Sometimes Healthy Kitchen Staples

When I first moved to the country from the city, every grocery shopping experience was an exciting adventure.

Finally, I was in stores with room in the aisles to roam around, and I didn’t need to go to 8 different stores to find everything on my list (as I had done in the city).

But, eventually the shiny new experience of shopping at a suburban grocery store wore off just a bit, and then was when I noticed I had a problem…a food shopping problem. Yep, some women spend their hard-earned dough on shoes and purses, but not me. I spend mine on Goldfish and coffee creamers.

To curb my “addiction,” I try to hit up the grocery store with a list and stick to it. The problems arise when I decide to make something for dinner and notice that I don’t have all the ingredients. This gives me another excuse to go to the grocery store, and while there, I usually do a great job of convincing myself there are a couple of extra items that I need.

There are certain items, however, that I allow myself to purchase at any time. These are my kitchen staples, and since each product generally gets a lot of usage, it never feel like a waste when I purchase them.

Kitchen Staples

You never know what you’re going to find in a Sometimes Healthy Kitchen, but I guarantee you each of these items will be there.

Continue Reading →

Six Sometimes Healthy Snacks-on-the-Go

In the spirit of healthy starts on the glorious fall Monday, I’m going to share with you some of my favorite healthy snacks. Let’s kick off the week on the right foot!

I’ve mentioned before on this blog that I’m a huge snacker. They sometimes replace my meals, so it’s important for me to get a lot of nutrition from my snacks. In general, most of my snacks will have 250 calories and contain at least one important dietary requirement, like protein or fiber. Another requirement is that they don’t involve a lot of preparation and are easy to bring with me everywhere (especially since I’m no longer sitting in an office these days).

1. SOMETIMES HEALTHY STAPLE: VEGGIES + DIP

Gotta get my veggies yo!

Gotta get my veggies yo!

Perfect For: Pretty much any occasion. I nibble on these babies whenever I want, with one important exception: before workouts. If I eat them before i workout, I feel them jumbling around the entire time. 

How to Make It: Every Sunday, I chop up a whole bunch of vegetables, which I then throw in a plastic bag and take with my everywhere, along with some dips in small Tupperware. Favorite veggies include tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, carrots, snap peas and green beans.

Combinations: I try to add more nutrition with the dips, and here are some of my favorites:

  • Greek Yogurt + Honey Mustard (protein bonus)
  • Greek Yogurt + Avocado (healthy fats, protein bonus)
  • Cottage Cheese (protein bonus)
  • Peanut Butter (vitamin, protein bonus)
  • Laughing Cow Cheese

 

Continue Reading →

WIAW: Veggie Packed + Cheese

Oh, hello everyone! Notice anything different about the blog? Nope, probably not.

I spent about 10 hours between yesterday and today trying to navigate the murky waters of moving to self-hosting, and I’m still not there. Basically, most of my issues are coming from not being able to export everything from WordPress.com. In case anyone is interested or wants to help me (PRETTY PLEASE), I’m using Bluehost. I’ve done a lot of research at this point, but if you’ve experienced similar issues, I’m all ears! I’ve heard that this process is easy….so far, I’d have to disagree!

But, let’s move on from the frustrating technology issues in my world. After all, it’s What I ate Wednesday (WIAW)! Talking about food is MUCH more fun. The BF was out of town yesterday, and as I’ve said before, whenever the cat’s away, the mice will play. For me, that means eating lots of veggies, since the BF is more of a meat n’ potatoes kind of guy.

I know, I’m such a rebel.

Let’s start with my ultra-gourmet breakfast.

Breakfast of a Sometimes Healthy Champ?

Breakfast of a Sometimes Healthy Champ?

A Fiber One Wrap filled with honey and a couple of dark chocolate chips + Chobani. This breakfast clearly contained the most important food groups for an active Sometimes Healthy Girl: carbs, protein and chocolate.

I’m currently obsessed with both of these products. The Chobani Mint with Dark Chocolate Chips is delicious and tastes like a healthy Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie. The Fiber One Wraps are light, but carby and filling at the same time. We usually run out of these in less than a week because the BF likes them too.

Continue Reading →

A Tale of Two Cities: From Couture to Cookies and Spaghetti Squash

Hello from the Hudson Valley! I’m back from NYC and very excited to jump back into the routine of my less exciting, but very fulfilling daily life.

I've missed these pretty skies and mountains!

I’ve missed these pretty skies and mountains!

Every time I go back to NYC, there are small moments that remind me of why I moved there in the first place: the glitz, the glam and the overall “grandness” of NYC can truly make person feel like she can accomplish anything. It’s this giant, beautiful melting pot, and everyone is working their butts off to achieve some sort of dream, whether it’s making millions in investment banking or becoming the next Carrie Bradshaw.

But, inevitably, by the end I am relieved to get back to my lowkey lifestyle in the Hudson Valley. This time around, my experience can probably best be described as “a tale of two cities.” During the day on Friday, I was mingling with the rich and famous at Fashion Week, but by nighttime, I was sitting in Michelle’s apartment eating spaghetti squash pad thai (our favorite), gossiping and watching reality tv. Let’s recap it all.

I started off Friday morning with a run on the track and then quickly dolled myself up for fashion week.

Strike a post: Vogue.

Strike a post: Vogue.

This country girl doesn’t dress up much these days, so it was quite a treat to get glammed up. In case you’re wondering, the dress is from Theory and the shoes are Ivanka Trump. With my most capable looking outfit and a bit of extra eye liner, I felt confident and ready to take on Mercedes Benz Fashion Week!

Continue Reading →

WIAW: Replenishing After HOT Yoga


Happy “What I Ate Wednesday” (WIAW)! We’ll get to the food in a minute, but first I want to cover off briefly on fitness. As you may recall, last Friday, I mentioned that I had written a post up that had somehow magically deleted.

The post was all about forcing myself out of my “fitness comfort zone” while in Boston and taking a class that I knew would be very challenging for me. I’m still going to publish that post (eventually), but in the meantime, I’m very proud to report that I ventured out of my fitness comfort zone yet again to take a 90 MINUTE hot yoga class with our German visitors.

Check out those sweat marks. HOTTT

Check out those sweat marks. HOTTT

And yep, your eyes are not deceiving you…the BF came to the class too! Clearly, out of town visitors have a big influence over us. I made sure not to sit right next to the BF because I knew I might break out laughing in the middle of the class as we admired each other’s graceful movements.

I’ve taken yoga about 6 times in my life (including 4 times for a story I wrote back in Chicago), and to put it bluntly: It’s just not my thing. Besides an extreme lack of flexibility, I generally have a hard time relaxing and focusing for long periods of time. That’s why running and circuit training are my workout “drugs of choice.” But at the same time, when I drag my restless body to a yoga class, I always feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the class that is very different from finishing a long run or lifting a certain amount of pounds.

This class was no different, and once we made it through those 90 minutes I stated, “It would be easier for me to run 10 miles then take this class again!” Now, that’s a quality workout. I have a few more thoughts on the actual class, which I’ll share later in this post, but let’s jump into the eats for this WIAW.

Breakfast was a Chobani Coconut Yogurt, topped with blueberries, figs and slivered almonds.

What's Cho Flavor?

What’s Cho Flavor?

Continue Reading →

WIAW: The Early Bird Catches the Coffee?

In today’s “What I Ate Wednesday” WIAW post, I will attempt to do something I rarely do here on the SHLB: keep it short and simple!

Tonight, I’ll be getting on a train to NYC to stay with my brother and his wife, and tomorrow morning, I’ll be getting on a plane to “Home-aha,” where I’ll be until next Wednesday. I couldn’t be more excited, but of course, being gone for a week means there are many things today before I leave!

So, let’s start with breakfast. Yesterday, me and the BF woke up at the ridiculously early time of 4:30. He had a 6:00 plane to catch to Dallas for work, and I stupidly volunteered to drive him to the airport. He’ll be flying straight from Dallas to Omaha, so I’m looking forward to seeing him on Thursday.

After dropping him off at 5:15, I had one thing on my mind: coffee. Thankfully I have discovered that everywhere I go on the east coast, somehow, a Dunkin Donuts will just pop up out of nowhere. It’s like a coffee miracle.

You never let me down...

You never let me down…

I parked my butt on the couch to watch some old Food Network shows and wake up while drinking my cinnamon iced coffee and nibbling on an old favorite, the DD reduced fat blueberry muffin.

"What Am I drinking??" Lots of coffee today. That's for sure.

“What Am I drinking??” Lots of coffee today. That’s for sure.

Yeah, I forgot to take a picture before I started eating the muffin top. Ooops.

Continue Reading →

Word Up Wednesday: Couch Monster and the Great Greek Yogurt Debate

Couch Monster [kouch mon-ster]

-noun

A legendary, persuasive piece of soft and comfy furniture that tempts otherwise Type A individuals to stray from their normal routine to watch television, steal some extra sleep or simply engage in excessive bouts of laziness; Note: Said monster is not the same as the infamous Cookie Monster – however, the two sometimes work together to really throw a Sometimes Healthy Girl off her routine 😉

The Couch Monsta!

I’ve decided that every Wednesday will now be “Word Up Wednesday” where I’ll devote a post to a “new” word of the day. I’m borrowing the concept from Steven Colbert’s “The Word” segment. I’m sure he’s okay with it, provided I’m giving him credit. In an ideal word, one of my word creations will catch on in the same way Truthiness captured the nation. Here’s to hopin’ 😉

So, today’s word is “Couch Monster.” Continue Reading →