Bar trade anyone?

Hey everyone!! How has your Monday been?

I was pleasantly surprised (and shocked) that when my alarm clock went off this morning, I actually felt well rested and was ready to get up and start the day! I couldn’t believe it! I love it when that happens.

Today I applied for a job! I want another one for this summer because I don’t work very much at the salon. I will still keep my salon job because it is very minimal and I love it…but I want to make some cash this summer!! So after school, I went to the local Genesis Health Club put in my application! I think it would so much fun to work at a fitness center because I love everything about fitness, so I think I would fit in perfectly there. I am really crossing my fingers that I get this because it could be a great opportunity. AND I would get a FREE MEMBERSHIP! Now that’s what I’m talkin about.

I started the day off with some purple oats:

I had planned on having some of my baked oatmeal that I made yesterday, but I was anxious to try out a bowl of oatbran using my unsweetened vanilla almond milk. There was also another new addition to my bowl this morning… here is everything I added:

• 1/2 cup oatbran
• 1/2 cup Almond Breeze
• 1/2 cup water
• tbsp flax
• blueberries and cherries, frozen
• cinnamon
• 1/4 cup egg beaters

Yep, I also tried out some egg beaters thrown in there. I wasn’t sure whether to add them in before I cooked my oats or after. I ended up putting it in after I cooked them and it turned out awesome!! I couldn’t taste any difference and it added 6 grams of protein to my bowl! This is definitely going to become a regular addition to my oats.

For lunch, it was the usual: PB & B on whole wheat bread. 1% milk. I am thinking about switching over to water for my lunches at school since I am trying to cut out the dairy…but it makes my lunch more filling and adds protein. So I think I may continue to have it at lunch in the cafeteria and sometimes get water. I only have 3 more weeks of school and then I can eat my lunches exactly the way I like ‘em! :D

Dinner was some chicken in alfredo sauce, cauliflower, and edamame

This was my first time trying edamame. I used this product:

1/2 cup of this stuff packs in 4 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein! I thought they were very interesting and unique…in a good way.

And just look at my lovely desert:

Ahhh, the perfect way to end the day. :)

So now I will get to my question in the title…About a month ago, I ordered some Kashi Crunchy bars. GNC was running an awesome deal and I couldn’t help myself, haha. So i got two huge boxes of them, one is the chocolate peanut flavor and the other is the chocolate caramel flavor. I really like them but I now realize that I got way too many. So I thought I would see if anyone was interested in a trade or anything?  

     Let me know!

Have a great night, all! <3

Grocery goods and baking

Some people hate grocery shopping. I just don’t see it. I LOVE grocery shopping!

I have some pictures of a few of the highlights of today’s grocery items…including some dairy-free options! And some not-so-dairy-free items, haha. I’m slowly making progress.

FIrst of all, here is this morning’s breakfast:

The last serving of my zucchini bread

plus some white fluff…cottage cheesey

Then it was off to get the groceries. I was in foodie Heaven seeing some new products that I have been wanting to try!

The first item I broke into was this Amy’s bean, rice, and cheese burrito

I liked this a lot. But how could I NOT like anything made by Amy? I can see this in my future a lot for lunches once school is out. (Yay for no cafeteria food!)

These next two items I was very excited about.

Almond milk and Hemp milk…I sampled both of them and to my surprise…I actually liked them!! This makes me so happy that I can at least replace my milk and have no complaints. I think this will be a great start towards going dairy free. The almond milk has only 40 calories per one cup serving! I also love that it is unsweetened because I try to keep my sugar intake as low as possible. I can see the almond milk being my go-to milk alternative. The hempmilk was very good…but it is also more calorie dense and has added sugar from the brown rice syup. So I was thinking maybe I could mix the two of these together when I want the hempmilk. I could also eventually order some unsweetened hempmilk online…if I realllly wanted to.

White Chocolate Wonderful! The dark chocolate dreams and mighty maple were lonely, so I brought home a friend of theirs.

Here are some bars and a single serving of Jay Robb vanilla protein:

I have heard so many good things about this protein powder…but I think it is rather expensive…for me anyways. I couldn’t resist trying it out for $1.99 though. ;)

Oikos plain and Sabra’s roasted garlic hummus:

I found this for the first time…100% whole wheat three cheese tortellini. I can’t WAIT to try this!

I also got some raw goat cheese!! Somehow I forgot to take a picture, but since seeing it on Gina’s blog so many times, I have been on the look out for this and was so happy to find it today!

Then later in the afternoon, I decided it was time to Shred it with Jillian…level 2. I really went for it and by the time I was done, I was so sweaty!! I love getting in a good workout..it makes me feel amazing.

I also decided to do some baking…This is a recipe that I haven’t made for awhile…and I really don’t know why because it is fabulous!!! Yet another way to eat oats…here is the recipe:

BAKED OATMEAL

Ingredients:
2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk of choice (I used half almond milk, half hemp milk)
1/2 cup Egg Beaters (or 2 eggs)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (or two mashed bananas)
1/4 cup flaxmeal
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs ground cinnamon
Combine wet ingredients and add dry ingredients. Bake in sprayed pan at 350 for 35-45 min. keeps well in refrig. Or freezer.

*can add in other goodies or toppings such as:

• protein powder
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• chocolate/carob chips
• fruit/dried fruit
• nuts

And that’s all for me! I will leave you with a pic of Jaci! :D She looks a little suspicious, don’t you think?

She has a thing about my fuzzy socks. You see…she somehow thinks that these are “her” toys. Whenever she gets excited she runs over to the basket where my fuzzy sucks are and grabs one out. Well today, she decided that one was not enough…she managed to grab SIX socks and run into the livingroom with all of them in her mouth. hahahaha

Hair, hair, hair

Hey!  Has everybody been enjoying their weekend?? 

I have actually had a pretty productive day.  This morning, after breakfast, my mom, Jaci, and I set out for a walk. It was SO nice outside for a change! So far this Spring, the weather has been completely crazy, but today was the first day that reminded me of summertime…and oh boy, am I ready for summer!!! I wore my Garmin during our walk and we did about 2 miles. Then I set back out on my own to do some running as well. I want to try to keep building my endurance…and that will be easier with this nice weather…hopefully there will be more days like this through out Spring.

Rewinding a bit, breakfast was a delicious b-fast cookie…for the 3rd day in a row! I just love these things. In case you were wondering, my cookie did not shrink, I just used a super big plate!

Then later on for lunch I had a yummy combo of 1/2 whole wheat bagel with two eggwhites, 1 slice of cheese, and 1 MorningStar Farms soysausage. I also had some veggies and strawberries

After lunch, I started on some homework and then I went to work for the afternoon. My boss/hairstylist was doing a bunch of girls’ hair for Prom. It was so much fun to see all the cool unique hairstyles…I already know what I want to do for my prom now! ;) I got home around 5 o’clock and it was definitely time for a snack…

So I made an almond butter and banana roll up…I also added some Kashi cereal to it.

 

This is one of my favorite snacks ever! It has a great combo of protein, carbs, and fat to really keep you going.

After that, I decided I needed to make myself finish my homework and get it out of the way with. Then it was on to dinnertime.

I made a pasta dish where I basically just used what I had and threw it all together in a pan. I think that you can come up with some of the best meals that way! It turned out awesome!

I cooked the 100% whole wheat pasta and then combined that with some black beans, tomato sauce, tomato chunks, and Morning Star crumbles. I also added some seasonings and lots of garlic powder. Then I topped it with a sprinkle of cheese.

Obviously, I am not dairy free yet. The grocery shopping will be done tomorrow but honestly, I am feeling unsure about it now. I will definitely try to cut back on the dairy, but I don’t think that cutting it out completely is a very realistic choice right now. I think I will buy some non-dairy items at the store and just take it one day at a time.

For a “desert” I just wanted something simple, so I had some dried fruit and a chocolate peanut butter banana muffin (unpictured)

And that is all for me for now. I am going to kick back and watch a Life of Ryan Marathon. Did anybody else watch this show on Mtv?

Have a great night!!

TGIF!

First, I have another blog give away to remind you of!

Sweet and Fit is having a customizable blondies give away!

Yesterday after dinner, I got together with some friends to watch a movie…little did I know that it would be Marley and Me. I have been avoiding this movie since it first came out!! You see, we lost our oldest golden retriever (my very first dog) , Mandy, 5 months ago on Halloween. I just knew I would be a blubbering mess and get all worked up while watching this movie…and I did. :/ I didn’t just want to up and leave my friends and they all wanted to see it, so I just stayed and suffered through it. It really is a cute movie and I loved all of it besides the end…but so much of it was reminding me of her, especially the ending. I thought I was fine once the movie was over but when I got home, I broke down. I was just so attached to her (and Jaci) and miss having her here to make me smile. The first thing I did when I got home was go give Jaci a big hug…and then I felt much better. :)

Now, I will get to my breakfast…a repeat from yesterday:

Some of you were asking how to make these so here is how I do it:

The night before, mix together the following:

• 1/2 cup oats
• scoop of protein powder (or not, if you don’t want to)
• 1/2 mashed banana (or applesauce)
• lots of cinnamon
• 2-3 tablespoons of milk or water

Once you mix this together, put it in fridge overnight. The next morning, you can top it with whatever you like. I usually top mine with peanut butter/almond butter. You can also put fruit on top, chocolate chips, etc. The less milk/water you use, the harder (more cookie-like) it will be.

This is great when you need a fast breakfast because all you have to do it pull it out of the fridge in the morning. Plus, it is amazingly tasty!

For lunch at school, I decided to deviate from my usual PB & J and get the chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes lunch they were serving. This did NOT keep me full for very long and I was starving by the time I got home!

So I made a yummy snack:

Stonyfield plain yogurt with a Kashi dark chocolate coconut fruit and grain bar. Heaven. The sweetness of the bar and natural-ness of the yogurt make a perfect match!

Now I am going to throw together a quickie dinner and then I am off to go babysit for the night…which means I will probably have a lot of down time to read your blogs! Yay!

What are your plans for tonight?

Questionnaire Fun

Happy Thursday everyone! TOMORROW IS FRIDAY!!! Hallelujah!

I started off the day with this plate of wonderfulness:

 

A breakfast cookie containing:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1/2 smashed banana
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• lots of cinnamon
• a few raisins
• spoonful of natural peanut butter on top

For my afternoon snackie, I wanted something green…so what better thing to make than a Green Monster?!

For dinner, I had one of my favorite microwave meals ever:

I am lovin’ Indian food. I need to learn how to make some though since there aren’t any Indian restaurants around here! Anyone want to point me in the direction of some recipes?

I also had a few prunies.

Ok now it’s time for some fun, as the title of this post promises…

The lovely Jenny tagged me for a questionnaire so I thought I’d take a spin at it:

8 Things I’m Looking Forward To:

• SUMMER!! (obviously)
• more running races
• eventually trying some Naturally Nutty nut butter :D
• laying out by the pool
• having less stress
• catching up with my friends
• traveling to visit some fam
• the new Transformers movie

8 Things I did Yesterday:

• went to school
• played with the kiddies in the school daycare
• Shredded it up with Jillian
• went to the doc
• caught up on all my blogger friends <3
• tried a new recipe
• had a nice girls night with my sister and the madre
• watched American Idol

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

• fly!
• Do flips like Shaun Johnson
• travel the world
• speak French
• not be so anxious
• have better patience
• conquer some hardcore yoga poses
• meet that special someone

8 Shows I Watch:

• 90210 (just got done watching it!)
• American Idol
• One Tree Hill
• The Hills…hate to admit it ;)
• The Office
• Dancing With The Stars
• The Biggest Loser
• Grey’s Anatomy

8 People I Tag:

• Kailey @ Clean Veggie Eats
• Jenn @ Fab and Delicious Food
• Rachel @ Black Coffee
• Lauren @ Rediscovering Lauren
• Lexi @ Live.Life
• Emily @ The Life and Times of Em
• Megan @ Sunshine ‘n Spice
• Kath @ Hope In Peanut Butter and Oats

 

In other blog news, RunToFinish is having an Honest Foods Give-away!

Have a great Thursday night lovely ladies! :)

Recipe time

Hey girls!! Hope you all have had a good Wednesday so far!

Its getting closer to the weekend! :D

There are so many blog give-aways today!!

• Jenna has a My Mix Granola give-away
• Fitnessista has a Stonyfield yogurt give-away
• Meghann has an Honest Foods give-away
• Juli has a Perfect Foods give-away

Check ‘em out!

So I’m not officially dairy-free just yet. This will require a trip to the grocery store, which will be this weekend. Thanks for the suggestions on substitutes!

Here are some of my eats for the day:

I mixed in cottage cheese and flaxmeal…and then here is the finished bowl:

This mixture contained:

• 1/4 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 cup oatbran
• few scoops cottage cheese
• flaxmeal
• 1/2 sliced banana
• scoop of natural peanut butter
• scoop of Barney Butter
• cinnamon

So good and super filling!

Afternoon snack:

crackers with natural peanut butter…plus a few strawberries!

Dinner was a repeat from last night…salmon with a nice big salad.

For dessert, I had a Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffin:

Plus a frozen banana bite. (not pictured)

And now, as promised, here is the zucchini bread recipe!!

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread: (this makes 2 loafs)

• 3 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sweetener of choice
• 1/2 cup oil *
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini- firmly packed!
• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or regular whole wheat flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1tsp baking soda
• 1tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon

* can sub. more applesauce in for the oil if wanted

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, oil vanilla- several minutes until fluffy. Shred zucchini using a large sized shredding disk. (hint: it isn’t necessary to peel the zucchini…leaving it on adds color and fiber) Stir zucchini into wet ingredients.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add dry sifted ingredients to wet ingredients and stir to combine. Stir in any optional ingredients.

Spray pans with cooking spray and dust lightly with flour. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees until toothpick comes out clean and top springs back to the touch.

2 big loafs: 50-60 minutes

14 mini loafs: 25 minutes

There ya go! Enjoy!

I hope you all have a great night!!

Doctor’s Office Recap

Hello everyone!!

I have dealt with bad allergies all my life. Lately, they have been in full force, so I had an appointment with my doctor today after school. He prescribed me an antibiotic to try and get rid of this once again.

However, I have been talking to a few other specialists and after much thought, I have decided to try a dairy-free diet. Apparently, dairy and allergies have been linked together…and after dealing with this all throughout my life with not much relief, I’m at the point where I’m willing to try anything. So I’m going to need your help with dairy substitutes! What are your favorite milk, yogurt, and cheese replacements? I feel like this is going to be hard for me because I love my yogurt…and cheese!

Ok, now here was this morning’s breakfast:

Blueberry Coconut Oatbran! aka, purple oats :)

I was also rockin’ the Tweety tea mug:

After I got home from my appointment, I had this:

Homemade whole wheat zucchini bread with natural peanut butter

Soooooo good!

Dinner was Tropical Baked BBQ Salmon..I got the recipe from Jenna!and a salad with feta

Then I eagerly went to the freezer and pulled out some Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites!

I had this x3. This was like icecream on a stick. Seriously awesome. period.

Today was supposed to be a run day after school but since I had my appointment, I decided to move my run to tomorrow. I found a new running path and am excited to try it out!

Ok, I now unfortunately have some homework that needs attention. Hope you all have a wonderful night!