it), mashed taters, cranberry sauce (straight outta the jar, how festive!), green bean casserole, cauliflower and peas with a cheese sauce, tasty dinner rolls and of course, pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream. As you can tell from my plate (#1... shh), I indulged in everything... with gravy to spare. And it was glorious! The thing about this dinner is that in most cases, you eat it once, and maybe twice as leftovers. This fear of waiting 365 more days for the taste of spicy stuffing, or thick rich gravy is more than I can bear! So, the solution? Load up and go for round two... three? Okay, maybe four. Yeah, I had a total of FOUR Thanksgiving's this year... so no excuses for me over-indulging.

But, our pseudo-Thanksgiving came and went, and very soon we shifted from turkeys to gingerbread men, pumpkin pie to peanut butter blossoms, and cranberry sauce to wintry mint chocolate bars.

These are not real sugar cookies... just leftover pie crust from Thanksgiving. Decorated by this guy... and he was proud.

These are just some delightful peanut butter blossoms I whipped up with Alex. He wasn't there to taste test, but I'm sure you can imagine they were pretty good.

This picture is the ingredients to the beautiful gingerbread house sitting in our dining room. The finished product was worth all the slave labor!

This is Christmas Eve dinner. It's been the same for as long as I can remember... with a few new tricks here and there. We had a sort-of Cobb salad, but it's really just a mish-mosh of everything tasty one could put in a salad: lettuce, tomato, cucumber, avocado, fried onion, bacon, blue cheese and--wow. Good stuff. On the menu was roasted asparagus with Parmesan cheese, these wonderful rolls from Wegmans, baked potatoes and steak fondue--with sauteed mushrooms and dipping sauces a plenty! I love this meal, and yes, it's not super healthy, but for a holiday meal... not bad! The steak is cooked in a wine broth, not much oil topped with mushrooms. Lots of veggies in this meal!

This little number is a chocolate mint brownie in which I found the recipe online. It has pros and cons. The con is that it has to be stored in the refrigerator because of the topping, which hardens the brownies. Also, there is nothing really super special about the brownie layer. Like recommended on the website, you could easily just use store bought or your favorite brownie recipe. The pros-- the topping is delicious, pretty, and rich. It is really festive, too (if you add green food coloring!)

On Christmas morning, I brewed a big pot of coffee for my family, and following a great span of ripping open gifts and taking goofy pictures, we went out to breakfast at Amphora, a really good restaurant in Vienna. I had a really hard time deciding what I wanted (big surprise, right?) but I ended up getting the "ranch omelette." This tasty tex-mex plate had an omelette stuffed with Monterrey jack cheese, onions, peppers, and maybe tomato (I forget). On the side it came with black beans and salsa in a tostado bowl, with home fries. I tried to eat as little home fries as possible but really they were too good to completely resist. I love this restaurant for breakfast, and it was much more appealing than it's rivals, Denny's and Ihop.

And now for the main event: CHRISTMAS dinner. We have a delicious combination of honey baked ham, twice baked potatoes, cauliflower and peas with cheese, green bean casserole, pineapple casserole, and good rolls. I was absolutely stuffed after this... but then had a cookie or two, or three.

The point is, I ate well over the holidays, and I continue to indulge daily. What's life with deprivation? Not one for me. Anyway, it's 8:45 and far too late for me to be awake-- pathetic and true. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and have a wonderful New Years.

Bejos!!

In an attempt to avoid cold cereal or lack luster eggs, I set out to make an exciting breakfast for myself. It's not as fun cooking for one, but we used the extra crepes for dinner, so it's not a big deal.

They were surprisingly easy to make, and only 150 calories per three crepe serving. So I had my three crepes, half a banana and some sugar free Smucker's syrup on top. I will say, regular maple syrup and a bit of cottage cheese in each crepe would have blown it out of the park, but beggars can't be choosers. So this, along with a cup of coffee from my new (but used, technically) Cuisinart Coffee Grinder/Pot. That alongside my Peppermint Mocha creamer... sweet. When I was buzzing around the kitchen my mom told me I had a "zest for life." That may be true, but I also believe in enjoying my food, and not just eating it. Repetition, although reliable, can be boring. To stay on track, mix things up--literally. There's a lot out there to try.

Enough of my tangent. Lunch was that of a 5-year-old: macaroni and cheese with a hotdog! I usually don't have that kind of thing for lunch but the bread was moldy and pizza looked old so we improvised.

Dinner: ew. I mean, in theory, it would have been good. We used my extra crepes to make a savory version... We filled the crepes with ricotta, garlic, tarragon, and mushrooms. I love mushrooms but this recipe was horrible. We had to use dried mushrooms--which we then had to soak to rehydrate, and it just was disgusting. I couldn't even finish my plate and if you know me, you know I'm a a kid in the clean your plate club. I might even be the last proud member. Anyway, it was not a yummy experience and I probably washed it down with hot chocolate-- my new obsession.

Nothing too exciting on Monday. Same old same old for breakfast, lunch, and CPK Margarita pizza for dinner. (plus, Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation). That was a much better ending to the nice... oh right, and of course, a steaming mug of the wintry favorite with a bit of whip cream. Easy to please.

Alright, so I wasn't necessarily on my best eating/working out behavior yesterday either. I was so excited to take a Kickboxing class, and I had enlisted one of my friends to come with me Saturday morning. We woke up, got there through the snow (yeah, snow in Virginia!) and walked in the Rec Center to learn it was closed because of a Christmas Craft show. I was so angry! It threw off my whole plan. Sadly, we left, and got coffee instead. Not a bad trade, but I wanted to be a little more active.

Breakfast was a Oatmeal Raisin Gatorade Energy Bar and lunch was half a peanut butter and honey sandwich with an apple. This all sounds well and good, but I spent my day sampling chocolates, cookies, ciders and dips at a couple shows I went to with my parents. Determined to get back on track, I suggested cooking dinner at home. The idea soared for a while until my mom decided she was too tired so we were going to go out to eat. Not just out to eat, but to Austin Grill-- one of my favorite Tex Mex restaurants. I couldn't resist. Where has my willpower gone? I decided I'd just try not to overdo it with the chips. Failure. We split nachos, enchiladas, and steak tacos and it was so good and I had no chance.

I must say though, when I came home, I just had one little bite of a brownie before I decided I should stick to a cup of hot chocolate instead. So, one tiny victory amidst many failures. But what could I do? We were watching Elf on my big blue couches. I didn't stand a chance. Christmas movies go along best with warm sweets...so no, I won't totally regret my decision. Anyway, I'm going to try to get sort-of back on track now. I'm done feeling bad. I wish the gym was open today!!! Grr...stupid craft shows. Anyway, that's life. Adieu.

PS: This picture is old, but I forgot to upload my fantastic salad with tomato, cucumber, cheese, avocado, corn tortillas and onion. Delightful.

I may be the worst blogger in history, but if I had put any time into this bad boy, I might not have had time to get into grad school, pass COMMUNITY college or have any semblance of a social life. So sorry, avid fans, I can't say this won't happen again. Since my wisdom teeth were pulled and healed, I was so sick of soft foods that I kind of went on a rampage. It may or may not be going on still. The holiday layer is definitely upon me... and although that may have a euphoric ring to it, it's not welcomed. I keep forgetting I'm not an athlete, and yes, I still eat like one. Well.. it's just my sweet tooth. I tried to cut back but then tonight I happened to have a girl's night including a glass of wine and double chocolate brownies. Yes, feminism at it's best. Yes, the brownies were fantastic but no, I'm not feeling all that great about them now. Especially because I didn't work out, not once, during Thanksgiving. I'm talking seven days off. I guess my body could use a break but I'm mental enough to think I see a difference in one week.

Getting out of shape is the worst. Don't do it. I promise you, it's ten times easier to stay in shape than to lose it and try to get it back. That's why, right now, I'm making a promise to try to stay semi on-track during the holidays. A few things I won't say no to: Starbuck's Peppermint Mocha. To die for. Ice cream... minimally!! Some, not all, Christmas cookies. I'm more of a cake person, thank God, because if I wasn't... I'd be a train wreck during this cookie-dominating season. Also, it would be nice if I was satisfied with one sweet thing throughout the day. The more you eat sweet and salty, the more you crave, so it's best to limit it. I will try to work out 5-6 times a week. This used to be a no brainer for me, but I've slowed down since soccer ended.

Speaking of soccer, a group of my favvvvorite people of all time may reunite next summer for the ultimate soccer reunion on the mighty Northern Virginia Majestics. Yes, it is making my day a little brighter.

Speaking of brighter, I also got into grad school today! For Exercise, Fitness, and Health Promotion, so I better saddle up and get back on track.

Things will derail you, but those things should be the exception, not the rule. I'm going to try a kickboxing class tomorrow... if I get up that is. I had big intentions of waking this morning to do a power pump class but amazingly my alarm didn't go off...oops.

Anyway, yes, I'm sorry I have been a bad blogger...and if for some reason you were trying to find inspiration for being healthy, I probably have failed you. Not to worry. I'm getting back on track. Here are some of my mishaps... and lovely successes.

Hot chocolate and munchkins with Alex. Chow mein, egg roll, fried rice and hot and sour soup with dad. Delicious baked salmon with asparagus.

Polenta casserole with a Gorgonzola cheese sauce. Paella and salad. Waffle shop breakfast... egg white omelet with pancakes and cottage cheese.

Three of the yummy pies from Turkey Day: pumpkin, Jewish apple, and a chocolate layer pie.

The final product of Thanksgiving; Unprepared turkey R.I.P; Sweet potato casserole

Anyway, I'm going to try to hop to it and be a good blogger again. Tis the season! Cheers.

Man oh man. Getting your wisdom teeth out means a totally different diet. Alongside of hanging on the couch all day, it takes me an insane amount to get through an entire meal. Surprisingly, the Slim Fast shakes (I got chocolate) are not bad at all. I think if you were trying to embark on a weight loss goal, they are pretty filling for only 190 calories. I don't think you should use it as a meal replacement unless you're eating lots of mini meals, because it's not too energy dense but it's a great filling snack or maybe a light breakfast. This is also taking into account that I didn't move all day, so I didn't need filling food. The best part about wisdom teeth surgery is the ice cream. I get to eat it a lot.

The strange thing is, I have to eat really slowly, which is different for me. I'm like a hoover with my food. It's devoured immediately. This is showing me it's not just okay, but better, to eat slowly. I taste my food!

Today I went with Susie and Dick to a Christmas Craft show that had so many food vendors enticing me with fudge, toffee, caramel corn, chips and dip and everything else you could imagine and I had to turn all of them down! In the last aisle however, a company was selling different hot drinks.. you name it, they had it: hot milk chocolate, hot dark chocolate, mint chocolate truffle, chai tea, cappuccino, pumpkin spice latte, caramel apple cider, etc. They also had "diet" versions of these and they were SO good. They only have 20 calories for an 8 oz cup. I got the mint truffle and dark chocolate. I need to look up the name of this company. It's worth ordering. I also got hired by a caramel/chocolate making company haha. My dream come true!!

I've been eating so much soup and yogurt.. I can't wait for real food! I feel like a grandma with dentures. It's all good though. At least I'll be healed for Thanksgiving...

Good thing this is no profession of mine, or else I would be fired. Life gets in the way. I haven't even really been taking pictures of my food-- or regulating my workouts. I've mostly been doing the elliptical because of my stupid foot. If I had it my way, I would run outside everyday. Especially Virginia in the fall--it's a beautiful time to run. I actually tried to about a week and half ago, but couldn't finish. I had to run-jog-walk. I have to constantly be reminded that I don't have to push myself the way I used to. That, although frustrating, is smart. I know I shouldn't put myself in unnecessary pain, but it's strange to not be working hard anymore.

Last week, people from my J&P class were asking me all about nutrition and recommended that I have a little seminar in addition to the fitness classes. I would love that. It was a nice little preview of what I might be able to do in the future. It's just so fulfilling to be able to educate and help people.

By the way, HALLELUJAH, I think grad school will be a go. I am en route to getting my Masters of Science in Exercise Science in Exercise, Fitness, and Health Promotion. I met someone in this program who didn't seem to really care about it. I think that if one goes into that industry, he might be more excited. It's a service industry. We need to want to help people, or else it's obvious that their best interest may not be our priority. My boss once told me it was our job to make people want to go to the gym. I totally agree.

Anyway, I'd love to give a quick recap over the things I've been eating, but they haven't been too exciting. I'll upload the pictures none-the-less. I only have a few but I'll toss them in. It's unfortunate because last weekend in State College I had three delicious dinners. The first night, Alex and I went out for his birthday dinner. We went to this really outdoorsy woodsy type place called Prospector's with fireplaces, deer heads (yeah, not my thing) and some great barbecue. Alex got his birthday steak and I stuck with a peppercorn steak wrap with fries--yes, I ate them all. They were the thick cut style and we were celebrating! A bunch of people brought him birthday treats--including my former favorite cookie. Jules, if you're reading this, it's the kind from Giant that is really soft with the thick multicolored frosting with sprinkles. Yes, I spilled the sprinkles all over the bed, and yes, it was worth it. The next night, we had Kelly's, which is a restaurant in Boalsburg known for their steak. Let me tell you... although a little pricey, this place was delicious. We split a Dungeness Crab Cakes which were made with sweet bell peppers, butter and fresh vegetables, then pan seared golden brown. Alex asked where the ketchup was but it wasn't missed because it was instead served with a spicy sweet and sour Beurre Blanc. (Aka, a really tasty cream sauce). For my entree, I ordered another appetizer and a big salad. I got the Filet Mignon appetizer, which was only $7.00 and a salad for $5.00 as opposed to a $26.00 entree steak. I didn't need the 10 ounces either. It was so tasty though. My salad was good too...Fresh spinach tossed in a sweet-tart Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette dressing with mushrooms, sweet Bermuda onions, crisp bacon, egg, toasted almonds and parmesan cheese. Saturday night, we had an old reliable Chili's dinner. We split the chips and salsa and then I ordered the Quesadilla Explosion salad and a strawberry mint mojito. Not my favorite drink ever but it was still a nice upgrade from my normal water. Finally, the morning I left, we endured the 30 minute wait at the Waffle Shop (not to be confused with Waffle House) because it is just that good. I got the Western Omelet (egg whites) with fresh fruit and multi grain toast. Alex indulged in a strawberries and whipped cream waffle. I prefer the apple cinnamon waffle but it was still good. We downed like 6 cups of coffee too... SPEAKING OF COFFEE... the Peppermint Mocha is back at Starbuck's and yes, I'm in love. I want to try to create my own version of it but so far not so good. Anyway, that's a brief recap... now I'm sort of back on track.

Philly Cheesesteaks:
The recipe, a secret, passed down from an authentic Philadelphia chef (or, Alex's Dad) to me. I've been perfecting it, and now I'd like to think I've got it down pat. To have the true experience, you absolutely must serve Utz Sour Cream and Onion chips. I rarely eat these, but to legitimize the experience, they are a must.

I have a recipe book called "Healthy Home style Cooking," which I got on sale a few years ago and barely ever looked at. Recently, however, I've made three of the recipes. Two were fantastic and one was awful!

The first one we made from the book was a pasta dish with bell peppers, onion, and turkey sausage. There was some Parmesan cheese and olive oil. It was a lot of vegetables, which was good, so it was super filling. On the side, my favorite, asparagus and a salad.

The second recipe we made was also really good. It tasted like General Sao's Chicken but much less caloric. Susie made this but I'm pretty sure there was low sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, chicken, and rice. I must say, the delicata squash on the side was a strange combo, but it still tasted really good.

The one failure was a Tex Mex soup. It was actually described as a Mexican Bean soup. I love beans. Black beans, refried beans, pinto beans, whatever. I was expecting a hearty consistency that would be filling. Instead I got a watery flavorless mess, which I had to add globs of sour cream and shredded cheese to in order for it to be tolerable. It didn't go with the green beans, so I wasn't a happy camper.

Now, I'm finally "up to date." As exciting as breakfast is for me every day, I skipped the photo ans waited for lunch to start shooting.

Mel and I went to Asian Bistro. From the outside, it looks like a fast food in-and-out place. The inside, however, is super quaint and very nicely decorated. From the Asian art to the jazz music, the mood was comfortable and laid back. They offered a ton of specials too... including what we both ordered: two sushi rolls, a salad, and a cup of miso soup for $11.00. I didn't think I was that hungry but I cleared the plate. I got a standard boring California Roll but you can't go wrong with that! I also got the Philly Roll... it's like the one kind of sushi that's not good for you but I don't care its fantastic. I tried Mel's Salmon Avocado roll which was also really good. Gotta be honest, I was a little upset we didn't get fortune cookies.

I forgot how nice it is to have great restaurants everywhere here. In State College, it's not as omnipresent.

Because both of my two best friends have the same birthday, we went out to celebrate last night. We went to Rock Bottom in Arlington, which is a super crowded happy hour type bar. I was driving but I did nurse one beer most of the night. It was their lightest one but it was well flavored. We had to wait so long for a table but once we had the food I was a happy camper. I ordered a Santa Fe Salad (one of my favorites) with corn, black beans, salsa, cilantro, cheese, tomato, onion and a chipotle ranch. It hit the spot.

Today, I got my wisdom teeth out, so it's Slim Fast Shakes, ice cream, and yogurt for me for the next few days. Be jealous. Ciao!!!

I've been so horrible about this blog lately. But really.. not much of what I've been eating has been all that exciting so it's been easy to get behind. Sunday was nice and busy--as usual. Amie and I needed Einstein's Bagels. It was that kind of morning. We used to go basically every weekend in high school after a long night...so it felt like home. I got the potato bagel with the garlic herb cream cheese. Let me tell you...this cream cheese is unreal. It's so good! They didn't toast my bagel enough though, not cool. It was one of those mornings I felt I could eat 6 bagels. I went home and had an apple and eventually got some coffee.

It poured all day. The weather has been so disgusting. All week it's nice and then Friday rolls around and it's a downpour. How I love Virginia's temperamental weather.

For lunch I had a mixed bag. I made a pizza out of Afghan Nan bread and had a small slice of this delicious apple walnut bread from the farmer's market. This meal (although tasty) did not keep me full long at all.

Because of this, I had a small snack of banana and peanut butter on nan, another coffee with pumpkin spice creamer, and eventually crackers with cheese (unpictured)

Dinner was tacos. It was great. They hit the spot and were easy and quick. I'm back into sweets again (big surprise right?!) I had a little Edy's Slow Churn "Caramel Cone Crunch" before I passed out from a long weekend.

HAPPY HALLOWEENIE!!!

Breakfast: BRUEGGER'S!! Finally... pumpkin coffee and fantastic bagels. I had an onion bagel toasted with garlic herb cream cheese and two big cups of pumpkin coffee (and an apple). We walked around the farmers market in Old Town and I nibbled away at chocolate, bread, and pears. So good. Notice the second picture... mom and dad's famous splits.

Lunch: It stunk. We had nothing. I made scrambled eggs with cheese and salsa and a handful of almonds. I had a lot of unpictured little snacks Saturday... annoying.

Dinner: Cosi's YUM! I got the TBM (tomato, basil, mozzarella) on a wheat flat bread and potato chips. Real healthy.

I also went out... Halloween!! Let's see.. I definitely didn't shoot photos all night but I did indeed have a bite of a doughnut at around midnight. Sweet. Now I'm caught up... Hallelujah!! Talk to you soon