>Room service solves all problems

>Hey kids,

How are ya? I’m well on my way to getting into PA (physician assistant) school, fingers crossed! First step: Passed Nursing Aide test. Let me tell you that exam was one of the most annoying/aggravating/painful experiences of my liiiiife!

The written portion of the exam lasted from 8-8:30am. Next they had us wait in a room to be called for our Skills portion of our test. We were told not to leave the room in case they call our names. I was called at 4:30pm! Yes, I waited in a classroom with NO FOOD, book, computer, etc. for 8 HOURS! I felt like I was in detention. After taking the skills exam which lastest about 25 mins, I had to drive 4 hours home (which took 6 due to traffic). Ahhhh, what a day! Sorry for the rant 🙂

The trip wasn’t allll bad I did pass the exam aaaaand order some room service. Friday night I ordered a class of Shriaz and piece of chocolate cake. You bet I ate it in my whirlpool bathtub. Yep, I felt like I was straight out of a movie 🙂 For a wake up call, I ordered some fruit, coffee, and tomato juice to accompany my oats and protein breakfast:

Unsure what the food situation would be, I packed some regular oats and a baggy containing SunWarrior protein to mix in. SO GLAD I ate a big breakfast considering I wasn’t able to eat for 10 more hours!

Did you know you can steam hot H20 in your coffee maker? haha…Maybe I’m the only one..

Steaming hot H20 for oatmeal

Once I arrived back in the District I had to snap this pic to show you the craziness that is Georgetown Cupcakes:

Ever since the show DC Cupcakes aired, Georgetown Cupcake has become NUTS! This picture shows about 1/10th of the line and was taken at 10pm on a Saturday!

When did cupcakes become so trendy?????

Today I woke to a delicious Strawberry-Pineapple Green Monster Smoothie:

Vanilla SunWarrior, frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple, 2 huuuge hand fulls spinach, ice, h20, stevia, 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (to thicken), pinch sea salt. Yummm.

[Insert 2 hours of application writing]

I was craving a weights sesh at the gym. I took a BodyPump class and it did the trick. Has anyone tried the new BodyPump series?? I think it’s BodyPump 74?? Well, it’s HARD! The lunge and triceps tracks are killer!!

I met my friend Alyson for lunch at Chop’t, my favorite salad place.

Mmm.

Speaking of good eats, here are two recent favorites I’ve made within the last week…

Healthified Mac N’ Cheese:

Diced medium-firmness Tofu (~1/6 block), 1/4 cup oats, 2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast, ~2 tbsp shredded lite cheddar cheese, mixed frozen veggies, sea salt, pepper & topped with hot sauce.

Chocolate Protein Pancakes:

1 scoop Chocolate SunWarrior, 1/3 cup egg whites, 2 tbsp PB Flour, 1 heaping tbsp spelt flour, 1/2 mashed banana, stevia, dash sea salt, 1/2 tsp baking powder. Topped with a PB smear and 1 tbsp organic maple syrup. Perfection, I tell ya.

Alright I’m off to volunteer with some kiddos then take a spinning class with Alyson. Happy Monday!

Cute/weird Pic of the Day:

Michael doing some yoga

>EXAM day

>Happy Friday! I have a hectic two days ahead of me…

I woke chipper and anxious for the day, made a gigantic Strawberry-Banana protein smoothie…

1 scoop Vanilla protein (SunWarrior brand), 1 frozen banana, hand full frozen strawberries, stevia, dash sea salt, ice, h20

And caught up the news. This lasted about 5 mins because it’s rush, rush, rush today!

Tomorrow morning is my Nursing Aide board exam. To read about my recent career change, click here and here.

Coffee and snacks are usually my study vices:

Mug #1: Caribou coffee w/ steamed soy + Mug #2: Fiber One, Goji berries, raisins, blob almond butter

Studying however, is not so easy with this guy staring at you 🙂

[Insert a few more hours of studying + 45 min run]

Whelp, I’m almost ready to get on the road (my exam is out of state), I made Cinnamon Raisin French Toast for dinner!

Who says French toast isn’t healthy???

2 pieces Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Toast dipped in 4 egg whites, cinnamon, stevia, 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract. Topped with almond butter and 1 tbsp organic maple syrup

See you after my exam!!! Have a great weekend 🙂

>Quickie but a goodie..

>Hi folks! This is gonna be a quick one because I’ve gotta get back to Studyland! I hope you’re having a fantastic day 🙂

I woke this morning eyes wide SHUT, and walked straight to Sir Keurig. When I was home in NH we hit up a local coffee shop where they sell Keurig cups very cheap…Think we have enough????

It paired nicely with my Chocolate-Covered Strawberry and Flax Green Monstah (that’s a mouthful…no pun intended. Corny, yes?)

1 scoop Chocolate Protein powder (I use SunWarrior), ~5 frozen strawberries, hand full frozen spinach, 1 tsp flax seeds, pinch xanthan gum (to thicken), stevia, dash sea salt, ice, H20

[Insert 2.5 hours deep into Studytown]

Needing quite the break I thew on my running shoes and hit the pavement. I did a nice 5-miler around the Potomac River. Actually, I was sweltering HOT and it was mostly uphill but I did feel pretty fantastic afterwards 🙂

For lunch I threw together what I could find. We need groceries BADLY!

2 Morningstar Pizza Burgers topped with warmed marinara sauce + nutritional yeast (gives it a cheeeeesy flavor), carrots n’ PB, sliced cukes w/ TJs FF Balsamic Vinegar

Still a little hungry I had a small cup of last night’s Indian feast…

Tofu, spinach, veggies, lentils, TJ’s Curry Simmer Sauce, pinch turmeric, pinch coriander (last night I ate it with garlic naan but failed to take a pic cause it hit my stomach too fast)

Alright I’m about ready to hit the books….

I leave you with some pics from 4th of July (Manfriend is sloooow uploading) and Countryfest.

Have a great night!!!!

Ferry ride to Provincetown (P-Town), MA (look relaxed, do I???)

Playing with Seth’s niece Portia on the beach in Plymouth, MA

Countryfest. Not sure what the ‘tude is for..

Siblings!

Group pic. Check out the Manfriend’s sick stache. hahaha...

>A cake and a condiment

>I need to share two of my favorite foods. One a condiment and the other a protein-packed chocolate cake.

But first I wanted to share some exciting news with y’all…Yesterday I ran my very first long run of the season! I clocked 9.4 miles at an 8:02 min/mile pace 🙂 Ahhh, fall running is almost here!

Today the legs were feeling like bricks so I did a slow 1-mile jog to the gym, STRETCHED a TON, then did a total body lifting routine. Legs are feeling MUCH better!

OK, onto the goods….

The first item is Trader Joe’s Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette:

With it’s pretty stellar nutrition stats:

Tip: To health-ify salad dressings click here

My frequent usage is topped over spiralized zucchini, tofu, and veggie salad (recipe here):

Today however, we were low on veggies so I topped it over diced (medium) tofu, cherry tomatoes, cukes, and baby carrots, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and a whole grain wrap.

The second item I must share, a protein-packed Chocolate Cake (recipe adapted from Julie’s):

I recently made oven-baked protein cakes, but every now and then I CRAVE CHOCOLATE – and I want it fast. Alas, a microwaveable version!

1. In a bowl, mix:

– 1 scoop Chocolate protein powder (I use SunWarrior)

– 1 tbsp nut of your choice (optional; I used crushed pecans this time)

– 1 egg white

– 1 tbsp FF Greek Yogurt

– pinch backing powder

– 1 serving stevia

– dash sea salt

– 1 tsp PB Flour (optional)

– 1 or 1.5 tbsp H20 (to moisten)

2. Spray a mug with cooking spray and microwave for 50-60 seconds

3. Drizzle with almond butter, PB, organic chocolate syrup, etc. + garnish with a few nuts

Savor 🙂

Happy Hump Day y’all!!!!!

>Countryfest = SUCCESS!

>Hi loves!

I’m backkkk! Countryfest was a BLAST! I really hope we keep up this tradition every year. I had an amazing time..

The weekend started with a nine hour road trip back home to New Hampshire. The pup LOVES the car. Check out the wind in his (fur) face…

I enjoyed spending time with the fam, laying out by the pool, and family dinners which included fresh veggies from our GARDEN:

Saturday morning I headed out for an amazing 5-mile trail run. I LOVE running in NH. So peaceful. I made myself a Green Monstah for the road, put on ma Cowgirl boots and we hit the road..

TAILGATING was SO MUCH FUN. The night before I made homemade veggie dip and garlic hummus which I sadly left at home 😦 I did however, make up for it with some other snacks. Namely, Skinny Margaritas:

1 bottle Jose Cuervo Silver Tequila, large splash triple sec (approx 1/8 tequila volume), 30 oz Orange flavored seltzer water, splash OJ, teeny splash fresh lime juice, 4 packets of stevia, Ice.

We had the grill going…

Sister-in-law-to-be on da grillll

And plenty of other goodies:

My plate (turkey burg not pictured): Grilled veggies + fresh fruit

We tailgated for 4 hours and loved every second of it. Friends, family, and a Manfriend. I was a happy girl.

Awesome pic. Kels (sister) captured in the middle.

Seth with friends Chris and Nik. He grew a mustache for the event…hahaha.

L to R: Sister, cousin, cousin, ME

L to R: Cousin, ME, sister-in-law-to-be, sister, cousin’s gf

Seth (Manfriend) + Ben (cousin)

We started out in nose-bleed seats then moved waaaay up and somehow found a ground-level row completely open and made that our new home. Twas amazing!

Jason Aldean was my favorite! LOVE him!

And we DANCED. All. night. long.

This year we rented a hotel after the concert which was worth EVERY PENNY! We headed home Sunday and had a nice relaxing day in NH. I spent the day:

– Napping

– Playing with my 4-year-old niece, Morgan

– Making dinner for the family (they requested Sweet Potato & Black Bean Turkey Chili)

– Turbofire-ing it up (I did Fire 45. Def my favorite one!)

– Girls’ Wine night! It was True Blood, Entourage, Keeping up with the Kardashian’s night 🙂

After a LONG nine hour drive, I’m back in DC. I woke craving Banana Protein Pancakes:

The rest of the day includes:

– Studying for my Nursing Aide exam on Saturday (more specifics to come)
– 7 mile run in this chiiiilly weather 🙂 Update: I ran a fast (8:02 pace) 9.4 miles! Whooot!
– Visiting my bestest at her NEW APARTMENT for some vino and girl time

How was your weekend????

Have a great night!

XX,

Lauren

>Up north for some dirty south

>Hi Y’ALLLLL!

How was your day? Mine was great. It started with a Green-A-Colada + coffee in the sun 🙂 Got a lot of work done, took the pup (Michael) to the dog park, then headed out for GORGEOUS 7-miler around the Potomac River, Lincoln Monument, and Reflecting Pool. Twas wonderful.

To break up the work I whipped up some Homemade Garlic Lemon Hummus compliments of Garlic Gold. If you are a garlic fan like myself, and you haven’t tried Garlic Gold yet – you’re missing out.

Ingredients:

– 3/4 can Garbanzo beans (chic peas)

– 1 can white beans

– 2 finely diced garlic cloves

– 2 tbsp Garlic Gold Lemon Vinaigrette

– 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

– 2 tbsp rice vinegar

– 2 tbsp H20

– 1/2 tsp sea salt

– 1/2 tsp black pepper

– 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (more if you like it HOT)

Directions:

– Add ingredient to food processor and blend

– Garnish with paprika and a little EVOO

– Serve chilled

—–

Sooooo, can you guess where I’m headed tomorrow? The Manfriend, sister, and I are driving home to New Hampshire for….The New England Country Music Festival!

I can hardly contain my excitement! We rented a few hotel rooms with my cousins and some NH friends. It’s become a family tradition and I have every intention of keeping this one alive 🙂

I’m most pumped to:

– See my brother, sister-in-law (to be!), cousins, friends

– Sip skinny margaritas in the sun

– Tailgate with amazing grillers and snacks we have planned

– Dance/sing literally ALL DAY

– Then crash at our hotel and avoid concert traffic

CAN.NOT.WAIT

Questions:

Do you like country music?

What was the last concert you went to?

What’s your favorite tailgaitin’ food?

Do you have any family (or friend) traditions????

See you all next Monday for a recap! Have a FABULOUS WEEKEND!!!

– Laur

>Thunderstorms yield great wine

>I have a confession: I still sleep with the teddy bear I was giving when I was born.

His name is Berry. AKA Strawberry Jones (sick name, right?). But I call him Berry for short. Hopefully I am not alone on this one like my Manfriend and sister lead me to believe…

Yesterday was quite the day. I started it out with PB + Chocolate + Chia Overnight Oats:

– 1/4 cup oats

– 2 tbsp PB Flour

– 1/2 scoop Chocolate protein powder (I use SunWarrior)

-1/2 cup FF Greek yogurt

– 1 tbsp chia seeds

– H20

– stevia

– dash sea salt

Hit.the.spot

I also delivered the Manfriend Breakfast IN BED:

Everything bagel with 2 over-easy eggs, grilled ham, and Laughing Cow cheese. Nice girlfriend I am, eh? heheh

[Insert 4 hours of thesis work (MS thesis in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology) while listening to the massive thunderstorms outside]

I love (being inside during) storms. So cozy.

During a brief storm intermission, I snuck out for a fabulous light-rain 5-mile run. Do you run in the rain. It is SO THERAPEUTIC. Seriously try it.

Feeling amazing and recharged for more thesis work, I came home to NO POWER. Bored and unsure what to do, I threw in p90x Arms and Shoulders on the Mac and got ma lift on in the dining room (our brightest room). Eh, if it works?

After 45 mins of lifting, the power was STILL not on. Then another FOUR hours went by of reading by limited candlelight. DCers: WHY does the power always go out in the SUMMER? I am from NH/Boston and the power has gone out more times HERE than when I lived in NEW ENGLAND!!!!!

So what’s a girl to do? 1) I showered in the dark. Interesting to say the least. Then 2) made dinner by candle light. Kelsey (sister) and I made one quick sweep into the fridge as to lose the least amount of cold air and whipped up dinnah.

*Sorry for the poor-quality pics. I was in the dark… 😉

Summer salad:

Romaine, tofu (medium), red grapes, diced watermelon, cucumbers served with Goddess Dressing + Nutritional yeast. Fab.

Hard-boiled eggs (fortunately we have a gas stove):

PB + Chocolate mousse for dessert:

1/2 cup FF Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp PB Flour, stevia, dash sea salt, drizzle organic chocolate syrup, drizzle Better N’ Peanut Butter

STILL without power, I threw in the Thesis-Towel, put my face on by candle (and flash) light..

..and met the Manfriend and his cousin Dan for drinks at this awesome place. <— If you live in the area, this bar is fantastic. TONS of beer, great vino selection, and FANTASTIC ambiance. Seth informed me this morning the AMAZING Cabernet I was drinking was $15/glass. Whoops 🙂 BUTTTT…we did come home to POWER!

And that brings us to today. I woke craving something TROPICAL. Perhaps it’s due to the SUN that’s finally out?? I went for a Green-a-Colada Protein Smoothie (inspired by Gina’s):

– 1 scoop vanilla protein (Used SunWarrior)

– 1/2 cup FF Greek yogurt

– 1/4 cup frozen pineapple

– 1/2 cup frozen mango

– 1 frozen banana

– 2 tbsp red. fat unsweetened coconut

– 2 hand fulls fresh spinach

– stevia

– 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (optional; to thicken)

– teeny dash sea salt (brings out sweetness)

– Ice + H20 (or almond milk)

Perfection.

So what’s up for the rest of the day???

– Thesisss
– Lunch
– Workout (Run or TurboFiyyyah)
– Pack for tomorrow’s Road trip (hint: clue in 4th picture)
– Clean apt
– Dinnah
– RHDC and Jersey Shore (hehehe)

Have a fantastic day Y’ALLLLLLL (hint #2)

-Laur

QUESTIONS:

Do you still sleep with a stuffed animal?

Have you taken any road trips lately???

>Yeeee-HAWW

>Hi guys 🙂 How was your day? This morning I woke a little later than I hoped for (10am, eeek), inhaled a Protein Cupcake then jogged with the Manfriend to the gymnasium. I did shoulders + triceps then took an impromptu Spinning class. I wasn’t in the mood to lift anymore so I figured some Cardio + Endorphins would fix my mood…

Whelp, it did the trick aaaand a little more. I have never SWEAT SO MUCH from a workout except Bikram. Fabulous + disgusting at the same time 🙂 And I couldn’t be happier.

After a much needed shower, I whipped up a Peanut Butter Cup Green Monster:

– 1 scoop Chocolate SunWarrior protein

– 1.5 tbsp Peanut Butter Flour

– 1 frozen banana

– 2 hand fulls fresh spinach

– Ice + H20

– stevia

– pinch xanthan gum

– dash sea salt

Shortly after refueling, Kelsey (sister) and I headed to Virginia for a COUNTY FAIR!!! Brings me back to childhood in New Hampsha.

There were animals:

And preggo ones:

Side note: Our friend Andrea (super girly-girl, nurse in DC) grew up on a farm and her family shows cows a few times per year (they have 200!). We went to see her show em’!

Andera posing with fresh milk from her cows:

And ME drinking the FRESH COW MILK!

There were also lots of GAMES:

And FOOD:

Had to TRY a FRIED OREO. When in Rome, right?

Green apple + Cheddar from a dairy farm. Oh so good.

And tasted some vanilla soft serve, also from the dairy farm

All in all, a fantastic day. Tomorrow it’s BACK to THESIS-ing! Night kids 🙂

QUESTIONS:

Did you attend fairs as a kid?

What’s the strangest food you’ve tired in another state??

>You can call me the (turkey) chili master

>Hello bloggies,

How was your Monday? Mine was bueno. It started out with a peanut butter – protein cupcake and coffee. Fantastic.

I’d like to say I worked super hard on my thesis all morning, but the reality was I was L-A-Z-Y. So I lounged, hung out with Sir DVR and eventually made my way to a 12pm BodyPump class. Love the Pump. I’m addicted.

After getting the Endorphins pumpin’, I did get to work. Hallelujah. I thesis-ed until my brain almost exploded then decided to prepare dinner early tonight so after Spinning I could come home to a feast.

And a feast it was. Behold: Black bean & Sweet Potato Turkey Chili (inspired by Gina‘s recipe):

Ingredients:

Ground lean turkey

3 large sweet potatoes

2 cans black beans, rinsed

1 can corn (no sugar/salt added), rinsed

4 large tomatoes, chopped

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 pepper (orange or yellow)

1 cup tomato juice (or V8)

2 garlic cloves, diced

2 tbsp Red chili powder (not pepper!). Add more if desired (I do!)

1/2 tbsp Cumin

1 tsp Sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Add corn, beans, peppers, 1 diced garlic clove, onions to large pot

2. Dice sweet potatoes into large cubes and boil until soft. Drain and set aside.

3. Cook tomatoes covered over medium heat until they can be easily mashed (~5 mins). Add to pot:

4. Add remaining garlic, cumin, 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder to a cooking pan. Brown turkey (just sear outsides of turkey):

5. Add turkey to pot (and remaining spices, tomato juice) and cook covered over medium heat until turkey is cooked and onions/peppers are soft:

6. When turkey/peppers/onions are cooked, add sweet potato.

7. Drool.

Note: To obtain a more “chili” taste, add more red chili power and cumin. I add quite a bit 😉

Alright peeps, time for some vino + dark chocolate + reality TV. Ahhh, the life.

-Lauren

PS…Who is watching WEEDS tonight????

>Calling all peanut butter lovers

>Have you ever come across a product that completely changed your life? More specifically, a FOOD item that’s rocked your world? For me, stevia is up there. I was a Splenda addict until the lovely no-calorie all natural sweetness – that is stevia – came into my life. And I am still thankful ❤

Recently however, a new love has come into my life. And this one just may be my #1…

Behold…The incredible fabulous fantastic item that is PEANUT FLOUR! You may be asking, is this another healthy flour, perhaps the next Spelt flour? And my answer is, it’s better than that. Peanut flour is peanuts ground into flour with INCREDIBLE nutrition stats. Per 1/4 cup:

Yep, that’s 16g protein for 110 calories. And trust me, the TASTE is even better than the nutritional info.

I started using PB Flour (1-2 tbsp) in my chocolate protein smoothies. Yeeee-UM. Then I got an idea, “Bet I could create a delicio-so Chocolate Protein Cupcake”.

And behold: Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein muffins with PB + Banana Frosting:

Combine + mix:

– 6 Scoops Chocolate Protein powder

-1/4 cup PB Flour

– 3/4 cup FF Greek yogurt

~1 cup H20 (depending how thick your protein is)

– 1 egg (or 3 tbsp egg whites)

– 1 tsp Baking powder

– 1/2 tsp sea salt

Cook for 20 mins at 400F

“Frosting”: In food processor combine:

– 1/4 cup FF Greek yogurt

– 1/4 block FF cream cheese

– 1 banana

– 2 heaping tbsp PB Flour

– 1 tsp PB

– 3 servings (or packets) stevia

– 1/4 tbsp sea salt

These are no joke. Probably my greatest protein creation so far!

Enjoy Peanut Butter Lovers!

– Lauren