Off-Roading Adventure

This past weekend I went off-roading with Josh. Neither of us had been before, but Josh recently got a new Jeep and really wanted to try it out. So this past weekend we went to Rausch Creek to try it out.

 
We drove to Rausch Creek on Friday night and camped out at their campgrounds.

Camping was definitely a fun time, but we were more excited for the off-roading adventure we were about to embark on.

There were rocks.

There was mud.

There was lots of trails and bumping along.

Overall we had a great time and I know we will be back again soon. I love trying new things and definitely recommend trying out off-roading. It is an experience you won't forget.

Warrior Dash Photos

Like I said, seriously one of the funnest (is that a word?) races ever. The weather for this race was perfect because it was cloudy, and only about 70F. I'm so glad that the rain held off because it was calling for thunderstorms all day. This is definitely a race that I will be signing up for next year!

Warrior Dash

This past weekend I ran the Pennsylvania Warrior Dash. It was epic. Definitely one of the most fun races I have ever done. There were obstacles, mud, and of course lots of running. I highly recommend signing up for a race like this, whether you are a runner or not. While there is running involved, the obstacles break it up and take your mind away from the fact that you are running an actual race. I had a blast doing it and plan on doing it again next year too!

Friday Entertainment: Bare Bears

Here is a video made by my sister for your Friday entertainment :)

Bring on the weekend!

Memorial Day

This past weekend was perfect for relaxing and remembering what memorial day is all about. My memorial day included meals cooked on the grill, eating outside, hiking, gardening, and a little bargain shopping, because there are always good deals during the holidays :)

Here are some pictures to recap my weekend:

Hope everyone is enjoying there week!
Hello June, good-bye May.

Smoothies

I really just love smoothies. Especially in the summer time and it is nice and warm outside and I don't have to put a sweatshirt on immediately after I drink it. Today was the perfect afternoon for a smoothie since I have some time to spare between my internship and babysitting.

Here are the contents of today's smoothie (which was delicious!):
1 1/4 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 frozen banana
~15 cocoa roasted almonds
4 ice cubes (well it was frozen almond milk)
and a large handful of spinach
Then this was all blended in my smoothie until everything was smooth, green, and delicious looking!

I then poured it into a large glass, grabbed a straw (because the smoothie just doesn't taste as good with out it) and inhaled it in all of 5 min. Major brain freeze, but my belly and taste buds are happy :)

Seasoned Kale Chips

I was always skeptical when I heard people talking about kale chips. I mean, how can a green taste like a chip? I decided to try them and the first time I made them they weren't great, but they had potential. So I searched on-line to compare more recipes and combined the parts I liked to try and make them again. I think I found a winner because these kale chips can now act as a substitute to regular chips, or just as another way to get your veggies in :)

Kale Chips:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F
Fill a large bowl about 3/4 full with kale ( I find it's easier to use the kind that comes in a bag already washed and chopped)
Add 1 to 2 tbsp of oil (I use either olive or canola)
Add seasoning of choice, and season to your liking ( I use the salad seasoning)

Cook for about 15-20 minutes, flipping once. They are done when the edges are slightly browned and they are a little crisp.
Pour into a large bowl and enjoy :)

Spontaneity

 This weekend consisted of a spontaneous trip to Philly. My friend and I decided at the last minute yesterday to make the trip down to Philly for the evening, and it was definitely worth it! The weather was finally warm and sunny and walking around the city at night was lots of fun. I'm glad that we decided to be spontaneous!

We started the night at Devil's Alley Bar and Grille. We all split the nacho appetizer, which wasn't bad but I could have used some more guac since I'm in love with that stuff. Next we wondered around a bit before heading Fado, which was an irish pub. We spent the majority of the night here and the DJ was quite good including songs from Miley Cyrus (Party in the USA) to Britney Spears ('Til the World Ends), plus lots of other good songs that are fun to sing and dance to. All in all it was a fun night, especially since the weather held up and there was not a drop of rain.

Today before I left the city my friends and I went to Ants Pants Cafe. This was a small cafe serving Australian based food. If you ever go there I highly recommend you order the sweet potato fries. They were phenomenal! My friends and I got an order of those to share and completely dominated them. Then for my order I got the brekkie platter, which consisted of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and brioche. Everything was delicious and the prices and portions were definitely reasonable. Also before getting on the train I made a pit stop at Trader Joe's! I love this store. The few things I picked up were organic bananas, habanero wraps, and two bean pouches which I'm excited to try out this week.
The trip home wasn't as fun as the trip there because the spontaneous anticipation was gone. However, the night out in Philly was definitely worth it. Back to the week day grind tomorrow!
Hope everyone else had a glorious weekend as well :)

Anybody else do anything spontaneous?

The end of the world ?

So according to some people out there today could be the beginning of the end of the world. I don't think I can agree with that. But I'm sure there are people out there who have their bug out bags ready to go! However, if it were to be the end of the world what would be one thing that you would have to do before it ended? I think I would get a plane ticket to a tropical place and live out my last few days enjoying the sun on the beach. I think that the sun has gotten lost the past couple of days here because all it does is rain! Hopefully the rain will hold off for today and I will get to enjoy some outside activities :)

Lacking motivation...

It's that time of the school year where the home stretch is in sight but there are a million things that still need to be done. However, I have no motivation right now to attempt to get ahead on any of them. Today was productive though because I got like 5 loads of laundry done (so I now have clean clothes and a clean floor haha) and I got some groceries to keep me full for the week. I guess I have my priorities in line :)

Anyways I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Also here is a video that I highly recommend you watch! (My sister made it)

Share.

Share a picture of your breakfast here in order to have a meal donated to a child.

It's always good to help others :)

Brownie for Breakfast

Now this was not your typical brownie, but rather a "healthified" brownie. I found this recipe on the Edible Perspective blog a while ago and have been wanting to try it out. This past week I picked up some buckwheat groats so I could give it a shot. I basically followed the recipe and the result was delicious! I topped mine with some Nutella and it definitely made the perfect combo with the buckwheat. I highly recommend trying this recipe for breakfast.

Today is a pretty dreary rainy day but I was able to get in a 5k run this morning. I used my SPIbelt that I got for Christmas for the first time and I love it! I didn't even notice it while running, no bouncing at all. It was perfect for holding my ipod and would also be great for a cell phone, keys, snack, etc. Definitely the perfect addition to my running gear.

Well I hope everyone is starting the week off on the right foot! (I'm on spring break so sleeping in today was awesome :)

"Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your-life span? Do not worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil."

-Matthew, 6:27,34

P.F. Changs

This past weekend I went out to dinner at P.F. Changs for the first time and I have to say that it was awesome! I went with Josh and we got the dinner special for 2. This included: a soup, an appetizer, 2 entrees, and 2 dessert shooters.

For the soup I got the hot and sour soup. Yum.

For the appetizers we got the chang's chicken lettuce wraps. These were awesome! Definitely recommend trying them, although I don't know how healthy they are for you. haha

The two entrees we chose were chang's spicy chicken and the honey shrimp. The shrimp was definitely my favorite part of the meal.

Plus sides of brown and white rice.

Then for dessert I chose the carrot cake mini dessert. Loved the cream cheese icing.

All in all it was a great meal and I highly recommend it!

Good bye holiday weekend...

I really love 4 day weekends, minus the fact that it makes going back to the weekday grind so much harder. I'll fill you in on the weekend shortly, but right now that thing called homework and studying is calling.

However, I'm sure you can tell from the photo it was a good one :) Hope yours was too!

Love...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13

That holiday that has lots of pink.....

So Valentine's Day is coming up and I'm sure some of you are going to cook or attempt to cook (jk) a meal for a loved one. Here are some recipes that I have found on a few of my favorite blogs that I know I would like to try and re-create sometime in the near future:

1) 15 minutes Creamy Avocado Pasta

2) Broccoli, Cheddar, and Potato Soup

3)Pinto Bean and Sweet Potato Stew

4) Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

5) Cake Batter Pancakes

Then again there is always the option of going out to dinner. Both are nice, I guess it just depends on your plans and your mood. Either way I hope you enjoy the day tomorrow with your loved one!

Busy busy week

So this week is definitely a busier one crammed with meetings, tests, quizzes, and projects. These are things that I will not miss when I finally graduate. haha.

So to keep me fueled up for the week since I clearly will not have that much time to cook I made I made a Tuna Noodle Casserole last night. This is one of my favorite dishes for a couple of reasons:

1) It has tuna, which contains healthy omega threes

2) Its a good way to add in lots of sneaky vegetables

3) It has the wonderful comfort food taste

You can click here to see the recipe that I followed. The one change that I made was I used WW egg noodles. Gotcha add the whole wheat in where ever you can haha. Also if I was going to make this again I would probably add 2 small cans of tuna and 2 cups of peas. I felt like there were lots of noodles and I needed some more of what I consider the good stuff. I would also probably cut the breadcrumbs to a 1/2 c., but that's just my opinion. Honestly it still tasted great, but then again it's kind of hard to mess up a tuna noodle casserole.

Hope you all had a great start to the work week :)

Visitor!

The highlight of today is that my boyfriend is coming to visit me tonight :) It is definitely what I needed after today. So glad the weekend is right around the corner.

Enjoy your final day of the work week!

“This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life.”

SNOW DAY!

Loving the snow day! Definitely going to use today to relax and catch up on somethings. Since I had some extra time this morning I made something for breakfast that I saw on another blog. It's called apricot vanilla porridge. I made a few modifications to the recipe, like adding a Bob Red Mill's Grain mix instead of oats and barley, I added vanilla extract instead of a vanilla bean, and I added ground flax instead of oat bran. Oh I also cooked mine with 1 C. milk and 1 C. water. I like my porridge to be creamy, which is why I added the milk. It definitely turned out good! I topped it with walnuts, honey, frozen berries, peanut butter, and granola. Yum :)

Well I'm off to enjoy the day, hopefully everyone else is enjoying the snow and staying safe!

Yeaaaaaaah.

So I am kind of excited about this huge storm that is supposed to be hitting our country tonight through through tomorrow. I want lots of snow! (plus a snow day or two would be nice for those of us in school :) I would just like one more final storm and then I will be satisfied with winter weather and ready for spring to creep up.

Otherwise today was just an ordinary Monday. It definitely came too fast and went by too slow, but I guess that's too be expected for the beginning of the week, right? I did have an awesome dinner though tonight that I would highly recommend to any fans of mexican cuisine. I kinda just eye-balled the recipe so I'll just list the ingredients and you can add them to your liking.

Mexican Pumpkin Black Bean Dish

1) Mix Refried or Mashed Black Beans with some canned pumpkin in a casserole dish.

2) Top the mixture with a layer of salsa ( I used pineapple salsa)

3) Top the salsa with a layer of cheese ( I used a lf cheddar blend)

4) Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 min (or until thoroughly heated)

5) Top with some sliced avocados or guacamole

6) Eat and enjoy with tortilla chips (I used the blue corn kind)

On another note I think it is time for bed. My snow day is not guaranteed yet and if it decides not to show then tomorrow will be a busy day!

PS. So proud :)

http://www.bridgewatereagles.com/sports/wvball/2010-11/releases/Alberthire

If time would slow down just a little....

I would love if the weekend would slow down just a little. I could use a few more hours before I need to turn it in for the night to start off another busy week. Mondays are so hard sometimes. Here is a quote for some motivation, because I know I need it:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
--Marianne Williamson

Thesis Topic.

I am currently attending graduate school to get my Master's in Nutrition. I am at the point where I start need to pick a topic that I can use for my thesis. Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions for a nutrition thesis topic??

Also, on the food front it's been a little on the on exciting side. Hopefully I'll have some good recipes coming up in the very near future.

Right now here is what my diet consists of:

1) Hummus (I have chipotle in my fridge right now)

2) Eggs

3) Fresh Spinach

4) English Muffins

5) Oatmeal

6) Bananas

These are basically my staples and the foods I always have on hand. Any good recipes using these ingredients??

The Return.

Ok. I'm back. It's been way too long. However, sometimes I feel like I just blink and then the next thing I know it's a whole month later. I've been back at school for about a month now so that's been keeping me pretty busy. I have part of my dietetic internship at a Veteran's Hospital which has been pretty interesting so far. They use a cook-chill system, which is really quite rare around here but definitely interesting to learn about and see in action. Last week I had to run a taste panel and see if the residents would like a new salmon burger added to their menu. Overall the consensus seems to be that they liked it so I think it will be a new meal item for them. I tried it myself and I have to say I thought it was pretty good.

I'm so glad the week is done though and the weekend has arrived. I really need some time to take a break and relax and get caught up on some work.

TGIF :)

ps. I really want a goldendoodle.