Fall Break

Finally done with exams and now I am two classes away from fall break! I plan on my fall break containing a multitude of protein pancakes, green smoothies, and running (in my half marathon, that is).

It is always so great when I am home from college and I can eat food that isn't raw or cooked in a microwave. I mean my oatmeal, BBQ chicken deli meat from WholeFoods, split pea soup, and frozen spinach are delicious, but it can get old sometimes... That is why I am going to make sure I fill my fall break with all the foods that I ate during the summer and have been sorely missing.

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So, I never made it to Pure Barre on Friday. I had planned on going, but I was extremely sore after running 8 miles on Thursday (it was my first long run after being sick) and then I "biked to Uganda" with some of my friends as part of a school fundraiser Friday morning. That being said, my entire body was screaming at me and squatting for an hour off of a ballet barre surprisingly did not sound too appealing.

Catherine, Maggie, Me, Stephanie, and like 5 rando's in the background.

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On a completely unrelated note, our WholeFoods starting caring a local brand of Kombucha called "Buchi." I have been a fan of G.T.'s for a while now (especially the Citrus flavor), but this brand is amazing! It is a female-owned Kombucha brewery in Asheville, and it has a very different taste than G.T.'s. My favorite flavor is definitely "water." All the flavors are like fire, water, air, earth, etc.

Downfall of this brand? The bottle looks like I am drinking beer while walking to class at 9am. Not cool.

I am not one to believe that the fermentation in Kombucha is going to prevent cancer or any of the other health claims out there (similar to what I said here), but I honestly just like the taste. I drink it as an occasional treat, and the carbonation is a fun change since I don't drink soda. 

All that to say, if you like Kombucha, then try Buchi's water flavor.

(5 days till half marathon!)

My Weekend and Brownie Batter!!

I had such a wonderful weekend at home! I had so much fun with my cousin Jenni and my precious mother. Although they spent most of the time talking about sconces, tile, and sinks for our new home... I still managed to have a good time :) And of course make some yummy desserts.

On Friday I went with Meagan to our high school where we celebrated the third graduating class. I tried to get a picture of them throwing their caps, but this was all I managed to get. You can see the caps, but not the graduates. Oh well...

The reception was nice, but the cake wasn't nearly as good as the cake from our high school graduation. Not even close. 

Being so busy this weekend prevented me from blogging, but I have been meaning to post pictures of this amazing, healthy dessert. It is DEFINITELY worth trying. Probably my favorite healthy dessert recipe I have ever made.

The recipe comes from Chocolate Covered Katie and it is her Cookie Dough Dip. Instead of chocolate chips I added 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to make it completely sugar free and so that's why I am calling it brownie batter. It's divine. 

My roommate made the Cookie Dough Dip from CCK that has sugar, and we both decided that the sugar free one was better. Now that is phenomenal. Dates beating brown sugar...

It is hard to believe that a chichpea-based dessert sweetened by dates could possibly taste good, much less amazing, but please trust me. It will take your taste buds to chocolate heaven. 

Happy Memorial Day!! And I hope all of you immediately start soaking your dates to make this dessert!

My Dream Came True : a PB2 review

I had an extremely long day of studying, but two things happened today that have allowed me to call it a wonderful day :)

Right about the time that I was needing a study break, the door bell rang. I ran to the door and it was the UPS man dropping off a box for me. I've been anxiously waiting for the PB2 that I had ordered earlier in the week to arrive, and I could not wait to try it!!

I have heard so much about this mystery peanut butter miracle... and honestly I have no idea why I haven't tried it sooner! 

It has literally rocked my world.

What is PB2? It is powdered peanut butter, or peanuts that have had all the oil and fat removed. How do you change the pulverized peanuts from powder back to the creamy peanut butter we all know and love? You simply add water :)

PB2 is all natural and only has 3 ingredients: peanuts, salt, and sugar. It has ALL the protein of regular peanut butter, and it only has 45 calories for every 2 tablespoons. 

That means if I want to indulge in 6 tablespoons of peanut butter, it won't be costing me 570 calories, but a mere 135!! That's remarkable. Not to mention ill be getting a lot of protein in that snack!

PB2 can be purchased here.

And yes, I really do love peanut butter enough to eat 6 tablespoons of it plain. And without water. It takes some skill...

My favorite go-to breakfast has always been peanut butter oatmeal, so of course I had to dump some in my oatmeal to try it out. Ahh, so good!! I'm really over joyed by this. It's the little things in life :)

I'm going to be experimenting with PB2 to make the perfect peanut butter banana smoothie, so stay tuned! And naturally I'll be looking to come up with a peanut butter cookie recipe.

I quickly want to mention my breakfast this morning. I smothered some Strawberry Chia Jam that I made yesterday on a Protein Pancake, and it was so delicious! 

(Protein Pancake = 3 egg whites, 1/4 c. of oats, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 tsp agave nectar, dash of salt, and dash of cinnamon. Then just cook on frying pan like a pancake!)

So the second thing that made my day was getting dinner with an amazing friend of mine, who also happened to be my teacher in high school! She is a wonderful woman and she was able to put me in a great mood after a long day of studying. Thank you!!

For dinner I had a mozzarella and tomato salad that included sun-dried tomatoes and delicious greens. I also had a cup of coconut asparagus soup. For dessert we split a vegan chocolate chip oatmeal cookie (it was divine), and I had a mexican chocolate popsicle, while she had a strawberry lime one. It truly hit the spot.

Now that my spirits are lifted, it's back to studying!!

Last night before the freedom of SUMMER :)

Dinner with the Best!

This past semester has been a tough one. I've dealt with a lot of hard emotional and family issues, but one thing remained stable through it all: my amazing friends.

Last night we all went to dinner and celebrated our friendship and the end of a successful school year.

And here we are: Stephanie, Catherine, Kate, Olivia, Maggie, (me), and Rachael. Thank you guys so much for an amazing year!! Love you all so very much!

Adorable picture of Rachael and her precious boyfriend:

Same picture, only with a vintage flair:

The girls that I'm going to be living with this summer!! :)

Stephanie and her precious boyfriend:

Me and my future roommate!

And of course, the boyfriends had to give a quick prom pic for us... Thanks Chris and Daniel. You've just provided many people with a laugh :)

I'm praying for those who are still in exams (including myself...)! Thanks for the love and support! I look forward to this summer and next year!! xoxo!!

As for today's workout: I needed a rest day :) But tomorrow my goal is to run and do some HIIT training. well see how it goes!

Kate Plus 8

I just finished running 8 miles with my best friend Kate. I think everyone in the world should give a shout out to her on twitter @mkcaison because the most she had ever run before today was 4 miles!! Isn't that amazing?!?! She was exhausted, but she pushed through to the end and I am SO proud of her.

Today I had a peanut butter packed morning. It started with peanut butter oatmeal and then after work I went to Target and Lara Bars were on sale.

I got a box of Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Cookie, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. It is so wonderful to buy a granola bar with only 3 natural ingredients: dates, peanuts, and salt.

 I couldn't resist so I ate a Peanut Butter Cookie bar.

Then for a quick lunch-ish snack I had some peanut butter on homemade bread. Simple and yummy.

I was craving some froyo so I stopped by Menchie's on my way home from errands.

Black Mountain Cherry Yogurt with Rainbow Non-Parels.

Menchie's is so colorful! I love it :)

I think I'll probably end up having another Lara Bar in a bit... some post-run energy.

Still extremely sore from yesterdays's lift!! It was a tough one!

Leg Focus:

Pushups 3x15

Reverse Pushups 3x15

Squats 3x8

Leg Press 3x10

Split Jumps 3x30

Plank with Feet on Stability Ball 3x15 tucks

Leg Let Downs Passing Stability Ball from Hands to Feet 3x30

Community Event

Today I frantically woke up and ran to school to take a Portuguese exam... miserable. After it was over I came back home in order to see all my friends for a community 5k, tennis tournament, and golf tournament in celebration of my little brother's 15th birthday. It's a beautiful day, perfect for visiting with old friends!

My Mom and I at the Event

I had a delicious green smoothie today: banana, apple, lemon juice, strawberries, and spinach. So refreshing! They never get old...

And for lunch I was able to have leftover honey baked ham from Easter! That makes a tasty sandwich!

Yesterday's lift:

Full Body:

Incline Chest Press 3x10

Squats on Smith Machine 2x10

Bulgarian Squats 2x10 per leg

Lat Pull Down 3x8

Triceps Rope Extension 3x10

Reverse Pushup 3x10

Dumbbell Hamstring Dead Lift 3x10

Bicep Curl with EZ Bar 3x10

Ab Plank with Knee Tucks 3x20 per side

Happy 15th Birthday Blake! I love you! :) Learn About Blake's Story Here

And the Sugar High Continues...

Last night I went to downtown Raleigh with two of my best friends from high school. We went to an adorable place called The Cupcake Shoppe, and my sugar high continued.

Chocolate Mint Cupcake

Strawberry Cupcake

Peanut Butter Cupcake (obviously this was mine)

Meagan and I getting ready to devour our cupcakes.

Do you know how hard it is to pose for a picture while holding a cupcake?! I just wanted to cram it in my face. And that is exactly what happened immediately after this picture.

Right beside The Cupcake Shoppe was a beautiful wedding dress store. We wanted to break in and try them all on, but instead we just window shopped. Still fun :)

Speaking of weddings, my aunt sent these gorgeous flowers to our house, and they are my dream wedding arrangements. I love how simple the all-white looks; it makes it so elegant. 

Gorgeous...

This morning I woke up and went to a spinning class at Fitness World. It was so exhausting! Spinning requires more leg strength than running, but less cardio. Regardless, it provides an intense full body sweat (not to mention I burned ~700 calories in the hour). I really enjoyed the class and want to incorporate more spinning into my training.

Now I have to go write a paper on the movie Rain Man... I really hate writing papers. Probably my least favorite thing about school, but I am determined to get it done today so I don't have to work on Easter Sunday!

I'm craving another cupcake.

Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon

I had such a fun couple of days in Raleigh visiting my best friend Meagan. We pretty much spent the whole evening shopping (at lululemon) and then eating dinner at Chipotle. Veggie burrito bowl with a huge hunk of guac was definitely the perfect pre-race dinner. Afterwards we walked around NC State's campus and made complete fools of ourselves.

Cool Painted Tunnel on NC State's Campus

I think I pulled like four muscles when I jumped. #fail

It's a Meag-in-the-Box!

Riding the Wolf (I received some judging glances while doing this.)

Luckily, Meagan lives very close to the start of the race, so we only had to wake up at 6am. Such a relief. Overall, the race was pretty uninspiring. It had a late start, pretty lame bands, no pacers, and a pretty small turnout. Not that impressed.

But, I was impressed with my friend Kristina's time! It was her first ever half marathon and she finished in under 2 hours!!! (official times have yet to be posted)

The race was fairly hilly so I am hoping for a PR, but won't be very surprised if I didn't get it. Oh well, there's always next time! I wish they would hurry up and post the results so I can know!

Trying to convince myself I'm ready to run

Happily Waving!!

Thumbs UP! (Note: we've only been running 1 mile)

Working On My Form :)

Thank Goodness I'm Done!

Celebratory High-Five

Don't worry, I didn't make the sign for myself

Foam Rolling It Out. Feel the Pain.

Ahh... that makes half marathon #3. Check!

And for the final day of the Seven Day Green Smoothie Challenge I made a smoothie with banana, water, apple, spinach, coconut, and chia seeds. Yummy recovery.

New workout will be posted tomorrow!!