Shocked

I looked at the date and it just occured to me it's the last day of April. How crazy is that?!?! Tomorrow I have my pre-departure orientation for Italy, and next week is my last week of living here at URI. I can't believe it's been 9 whole months since I lugged my suitcases and crates of food to campus, eager to start college as a freshman- and now I'm almost a sophomore. I'm getting ready study abroad, and then move out on my own. It's definately a big mix of scary and exciting. Am I ready? I sure hope so, I'm going to have to be!

Today was a strange day of sorts. It felt like a Saturday, but it was most definately not a Saturday- still, I had a lot going on for a "morning off"! It took me a while to remember it was Wednesday, and I had work- but no classes!
The weather didn't improve much as the morning went on, it got warmer but not warm enough to be comfortable eating outside. So, we took our picnic inside, throwing the blanket on a table in the lounge tablecloth-style, and had a nice lunch paired with some great conversation! A great, relaxing time with friends.
We had an array of foods; I brought some veggie chips, hummus, carrots, fruit salad, and we also had some greek pasta salad, and a bunch of chips and cookies.
Here's the top half of my plate- some hummus, veggie chips, fruit salad and carrots.

The second half includes some greek pasta salad, and a couple mini organic chocolate cookies. I also snacked on a few more veggie chips, carrots and hummus (3 each, about 1 tbsp more) as well as 2 more mini cookies as we chatted.

My lunch was a bit late, so it filled me up enough that I didn't have a mid-afternoon snack- but still got SUPER hungry early, so I took my break just after 5 and had my dinner. I packed a Morningstar Vegan Veggie Burger in a wheat pita with some greens and a squirt each of ketchup/mustard. I also had a pear and some mixed seasoned veggies. Very good for a work dinner!


Back at the dorm, I had a warm apple crisp muffin for a snack, and now I'm about to go get some work done before heading to bed.

I'm exhausted, yet again. I haven't been getting much sleep lately- the roommates have been out and about so I haven't been able to settle down and fall asleep until the early a.m... hopefully tonight will be different, and I can get a good run and some serious studying done tomorrow!
Have a nice "hump night!"

Nothin' to do!

Actually, I have a whole bunch to do. But not yet. It can wait a bit. It is a GREAT feeling knowing I can just relax in the morning- I don't have to "be" anywhere until 11:30, when I'm picnicing! (Which I might relocate to the dorm, it's pretty chilly out there!)
I woke up bright and early, as always, ready to greet the day with a nice run. However, the weather wasn't cooperating.
I did end up going on my run but it was freezing, and I didn't get in the 45-50 minutes I had planned; I ended up running about 35 and then stopping because my hands were frozen!
Needless to say I was a bit disappointed. It should NOT be 40 degrees on April 30! Oh, well- tomorrow I don't have as early a schedule as I thought I did; so I'll hopefully be able to go for a longer run then.

Before my run I snacked on 1/2 a mini whole wheat bagel with 1 tsp almond butter and 1 tsp jam. Fueled me well!

When I got home I wanted something warm, but I'm all out of oats, had ezekiel yesterday, eventually I just gave up and decided on a big bowl of Razzmatazz Granola (1 cup) along with 1 cup hemp milk. Delicious, especially with the GIANT orange I had on the side- I was almost too full to finish it, but of course I did because it's fruit and tasted so darn juicy!!


(Sorry about the weird lighting on the pics)

Today's schedule consists of being a lazy bum until I get together with my friends, picnic, and then go off to work. I go in and get home a little earlier than usual today; so I'll be doing some work when I get home for sure... at least I get to relax in the morning!

Easy Evening

I had quite the easy night at work tonight, which doesn't happen too often, so it was a really nice way to relax and enjoy not having to worry about homework or classes for the next day!
I had a tall soy misto going into work (I ate my apple and nuts mid-afternoon) and that kept my stomach satisfied until I got my break around 6:15.
Another easy work dinner tonight- I packed a can of my favorite Amy's Black Bean Soup along with 1/2 a sliced bell pepper and some kashi crackers. The soup filled me quick so I ended up leaving a few kashis in the bag, but ate all the pepper strips.

(The soup was heating, so the can made an appearance!)

It got chilly while I was at work, I hope it warms up by tomorrow because a few friends and I are picnicing on the quad to celebrate the end of classes, I don't want it to be cold!!
I was in need of a warm snack when I got back to mny room, so I tried one of my new "big" night time snacks- an Erin Baker's breakfast cookie, Vegan Chocolate Chunk Variety. Yum!
I popped it in the micro for a few secs, and enjoyed my comforting after work treat!


I'm definately heading to bed soon- because I can, really!
I got some studying done today, the rest can hold off until tomorrow evening, I'm wiped!
Tomorrow is sure to be a busy day with my picnic and work at 3, so I'll try and take as many pics as possible, and have a really good post tomorrow night when I get home!

**EDIT- For the record- as if I didn't have enough chocolate tonight with my delicious chocolate cookie, I also had a little truffle offered to me by a friend after my post! (Who can resist truffles?? Not me!)

Finished! Kind of...

Well, all my classes are over, done with... why don't I feel relaxed??
Oh, right- exams.
On a happier note, I got a great score on my last chem exam- so my low first grade will be dropped and as long as I study hard (I have a LOT to review) and do sufficiently well on my final, I should be good for Organic Chem. I am definately making sure I work hard to review the things I've had trouble with in the past... I want chem to be over with, for good!

In between philosophy and chem today I ate my packed lunch- a whole wheat pita stuffed with hickory smoked tofurky, greens, some dijon mustard and 1/4 an avocado. Mmm! Filled me right up. I also had a bunch of huge baby carrots and a perfect plum to round out the meal.


I'm on my way to work soon, I'm bringing an apple and some mixed nuts for a snack, and I might grab a tall soy latte if I have time before I head in.

Hopefully tonight won't be too crazy so I can relax and relish in the end of my freshman year's classes! We'll see!
Have a great afternoon!

Last day

My last day of classes has arrived. It's definately a funny feeling, knowing I still have exams in all my classes, but no classes afterwards. Looking over the amount of material I need to study for my exams, I'm getting a bit nervous; but I only have 4 (2 in 1 day!!) so as long as I manage my study time, I should be good. This morning was rainy and gross yet again- fortunately it died down to a light drizzle, so I decided to walk down to the gym for my last run on the track this year. Hopefully I'll be running outside the rest of the week and next week, because the gym is closed when I would be able to work out during exams. I had 1/2 a banana with just over a tsp of almond butter, and went for an easy 35 minute run. I ran a bit slower than usual- must be the weather.

When I returned to the dorm, I knew I wanted a warm breakfast- so I heated up 1 cup Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin with 1 cup hemp milk, and had the other 1/2 of my banana on the side.

Now I'm full and about to jet off to my final classes- I have work after so chances are my lunch/dinner posts will be quite late.
Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Fruit filled ending

I got all the work I wanted to get done, my lunch is packed for tomorrow, I've got a big crate of stuff to bring home ("gradually" moving out) and I'm finally sitting down for my evening snack!
Tonight I ended my busy day with one of my delicious Apple Crisp Muffins (Happy Herbivore's test recipe!) and a small cup of leftover mango from the mango I so proudly sliced for my smoothie this weekend.

Just the right sweet treat before I finally get to curl up with a good read, what I've been wanting to do all day!

Good night everyone!

Do I smell barbeque?

"I swear it smells like barbeque!" Well, the kid down the hall was right- he did smell bbq, however I'm pretty sure I left him thinking he was crazy without even meaning to.
Dinner tonight was another quick, delicious balanced meal- always great when those qualities appear in a dorm room meal!
I cooked myself my last GardenBurger Meatless BBQ Riblet (one of my FAVORITES!) along with a serving of couscous (1/3 cup dry, prepared with water and 1 tsp promise light) and 2 little baggies of steamfresh brussels sprouts (About 1-1/2 cups). Absolutely satisfying, to my tummy and taste buds! Which was great after a very tiring day.



It was so dreary all day today, as my friend described it it was definately a "curl under the covers" day- of course I couldn't curl under the covers like I would have liked- I had classes all day! Luckily today was my last day full of classes, tomorrow I have two and then I'm done except for exams!
We had a game review in Kinesiology- my team did pretty well, but I definately know there are some things I need to study!
Afterwards I headed to the cafe for my usual study/lunch session- I ate the whole wheat pita I stuffed last night with 1/2 cup leftover baked chickpeas, 1/4 an avocado, some greens and a couple squirts of lemon juice for flavor. Delish!
On the side I had a bunch of carrots and a few snow peas, as well as a red bartlett pear, which I had never had before and enjoyed! This filled me perfectly, and I set off for my last nutrition classes.


I had a good amount of time in between classes in the afternoon, because my first class got out early, so I did some homework, a little menu planning for the weekend and snacked on a Fruit & Nut Kind bar (no pic, sorry).

My last nutrition class was full of notes, but we did get out early so that was a plus. Now I'm definately going to take a few minutes to relax, and then get some work done.
Monday, Monday...

Berry Good

I just couldn't resist this title, after my antioxidant-rich, berry filled breakfast!

I woke up to another drab morning, it wasn't too cold, but drizzling a bit and definately not nice enough to run outside. So, I had the other 1/2 of my chocolate chip peanut crunch clif bar, hiked down to the track, and went for a 45 minute run. It felt good, although running outside would have been much nicer.

For breakfast this morning I tried my new Organic "Save the Forest" granola- "Raspberry Razzmatazz" flavor. It has a lot of calories (250 kcal per serving), but a serving size is 3/4 cup, which usually fills me up well- so I had 1 serving on top of a container of Wildwood Organic Soyogurt (Vanilla flavor), which is vegan and very tasty! I like this vanilla the best I think. I topped it all with a whole cup of yummy fresh blueberries to complete the berry theme.
The mixture came out creamy and sweet, I liked the granola a lot! Maybe not my favorite, but definately a nice change. It was very sweet though, so I hope it holds me until lunch later.


Last Monday of classes today! I have my three regular classes, all day from 11 to 7, but they're all reviews so not too much work! I'll be back for a lunch/snack/dinner post later on (depending on how early the prof decides to let us out!!)
Hope your week starts off great!

Friends a feast

Boy, am I stuffed!!
This afternoon when my sister came home we all sat together and had a delicious slice of my Pumpkin Cheese Pie from ED&BV, as she told us the fun time she had at her leaders convention this weekend. She was so excited to tell us about her friends she met, and it sounded like she had a great weekend! (As did I! =)


I came back, did some work, and I had such a wonderful night at the dorm with my friends! My friend Carolyn (who I'm going to Italy with!) and her boyfriend, Max, made a wonderful Italian- themed feast for 7 of us; it included spaghetti with home made sauce, meatballs (I provided a meatless version!), green beans almondine, fresh caught breaded fish and brownies!
I had a bit of everything; a bowl of pasta with sauce, 3 meatless meatballs and a sprinkle of romano cheese, some green beans, some of the absolutely fantastic fish, and a big brownie! I'm filled to the brim, but it was a really nice treat, and we shared a lot of good laughs with the great food, so it turned out to be a really enjoyable night!

Look at how great that fish looks!

Pasta, pasta!


Dessert- #3 of the day!!!


I'm tired from the long day, but I still have a couple things to do before I can turn in for the night.
I'm still very stuffed from dinner, so dessert is unlikely... but I can't wait to eat another of my Apple Crisp Muffins, so we'll see!
I'm not looking forward to the predicted thunderstorms tomorrow morning... we'll see if I can get to the gym or not. Unfortunately I don't think I'll have too much of a chance to exercise this week, the weather's supposed to be pretty bad tomorrow and the next day, and then I'm super busy later in the week, so I might have to squeeze in spurts here and there. I hate not being active, so I'll be hoping for the best!

Satisfied

We ended up doing the race; although it was pretty darn chilly, the rain held off and it went well. I beat my time yesterday- this race was a flat course, so I finished it almost a minute sooner in 21:11. It was a fast group though, those police officers are fit! The top finisher finished in 15:04, a 4:51 mile! Insane! But I was satisfied with my 6:49, thank you =)
After the race, I went straight for the oranges- my go-to after race snack. After downing a whole juicy orange, I turned around and realized they were giving out free samples of my absolute favorite ice cream- Brickleys, a local home made shop right around the corner from my house. Of course I couldn't refuse when I found out they were serving my favorite flavor as well - Cookie dough (ok, I have two favorite flavors, I can never choose- my other is Black Raspberry Chip!)!! The ice creams are always made fresh that day, with all natural ingredients- so although it is definately a treat, at least it's not so processed.
I enjoyed a big scoop, as my "reward" for racing two days in a row!!
My Dad ran this one with me, he did super well for not training too much lately. My mom thought it was a bit too cold- she cheered us on!

After we got home, I showered and got ready, tried on my new sundress that just came in the mail- it's bright green with big pretty flowers on it, I bought it to wear to my sister's Promotion ceremony in June (she's "graduating" junior high) and to Italy! So I was excited it came in. After my dress exictement, I made myself a quick lunch!

I threw together a big salad with a bunch of veggies we had in the house- some field greens, red pepper, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts topped with about a tablespoon of Organic Rosemary Garlic dressing (from Whole Foods, not sure the brand). I also had the last of my taquitos from last night, topped with some more "sour cream" and a few carrots, because I love that crunch!


Filled me up well, now I'm going to lug my stuff to campus before picking up my sister so we can enjoy her pumpkin pie treat before I have to return to the dorm for the night.

Doesn't look like spring to me

It's quite a dreary day, the sun decided to take a break on this Sunday I guess, but it's unfortunate because w'ere supposed to be doing another race in town this morning! My dad and I usually run the Police 5k, right along the beach- but I hope the rain/wind holds up, because I am not in the mood for another cold, wet run.
I started my morning with a bigger breakfast, because the run isn't for a few hours. I tried 2 Lifestream hemp plus waffles, as a bit of a change from my usual flax plus. These are just as good! I think I'll definately be switching back and forth between them, I've definately found my favorite waffle brand!
Since I am doing a race this morning, I only added 1 tbsp peanut butter (didn't want too much fat) and a small drizzle of syrup along with my huge banana and a few fresh strawberries on the side. Hit the spot!

So today's plans are race, home for lunch, packing, back to see my sister for her afternoon treat, and back to school for dinner. Back and forth, back and forth! I'll try to get some blogging in there =)

The pie came out awesome, I can't wait to try it!

The best kind of pay

Currently, I am baking an extremely delicious pie (I already know it's delicious- I ate a GIANT spoonful of filling!) for my sister, as a "pay" for her helping me out last weekend. I'm so excited she chose a recipe I thought looked fantastic out of Eat, Drink and Be Vegan- Pumpkin Cheese Pie!
Filled with real pumpkin and swirled with vegan cream cheese, topped with a delectable layer of sugar... this one is going to be good, I can tell!
Here's a sneak peek oven pic for you:

While my pie was baking away, I had my treat for the night (besides the spoon/bowl licking I did of the pie filling)- I split another Alternative Baking Company Cookie with my Mom that we picked up while shopping today. This time, we chose the "Mac the Chip" variety. Oh my goodness it was just as good as the snickerdoodle! I heated mine up so the chocolate was warm and melty, and savored every last bite! A great treat for a great day.


Tomorrow looks like another busy day- I may or may not be doing another quick run in the morning; depending on the weather (it's supposed to rain). Otherwise, I'll be toting stuff back to school, studying and waiting for my sister to come home from the leadership convention she's at- the pumpkin pie is going to be an afternoon treat, because I have dinner plans with some friends from the dorm in the evening (they're cooking a big italian pasta dinner as a "good luck for finals" meal!)
And of course, some sleep is needed after this long weekend!
So my posts may be a bit weird, and my eating a bit off tomorrow (as it might be the next couple of weeks... finals make my schedule SUPER crazy!) but it's all in fun, I'll try to be as balanced as possible!

Mmm that pie smells SO good, I wish I could sneak a piece now! (I guess I already did! hehe)

Baked to perfection!

Fried no more!
Tonight for dinner I made another lip-smacking recipe created by the fabulous Happy Herbivore, Lindsay, a traditonal Mexican favorite that's usually fried, she made healthier (and vegan!) by baking!

Baked avocado & bean Taquitos with sour cream:

Deeelicious! I couldn't even finish my three they were so filling (but I did snack on some beans and avocado while I was prepping them).
We also had a bit of steamed broccoli on the side for some veggies:

I laid around today, did a bit of school work, but mostly just relaxed- it was much needed.
I made myself a smoothie around 3 to hold me over until dinner; I used 1 big banana, 1/2 cup soy yogurt, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries and a heaping 1/2 cup diced fresh mango. Mmm! I love my fruit!
I enjoyed it outside, because it was just way too nice out not to!


Later on tonight I'm planning on making my sister's ED&BV treat she chose; but we'll have to wait to enjoy so I think I'll be indulging in another treat with my Mom we picked up at the co-op today!

Racing around town

This morning was a run around town; literally!
I woke up and had my pre-race mini-breakfast; a toasted whole wheat english muffin with 1 tbsp almond butter and 2 tsp all natural raspberry jam.

It was very chilly and slightly windy at the start of the race, so it wasn't the most pleasant, but it got better as the race went on. I ended up finishing pretty well, in 22:07, which isn't bad considering it was a VERY hilly run! I got second in my age group, so that was a nice way to finish.
After the race I immediately grabbed a big orange to snack on while I waited for my Mom to finish walking.

Afterwards, we did our grocery shopping- I just got the basics for the week, som soy yogurt, baby carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, avocado, lots of various fruits, some split pea soup for a work dinner, and more tofurky. I'm trying to use up what I have in the dorm, because I only have a couple weeks left!!
We finished our grocery shop at my favorite local food co-op, and grabbed lunch there. I had a big Organic Chard and Tofu wrap, which was filled with organic tofu, chard, red onion, vegan monterey jack, and some oils and spices on a tomato wrap. It had a great flavor to it, I enjoyed it and devoured the whole big thing! (I was hungry after running!)


Now I'm back here at home, relaxing and doing some organizing for finals for the afternoon before I make dinner and my sister's special dessert later on tonight. Unfortunately we don't get to enjoy the dessert tonight because she doesn't come home until tomorrow; but we'll definately be having it as a treat tomorrow afternoon!

Have a great Saturday!

Apple muffin delight

"Wonderful and Moist" were the two words my Mom used to describe the absolutely incredible Apple Crisp Muffins I made tonight, from Lindsay (The Happy Herbivore!)'s upcoming cookbook.

These were a hit for sure!

My mom and I agreed I MUST make these again soon, they're so delicious!

Here's my muffin treat:


'Night!

Beauty and Ease

Tonight was quite the hectic night! My cousins' hair appointments took longer than expected, so we ended up having to rush around a bit to get everything done- I picked one of them up at the salon and did her makeup while the other was having her hair finished, then I did the other's- they ended up looking gorgeous, and I got a new starbucks card for "payment!" They were really happy about their looks, so I was glad =)

This afternoon my Mom treated me to a grande soy misto from starbucks, and I also snacked on some dried fruit (mango and kiwi) and some roasted unsalted almonds- both sent from Ohnuts.com!


Of course, because the beautification turned out so late I was a little late to making dinner, but that was ok, because I had a quick and delicious recipe to make- I tested Linsday from Happy Herbivore's Cremini Mushrooms and Couscous, which was absolutely delicious! That girl knows how to write recipes, let me tell ya =) You're all going to have to rush out and buy her cookbook, I'm sure you won't be disappointed! My mom was extremely happy with this recipe as well, we both gobbled up our big plates!


Just hanging out at the house tonight, watching a movie with Mom and relaxing at the end of the week. I have another yummy tester recipe in the oven for a treat, and then I'm turning in to sleep- I've got a race at 9am tomorrow! It's going to be a challenge, but it's only my second race- I'm sure they'll get better as I do more this season!

Salad pizza

Had some more wrap-difficulties today! I smothered my Rudi's spelt wrap with the rest of the hummus I had (about 1/4 cup) and topped it with some greens, brocco slaw, 1/4 a bell pepper and some cucumber slices- and then I couldn't shut it!! When it was all opened and topped, it reminded me of a salad-pizza, so I took a pic of that, and then had to fanagle my tortilla upside down just so I could put it on the plate, before adding some big baby carrots and an apple for sides. It was quite the messy lunch, but good as usual!


I'm eating pretty quick, and then I'm getting my stuff together to load in the car and meet up with my twin cousins for beautification! Should be exciting, i just can't believe my cousins are actually going to prom! Time sure does fly.

I'll be back with my dinner creation later on!