Posts Tagged Oats
Let The Countdown Begin
I think someone needs to splash some cold water in my face, and say, “Hello, Hillary…you do have a blog, ya know!” Sorry. I certainly have not been maintaining my blogging efforts the past few days. What can I say, the Nutrition Nut has been on the run. I feel as though I spend way too much of my time connected to the World Wide Web, and it is so refreshing to put away my camera, ignore the Internet, and live a life of normalcy – not capturing every move I make – like I did a mere five months ago.
I had a lovely and busy day yesterday away from the web. I slept in [I don't have class 'til 12:30pm on Thursdays], made a creamy bowl of banana oats, and enjoyed having the house to myself for the morning. Sunshine was seeping through my windows, I had Grooveshark Popular playing, and before I knew it, I was shaking and twisting all around my room. Heck, I probably got a better workout than any 30-minute exercise DVD could give me ; )
After an afternoon of classes, I jetted over to the gym to squeeze in a workout before having to get ready to see Colbie! My roommate snatched the last bike for the 5:00pm spin class, so I was left to pedal alone.
- 45-minute spin [16.2 mi.] — a little slow?
- 1.5-mile run — I was cruising!
We rushed home to scarf down a few bites of food and pretty up before heading back to campus for the concert. Although a small and casual concert, Colbie Caillat was 100% uh-mazing!
Isn’t she just gorgeous?
She sang all my favorite songs flawlessly. Her tour stopped in my hometown today, so my mom and her girlfriends are going to the show tonight. Speaking of home, I am really ready to go home for a week. One week from today, and that’s where I’ll be. Let the countdown to Spring Break begin!
Finally…today: I had a repeat of Tuesday’s delicious oat combo for breakfast before sitting through my final two lectures for the week.
Surprise surprise I went the gym this afternoon — it’s becoming my 2nd home, no? Every Friday I tell myself I am going to go to yoga, but then talk myself out of it. Well, today I made it happen! My body is a tad sore from this week’s previous workouts, so I figured I could use an hour of quality stretching and strengthening. I don’t know why I don’t talk myself into going to yoga more often. I left completely at peace; it was a blissful hour of exercise and wonderful way to end the week.
***
I ate a quick lunch before heading out to run errands, and consequently it missed the camera’s eye. My grocery bag was extra light today since I like to leave my fridge clean and empty upon leaving town.
I did buy a bag of my favorite chips and dug into them while my dinner was taking a turn in the oven.
Love these!
Tonight’s meal featured the last quarter of my free butternut squash. I told my professor that the squash was used to its full potential : )
Butternut Squash + Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Real Butter
Organic Baby Spinach, Red Onion, Pepitas & Sweet ‘n’ Tangy Balsamic
Since dinner was so healthy and all, I thought a little Friday treat was in order. Insert Starbucks ice cream and gooey Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chippers – mmm! I don’t know what’s with me and boxed food lately – bad bad bad – but it was rather nice to be able to enjoy warm cookies right after dinner without making havoc in the kitchen.
You know I couldn’t resist a miniature Starbucks carton of ice cream. There’s just no way : )
Alright, friends…now that you have a rough outline of my life since Wednesday, I’m going to go catch up on what ya’ll have been up to.
Namaste,
~ Hillary
15 comments March 5, 2010
No Pain No Gain
Hi Ya’ll!
Woo…it’s already 8:30pm and I’m just now finishing up my dinner and beginning to blog [it's quite the process]. I must make it quick tonight though, as I have to study for my 1 exam & 2 quizzes that I have tomorrow [surprise surprise].
Breakfast, oh Breakfast…if only you knew how much I dearly love you.
A reader suggested I try mixing my regular rolled oats and oat bran, so that’s exactly what I did. Oh, and props to me for trying new combinations and going outside of my [food] box lately.
In the mix:
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup oat bran
- 1/2 T ground flax
- cinnamon
Toppings:
- 1/2 d’anjou pear
- 1 T walnuts
- drizzle of agave
- big splash of 1% milk
***
I was dreading today’s 3-hour organic chem lab – as we had our first lab exam + 2 labs to finish – but it wasn’t as horrific as I was anticipating, and I came out alive the full 3-hours later. I ate a late lunch after class, including half of a succulent orange and leftover mac & cheese. FYI, Annie’s + Avocado = A-mazing!
Then there was some time wasted before I headed to the gym to get my March move on! I had a fabulous workout:
- 40-minute spin [15.0 mi.]
- 20-minute treadmill run [10 minutes @ 6.0mph (incline 2.0), 6 minutes @ 6.6mph, 4 minutes @ 6.8mph]
- 2 x 20 lat pulldown @ 40 lbs.
- 20 side dips each side @ 10 lbs.
- 2 x 10 bicep curl lunges each leg @ 20 lbs.
- 2 x 10 squats @ 20 lbs.
- 2 x 10 “weights-to-chin” @ 20 lbs.
- 2 x 10 “toe-touches” @ 20 lbs.
I can’t believe I didn’t look at the treadmill to see how far I’d run - my guess is around 2.5 miles. I definitely pushed myself tonight, especially with the faster treadmill speed. I know I am strong, but rarely push myself to my maximum potential. They only way to get stronger is by exerting more effort. No pain, no gain!
Dinner: steamed TJ’s Vegetable Gyoza + broccolini with soy sauce, toasted sesame oil & seseame seeds.
You think a few potstickers are going to do it for me after burning all those calories? You’ve got to be kidding. Next was some 0% Greek & Humboldt Honey Granola. I think I could eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner : )
I’m outta here…
~ Hillary
Question: If you are a blogger and also a college student, as I am, how do you manage your time between studying and keeping up with the blog world? Where and how do you find the discipline to keep yourself away from the screen?
17 comments March 2, 2010
I Like It Green
Hello, how goes it? I got up nice and early this morning and have been crossing things off my to-do list right and left.
First thing first…breakfast! Today’s inspiration came from Miss Caitlin. She is sort of famous for her pumpkin yogurt, and even though it’s no longer “pumpkin season”, she still enjoys her orange yogurt bowls on a regular basis. I love pumpkin, so yesterday while on my grocery quest, I bought a huge 30 oz. can of pumpkin. I was really excited adding another item to my breakfast possibilities list, but was so disappointed when I did not like it [icky texture]. I maybe ate half of what is pictured, and then resorted to a piece of toast. Dang it! Now I’ve got a life-supply of canned pumpkin that I need to figure out what to do with. Ideas?
1/3 cup Pumpkin, 1/3 cup 0% Plain Greek, 1/3 cup Humboldt Honey Granola + a few raisins & drizzle of agave
Whole Wheat Toast with Real Butter, Cinnamon & Sugar
…sometimes you just need the real deal.
Next on my list: SPIN! I went to my usual 10:00am class at The Resort and left an hour later after a rockin’ ride. I think that makes three hard rides for the week – yippee!
After running a couple errands, I refueled with a Green Monster. Oh, how I missed these. It’s been far too long.
In the mix:
1 banana
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 T ground flax
1 cup fresh spinach
Ice
…polished off with of hunk of 73% dark chocolate, of course!
I am hoping the addition of the oats to my smoothie will make it stick to my ribs a little longer than normal, so I can keep moving on down my Saturday “chore” list.
What are ya’ll up to today? Anyone have a kick-butt workout to share?
Peace Out,
~ Hillary
***
Your Questions Answered
What’s your workout schedule like? Do you plan it out or just do whatever you feel like doing that particular day?
My workout schedule is fairly random. It changes depending on whether or not I am at school [where I have a "free" gym], or at home where I do not belong to a gym, but have friends to run with/make me run a million miles =] I currently exercise an average of 5 days per week. I would probably prefer 6, but my school schedule makes that difficult. With the luxurious recreation center on campus [a.k.a. The Resort], I am able to switch up my workouts…as there are numerous types of cardio machines and fun classes, such as Zumba. The majority of my gym workouts usually include some sort of strength training as well. While at home, my workouts consist of running and DanceFit classes [run 3-4 days a week & dance 3 days].
9 comments February 27, 2010
A Winning Wednesday
Well, friends…another glorious day has come and gone. Here’s what I was up to on this stellar Wednesday:
I checked off everything =]
It’s such a relief to have my 1st O. Chem exam behind me. Besides waking up late and almost missing the bus/missing my exam, it wasn’t a total nightmare. After class #2, I was able to come home for the afternoon since my regular 2:00pm wasn’t meeting. I was thrilled for many reasons: 1) It was absolutely gorgeous outside – 70* status, 2) I was feeling well enough to exercise, and 3) I wasn’t stuck at school from 9:00-5:00! So…I dropped my books, slipped on my shorts and headed out into the blue skies. I hadn’t exercised at all since last Tuesday (when I did an Allie-inspired 60-minute elliptical workout); my body was craving physical activity. I ran for 35 minutes at a comfortable heart rate of 155. My legs were thankful =]
***
For lunch, I refueled with light ‘n’ cheery eats to go along with the bright weather outside:
I enjoyed this sunny photo shoot.
1 Piece of Whole Wheat Toast + Hummus, Sliced Cucumber, Red Onion & Baby Lettuces
2% Greek + Kiwi and Blueberries
***
Before heading back to school for my final class, I made myself an iced latte. As tempting as it was to stop at Starbucks, I’m sticking to the challenge…plus, I’ve got Starbucks at home anyway.
Iced Coffee + Skim Milk + Agave — mmm!
I ate half of a granola bar, too. It was a Tropical Treat alright — so yummy, Mom! This one wins =]
***
I made breakfast for dinner tonight with my leftover roasted taters and a couple of scrambled eggs. Seldom do I eat eggs (as a dish), but top ‘em with avocado, salsa and chevre, and I can work with it. Anyway…since dessert is 100x better than dinner, let us fast forward…
Celebratory [chemistry exam #1 is over] baking was in order. Chocolate Chippers, anyone?
I made a mini batch by halving the recipe on the back of the Guittard chocolate chip bag:
1 cup + 2 T whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup real butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup Guittard chocolate chips
1…2…3 chocolate chippers + a jam jar of skim milk = a perfect way to end this wonderful Wednesday.
Good night!
15 comments February 17, 2010
A Crunchy Comeback
Yes, that’s right. I have a blog…almost forgot. I hope you managed without your daily Nutrition Nut news for the weekend. I needed a weekend away from the blog world…and time to enjoy the real world with real friends. Unfortunately, the chest cold that arrived Wednesday put a bit of a damper on my weekend festivities. I was so bummed that the one weekend I had guests, I didn’t feel 100% =[
Sickness aside, Tasha & I had a fun time.
***
My chest cold has now migrated to my head. However, after a ton of sleep and gallons of water and tea, I'm feeling on the mend. It's an absolute gorgeous day here in NorCal. I would do anything to be outside in the sunshine running (or washing my car), but alas...I have my first O. Chem exam to study for. Instead, I slipped on a pair of flip-flops and studied at Starbucks with an iced latte. I hope to be able to enjoy the sunshine at some point week - 70* weather is in the forecast =] Spring is in the air!
I took a study break this afternoon and made my 2nd batch of Humboldt Honey Granola. It was a bittersweet meal eating the last of my homemade granola. I don’t know if I could have survived without it much longer. I cut the original recipe “in half” today:
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup ground flax
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 T vanilla extract
- sprinkle of salt
It came out of the oven just in time for snack hour.
2% Greek & Granola is back!
Speaking of granola, many of you asked if my mom would share her recipe for the granola bars she sent me for Valentine’s Day. I asked her where she got the recipe, and no surprise, it is one of Sarah’s @ In Praise of Leftovers. You can find the recipe here.
Alright…going to give O. Chem a couple more hours of my time and then relax with the usual Monday night trash TV.
See you again soon,
~ Hillary
***
Just a reminder: If you have any questions for me about college, cooking, exercise, food, life, etc…don’t hesitate to ask! =]
3 comments February 15, 2010
Semester Six
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
Before consuming, I added:
- 1/4 apple
- walnuts
- agave drizzle
- cinnamon
Let’s just say I was not a fan. I think I made it “correctly”, but it was just too rich on my empty stomach. It reminded me of rice oat pudding. I had a few bites and then resorted to a piece of whole wheat toast with apricot jam. Hot oats are more my style. Unfortunately, I’m not as experienced as Kath and was not able to eat, capture a decent photo, and blog in under 9 minutes, so I’ll let you use your imagination.
Then I was out the door to catch the bus – in the pouring rain I might add. I spent the next 8 hours on campus dodging puddles and a sea of umbrellas. After my first two (of four) classes, I had a bite to eat for lunch and then clearly hadn’t splashed through enough puddles, so I walked to Starbucks and warmed up with an extra-foamy soy latte…and an Element Bar!
When 5:00pm rolled around, I was so happy to be heading home to a dry house for the remainder of the night. I slipped off my soaking wet jeans and into a pair of cozy pajamas as soon as I walked in the front door. The Element Bars I created are extremely filling, so all my stomach craved for dinner was some fresh veggies:
- organic lettuce, 1/4 avocado, tomato, cucumber, chevre, olive oil & balsamic -
It was definitely a dark chocolate kind of a night:
Who am I kidding…every night is a dark chocolate night!
***
Alright, time to showcase my new bookshelf that I assembled last night ALL by myself…proud parents?
Supposedly I collect recipe/food books. 21 & counting…
Well, it’s almost 8:00pm. You know what that means around here…The Bachelor! All I could think about today was the 2 hours of cheesy reality TV and hot cup of tea waiting for me to unwind from yet another Monday : )
Night All,
~ Hillary
12 comments January 25, 2010
Cooking Crazy
It must have been the cleanse because I haven’t been able to keep myself out of the grocery store or kitchen all day! All I want to do is cook : )
My mom requested that I make her a batch of her favorite Apricot Oat Bars while I am home. No problemo! After making this recipe several times, I can basically spit it out in my sleep. Oats and apricots were destined to be together, wouldn’t you agree?
Almonds would also be equally delicious!
My friend Daisy came over for the afternoon. We put the bars together as we gabbed and drank Tazo Calm Tea.
Oaty, nutty, chewy & slightly sweet – gotta love these.
I only had a nibble – I am still staying on the “lighter side” – and then delivered the batch of warm bars to my mom at work.
Post Script. Did ya’ll notice how I made progress on Goal #10? “Bake more often and for others”.
***
I have a bunch of lemons left over from the cleanse, so I thought I’d put them to use for dinner tonight. I ended up only using one…any amazing (healthy) lemon recipes out there?
Simple Spinach Salad with Avocado & Red Onion
(Raspberries would have been ideal in this salad, but I can’t get myself to spend $6 on half a pint!)
Whole Wheat Rigatoni with Asparagus, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice & Zest, Toasted Pine Nuts & Parmesan
Light as pasta can be!
…plus a piece of toasted local bread with local chive chevre – yum!
Tomorrow’s Friday! Who’s excited? My grandparents and friend Hannah are visiting this weekend from out of town – yippee!
Peace,
~ Hillary
9 comments January 7, 2010
Eat. Live. Run.
Mornin’ to ya!
Today began with a frosty 75-minute r.u.n. with the lovely ladies. I’ve really enjoyed the longer runs this week around my quaint town. I’ll miss my running crew when I head back to school tomorrow : (
I was a bit stumped about what I wanted to whip up for breakfast this morning. I wasn’t about to have another bowl of bran, but I wasn’t in the mood for something heavy either. (I think I’ve indulged enough this week!) Then I remembered Kath’s easy recipe for an oatmeal pancake.
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 mashed banana
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- cinnamon
topped with: other half of banana, pecans & real maple syrup
I’ll just say that I will definitely be making this again (maybe with quick oats next time). Without flour and just egg whites, it is super light (unlike your typical “cakey” pancake).
Going to go make the most out my last day at home. It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…
~ Hillary
2 comments November 28, 2009
