The beginning of summer...

Well finals are finally done and my summer has arrived. I don't quite know what to do with myself. I probably need to look for a job but I haven't been having luck recently. Looking for temporary jobs is something I do not like to do. I'm kind of hoping I can make it through the summer just with babysitting and cleaning, it might be tight but it will give me a little more time to relax and hang out with my friends. Sometimes we just need to allow ourselves to slow down for awhile and I think I could use a dose of that about now.

Anyways this past weekend was pretty relaxing. I had to dogsit for Fergie and Bogie, and then the boyfriend came to visit and hangout with me. On Saturday evening we concocted one of the best meals ever! We cooked salmon kabobs on the grill and served them with crab cakes and quinoa salad (which included quinoa, soybeans, spinach, pumpkin seeds, & dried cranberries)

Salmon Kabobs

Crab Cake

Quinoa Salad

This was seriously one of the best meals ever. The salmon kabob pretty much filled me up because after that I only ate about 2 bites of the crab cake and a couple more bites of the quinoa (They made a great lunch the next day :). We enjoyed our meal outside because the weather was beautiful! Here is a picture of our cute set-up.

We finished of of our meal with a bottle of wine to celebrate the ending of my first year of graduate school! Now only two more to go haha.

The rest of the weekend wasn't too eventful. We just enjoyed the weather and hung out and relaxed. Exactly what I wanted to do :)

Today has been pretty uneventful as well. I went on a mini shopping spree this morning to Target and Wegmans to get some odds and ends and to stock up on groceries. When I came back I was starving so I made a sandwich for lunch.

It was made on a Thomas's Everything flavor bagel thin, with laughing cow cheese, turkey breast, and spinach. I also had some Stonyfield Chocolate Underground yogurt with fresh strawberries. It was sooo good.

Now I'm off to play with my new bread machine (a hand-me down from a friend). I'm going to try to make some french bread to have with my dinner so hopefully it turns out!

Tip of the day: Make grocery shopping fun. I know a lot of people see grocery shopping as another errand that gets in the way of things, but try to make an adventure out of it. Look for new produce to try or items that you've been wanting to try that are now on sale. There is always something waiting at the grocery store for you to discover. You never know what new food might become your favorite :)

Happy day!

The final week of school

Aah finally it is that time of year where its busy and hectic, and this only means one thing....it's finals week and summer will soon be upon us! I really feel pretty accomplished after Friday because I will have officially completed my first year of graduate school. Now only two more years to go. I feel like I'm going to be one of those people who is in school forever, I don't mind though I like learning, especially about things that interest me like nutrition.

Moving on....

This weekend I made a trip back to my undergrad. for it's pigroast tradition. It was a great weekend and I loved seeing all my friends. That's the thing that sucks about growing up, your friends get spread out all over the country :( This just makes reunions that much better! While in central PA for the weekend I got to visit on of my favorite cafes, Standing Stone. I got the breakfast panini with strawberry jam and cream cheese, and of course a chi tea latte, yum :) This is definitely one of those places I love going back to.

Now that the weekend is over, I'm trying to prepare myself for my final exams this week. I had one yesterday, which went well I think. And then I have 3 more this week. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, just get me to Friday!

Here are my eats of the day so far:

My morning started off with 3/4 c. oats, 1 c. skim milk, 1/3 c. frozen mixed berries zapped in the microwave for 3 min. A little sprinkle on top to make it taste a little sweeter.

I also had a cup of coffee for breakfast. It was a new flavor that my friend had given me over the weekend called Jamaican Me Crazy from Leaf and Bean. Definitely makes a good cup of coffee and I highly recommend it.

Then for a snack while I was a work I had a mini clif bar that my sister sent me in the mail for Earth day, what a nice sister :).

Lunch consisted of a casserole I concocted yesterday and a yogurt. The casserole consisted of 1 can black beans, 1 can corn, 1 c. brown rice, and 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies. I baked it in the oven for 30min and 35o and then melted a slice of cheddar cheese overtop before eating it. Simple but it hit the spot.

Dessert was a Strawberry Pomegranate yogurt, which also was hit the spot. (Sorry its a little blurry haha)

Now time for some solid studying before hitting the gym for either aerobics or kickboxing...still deciding.

Tip for the day: A healthy heart is a happy heart. While following a healthy "schedule" (exercise, taking the time to prepare/cook your own food, etc) may be time consuming, make sure to leave time for things that you enjoy besides being healthy. For instance, visiting friends or family like I did this weekend. While being healthy is definitely important, other things should also be able to fit into your schedule as well :)