Gone But (Hopefully) Not Forgotten

Greetings from Nashville, everybody! (Or should I say, "ya'all?")

Guys, I am having the time of my life here. Sorry for being the world's crappiest blogger, but understand that the first month of college has been crazy busy. Until I figured out how to effectively manage my time, I unfortunately had to banish blogging to the back burner. But here I am, and I'm happy to be back in the blog world!

I feel like I have so much to tell you guys...I have no idea where to begin! Let me just say: college has been really good for me. I've met so many wonderful people, had a lot of fun nights, and feel right at home here. I can honestly say that there hasn't been a day when I've felt a bout of homesickness, which has surprised me, seeing as I'm so close to my family. Not only have I been too busy to think about home, I'm truly happy at Vanderbilt. Every day, I walk around campus and find myself grinning, content with the knowledge that I've found the right place.

Life

Instead of trying to fill you in on all the memorable events of the past month--which would take a long, long time, since I've had many memorable events since I've been here--I'll simply provide some pictures for your viewing enjoyment. After all, a "picture's worth a thousand words," right??

Food

While I am living life to the fullest right now, I'm also doing my best to eat healthfully, which, so far, hasn't been too difficult an endeavor. The dining halls on campus offer lots of healthy items: fresh fruits and veggies; omelets (egg whites on request) made to order; a beautiful salad bar (complete with my favorite add-in, chickpeas); make-your-own whole-wrap turkey wraps; and so on. I even discovered a lovely little natural food market on the other side of campus, and when I walked in, it was like I'd landed in heaven--a beautiful landscape stocked with Amy's Frozen Meals, Fage greek yogurt, Clif bars, and exotic fresh fruit awaited me.

Here is a sample menu of what I've been eating on campus:

• Breakfast: whipped banana oatbran in my microwave, coffee (I've been converted!)
• Lunch (from cafeteria): Turkey, pepperjack, lettuce, tomato, and sprouts on a whole-wheat wrap; fruit
• Snack: Fage 0% and an apple
• Dinner (cafeteria): Grilled chicken/fish special of the day, side salad from salad bar

But my diet here isn't 100% perfect, because in college, sometimes you gotta let loose! Case in point: Saturday night trips to Wendy's, 2 am nachos at Qdoba, late-night trips to the munchie-mart. You know how it goes.

Although I mainly eat in the cafeterias, here are some examples of the food I eat and keep in my room:

Exercise

In between classes, homework, and socializing, I've been finding the time to exercise, because I've found it's a nice stress-reliever. Although being around peers 24-7 is a blast, exercising is also a good way to simply set aside some time for yourself. On the other side, it can also serve as a social opportunity: a lot of nights, a bunch of girls from my hall will all head over to the Student Rec together for spin or ab classes and then grab some dinner afterward.

So much for spin class (the classes at the Student Rec are abysmal): my newest addiction? Hot yoga! There's a Bikram studio (Hot Yoga Nashville) not too far from campus, perhaps a 20 minute walk, that I've been visiting twice a week. Although I enjoy the traditional Bikram format, my favorite class offered by the studio is the Hot Power Yoga version, which incorporates more of a Vinyasa flow style.

Here is a snapshot of my fitness typical week in college:

* Monday: 35 minutes elliptical, arm weights

* Tuesday: Bikram yoga (w/ a friend)

* Wednesday: 1/2 hour ab class + spin (with girls from my floor)

* Thursday: Hot Power Yoga (my favorite)

* Friday/Saturday: Nothing! I'm too tired after going out...

* Sunday: Spin

In other news, I met the wonderful Heather (also known as HEAB) at a recent blog meet-up!! Heather was kind enough to pick me up from my freshman-year dorm and take me to a wonderful Japanese-fusion restaurant here in Nashville. It was such a tasty dinner and a lovely evening, and I enjoyed getting the opportunity to FINALLY meet another food-blogger in person!

Guys, that's it for tonight--I have some homework to finish up. I can't assure you that I will find the time to post every single day, but I can also promise I won't completely disappear like last time! Good night, everyone! :-)

The Last Supper

Well, guys, tomorrow's the big day. I am mostly indifferent at this point, since the reality of it all hasn't set in yet. As soon as I pull up to the campus, bags in hand, I'm sure to feel the lump in my throat, though!

I'm keeping this post short and sweet, since I have a bit of last-minute packing to do, in addition to enjoying some final time with the family.

Breakfast this morning was cherry-vanilla oatbran:

cherry-vanilla oatbran

In the mix....

• 1/2 cup oatbran
• 1/2 cup vanilla soymilk + 1/2 cup water
• 1 banana
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• toppings: almonds and cherries

For lunch, I invited my best friend and my close guy friend over for a backyard lunch. Back in the day, the three of us were obsessed with black bean burgers. Literally obsessed. So on the lunch menu, I figured it was fitting to take a trip down nostalgia lane and prepare--what else?--black bean burgers. We also noshed on fresh fruit as well as chips and pico de galla.

fruit salad

chips and salsa

burger toppings (cheese, avocado, peppers, lettuce)

my plate

In true foodie fashion, for my last meal, I opted to stay in and cook for my family. Hey, it'll be awhile until I have free reign of a spacious, well-equipped kitchen, right?? On the menu: grilled garlic lime shrimp skewers; pepper and italian sausage kabobs; mashed sweet potatoes; and olive-oil roasted vegetables.

"the last supper"

It was all quite tasty, if I do say so myself. :-)

Since I'm anticipating I won't have a lot of free time the first week or two of college, I'm going to take a mini "blogging hiatus" until I'm completely situated and have gotten a lay of the land. But I promise you, friends, I will be back!! Take care, guys, and thanks for all your tremendous support as I make this monumental transition in my life. You're all awesome.

Nobody Said It Was Easy

The past few days have been filled with packing, goodbyes, and more goodbyes. It's never easy parting ways with close friends and family, but I think the hardest blow will be when I have to say goodbye to my parents on Saturday. But I'm trying not to think about that right now. Oddly enough, now, at the eleventh hour, after weeks of worrying and anxiety, my nerves have all but dissipated, giving way to a strange, calm sense of excitement for what tomorrow brings.

Yesterday, I was feeling 98% better, so I accompanied my mom to a yoga class. I figured yoga would be the perfect way to ease myself into exercise after my fever--after all, all those twists and turns help to churn out bad toxins from the body. Sure enough, I felt very rejuvenated and cleansed afterward. It definitely was nice to get my blood pumping and to work up a sweat (one that wasn't fever-induced, I should say).

Breakfast was pretty basic: whipped banana oatbran topped with chopped almonds and nonfat Greek yogurt.

whipped banana oatbran, greek yogurt, almonds

For lunch, I was craving comfort food, and what's more comforting than mac 'n cheese? I heated up a packet of Annie's Natural White Cheddar Mac 'N Cheese, subbing Greek yogurt in place of milk for a creamier, richer texture. On the side, I also had some steamed broccoli.

organic mac 'n cheese, steamed broccoli

In the afternoon, I became ravenous, most likely because I hadn't eaten very much at all during my illness. To stave off hunger, I munched on some crisp apple slices and a handful of raw almonds. Late afternoon, my friends and I went on a froyo excursion, but I forgot my camera. Boo.

Then, one of my best friends and I went downtown for sushi as a sort of "farewell dinner." I ordered miso soup to start...

...then, we shared an order of salted edamame...

...followed by my sushi of choice, california maki.

It was all delicious, and my friend and I had a wonderful night. It was so sad saying goodbye to her, but I reminded myself that Thanksgiving isn't all that far off! Of course, before leaving the restaurant, we had to commission some poor waitress to take our picture, for tradition's sake:

the two of us

Well, I'll be posting again later tonight for the last time before I make the 9-hour drive down to school. In the meantime, enjoy your Thursday!

Let Them Eat Cake

Hey everybody!

Sorry I've been slacking with commenting and posting these past few days. I came down with a horrible fever, and my lack of energy--combined with my diminished appetite--didn't exactly inspire me to write a blog post. The good news is that I'm feeling a lot better, so by the time I head to school on Friday, I'll be in tip-top shape again!

Anyway, Sunday (prior to the assault of the sick bug) was my sister's birthday, and to celebrate, I volunteered to cook her a birthday cake. Now, I'm not the world's most enthusiastic baker--I find baking a tad too scientific for my liking--but I've always enjoyed making cakes. Cakes, in my opinion, lend themselves to more creativity, more freedom, than, say, a batch of chocolate-chip cookies. I decided to make my favorite cake recipe, Extra-Dark Chocolate Cake, which--let's be honest here--is nowhere close to being healthy, but who cares?? You gotta live a little!

extra dark chocolate cake from scratch

Hungry yet? I certainly did some damage with this cake, eating not one but two substantial pieces. Needless to say, when I woke up the next morning with a temperature of 103, the large glob of chocolate cake sitting at the bottom of my stomach probably didn't help the cause.

The rest of Sunday's eats were pretty healthy. Upon waking, I enjoyed a simple bowl of whipped banana oatbran topped with microwaved blueberries, chopped almonds, and ground flax seed.

whipped banana oatbran, microwaved blueberries, slivered almonds, flax

For lunch, I had a mango, avocado, laughing cow, sprouts and cucumber sandwich on Ezekiel bread alongside carrot sticks.

mango, avocado, laughing cow, cukes + sprouts on Ezekiel bread

When snacktime rolled around, I satisfied my newfound greek yogurt obsession with a container of Fage 0% topped with half a sliced banana and some Kashi H2H cereal.

Fage 0%, sliced banana, Kashi H2H

For my sister's 25th birthday, my family and I went out for dinner to one of our favorite restaurants in the city. I didn't manage to snap any photos for you, but trust me, ya'all, it was amazing. I started off with warm, crusty french bread dipped in olive oil; progressed to a Greek salad; moved on to a main course of pan-seared Mahi-Mahi with apple fennel slaw, white balsamic vinaigrette, and basmati rice; and, of course, to end the evening, one (okay, more like 2) slices of my homemade cake. Perfection.

Okay, guys, since I'm still recovering from my sickness, it's probably time to hit the pillow. Have a good one!

A Minor Forgotten Detail

Hey, everybody! 

Tomorrow marks my last day of work, a prospect that is thoroughly uplifting. Although my experience as a waitress this summer has been surprisingly--I hesitate to say "enjoyable"--bearable, I suppose, I'm definitely clamoring for some rest and relaxation before I head off to college. My total earnings this summer? $1,600. Not bad, but also not great. Especially considering I've already blown away half that amount on clothing!!

This morning, my sweet tooth kicked in, and I knew the perfect solution for that: dark chocolate raspberry oatmeal. This breakfast is essentially healthy, wholesome oatmeal posing as a decadent chocolate cake. 

dark chocolate-raspberry oatmeal

Let me assure you...this breakfast is not as unhealthy as it looks! Quite the contrary, in fact. Don't believe me? Check it out:

In the mix...

• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup vanilla soymilk + 1/2 cup water
• 1 banana
• 2 tsp unsweetened dark chocolate powder
• toppings: raspberries, Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter

After savoring this breakfast, I headed off to a 9:00 am weight-lifting/cardio fusion class entitled "Ultimate Push." The class combined the use of a bosu ball and hand weights for 50 minutes of dynamic strength interval training. As I type this right now, I can already feel the muscle soreness kicking in. Luckily, tomorrow is a planned rest day, so my body will have lots of time to recover before I start the week all over again.

Lunch, which I packed up and brought to work, was another bagel sandwich consisting of hummus, pepperjack cheese, cucumbers, lettuce, and sprouts on a Natural Ovens whole-grain bagel.

pepperjack, hummus, veggies on whole-grain bagel

After vacationing at my cabin for several days, lacking a blender or any other such appliance, I was definitely feeling smoothie-deprived. Naturally, my snack this afternoon was a Green Monster! Oh, how I missed you!

Green monster

I have finally decided on the perfect GM recipe to suit my personal taste preferences. I have found that combining 3/4 cup light vanilla soymilk, 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 ripe banana, 2-3 handfuls of spinach, and a handful of blueberries makes for a nice hint of sweetness without completely drowning out the raw spinach flavor. 

For dinner, I met a friend at one of our favorite restaurants in Milwaukee: Beans & Barley. This cafe, which serves up local, organic vegetarian and vegan cuisine, is a novelty in a city that is still somewhat lagging behind in the whole food revolution. I ordered the large garden salad with balsamic tofu and garden ginger vinaigrette and polished off the whole thing. On the side, I also ate a whole-wheat roll.

garden salad with grilled balsamic-marinated tofu

fresh, crisp, delicious

whole-wheat roll

The beautiful Jessica over at Platelicker pointed out yesterday a very crucial piece of information that I failed to tell you about. Remember how in this post I discussed my clandestine photo-snapping operation, which was all because I feared my parents would disapprove of my food blog? Well, at the prodding of my sister, I finally approached my parents and showed them everything. Much to my utter surprise, they were incredibly enthusiastic and supportive about my endeavor, and my dad has even been proudly gushing about my blog to family friends. 

Who'da thunk? I suppose this was a good lesson about not making brash, unfair assumptions. I shouldn't have leapt to the hasty conclusion that my parents wouldn't support my blog. Now, I feel like a heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Let me tell you--the quality of my food pictures has drastically increased now that I can snap away carefree!

Okay, guys. I have some college prep stuff to tackle right now. Have a glorious Saturday night!

Timebomb Tickin'

Hey, everybody! 

Hope you like the new blog layout! It was actually my mom who incited the makeover by pointing out the other day that I'm technically not authorized to "borrow" a photograph off the internet for use as a blog header. Solving the dilemma was simple: I just grabbed my camera and snapped a picture of my own. Considering I practically failed Digital Photography class senior year (ehh, what did it matter? I had already gotten into college, anyway), I'm pretty impressed with how it turned out, if I do say so myself. 

Well, guys...I leave for college a week from today. During these next seven days, I have so much to do that my head is spinning. Things to buy, farewells to be said, goodbye functions to attend. Adding to the stress, I'm still working a few more shifts this week, making my time very limited. 

It's official: the final countdown to college has begun! 

My emotions, at this point, are mixed. On the one hand I'm excited, but another part of my mind is clouded over with last-minute doubts and uncertainties. I've always been someone who's clung to the comfort of routine, of familiarity, so I definitely have a huge adjustment ahead of me. But isn't that a huge component of life, coping with change?? I guess this will prove to be a valuable challenge for me to face.

Breakfast this morning was a repeat of last week's: pumpkin-pie oatbran. I can't get enough of the stuff! It's really good, but definitely filling!

pumpkin-banana oatbran

In the mix...

• 1/2 c. Quaker oatbran
• 1/2 c. light vanilla soy + 1/2 cup water
• 1 banana
• 1/2 c. pumpkin
• cinnamon, nutmeg
• toppings: chopped almonds and Oikos nonfat Greek yogurt

Lunch was a sandwich I dearly missed while on vacation: smashed avocado, pepperjack, and veggies on Ezekiel bread.

avocado, pepperjack, veggies

side of pineapple, kiwi, raspberries

For an early dinner before work, I prepared teryaki-glazed salmon alongside steamed veggies and 1 cup of brown rice. It was a satisfying, delicious, and healthy meal.

teriyaki glazed salmon, brown rice, veggies

For a bedtime snack after work, I dusted off a container of Oikos Nonfat Plain yogurt, which I spruced up with strawberries, blueberries, chopped almonds, and a drizzle of honey.

Oikos nonfat vanilla yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, honey

I'm going to be honest here: the first time I tried a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt--say, 3 months ago--I practically retched. To me, it tasted so bland, so sour. But miraculously, after giving it the time of day, the flavor has really grown on me, and now I irrevocably love the stuff. Perhaps Greek yogurt is merely an acquired taste? All I know is that I'm officially addicted!!

Ok, guys, I'm heading off to bed soon. Have a wonderful Friday night!

Back From the Boondocks

Hey, everyone! 

I just returned from our family's cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. I had a great time, but part of me is relieved to be home. For one thing, I'm somewhat of a city girl, and the sheer isolation of our cabin--which is tucked deep in the woods, a good half hour drive from the nearest semblance of a "town" (if you could even call it that)--is unsettling after awhile. Also, I leave for college a week from tomorrow (!!!!!), and before I leave there are so many things I still have to do, so many people I want to see. But the weather Up-North was absolutely beautiful, and I enjoyed being able to squeeze in one final family vacation before college.

While at my cabin, I did manage to snap a few food photos for your viewing pleasure, although most of my dinners, which were primarily eaten at run-down, smoke-infused Wisconsin supper clubs, went unpictured (for obvious reasons). Let's just say I wasn't munching on tofu or chickpeas.

Breakfasts

Kashi Heart-to-Heart warm cinnamon cereal, raspberries, and a peach

whipped banana oatmeal, peaches, walnuts, cinnamon

whipped banana oatbran with pecans

strawberry-banana overnight oatmeal (1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup Kefir, 1/2 cup milk, 1 banana, sliced strawberries, covered and soaked overnight)

Lunches

turkey, swiss, and lettuce on ww, carrots, nectarines

PB&J on ww, carrots, ugly plate

turkey, lettuce, tomato, and swiss sub on ww bread; nectarine

Snacks

banana topped with 1 tb peanut butter

Light & Fight yogurt, fruit

Dinners

hot-dog on bun, corn on the cob with butter, roasted veggies, side salad, glass of skim milk

grilled chicken topped with avocado-tomato-basil-corn relish; side salad

avocado-tomato-basil relish (I added freshly shucked corn this time)...recipe here

Vacation Workouts

• Sunday: 35 minutes on the elliptical (at the nearby golf club), arms and abs
• Monday: 6 mile hike with my mom (those were some steep hills!)
• Tuesday: 20 mile bike ride with my mom, leg exercises on weight machines at the golf club
• Wednesday: My sister and I were planning on taking the canoe out, but it was such a nice day and we were feeling oh-so-lazy...

taking a break from our bike excursion

view of our lake

my sister and i

free falling

When I got home, lethargic from the 5-hour car drive, I was ecstatic to find in the mail a goody-bag from my friends over at Stonyfield Organic filled with coupons for Oikos greek yogurt! Tomorrow, I'll be sure to head to the store and take advantage of my free products. Watch for reviews in the future! Right now, I'm off to work (only 4 more shifts left!)...have a wonderful night, everyone!