Dinner + Dessert

Oh. My. Gawd. I just ate two of my pumpkin chocolate chip muffins I made last night. They are SO moist and good - with lots of delicious chocolate-y pumpkin-y flavor. Here is a picture, like I promised:



Recipe: http://whatsgabycooking.com/chocolate-chip-pumpkin-muffins/

For dinner tonight I had more broccoli and cheddar soup with a small piece of baguette.

I need to get some sleep! The past few days I it has been painful for me to get out of bed and I almost fell asleep in class today!

Sweet Dreams!

Needs More Pumpkin

This morning I woke up at 6:50. Waking up before the sun comes up just feels unnatural, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

For breakfast, I had vanilla yogurt with organic Cascadian Farms cinnamon raisin granola and a small bowl of cereal.

I took a test today and got to leave class early! Whoo hoo! After my test, the first thing I did was BUY MORE PUMPKIN! It was a steal at Food lion. :)

Just had a snack of a couple crackers and extra sharp white cheddar cheese.

Today, I am going to the middle school to work with a group of seventh graders and I should be getting ready. Getting ready to go to a middle school consists of me trying to make myself look like I am NOT a middle school student. I am reluctant to admit that I do not look like I am 21 years old. Which can be unfortunate right now, but later on it in life it will become a blessing. :)

Happy Baking

Tonight was wonderful because I baked! I didn't bake this past weekend, which is out of the ordinary for me, and I have had the urge to bake for a few days now. Tonight I baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. I used the recipe from What's Gaby Cooking: http://whatsgabycooking.com/chocolate-chip-pumpkin-muffins/

I'll put up pictures tomorrow. :)

For dinner, I had rosemary roasted chicken, broccoli, and a piece of french baguette.



Simple Goodness.

Time for bed!

Books + Soup = Fall Comfort

Yesterday our internet was not working! This was only partially frustrating because I couldn't blog. Other than that, It was kind of a relief because I caught up with reading Time Traveler's Wife. I am loving that book.

Here is my update on yesterday: After my yummy bowl of oats and I had a small snack of yogurt covered raisins (I love yogurt and have it in any form possible). It was a good snack and kept me satisfied for longer than I thought it would.

lunch was yummy and very satisfying! I had a ham sandwich, sliced apple with a dash of cinnamon on top, and Danon light and fit vanilla yogurt with Organic Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Raisin Granola. Unfortunately, I couldn't take a picture of it because my camera ran out of battery. (Technology was bailing on me right and left.)

After lunch, I charged my camera battery and went to class. I came home very excited for dinner. On the menu: Broccoli Cheddar Soup! I followed the Food Network recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/almost-famous-broccoli-cheddar-soup-recipe/index.html

It came out delicious! I enjoyed it with a piece of french baguette on the side! The recipe said to top it with more cheese - but I topped it with more broccoli. I am broccoli's number one fan.





Soup is so comforting. I just love it!

For Dessert: a chocolate cookie courtesy of my roommate, Andrea! :)

I need to study! I have a test tomorrow! My internet should be working for good now - which means you'll see me after dinner! :)

Banana Oatmeal

This morning I slept in until 8:50. Ate my usual half banana and peanut butter and went for a run.

I ran four miles and felt good. My foot only hurt a little bit - I am starting to have high hopes for the half marathon on Sunday! :)

After my run, I went to the store to get some groceries. I grabbed lots of good stuff - including organic granola and some ingredients for dinner this week, which I am very excited about!

When I got home I was hungry for some oatmeal!

I followed the KERF recipe for banana oats - topped with hazlenuts!




Yum-o!



Onward to tutoring!

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!

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! :)