Cheese and Chia Cravings

Welcome to What I Ate Wednesday!!

When I work up this morning I was stoked that we were officially halfway through the week.  I can’t wait until the weekend, honestly I can’t wait until we’re done with school this semester!  Anyways, I started the day off with a five fruit protein-packed breakfast cake.  I topped it with peanut butter, maple syrup, and chia seeds.

I was super impressed with the way it turned out.  I honestly may have it tomorrow too it was so good and hit the spot that perfectly.  On my subsequent walk to school I rocked out to Adele and kept up a quick pace since it was 38 degrees out.  I got to school just in time for class where we talked about what happens when the genetic counselor becomes the counselee and what it’s like to live with a child who has special needs.

After class I did research for my role play and then started on my presentation which I have to give on December 8th.  I get to talk about osteogenesis imperfecta and I was excited about it until I realized that there are at least 7 distinct types that I need to address.  Blah.  It’s going to take forever.

While working I got hungry so I chowed down on the lunch I packed.  I had reheated some the last of the leftover curried chicken & broccoli casserole and I had a fuji apple on the side.

Human genetics class rolled around at 2p and we had a guest lecturer who spoke about clinical genetics.  He had a fun section at the end of the class period where he showed pictures and gave clinical findings and we had to diagnose the patient.  It was a fun test of my knowledge and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I knew more than I thought.  I accurately diagnosed quite a few!  Content with myself I headed home while munching on a few brazil nuts.

Once at home I accidentally wasted an hour and a half.  I have planned to work on my role play but I did nothing more than surf the internet for the whole time before heading over to the fitness center at 5:30.  I hopped on the elliptical for 18 minutes where I read de-identified patient records and then the stationary bike for another 18 minutes while reading Mockingjay.  Seriously, I can’t get enough of this series!  I have addicted the following people so far: Jack, mom, and Morgan (a second year GC student).  Who’s next??

I plodded home afterwards (I was seriously tired after the whole long day, week, and tonight’s workout) and started the oven preheating.  At the fitness center I came across this lovely sign:

I got wrapped up in the smell and started craving a cheese pizza so that’s what I set out to make.  I used my normal dough recipe and added some Italian seasoning, garlic, and Mongolian fire spice to the crust.  I precooked it for 5 minutes then lathered it with garlic & basil tomato sauce.  Next came the cheese and I used everything I had in my arsenal: mozzarella, goat, cheddar, and parmesan.  Also, at the last minute, I really wanted onions so I chopped up about two tablespoons and added those to the pizza.

This baby was DELICIOUS and honestly just what I was craving.  I love it when a dinner not only fills your stomach up but also your heart.  It made me really happy and certainly helped me to tackle my role play prep afterwards.  Seriously, I know wayyyy more about pancreatitis than I ever wanted to know.  I was good without knowing, really, I promise I was.

Part of my internet surfing spree in the early afternoon landed me with a recipe idea for chocolate chip cookie bars.  I had read something about chia gel so I decided to 1) make some and 2) devise a recipe to go use it in.

I made a cup of chia gel for myself before going to the fitness center so it was ready when I made my bars.  I was really happy with the results and used a big hunk of bar as the base of my ice cream sundae.

I was going to post the recipe but I think I’m going to use it for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2011.  So come back in mid-December (on or after the 12th) for the details.  I think you’ll love the bars!

Questions: Do you prefer cookies or bars?
Have you ever made or used chia gel?

No Regret

Reasons to not work out tonight:

1. I got home from class and work at 6:40p.

2. It was so cold and rainy outside that my bed looked wayyy too comfortable.

3. My apartment was awesomely warm and cozy.  Outside was not.

4. I was hungry and it was already late.

Reasons to work out tonight:

1. I NEVER regret a workout!

So, as you can probably imagine, I went for a workout after my long day of class and work.  I ended up doing 30 minutes on the elliptical.  My machine’s TV transmitter wasn’t working so I did the whole thing in silence which wasn’t my plan at all. Still, after I finished I felt great and I was happy I did it.

I’m not used to Tuesday being long days because before I became employed I had class from 9-11 and that was it!  Now, however, I finished class at 10:55 and I was at work by 11.  I was on a high though which helped thanks to my fantastic cancer role play earlier in the morning.  Apparently I come off as confident and inviting.  Cool.

I worked until 6p and then took the bus home because I didn’t want to walk home in the pitch dark first of all, and I didn’t want to deal with the slushy rain that was falling.  Ugh.  Have I mentioned that I hate winter, pre-winter, and everything cold??  Well, if I haven’t, I just did.  Honestly, I boycott winter every year and somehow it still comes.  Blah!!!

Aside from it being a long day, it was a tasty day too.  Check it out —>

Breakfast: peanut butter cup oats (steel-cut and rolled oats, wheat germ, chia, chocolate protein powder, almond milk, water, stevia)

Lunch: turkey pepperoni and mozzarella sandwich with aside of bold chex mix, plantain crunchers, and everything bagel pretzels

Snack: red delicious apple (eaten in a hunger frenzy when I got to the bus because I had forgotten to eat all afternoon!)

Dinner: taco baked potato (potato topped with corn, taco seasoning, cheddar cheese) with a chicken sausage on bread with BBQ and cheddar

Dessert: Reese’s s’more and ice cream with caramel, peanut butter/butterscotch chips

Now before I take advantage of this evening to get some more sleep, I present you with a past and present edition of Tune Tuesday:

MMMBop was on Hanson’s first album ever.  It took the world by storm.  My favorite memory of this song revolves around dancing in the rain with my mom to it during a concert she took me to.  Loved that moment.

Been There Before was on Hanson’s latest album when the boys were all grown up.  What a change.

Questions: Did you listen to Hanson as a child, recently, or both?
Do you ever regret a workout?

Re-entry Shock

That’s what my mom calls the first day week back from a vacation.

And boy, was I feeling it today.

I woke up pretty tired at 7:30 and made myself breakfast after I packed everything up for the day at school.  On the menu: piece of toast with a smashed poached egg, salsa, and nutritional yeast on top.

It was a nice hearty yet light breakfast and it was my first time tasting the new salsa mom sent me home with.  I liked it, so that’s a positive.

I walked to school and our Communications class was full of role plays this morning.  Three people went today and three go tomorrow (myself included).  Our subject this time is cancer so it’s a brand new field to be role play counseling in. I don’t feel super comfortable with the information yet so we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.

After class was dismissed I went back to the student room to make some adjustments to my own role play outline.  I snacked on an apple while making changes.

Eventually I had the outline tweaked to my satisfaction and when I stopped to think about what I wanted to do next, I found I was hungry.  In response to that, I heated up my leftover buffalo mac and cheese and almost burned my tongue trying to eat it. A few seconds too long in the microwave I think…

Metabolism class was at 1p and it focused on mucopolysaccharidoses.  Human genetics followed and we talked about cancer genetics.  How convenient, huh?  I’ll admit that I completely fell asleep in both of the classes.  I obviously need more sleep.

It was raining when I left school so I took the bus.  While I was doing my normal people watching from my seat, I also munched on some peanut butter cheddar crackers I picked up back at the end of my first 5K.

Once home I worked a bit and then decided some sweat was in order.  I changed and did 18 minutes on the stationary bike as well as 18 minutes on the elliptical.  I then hit the weight room for a machine driven circuit:

• Leg press – 80lbs
• Lat pull – 40lbs
• Calf press – 80lbs
• Leg extension – 40lbs
• Chest press – 40lbs (maybe 30lbs…the pound marks were rubbed off)

Back at the apartment, I showered and quickly blanched some spinach tortellini.  I combined that with leftover curried chicken & broccoli casserole (from the night that Jack and I cooked on the motorhome) and had some carrots/celery with BBQ on the side.

A well rounded and delicious meal indeed.  After dinner I practiced my role play, set up direct deposit for my new job, and e-mailed my grandpa.  I also indulged in a bit of ice cream with caramel.

At this point though, my bed is calling yelling at me to join it for a dream party.  I am inclined to oblige.  Sleep well world!

Question: How was your first day back to work/school/the grind?

Last Day Lemonade

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Today’s lemons = last day of vacation.
Today’s lemonade = great eats!

I hate the final day of vacation.  They always feel like a let down no matter what.

Well, while today was the last day of Thanksgiving break and on the whole it was far from a let down.  The morning was a bit sad, I give you that, since we had to say goodbye to my mom and dad.  I hate doing that especially when I don’t know when I’m going to see them again.  I hope soon but I don’t know at this point.  Maybe spring break or something like that…

Jack and I headed out at 6:30am, bright and early.  We had nutrition bars on the road and Jack quickly nodded off.  I did the next two and a half hours by myself with my iTouch blasting all sorts of music.  I swear I get music ADD.  I was changing the artist and song every other track.  I couldn’t figure out what I wanted!  Finally we reached Louisville and we stopped for brunch at Lynn’s Paradise Café.

I saw it on the Food Network and swore to myself I would try it out.  Since Jack and I would be passing through, no detour required, I thought this would be the perfect time.  When we arrived at 10:30 there was a 10-20 minute wait but we were actually seated fairly quickly.  After perusing the menu we decided on a breakfast and a lunch selection.  I chose the Bourbon Ball French Toast and Jack ordered the Bourbon Trail Burger with sweet potato fries on the side.

Let me just say: brace yourself.  The food in the following pictures will blow your mind!

Both of these dishes were incredible.  I was so lost in my plate of French toast it was all I could do to carry on conversation and not bury my face in it.  Happiness abounded for sure.

The burger and fries were great too.  The mix of flavors on the burger was something neither of us had ever had before so that was fun and the sweet potato fries had a nice cinnamon spice on them.  I loved the couple bites I had.  Basically, the whole experience was fantastic.  I’m soooooo glad we stopped but with full bellies, we headed the last two hours for home.  On the way we shared a derby pie milkshake we got to go from Lynn’s.

Sippable deliciousness!

We arrived around 2p and promptly unloaded (unpacked not so much) the car.  We showered and did some work and then headed off to Jack’s mother’s house for dinner.  We hadn’t seen her or her boyfriend in a while so it was nice to catch up.  We had a dinner of bubbly pasta with mozzarella and parmesan cheese and a side of balsamic roasted carrots, onions, and brussel sprouts.

For dessert we had small glasses of chocolate wine and some (unpictured) oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

The wine was basically a less acidic version of Baileys.  So essentially, it was a total WIN.  I might need to pick some up soon.  Who knows, I may totally need it in these coming weeks.  The last two weeks of classes and a week of finals… Ugh.

With that, ladies and gentlemen, I am off to bed.  I have not unpacked and all.  I have not done any more work on my role play.  I have not packed for tomorrow.  Blah.  I hope these next few weeks slide by easily.  Here’s hoping!

Questions: Have you ever had derby pie?
How many more weeks of school do you have?

The Blog Post That Wasn’t

So I had this whole blog post written.
It took me over an hour.
It was super detailed.
And now it’s also super DISAPPEARED.

I’m ticked off.
I need to go to bed.
I have to get up and drive in the morning.

So I suppose I’ll just leave you tonight with this happy family picture.
It’s been great to spend time with my parents over vacation.

Maybe tomorrow or some day I’ll recap what I lost…

I sincerely hope your night ended better than mine.

Exploring Nashville

I am very happy it was only Friday today and not Sunday.  I honestly kept thinking yesterday was our last day here so it was nice to wake up and realize that we had two more whole days to spend vacationing with my family.

I woke up around 8:00 this morning (yes, no Black Friday shopping for me) and had breakfast with mom and dad.  I made a small mess of greek yogurt, organic raisin bran, coconut, and chia seeds.

It was small and it seemed like less than I normally eat but I let it go.  It actually managed to keep me full for a while afterwards as mom and I did some grocery shopping.  We picked up oranges, cream of mushroom soup, chicken, broccoli, and some other stuff.  It’s Jack and my turn to make dinner tomorrow so we had to stock up.  Mom and I returned to the motorhome just in time to clean up some breakfast dishes and rehydrate some pineapple slices before the four of us headed out to explore Nashville.

We hit up Broadway street and walked around taking in all of the sights.  There were some places that looked familiar whether it be from back home or from the movies which made them fun to see.  We also were very touristy and took pictures were large men and sundaes.  =D

At the end of the street there was this wonderful little park.  We took in the scenery for a bit including some interesting artwork and our shadows.

When we headed back onto Broadway street the beginnings of hunger had started to set in so we stopped for lunch at a local brewery.

We decided to sit in the bar area and my parents ordered some brews that were made in house.  I decided to try their winter beer and it came in this adorable little shot glass.

It supposedly had notes of caramel and toffee.  I’ll admit I couldn’t taste them but what I did taste wasn’t that bad.  I’m not a beer person so that’s certainly saying something coming from me.  For eats, I ordered the seafood cobb salad with a side of light balsamic vinaigrette.

I subbed out the pepper jack/cheddar cheese for some awesome, creamy, dreamy goat cheese.  Boy, the whole bowl was awesome.  I really enjoyed the real crab and shrimp along with all the other components.  Every bite was different!  While I was munching on my salad though, Jack was unhinging his jaw to tackle his burger and side of fries.

The whole lunch was delicious and we had a nice relaxed time.  Afterwards we headed out to do a bit of shopping and by shopping I mean tacky gift shop perusing.  Believe you me, there was plenty to choose from for sure.  Here are some of the cute highlights including a ton of really funnily named scents.

I ended up with something not so tacky.  Last Friday I broke my ID card holder so I knew I needed another one at some point before break ended.  I did not however anticipate finding such a darn cute one so soon!  It certainly has my style written all over it.  =D  Yay for orange and pink!

With gifts in hand we meandered around to the Nashville Country Music Hall of Fame. 

Unfortunately it was $20 a person to go in so we hung out in the lobby for a few minutes instead.  There was really nice music to listen to being played by a man with a guitar.

Having our fill of the atrium, we walked back to Broadway and found seats at a local landmark: Tootsies!

In the upstairs music room we listened to a local threesome play all sorts of songs.

I even give them props for playing a Taylor Swift song on the fly that they had never played before.  I was mildly impressed.  They all had pretty crazy southern drawls which, for me, got a bit annoying by the end.  It was fun to sit in that atmosphere though and it made me wonder if every Friday was like this or if because it was Black Friday this was an exception.  No idea, but it was fun while it lasted.

Our foursome headed home soon after the Taylor Swift song and we spent the remainder of the afternoon sitting around the motorhome reading and laughing.  Our puppy Tasha spent her nap time leisurely laying over Jack’s leg.  It was adorable.

I finished the last bit of Catching Fire (book two of The Hunger Games trilogy) and immediately dove into book three: Mockingjay. 

I got a few pages in and realized I should look over an ethics essay from a friend.  I spent the hour before dinner doing editing and finally took a break to sit down to a great plate of food.  We had salmon cooked in a foil packet with an orange slice topped with a red onion-pineapple salsa, sweet potato/pineapple casserole, and asparagus.

Over dinner we engaged in a crazy heated (in a good way, not an angry way) discussion about whether or not Kara Thrace (aka Starbuck) was an angel or a cylon-human hybrid.  It was basically dad, Jack, and myself against mom.  The lopsidedness made for a pretty funny conversation.  =P  By the way, if none of that made any sense to you, you should really take up watching SciFi’s new imagining of Battlestar Galactica starting from the miniseries.  Trust me, you won’t regret it.

When our discussion came to a moment where we could all breathe, we readied dessert in the form of the last bit of fudge pie with some vanilla ice cream.

It was very good and chocolatey but I wasn’t satisfied on the whole.  I hate feeling like that.  I know I’ve had enough food.  I know it was good food, tasty food but for some reason I just don’t feel full or satisfied or complete.  I don’t really know what to do about it either.  I think it’s more mental than physical but I have no idea really.

The feeling subsided as we watched an episode of CSI: NY and now we’re watching Blue Bloods sort of half heartedly.  I think I’ll sign off now, make up the couch into a bed, and read until I feel tired enough to go to bed.  I don’t know what tomorrow holds though I think I might try to go for a run at some point.  We’ll see how things go.  Have a lovely weekend!

Questions: Did you participate in Black Friday?
Are you planning on partaking in Shop Small Saturday?