Good Start

This morning I woke up and made myself a pumpkin yogurt parfait. It was very good, but I wasn't satisfied for very long before I was hungry again.



I am quite pleased by my breakfast pics lately. :)

I was counting down the minutes until 2:45 because that is when my Thanksgiving break started! Yep, that's right, I have a full 10 days off (including weekends) for my break. (However, I still have three papers due the week after Thanksgiving. Grrr.)

Lunch was not that great today. I didn't have much in my pantry so I had an apple, half a banana, and half a bagel with peanut butter.

After class, I went on a 4.5 mile run. It felt good, but I am sick of running at the same place and am ready for some new scenery. I am running the Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving morning - I am starting to get pumped up about it!

I was hungry after my run so I had a snack. One orange and a small bowl of granola with milk. It hit the spot nicely.

I showered, did some packing, cleaned my room, and started making dinner, which was SO GOOD! I had tilapia (with tons of lemon, lemon zest, and EVOO), broccoli, and homemade sweet potato chips (with a little ketchup). I was going to put fresh basil on the tilapia but I totally forgot! I was hungry! The sweet potato chip idea came from Kath's delicious looking lunch.



I REALLY wish I was better at taking food pictures. Practice makes perfect, right? I hope...

And FINALLY for dessert I made a PUMPKIN MILKSHAKE. I had been wanting to make this for two weeks now, but wanted to save it for the right occasion. It was the perfect start to my Thanksgiving break! Here is the recipe from Nutrition to Kitchen:

2 cups light vanilla bean ice cream
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
optional: 1 thin ginger cookie, crushed, for crumbling on top

Preparation:

1. Blend all ingredients, except for the cookie, together. Divide milkshake evenly among two glasses and sprinkle with ginger cookie crumbs. Serve.

I sp1it into thirds to share with my roommates!

PS - I couldn't post the pictures, because they were just too awful. I am sure I will make it again though, and I will post pictures!

Cheers!

It's Official...#2

I joined the sushi club! I tried Sushi for the first time today and I loved it! I Wish I had my camera to take pictures of the giant BOAT filled with sushi my friends and I had, but I didn't have it with me. :( I will try to remember all the names:

Bagel roll - salmon, cream cheese, and rice in a FRIED bagel! YUM!
Philly roll

Okay, sadly, I can't remember any of the other names, and we ordered six different kinds! They were all so good!

I have been enjoying a lot of first's lately. :) I love trying new things!

<3

Kimberly

It's Official...

...I joined the Glee Club! Tonight I watched Glee for the first time with my roomies and I loved it! I am going to have to add "Watch Season One of Glee" on my Thanksgiving To Do list. ;)

Earlier today I went on a 3.5 mile run. My first run in a week! It felt pretty good for the most part. I was a little tired, but that's expected.

I brought along my new watch and heart monitor! It was a pre-half marathon race gift from my mom. It calculates my heart rate and calories burned!



I didn't even burn 200 calories for a thirty minute run (191 to be exact)! Whaaa?! I was hoping for a solid 300. I guess I'll take what I can get. :)

I got some homework and laundry done. I already started packing for my Thanksgiving vacation! (I get excited.)

For dinner, I decided on a spinach, tomato, and italian cheese omelet on a tortilla! It hit the spot!



It was easy to roll up and eat. The picture doesn't give it's delicious taste justice.

+ one piece of chocolate and 2 small cookies for dessert.

Time to get ready for bed! I have a long day tomorrow.

<3

Kimberly

Bad Oatmeal, Good Picture

This morning, I woke up very excited for my pumpkin oatmeal. I followed Kath's recipe for her pumpkin oatmeal with a few adjustments:
http://www.katheats.com/pumpkin-wars/

I had high hopes for this oatmeal. I mean, look how beautiful it was!



So far this is my favorite picture I have taken of food! I am so proud! The leaves in the background, the colors and details in the oatmeal. It just screams fall! (The rest of the pictures do not look like this!)

Pumpkin oats with 1/3 cup skim milk, 1/3 cup oats, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 of a thinly sliced banana, pinch of salt, 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, vanilla, and pumpkin spice. Topped with a sprinkle of brown sugar, cinnamon raisin granola, and coconut. Well, the problem came about when I realized I used WAY too much pumpkin spice! It tasted really spicy, not the nice sweet taste pumpkin spice usually has. I thought I could negate it by adding more sugar. Nope. It made it worse! I still ate about half of it. I was dissappointed, because I had to eat cereal instead with the rest of my banana.

On the plus side, I stayed full until noon! Two of my classes were canceled today, so I went home early and made myself lunch.



A bagel with herbed brie cheese and ham, broccoli, and my fist Persimmon EVER. I found it to taste very similar to a melon. I'm sorry to say that I wasn't a huge fan. I didn't finish it. It was very ripe. I don't know if that had anything to do with it. I do have another one, so I am going to give it another chance tomorrow. Since, I threw the persimmon away I decided to enjoy an apple with vanilla yogurt and granola.



+ a small cookie for dessert!

I am going running today! YEY!

Busy Weekend

Whew! This weekend was so fast, but so fun!

On Saturday: Joe and I went for a bike ride with our friend Matt. Matt is the pro-biker of the group and has been road biking for years.



My awesome bike!



We went for 20 miles, with a few rolling hills with one tough hill! At least, it was tough for me. My bike muscles have not matured! I need more practice.

Afterward, Joe and I went to Papa's and Beer for lunch! :)



Two Enchilada's with chicken and beans and rice. Ate only one Enchilada, most of the rice, and about half of the beans. It was sooooooo good!



Unfortunately, that night we had to head back to school. We said our goodbyes to our families. It was so sad because our visit went so quickly, but we will see them again next week for Thanksgiving!

On Sunday, my mom met up with me at Joe's apartment. I was going to be alone for the day, because he had a climbing event to lead with his school. My mom decided to come hang out with me for the day, so I wouldn't be alone. So nice of her. :)

We went to IKEA, ate lunch at Carraba's (we shared the chicken trio!) and the mall. We bought lots of stuff including a new helmet, biking pants, a blazer from Banana Republic, and a new top from the loft.

Joe eventually met up with us and we got frozen yogurt at Yogurt Mountain! The yogurt is self serve. There is a huge bar of toppings with different fruits, candies, cookies, and granola. The cost is 45 cents/ounce. It was fun making my own concoction.



Mine was Pumpkin Yogurt with graham cracker crumbs, oatmeal cookie chunks, and coconut.



This is Joe's...not even sure what is in it!



<3



Back to the old grind! I have lots of reading to get through tonight! I am already thinking about breakfast in the morning!!

Time Flies

So far this weekend has been really fun, but it's going by way too fast!

On Thursday night, Joe and I arrived back home at 7 o'clock and picked up his sister and brother and headed straight for Mellow Mushroom! It has a really unique atmosphere, the waiters and waitresses are really friendly, and, of course, the food rocks! We split between the four of us a Caesar Salad and a large Hawaiian pizza. Afterward, we met up with some of our old friends.

On Friday, Joe and I ate at 12 Bones Smokehouse for lunch! 12 Bones has the best BBQ you will ever have. They have chicken, turkey, and pork. They have specialty sandwiches (Joe's favorite is the Smoked Turkey with sugar bacon, brie cheese, and pesto mayo!) and salad's. You can pick two sides, such as mac n cheese, buttered green beans, mashed sweet potatoes, baked beans, corn pudding etc. etc. It's delicious!



Pork plate topped with sweet tomato bbq sauce with green beans, mashed sweet potatoes, and corn bread. YUM!





Afterward we went on a short hike. The mountains look absolutely beautiful in the fall with colors of red, orange, and yellow. The mountains have a golden glow when the sun hits them just right.



After the hike, I showered and got ready for our friend's father's surprise birthday party.

It was at a new Italian restaurant called Trivinia. Free food and drinks all around!

Appetizer plate!



Pumpkin cheesecake! I had to nibble before I took the picture!



A belly dancer!





They threw a great party!

Wednesday's...

...are always a long day for me. I have class from 9 in the morning to 6 at night. I woke up a few minutes early today to make myself some oatmeal. I felt good and was energized and sore from a workout I did yesterday! (I love that feeling!)

Strawberry Banana oatmeal. Check it out:



It was nice and warm and filling for a chilly morning.

I worked with 7th grade students today. We are making a music video based on the book The Outsiders. After a lot of planning, today we finally recorded the music video. It was really fun to see middle school students let go of their inhibitions and have fun dancing to the music video. Every week I have really enjoyed working with them.

I had a quick break in between classes to make some lunch at home. It was tuna with a little mayo on spinach leaves and multi-grain bread and an apple and sharp cheddar cheese. I would have photographed it, but it was not the most visually appealing lunch (and I am not the best food stylist, either). I also enjoyed a piece of my strawberry yogurt cake for dessert. I love that cake! It's so dense and moist. You have to try it!

When I headed back to school for my final class of the day I tried an Odwalla granola bar for a snack. It was pretty good, but I still think I like Cliff or Luna bars the best.
During class, I received a text from my friend Nicole asking if I would want to join her and Ida for a pilates/yoga class tonight. I did not want to pass that up! I agreed, but I had to rush home and eat dinner very fast to make it to the class on time. My only choice was to pick up a healthy choice dinner because I have NOTHING in my kitchen. It was OK and I didn't have time to relax and eat. I grabbed an apple on the go and made it to the class. The class was a bit of a challenge, but the instructor was BORING. She was not engaging at all and didn't even act happy to be there! I don't plan on going to her class again, but exercising in the company of my two friends was very nice.

I think not eating a fulfilling dinner definitely caused me to indulge in the goodies when I got home. I made some chocolate banana smoothies to share with my roomies.



With this packet of chocolate you add one large, ripe banana, ice, and skim milk. They are so good, and not a lot of calories. A guilt free treat, if you will. Then, I had ANOTHER piece of my delicious cake. I probably shouldn't have eaten the piece of cake, but, oh well, I'll live.

I need to start packing! I am heading home tomorrow! :)