What I Ate Wednesday

Sorry for the lame-o title, my brain just couldn't come up with some witty title.

But that doesn't matter because it's What I Ate Wednesday with Jenn and it's a freaking party!

Lately my eating habits have been all over the place; partly because I've been crazy busy with school and staying active, partly because I feel guilty eating sometimes. I'll go into that another time.

I went for a run yesterday morning and when I got back I was exhausted and in need of some sugar so I ate the last juicy plum we have

After running to Victoria's Secret to exchange a pair of leggings for a smaller size I ran back home to have my brunch since I didn't end up eating anything until like 11

Brunch:

1/2 plain 0% fat Greek yogurt, 1/2 full-fat honey vanilla Greek yogurt w/ vanilla almond granola

Whole wheat toast with creamy peanut butter 

I decided to try out a new recipe, though I'll only give you a sneak peek, I'm mean like that

Recipe coming soon, promise!

I had psych class today and was incredibly thirsty the whole time so I chugged some water when I got home and started homework. Exciting life I lead right?

Dinner:

Veggie burger with organic ketchup and spinach in a whole wheat pita

2 baked sweet potatoes with a little butter and sea salt

And for dessert I experimented with a new recipe which I will have up soon

Dessert:

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread Pudding

After eating this yummy bad boy I put on my Christmas pandora station and relaxed in 2 pairs of pants cause it's that damn cold...don't judge.

As for my fall habits:

I've been running over 2 miles 3 times a week and doing yoga every night

I've upped my water intake, I always seem thirstier during the winter

I've been incorporating more veggies into every meal, even mac and cheese!

Any delicious new recipes you've tried?

Anyone else drink more water during the winter or is that just me?

Baby It's Cold Outside

Happy Monday everyone!

Raise your hand if you get the day off *raises hand*

My day off will consist of homework and more homework, exciting right?

But homework is boring is this is Marvelous in My Monday so let's talk about something marvelous.

Fall/winter has finally hit Santa Cruz! I'm so excited.

It's consisted of lots of kitty cuddles...

Layering up like crazy...

Hot chocolate...

 and hot breakfasts...

 Running at freezing cold temperatures in the morning...

 My poor hands were purple by the end, time to layer up for runs

I love the fall and snuggling in my bed and this basically describes my mornings

And finally, because I promised my dad I would wear the stupid hat and post the picture on here

Rooting on my team, the Chicago Bears

Branching Out

I've heard of quinoa a lot and also heard it was really easy to screw up. Needless to say I was a little intimidated to try my hand at making it.

But boy am I glad I jumped into it, it's freaking delicious!

For those of you who have no idea what quinoa is, like myself, lemme give you a fast lesson.

• Quinoa is pronounced keen-wah (no matter how many times I tell my mom this, she can't say it right...love you Mom!)
• Quinoa is actually a seed and not a grain
• It has a high-protein content, a little over 8 grams per cup of cooked quinoa
• It is low in fat
• Great source of iron and fiber
• Is gluten-free

(Source) 

Making it is super simple so don't be intimidated!

The first time I made it I was mentally freaking out that it was going to be undercooked and taste horrible, but thankfully it came out perfectly.

My fail-proof method is 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water, bring to boil, cover and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat (but keep that lid on!) and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and mix in whatever you want.

Check out Pinterest for some delicious recipes (I have a few on my board so check out my link to the right).

Go buy some quinoa and experiment! It's a delicious little grain seed.

 Quinoa with garlic olive oil, green beans, corn, and carrots.

Fit Fridays

Happy Friday everyone!!

Some of the blogs I follow dedicate one day to recap at the fit stuff they've done throughout the week and I thought that would be pretty smart to keep myself accountable.

Eventually I'll make a cute little picture to go along with it.

Now, on to the workouts!

Sunday:

I've been doing a training program to run a 5K (and eventually a 10K) so I alternated between 60 second jog and a 90 second walk for about 20 minutes with a 5 minute warm up walk & 5 minute cool down walk. I'm still getting used to running and I won't lie when I'd be jogging and think "Dear god when will I be able to walk?!"  A few hours later I went to my gym to hop back into my Zumba class I've been missing desperately. I had such a fun time.

Monday:

I did a legs day at the gym with leg presses, hip abductors, calf raises, and leg curls. I threw in some assisted pull-ups while I waited for some of the machines to open up. Unfortunately for me I did a hard leg day on the day that I have to walk up and down stairs a bunch at school...smart planning right there.

Tuesday:

That day was crazy hectic with me running everywhere and I wasn't sure if I'd have time for a run, but I woke up earlier just to make sure I'd have time to run. That's some dedication right there. Running was so much easier this time around and I was surprised a couple times when it told me to walk because I thought I could run longer. Whoot whoot! After some errands I made my way over to the gym for some more Zumba.

Wednesday:

I was tied to my room doing homework all day so I didn't make it to the gym unfortunately. I did an extra long yoga sequence and worked on some harder poses to at least do something.

Thursday:

It was arms day at the gym so I did assisted chin-ups and dips, lat pull down, chest press, and delt flies. My arms were exhausted, but it was nice to see some more definition finally coming back. Afterwards I headed home so I could head right back out and do my last day of running for the week. It was freezing cold out and my nose was starting to burn, but I got it done. I came home and stretched so my legs wouldn't tighten up, apparently my cat likes yoga too

  I do downward facing dog, he does lying cat

I thankfully got home before the rain started pouring down.

I've been doing at least 15-20 minutes of yoga every night and it feels so great to just take some time to myself and stretch. My flexibility is improving and I'm not sore from my hard workouts.

How do you stay fit?
Any tips for running in the cold?

WIAW: Roadtrip Edition

Happy What I Ate Wednesday everyone!

It's been awhile since I actually participated I'm jumping back in with eats from last Tuesday and Wednesday since I was traveling to and from Arizona both those days (about 20 hours in a car in 2 days, oy)

Thanks to Jenn for this awesome party!

Michael and I were up bright and early for our loooong drive so we stopped for Starbucks

Tall pumpkin spice soy steamer

It was pretty damn foggy and I was in a skirt anticipating Arizona weather

A little Starbucks berry refresher to give me some caffeine

Breakfast: 

 Honey & strawberry full-fat Greek yogurt with Bear Naked vanilla almond granola

For a long while this was our view and Michael got to listen to upbeat songs and me singing...and getting his ass kicked with out of state license plates...

Lunch:

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad in whole wheat pitas

It was my first time ever eating quinoa and it was tasty, though I feel a little too vinegar-y

 Afternoon Snacks:

Annie's Cheddar bunnies (I have a serious addiction) and a Pink Lady apple...which I almost forgot to take a picture off, hence the teeth imprints...bad blogger Brittany

Finally made it to Arizona!!

And I finally got to see my best friend after a few years of being apart.

Dinner: went unpictured, but Michael and I found a Safeway and I got some chicken strips with ranch dressing

Dessert: also went unpictured, but I had some Godiva truffles...heaven right there

The drive back was pretty much the same food, minus a Subway sandwich mixed in there and a different dinner, but I won't bore you all with that...though Michael's mom made some amazing cheese enchiladas!

Once we got home I put on a black sweater and cat ears and called it Halloween, exciting right?

Phew!

You know those days where everything is crammed together and you get no rest time?

Yeah that's been my day. I've literally felt like the roadrunner

Meep meep!

I woke up at 7:30 so I could get my run in because I've started the C25K program so I can train to run races with Michael.

I'm super proud of myself that I wasn't huffing and puffing like on Sunday when I started the program! Progress!

I had a doctor's appointment after my run that I went directly to. After my appointment I sped over (meep meep) to my gym for Zumba and sweat up a storm.

After Zumba I ran home to take a shower, inhale some cottage cheese, and sped right back out the door for my polisci midterm and then psych class.

Thank goodness I finally get some rest time, which includes homework, but at least I'm not running anywhere! I feel completely exhausted, but pretty damn productive.

On a different note, it's Election Day! Hope you got out there and voted! It was my first time voting and I'm super excited!!

Reunited and it Feels So Good

Happy Monday everyone!

It's been a few weeks since I blogged, but I've been super busy with school & midterms and catching up after driving down to Arizona with Michael to pick up my best friend and help her move back.

I'll be writing about the roadtrip this week, but for now I want to dedicate this post to how freaking marvelous it is to have my best friend back!

It's so wonderful having my best friend finally living around here so we can talk face to face rather than on Skype. She's been gone for a few years now so I'm looking forward to having my best friend/twin around.

And to be a complete dork with, cause that's just how we roll