A Few Foodie Updates

This post is completely dedicated to the eats as of late. I haven't been sharing them as much in my past few posts, so I have a ton of pictures to show, plus a few points of advice about healthy snacking--which I am a big fan of :)

B'FAST (aka-my favorite meal of the day) 

 The classic oatmeal-steal cut oats cooked over the stove with flax seed, chia seed, agave for sweetness, banana and cinnamon!  

Frittata and fruit salad! This was a brunch made with my good friend, Esme. We've become real masters of the egg+veggie frittata. 

Then it started to warm up a bit in B'More and was beginning to feel like spring! So I broke out the blender and started making green smoothies for breakfast instead of my normal hot oatmeal. 

Lately my smoothies have consisted of frozen mango, banana, and strawberries, kale, almond milk, and vanilla protein powder. I promise you can't taste the kale at all!

Changing things up a bit---Greek yogurt+fruit salad and a Vans GF waffle+Crofters jam 

 Unfortunately the warm weather was just a tease and the temp quickly dropped back down to freezing-my-butt-off degrees Fahrenheit.  Great...

And so the oatmeal returned as myAM staple. This one was packed to go because I had a big exam to get to! I've said it before and I'll say it again, oatmeal is the perfect breakfast to have before an exam!

LUNCH

A strange concoction of things I had laying around---carrots+hummus, berries, leftover quinoa, and a couple rice cakes with peanut butter.

Mediterranean salad from one of the cafés on campus--spinach, carrots, dates, chickpeas, almonds, red onions and a honey balsamic dressing. Usually I'm not a huge fan of pre-packaged salads, but this one was actually really good and had a lot of flavor.

DINNER

Valentine's Day sushi date with Joey! We were really craving fresh fish so when it came time to choosing our date night spot, Chiu's Sushi was an obvious choice. If you are in the Baltimore area and like sushi, I HIGHLY recommend this place. It's reasonably priced with really quality sushi rolls. Also, the staff is super friendly! They had red heart balloons tied on every chair for V'day and also gave us a free sushi appetizer shaped like a heart! So cute. 

A nice home-cooked meal consisting of sautéd faux chicken strips with broccolini, a cup of spicy black-bean soup and an apple+almond butter on ze side.

I realize this doesn't look very appetizing, but it's probs one of my favorite dinners to make. Quinoa with sautéd peppers, onions and mushrooms. Then avocado and goat cheese sprinkled on top. SO delicious, I could probably eat 5 bowls of this in one night. 

Another bowl concoction! Faux chicken strips, quinoa, peppers, spinach, and avocado. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Kombucha! I usually stick to GT's Synergy brand of kombucha beverages, but I tried this one because it's sold at the school market. It was actually really delicious! The Granny Smith and the Peach flavors are both so good and perfectly refreshing.

Groceries! I've been going to Trader Joe's for most of my recent shopping trips. I feel like I get really quality food there, while not blowing my budget. It's honestly crazy how much less expensive it is at TJ's than, say, Whole Foods--which I still go to, just only once a month or so. 

SNACKS

I am a big fan snacks. I always try to have a bag of almonds, bar, or apple in my bag at all times. You never know when those hunger pangs are going to hit, so better to be prepared with something that won't break your diet, rather than be forced to buy something bad for you out of desperation. Here are some of the snacks I love! 

I mention Siggi's icelandic yogurt in most every post, but it seriously is perfect. It's very low in sugar, 110 calories, and has 16g of protein so it will keep you full until your next meal. Also, if you get hungry late and night and need a little snack before bed, this is by far your best option. 

Mmmmm almonds. Salty, crunchy, roasty, high in protein...enough said

Apple+almond butter or peanut butter! Again, the fruit alone may not keep you totally full for a while, but adding on the almond butter or peanut butter definitely will. Just make sure it's a brand of nut butter that doesn't have hydrogenated oils or excess sugar in its list of ingredients. 

KIND bar! They recently came out with Kind bars that have only 4g of sugar, which is way way less than their other ones and there's no reduction in flavor. 

Let me know what your snacks you like to have! I would love to hear ideas from you guys!! 

That's all I have for now though! I'll leave you with this adorable picture of Moses Jones the Cat in his adorable deep slumber...

Zzzzzzzz

Have a fantastic Sunday!! 

Eats of the Week + Snow Day!

The big winter storm has hit Baltimore and I'm stuck inside for the day, so what better way to use this free time than to write a blog post?!

Bundled up for the freezing cold!

Venturing outside to find an open coffee shop...we needed our caffeine fix!!

Now for a look at some of the recent eats and activities of the last couple of weeks...

PC '12!

Bid night craziness 

Rush was last week! It was a crazy busy week, but so worth it because we got so many amazing new members. Look how adorable they are!

Welcome HΦΜE Phis!! 

Obviously we had to welcome our new sisters into Phi Mu the best way we know how...with lots of delicious food!!

This is a bit blurry but this wonderful spread consisted of flatbread pizzas, spinach salad, chips and salsa, breadcrumb baked brussel sprouts, and of course a cheese plate avec crackers, grapes, and apples. Perfection in a potluck.

Closeup of the cheese plate. Cheeses from left (going counter-clockwise): havarti, midnight moon (my favorite kind), cheddar with dried cranberries, gouda, and swiss.

We have another sister dinner this weekend so get ready for more pictures from that coming next week! 

Other eats from the week have included...

Baked brussel sprouts, quinoa, spicy black bean soup

Dinner packed to go- brown rice/quinoa mix with tons of spinach and broccoli, apples and strawberries on the side

Classic oatmeal during these snowy days. Lately I've been very into cutting up a banana and pouring the oatmeal over top so that the banana kind of gets soft and soaks up the cinammon and agave that I used to sweeten the oatmeal. Then I drizzle almond butter on top and it all melts together. It's SO good and really filling.  Oatmeal is seriously the perfect breakfast food. Especially if you have a long morning ahead of you because it will definitely sustain your energy until lunch.

2 in 1 tray (because I don't like doing extra dishes if it's avoidable). Kale chips and baked squash with olive oil, salt and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

As far as the workouts go, they've all been indoors as of late. I've been trying to really change things up and not just do the same old workout on the treadmill each day. Obviously things happen and workouts have to be modified, but here's what my general weekly workout schedule looks like:

Monday-HIIT workout + 1/2 mile slow jog cool down
Tuesday- treadmill long run (5-7 miles)
Wednesday- speed interval run (3-4 miles), arm toning workout
Thursday-speed interval cardio (alternate between treadmill and elliptical), leg toning workout
Friday- HIIT workout + 1/2 mile slow jog cool down
Saturday-treadmill long run (5-7 miles)
Sunday-rest day (or if I'm feeling antsy, then I'll do a nice and easy jog or short strength circuit).

*I'll reiterate that things are most definitely subject to change depending on how my body is feeling that day. If I'm still super sore from a HIIT workout and feeling under the weather, then I don't go hard and do another killer circuit the next day, I'll take an easy jog or rest day. 

Key thoughts to take away--push yourself and change things up! Don't get in a rut and jump on the same cardio machine every time you go to the gym (I was absolutely the number 1 offender of this). But LISTEN TO YOUR BODY PEOPLE! I still struggle with this, but if you're tired, then take it EASY! It won't kill you or backtrack your progress. It's actually really good for your muscles and body to have a day of recovery. 

^If anyone who know's me well is reading this, they know that I'm the worst about taking recovery days, but I really have been trying to get better about it!

Try this"fun" HIIT workout I've done a few times over the past few weeks. It's a killer, I promise you'll be sore the next day, in a good kind of way ;)

HIIT Workout:

Round A (x3)

Burpees

Mountain Climbers

Jumping Jacks 

*first time do 10 reps/exercise, second time do 15, third time do 20

Round B (x3)

Walking lunges 

Pushups

Lunge-jumps

Walk-out inchworms 

*45 seconds/exercise, 15 sec break in-between

Round C (x3)

Kettle bell squats

Pull-ups

Box jumps

Jack knives 

*45 seconds/exercise, 15 sec break in-between

Round D (x3)

Traveling side lunges

Dips

Speed skaters

Plank to pushup

*45 seconds/exercise, 15 sec break in-between

**rest 1 minute in-between rounds

And for those of you who may be stuck inside like me due to the snow, try this at home circuit that requires no equipment or tons of space. It was posted today by my favorite Charlotte blogger, Peanut Butter Runner. I'll be doing this later today!

J's Approved Products!

If anyone knows me well, they know that I really really love food shopping. Like I would probably rather go grocery shopping than clothes shopping. I know it's weird, but there is something so exciting about walking into a grocery store and seeing the endless possibilities of snacks, meals, desserts, and fresh produce that await my cart and ultimately my stomach. Over the years, food shopping has become a way for me to de-stress because I know that if all else fails, at least I'll  have my favorite foods to come home to (lol, that sounds way more lame than I intended...I promise I also have friends...).

A few years ago, when I began to change my eating habits, I was forced to find new foods that were healthy but also didn't taste like cardboard... which is much harder than you might initially think. There is nothing worse than trying to stay healthy when you have to watch your friends snack on Cheetos and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, while you're trying to force down a "health bar" that tastes like a baby regurgitated its mashed pees and carrots and it solidified into bar form.

That frustration may never go away, but I think the best way to combat it is to experiment with different brands and products to find what you love. I promise there are healthy foods out there that are JUST as good or BETTER than the stuff you may be eating now. Before you know it your body will start to appreciate the great stuff you're feeding it, and you'll begin to like, and ultimately love your new finds.

I have a few years under my belt with the ol' taste testing process so I wanted to share with you guys my favorite products that I've found along the way.

Breakfast: 

• Siggi's Icelandic-Style Yogurt (my fav flavor is the Pomegranate & Passion Fruit) 
  
• Califia Farms Café Latte Iced Coffee (made with almond milk!)
  
• Multigrain Puffins Cereal (gluten free!)
  
• Dorset Muesli 
  
• Three Sisters Oatmeal (Cinnamon Apple is great, but the Chai Spiced is also really good)
  
• Vans Wheat + Gluten Free Waffles
  
• Almond Breeze Almond milk (I usually try to find the unsweetened vanilla one-only 30 cals per
  serving!-but they're all good) 
  
• Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Bread (cinnamon raisin bread was seriously my favorite thing when I was little, now I still get to have it!!)
  
• Crofter's Superfruit Spread (they're all amazing)
  
• Vega One Plant Based Protein Powder (they have a vanilla chai flavor that is soooo good, but vanilla and chocolate are always solid as well)
  

Dinner: 

• Pacific Organic Soup (my favorites are the roasted red pepper +tomato, spicy black bean, vegetable lentil, and carrot ginger--but try them all!)
  
• Beyond Meat's Chicken-Free Strips (they're already lightly seasoned, but I like to add a bit of salt and pepper to them)
  
• Trader Joe's brand Frozen Edamame (with sprinkled sea salt on top, of course)
  
• Near East Quinoa Blends (so far I like the Roasted Red Pepper & Basil blend and the Rosemary & Olive Oil blend)
  
• La Bonne Vie Goat Cheese (you can literally crumble this over almost anything and it adds that tangy cheesy goodness that I know I always crave) realistically you can use any goat cheese though, this just happens to be the brand I prefer
  

Snacks: 

• Corn Thins Multigrain Corn Cakes 
  
• Barney Butter Almond Butter (they make to-go packets are great for snacking on the way to class...not that I have any experience with that...)
  
• Pure Bars (my favs are the cherry cashew, ancient grains peanut butter chocolate, and Apple Cinnamon. These bars are also great because they have a short ingredient list and are vegan and gluten free)
  
• Back to Nature Nantucket Blend (trail mix with cherries, almonds, cranberries, raisins, and pistachios)
  
• Eat Well Enjoy Life Hummus (they make all kinds of really cool types of hummus with unique flavors-some notable ones include Tuscan White Bean, Sweet and Spicy Black Bean, and Edamame)
  
• Blue Diamond Low Sodium Roasted almonds
  
• Glutino Sea Salt Crackers (always hard to find a really good gluten free cracker, but these are my favorite so far)
  
• Beanitos Black Bean Chips (if you like barbecue chips, then I beg you to try their chipotle barbecue black bean chips, they are so good and so addicting)
  
• The Good Bean Roasted Chickpeas (they have tons of flavors but my favorite is the smoky chili & lime during the day and at night for dessert I like the cinnamon one) 
  

Sweets

• Pamela's Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk cookie mix 
  
• Theo's Organic Dark Chocolate (my favorite is the mint one!) 
  
• Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate covered almonds (you can't possibly have just one)
  

*The opinions in this post are completely my own. I was in no way endorsed for publishing any of these comments. 


PHEW! Okay that's all I can think of for now but I'm sure as soon as I hit publish I'll think of 10 more things to add to the list.

 I hope this is helpful for anyone trying to navigate through Whole Foods or even the trusty Giant. And as always, I love to hear your suggestions and recommendations for products so comment or send me an email anytime!