Whole Foods Anonymous

Hi, my name is Sarah and I have an addiction. To Whole Foods. You see, I went there for dinner on Thursday night in between work and a birthday party. That made for my 3rd trip of the week. And then of course I will have to grocery shop over the weekend. That pulls the count to a total of 4 visits in 7 days.

Acknowledging the problem is the 1st step, right? But if I'm going to be honest, I'm not so sure I want to recover from this addiction. It's better than getting greasy, over-processed fast food. They carry hundreds of gluten free products and have excellent customer service. I also believe that investing in my diet is an investment in my overall health. I kind of have a crush on Whole Foods.

Thursday I picked up an assortment from the hot bar that included a salad of: beets, carrots, peas, corn, purple cabbage, bean salad, feta, plus some tofu, Indian chickpea dish, and rice (that didn't taste so great and therefore I didn't finish it).

Due to a beautiful heat wave that DC experienced this week, I ate on the patio and enjoyed the sunshine, warmth, and view.

I then headed back to the area where my friend's birthday party was. Yes, to take my addiction further I made a special trip for it! In my defense it was only a 6 minute walk :) It brought my mileage total for the day over 8 miles. I guess I know my foot is finally on the tail end of recovering!

I enjoyed the night, catching up with friends and sipping on a lovely dirty martini.

Then it was time to head home for Grey's and bed.

Do you have a healthy addict habit you just won't break because you secretly love it? Do you want to join Whole Foods Anonymous with me?

Three Confession Thursday

It's been raining for almost 24 hours straight and although I woke up feeling much better after leaving work yesterday sick, I kind of wished I could have curled up on the couch all day today. Tomorrow a friend and I are hosting a Fall Feast for 6 of our friends so we grocery shopped and prepped some food. In light of spending lots of time cooking and cleaning this evening I thought I would share 3 confessions with you all.

1. It's no secret how much I truly love summer and the warmth and sunshine it brings. Imagine my surprise then when I found myself eager to done tights and [rain]boots this evening. I guess there is a perk to Fall afterall...

2. I think about Texas often. I love my Longhorns more than any professional sports team. Barbecue doesn't taste as good outside of Texas as it does anywhere in the state. It's home. And yet, when people find out I'm from Texas and inevitably say "buy you don't talk like you're from Texas" I simply reply "thank you." I get some delight in surprising East Coasters and challenging their assumption of Southern accents.

3. I'm struggling to balance my newly uber-busy schedule with life and find myself caught in many Catch 22s right now. School vs. future plans. Hot vs. cold. Exercise and health vs. perception, effort, and will. It seems like just as I started figuring stuff out I've gone and confused myself all over again. I guess that Quarter-Life crisis wasn't a one-time thing at 24...


I also wanted to thank those of you who commented on my post from Tuesday about being grateful. The past week especially has taught me that a serious of small, positive choices can really change how a day turns out. I am keeping with that habit and looking for a little bit of good in every day. So, with that...


What do you want to confess?  What are you grateful for?

This and That

It's been a while since I've felt motivated to blog and I wanted to pop in to say hello and catch you guys up on the past few days. It's been quite hectic with no signs of slowing down. So much so that it's only 9:45pm as I write this and I feel like I'm an hour past my bedtime! So, without further ado...

Things I'm loving right now:

• Sunshine and temps in the 80s making it absolutely beautiful outside 
• This picture of my dog, Cody. It's sadly one of the few pictures I took while I was at home

• Butternut squash and brussel sprouts (roasting these up has saved me a ton of time in prepping meals this week!)

• Getting good grades on the 2 quizzes of grad school I've had so far
• A journaling workshop I went to last night with a couple of friends. It focused on the purpose of a journal in the context of reflection before Yom Kippur and also made me realize that my blog is a form of a journal to me
• the Envitote that I won on Marci's blog. It conveniently folds up and has a sturdy bottom that survived a walk home from the grocery store! The strap adjusts as well so someone short like me can still wear it comfortably

• Salads and the vegan black bean soup I picked up at Trader Joe's

• A lovely dinner at Commissary and spa night (with a free 15min massage = perfection) with Fred

Things I'm Thinking About:

• "I was, I am, I will be" which was the prompt of our journaling exercise last night
• I really need to readjust myself to my former time management habits. I'm struggling with my to-do list at the moment
• My relationship with social media - it's a bit more overwhelming on top of required homework that it used to.
• Wanting time to clean up my apartment (10 minute speed cleans are saving my life at the moment)
• BED TIME!!

What are you loving right now? What's on your mind?

Food for Thought

One of the things I love about my friends is our ability to engage each other in real, honest, and thought provoking conversations. Of course there's fun thrown in there too. Yet I always find myself appreciative of the opportunity to challenge my assumptions and become a better person.

After reading this Mama's post about how a movie enforced her decisions to not eat animals (among other things - it's a good read!) my wheels started spinning. Add to that a new-to-me thought about the eggs I purchased at the farmers market and have been eating this week and all of the food learning I've engaged in over the past three years. At dinner tonight I shared my thoughts and reactions with my friend and we moved on to more fun topics. Later another topic came up that prompted this thought: Is it enough to make ethical decisions solely about food or solely in interactions with colleagues in the workplace, etc.? If not (which I believe it's not),where do you put your foot down?

Without going into the conversation we had let's just say that my mind is deep in thought about letting some things slide when one takes such a strong, ethical stand on so many aspects of life. I've added a new dimension to my previous assumptions and am trying to decide how I feel.

What do you think? Can some parts of life be more ethical than others? Do your friends ever provide good food-for-thought?

On to the eats!  This morning I got to enjoy my second oats in a jar this week. Am I lucky or what?? This time the jar was crunchy almond butter with flax (~1/2T) with the standard mix with blueberries and cinnamon. Delish! I always get so sad when I finish this breakfast because I know I have a ways to go before the next one gets to be enjoyed.

The morning flew by and before I knew it, lunch time had arrived! I had a salad with roasted veggies and chicken breast with some grapes on the side.

Then things got interesting. Mid-afternoon a colleague on my floor walked through and told us we needed to evacuate the building because of a gas leak. I grabbed all of my things and headed out the door. We first stood across the street and then moved to the end of the block when emergency response blocked off the entire street and Haz Mat arrived. It was quite intense!  We camped out in another meeting and my stomach grumbled as it was snack time. I managed to pick up this salad with veggies and a few chips with hummus to hold me over.

Shortly thereafter we were given the all clear to enter our building. It turns out that someone turned on the boiler on the roof after it had been off for a while. They didn't think to warm it up first or open windows and it emitted high levels of CO2. Luckily everyone was ok and we finished out the work day.
 
I came home, snacked on an apple with cinnamon and some PB and took care of a bunch of things before meeting said friend from the start of my post for dinner.

I had a Groupon to a Greek restaurant named Zorba's that I've been excited to use. Tonight was the night. I had actually been tweeting with them about the addition of gluten free beer and Greg, one of the managers (?) had offered to buy me my 1st beer when I came in.

I met Greg who was very nice and helped guide me through the menu of what was safe to order and what was not. He made sure the cooks knew that my order was gluten free as well so that there wouldn't be any contamination issues or anything. He also stayed true to his word and served me up my first beer! I was clueless and poured it straight into the glass only to be laughed and yelled at by my friend to tilt the glass. I'm a total newbie! I had some of it over the course of the night but it's definitely a very acquired taste. I thought it was like bitter, fizzy water O:-)

Friend and I split the Fire Roasted Feta which I got with sliced veggies instead of pita bread.

My entree was the Fasolia Plakee which had white beans baked with onions, tomatoes, parsley and other herbs, served with Greek salad, a house-made roll and two dolmathes. Instead of the roll I got double salad which was a perfect substitution!

And for dessert, rice pudding which is a favorite indulgent dessert.

I ate a small portion of the feta, half of my entree, and just a few bites of the pudding and left perfectly full and happy. It was another great meal at Zorba's (it's one of my family's favorite places to go in DC) and of course, great conversation with a great friend.

It's time to get to bed - just one more day stands in between me and the weekend. I can't wait! G'night!

It's Been a Long Time Coming

When I laid on my couch, unable to walk because of a sesamoid stress fracture in my left foot, I started losing hope that I may never get better and not be able to run. A few months later I got the ok to start back on the elliptical and in a few weeks, try running.

3 weeks after my doctor's ok was last night. I had meetings all day which prevented me from walking home for lunch, getting in some additional mileage and exercise. I couldn't sit still all day. I fidgeted and twitched all morning long. I shook my legs throughout a 2 hour meeting, annoying the person sitting next to me. I made up my mind that when I got home I was going for a walk.

I put on my running shorts, grabbed my charged iPod sitting on a shelf, and laced up my sneakers tight enough to hold my feet in position. I qued up my favorite cardio music and walked out the door. I had decided that I was strong enough to venture out on a route that I haven't visited since my injury.

Running this path was like rejoining a community. I must have seen hundreds of bikers, joggers, runners, and walkers. All of them reminded me that DC has an active community of which I love being a part of. That trait is one of the things that drew me to Washington, DC is the first place. I was back. I have walked this path and run this path and today no one could tell I was recovering from an injury. I was just another exerciser.

I had avoided this path when I started doing my recovery walks because in my mind that route was something of strength and what my athletic self used to do. I quickly pushed aside those thought and set out on my way. I told myself I should try to run. "Slow and steady wins the race" played throughout my head to remind me to take it really slow. I felt like I had a second brain in my left foot, ready to alert me at a moments notice if anything felt wrong. That brain never shouted at me!!

I ran twice in the first part of that path and felt like shouting from the rooftops. My body felt strong. My legs, albeit a little different looking than in February, carried me confidently on my way. My lungs were up for the challenge and damn it, I was flying (running?) high.

I continued walking with a few spurts of running here and there. My path led me down to the National Mall via the back of the Lincoln Memorial. I couldn't help but think about how often I'd been down there before but that it'd been a long long time. I decided to walk to the front of Lincoln and subconsciously my arm reached for the pause button. I took a couple of minutes to marvel at the beauty of the mall -  the Washington Monument with the Capital behind it. Lincoln with the sun setting behind him. The green trees lining a place that offered hope and inspired many. And then I walked to the dirt path along the reflecting pool and ran some more. Sans music - I wanted to hear crunch of my feet on the soft(er) dirt path, my breath, the birds, and savor it all.

Savor it I did. When I reached the World War II Memorial I really felt like I had found a piece of myself. Screw yoga, I was in a zen state of mind and nothing was going to change that.

I completed my walk / run with a few more bouts of running and made my way home. I listened to my head when it told me I should save some gas for the next time, that I shouldn't overdo it now. This was just my first time back and I didn't need to set myself back. And I stretched to make sure I ended the 4.5 mile run the way I should.

A sense of a runner's high has returned to me and I have a feeling I'll be on Cloud 9 for a few days. I felt like I left some frustration and angst regarding my injury on the pavement and it feels so good.

There were a lot more revelations I had on this run. It was my own little therapy session and a great one at that. 

I reconnected with a part of me I was beginning to think had left. I am a different person though. I ran. And I realized:

I am resilient in the face of challenges. I have succeeded in the past and I will succeed again in the future. I don't doubt my own ability. I am stronger than I was in February and in so many ways. I love living an active life. I am appreciative of what my body can do, think, and say. And I appreciate all of the support and encouragement from family, friends, and blends as I continue to recover from my injury. Here's to more pain-free recovery runs!

Lessons Learned from Office Supplies

On Wednesday I went to Staples to pick up a couple of back-to-school items. No big deal, right? I love school supplies and getting organized, so an office supply store is one of my favorite places to go. In junior high and high school I couldn't wait to bring my newly penned, master list to the store. I love the crisp new paper, a blank start, and that fresh feeling of being organized and on top of your shtuff.

Mega Nerd Me should have been ecstatic for an excuse to go to the store then. Right? Well, let's just say I walked out of the store with a few nail marks on my hands from tight fists as I tried to calm myself down. (Would that be a sign of a panic attack??)

I was looking for a paper planner, because that's how I've always tracked school work. I want to be able to cross off grad school assignments and keep work appointments separate. I found something that'll work, but it's not the  same as the one I got every year of junior high, high school, and college.

As I walked out of the store I reflected on my experience and what I had just learned about myself:

• I really like organization and having the tools to help me live that way
• I am kind of stubborn. I was reluctant at first to purchase the item I did because it wasn't what I used to have. It's fine, I'm 25 and totally expected for a product I stopped buying in 2006 to still be around 4 years later...
• I really hate change. After 3 years of just being a young professional (which often felt like school and wasn't perfect) I'm taking on more, self-imposed responsibility in the form of classes towards an MBA. That means new schedule, new higher education technology, and remembering my old school habits.
• College was amazing and I do not want to relive it. I have the attitude towards my time as an undergrad of "been there, done that, most amazing experience, moving on." That may sound trite and I can assure you that I learned and grew more than I ever would have expected to, but that's not what grad school is about for me. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I want to get out of grad school.
• I'm hugely afraid to fail or not be as successful as I was as an undergrad.
• Aside from refining a business plan I've begun to draw up, I kind of want to learn some new stuff, but I'm not all that convinced about this whole little endeavour. My degree is kind of a means to an end, with some letters to add to my resume to give me authority to run said business. I guess that's enough of a goal?
• My yoga breathing hasn't gone away even though I can't practice full-out yoga as I continue to let my foot heal. I'm 99.9999% sure those breathing techniques are the only reason why I survived my mini panic attack on Aisle 9 of Office Supply Central.
• Items are fully refundable with a receipt. And by that I mean, if I try classes and don't like it, I won't apply to the program. If I do, I'll keep it and we'll forget all about this silly little fit of fear.
• I can and will conquer my fears. Stepping in the door and focusing is the 1st step towards doing so. Staying calm will also be extremely important.

You know the ice breaker where everyone shares their favorite office supply? Or item on their desk? My 2 answers to those questions are always: my planner because it keeps me organized, lets me plan my life, and I get to add some color to it; and Silly Putty which has inhabited my desk ever since I started working a full-time job. It's fun, pliable, helps release tension and nervous energy, and reminds me of being a kid. I feel like those 2 items perfectly describe where I'm at and the journey I'm about to embark upon over the coming months.

Do you hate change as much as I do? Are you facing any fears?

And since I can't not ask it: what's your favorite office supply or item on your desk?? :-)

Food Fad and a Fever

Happy Wednesday folks. It felt like a Tuesday to me but I guess that's the beauty of ending vacation on a Monday ;) I'm definitely not complaining since it means we are that much closer to the weekend!

Over my breakfast of an egg white and overnight hot cereal (1/4c BRM and buckwheat, 1/4c unsweetened vanilla almond breeze, 1/2c water, drop of vanilla and maple syrup, blueberries, 1/2T almond butter) I watched the Today Show per usual.

To my surprise they did a story on being gluten free and I naturally got excited. Unfortunately, my excitement dwindled to frustration and talking back to my TV as the story discussed a gluten free diet (way one eats vs a weight loss diet). You see, this story was all about celebrities who are choosing to go gluten free and touting it as a way to lose weight. Now, I will be the first to admit that I've benefited from an increase in awareness of a gluten free diet as new products, restaurants, and bakeries have entered the market. Yet, so many of their claims painted this way of eating as a trendy way to slim down.

After 2:30 Natalie Morales finally mentioned that over 3 million Americans suffer from Celiac disease and I had a glimmer of hope. I also appreciated that a physician did mention that many gluten free products are in fact higher in calories, fat, and sugars than glutenous products. Thank you Dr. Raj for expressing your disagreement with this!! I've found this to be the case as well which is why it is so important for folks transitioning to a gluten free diet to incorporate fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and other natural foods (like dairy if you aren't allergic) into a gluten free diet. Like main-stream eaters, relying heavily on processed products will leave your shorts a bit snug.

Take a look for yourself though. What do you think of this clip? Perhaps this just hit on a pet peeve of mine regarding gluten free eating...

The morning flew by and I packed up my lunch to bring to a meeting with me. I had the leftover enchilada stuffing with spinach, 1/4c brown rice, 1/4c kidney beans, and enchilada sauce on top.

In between my 2nd and 3rd meeting I snacked on baby carrots and that's about when my day headed downhill. During my last meeting of the day, I started feeling achy, chilled, and beyond tired. I made it through the meeting and was happy to head home from it to try to sort myself out.

I got hungry during the meeting but couldn't eat so I decided that food would really help me. I had my leftover Chinese vegetables

and when I was still hungry 10 minutes later decided to just make it dinner time. Over the course of a couple of hours I grazed on:

Amy's split pea soup with a pinch of rice mixed in

Udi's whole grain toast with red pepper spread and cheese

Frozen blueberries with half a serving of rice milk chocolate chip ice cream

It's only 9:30pm but it's looking like bedtime for me. I took my temperature a little bit ago and I have a fever of 100.1. Here's to hoping I feel better when I wake up!!

Age, Beauty, and What's Important

In honor of Caitlin's book launch week, I knew this would be the perfect time to share this post with y'all. Her book, Operation Beautiful, hits the shelves this week and she has declared it to be Change the Way You See, Not the Way You Look week. What an inspirational way to encourage healthy body image talk!

I'm not sure if I ever really write about this on the blog, but being in tune with health, between managing my allergies, making the smartest food choices I can, and being fit is important to me. It's a commitment to being healthy and I have to say, also to feeling and looking the best I can. While always staying healthy and active as a kid and for most of college, I got wrapped up in the way I looked to my peers. I'm not sure when this started or why but it was probably a product of observing some unhealthy behaviors in others throughout college where I think I was most impressionable as I worked to define myself as an adult.


I am very committed to keeping a food journal for myself, to help guide my decisions throughout the day and make sure I keep my grazing in check. (A few times as a kid I was put on full-fat diets to bring my weight up to normal - it had been stunted as a result of my allergies, gluten intolerance, and a few other things. Doctors encouraged my mom to add extra oil to foods I ate, eat as many chips and fries as I wanted. I would (and still love to) graze all day and earned the nickname of the Bottomless Pit. I'm actually proud at how much I can eat when I feel up to the challenge!) Sometimes I've paid more attention to it than others. I skip this every so often, whether for a full day or just part of it yet the journal is something that's worked well for me.

When I injured my foot in February I was really scared about not being able to work out. When I've stopped being active in the past I've felt less than my best and really didn't want to derail the habits I'd recreated for myself. Instead, something more important has happened. I believe that it was a combination of my injury and turning another year older and wiser that allowed me to listen and accept the changes I have noticed in my mind, body, and attitude.

I've come to realize that there are more important things to think about over calories, beating myself up, and wishing for unrealistic change. Instead, I've really embraced the following notions:

• Health is about being your best at any given point in time. When I was on bed rest, being my best was about staying off of my foot to let it heal. When I was training for the Avon Walk or the Turkey Trot, it was about completing my training walks / runs and preparing my body and mind for those experiences. Our best evolves, just like we do. It's okay to make changes and adjust how you define being "your best!"
• I've moved to this wonderful world of acceptance as of late. I look in the mirror and see a smart, strong, capable woman who is maturing every day and capable of doing so much. Sure, I may not love 100% of what I see but A) I can't necessarily change anything (my brown eyes aren't going anywhere!) and B) the changes I may want aren't necessarily realistic. Given the time I am devoting to work, GMAT preparations, MBA classes, volunteering, family and friends, and more, committing myself to realistic goals is important.
• There's one quote I often replay in my head and can't ever remember where I heard it. "Women shouldn't allow society to dictate how much space they should take up in the world. We shouldn't feel obligated to limit our physical presence on this earth." I've always interpreted this for myself as meaning that regardless of what anyone says or thinks, I am free to sprawl out in the sun and enjoy the summer warmth, am lovable and nothing will change even if my body does, and I  get to decide what's healthy and good enough for me, not the magazines or popular media.
• What I see and how the world sees me are sometimes different. They're also sometimes the same. These facts are motivating, reassuring, and make me realize that my perfectionist tendencies can be focused on other things.

When I first graduated from college I was confident, self-assured, and ready to tackle the world. There were a couple of things that impacted this over a couple of years. I was lucky enough to find strong female role models at work and in my personal life who were encouraging of the things that I forgot I had possessed. One of these women sent me a list of 36 signs of self-confidence and I want to share my most favorite ones with you. I hope that you'll remember how wonderful you are, strive to be your best, and realize that you are loved no matter how some people may act or feel. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I know that as I continue my journey, I find new beauty in myself, my friends, and my life each and every day.

Favorite Signs of Self-Confidence:

• I surround myself with high-quality people
• I can laugh at myself
• I am a positive person
• I am resilient in the face of challenges
• I don't doubt my own ability
• I know my weaknesses and I am working to minimize them
• I am always thinking of ways to be more successful
• I actively contribute to the successes of others
• I can say "no" without guilt or fear
• I am not afraid to complain if I get poor service
• I am interested in what others have to say
• When I succeed I never respond by feeling defensive or anxious
• I smile a lot
• I don't doubt my ability to do a / the job
• I speak with ease to people in positions of power

What are some of your signs of self-confidence?

Mid-Week Musing

Hi folks! We're over the hump, now it's on to Friday :)  I'm pretty sure I say that every week yet every week it seems so fitting.

Since Wednesday's eats were a bunch of repeats (I'm not in a rut, I'm just enjoying things like overnight GF hot cereal, hummus and veg wraps, etc.) I thought I'd share a few things that have popped into my head over the past couple of days.

• Last night I felt like the pilates gods had listened to my frustrations from last week. I was the only person in class at 3 minutes past the start time and was told I was going to get a private lesson and we began. Another person walked in the door right after but having a 2:1 ratio was great. We really got challenged to perfect our form, do some customized moves, and challenge ourselves in new ways. I really feel like my abs (and back, legs, arms, etc.) are getting stronger and I'm ready to bring on more advanced poses! It's a great feeling to be getting back strength and flexibility after losing much of it while I was in my walking cast this winter.
• My neighborhood Whole Foods often puts items on clearance that have been discontinued or they've just decided to stop carrying them. Last night I discovered these two nut butters on the table, for just $1.00 each! I got really excited. Well, at least until I checked the ingredients list. I discovered added oils, milk, and lots of soy. Despite the incredible bargain, I realized I wasn't willing to buy a nut butter with dairy and processed add-ins. Looks like for now I'll be sticking with this for my chocolate nut butter fix!
• Aching for vacation - so next week I am taking a long weekend to vacation down in Miami, FL with my family. I couldn't be more excited for some traveling and adventure, a change of scenery, family time, and of course, fun in the sun. I started looking forward to the trip last week and now am just ready to get this show on the road. Do you anxiously anticipate vacations? Or would you rather staycation near the comforts of home?

This post was kind of random but hopefully you found something to think about for a moment on this lovely Thursday!

What do you think?

We had a nice little summer storm this evening which cleared out some humidity and brought a hint of cool to the air. It made my after-dinner walk quite pleasant. The walk put me over 5 miles for the day. Not too shabby!

Ok, so as promised, here are the 2 pairs of shoes I purchased today.  First up, the gold sandals:

And now, the flats. What do y'all think - keep the neutral color or go with black?

I just finished this waffle and small pear w/ AB and cinnamon.

Time for the Housewives!  I'll leave you with this. Yesterday on the metro I spotted this ad for digital cameras. The text says "Born and raised in a digital world. Like you, no doubt." It made me feel old because my first cameras as a kid used real film and I remember my dad even teaching me how to properly load my film before the easy drop-and-load cameras that were "high-tech" in the 1990s.

What about you? All digital or do you remember some old school things?

Confessions

It's no small secret that Whole Foods has a warm and fuzzy place in my heart. It probably stems from that being the only store in the 1990s that had gluten-free products and treats that would "mainstream" my limited diet in a small way. Since then, my affinity for the store has blossomed into a strong, loyal, and ever-lasting relationship and last night, my love for the store deepened even more.

Much like in April, I knew I was going to be venturing to the DC area's newest Whole Foods. It just so happened that my laptop was ready and the new store was on the way to the Mac store. Lucky me :)

The outside is very nice and I, of course, nerdily got excited.

The baskets can roll, just like a carry-on piece of luggage, which is great when the few things you have to pick up are heavy!

An extensive olive and antipasto bar:

And most exciting for me: allergy-friendly shopping made easy throughout the store!  Not only was there this whole section of gluten-free goodies in the cookie aisle,

other eating styles were also kept in mind. I noticed that the dairy cases were organized into 3 sections: one for regular yogurts, etc, one for vegan and dairy-free alternatives, and then lastly, eggs and organic products. It made looking for those items easier than all being squeezed into one big refrigerator case.


There was also a dedicated aisle of gluten-free products, filled with the usual suspects as well as some new-to-me products. I even got to sample these wafers - they taste just like the (gluten-filled) ones I used to eat as a kid!

I had a great experience and can't wait to do more regular shopping there. The only downside is I have to take the metro as opposed to walking to get my groceries.


My second confession is related to Monday's post on awareness of what I'm eating and the extras I'm taking in. Yesterday, since I was anticipating not being able to blog, I decided to do a little project. I tracked the calories for the things I ate yesterday and made 2 discoveries. 1) Overall, I take in an appropriate amount of nutrients and calories throughout the day but sometimes foods don't hold me over as well as I'd like. 2) the pears I buy are 2x the size (and calories) of what I had been assuming in my head!  Last night's pear clocked in at almost 12 oz, at least 5 oz more than the size of an average "large" pear. That could be one place I'm taking in more than I need to at a time, plus there's the extra sugar in the fruit (and a hearty 10.3g of fiber!).

I'm back to my normal eating, photo taking, and blogging today and will be back later with a regular post. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for those 2 culprits though!

Awareness and Monday

A couple of weeks ago, during the Biggest Loser episode in Dallas, Bob shared some advice with a woman who asked about losing "those last 5 pounds": be really aware of every calorie in to help limit those unnoticed extra calories that sneak up on us. You know the ones - the overflow of a 1/4c of oatmeal here, an extra dip in the PB jar there, and before you know it you're confused about why something feels snug despite eating healthily overall.

For the last week or so, I've been struggling with a couple of things. I am stressed out about a few things I'm dealing with right now and I am also frustrated about feeling good and healthy, except for my foot, and wanting to work out but still can't... unless I want to exacerbate my injury and spend more time in the boot.  I've been struggling with my inability to workout how I normally / used to and how I feel that it is affecting my body. Throw on top constant weather warm-ups and cool-downs and I find myself grazing a bit more these days. Especially on munchy items like cereal and the TJs roasted crac almond butter. Of course, just in time for the summer...

For the past couple of weeks I've been going to the gym again for pilates and water aerobics and lifting weights at home. Of course, I walk at least 2 miles a day commuting to work but there's lots of sitting in between. My goal for this week is to be more aware of my eats and more importantly: my grazing because that's where I know I'm getting lazy. I also am going to think about the things I can do and remind myself that this is temporary and my foot must heal properly. I struggle with patience, can you tell? :)

Anyways, last night's dinner was an attempt to use up some left overs. I mixed a generous 1/4c of each: brown rice and black beans with a couple of spoonfuls of salsa, a handful on spinach on its last leg, and the final bit of fajita veggies. Plus, the most fantastic, fun vegetable ever: an artichoke. These were such a favorite of mine as a kid. I used to try to con my mom and dad out of their artichoke hears too - mmmm, sooo good. I sprinkled this with TJs 21 Seasoning Salute and had maybe a 1/4 tsp melted Earth Balance for dipping but dumped out half of the butter.

Dessert was a pear w/ AB and cinnamon and a 1/4c of some sliced pineapple. I purchased one yesterday on sale and it is juicy and flavorful. I'm very excited to have this on hand this week! Oh, then there was cereal....

It's another rainy, cool Monday morning so I kicked it off with an egg white and a nice pink bowl of hot cereal. In the mix:

• 1/4c minus 1.5 tbsp BRM hot cereal
• ~1.5 tbsp roasted buckwheat
• 1/4c unsweetened almond milk
• 3/4c water
• cinnamon, small bit of Earth Balance
• 1/2T chia seeds, 1/2T PB, ~1/4c frozen mixed berries
• pinch of almond slices, crushed
• 7 or 8 cacao nibs (small pinch)

Here's to a positive, busy, good week!

A Great Day

It's not often that a Monday post starts with the words "it was a great day" yet I'm going to go ahead and make that declaration for the day.

What was so great you ask? The sun was shining, there was excitement all around DC with tons of dignitaries in town for the Nuclear Summit (the Swedish and S. Korean groups are staying in the hotel next door to my apartment building!), and I just felt good.

I actually slept through my alarm this morning but decided not to let that determine my day. I had set my alarm last night but then forgot to turn it on!! I had stayed up a bit too late anyways so the extra hour of sleep really worked to my benefit. AND, I made it to work on time!

Packed up some mixed berry hot cereal to eat at my desk (and ate my egg white as I walked to work). This is a "before" picture because the container didn't stay pretty on my commute.

Since I ate breakfast later than usual, I wasn't hungry until after my usual staff meeting. I dug into part 1 (salad with: spinach, romaine, cabbage, 2 strawberries, broccoli, pinch of almond slices, dried cranberries, and feta) while meeting with my boss because I was famished and then enjoyed part 2 after our meeting.

I whipped up this vegetable soup yesterday on a whim as I was prepping vegetables and tofu to eat for the week. I had a ton of random things to use and a soup made the perfect use of them.

Ingredients:
1 c vegetable broth
1.5c water
1/2c chopped baby portobello mushrooms
1.5c chopped cauliflower
1/4c diced onion and celery mix
1/2c diced carrot
1/4c frozen peas
4 chopped asparagus stalks
basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt pepper - to taste

• In a pot, saute onions, celery, and carrots until softened
• Add liquids and remaining veggies
• Season to taste, stir, and bring to a boil
• Allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until soup reaches desired consistency (I like a heartier soup)

The whole pot (2.5 servings) clocked in around 130 calories, 0.5g fat, and over 7grams of fiber. Sprinkled with a touch of parmesan cheese, it tastes like a rich, indulgent French vegetable soup!

I finished up my berries and also had a pear smeared with ~ 1 tsp of almond butter. I learned this technique while working at a summer camp in college. It's great when you can't cut up your fruit or want to add some protein and flavor on-the-go!

I went to Mecca Target after work because I needed to restock some essentials. I also treated myself to a fun dress for the spring. It's the little things, right?

Dinner was a salad and tostadas (kind of like a Mexican crunchy pizza). I toasted 2 corn tortillas and topped each of them with 1/4c of TJ's fat free refried beans. I sprinkled on some 2% Mexican cheese (~1/8c total) and toasted again to melt the cheese. Topped with lettuce and salsa. These were delicious and exactly what I was craving!

Took care of a few more things around the apartment and tried to unwind. For some reason, my afternoon and evening have left my anxious for no good reason :-/  I did rediscover one of my final (and favorite) papers from college tonight. My dad emailed me an this piece on LBJ being an "Upstander" - friend of Israel and defender of Holocaust survivors, even before his time in the White House.  Those who know me know that I have an odd fascination with the 60s and the JFK and LBJ presidencies. I was excited to revisit the paper after reading the article, especially on Holocaust Remembrance Day.  My grandfather (a Holocaust survivor) and cousin are currently on a program in Poland called the March of the Living, which I did in 2002. It teaches high schools students about the Holocaust first-hand and on Holocaust Remembrance Day participants from all over the world march from the gas chambers of Auschwitz to the former site of the crematorium in Birkenau. That experience was one that has truly shaped me as an adult and one which I will never forget. All of these years later, it's interesting for me to realize how the March, historical interests, and college academics are somewhat intertwined and have influenced me so strongly.

My bedtime snack was a mini smoothie of 1/2c frozen berries, 1/4c almond milk, 1/2c water, and a handful of spinach and a piece of toast. Yes, the smoothie totally tastes better in a wine glass ;-)

I picked up this new loaf while I was home and like that is all natural. It's a good whole grain gluten free bread option but I find that the crust toasts much quicker than the rest of the slice. the taste is good but not great. I'm definitely still partial to my Ener-G fiber loaf at this point though.

Here's to a great rest of the week! This post got kind of long - sorry. Hope you enjoyed it though :) G'night!