Life is a Highway

During this blogging adventure that I have been on for the past 7 months (I can’t believe it’s been that long), I have realized a lot of things about myself. Having your life documented every day has definitely given me a new perspective on things.

One thing that has really stood out to me is the fact that my life is a constant ebb and flow. I don’t want to say up and down, because that implies happiness and sadness, which is not always the case. It’s just a waxing and waning of, well, life.

Let’s take food, for example. I felt like my food choices the past week had been mediocre, and that I was sometimes eating just to eat instead of eating to enjoy (an act I’m not very fond of). But on Sunday and Monday, I got back on track with my deliciously nutritious meals. Who says health has to be boring? Quite the contrary!!

Sunday eats:

Oatmeal with cooked apples and a spoonful of peanut butta on top.

Turkey pickle sammich with left-over roasted veggies. The sandwich= bomb diggity.

Chocolate peanut butter shake with greens.

 My first thought was, This is interesting... Second thoughts? None. I got over it.

Banana bread "cake."

 I used Better Batter's Yellow Cake mix to make this cake. It was so easy because I didn't have to worry about adding sugar or anything to the mixture. It was so light and fluffy, and oh-so-decadent. Here's what I did:

 Banana Bread "Cake"

• 4 bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 eggs

Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix up all the ingredients and pour into a 11x9 grease baking dish. cook for 15 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil, turn the heat down to 325 and cook for another 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Voila! Enjoy!

Holy amazing. There is less than half the cake left. Special thanks to Better Batter for sending me their awesome GF mixes! I can't wait to try them all out!

French toast with strawbeezies OTS.

 It was clear that my eye was bigger than my stomach and I couldn't eat the last piece of toast. Luckily, Gigantor packed it away for me.

New favorite tea.

 Everyone who has tried  this tea agrees that it's basically liquid Red Hots. It's pretty much the most unbelievable thing ever.

Monday munchies:

Mexican Quinoa Egg Bake with a pear OTS.

Mexican Quinoa Egg Bake

Seriously, this one's so easy. Almost too easy for how delicious it is.

• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp salsa (plus more for the topping)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix quinoa, eggs, and tbsp of salsa and put the mixture into a greased (w/ olive oil) microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 5-6 minutes, or until there is no more liquid on the surface. For those of you who are microwave-aphobics (like my mother), bake this at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Top with your favorite salsa and/or sour cream. Enjoy!

Tuna salad, GF crackers, sweet peppers, and a pickle.

Banana bread "cake." Yum-O!

Chicken salad beast: spinach, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, radish, red pepper, garbanzo beans, and a whole chicken breast topped with raspberry walnut vinaigrette. Exquisite.

Let’s discuss the home life. On both days, I’ve taken my nap outside in my bathing suit instead of inside under the covers. This Florida weather has been rocking my world as of late.

Lovin' the neck strain.

I'll never get over the gorgeous view.

Looking over my history in the blog world, another trait of mine that has come to my attention is how quickly I become unhappy when things aren’t on the up and up. I think the most important thing for me is to recognize the really great moments, but also acknowledge the “ho-hum” ones. Life can’t be perfect and wonderful all the time and you have to just be able to recognize, live in, and appreciate those awesome, warm, happy, joy-filled times when they come. (Here's the cheese and the cliché . Are you ready for it?) Instead of thinking about life as a roller coaster with ups and downs, I want to think of it as a winding road, if you will, with twists and turns (it makes me feel better). If life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long...

Homebody Syndrome

Friday night did not go quite as planned. By that, I mean, we didn’t go out and dance the night away like we usually do. If you ask my Biff, it sucked, but I would have to disagree. I acknowledge my lack on energy and desire to do anything fun, but after an art show (which I really did enjoy)...

Brandy and her performance art.

Abbey's family history and grandmother's portrait written on eggs. Incredible.

Melted records used to make a life-size living room. Pretty much the most awesome thing I've ever seen.

Being classy and drinking wine out of a plastic cup.

Veggie goodness with a little naughty on the side.

More naughtiness.

 ...and a mandatory Leadership Dinner that lasted an hour and a half longer than it was supposed to...

I hate peppy, overly excited nonsense.

This is mid-"Peanut Butter Jelly" song.

I discovered these beauties on the tables. I proceeded to steal two boxes...

...do you blame me for not wanting to be sociable? By 11 PM, I found myself playing Scrabble on my iPod in bed.

Nine hours of sleep under my belt, and I was ready to break a sweat. I spent 45 minutes on a ridiculous treadmill incline and got my booty burning. I headed back to Biff’s app to get my stuff together and head back home. On my journey, I devoured the biggest apple I’ve ever seen. I actually bought it just because I’ve never seen a bigger one…

I guarantee this apple weighed a quarter of a pound.

As soon as I got home, I hit up the fridge and whipped up this delectable meal. I do understand that it doesn’t look as wonderful as it actually was.

Chicken salad with turnips and carrots.

Afterward, I chatted with my lovey, laid out with my mommy, had a yummy snack, and washed my car. 

Yoplait Light Boston Cream Pie. To. Die. For. We won't discuss the sugar and fake sugar content.

Freshly tanned, Mama and I made a delicious dinner.

Hamburger, sauerkraut, and roasted beets, squash, Brussels sprouts, onions, and peppers. ,

I followed it up with a little treat and a movie with the fam. 

Spicy Maya dark chocolate and an adorable small cow in the background.

Being at home makes me more happy than anything, and makes me realize what a homebody I am. And I love it.

Not Meant To Be

I’ve been noticing a recurring trend on this blog I like to call “recapping,” which translated means, “I was too busy and/or lazy to post. Sorry this is late.” But the way I see it is, if it doesn’t happen, then it’s not meant to be.

Over the past two days, it felt like nothing was meant to be.

 First, it was the food…

Wednesday morning, I decided to make Carrot Cake Oatmeal. Sounds awesome, right? Well, it would have been, had I not added protein powder at the end, which created a chunky/crumbly texture. I ate it anyway. But the goodness I was expecting just wasn’t there.

Carrot Cake Crumble. Bleh.

 As I laid in bed Wednesday night fantasizing over what I would be eating for breakfast the next morning (yes, I do this), I resolved to replicate Wednesday’s lunch.

French toast with peanut butter and cinnamon and sweet ricotta. Large pear OTS.

But, I awoke Thursday morning feeling something a little different. Obviously, round 2 of French toast wasn’t meant to be.

Chopped pear and over-easy eggs on toast.

Wednesday night, I prepared myself a rather large meal because, you guessed it, I was HUNGRY. But I quickly realized that I would not be finishing the second half of this chicken sausage. Gigantor had no problem finishing it off for me.

Boiled turnips with balsamic vinegar, sauteed cabbage, and three-cheese chicken sausage.

And then it was the workouts…

Wednesday morning, I woke up not feeling like working out, which is a pretty rare occurrence for me. Convincing myself that it working out was non-negotiable, I decided to go for a walk. At that precise moment, that annoying weather alert noise came on the teli and informed me that there were severe weather and tornado warnings going on in our area. So much for the walk. Instead, I figured I’d conduct my own step class and do some abs workouts while watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s  No Reservations.

During my “workout” I got three phone calls, was asked to move the car inside, and my yoga mat got hijacked by the dogs. Frustrated, I ended up ignoring the weather warnings and went for a walk to get 10 minutes of something in. On my way, I was stopped two separate times by neighbors (who normally don’t give me the time of day) suddenly caring about my life. Drat.

A similar situation arose on Thursday when Biff and I made our weekly trek over the school gym for Zumba class. It was canceled, so we opted for 30 minutes on the elliptical. The workout felt mediocre at best, and I felt pretty bummed that it was my second day of less-than-stellar sweat sessions.

And then it was the blog posts, or lack thereof…

On Wednesday, the aggravation of teachers not wanting to help me with the biggest project of my college career had me boiling and wanting nothing to do with this blog. I figured I’d make it up on Thursday. However, when I arrived at Biff’s house, I notice that the only thing I forgot to pack was the USB cable for my camera.

We were having a moment...

This stumpy post was the result.

And finally, going to class…

On Thursday, I drove to school in the rain and before going to class, I took my stuff to Biff’s apartment. As if it were scheduled, I shut the door to Biff’s app and heard the heavens open up. A monsoon ensued. 

Downpour.

Rather than get drenched on my way to the most pointless class I have ever taken, I chose to stay indoors. 

Pretending to be dissapointed... Can we just take a second and look at that wayward strand on the left??

I took an early morning nap with my Biff, woke up, checked my inbox, and came across an email from my second professor of the day. It read:

Dear All, this weather is insane. There is a tornado warning right now. You should stay inside and stay safe. Don't come to class.

Thank you, Professor Awesomeness.

Instead of going to school, I snacked my way through the day, as per usual.

Celery with peanut butter (stolen from Biff), carrots, pickle, and Angus beef pastrami.

Quinoa with salsa and sauteed cabbage. Yes, I ate sitting on the carpet. I was criss-cross applesauce too.

Dark chocolate, courtesy that girl in the background.

I love seasonal fruits.

Pop.

 Although the last two days did not follow my pre-established plans in any way, shape, or form, I’m not complaining. I just keep telling myself that all that stuff that was supposed to happen just wasn’t meant to be.