"Bite my head off, whydontcha!"

Gotta love retail.
I did not have the nicest customers at work tonight, I can tell you that for sure! It was tough, having random people screaming at me about misleading ads and expired coupons... grr! A girl could use some relaxation at a time like this!
Luckily, my mom and I had already decided to go out for an end of the summer treat after work, to make up for not being able to have a girls' night because of scheduling. So, when I got out, we headed down the street to the Podhead Cafe, where we got gelato for our dessert for the night! I had cappuccino chip and cake batter. Mmm! The perfect way to wind down after a crazy night.

Of course, I did eat "real" food tonight as well! This afternoon, I was craving fruit but we were running low, so I grabbed this fruit cup we had in our fridge- it was a bit sweet for me, but I left the juice in the bottom. Satisfied my craving though!

I snacked on a mix of almonds & honey roasted peanuts at the beginning of work, before my mish-mosh dinner. I had a funny mix, I packed a lemon pepper tuna packet, and had planned on having Kashis with it... but we only had about 5 left in the bag, and I knew that wouldn't do it for me! So I packed half a whole wheat bagel for some grains, and some carrots. Worked well; it was tasty and filling, as random as it was!

I am going to have to post my "week plan" early tomorrow, because my mom is waiting for me to come into the family room for part 2 of our mini girls' night- we're watching Smart People with Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page and Dennis Quaid. Should be funny!
Have a great night everyone!

Reliving Italia

Well, pretty much all of my stuff is piled into my living room, ready to be loaded into J.B. and my mom's van tomorrow morning and (somehow?) fit into my tiny closet sized beach house! =)

After my final packing, I had a 1/2 a banana for a snack, and I went on a nice 30-minute run around my neighborhood, probably my last for a while!

When I came back, I did one set of my Self strength exercises before getting hungry. For lunch, I decided to make myself an easy panino, because I was in the mood for something Italian! I used about 1/3 a bell pepper and some red onion, sauteed in cooking spray, topped with fresh mozzarella, spinach and tomato on ezekiel bread. I pressed this between two weighted pans on my stove for a few minutes, and had myself an easy and delicious panino! On the side I also had an apple to complete my meal.


I'm about to go shower and get my books, then I'll be back for a quick dinner post before work!

EDITED TO ADD: Although my lunch was healthy and nutrient-packed, I still didn't feel completely satisfied after the meal, a bit empty, so I had 1/2 of the last oatmeal bar, and now I feel perfectly full!

Last day at home

It's my last full day at home; but I won't be spending much of it here! I had an easy, balanced breakfast this morning; 2 scrambled egg whites with salt and pepper, 1 fage 0% cup, 1/2 cup flaxplus granola, and 1/2 cup blueberries.

I'm about to haul as much of my stuff as possible into my living room, so everything is ready for tomorrow morning! I'm hoping to get some good cardio in today, then I have to go pick up my books at school, get ready for work, and work 3-9 before my mom and I can have our special end-of-the-summer treat. Phew! I better get going, my to-do list is a mile long!
Have a great Sunday everyone!

Expect my first "what's up this week" post later today!! (Any suggestions on interesting names for my weekly plan on sundays/weekly recount on Saturdays??

Sloppy dinner

After spending some time packing up my groceries this afternoon, I was relaxing and realized I hadn't yet decided what to bring to work for dinner! I ran to my kitchen, where I dug through my fridge and decided to use the rest of the Morningstar Meal Starters meatless grounds, along with some tomato sauce, tangy bbq sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic, onions, cayenne and chili powder to make sloppy joes! I made enough for two, so my dad had a quick dinner before he headed off to work too! I had about a cup of the mix, along with a piece of a multigrain roll and some brussels sprouts. It was a delicious, nutrient packed meal- and super easy to take to work and heat up!

I also snacked on a Kashi Roll bar this afternoon when I got to work to hold me over.

After quite a long night at work, I was a bit hungry when I got home, so I had a chobani blueberry, as well as two little pieces of dried mango (I just grabbed them, no pic!) for my late night snack.

Tomorrow is a big day- my last full day at my parents house! I will be out and about, packing, getting my books at school and working! Busy busy, as usual!

Stocking up

I just got back from a HUGE grocery shop... we shopped at Food for Thought, Stop&Shop and Belmont, to stock me up on some much needed goods for my new kitchen. Before we left, I snacked on a couple pieces of fruit that were in the house (we're running low!)- some grapes and a plum.

Are you ready for some major pictures? This was 6 bags worth of groceries!! The groceries aren't really categorized well in the pictures, I was just kind of throwing stuff on the counter and snapping away, but here they are!

Kristin's Kitchen Staples:

Cold stuff:

Reduced fat provolone, light cheese sticks, 2 kinds of hummus (artichoke kalamata and garlic lover's), extra firm tofu and seasoned tofu, Amy's California burgers, Chobani 0% plain, vanilla, blueberry and peach, egg whites, 1% cottage cheese, smart balance, ezekiel bread

The rest:

lima beans, canned peaches, tuna/salmon packets, diced tomatoes, peanut butter, tomato sauce, marinara sauce, artichokes, red peppers, baking soda/powder, various canned beans


whole grain pasta, almond packets, spinach, honey mustard, organic cage free eggs, goddess dressing, organic ketchup, raspberry preserves, lentils, rice bowls, tortillas, soy milk


canola spray, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, tamari, granola planks(!), refried beans

Bars:

Produce:

carrots, sweet potatoes, grapes, red onion, peppers, bananas, nectarines, garlic

I am also taking with me some frozen veggies and fruit, salmon filets, multigrain rolls, ezekiel english muffins, spices, cereal/granola, oats, and some baking supplies.

I won't usually be getting this much stuff, this is supposed to last me a long time!!

While shopping, we were treated to a free oatmeal cookie, which my mom and I shared.

For lunch, we stopped at Pick Pockets, and had crazy veggie wraps! This one had hummus, greens, tomatoes, peppers, sprouts, carrots, banana peppers, feta and balsamic dressing in a fresh pita. I ate the whole thing, and it was deeeelicious! I love their wraps!


I am all shopped out, so I am going to relax for a while before work!

Pleasing protein

Last night, as I was reading a bit before bed, I couldn't help myself from digging into my box of veggie chips... my stomach was growling, even though I had my apple and little pieces of chocolate! These weren't cravings, they were legitimate hunger pangs! I had a couple small handfuls before feeling satisfied enough to call it a night.

This morning I woke up hungry as usual, but luckily not starving like last night! I had a big bowl of protein oats, 1/2 cup oats made with a 1 cup water, 1 tbsp PB, a big banana and 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese.

Mmmm... creamy, satisfying and delicious! I LOVE the balance of fiber & protein in the morning, that combo keeps me full for hours!

It is gross and rainy outside, so no outdoor exercise for me today; I think I'll be popping in my power yoga DVD in a bit for some exercise before heading out to grocery store hop and get some of my favorite kitchen supplies for my new kitchen! Two days, I am SO excited!

Menu changes

Ok, so I had a few menu changes from what was expected this afternoon... we did go to Starbucks, and I got an iced unsweetened passion tea, but they didn't have any toffee almond bars, so we headed over to the gourmet section of the nearby grocery store and boughtfeta-stuffed olives instead for a treat! I had four.

I did need a snack, so I bought a Kashi crunchy bar, Chocolate Peanut flavored... it was sooo good- almost candy-bar tasting!

The bar held me until dinner, where I had my tuna pasta, carrots, and the cheese stick I had packed (not pictured).

After work, I headed home and had a fresh apple, along with my nightly dark chocolate, because I was in the mood for something sweet!

Now I am finally back home, resting and getting ready for another full day of shopping and work tomorrow!

Quick post

So this is a super quick post; I just went on my run and finished my lunch (literally, 5 minutes ago!) when my friend called me up and invited me to share our special treat from Starbucks... the toffee almond bar- which is quite the indulgent treat... especially right after lunch... I may have a couple bites anyway, it is our favorite treat to share- but I don't want to overeat after all my indulgences yesterday.

This morning, my "snack" was pretty random- I spent the morning going through everything in "my" cupboards, deciding what to bring to school- and I picked at a few mixed nuts, a couple kashi crackers, veggie chips (2 each) and a peanut butter pretzel, seeing if things were stale, or good (unfortunately most was stale!)

Then I went on my 30 minute run, and did about 15 minutes of abs afterwards. I quickly heated my lunch because I was HUNGRY at this point- 1 cup of black bean chili, a medium sweet potato with a tiny dollop of earth balance, and a nectarine.

For dinner I packed some leftover mediterranean tuna pasta along with some carrots. I was going to pack this Kashi Bar as a snack- but I decided to nix that because of my toffee almond treat and bring a cheese stick to hold me instead!

**PICS UP LATER, off to meet my friend and then work!**

Details

These last couple of days, I've been focusing a lot on getting little details figured out about my house... cable, electric, internet, etc... and food! I have this long list of things I need to "stock up" on, things like organic olive oil and ketchup I always have here at mom's but won't have in my new house! It's a bit stressful, although I'm only moving 20 minutes away, I like being self-reliant, so I want everything to be all set by the time I get into my house on Monday!!

This morning I ate breakfast while putting together my list of things to stock up on- a classic wafflewich, made the usual way- 2 fig+flax waffles, 1.5 tbsp PB, drizzle of maple syrup, large banana. Perfect finger food to eat while I was analyzing details of my new food situation.

Today I'm going to be busy yet again, exercising, lunch, food shopping and then work at night. Tomorrow will be a similar day!

I think the verdict on my blog situation for when school starts is this; I'll give a basic overview on my schedule for the week on Sunday, letting you know where I'll be and what I'll be doing, and then a nightly update on my food for the day, and a weekly rundown of how I felt, the amount of activity I got in, my overall nutrition, etc. Sound good?

I'm also looking for other ways to improve the blog... anyone have suggestions on what they'd like to see from me? I'll most likely be posting more grocery trips, because I'll be on my own and the food will be mine, and new recipes here and there. I know a lot of other bloggers do product reviews, I like these, but I figure you might have enough of them on other blogs... what about fitness routines, or mini cooking lessons every couple of weeks? Would anyone be interested in that? I could also do a bi-weekly Q&A about cooking, or nutrition... let me know your opinions!

Kristin does not eat fried food, or anything cream-based...

With the exception of one thing each, once a year...

Clamcakes and Chowder from Iggy's!!
Nestled deep in the south end of Narragansett (my new home in 4 days!), Iggy's is a tiny little chowder house with some of the best clamcakes&chowda in the state of Rhowd Ayland... (no, I do not really have a Rhode Island accent!)
We all know I LOVE my traditions, and clamcakes and chowder have been a summer tradition since I was old enough to eat solid foods! We used to eat them a lot more when I was younger, now that I understand how bad they are for me, they're a once in a summer treat, and I appreciate them much more now!
I had the classic New England white chowder- they gave me a BIG bowl- which I ate half of (I didn't eat the oyster chips, I like my chowda pure!), it was super rich and filling, and my friend Eric and I split a big bag of clamcakes, which I had 3 of.


At least the nutritionist in me could feel a little better about the indulgences after reading this sign:

Nope, we didn't stop with the unhealthy indulgences there... I warned you guys tonight was going to be a bit crazy! The last summer tradition we celebrated was Ben and Jerry's for dessert- I had two of my favorites, coconut seven layer bar and cookie dough- a "small" which wasn't so small! I definately would have been better off with a kiddie!

We took our ice creams to one of my favorite spots- Roger Wheeler Beach, and enjoyed our cool treats as the sun set.

Although this dinner/dessert was in no means healthy, it was a nice night with my friend, and a great way to reminisce on all my wonderful summers here in Southern Rhode Island! The summer's coming to a close, and I only have one more "treat night" left- I'm letting myself indulge a couple times, without guilt, because I know I eat healthy 90% of the time, and can always jump right back into my healthy habits, because that is what makes me feel the best. =)

Edited to add: I did have a few pieces of dried mango a couple hours after I got home...although I ate a lot, I was craving something sweet and healthy!

Morning madness

Whew! That was a lot for one morning!
I woke up bright and early, and headed out with my mom and sis to go to breakfast with my cousins, a fun before-school-starts tradition! We went to Crazy Burger, but no, I did not order the mushroom burger for breakfast (Although it was very tempting!). I built my own omelet, asking for egg whites, goat cheese, broccoli and sauteed mushrooms. It came with fruit which I ate all of, and toast, which I didn't touch (it was a bit burnt), but I ate a good amount of my mom's homefries (they're the best at crazy burg! not greasy at all!) and a bite of my cousin's french toast. Of course, I ate all of my delicious omelet with some Crazy Burger home-made ketchup!

Mid-morning my stomach was feeling a bit empty, so I had a larabar to hold me until my late lunch.

I'm glad I had my snack, because it was hours before I could pull together a quick lunch- I spent all morning taking my cousins' senior pictures (they're twins!), which came out very pretty, I hope they like the results!
When I got home, I wanted something FAST because I was starving, so I threw together an Amy's California veggie burger on an Ezekiel english muffin with 1 slice of provolone, some fresh spinach and honey mustard. On the side I had the usual; grapes and some carrot sticks. It was exactly the quick, filling lunch I needed for a nice burst of energy!

Today is my rest day for exercise, although I may go for a bit of a walk later, depending on how I feel. I didn't get too much sleep last night so I'm a bit tired!

Tonight is going to be a less-than-healthy dinner, but it is definately a New England summertime tradition I just can NOT pass up! You'll see my beachside indulgences later on tonight =)
Right now, I'm treating myself to a bit of relaxing reading time before I have to get ready to leave for my sister's game! What a busy day!!

Pasta con tonno e salsa pomodori olive

Today was a fun afternoon! My sister and I set out for our hair appointments after I finished lunch, and we had a great time talking to Nicole, our stylist, and taking a quick stop at the health food store next door! We got a couple treats for the road; we tried this "healthier" soda, Diet Steaz Sparkling Green Tea, in Raspberry. I wouldn't drink the whole bottle; it does still have some sugar in it, but it was a nice treat and a lot healthier than your average soda! We also bought a bag of unsweetened dried mango, which I had 5 pieces out of.

When we got home, we took pics of our new styles- I just got my hair darkened a little for fall, and she got some layers. I think we look pretty darn cute!

I also had a small 1/2 cup of 0% fage to hold me until dinner.

A couple hours later, I knew what I was craving for dinner- tuna and pasta, but I didn't want to make the same recipe I've made twice before (although I love it!) so I came up with my own, with a few twists and it came out DELICIOUS! I'm so proud of this dish, the flavor was light and mediterannean, but incredibly tasty. I sauteed some tomatoes in a little garlic and a couple tablespoons of olive oil, along with some chopped red onion, capers, black olives sliced, oregano and fresh basil and then let them simmer for a bit. Then I added some spinach and let that wilt, all while my pasta was cooking- I used whole wheat penne. After I drained the pasta, I tossed it with 1 6-oz can chunk light tuna, added my sauce, a bit of fresh black pepper and mixed it well, and then added a few pieces of chopped fresh mozzarella balls to each bowl. It was exactly what I was craving, and filled me up well!


In again tonight, tomorrow is going to be a long day so I need my rest! Then I work all weekend, and then it's move in! I guess it's my last night of lazyness!

What I've got

Late this morning I set out for a run, intending on doing an easy 20-25 minute run, and I ended up feeling great and doing the full 30 minutes! When I got back, I did two sets of the new Self workout (10 reps each), and then decided to make my lunch.

For lunch, I used some leftovers from the fridge to make a quick filling refried bean burrito, using about 1/2-3/4 cup refried beans, 1/4 cup reduced fat cheese and some sriracha hot sauce in a whole wheat tortilla wrap. I heated this up, and had it with some carrots and a nectarine on the side. It was tasty and great re-fuel from my workout!


I'm about to go get changed before my hair appointment, I have no idea what she's going to do, but I'm sure it will be cute- my colorist is amazing!

Attack of the GIGANTIC oatmeal pancake!

Whew, it definately took some arm strength to flip that oatmeal pancake! I used the regular proportions; 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup egg whites, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 a mashed banana and cinnamon. But for some reason, today it took up my whole 7" pan! HUGE! But delicious! I topped it with a tbsp of PB and the other half of the mashed banana, and it was a great protein-packed breakfast, as always! Quick, too- because I soaked the oats overnight in the eggwhites, and just added everything else today. I did cook it about a minute too long, so it got slightly browned, but not burned so it didn't taste any different.

Still one of my favorite breakfasts, of course!

Today I am finishing the packing I didn't get to complete because my friend called, then exercising and this afternoon I have a hair appointment. Just color, I don't have enough money for a full cut/color- but I am in desperate need for a touch up! So that's my day today; tomorrow will be much more busy; I'm planning on going out to breakfast with my cousins, then doing their senior portraits in the afternoon (I dabble in photography; I've done 6 senior portraits already!) and I have plans for some classic beach side dining with my friend Eric in the evening. Today, I'm preparing for tomorrow's craziness!

Nightly Nibbles

Tonight I went into my "Italian chocolate stash" to have my nightly piece of Italian dark chocolate, only to find I had eaten the last piece of bacio- how did I not realize this?!?! So, I had to open the chocolate I've been wanting to try ever since I bought it in Italy- 70% dark, organic Italian dark chocolate!! They're in tiny squares, so I had 4 for my dessert.


A couple hours later, I was ready for my nightly snack, and I knew exactly what I wanted- one of my home-made oatmeal-raisin granola bars! WOAH, are these good! They taste like a treat, which is great for how healthy they are! It was almost like a cookie, the perfect night time snack!

No going out tonight; as I figured- but thats alright, I like the quiet time!

Comfort food and a new look

I had a great afternoon with my mom and sister; we walked up the street (about 10 minutes) to the tennis courts, where we spent about a half an hour playing tennis (terribly, there was more ball-chasing than ball-hitting!) and it was so much fun! Afterwards I got home, had a small protein-packed snack of 1/2 cup cottage cheese and the last couple strawberries.

For dinner, I made a classic comforting meal, baked tofu with sweet potatoes and broccoli. My mom brought home some cubed tofu, and I liked it alot- it would definately work in a stirfry, but tonight I was in the mood for baked tofu, so thats what I made! I used the recipe Jenna from Eat, Live, Run raved about by Miss Gliding Calm, using sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, salt, agave nectar and red pepper flakes. I used one HUGE sweet potato that I microwaved to "bake", and split with my mom, along with some steamed broccoli. It came out great, and was just the right size meal!

I have felt satisfied all day today, never "too hungry" or "too full", which is great! I think I'm becoming more comfortable with portion sizes that work for me.
After dinner, I stopped by the eye doctor's to pick up my new glasses. They seemed to fit perfectly when I was there, now I'm thinking they're a bit loose, but I like the way I look, and I can always get them adjusted!

I have the feeling I might be staying in tonight, if my friend doesn't call with plans. Most likely some more movie-watching and relaxing for me!