Breakfast was leftover Challah Egg Nog French Toast from my snow day holiday bakefest on Sunday.
The Strawberry Cranberry Compote definitely takes this recipe from good to great! The nutmeg, cinnamon, egg nog and cranberries combine for a little taste of Christmas for breakfast! This would be the perfect dish to make for holiday brunch or the morning after a holiday party. And guess what, you lucky readers you: I’ll be sharing the recipe this Friday! Continue Reading →
Monday night was a BAD night for sleep, as in I didn’t get a wink of sleep. I remember how I used to pull all-nighters in college all the time like it was nothing, and now, my old bones definitely don’t function right without those Z’s.
Since, I couldn’t sleep, I decided to do something productive….like increase the content of all of my Pinterest boards. For the record, if you’re ever having trouble sleeping, I don’t recommend playing on Pinterest. I got so excited about all of my “pins” that it was impossible to get back to bed. I have had a major craving for Muddy Buddies (or Puppy Chow as some call it) lately, so I must have pinned about 15 Muddy Buddy recipes alone. Then, I decided to make a special Girls on the Run Muddy Buddy Mix for their last practice today.More on that later.
Let’s dive into Tuesday’s eats for “What I Ate Wednesday” (WIAW). Apparently, being tired causes one to make poor food choices. Let’s see how my lack of sleep affected the day’s eats.
Around 5 AM, I decided that it was time to get up and make some breakfast. It was a Pinterest find from just a few hours before I got out of bed: French Toast Roll Ups.
Do I really need to explain why I had to make these immediately after I saw them? Sometimes the simplest ideas are pure genius. This is one of them. Take pieces of white bread, flatten them with a rolling pin, slather on some delicious fillings, like marshmallow fluff and PB, dip in egg/milk mixture, cook ’em up in a skillet and coat in cinnamon n’ sugar. Then dip in maple syrup.
After one dip in the syrup, I thought I had died and gone to french toast heaven. Continue Reading →
Last week, I spent much of my time in the kitchen, stirring my “witches brew” dutch oven to cook up a whole bunch of tasty Halloween treats. So, this week’s “What I Ate Wednesday” WIAW may dull in comparison to a post that talks about “Pumpkin Butter Wishes and Candy Corn Dreams.”
I tried to keep most of my meals Sometimes Healthy, in anticipation of the inevitable Halloween candy plunge (or, if I’m ambitious, I may even make the treats from Monday’s post with the leftover candy).
Breakfast was a bit “boring” compared to the creative dishes that I usually whip up for my first meal of the day. I’m a huge fan of breakfast, so when I have the time, I tend to go overboard on my breakfast dishes. However, yesterday’s meal was a standard bowl of Cinnamon Puffins cereal with Almond Milk.
And don’t start accusing me of dipping into the sugar cereal stash to finish off the remainder of my Almond Milk. I would NEVER do something like that. I’m a healthy living blogger after all.
Seriously, if you had the chance to start your day with strawberry Almond Milk, would you pass it up? I rest my case.
I have an “autumn resolution:” stick to a schedule.
I’m an early riser – up with the dog at 6 AM and on-the-go from there. However, despite my best efforts, I rarely stick to the schedule that I have planned in my head. Inevitably, I’ll get carried away in writing way too many words in a blog post or scribbling way too many notes on the latest chapter in my NASM Personal Training Course. I also tend to underestimate the amount of time it takes to get from Point A to Point B (which around these parts “in the sticks” is never less than 20 minutes). Oh, and I have no idea how Rachael Ray coined the whole “30 Minute Meals” deal, because I’ve never actually cooked a meal that takes less than 30 minutes.
When I first moved to NYC and was working at a giant PR firm, I had a bit of trouble balancing all my client priorities throughout the day. So, on yet another midnight fiasco at the office, I made a resolve to never leave the office without plotting out my exact schedule for the day, from meetings to client work, meals, errands and even touchbases with my friends from home. And, there were no fancy-schmancy planners for this girl. Nope, I simply used some computer paper, some markers and taped it up next to my computer. I did the same for any weekly and monthly tasks as well.
Worked like a charm.
So, as I cram like a madwoman for my NASM test, while also trying to balance some other important commitments, I’ve decided to implement this “sophisticated” scheduling methodology again.
As you can see, there’s not much slotted in the master schedule for my blog post, so I think it’s best that we hop into yesterday’s eats for What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW), don’t you?
Once again, I was up at 6 AM to feed the pup yesterday morning. Before settling in for an hour of study time, I created this autumn-centric breakfast:
Baked apple n’ honey, leftover sweet potatoes (from Monday’s dinner) and greek yogurt, topped with dried fruit, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin pie spice. It checked off the box in many food groups and left me full, happy and ready to learn about “Energetic Metabolism and Bioenergetics.”
I think we are all in agreement here that somewhere in between Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Apple Cider Donuts, fall has officially taken the place of Christmas as “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”
Cookies, egg nog and the infamous Christmas ham are fun and all, but really, no season packs in the delicious flavors like fall. There is a reason that we rejoice in the September release of the Pumpkin Spice Latte…it signifies that fall and all of its glorious flavors are coming! Thank you Starbucks for giving us permission to indulge in fall flavors before fall actually starts.
Yesterday was the first day of October and though it did hit 80 degrees late in the afternoon, most of the day was full of that cool, crisp fall air that we know and love. The fact that the season was officially in full swing inspired me, and I decided to try to incorporate my favorite fall flavors as much as possible. So, today’s “What I Ate Wednesday” is a celebration of the NEW most wonderful time of the year! (according to me and potentially only me)
NASM studying has been at the forefront of my mind nearly every day, and since I didn’t fit much studying into Monday, I woke up bright and early yesterday morning to take advantage of the quiet time and engross myself in the muscular system.
Coffee was a must, and per usual, I poured in an extra large amount of pumpkin spice creamer. After about an hour of studying, I took a break to make breakfast with one of fall’s brightest stars: butternut squash.
Yes, you CAN have squash for breakfast
To make this breakfast, I simply boiled half of a butternut squash (cubed) and then mashed it up with brown sugar, honey and cinnamon. I then diced up some apples (still have some left from apple picking weeks ago!) and plopped on a healthy portion of peanut butter. Continue Reading →
Am I the only person that struggles with writing an opener every single time I sit down to type a post? I know that blogging is supposed to be more casual, but as a (former) trained writer, my brain is trained to put a lot of emphasis into the whole “intro/conclusion” thing.
Here are my typical “go-to’s”:
I usually belabor the opening sentence for a good 30 minutes, and yet, it always ends up being one of the above. Since blogging is supposed to be “conversational,” maybe I should create you all the way I normally greet my friends, with an exceedingly large, loud and drawn out “Helllloooooo,” just to ensure my presence is known. The BF can tell you all about it. He gets it every time I enter our house and just LOVES it.
So, there you have it, a 180 word look into the over-analytical brain of a Sometimes Healthy Girl. But, you didn’t come here to read about my rambling thoughts. It’s “What I Ate Wednesday” (WIAW), and you’re here to check out my eats from the previous day. Tuesday was a bit hectic, so there were a few Sometimes Healthy Snacks on-to-go, plus a dinner full of veggie substitutions and finally a drool-worthy dessert.
5:30 AM: Wake up for no reason at all, so get up to quickly use the restroom.
Dog notices that I am up and decided to take advantage of my early potty break by whining until I let him out for a potty break of his own. Feed him and can’t get back to bed.
6:00 AM: Brew up a cup of coffee and use up the last of my Girl Scout Cookies Coffee-Mate creamer. Feel an unreasonable pang of sadness as I throw away the bottle. Consider mixing some water with the last drop to make it last longer.
Say it ‘aint so!
I noticed it was no longer in the grocery store last time I checked so that means just a week after I discovered this “special edition” creamer, it appears to be off the shelves. How did I miss the boat on this amazing creation? Our time together was short, but oh so sweet. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to drown my sorrows in their seasonal Pumpkin Spice flavor. Continue Reading →
You may notice a bit of a change to the design of my blog today. I was aiming for a clean look, with more white space and an emphasis on the pictures. Please let me know what you think – always looking for constructive criticism!
Anyway, it’s What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW) again, and today’s post features a reoccurrence of one very important part of my diet: protein. I’ve been slacking in the protein category these days, so I’ve been making a conscious effort to up the daily intake. I’m going to finish off this post of mouthwatering eats by sharing with you something that happened to me recently that has affected my life in a pretty major way. Protein with a touch of honesty ya’ll.
My day started a 4:15 AM, because my jet-setting BF needed a ride to the airport. He has been traveling a lot these days, but his schedule should calm down soon. I miss him…but I love having the chance to indulge in foods he hates, like spaghetti squash and tofu.
Getting up at such a crazy hour requires a large caffeine buzz. Enter Dunkin Donuts.
Oh, no you didn’t Coffee-Mate!
Nope, your eyes are not deceiving you. That right there is Girl Scout Cookie Creamer from Nestle. I saw it in the store the other day and literally almost jumped for joy. And guess what? It’s also available in Thin Mint.
The flavor was on-point, evoking the nostalgic Samoa cookie (my favorite) with every sip.
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?
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.
Whenever I’m in NYC, the week seems to fly by a little quicker. I don’t know how I actually lived and worked in this city for almost 4 years!
I’m back upstate for a day today, but heading back to the city tomorrow to get in on some Fashion Week action! For all the time I lived in the Big Apple, I never even stepped close to Fashion Week. It should be an interesting experience, and hopefully I’ll have a few stories to share on Monday.
But, it’s ‘What I Ate Wednesday” (WIAW) time, so let’s talk about my eats. We’ll start in NYC and make our way back to the Hudson Valley by dinner!
The weather was unbearably humid and heavy while in NYC, so I wasn’t able to run in Central Park as I had hoped. So, I fueled myself for another workout at the Ritz Carlton with breakfast + a view.
I could get used to this little view.
That right there is some delicious hotel coffee and a half eaten Starbucks Morning Bun (I forgot to take a picture until halfway through). Whenever I’m staying in a hotel, one of my most treasured morning routines is walking downstairs and making myself a cup of coffee. It just feels so luxurious not to have to brew it myself.
It’s the little things, my friends. Anyway, after breakfast, I walked a few blocks to the Ritz to get in a quality workout before an exhausting day of running around the city.
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
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?