Saturday, October 30, 2010

My Favorite Pizza

I woke up early this morning to take an online test and to finish off my pumpkin oatmeal. Oh, it was good. I also had a banana with peanut butter. Oh, it was good.

You know what else is good? Watching the Rally to Restore Sanity while eating homemade pizza!



My half = avocado, pineapple, and fresh basil = my new favorite pizza
Joe's half = pineapple and ham
I used a Pillsbury crust and I think it turned out pretty good!

I had mine with a basic, green salad with spinach and green peppers with some salad dressing.



We ate the whole thing - and snacked on some cinnamon raisin cookies, too (just a few bites for me).

After watching the rally, Joe and I went on a run in Umstead National Park. I was SO happy while I was running, because my foot didn't hurt! It made me so energetic throughout the run. I could hardly think about being tired because I kept on thinking about how my foot felt so good! Running on dirt trails definitely makes a difference - I hate running on concrete. I was spoiled as a runner in Asheville, because I always ran on a dirt trail.

Next it was time for our Halloween celebration with my roommates!!


Holly, Katie, Andrea, Elizabeth and I

Elizabeth and her boyfriend, Amir, made everyone dinner! They made chicken and pepper kabobs and a chicken stir fry with broccoli and carrots. It was delicious!

Joe and I went as Ali and Noah from the Notebook! I was so surprised he even agreed to do this - he is such a sweetheart!



Even the dog was in costume!



It turned out to be a great evening, despite the night being a little chilly!



On Sunday, Joe and I had eggs, raisin bran, and fruit for breakfast. I am ready to get back into the swing of things after indulging all weekend!

We enjoyed the day together by going on a walk.
I love walking in beautiful neighborhoods :)



We stumbled upon a Monster Dash 5k! Wish I could have been racing!



The runners were dressed up in Halloween costumes! It looked like so much fun!

Sadly, after our lovely afternoon walk (and fun weekend), Joe had to leave. I already miss him so much!

Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Pumpkin Oatmeal

This morning I woke up at 7 am to meet my friend Nicole to go on a run. She told me about the half marathon (which is next week!)and is participating in it, as well. Here is a picture of Nicole and I:


Me on the left, Nicole on the right.
It was at a party a couple of years ago, hence the strange get-up.

We planned on running a good, long run, but I could only make it four miles before my foot started hurting. It was very disappointing because the past couple of days my foot hasn't been hurting at all. The race is coming up and I am hoping that I can just finish at this point. :/

We stopped running early and I went home and decided to cook up some pumpkin oatmeal to make me feel better! I used the recipe from the blog goodLife {eats}. Follow the link to see the recipe (and a really awesome blog, too!):





It was really yummy and I have some leftover for the next couple of days! Yay!
I also had some yogurt with sliced apple, too. Can't get enough of that stuff!

Later, I went to class and ate half a banana as a snack (I had the other half for breakfast with peanut butter before my run). Then, I went to the grocery store! I was in there for about an hour just to get a few things! I think my problem is that I have trouble finding certain things in the grocery store (and some things I wanted I never found, so I have to go back tomorrow). But I have some good ideas for delicious meals this weekend, and I can't wait to post them!

By the time I got home it was four o'clock! I was really hungry. I hate late lunches, because then I am not hungry at dinner time and end up eating dinner late, as well. I had tuna on toast (x2) and some yogurt (and a few mini candies after that). I did really well about not eating any sweets yesterday! I was so proud (they are my weakness, big time).

Dinner rolled around and I had some leftovers: chicken, rice, and baked beans. It was okay...my dinner plans for this weekend are MUCH better and better for you, too.

Joe is going to be here soon! :)

Monday, October 25, 2010

New Friend

After my evening class today, I went to the grocery store. I was in dire need for yogurt! I browsed and selected other random things, like old fashioned oats to make my own oatmeal. By the time I left the store I didn't realize how hungry I was. It was seven o'clock! I still had dinner to make...

Luckily, as I walked into the door my roommate's were making chicken and rice and offered me some. I was delighted to partake and it was really good! Thanks Katie and Chandler!

Later, I "studied" and made a new friend. Meet Luka.



He is my roommate's cat and is so adorable. I am a cat person. I always receive cat related things as presents. I had a cat of my own, but she died my senior year of high school. I have been a cat for Halloween for many years (You don't need to know how many, because it might freak you out.) However, this year, I am dressing up as something different for Halloween...

You will find out soon enough.
Sweet Dreams!

Running Low

This morning, I woke up at 8 am to do short easy run. I ran three miles yesterday, as well. Needless to say, after not running for a week I was tired, but I am not going to let that get me down. I am just going to make the best of race day and have fun!

But back to today...I ate half a banana with some peanut butter for some energy. I didn't get going until 8:45.

I ran three miles. The loop that I usually run at is fairly hilly. My foot hurt a little bit, but I made sure to stretch really well after my run. I plan to take a day or so off of running to give my foot a rest.

When I got back to my apartment I made myself breakfast. I had whole wheat toast with strawberry preservatives, two scrambled eggs, and some cantaloupe. It was really yummy and held me over (while I studied for my anthropology test) until twelve thirty for lunch.

Chicken Noodle Soup was for lunch. It's still yummy and delicious and it warms my soul. Unfortunately, I was craving something sweet after my soup and usually I will have a yogurt with fruit to curb a sweet craving but I had no more yogurt or fruit! So I ended up indulging in two small cookies...and a few bites of a homemade rice crispy treat... :/ I think it's time to get some yogurt and fruit after class tonight!

After lunch, I headed to a nearby middle school where I tutor. I am studying Middle School education with a concentration in language arts and social studies. I tutor for about an hour at least once a week. So far I have enjoyed working with individual students.

That's all for right now...
On to studying more anthropology!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Fall Festivities

This weekend was so much fun!

After breakfast on Saturday morning, Joe and I went to the mall. Joe wanted to purchase some new winter gloves and a hat (I think he is eager for the ski season!). He also bought part of his Halloween costume! Then, we stopped in Williams-Sonoma "just to browse" (actually more like, dream). I dreamed about all of the various jars of pumpkin I could buy: Pecan Pumpkin Butter, Pumpkin Curry, and Pumpkin Parmesan. But at 10+ bucks a pop, I had to refrain.

Joe got a kick out of the Star Wars Display.


Joe insisted that I buy a peeler. I tend to make him peel produce in the kitchen, and I don't have a peeler so he always groans about having to peel with a knife. I had no complaints about buying it! It was my first official Williams-Sonoma purchase at $3.50! It's absolutely glorious!

At my apartment, I had homemade chicken noodle soup waiting for us in the crockpot. I also made BLT sandwiches. The soup was really good with lots of chunky vegetables and big pieces of chicken. I have plenty of leftovers! :)

After lounging around for a while, we headed out for a night at the North Carolina State Fair.

I was determined to: 1. eat fair food and 2. go on the PERFECT Ferris wheel ride with my man.

We successfully accomplished task one. We had hot dogs/corn dogs and fries for dinner. For some reason my hot dog was a bright red color, which kind of freaked me out. But I decided to not ask questions and just eat it. :/ For dessert, a frozen chocolate covered banana with nuts and sprinkles. YUM.

As for the second task, there were three different Ferris wheels I had to pick from. Joe swore they were all the same. I swore one was more fun than the other. We walked all around the fair together and we picked the perfect one.



We waited in line, handed in our tickets, and climbed aboard. Just as we reached the top of the ride, fireworks started going off!



How awesome is that?!


Perfect Ferris wheel ride with my man = success.

On Sunday (the sad day Joe has to leave), we carved a HUGE pumpkin.



We had a few choices of what we wanted to carve. The verdict...



The winking pumpkin!


The Amazing Pumpkin Carver. :)

Happy Fall!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Lovely Fall Day

I love fall. I love the changing leaves, the weather, and THE FOOD! And today was such a beautiful fall day.

After breakfast, Joe and I went to a park and had a picnic.

It consisted of sharp cheddar cheese, apples, pita chips and hummus, and chocolate and toasted coconut covered graham crackers (I made those!)





Chocolate and toasted coconut covered graham crackers! (Courtesy of Martha Stewart)
They were SO good and really easy to make. Joe ate almost all of them in one sitting!

After our picnic, we climbed on a couple of man made boulders within the park. Joe LOVES to rock climb. He had been wanting to visit the park for a while and today was definitely a great day for it.

I saw paved running trails within the park and I was DYING to go for a run. My foot feels a lot better but I still don't think I am ready to start running again. I think by next week I will be able to run easily/cycle, just to get some easy training in before the race.


He looks like Spiderman!

When we finished climbing we decided it was to nice to go back inside. So, we went on a walk at the Arboretum.


Hybrid Tea Rose. They smelled amazing.


Joe peeking out of the bushes!


Later for dinner I made Joe grilled Kielbasa sausage with a traditional German potato salad (it has bacon in it!) It was not the most healthy dinner but we enjoyed it :)

And for dessert some apple danish!


(apple danish in the making)

After dinner, we saw a late night movie (we see A LOT of movies). We saw Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. It was pretty good. Joe seemed to really like it. There was a little love story involved, which I always like. :)

I gotta run! I should be studying for the three tests I have this week!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Grocery Store Blues

I got my flu shot today. Have you been vaccinated yet? Every year since I have been in college, I have been vaccinated. Yucky stuff goes around at college campuses.

After class and my vaccination, I went to the grocery store to get groceries for the weekend. I was in there for an hour and forty five minutes. I spent thirty dollars. It was one of those days. As a fairly new foodie, I have serious indecisive issues. Many questions fly through my head as I shop. "Should I try this? Is this healthy? Should I spend the money?" Hopefully, as time goes on, I will become a more efficient grocery shopper. Like everything, it takes practice, which is fine with me. :)

And FINALLY today was the first day I have gotten a chance to bake in a four weeks. It made me happy.

I have a few pictures of my baking projects but for some reason they are having trouble loading. So I will try to post them another time.

Joe is on his way and should be here soon, I will post updates about our weekend.

Cheers!

PS - Here, is a foot update: It still hurts. Not as badly, though. I did some calf and foot stretches today and I am hoping those will help.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Whoops!

I am disappointed in myself for not keeping up with my blog as well as I had originally hoped. But for the sake of my mother, and whoever else may read this I will try to revive my blog as best as I can. School and driving back and forth to see Joe has kept me pretty busy lately. I have also taken on the challenge of running a half marathon. Unfortunately, just recently I have developed a foot injury and it has set back my training. I am just hoping that it will be all better by race day, which is in a couple of weeks. This weekend Joe is coming to visit me (we attend different colleges), so I am really excited about cooking for him this weekend. I have some good ideas brewing in my mind. :)

It is getting late now, and I need to wake up early for class tomorrow!