“Hot Feet run in the morning, then cold brews in the afternoon.”

YES PLEASE! I was having a crazy day so his  message was really appreciated. I spent much of yesterday driving to appointments, running around at work and making phone calls. Did I mention that it all started with an 8am fender bender? It was nothing serious. I was rear-ended at a traffic light and my bumper has a few scratches. I’ve never had to deal with something like this before and spent a good amount of time on the phone with a lady from my insurance company. Despite the craziness, all was not lost. I think I found an apartment with a real kitchen . Is it weird that I already have a list of goodies I want to make? At the end of August my blog will become a LOT more interesting. I can’t wait!

I went for a run this morning to prepare for my Sunday. I am planning to run about 10-miles so preparations are necessary. I fueled with a Super-Charge-Me Cookie and ran a light 3-miles. I have been playing around with a few “pre-run” foods and think I am going to wake up early and have peanut butter and banana toast before my long run. The best fuel for me seems to be some combination of banana and peanut butter.

When I got back I made a Green Monster Smoothie in a Bowl. I love cooling down with a refreshing breakfast. And this one had Dark Chocolate Dreams!

Blender: 1 frozen banana, 1 cup vanilla soy milk, 1 scoop Dark Chocolate Dreams PB, 1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder, 2 handfuls of spinach, cinnamon, ice.

Toppings: Vanilla Granola, Coconut Butter, Handful of Blueberries (at the bottom of my bowl haha).

Lunch today is another “whatever-isn’t-spoiled-in-my-fridge” production.

Salad: Spinach, Cucumber, Tomato, Radish, Olive Oil/Balsamic

Sandwich: Thick slice of 8-grain 3- seed bread, sunflower seed butter, Crofter’s Europe Superfruit Spread.

I actually was really satisfied with lunch yesterday. I had a small snack later in the afternoon but it held me over quite nicely. The 8-grain 3-seed bread is really dense and hearty. A thick slice with nut-butter filled me right up! Amazing and delicious.

Planning a little treat for dinner tonight, can’t wait!!

Weekend Plotting,

Nora

Do you make weekend plans during the week?

]]> http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2010/07/29/hot-feet-cold-brews/feed/ 7 http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2010/07/21/functional-food/ http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2010/07/21/functional-food/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:31:07 +0000 Nora http://www.livelifeeatright.com/?p=2821 When the weather is hot I rely on food to keep me functional. This means a cold breakfast and a crisp lunch.Overnight Oats

Confession: This is my breakfast from yesterday. I didn’t post this but thought it needed recognition. It was the perfect consistency and FINALLY cold because I was successful with “operation duct the fridge”. The banana/chocolate/creamy/cool combination rocks my world. It takes me back to my days at Girl Scout camp making “banana boats” with banana, chocolate chips and marshmallows in the campfire. Oh to be young again.

Real Breakfast:A rather frothy Green Monster Smoothie In A Bowl topped with Galaxy Granola and extra Coconut Butter (my peanut butter supply was low so I added extra coconut butter to the top today.)

Stay Cool Lunch:

Salad: Spinach, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, 1/3 block of 5-grain tempeh, sugar snap peas, mint. Olive Oil/Balsamic.

Apparently I really like fruits, veggies and topping everything with mint. I’m pretty sure I’ve already exceeded the recommended 5-cups of fruit and veggies…yet again.

Another Confession: I’m already excited for dinner tonight. It’s another little something-something I have been dreaming about.

Day Dreams,

Nora

]]> http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2010/07/21/functional-food/feed/ 5 http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2010/06/16/like-a-rock/ http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2010/06/16/like-a-rock/#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:30:01 +0000 Nora http://www.livelifeeatright.com/?p=2050 Good morning! Well, I think I proved my theory about exercise, eating and the way I function: I slept like a rock last night. I got my 8 hours in and then some. I actually hit the snooze button twice and had to drag myself out of bed—VERY unlike me. I guess this just reiterates the importance of LISTENING to what your body needs.

And for breakfast, my lethargic self needed a smoothie in a bowl (SIAB). There’s nothing like a good dose of greens first thing in the morning to stimulate the mind and body .

In my blender: ½ packet Chocolate Vega Protein Powder, a generous shake of cinnamon, 1 large frozen banana, 6 ice cubes, 1 cup vanilla soy milk and a ton of baby spinach.

Toppings: Nature’s Path Vanilla Almond Flax Granola and Coconut Butter.

Glacier.

I decided to try a little Kath experiment today, and topped my smoothie with a candy coating coconut butter. When it hit the cold surface it became as hard as a rock! I loved the addition of a coconut glacier; it was like finding a fun candy bar surprise! I will be doing this again.

This breakfast was exactly what the doctor ordered! It was filling and refreshing. I think I even had a bit more bounce in my step as I exited my apartment, despite the fact that it was raining cats and dogs. I love breakfast (if you can’t tell), three cheers to my favorite meal of the day .

Pep in my Step,

Nora

What is your favorite meal of the day?

I began my Saturday with a lovely breakfast with my roommate of Cinnamon Peaches and Cream Kodiak Cakes with sliced pineapple, watermelon, orange juice and coffee on the side. I love Kodiak Cakes. Unlike many whole wheat mixes I have tried, Kodiak cakes are fluffy, doughy and extremely easy to make. For a single serving all you have to do is add 1/3 cup mix with 1/3 cup water! I added cinnamon to the batter and topped it with sliced peaches, Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt and more cinnamon. My roommate always thinks it’s a bit odd when I take pictures of food (she doesn’t know about my blog) so I decided to forgo a picture and enjoy our breakfast together. There was a big event on campus so we headed over for a while to enjoy the nice weather, music and good company. Before I knew it, it was 4pm and I was so busy having fun that I had forgotten lunch! I’m a little embarrassed to post this (and almost didn’t), because the premise of my blog is “healthy living” and this definitely wasn’t the healthiest of days for me, skipping lunch and then going a bit overboard with my evening eats. But blunders are a part of life–living and learning

I was starving and slightly thirsty when I got back so  I decided to make myself a SUPER Green Monster topped with Granola and Raw Almonds. This monster was so big that I barely fit it into the bowl! It contained: 1 large frozen banana, 1 carrot, 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder, 1 scoop GREEN Amazing Grass Superfood, ~1 TBS peanut butter, 2/3 cup almond milk, 1/3 cup pumpkin, 1/3 cup water, 2 large handfuls of spinach and 3 ice cubes. I topped it off with 1/4 cup Nature’s Path Vanilla Almond Granola with Flax and raw almonds.

After a few bites, I thought I needed more substance so I added melted Dark Chocolate Almond Spread and Coconut Butter to my bowl. This was very tasty but I think I went a little over board with my nut butters! It was really filling, but I couldn’t consider it a full meal especially since I missed lunch. A little while later I had an apple, a large carrot and made  a plate with a serving  Dr. Crackers and Broccoli and topped it off with a copious amount melted Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese. I was beyond full and decided a nap was in order after such a long day. When I woke up, I wasn’t hungry but made a snack with the rest of my Chobani, Almond Butter ~2 TBS and cinnamon . I also made toast topped with almond butter, raspberry jam, chopped date and apple sauce (random but delicious!). I nearly emptied my almond butter jar so I think it’s safe to say that oats in a jar will be making an appearance this week. Everything I consumed was “healthy food” but the quantity was a bit much; my eyes were much bigger than my stomach! I love nut butters but they tend to be the type of food that I can get a bit carried away with. Between the peanut butter, almond butters and coconut butter I think I had something around 5-6 TBS in a very short period of time.

Needless to say my stomach was NOT feeling so hot after all of these random-mish-mashed foods. I was just looking for a quick fix and went a little overboard. Happens to the best of us.

I wasn’t hungry when I woke up this morning, and my stomach was still feeling uneasy from my food selections but each day is a new day for health. I decided to start today on a fresh foot with a bowl of sliced strawberries, blackberries, Nature’s Path Vanilla-Almond Flax Granola, and vanilla soy milk. I had an apple and cappuccino for a mid-afternoon snack and started to feel a bit more on track. I settled for an early dinner which was fresh and clean. A big spinach salad with 1/3 block tempeh, 1/2 of a roasted beet, 1 golden beet, cucumber, red pepper, tomato, mushrooms, 1 large carrot, clover sprouts in a red wine vinaigrette. I had a few Dr. Krackers on the side  and for dessert I had an ice cream sandwich.

I usually carry around granola bars and pack small snacks “in case of emergency”. I hate when I miss a meal or a snack and then try to compensate for it later in the day; it just leaves me feeling uncomfortably full and lethargic. Like I said before, each day is a new day for health so I just left my Saturday behind and started Sunday off with a fresh outlook. My mom always says, it’s better to be proactive then to dwell on things.

To Fresh Starts,

Nora

To add to my lameness, I had another Jonagold and coffee before heading to class. I’m starting to feel like a lame food blogger. I’m in need of some creativity!

Dinner last night was a quick throw together with my roommate. I love cooking, but sometimes it is nice to dig into the depths of your fridge and make a 3 minute plate of food. I ended up having a “Semi-Greek Salad” which consisted of HUGE plate of spinach (I was having a major spinach craving after a green free day haha!) topped with a toasted Boca burger, lots of Cedar’s Garlic Lovers Hummus, pita chips, cucumber, red bell pepper, feta cheese, kalamata olives, and sprouts. After dinner I broke into….EASTER CANDY!! Remember my second bunny?

Last seen.

Well, it no longer has a back pack to carry all of its yummy carrots in. I also made a dent in my peanut M&Ms. What remains:

Hopefully my eats will progressively become more interesting through out the day! Tonight I am going to an “etiquette” dinner with my roommate. Our friends who cooked us dinner a few days ago are in a fraternity, and one of their projects is to host a nice dinner and learn table manners! Somewhat random but naturally, I love this concept. I’m not positive who my “date” will be, but it will be interesting to be educated the traditional ways of fine dining. When it comes to etiquette, I think that stopping to take photos is probably a no-no (whoops!) but I’ll see what I can do with my sneaky iphone photo taking skills!

Happy Friday,

Nora

What do you do when you are in a food rut? Do you go with it or try new and creative things?

Into the blender:

1 large frozen banana

3 frozen strawberries

3 ice cubes

1/3 can pumpkin

1 scoop GREEN Amazing Grass Superfood

1/2 scoop Chocolate Whey Protein

~3/4 TBS Peanut Butter

Cinnamon (SO KEY!)

1/2 cup Almond Milk

1/2 Cup Water

2 handfuls of spinach

I really need a better blender. I find myself constantly shaking the blender and pushing everything down through the process. It takes me way longer to blend the ingredients than it should. I topped it with some Galaxy Vanilla Almond and had a big Jonagold on the side. I’m not sure if I actually wanted that apple but I wanted more crunch after I finished the bowl! The one downside about making smoothies for breakfast is that I always want something solid to go along with it, where as oatmeal fulfills  all of my meal texture/flavor requirements. Hopefully I’ll get back to the world’s greatest breakfast tomorrow!

My roommate and I are having a special dinner tonight and I can not wait. Hopefully I’ll be able to sneak a few photos!!

Green Machine,

Nora

Do you like certain foods when you aren’t feeling up to par (headache/illness/lethargic etc)?

When I do “crunch time” work, I get really antsy. I feel like I’m moving 100 miles a minute and am never focused. I fall into snacking habits to keep me calm. I’m not sure why, but I have it set in my head that I need snacks to complete my task. Every time I finish one, I have to run to get something else. I found that I had only written a few pages after breakfast (another green monster and granola bowl with an Amazing Grass Wheatgrass packet added today…interesting texture and made me feel energized!) before I ran back into the kitchen to grab a Jonagold. As soon as I finished my apple I ran back to the kitchen and had to make toast. Okay you get the picture. Basically write/read 1-2 pages grab a snack is my pattern. I literally sat in bed with my laptop from 8:30 am-1pm paper writing and snacking. A few snack highlights: 2 slices of multigrain bread (the dense bread from my bakery!) with cinnamon, almond butter, organic raspberry jam and more cinnamon on top. As soon as the bread popped out of the toaster I sprinkled it with cinnamon. I couldn’t decide if I should top my almond butter with jam or pumpkin butter, so why not both? I finished it with more cinnamon and I kid you not, the second I finished one slice I needed another it was THAT good.I also tried the Kardea Lemon-Ginger Bar. The texture/visual appearance reminds me of oatmeal cookie dough batter! I smelled lemon when I opened the package so I was pretty excited. Unfortunately, I couldn’t taste the ginger and the lemon flavor was pretty mild. For a while I was in a Lemon Zest Luna Bar phase (It is such a refreshing flavor!) and I love the potent flavor of those, so I do have a slight bias. I also loved the Kardea Banana Nut Bar so much that the others I have tried are hard to live up to it.

I’m not complaining, the food was good and I got my paper done but I was still in my pjs at 1pm with a belly full of food. I handed in my paper and needed fresh air! I decided to go for a run and soak up the blue sky and sunshine. It was exactly what I needed. As I walked back to my apartment I had a heartfelt phone call with my mom about life and what I’m going to be doing next year. I feel so fortunate to be able to talk to my parents about anything. They are my allies and my best friends.

When I got back, it was highly apparent that I had been cooped up in my room paper writing for two days. There were piles of clothes, scattered papers and books, and plates everywhere. I needed to clean. I restored my room to normal order and took a relaxing shower to refresh myself. For dinner I decided to continue with the “clean” theme and made Pan-seared Lemon-Thyme Tilapia with Asparagus and a Berry Salad. So light and refreshing after a day of snacks! I love adding berries, light green veggies (cucumbers and celery), feta cheese and nuts to spicy arugula. It is so light and packs a punch of flavor!

While waiting for my laundry to dry(when I clean…I CLEAN!), I had some dessert. I was going to go for more Chocolate Bunny for dessert but decided to keep it classy with mint cookies and cream with a frozen cherry on top  in a wine glass. Everything is more fun to eat when you serve it in a wine glass! I felt elegant .

Job Searching,

Nora

What are little things you do to “treat” yourself? (**If I’m having a bad day I always make myself something really nice and plate it up using fancy dishes. I love sharing my cooking with others but sometimes it’s fun cooking for one!**)